Stuff I Learned Yesterday

I firmly believe we live in an age where it has never been easier to know the truth about God and his teaching, while also having never been easier to be deceived and led astray about God and his teaching. We hear something new, something that’s easier to swallow, less offensive, seems loving, or seems to bring a shiny new meaning to a passage that has been taught a certain way for generations. An...

One of my leading desires for SILY is that these stories would bring in sincere questions from listeners that would in turn bring about a deeper understanding of Christianity, the Bible, and what it means to live in this culture as a Christian both for myself and all of those listening. Put another way, I hoped questions would come in that would lead to spiritual growth for both myself and other l...

When I started podcasting in 2008, I never once thought that I might one day inspire someone else to become a podcaster. In times like these, I like to play the what if game. The quick version of it goes something like this: What if I’d never started my podcast about Fringe? What if JJ Abrams had never created Fringe? What if Cliff had never started his podcast about the TV show LOST. What if JJ h...

Trusting those you work with and those who work under you is incredibly important. But when they are entrusted to do their job with freedom and exercise their natural gifts, clients benefit, work culture benefits, you benefit, the company benefits, and your industry benefits. Remember, there’s no “I” in team, and even The Lone Ranger wasn’t alone. The post 602- There’s No Lone Ranger appeare...

You’ve heard me say it recently because it’s been on my mind a lot, but it’s so painfully true when they say the days are long but the years are short. In future episodes I’ll talk more about Colby moving out of our house and I even have a story about college marching band that I have scheduled for the beginning of football season. But for today, I want to stay focused on the idea of time. The pos...

In my early 20’s I lived in Texas for 3 years. There was also a guy I was associated with that had also moved to Texas from out of state. We’ll call the guy Mike. One day Mike had to go out of town for a few days for business. Apparently there was a meeting at the home office of the company he worked for. He and his wife had family there, so she traveled with him. The post 600- Right Handed Secret...

As a fully grown adult who loves marching bands and symphonies, I love the sound, size, and shape of the baritone. But as a scrawny middle school boy, I hated it. To me, it was only slightly better than the tuba. The tuba was the worst instrument. Only the fat nerdy kids played tuba and the baritone was its slightly less horrific cousin. I got to play treble clef music like a trumpet instead of ba...

All of us make instant judgments and develop opinions of people the instant we see them before we’ve even met them or heard them utter a word. Respect and authority are a two way street. I firmly believe we should respect those in authority over us. However, only fools think that just because they have authority they must be respected. As a recovering fool, I can testify that true respect is earne...

In my family, we have a generational heritage of working on cars. Well, except for my brother. He has no interest in working on cars and has asked me why I do it. He’s been known to buy a car without ever popping the hood to see what the engine bay looks like. It’s okay. He has skills in other areas, so I’ll give him some grace on that. For me, it seems like part of my DNA. I love the satisfaction...

So I set aside time every day to pray. While I had no idea where I would end up, God did. While I had no idea what the makeup of my team would be, God did. While I had no idea whether or not I’d take over a new store or an existing store, God did. As I prayed, I asked God to shape me into the leader that my future team would need. I asked him to help me be humble, learn from Sammy the skills I wou...

I thought the New Kids were amazing. Girls liked the New Kids because they were cute, I liked the New Kids because they were cool. I heard someone once say that girls want to be with the New Kids, and guys want to be the New Kids. That was certainly true for me. I bought magazines of them and hung their pictures on my wall. I studied their wardrobe and tried to find clothes that looked like them....

Making the world a better place doesn’t just happen from stages in front of crowds of strangers. Whether it’s your family, co-workers, colleagues, or a room full of total strangers, you have an opportunity before you. That opportunity is one that allows you to communicate love and encouragement, truth and compassion, kindness and generosity. Look around you, ponder, and consider how you might be a...

