Our country is blessed every day by over two million men and women who serve in our military. In addition to protecting our nation from outside threats, many of these men and women wrestle with personal challenges that reduce their military readiness and resilience...
Category: RW Blog
15 New Training Options and Opportunities
Including New Group-Study DVD Sets! During a seminar in southern California, a business owner volunteered that he was “successfully failing in his business.” He explained that he employed over a hundred people in a thriving company, which enabled him to provide his...
Daniel Project: Washington DC Update
Washington DC is an interesting place, to say the least. Politics, power, money … countless temptations, continual controversy … and thousands of people whom God has graciously called to serve as salt and light in our nation’s capital. I was privileged to meet fifty...
The Daniel Project: RW in Washington DC
Over the next few days, I will have the privilege of presenting relational wisdom to congressional and military leaders in our nation’s capital. I’m both humbled and excited about this opportunity to share the wisdom principles of God’s Word with men and women who...
Here’s Looking at You Kid
You’re in for a treat today. Humphrey Bogart is providing an unforgettable example of relational wisdom. His platform is Casablanca, a movie that has consistently ranked as one of the greatest films of all time. The movie is set in Morocco, shortly after the beginning...
Papa, Clean Me!
When he was two-and-half-years-old, my grandson, Andrew, came across a fresh pile of dog poo in the yard. Having been told repeatedly to stay away from dog piles, he of course felt an irresistible desire to step on it and squish it around. Not liking the odor, he...
Gracious Eyes
Years ago I completed a particularly sad divorce mediation. The husband had tried for years to meet his wife’s expectations, but she was adept at finding fault with everything he did. Shortly after our final meeting, I read an article in Country Magazine in...
How Well Do You Love Your Enemies?
Do you have an enemy today? Someone who has has done you great harm or is out to get you right now? Perhaps it's not been quite that bad. Perhaps someone has simply spoken critically to you or about you, or has otherwise disappointed or failed you in a hurtful way....
Before It’s Too Late
Years ago, one of my clients was in the hospital with only hours to live. He had no interest in seeing his stock portfolio one more time. Although he had spent most of his life focused on work and wealth, with death hovering at the door, dollars meant nothing. He had...
Leadership Transitions: The Good, the Bad and the Clumsy
I’ve seen a lot of leadership transitions over the past thirty years. Like the characters in an old Clint Eastwood western, they generally fell into one of three categories: The Good, the Bad, and the Clumsy (which often turned ugly). Bad Transitions Bad transitions...
Are You Relational or Informational?
Many pastors are much better at imparting information than they are at building relationships. They are comfortable in their studies. They love their books. They pride themselves on their sound doctrine. They come alive in the pulpit as they proclaim “the...
Preventing a Breach
I learned the hard way how easy it is to breach a dam. When I was fourteen, my dad hired a contractor to enlarge a stock pond on our ranch by building a dam. It was ten feet high and thirty feet thick at its base. As the pond filled, we discovered that the dirt around...
No Excuses
I failed a coworker. Badly. No, not just badly … very badly. It took me a while to face it. When I finally realized what I’d done, embarrassment kept me from going to talk with him right away. So now I was doubly wrong. Failed to support him, and failed to admit it...
One Solution to Political Polarization
A week ago today, I had the privilege of teaching relational wisdom to our Montana State Legislators and their staffs. I was warmly welcomed by every person I met as I walked into the House Chamber. More importantly, many people came up afterwards to express their...
7 Ways to Redeem an Offense
I recently received a complaint from a woman who I will call Ruth (not her real name) regarding a video clip I used in one of my blog posts. The video is called "It’s Not about the Nail." It features a graphic metaphor built around a woman with a nail in her forehead...