Latest Words of Hope Posts

Words of Hope: Atomic Relational Habits 
I love James Clear’s work on “atomic habits,” and his research on how to make long lasting changes. Dad naturally understood how to build tiny...

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TERMINAL ANXIETY
The apostle Paul encouraged us not to be anxious about anything. Unfortunately, too few people take his admonition seriously or take the time to learn...

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Words of Hope: Listening for the Truth 
One of the greatest gifts my dad had as a father was his insistence on total relational transparency regarding emotions. He wanted a home where...

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Words of Hope: Invisible Cathedrals 
As my husband Shann and I meet with Goldenwood, this unique community not only prayerfully considers gifting but more powerful considerations. They ask these two...

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AMERICA THE LADY
America has been portrayed as a lady—a lady of grace and beauty from sea to shining sea, purple mountain’s majesty, amber waves of grain, among...

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Words of Hope: Missional Gifts 
My husband Shann and I are part of a beautiful community of believers who participate in an organization called Goldenwood. This program is designed to...

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Words of Hope: Coming to the Table 
One of our staff posted something on their social media which deeply grieved another staff member. This is always challenging. How do we handle our...

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WOH ARCHIVE: LOVE NEEDS HOPE TO EXIST
St. Paul wrote letters beautifully to his friends, especially after establishing Christian communities. This is what he did to his friends in Corinth, Greece, a...

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Words of Hope: A Sacred Moment 
I opened my office drawer for a notecard and found the one I selected was already written on in my dad’s handwriting. It’s a card...

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Words of Hope: Great Challenge Paves the Way for a Great Encounter  
One of my friends says a powerful prayer when something difficult or challenging happens in her life or in the lives of those she prays...

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MYELIN PROTECTS HOPE – From the Fred Crowell Archive
You must build hope, for the day will come when it is desperately needed! Myelin is a coating that covers your circulatory neurons. Every time...

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Words of Hope: Desolation and the Hidden Realm 
As my husband Shann and I read and pray through Hebrews every night, we are struck by the admonition to look to the invisible realm...

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Words of Hope: Healing Conversations  
Dad and I had lovely conversations. He was a masterful listener and question-asker most of the time. When we had a spare moment, he might...

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WEIGHTLESS GRACE
For by grace we have been saved through faith not of works lest any man should boast. – Paul The Christian faith presents many paradoxes,...

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Words of Hope: Hearing God’s Voice 
Dad believed and lived that God was speaking to him. He prayed to attentively listen and hear what God was saying. Interestingly, it rarely had...

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Words of Hope:  A Time to Mourn 
I am back writing Words of Hope for the remainder of the year. I took a lengthy break for several reasons. Mostly because I was sad....

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Words of Hope: The Discipline of Gratitude 
I am keeping a gratitude timer on my phone. Every hour and a half, I check in with myself. How grateful have I been? How much news...

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Words of Hope: Finding Hope 
One of the stories Dad and I loved came from an experiment designed to see how well people can spot talent. The experiment included one of the...

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Words of Hope: Prayer as Resistance 
One of the practices of contemplative prayer is eliminating prayer as performance. I consider how much poor religion gravitates toward perfection, judgment, us and them,...

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Words of Hope: Infinite Abundance 
The other day I was praying through Colossians 1:9-14. I was praying about myself which is interesting because the passage is about praying for others....

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Words of Hope: Sacred Blue Prints When Life is Hard 
God has been surprising me lately. I have been meditating on these verses, “Do not be anxious about anything but through prayer and supplication, with...

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Words of Hope: The Courage of Conversation  
Dad and I often talked together in surprise how fearful people are to compassionately engage in difficult conversations. Instead, they turn to avenues that destroy...

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Words of Hope: Learning from Conflict  
I appreciate my dad so much because of how he dispelled the fear and chaos of conflict. Conflict can be part of a passionate life....

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Words of Hope: Systemic Love  
At the core of all systems of love is listening, mutual respect, serving others, repentance, gratitude, and joy. Health looks complete from top to bottom...

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WOH: The Beloved Community  
I was visiting my daughter in New York City, and we stepped into a French pastry shop. Two beautiful young girls were selecting macrons with...

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Words of Hope: Systemic Trouble 
I was becoming high and mighty about fathers and their need to change when my husband Shann reminded me that a critical, hateful woman will...

