Recently, I was interviewing the up and coming rock and soul band, Jason Greenlaw and The Groove. Something immediately caught my attention about them, even though no one in the band is related, they all seemed to motivate each other and work together in the way that a strong family would.

As I have watched the band grow in popularity, I had an overwhelming desire to meet with them and when the band members made this comment, I knew why. “God plays a key part in our lives,” said band leader, Jason Greenlaw. “We pray before everything. Every show, every practice and every time we prepare to travel. He is in our lives and has and is continuing to bless us. We owe it all to God.”

It is always fascinating to me to see a person step up and help someone else realize their full potential. Never expecting anything out of the deal, being satisfied only with seeing others reach their goals and be the best they can be… After only a few minutes with the b...

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We all know that the people we hang around with and the conversations we have with them determine a lot of our mental attitudes. If you hang around with positive people, they will always encourage you to reach your full potential, but a negative influence or word can set a person on a downward spiral.

We are taught that “Positive” is Good and “Negative” is Bad.  But, this is not always the case. Negative can be a powerful motivator if you know how to use it correctly.

When a negative comment is thrown a person’s way, 95% of the time, the person will react in a negative way. This causes hurt, fear, anger and even destruction. But, just imagine if you could harness this most powerful energy and devote it to something that would promote, build and help the lives of others and yourself.

I was reading an article recently on a man who was rejected from riding a rollercoaster because of his weight. He was told he was too big and he wo...

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I can remember starting a new job, several years ago. I was going to work for the new mayor of my home town of McCrory, Arkansas. We talked over the telephone a few days before I started and he said, “My first assignment for you starts now. I want you to take a notebook and write down several things that you would like to see happen within the city.”

I took a small notepad and jotted down about ten things I would really love to see take place around town and brought it with me on my first day at work.

The mayor read over my goals and said, “Okay, lets go to work on them.” He also had a list and we went to work on those as well.

Within a few months, I looked at the notepad and noticed all the goals had been met. I was pretty excited about this and showed it to the mayor. “Good job!” he said, “Now, write down some more.” I did, and continued to do so throughout my years at the job.

When I was getting ready to move...

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In the month of April, my family had plans of me attending a small gathering at one of our favorite restaurants. When we arrived, I was taken to a large table with several of my family and friends. I was so excited to see everyone and immediately, we began to catch up on everything and greet one another with hugs and handshakes.

During the dinner, we feasted on the greatest food, had the biggest laughs, the best conversations and just really enjoyed one another's company.

“What a great time this was!” I thought to myself as I was leaving the restaurant.

The whole time, there were no thoughts of the problems of this world, no worries, no fears and no feelings of anger or regrets; just wonderful fellowship with each other.

If we can enjoy that type of fellowship with each other, here on earth, just think of how it will be when we sit at the table with Jesus in Heaven.

I can only imagine what...

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Recently, my family and I took a trip to one of the most action packed cities in the world - Branson, Missouri. I was there for two reasons, one, to do a study on how the economy has or has not had an impact on the shows and attractions, and two, to have some fun.

When we first arrived in town, we drove along historic Highway 76 and took in all the bright lights of the many theatres and attractions. As I looked at the sky-high go kart tracks, giant waterslides, helicopter rides and extreme mini-golf courses, I also kept an eye out for the road that lead to our hotel - The Boxcar Willie Inn.

I was very pleased to find that the Inn was located a few blocks back from the busy 76 Highway, in a quite little setting surrounded by other hotels. I was also pleased to be greeted by a super-friendly staff, in fact, probably the friendliest and most helpful I’ve ever seen. They had a way of making us feel more like family than guests.

The B...

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You know, there are many things that we value. Our, home, our vehicles, our bank accounts, to name a few. Why do we put such a value on these things? Simple, it’s because we have worked so hard to get them. The things we value the most are the things we worked for.

“Darn right!” you might say, but guess what, that means we are neglecting some of the most important things that we didn‘t have to work for, one especially - the human mind.

Many people don’t think much on this great God-given wonder, simply because it was part of the package. It costs us nothing; it’s absolutely free.

When I was growing up, my mother always put a lot of emphasis on reading. She even paid my brother and I to read books one summer. The more pages we read, the more we got paid. This didn’t last very long though, because after my first Judy Blume book, I was hooked and I would have paid her to read more.

Once I asked my mother, “Wh...

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I keep a quote by Bill Cosby in my mind at all times. It says: “I don’t know what the key to success is, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.” And in my line of work, I have to repeat this to myself many times. Criticism, anger and outright bashing are just something that goes with the job. The world of politics can be a cruel place. And even the word “Politics” can brand you from the get go.

Several times, I’ve sat through a church service and bit my lip or tongue when the speaker has said, “All politicians are crooks and liars. They’re no good I tell you.” But believe it or not, I know plenty of them who really care and actually do something that is unheard of today - they actually pray to the Lord to guide them.

I always smile when the mail comes in at work and the envelope has a no return address. I know immediately this will be what I call “Fan Mail.” The kind of fan mail where the person is “NOT” your fan and usually does not sign th...

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When life starts to get stressful, when things begin to get in a rut and when your schedule is packed full of tough and seemingly endless obstacles, there is only one thing left to do - totally exhaust yourself!

What?! Isn’t this the time we should take a little vacation or a break from all these stressful things?.. Well, yeah, we should, but not in such a way that we grow soft or get out of our groove. But, in a way that makes us appreciate life and puts our spirits to the test.

There are many ways to go about such a test. However, the one that has always worked the best for me is biking long distances. As I peddle along and my mind says, “Turn back, this is too far” and my body screams, “You can’t go any further! And, Kip, you will just have to turn around and go the same distance back! Give up!” I know that I am taking the true test of my spirit.

One particular place I love to bike is small river town about 40 miles away from ...

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Not so long ago, I noticed something very strange. Each day about the same time, I would start to get a feeling of fear. I would begin to worry and no matter how good of a day I was having, I would find myself feeling down until the feeling finally passed. Sometimes it passed quickly; sometimes it went on for the remainder of the day or night. The only way I can describe it is that it felt as though chains were being wrapped around my chest and slowly tightened. The fear and worry I was experiencing was not allowing me to live my life. I often said to myself, “If things are going better and I can see that there is nothing to worry about tomorrow, then I will allow myself to be happy. I’ll allow myself to love my family like I should. I will put my whole self into worshiping the Lord. But if things are not better, I’m just going to hold back and keep worrying until I can find a good place to take a break and allow myself to be happ...

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Over the years as the drug Meth surfaced and gained the reputation of being the most addictive and most deadly, I heard many myths about it and how it stemmed from the reign of one of the world’s most famous tyrants - Adolph Hitler.

For many years, I was in charge of our community service department. Most of the men and women who were working off their fines were involved with Meth. As long as they were away from it, they were fine, but they would tell you in a heart beat that once they were out, they would go back to it; there would be no fighting it. It had them and controlled them. They also held to the story that Adolph Hitler was responsible for the manufacturing of Meth during World War II.

We have all heard the stories in our history classes about Hitler and his hatred of the Jews, the death camps and his obsession to take over the world. But, one story we do not hear is of Hitler’s personal physician.

Dr. Theodore Morell was a physician who came to know mo...

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