I've realized that I get most frustrated with my kids when they are making mistakes that I made when I was their age. Sometimes it’s something involving their friends, other times it’s the way they spend their money, and sometimes it’s mistakes I see them making with their boyfriend or girlfriend. It could be any number of mistakes really. When I talk with my wife about it, I usually end up saying...

I think it’s important to make a distinction in believing the Bible is true, and that the Bible should be taken literally. What I mean is, it’s possible to believe that the Bible is inspired by God, written down under inspiration by humans, and therefore, true (or inerrant). It’s also possible to simultaneously believe that the Bible should not be taken literally. Or better said, it’s possible to...

Today is the Monday Mailbag! In today’s episode I share contributions from Geoff, Barb, Colby, Bradley, and Andrew. Did you know that mail delivery has been around since the 1500s? In 1505, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I established a postal system in the Empire, appointing Franz von Taxis to run it. This system, originally the Kaiserliche Reichspost, is often considered the first modern postal s...

I love escape rooms. It’s no surprise really. I love all sorts of puzzles. Solving various puzzle-types is one reason I love The Legend of Zelda franchise so much. Once I learned about escape rooms, I had to try one out. To me, they seemed like a real life example of a Zelda dungeon puzzle. I remember asking my family about doing an escape room and it went just about like I expected. My son, who a...

When I left in 2013, I had my next job already lined up. I started my own company specializing in editing and launching podcasts. Over the last decade that company, Pro Podcast Solutions, has helped launch several hundred podcasts and we’ve edited tens of thousands of podcast episodes. When I quit my job I had two clients, and now I serve over 150 clients. The path from two to 150 has not been str...

As parents, we want to make lasting memories with our kids. We want to have shared experiences that make the bonds between us stronger. We want to give our kids the Disney experience. In preparing to write this episode I messaged my kids separately and asked them to share with me their three favorite memories that involve us as a family. I told them at least one parent had to be involved in the me...

To share one’s faith story, or testimony as you prefer, is to share how you came to faith in Jesus, and share how God has been active in your life. In today’s episode I’ll be sharing my story of coming to faith and some of what I’ve seen God do in my life. You may have noticed that I used two different qualifiers in that last sentence. I’ll only be sharing “some” things with you today because ther...

Hitting the wall is an expression typically applied to athletes, or more specifically, runners. When a runner "hits the wall," they experience an intense and abrupt state of exhaustion, where the body essentially runs out of fuel. This typically occurs during long-distance events, like marathons, around the 18 to 20-mile mark. Runners describe it as an almost instantaneous shift from feeling stron...

When we feel a calling yearning within us, we should listen to what it is saying and ponder how we should respond. In my case, when I listened to the voices of all those around me, those voices all confirmed what my inner voice was telling me to do. We should also take immediate action before that excitement and vigor have a chance to subside. Making goals and setting timelines are great ways to l...

To the best of my knowledge, I won’t be passing from this earth into eternity any time soon, but none of us know when our last breath will come. As motivating as that might be to cause one to contemplate his legacy, it’s a different life event that has caused me to focus on it. That life event involves my kids. That is, last year was my daughter’s senior year of high school, and this year is my so...

I never get tired of hearing the sound of the MGB GT starting up, and I thought it might be appropriate to record this final episode of the season in the very object that this season has been about. So I hope you don't mind the sounds of my car. I thought we'd take it for a little drive today. Every time I get in this car, it's a satisfying and joyful feeling. I can't help but get a smile on my fa...

Where does one begin rewiring a car? For me, the answer wasn’t as hard as it may seem. That decision had been made months before. You see, during the research and education phase of this process, I’d done a lot of work to figure out what wiring harness would be the best fit for my car. Because the MGB and MGB GT were made nearly unchanged for almost 20 years, getting parts for them is still quite...

On February 17, 1986 I turned 10 years old. Four days later Nintendo released a game that would become my favorite game franchise of all time. Released on the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES, The Legend of Zelda captivated me like no video game, including any Mario game, had ever done before. The problem for me was, I owned a SEGA Master System, not a Nintendo. Fortunately, my friends down t...