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Words of Hope: Preparing Children for Faith  
In this advent season, I love to read the first chapters of the Book of Luke. I am struck by John coming to prepare people...

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Words of Hope: How to Pray  
I have been praying for the discipline to trust the Giver of Good Gifts. I believe God loves to surprise and delight us beyond what...

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Words of Hope: The Ugly Truth About Complaining  
I find the research on complaining so powerful. Complaining or listening to complaining for thirty minutes impairs and diminishes the intellectual part of the brain....

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Words of Hope: Sharing Joy 
The scripture passages I read this morning had a verse that has been reverberating in my mind. “When it was time for Elizabeth to have...

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Words of Hope:  The Complexity of Grief 
A friend sent me a video of their school singing the worship song, “Goodness of God” by CeCe Winans. This is the song our family...

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Words of Hope: The Things that Make for Peace 
One of the recent devotional messages asked me to picture Jesus as He weeps over Jerusalem. He laments, “If you, even you, had only recognized...

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Words of Hope: What Voices Do We Listen To? 
One of my daughters enjoys true crime podcasts. She told me of a real estate agent who sensed something was wrong with a couple that...

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Words of Hope: Going Through
Sometimes, when I start to pray my mind wanders over the myriad of tasks I have for the day. Sometimes everywhere I turn, my mind...

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Words of Hope: The Most Important Daily Decision  
I recently researched the benefits of gratitude. I am still surprised how overwhelmingly transformative gratitude is to our health and wellbeing, to our relationships, and...

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Words of Hope: Circle of Listening 
I am always surprised by transformation. There are so many stories throughout history of people on a tragic trajectory until grace intervenes and changes the...

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Words of Hope: Drinking Poison 
My husband Shann and I have been discussing bitterness. It’s a deceptive emotion and incredibly dangerous. Most people struggle to notice they are bitter because...

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Words of Hope: The Path of Destruction When We Don’t Listen 
I have been reading Proverbs recently. Dad loved this book of the Bible, and we talked about it often. He and I both struggle with...

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Words of Hope: Ask  
I have been at my parents’ place, praying where my dad prayed.   I imagine him here and picture him praying. Henri Nouwen, one of my...

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Words of Hope: Letting Go of Vengeance 
God is always surprising me. Several years ago, a man trained up by us at NBC took all our training, investment, and information and tried...

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Words of Hope: Beyond Crisis 
I have been thinking about how crisis reveals truth. What does difficulty show about the underlying fabric of a home, marriage, business, or nation?  When...

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Words of Hope:  Where Truth Dwells 
One statement that has been thrilling my mind is this, “The natural habitat for truth is human conversation.”    How we speak to others reveals how...

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Words of Hope: Reclamation Instead of Regret  
I have been considering how regret is a stronger emotion than gratitude. Regret can overrun our desire for gratitude. It can invade our thoughts and...

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Words of Hope: The Healing Power of Praise 
I read recently that gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. It counteracts against the four most toxic emotions: envy, bitterness, regret, and depression. I...

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Words of Hope: Are you listening? God is speaking. 
We had a staff meditation on Psalm 4 and Philippians 4:4-8. These are some of my favorite memory verses. I am always surprised by the...

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Words of Hope: Meditation on the Cross 
A friend of mine posted on Facebook a description of the physical suffering of Jesus on the cross. I never realized the loss of blood...

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Words of Hope: Living and Active  
Dad and I would discuss why Bible classes in Christian schools and colleges were often the worst classes, boring, uninspired, didactic, and lacking. I think about this...

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Words of Hope: Turning  
We have had a vibrant fall this year. As the chlorophyll dissipates from the leaves, their true colors are revealed. The color deepens with the...

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Words of Hope: Naming 
I have a few friends having babies soon and one of the fun parts is to learn the name. It’s amazing how children live into...

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Words of Hope: Effusive Love  
I drove by a sign that said, “God uses us to love people.”  I have felt tremendously loved by others. My mom and dad loved...

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Words of Hope: Awakened
I met with a beautiful friend about grief. She asked me about my journey with Dad’s death and how it has affected me. “Like a...

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Words of Hope:  Judgmental Hiding
Sometimes I imagine Dad riding next to me in the car. We might pray together, or I will ask him a question. I loved to...

