Even if nobody asked…..
1. My grandson JT ran outside to tell a friend, “Something’s going on in my mommy’s belly. You should go ask her. Hurry. I’m not supposed to say anything.” Elite-level breaking news.
2. I grew up across the street from Billy Stringfellow. We’ve known each other since we were five. Last week, he and his wife, who I’ve also known since childhood, stayed with us in Florida. First thing he said when he walked in: “Dean, we haven’t had a sleepover since 1968." Looking around, he added: "We’ve come a long way from Grosvenor Ave, haven’t we?”
56 years later, still showing up. That’s the sweet life!
3. “Pressure doesn’t build character. It audits it.” Joe Mazzulla nailed it. It’s not about how badly you want to win. It’s whether your habits sharpen or slip when things aren’t going your way.
4. When your dinner arrives with a personal chauffeur – DoorDash, Uber Eats – it gets a little harder to take your complaints about someone else’s privilege at face value.
5. I’ve started using ChatGPT differently. I gave it my top 100 books and asked for three that could crack my top 50. Then I read them. Early results: hitting at about 75–80%. That’s a tool worth using.
6. A gym breakdown: Planet Fitness feels like the bar scene from Star Wars. LA Fitness is two guys on a corner in The Outsiders. And Crunch is somebody slowly flipping through Muscle & Fitness deciding who they want to become. Pick your tribe accordingly.
7. I’ve come to the sobering conclusion that my sarcasm and best one-liners are completely wasted on my dogs. Zero feedback. Zero appreciation. They just stare at me. Toughest crowd I’ve ever worked.
8. Stewardesses used to seem happier than flight attendants do now. Makes me wonder. Are executive assistants more miserable than secretaries used to be?
9. “God if you JUST…” sounds a lot like “God if you ONLY…” And I’m not interested in praying small. Ask boldly. Pray with abundance. He’s not a vending machine – don’t treat the prayer like you’re fishing for exact change.
10. In 2004, someone handed me the best book I’ve ever read about God. It’s called ‘done’. It’s sold over a million copies. I’ve given away hundreds myself.
One of those copies ended up in a Rhode Island church. They ordered hundreds more.
A 14-year-old Chinese American girl got one, traveled to China, and had a translator read it to her grandparents. Both came to faith.
One book. Hand to hand. Ocean to ocean. Eternity changed.
I’m blessed to call the author Cary Schmidt a friend. Telling him that story on a morning walk the other day felt like a Santa Claus moment. The kind that stays with you.
Praise God.