-
The Lucky Wilderness
Leadership is broken because leaders are unbroken Wilderness Wanderings Series: Learning to Live the Zigzag Life John Paine calls himself “the luckiest man in the world,” and most agreed with him some years ago. When John was in the seventh grade he decided he would be physically strong, and he worked until he became a superior athlete who played for college football. Then he decided to transfer to a top ten engineering school and strive to become intellectually strong, and he succeeded by graduating Summa Cum Laude. Upon graduation, John married his high school sweetheart and started his family. At the same time he decided he would…
-
The Color Green, Gold, And St. Patrick’s Day
Several years ago my husband and I had the opportunity to visit Northern Ireland and experience the culture first hand. The landscape of the country was beautiful and the people were so friendly and hospitable. Whether we were in the city or in the country, the charm of the Irish and the beauty of the country followed us everywhere. Most of you know that Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle and yes, this island certainly does live up to the name. The velvet green grass clothed the hillsides as sheep grazed peacefully in the sunlight. The steep cliffs and the beauty of the ocean sent the message of richness and splendor as we…
-
Don’t Wish Me Luck
A Christian high school in the Chicago area displayed a disturbing message for one of their teams on their marquee: “Good luck in the State Finals!” I knew they were wishing them well, but unwittingly, the message writer had bought into an unbiblical worldview. There is no such thing as luck! The concept of luck is an animistic belief, which is the core of folk religion worldwide: a belief in the unseen world that is populated by various kinds of spirits such as the spirits of the dead (ghosts) and nature spirits, as well as unseen supernatural forces: fate, the “evil eye,” magic, witchcraft, impersonal energy forces (“chi”) . . .…
