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One evening not long ago, I was preparing to grill for dinner. Typically, my wife will get together whatever needs to be put on the grill and I will cook it up. On this particular night, we were having burgers. She brings out the plate with the burgers all seasoned up and I put them on the grill and go through the process. I bring them in and we sit down and fix our burgers the way we like and enjoy dinner together. At the end of the meal, she asked how I enjoyed my burger and I said “It was great, like usual”! She then informed me that what I had just eaten was a turkey burger. She went on to share that over the past several months, she had been substituting turkey for beef in the spaghetti sauce and in some other dishes as well in an effort to improve the healthiness of my diet. I had not noticed the changes. What I did recognize is that if I had seen the label on the box of burgers before I had put them on the grill, I would have likely had a different reaction.  Labels can be a...
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The "V" Formation

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  The "V" Formation On one recent weekend evening, I was in my backyard doing some work, when I heard the honking sound of geese. I stopped and looked about and there overhead, you can see in the picture above, were a group of geese in formation! I was immediately reminded of a story that I read years ago, that many of you may have already heard; but I don't want to make an assumption. I am sharing the story below because I believe it is an incredibly important message that is very timely for the environment we are in. When you see geese flying along in "V" formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in "V" formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly an...
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Lifeboat

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LIfeboat As we return to school, I wanted to re share a thought I had posted a few years ago and thought it had application for today. A couple of summers ago, I had the opportunity to take my family on a cruise! We had a fabulous time together and were able to see some really beautiful sights. We ate way too much and took advantage of the chance to unplug and relax. We were on our way home when our ship came to a stop in the ocean. The captain came on the speaker to say that a member of the crew had spotted what they believed to be a life raft, and that they were going to divert course to investigate the situation. As we approached the object in the ocean, it became very clear that it absolutely was a life raft! It was a man made craft floating in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight! I immediately felt convicted. I was reminded of all the times that I thought that I had it rough. I don't truly know what rough is. I then began to think about the people who con...
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Glasses

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  Glasses I didn't start wearing glasses until I was in high school. I had such a phobia about eyes; that I struggled to wear contacts. And when I went to college I didn't like how I looked in them and would not wear them all the time. A funny story - in college, when I would come into the cafeteria after basketball practice, my wife tells me that she thought I was a tough guy because I would come in with a scowl. She learned later that I was just squinting to see! I can imagine her disappointment in thinking she had found this brooding, tough guy, to later discover that I was just too prideful to wear my glasses. However, after 28 years, I guess she was not all disappointed, or maybe just persistent - probably a little of both. Lately, I have been paying a lot more attention to my glasses. My new glasses have been causing me troubles. I spend a large portion of my time meeting with people, which nowadays, requires me to wear my mask most all of the time. Initially, I had to ta...
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Point of Reference

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Point of Reference Just recently I was having a conversation with one of our school board members, Eric Hyche. He and his wife had just gone on vacation to Utah and visited Arches National Park. He was sharing with me some of his pictures from the trip. There was one set of pictures that I found fascinating. The pictures really had an impact on me. So much so, I wanted to share them with you. So with his permission, I am going to take you on a little trip to Utah and share some insights that were inspired by this amazing place! The Arches in the park are majestic! One example, the Delicate Arch, shown below, is 46 ft high! You can see Eric and his wife Angie at the base of the arch. Pretty spectacular, isn’t it?  The next photograph depicts the Double Arch. This geographic feature stands a whopping 104 feet high!   And the last arch that I want to share with you is another wonder in natural formations. How tall would you imagine this third arch below to be? 50...
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True or Truth?

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True or Truth? One of my favorite authors is Andy Andrews. You have heard me reference the first book of his that I read called The Traveler's Gift. A friend recommended it to me several years ago and ever since then I have been hooked! In Andrews’ most recent book, The Bottom of the Pool, he introduces a concept that I want to elaborate on, because I think it applies to where we are today. His writing highlights an understanding of the important distinction between what is true and truth! To make his point, he uses tomatoes as an example. The tomato plant is a member of the deadly nightshade family, and the household fruit was originally considered poisonous for over two hundred years. Andrews explains that Northern Europeans and American colonists held fast to the belief that the tomato plant was highly toxic. Who could argue the fact. No one, as the early settlers had seen dogs and cattle die after eating the tomato plant. That the tomato plant is highly toxic rem...
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The Space Between

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The Space Between I am writing from my dining room table after being cooped up, which is a feeling I am sure many can relate. In my semi-solitary state, I was reminded of a trip I took several years ago to Germany and Poland with the Tennessee Holocaust Commission.  On the trip, we traced the steps of the the first Jews affected by the Holocaust. We saw the site of the first deportations and we visited several concentration camps. It was at one of the camps that I snapped the following photos. Let me describe for you what you are seeing through these images. You are seeing a space between two fences. Behind one fence was where all the female prisoners were contained and behind the other fence was where all the male prisoners were contained. Both fences were electrified.  Then, there is the space in between. It was the story of this space that caused me to take the picture and of what I was reminded of today. As we stood at this location, our gu...
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