The May 16 edition of Sports Illustrated reports Pittsburgh Steeler running back Rashard Mendenhall questioned the public’s reaction to Osama bin Laden’s demise, tweeting, “What kind of person celebrates death? It’s amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak…” Later, again on Twitter, Mendenhall wondered whether planes could have taken [...]

As a very young twenty-something parent, I first heard the concept of dating your children. I realized intuitively it was the right thing to do. So when my oldest daughter was around eighteen months, we embarked on her first date. Just me and her. I will NEVER forget it. We went to KMart, looked at [...]

Every day I see another person on Twitter or Facebook gleefully proclaim their inbox is down to zero. I inevitably experience an involuntary twitch mixed with momentary feelings of guilt and, yes, might I say it? Hate. Why hate, you may ask? Because I know deep down in my heart, my inbox will NEVER be [...]

Beecher, Henry Ward (1813-1887) “Now comes the mystery.” Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770-1827) “Friends applaud, the comedy is over.” Bogart, Humphrey (1899-1957) “I should never have switched from Scotch to Martinis.” (Unverified — attributed.) Browning, Elizabeth Barrett (1806-1861) “Beautiful.” (When asked by her husband how she felt.) Crosby, Bing (1903-1977) “That was a great game of [...]

Here are some of my favorite “little known” mantras to live by: —Excellence is where passion meets precision. —Originality is concealing your source. —Rising tides lifts all ships. —Give your team room to make progress. —Fail quickly! —There are no mistakes. —We are not called to change the world, we’re called to create culture. —Dream [...]

There are minutes and there are moments. Minutes are for standing in line at the grocery store. Moments are for your child’s first step. Minutes are for checking email. Moments are for the quintessential glass of wine. Minutes are for paying bills. Moments are for screaming to the top of your lungs, “I love you!” [...]

Yes, I admit there are certain phrases that drive me absolutely crazy! Pet peeves, bonkers that is! For example: “It is what it is.” What the heck does that mean? I just don’t get it. It was what it was. It will be what it will be. Agh! Someone (anyone) calling me “buddy.” Get real. [...]

Yes, I love the television show GLEE. What’s not to love… It embodies fun, happy-go-lucky times, teenage angst, coming of age, a celebration of the arts and cleverly rearranged songs from our high school days. But every once in a while, and ever increasingly, as I watch GLEE, I feel like I’m being preached at. Watching [...]

In this talk on creativity delivered first at the re:create 2011 Gathering of Creatives, I discuss three aspects of creativity we were told were gifts one must be born with. I refute that belief and say, on the contrary, they are skills that can be developed. And furthermore, the development of these three secret skills [...]

Now you can own the re:create 2011 Gathering of Creatives. This one-of-a-kind DVD features keynotes talks from: Dan Cathy COO & President Chick-fil-A Ken Davis Forbes Celebrity 100 Comedian & Speaker Michael Hyatt CEO & President Thomas Nelson Publishing Randy Elrod Founder & President re:create A Gathering of Creatives   Also includes a BONUS DVD with [...]

My hometown Ringgold, GA was devastated by an EF4 tornado this past Wednesday evening. My brother’s neighborhood was destroyed (his house was one of three untouched by the mile wide twister) and the historic city district on Main Street demolished as well as my middle school and high school. A longtime friend of mine, Shana, [...]

Yesterday I wrote HERE about the back story of Kalein. If you missed it, please take a second and read it first. Kalein is no longer a dream, it is a functioning reality. To have experiences as I described yesterday, there must be beautiful places of solitude. We currently utilize three properties for the Master [...]

Eleven years ago the re:create Gathering of Creatives came into existence in Franklin, TN. It began with a dream of refreshing, encouraging and diffusing ideas among global creatives. A short time later in that same year, two Nashville recording artists asked me to consider mentoring them. I realized immediately the artist mentoring entailed the same three goals as [...]

Why is it that some people seem to exude charisma or presence which captivates and influences those around them, while others have the opposite effect? Can Charisma be learned and developed? The answer is a most definite yes. However, it cannot be faked. Charisma is simply the ability to help people feel intimate in a [...]