Allow me to share with you a life-shaping story I discovered recently. I found the story while reading a book by Max Lucado entitled In the Eye of the Storm.

"Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddleboats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled, the sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail's pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.

Allow me to share with you a life-shaping story I discovered recently. I found the story while reading a book by Max Lucado entitled In the Eye of the Storm.

"Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddleboats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled, the sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail's pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.

Allow me to share with you a life-shaping story I discovered recently. I found the story while reading a book by Max Lucado entitled In the Eye of the Storm.

"Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddleboats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled, the sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail's pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.

Allow me to share with you a life-shaping story I discovered recently. I found the story while reading a book by Max Lucado entitled In the Eye of the Storm.

"Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddleboats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled, the sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail's pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.

Allow me to share with you a life-shaping story I discovered recently. I found the story while reading a book by Max Lucado entitled In the Eye of the Storm.

"Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddleboats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled, the sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail's pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.

Allow me to share with you a life-shaping story I discovered recently. I found the story while reading a book by Max Lucado entitled In the Eye of the Storm.

"Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddleboats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled, the sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail's pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.

Allow me to share with you a life-shaping story I discovered recently. I found the story while reading a book by Max Lucado entitled In the Eye of the Storm.

"Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddleboats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled, the sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail's pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.

Allow me to share with you a life-shaping story I discovered recently. I found the story while reading a book by Max Lucado entitled In the Eye of the Storm.

"Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddleboats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled, the sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail's pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.

Allow me to share with you a life-shaping story I discovered recently. I found the story while reading a book by Max Lucado entitled In the Eye of the Storm.

"Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddleboats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled, the sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail's pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.

Allow me to share with you a life-shaping story I discovered recently. I found the story while reading a book by Max Lucado entitled In the Eye of the Storm.

"Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddleboats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled, the sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail's pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.

Allow me to share with you a life-shaping story I discovered recently. I found the story while reading a book by Max Lucado entitled In the Eye of the Storm.

"Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddleboats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled, the sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail's pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.

Allow me to share with you a life-shaping story I discovered recently. I found the story while reading a book by Max Lucado entitled In the Eye of the Storm.

"Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddleboats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled, the sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail's pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.

Allow me to share with you a life-shaping story I discovered recently. I found the story while reading a book by Max Lucado entitled In the Eye of the Storm.

"Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddleboats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled, the sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail's pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.

As a golfer, I was impressed with a short story by Zig Ziglar. It’s called Never Follow a Bad Shot with a Bad Decision. This story is in Ziglar's book Something Else to Smile About. Here's the story. In this story, the golfer is a man but could be, just as easily, a woman.

Here is a story that someone sent to me this week in my email. I think there is some real wisdom in it for us.

A professor at a large university and an exchange student had an interesting discussion one day. The student asked a strange question to the professor. "Do you know how to catch wild pigs?" The professor thought it was a joke. "You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come every day to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they eat the corn again, and you put up another side of the fence."

Let’s start with a thought that could change all our lives. Opportunity is in the person, not the job.

Here's an account of someone who could have given up, thrown in the towel, and lived in bitterness the rest of their life. This person chooses to overcome, not to be overcome. Zig Ziglar writes about this person in his book Something to Smile About. Read on.

If you have read my article through the years, you will know that I collect thoughts and one-liners on Facebook and social media that don't need clarification or explanation. Some are witty, profound, funny, and hard-hitting, but all are worthy of our consideration or enjoyment.

I saw a car bumper sticker on a truck today. It said, “Do you always follow Jesus this close?”

The beginning of Christianity was full of challenges. Christianity was a reformation. Christianity was a whole New Covenant given a New Testament by a new supernatural Leader with a new group of people indwelt by God's spirit who would reform how life and culture were perceived and lived. They were there for liberation, not domination, contribution, not conquest. Christ changed everything. It was an upgrade for all of humanity.

Did you know that there are two main stages in our physical lives? It doesn't matter what gender, race, nationality, or preference we choose; life has two main stages.

Have there been moments in your workplace or personal life when you thought you were right and did not see the need to change, only to face a big disaster? Many of you have heard of the following anecdote, which illustrates the perils of stubbornness and the need to change.