What time is it? Don’t ask Phil Connors that question: for him, it really didn’t matter. In the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, Phil was stuck in a strange time loop, repeating the same day, continuously. If life isn’t moving toward some significant futuristic horizon – if every day is just a do-over – then asking […]
Sep 10 2018
Here’s one for the books…
Books. “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” President Harry S. Truman is the source of that quote, and most people would agree. There are people who read and never lead: they are probably great students, but ineffective teachers. And, there are functionally illiterate leaders (able to read, but – because of […]
Sep 3 2018
The last word
America needs a day off. Last week was supposed to be the final lap around the summer track before returning to the sprint lane that puts everyone back in competition for the Fall. But some things aren’t planned in keeping with the normal calendar: death lands on life with little notice, and demands attention. Parties […]
Aug 27 2018
From home to hell…
What are the odds that your kids in college will reject your faith? This happens every year. For families, the summer break ends and “back to school/college” or becomes the critical transition point. Clothes, classroom supplies, shifts of routine and more become a demanding deadline. “First day of school” is on the calendar, and it […]
Aug 20 2018
What are you building?
“What did you do on your summer vacation”? In a bygone era, that question was a predictable “pop quiz” for the first day of school. Designed to get the cobwebs out of the students’ cursive grips, it challenged kids to put 10 weeks into 300 words. Today is “back to school” day, for me; my […]
Aug 13 2018
Identity matters: Who are you?
Who are you? What is your identity? These days, that’s not an easy question to answer. Identity goes to the heart of life; it frames our status in every conversation and encounter that, together, formulate our days. Within the span of my lifetime, that question – and, its answer – has become far more complex. […]
Aug 6 2018
Nothing lasts… or, does it? Spent, or invested?
Where were you, yesterday? Was the time you spent – where you were, doing what you did – spent, or invested?Whatever your answers to #1 and #2, here’s a stopper: can you prove it? Normally, this weekly musing arrives with my mug shot embedded at the top. Today, I’ve led-off with the iPhone shot from […]
Jul 30 2018
Your plan or His plan?
For the Jews – about 3330 years ago – God performed a miracle that showed his power and would forever define their family and mark His plan. It was Passover and Jews mark that divine intervention each year. For the Shanks – 25 years ago – God performed a miracle that showed his power and […]
Jul 23 2018
Be jealous of people who are livin’ the dream (not the Bucket List)
It’s time to kick the Bucket List. I’m stealing that headline from the Wall Street Journal’s Weekend Edition; Joe Queenan’s lead article in the Review section was the kind of laser-focused leering that challenges otherwise savvy people to re-examine their assumptions. Blame Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman for the cultural obsession with coming up with […]
Jul 16 2018
Should you do a walk-through before you move in?
What’s your favorite place? Ask that question – in a group – and step back; you’ve done enough. The answers will start flying, and will often be offered with passion and explanation. If there are 12 people in the room, you might get 12+ answers, because some people cannot settle on just-one-place. If God is […]
Thank you for reading the Point of View, my weekly commentary on life today from a Biblical worldview. It is available via email as well as this blog.
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