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Words of Hope:  Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
My husband Shann was speaking recently to a group of people describing his life before Christ came to him with healing power. He had been...

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Words of Hope: Philosophical Seeds
Dad always believed that philosophies would play out to reveal the best way to live. An acquaintance from church in my younger life turned his...

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Words of Hope: One God
Sometimes we think we are God. We act like we alone know what He wants and others need to listen to us.   What we find...

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Words of Hope: Strengthened
Sometimes I wrestle with what to pray for others. I have learned that praying for something specific may not be what God wants. Instead, I...

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Words of Hope: Facing the Unimaginable
My daughter is in her Freshman year at Pepperdine. This past week a group of senior girls were walking in a busy part of the...

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Words of Hope: Tranquility
My dad loved spontaneity, but he also loved ceremony. He believed events required the joy of planning, the importance of tangible ways to talk about...

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Words of Hope: Secrets
I have made my house a memory palace which is a device to help me remember things.   Near my sink is one of my favorite...

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Words of Hope: Preparing or Living
I love this quote, “There are people who go on infinitely preparing for life and not living it.” I can be like this. Most of...

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Words of Hope: Having Faith Beyond Our Why
In our office there is a photo of my friend’s son who died recently in an accident. He is smiling and as I walk by,...

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Words of Hope: The Antidote for Sullenness
I was talking to a woman about our family’s mealtime conversation and daily spotlighting. She looked skeptical. “What if you had a sullen child who...

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Words of Hope: Let Your Heart Take Courage
With war stories and upsetting news, I believe the most powerful decision is to praise and pray. When we as followers of Christ become afraid,...

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Words of Hope: Real Leverage
Dad understood leverage which can be a tough concept to grasp. In my opinion, Dad understood leverage so well on the basketball court which helped...

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Words of Hope: Miraculous Power
My dad started a practice of letter writing at camp and for the last fifty-plus summers, student-athletes pause during the week to write a letter to...

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Words of Hope: Handling Evil
I have heard two sermons now on the devil. They are both wildly confusing and humbling stories. The first is about Job. Satan demands to...

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Words of Hope: Metanoia
I love the word metanoia. It’s not necessarily a pretty word but the meaning is beautiful to me. It means a change in thinking and...

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Words of Hope: Predicting the Future
I like to guess what will happen in the future. I would like to be a prophet. I hate to be caught unprepared. The problem...

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Words of Hope: Forgiveness Work
I have been mediating on a sentence I wrote last week. “Dad did the work of forgiving his father.” Work is a true description of...

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Words of Hope: The Power of Story
My friend reached out to tell me about a new form of Christian counseling that involves writing out a traumatic story and walking through that...

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Words of Hope: The Sound of Freedom
One of the most misunderstood, difficult concepts on the planet is forgiveness. You can watch a YouTube video of a celebrity recommending not to forgive...

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Words of Hope: Pageantry or Practice?
One of my dad’s favorite mentors was a man named Paul Nakai. Paul did so much to elevate our understanding of relational health. He taught...

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Words of Hope: The Radiant Exchange
One of the questions we have been meditating on in the office is, “What do you believe God wants to help you remove or release...

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Words of Hope: Handling Enemies
I read a wild verse that I hadn’t noticed before. It says, “Do not rejoice and gloat when your enemy falls, And do not let...

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Words of Hope: Loveless Fathers
I spoke with Mom about the miracle of my dad’s transformation from aggressive agnostic to total faith. How do these things happen? After his mom...

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Words of Hope: Death is Strange
My mom’s good friend died last week. She was in her early seventies and the epitome of health. Last March, she and mom vacationed together....

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Words of Hope: How’s Your PMA?!
This summer we focused on the topic of enthusiasm. It was one of Dad’s favorite words. He loved to ask the camp, “How’s your PMA?”...

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Words of Hope: Messages to Persevere
Sometimes, I write messages to myself when I am in the middle of a crisis. I keep them as reminders that this painful moment will...

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Words of Hope: Good News
Dad and I loved the story of Joseph. It is such a fascinating consideration for me. Joseph, annoying, openly, and shamelessly favored. He is thoughtless,...

