This past Sunday at church, a good friend asked me, “How are you?” I gave her the standard, “I’m good” response, even though I came to church that morning carrying some heaviness. She persisted, “How are you . . ….
Today Jaime Hlavin rejoins us after a brief hiatus. An introvert by nature, Jaime opens up about her struggle with nurturing this most important piece of personal alignment . . . replenishing relationships. Enjoy ~ John As I’m sure you…
We are now almost two months into a season we’ve never seen in our lifetimes – the impact, fallout, and stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve waited to say anything on this platform about the subject because sometimes I think…
“You can never have any close friends in the church you lead!” Such was the declaration I heard as a young pastor from many seasoned pastors. I was a greenhorn, and didn’t have enough confidence to push back on their…
It was the 2nd evening of 2020, I was sitting with a bowl of popcorn on my lap, watching a football game, and enjoying life. A pretty uneventful night. Woke up on Day 3 of 2020 with tooth pain. I…
“We all have blind spots. To deny it is to prove it.” ~ Russ Ramsey Ever been in a conversation with a person who had no idea how their words were negatively impacting you? Ever had a boss who was…
I like to play golf. Golf isn’t super-exciting. In fact, it’s kinda boring. But hitting a little ball hard with a club can be therapeutic. I’m a below average golfer. Golfers at a below average level use mulligans occasionally. If…
Every relationship in our life—both present and future—carries with it a degree of risk. If risk-free friendships you seek, find yourself more and more isolated you will. (Written in Yoda-speak) In our increasingly lonely society, I wonder if one way we…
We live in a world that is more connected technologically than any time in history. But I wonder if our technology prowess has resulted in us being lonelier than any time in history? In the Garden of Eden, shortly after…
