Word for the Week

In his 2004 book, The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less, Barry Scwartz made the case that our modern world's smorgasbord of choices makes us less happy, not more. He says that "choice overload" leads us to increasingly doubt our own decisions, live under greater pressure and blame ourselves more.

Ever had horrible customer support and it drove you crazy? Sometimes wives feel the same way with their husbands! Here are three simple steps to overcome the Comcast Customer Support Syndrome that we husbands get sometimes.

The story of Febreeze can illustrate the need each of us has to discover the smells in our own lives...and how to get rid of them!

Every had an unreliable car? It's maddening! Here's a list of the 5 worst from a recent article in Motor Guides. It prompts us to consider 2 important questions about our own lives.

Ikea's American product launch uncovered a secret that can help any relationship

We all need a trainer in our lives--someone like Rocky's trainer, Mickey. God gives that to us through his Word. But his Word isn't just a morality handbook. It's a road map to understanding our glorious new identity in Christ because of his work to make us "right" with God.

I call him the "Trout Master" because of his uncanny ability to snag Trout out of the stream with methods he has mastered over decades of practice. ...There are many details to his particular methods, but one of the most crucial and challenging aspects is the cast. You can have a great cast, but if you can't cast the bait where the stream will present it naturally to a hungry trout, the cast won't do anything. This was the most challenging part for me. I knew how to cast; but I didn't know how to cast into the rapids and let the current carry my bait without getting snagged every time. So he told me what to do, and then showed me how to do it.

I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!: Those are the famous self-affirming words of Saturday Night Live's satyrical character, Stuart Smalley. Though he's practically dysfunctional, he's found hope in the idea that by self-affirmation and focusing only on those qualities he perceives as true about himself, he can live a successful life that is meaningful and worthwhile. The irony, of course, is that in his desperate attempt to feel good about himself, he remains blind to how ridiculous he really is. Now, believing the best about ourselves has its place--but not at the expense of believing the truth about ourselves. Paul wrote that Scripture provides practical help to us because it reproves, or rebukes, us. And although rebukes are painful, in that they are a stinging disapproval or criticism of our actions, they can also provide life.

We were all born into a world that is upside down and under water; and for that reason, life is full of disasters. None of us are immune from them--whether they are from relationships, physical tragedies, failing health, accidents, or financial loss...we've all been affected by them one way or another. We do not have to look far to find examples of personal wreckage. That's why we need something to show us the way to the surface.

Inspiration comes from different places. What God's inspiration produces is amazing!