A civil engineer here in Boise shared a consultant’s advice on how the city should plan for growth. The consultant listed three factors a city needs in order to create and sustain a thriving urban culture. 1) A cool downtown scene. 2) A reputable four-year college. 3)...
A Holy Spirit identity is the opposite of brand-building
“Sometimes, you’ve gotta just listen to the Spirit.” When someone says that, usually the Spirit has told them to do what they feel like. Listening to the Spirit is doing something that makes you look good—perhaps something bold and risky but nevertheless tied...
Keep Your Eyes on the Road
“Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.” – Proverbs 4:25-26 “Look where you want to go” is an adage of motorcycle safety. If you hit some debris or a slick patch, and...
The nuclear family isn’t going away
David Brooks wrote a provocative and fascinating article in the Atlantic around the start of Covid, which could not have emerged at a more poignantly ironic moment, given its title: “The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake”. It classifies the American obsession with nuclear...
Your authentic self isn’t enough
Watching the Bachelor is like watching a televised version of your social media accounts. You see a selection of filtered profiles – each person putting forward a version of their authentic self which they hope others will find attractive and winsome. Rising above the...
How to be authentic
I’ve never actually met a fully authentic person. I’m not sure I would want to. It’s been said that a person begins to lie as soon as he becomes polite. There’s a lot of truth to that. It all depends on what you mean when you talk about being authentic. Do you really...