Growing up, yard work was a form of punishment, with weeding reserved for the worst offenses.

I’ve heard weeding used as an analogy for spiritual formation, but it didn’t resonate with me since I hate weeding.

Last weekend, I spent several hours battling a grove of weeds that sprouted in just two weeks.

I wondered who decided that this resilient plant should be called a weed. Why not embrace it as a tenacious and beautiful plant?! But isn’t that similar to redefining bad behavior as just fine, allowing me to indulge? Or redefining hard-to-reach goals to make them easier to reach?

Determined that these multiplying plants were indeed weeds and needed removal, I attacked, but the sheer number discouraged me. More weeds showed than dirt. Could I eliminate them all?

I moved to a thinner patch and began pulling. As the ground cleared, I continued toward an area of all weeds. Progress. I cleared another large patch and began a flanking maneuver, encircling the troublesome area. After a thorny battle, I declared victory. This experience made me think about how we gradually change our behavior, achieving small wins and building toward new habits.

Shocked by realizing I’d experienced spiritual formation through weeding, I prayed for even deeper insights as I went in the house to bake chocolate chip cookies.

With every kid getting a trophy just for participating, we’re confusing the value of the person with the value of their contribution. Here’s why you’re valuable but your skills might not be, and what to do about it. 

“I’m worth much more than this salary,” a disgruntled worked said to his manager.

She replied, “Yes you are. Unfortunately, your skills are not.” She went on, “If you improve in the areas I’ve asked you to, then the results of your

Your willingness to continue learning, developing, and growing determines your intelligence more than your I.Q. You can increase your results in remarkable ways by practicing 1% a week improvement. 

Aesop’s fable of the race between the tortoise and the hare teaches us about different ways to get results. The hare was naturally faster, more agile, and more gifted in covering distances than was the tortoise. For his part, the tortoise overcame a lack of speed with focus and perseverance. In the end, the tortoise won the race.

I want to be the hare, but the tortoise is my example.

Money is a funny thing. It’s paper and metal, yet has powerful hold on us. We measure ourselves and others by how much we have. The truth is money is a tool. Your life changes when you view money as a tool, not the goal. 

In my garage I have many tools. Each is useful for something. My shovel is useful for digging holes. I don’t collect shovels or display shovels. If I didn’t

Parenting our children’s teen years is challenging. We must adapt our parenting skills to the changes taking place in our teenagers. Here’s how to parent teenagers without going crazy. 

Parents are at a disadvantage when it comes to their teenage children. We view them as immature children who need our guidance to keep their lives from

I love being productive. That same desire can easily become the focus of my spirituality, making spirituality a means to greater personal productivity. I call that focus How-To Spirituality. Here’s the problem with How-To Spirituality with a nudge to embrace Whole Spirituality. 

There’s a growing interest in spirituality, even while adherence to organized religion is in decline. This trend isn’t surprising. It’s follows as a result of more people practicing a How-To Spirituality.

How-To Spirituality is a technique for self-improvement, goal attainment, and greater personal fulfillment.

Here are 3 examples of How-To Spirituality:

So your friend published a book. Fantastic! Publishing is one of the most vulnerable things a person can do. Here are 10 ways for how to support your author friend.

The idea for this article came to me as I remembered something I did years ago with a friend who published a book. He was excited about this big milestone in his life and so was I. We were at a conference together where he was launching his book. I asked him for “the friend” discount. He looked a bit surprised