“Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.” Jordan Peterson Peterson’s 12 Rules for...

Over the last several years there has been a lot of talk about our need to take care of ourselves....

We have left Florida and are slowly moving north through Georgia. As we drive we are listening to Die With...

This last week I spent a good amount of time on the phone with people who are in customer service....

On Wednesday, Debbie and I toured the Ringling Museum and mansion. Until we were in Sarasota, Florida, I had no...

There are a lot of really important things about our lives that we don’t get to choose. For example, we...

I like asking high school students and young adults, “Who do you want to be?” Of course, this is an...

“Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place. It is not to...

FACING OUR SHAME Several years ago I listened to Brene Brown’s TED talk on Shame (If you haven’t seen it...

Life seldom unfolds like we think it will. Life is full of surprises. For the last couple of years, I...

I have always been naturally feeling disposed to feelings of gratitude. But over the last several years that feeling has...

We have seen some beautiful sights on our trip. The mountain passes in Colorado, the deserts of Utah, the ocean...

November 11 is a significant day in my life. It is Veteran’s Day, and because I served in the US...

We have been living in and pulling our travel trailer for five weeks now. Almost every day, in my mind,...

The last several years have been hard on Debbie’s health. Before she was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in February,...

Celebration People who regularly celebrate victories in their lives, or the achievement in the lives of others, or milestones of...

Most people I interact with are delightful. Even when I meet someone who seems unfriendly, I find that with just...

DOING WHAT I THOUGHT I WOULD NEVER DO For most of my life I have said that I don’t want...

The 1981 movie, Chariots of Fire, is based on the 1924 Olympics and two prominent runners—Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams. Eric...

For the last several years I have read books from leading research scientists  who have discovered we think that we...

“Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity,...

Transitions are difficult. When moving from one state or situation to another, you experience the loss of what was, but...

“I’m not a smart man, but I know what love is.”  – Forrest Gump I often feel like Forrest, because...

For much of my early life I believed that I could not be ambivalent. My circumstances were either good or...

THERE ARE BLESSINGS IN HARD JOURNEYS Although the memories are old, I can easily remember why I disliked my time...

We are bombarded every day with thousands of messages which are making a lot of people very unhappy. These messages...

Our successes and failures, our great joys and biggest disappointments, are a result of our decisions, and random factors that...

Think for a moment about something you believe that other intelligent, rational people would not believe. (For this exercise I...

Most of the time I feel like I am mentally healthy. I can function in a cognitive and emotional manner...

When I consider how much there is to know versus how much I actually know, it seems obvious that I...

Back in the 90s, I read Maybe (Maybe Not): Second Thoughts from a Secret Life, a collection of fun and...

For the last six years in a row, Finland has held the title of the happiest country in the world,...

At sixty-six, when I look back on my life, I could not be more pleased with how it has unfolded....

“Getting old isn’t for sissies.” – Bette Davis Of course, this is true, and Bette Davis said it well. I...

“I have been crucified with Christ: and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and...

This has been an interesting week for me. Instead of helping others, as is both my job as a missionary...

For the last fourteen days I have been living in a RV trailer that has 240 sq feet of living...

Health Experts agree: good, deep, and lasting friendships are vital for good mental and physical health. Last week I was...

Debbie and I have begun a six-month sabbatical from our ministry at FE Warren. While we are gone, the chaplains...

Gratitude:  the expression of appreciation for what one has. It is a recognition of value independent of monetary worth. Spontaneously...

The New Year’s holiday is a different kind of holiday. Unlike Christmas and Easter, it is not the celebration for...

It has been a privilege to minister to the military community for the last forty years. It is no secret...

I am currently at 39,000 feet flying to Seattle. The primary purpose of the trip is to see my brother...

I am doing an in-depth, careful study of Isaiah 7 this week. The chapter recounts events which happened over 2,700...

Experiencing good mental health requires that you can properly accept and manage negative emotions. Negative emotions are part of everyone’s...

Three days ago, one person matched all six numbers in the Powerball Lottery and won an estimated $2.04 billion. The...

This week I spent two days subbing in an art class.  The students were making paper sculptures using cardboard, popsicle...

  There is a long-standing tradition in missions that every four years missionaries are encouraged to take a sabbatical. Missionaries...

Making A Good Decision Seven days ago, I got a big idea that I really like. It is an idea...

It is important to separate the important from the trivial, but it is not always easy to know the difference....

If I am going to live the best possible life on Earth, I must be willing to be the hero...

As a substitute teacher I often introduce myself by telling my story in under four minutes. I deliberately include details...

Almost everyone I know agrees that reading good books is important; this is one of the main themes in school....

Research shows that if you want to be happy you must make a practice of expressing gratitude. This expression can...

Most people are aware of an “inner voice” that combines conscious thoughts and unconscious beliefs and biases. This inner voice,...

Suicide is an awful tragedy. In our small community we experience it way too often with both high school students...

It is easy to travel to a new place and feel like you need a vacation when you return home....

How did you spend your day?  Your week? Last month? This weekend Debbie and I are in Lafayette Louisiana. We...

Out of every seven days, one day should have an intentional celebration.  Without proper celebration life becomes dull, busy, exhausting,...

I just finished reading, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Her books shows, the gospel has a power to heal that can...

I never really thought much about shame until a couple of years ago when I  came across a talk by...

THE CHURCH HAS EARNED ITS CRITICS I know that throughout history Christians and the Christian Church have done awful things....

To live the best possible life, we must think critically about what is true. But finding truth is difficult for...

Everyone has a personal philosophy (fundamental beliefs about what is true) by which they view the world.[1] My first philosophy teacher,...

