February 29, 2016 Not much happens on this date. In 1644, Abel Tasman launched his second Pacific voyage (not much of note in trip #2; he found Tasmania in #1). In 1768, Polish noblemen founded the Bar Confederation. In 1892, St. Petersburg, FL was incorporated. In 2012, the Skytree tower in Tokyo was completed (currently …
Tag Archives: bob shank
Does Anybody Measure Up?
February 15, 2016 Leaders can make the difference. Today is a National Holiday; you’re either “off,” or you’re trying to work and frustrated by the number of people you’re trying to contact who aren’t responsive. Don’t wait around for the mail to arrive; it isn’t coming until tomorrow. While some are now calling it Presidents …
Do you have “The Vision Thing?”
January 18, 2016 It’s the vision thing. Two weeks ago, Cheri and I were in Prague, touring the Castle Grounds: an incredible complex of buildings dating back a millennium, where the Kingdom of Bohemia – part of the Holy Roman Empire – had its political center. In the collection of buildings is the Cathedral of …
Your choice: new paint job… or, brand new?
January 4, 2016 new Not existing before; made, introduced or discovered recently, or, now, for the first time; just beginning and regarded as better than what went before. For the next few weeks, we’ll all be shaking the holiday dust off our tongues. Standard greeting, at least until the Pro Bowl: “Happy New Year!” Everybody …
Continue reading “Your choice: new paint job… or, brand new?”
The 2-Minute Warning for 2015
December 28, 2015 Where do you look: what’s happening on the field… or, at the numbers on the scoreboard? The best answer is probably “C:” which is, “all of the above.” In football, we’re heading into the Bowls; college and pros will both provide excitement aplenty between now and February 7. The live crowd will …
Do it ’til it hurts
December 21, 2015 Its origins are fascinating. The word isn’t that old – birthed in the 16th Century – but the concept dates from Creation. From Latin – through Middle French – generous meant “of noble birth.” It came to denote one who was magnanimous, unselfish and plentiful. With everything at their disposal, the …
The Path to Prosperity
December 14, 2015 Feliz Navidad, y Prospero Año Nuevo. We’re seeing the resurgence of the Post Office; this is their big month. Our mailbox should have a “No Vacancy” sign; Christmas Cards now outnumber new credit card offers in the stack. Lots of photo cards; we get to see everyone in our relational world, at …
Should we boycott “red” for Christmas?
November 16, 2015 If we had a public relations department, they’d be ballistic right now. There’s a two-year campaign underway to fill the Leader of the Free World position for four years, at a critical time in human history. A radical Islamic terror group is attacking Western Civilization at-will, and producing massive casualties. Christians around …
Are you Addicted to Approval?
October 12, 2015 Be careful when picking heroes. Every aspect of life operates with the same basic ground rules: pick a category, and you can populate the space. The players come in-order, on-cue: first, the Originator (syn: creator, discoverer, pioneer, innovator); these are the few who live “to explore strange new worlds; to seek out …
In a dead heat… who’s the loser?
September 28, 2015 Cut the baby in half. That seems an unreasonable directive… if you don’t know the whole story. It was about 3000 years ago – a few election cycles in the past – when the new king of Israel was in his freshman year. Solomon was the come-from-behind winner of the Game of …
How Bad Can It Get?
September 21, 2015 Things are getting really, really bad. You knew that, already; anyone who is not comatose – and, can get their eyes off their smart phone/video game for a few minutes of perspective – would reach the same conclusion. But, no; it’s worse: That same headline could be posted over almost every category …
Not Ashamed
June 29, 2015 “You should be ashamed of yourself!” In an earlier era, that was a common maternal reaction to an out-of-bounds kid. Parenting wasn’t as complicated as it is today. The approach to family oversight was a simple, two step process: 1) lay down the law; and, 2) enforce it. Enforcement would begin with …
Commencement
June 8, 2015 It’s a really, really good month for pastors. That’s just my opinion, but I think I’m right. June delivers two retail opportunities; you see it in stores, incessantly. Dads and Grads have pushed May’s Mothers out of the cash register spotlight. Brides used to share the June billing, but with marriage on …