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Words of Hope: Words of Hope
I love thinking about the phrase, “Words of Hope.” I meditate on each piece of the phrase.   WORD – Some of my dad’s favorite scripture...

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Words of Hope: The Power of Weakness
Dad loved scripture. Memorization was a big part of our lives together. We would drive and pray scripture aloud. For example, we memorized 2 Corinthians...

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Words of Hope: Psalm 20
One of the first passages we all memorized as a staff was Psalm 20. It’s my go-to passage for those in distress. I think of...

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Words of Hope: Love is in the One on One
I have had a long break from Words of Hope for various reasons. Primarily, I needed to regain my footing. I had to accept an...

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Words of Hope: We Croak
One of our family friends has an app that’s called “We Croak.” Seven times during the day, a small alarm goes off and a quote...

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Words of Hope: Welcoming Mind
I am so often surprised by Jesus and I want to know more about His interactions on earth. The story that is shocking me right...

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Words of Hope: Verbal Guardrails
Camp is in full swing with many moving parts and of course unforeseen challenges. Most of these come out of nowhere surprising me without warning.  ...

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Words of Hope: How Love Speaks
During a poetry night at our house, we played a round of “speed friendship” and then ended with the question, “Who is someone who has...

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Words of Hope: Simple
I liked how Dad spoke to me.   He was a great coach because he could take a task that felt daunting and make it very...

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Words of Hope: When Frustration Comes
The other day I had a few inordinately aggravating difficulties that were more irritations than problems. If you follow Words of Hope regularly, you know what that...

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Words of Hope: Dad’s Last Podcast
I received a beautiful letter from William May who told me stories about his appreciation for my dad. He shared with me a podcast I...

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Words of Hope: Learning How to Comfort
I was cleaning out a backpack and found a staff meeting paper from March 11, 2020. This was the last time we met in person...

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Words of Hope: Creating Culture
We have been playing a short game and praying everyday as at our office. I have been curious about building meaningful connection. How do we...

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Words of Hope: Where There is Strife There is Pride
One meditation I have been speaking in my mind and heart is from Proverbs 13:10, “Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is...

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Words of Hope – Memorial Day
I am feeling afraid to remember. What if I struggle to remember? What if I don’t want to think of all the white crosses and...

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Words of Hope: Overflowing Hope
I am so thankful my dad called these little devotionals Words of Hope. I bless him for this. His words do give me strength and hope...

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Words of Hope: Love in Action
I have been finding photos of my dad when he is my age. He looks so young and healthy! I can hear him counseling me...

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Words of Hope: The Secret to A Long and Happy Life
A close friend sent me a Ted Talk that is the most watched in Ted history. This talk references the longest study of adults done...

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Words of Hope: Celebrating People
I found a note from my dad. Dad wrote amazing words of encouragement. He celebrated people and made me feel like I could run through...

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Words of Hope: Inside Out Faith
I keep thinking about many Christian churches and schools I have witnessed in my life. Here is one thing I deeply admired about my dad....

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Words of Hope: What You Need When You Need It
We have a chalkboard with the “verse of the week” stenciled across the top hanging above the NBC Camps office sink. The verse we have...

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Words of Hope: Struggling to Ask Forgiveness
A friend of ours is doing his dissertation on the phenomenon of forgiveness asking. He is researching the experience of asking forgiveness of family, friends,...

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Words of Hope: Self Control
I love thinking about the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God seems full of joy, life, and abundance. Maybe I believe this because I...

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Words of Hope: Setback to Comeback
I love the phrase, “A setback is a setup for a comeback.” I have been chanting this in my mind for the last few days....

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Words of Hope: The Need of a Good Father
Last night, our family attended a beautiful event combining the discussion of leadership and dance. This teaching was presented by a father/son duo. Shann and...

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Words of Hope: Disciplines
Dad greatly excelled at relational discipline. He willingly submitted to the rigor of relational well-being, investing time and attention, encouraging words, and spending quality time...

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Words of Hope: Gratitude in Grief
Growing up my family had a daily ritual of reading Our Daily Bread every morning at the table. No matter who was staying or living at our...

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Words of Hope: Peace on Earth
Recently, I had a waking vision of my dad. I was walking on the treadmill, praying through the Pray as You Go app. I saw Dad walking...