A couple of weeks ago a pastor asked me if I enjoyed writing. I was surprised by how quickly and...

I usually think of my problems as either physical (pulled muscle, a virus, atrial fibrillation, etc.), psychological (worried, anxious, depressed,...

I think that God has created us to help others and there is no greater feeling than knowing we have...

We have just completed a three-week road trip to Arizona. It feels like we have been away from home for...

I began doing aggressive, consistent physical exercise just over 40 years ago. I began by running, and 20 years ago...

To survive in any kind of primitive environment, where resources are  scarce and dangers are ever present, it is best...

  In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) COMPASSION FOR...

Ten years ago I read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. The book had a big...

I really like meeting new people. I am convinced that everyone has an interesting story and knows things I don’t...

What we watch and listen to has an impact on our decisions. This is why US companies will spend close...

  I learn a lot from movies.  I usually watch movies at home on Netflix but in the last couple...

I had a great Christmas celebration this year. It included video calls with our kids and grandkids, quiet moments with...

THINKING ABOUT THE GOOD LIFE I love reading books about how to live the good life. I recently read (and...

WHAT IS A VOCATION? Every adult I know has had a job. I have had several. A job is work...

COMMON MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES I recently watched the movie Concussion for the second time. The movie is about how Dr. Bennet...

I have run two marathons in my life. Both 26.2 miles, one in Munich and one in Berlin. I was...

It always comes as a bit of a shock when you realize you are wrong about yourself.  I first read...

  I believe that to be really happy you need to be in the moment. Dwelling on the past or...

THE IMPORTANCE TO REMAINING IN THE PRESENT It is easy to make yourself unhappy by thinking of the future. This...

My parents always encouraged me to learn the difference between my wants and my needs. I think it is good...

Some time ago, I talked to a student at Utah State University who took a course entitled, “The Good Life.” ...

At their best, a few individuals can form into a group that is larger than themselves as individuals and create...

This week Debbie and I were having a delightful conversation with a young couple. They are smart, articulate, hardworking, conscientious,...

I think a lot about happiness, but I don’t really like the word.  Happiness, like the weather, doesn’t really exist. ...

Debbie and I, along with Willy Nelson of course, were on a road trip from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Phoenix, Arizona....

This week we have a guest blogger, Mrs. Debbie Ellgen. First off let me say – I have never done...

FIRST TIME AS A BRICKLAYER After I got out of the US Navy, I worked for almost a year as...

Every spring, when the weather gets a little warmer, we open the windows each morning and wake up to the...

I love celebrating birthdays. Birthdays are a time when we celebrate others for who they are. It is a time...

The Bible and Responding to the Oppressed “Without the great revelations, epics and philosophies as part of our natural vision,...

Since March of 2020, I have not spent much time in the local high schools. Working as a substitute teacher...

Today in Cheyenne, Wyoming it is seventy degrees, with bright sunshine, and a slight breeze. I (along with Willy Nelson)...

Childhood Experiences It is my understanding that before the work of Charles Darwin (1809-1882) and Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), no one...

ENJOYING ALL KINDS OF WEATHER This weekend much of southern Wyoming was under a blizzard warning. Snow accumulation was predicted...

“Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who tells you differently is selling something.”                                                                                     Dread Pirate Roberts from The Princess Bride...

Knowing Is Not Enough Every month, and sometimes twice a month, I get a chance to talk about the science...

Forty by Forty I am continuing to think about the 40 books that should be read by the age of...

This week Debbie and I took a couple of days off and traveled to Denver (we are easily amused). It...

  I am going to take a couple of weeks off from writing new blogs (I’ll be back after two...

I am continuing my series on Gaining Wisdom, suggested by a friend’s request to list the forty books a person...

Wisdom is best defined as a skill for living.  It is a skill to understand the emotions you are feeling...

Perhaps the most profound thing which I have learned over the last six months is that my brain constantly is...

A Commitment to Not Pretend  Thirty years ago, I made a commitment to pretend about nothing. Some people have found my honesty daring; others find it...

On Christmas day we had several airmen join us for our Christmas celebration. A couple of the airmen had never...

For the last eight months the sentence that has been rolling around in my head is, “My brain is lying...

It feels like I am pretty good at seeing what is right in front of me. And there is considerable...

I am currently enrolled in the science of well-being class at Yale University with Dr. Laura Santos. I’ll finish the...

It is Thanksgiving and I am really happy this morning. I am experiencing a positive emotional feeling, I have good,...

In the last several months as I have been studying the science of happiness (psychological well being) I have found...

Last week at our happiness  conversation I suggested the Airmen start a “what went right journal”.  After I gave instructions...

  It is no secret that it is hard to get along with other people. Sometimes it is because they...

Next week our Wednesday night conversation falls on November 11, and because it is a federal holiday, we will not...

There is an advantage to being aware of what went wrong, evaluating why it went wrong, and anticipating the future...

One sure path to a life of unhappiness is addiction. It ironic is that at the beginning of an any...

People think in metaphors. Jonathan Haidt accurately observes that with the wrong metaphor we are deluded and with no metaphor...

It is clear to everyone that just being alive comes with adversity. Sometimes this adversity is intense and comes on...

When I give my weekly briefing to new Airmen I begin by saying that our brains are always telling us...

Last week during our happiness conversation we talked about true love. Over the last year I have been thinking a...

In the last 10 weeks I have been leading a happiness conversation for Airmen on Wednesday evenings at FE Warren....

Thoughts on Blogging: How Blogging Has Changed Me. I began blogging on November 1st, 2019.  My goal was to write...