ContemplativeJourney

 On October 20th, Ken Stockdale slipped away from earth and into the presence of Jesus, not long after his final words to his wife Kathy..."open the door."  I've spent almost 2 weeks trying to figure out what to say about Kenny. *A note about this nickname...because Kathy always called him Kenny and I had the amazing opportunity to live with their family for a short time during college, he has always been "Kenny" to me, though most folks knew him as Ken.   It speaks to the depth of my love for him that I've not been able to think of what to say...there is so much I'd like to say, and that deserves to be said, and yet nothing seems adequate for me to express what's in my heart.  I'm rarely a person with nothing to say...very rarely.  Typically, I have too much to say.  Too many opinions about anything and everything.  When I'm quiet and words are hard to come by, it is a rare and solemn moment.  I felt this almost 2 years ago when my dear

It could be the most powerful thing you will ever do for yourself.  What? Take responsibility for  every aspect of your current circumstance. Every last detail.  E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. " Are you kidding me?," you might be tempted to say.  No. I'm definitely not kidding you. If no one has yet shared this information with you, whether through something you read, or even in a face-to-face conversation, allow me to be the first.  I heard a sales trainer say the one thing he says to his audiences which causes the most uproar is this: "Whatever your current situation, income, housing, bank balance, debt...all of it.  It is your responsibility, and yours alone."  He said people mumble and murmur, and often get up and leave the room, and don't come back.  Interesting isn't it? The rage and indignation that some folks feel when confronted with the idea there is no one outside of themselves to blame for their circumstances. You can't blame the govern

“Awakening and owning the dreams that God has placed in our hearts isn't about getting stuff or attaining something. It's about embracing who we are and who he has created us to be. In him. He is our dream come true, and the one true love of our life. But we can't love him with our whole hearts when our hearts are asleep. To love Jesus means to risk coming awake, to risk wanting and desiring.” ― Stasi Eldredge , Becoming Myself: Embracing God's Dream of You        Four years ago, I founded a company with my long time best friend. At the time, it wasn't particularly a goal of mine to start my own company. I have always understood the benefits of business ownership, at least in the academic sense. Still, I don't score high on the "risk taker" scale, and I would have been perfectly happy to stay in the job I had for the remainder of my working life. As fate would have it, the company where I worked was sold, and my position eliminated. I