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Words of Hope: Careful Listening
 Dad and I struggled with listening. Shann would laugh at our conversations sometimes when we were both distracted. When present, Dad was an amazing listener....

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Words of Hope: Time for Good News
I am often surprised by sorrow. I didn’t realize how many different shades of sadness I could experience. Small moments trigger me, and I am...

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Words of Hope: Easy Adjustment
Adjustment is such an important skill in relationships. I picture Dad with his injured neck. He could not easily adjust his posture or his point...

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WOH: Relational Tipping Points
My husband Shann and I have been talking a lot about the criticism/defensiveness cycle and how insightful it is for relational health. I have found...

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Words of Hope:  Fair and Truthful Conversations about Faith
If we go shopping, it is almost always going to be for a book. One of the new ones we picked up was from a...

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Words of Hope: The importance of Symbolism
I watched one of our friend’s post a video of his baptism. His daughter also was baptized. It’s so surprising to me what a joyous...

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Words of Hope: An Inspiring Example of Listening to God’s Will
Dad loved biographies more than any other type of book. He read to me children’s stories of inspiring people. One person he loved was Florence...

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Words of Hope: Stories That Save Us
When you read or listen to the stories, the ones that deeply change and transform us are the ones with the great themes of life...

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Words of Hope: Redefining Success
I love that Dad worked hard to redefine success. He had to do it all his life because the temptation to place “numbers” or “money”...

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Words of Hope:  Easter Story
I am in love with Christianity, but I am also overwhelmed by all the trauma and bloody history this word represents. So I will say...

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Words of Hope: God is Moving Mountains
How important is hope? I can’t believe how I need it. I have five big hopeful dreams right now and they are easily toppled with...

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Words of Hope: Good Friday
One of the gifts God has given me is a reframing of what I define as good. It’s been a long life lesson. I believe...

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Word of Hope: A Soul Fully Alive
I am surprised at how many men I meet who laud the fact that they don’t cry. They make it sound like it is an...

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Word of Hope: Devastating Beauty
My husband Shann teaches poetry for Stanford. I read one of his lessons and it was so beautiful I felt like crying. He says that...

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Words of Hope: Life Changers
My dad loved people, and he built beautiful friendships. One person he loved is a man named Rachi Wortham. We just did a short video...

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Words of Hope: Will You Forgive Me?
My dad loved the concept of forgiveness. He grew up in an abusive home with a father he did not admire and in fact deeply...

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Words of Hope: Overturning
Does anger change us? Jesus opens his ministry after the wedding miracle with anger. I identify with this. Wanting to move the church with righteous...

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Words of Hope: Wild Imagination
I have a bad habit of imagining someone else’s suffering will pass to me like a contagious disease. Sometimes the images of another’s suffering is...

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Words of Hope: Can Love Exist Without Sacrifice?
During our mealtime conversation, my husband Shann asked how the idea of God sacrificing His son on our behalf moves us? It is a profound...

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Words of Hope: Hand  Vac
Shann and I were speaking at a conference about forgiveness. It’s always amazing how everyone gets overwhelmed with this topic. I think because most people...

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Words of Hope: Solid Rock
The words from the hymn, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand,”rang through my mind this morning. Dad loved...

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Words of Hope: Sifted
I have been meditating on a few lines I heard in my devotional about Peter and the devil. Jesus says, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked...

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Words of Hope: Eyes of Cain
I have been thinking about unity and violence. How does the turn happen? For Cain it is losing his joy for being in union with...

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Words of Hope: Multiplication
March 18th was the birthday of my beloved father. I have been crying on and off all week. March is our family’s birthday month, and...

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Words of Hope: Zombie Revival
We read a gorgeous essay aloud as family members recently written by Albert Camus. He seems like a person I would have loved time with....

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Words of Hope: Forgiveness Revolution
At the conference Shann and I spoke at, we invited people to practice asking forgiveness. I role played with a woman who had been a...

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Words of Hope: Moments of Wonder
I sit watching about 20 robins congregating in the trees. They greet each other noisily and swoop continuously between my neighbor’s tree and mine.   They...

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Words of Hope: Best Thought
One of Dad’s favorite hymns came on when I was listening to my Pray As You Go app. The words say, “Thou my best thought by day...

