After 38 years at IBM, I am now a nonprofit entrepreneur. As Executive Director for STEPS Ministries, I’m responsible for most of what gets done. But I’m not the boss. In the Bible Belt, it rolls off the tongue to talk about discerning God’s direction. But it has been an
How you look at the world matters, because it affects how you live and who you become. The good news is that you have a great deal of control of how to view life better. Dozens of times a day, you choose whether to see through a lens of: awareness
Did you ever have a bad habit you gave up, only to go back to it later? If you are like virtually every other human being, you have probably done just that, likely more than once. For example, I quit drinking several times. In retrospect, they weren’t very serious
What I write about comes from research, study, and personal experience. It’s mostly about life, and how we can live it better. But, in order to do that, we need to know what we’re working with: We all choose idols instead of God at times. We all have issues, we
“I still remember the night times. In the darkness of early morning, I would wake to a feeling of dread. The next few hours would be clouded by fear and shame, because my world had come apart one piece at a time.” (excerpt from our family’s story in “The Dark of
I’d never been to a recovery meeting before and didn’t know what to expect, but the crowded room seemed welcoming enough as I slipped into a chair in the back. The lady in the next seat smiled, said hello, and seemed genuinely glad I was there. The same for Bob
Every week, I talk to many people about addiction and answer any questions they may have. The first part of these talks normally goes quickly, because people understand “Why” we need to do something about addiction. They are aware there are vast numbers of people who are affected, and
There are people you are in position to help. Who are they? The ones all around you. This is how easy it is to learn how to help people: All you have to do is share this article with everyone you know! You can do that using the “Please share”
I’ve talked with lots of people lately about the issues and problems they face every day. It’s been interesting that one particular observation seems to help many of them feel better about life, and about themselves. That statement is: “It’s okay not to be okay.” The simple assertion that it’s not wrong,
What is now STEPS Ministries began with an epiphany: “Why do we wait until people crash and burn before we teach them the incredible wisdom found in the world of recovery?” Why must people suffer the agony of addiction and a journey of self-destruction, taking those close to them through
Multiple factors may contribute to our feelings of anxiety, depression, or meaninglessness. And it works the same with addiction and other compulsive issues. But there is one thing at the center of most of our problems: us! Our obsession with self is a fundamental problem we have, and it affects every
If there was some behavior that made us feel good, gave us a sense of purpose, and helped us deal with life issues such as depression, anxiety, and addiction, you would think we would do it. And if it also benefited others and was something God has clearly asked us
I just retired after being with one company—IBM—since 1980. For many of those years, I wrestled with alcohol issues until it became unavoidably clear a decade ago that I was an alcoholic. (Which, in the recovery world, means I still am one.) In fact, several members of my family battled
I’ve always read a lot, partly because there is plenty of useful material out there worth reading. The problem is, most of it remains largely unused by the vast majority of people. Therefore, my goal as a writer is not to reinvent the wheel or come up with the
I’ve seen this coming for a couple of years now. In fact, I’ve enjoyed a running joke with God, something like: “You’re not going to make this easy, are you?” Spiritually speaking, financial security is an idol for me, as is my insatiable desire to control my circumstances. My wife
When I was first thinking about writing a book, I had a friend—an author—who tried to convince me not to do it: “It’s really hard, it takes a lot of time, nobody will read it, etc., etc., etc.” Those discussions were disappointing, but after several conversations he made his advice
If you live in the South, you likely know of Jeff Foxworthy and his “You might be a redneck” comedy routine. That was the inspiration for the jokes below that my wife and I enjoyed making up on a walk last week. You see, we’re “friends” of the Foxworthys.
Listen to the 11-minute podcast version Watch a 1-minute introductory video Preventing addiction is one of the most important and promising life improvement initiatives in the world today, enough so I felt compelled to start STEPS Ministries to help champion the cause. Based on the tragic impact addiction continues to
In 8 weeks, I will come to the end of something I have been doing for 38 years. I will leave the company I have worked at for nearly two-thirds of my life and start a nonprofit that builds off the current STEPS ministry, which includes this blog article you
It’s a tragic fact that people we all know—friends, coworkers, employees, spouses, kids—will suffer from addiction at some point during their lives. Unless they do something about it first. But, sadly, about 90% of those who are in danger don’t get help for their problem. If they do, it’s