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Words of Hope: Brave the Wind
Driving through a beautiful college campus, I notice several ugly tree stumps in the middle of the landscaped meridian. They jut sideways with sharp points....

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Words of Hope: Religion
I loved my conversation with a devout atheist on a recent flight. I think he enjoyed the conversation as well. It was never truculent or...

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Words of Hope: Wrath
Our family recently listened to a sermon delivered on the wrath of God. If you cringe reading this, it was cringeworthy. The message was delivered...

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Words of Hope: Worldview
I met a devout atheist on a flight recently who loved Christopher Hitchens, a world-famous atheist. Hitchens contracted throat cancer and died denying God. My...

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Words of Hope: Navigating Loneliness
I would really love to have a conversation with my dad about loneliness. I never asked him if he struggled feeling lonely.   The main definition...

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Words of Hope: Remember Me
I read an evocative post about the thief hanging on the cross.   He did not get baptized. He didn’t do anything most churches classify as...

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Words of Hope: Rational
I had a beautiful opportunity on a flight to Oklahoma recently to talk with a brilliant person who memorized the poetry of GM Hopkins and...

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Words of Hope: The Why of Rules
I recently wrote an homage to my dad on LinkedIn highlighting a lesson he imparted to me and Jay as a great father. A few...

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Words of Hope: Lenten Season
Today marks the beginning of Lent. It’s a time that triggers strong images and memories of Dad. I can picture him walking around New York...

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Words of Hope: Industrious
Dad had a paper route at the age of nine. He had to be out the door early in the morning, as early as 5:00...

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Words of Hope: Presidents Day
My dad LOVED reading biographies and one of his favorites was John Adams by David McCollough. He includes letters Adams shared with his wife Abigail full of...

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Words of Hope: TGBTG
Dad loved acronyms. He had a million different ones he used often. My newest favorite is from my brother Jay. He texted a response TGBTG...

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Word of Hope: Enough
I have been reading my dad’s Words of Hope messages lately. I was surprised to find one in April of 2021 where my dad wrote, “My promise...

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Words of Hope: Navigating Resentment
I have been pondering a message Brene Brown gave on resentment. She explains that resentment stems from envy rather than anger.   This would have been...

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Words of Hope: Sincere Devotion
It is Valentine’s Day, a day most people focus on romantic love. However, the namesake for this day was deeply devoted to so much more...

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Words of Hope: Good News
Dad and I memorized a beautiful poem by Wendell Berry. One of the poignant lines says, “when despair for the world grows in me…” Despair...

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Words of Hope: Miracle Life
A friend of mine told me she heard about my dad’s love for calling people “a miracle.” She began to do this as a substitute...

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WOH: Able to Move
Our family liked to tease Dad that he would be peaceful hearing about his car being wrecked but enraged about five crumbs on the table....

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Words of Hope: Dark Ages
I just finished a historical book on Florence.  After reading it, I felt compelled to write an unfavorable review. I usually never write unfavorable reviews...

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WOH: Seeds of Faith
Some of my daughter’s friends are incredibly kind and remarkable people. They do not know what they believe about faith. They are curious but feel...

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Word of Hope: Tomorrow!
I am reading a historical novel about Quebec set in 1697. The author, one of my favorites, did extensive research for this book. She described...

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Words of Hope: Dad’s Favorite Number
Dad loved the Trinity. He literally was ecstatic about the community and unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Because of his deep love for...

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Words of Hope: At All Times
I have been meditating on the first part of Psalm 34:1, “I will bless the Lord at all times.” I consider the words, “at all...

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Words of Hope: The Lord
I continue my meditation of the first verse in Psalm 34. The beginning of the verse says, “I will bless the Lord at all times.”...

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Words of Hope: I Will Bless
One of my favorite passages of scripture is Psalm 34. What a psalm of solace! Dad and I would pray each word, meditating on it....

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Words of Hope: Interior Garden
I have been thinking about the Fall and the Garden of Eden, specifically what was lost in our relationship with God and with each other....

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Words of Hope: Extremes
My husband Shann and I took a class together when he was getting his PhD in clinical psychology. It was a religion class taught at...

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Words of Hope: Focal Point
My best frame of mind comes from meditation on gratitude and the truth that I belong to God.  Every time I draw my attention away...

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Words of Hope: Discipline
I am thankful that my dad instilled in me the discipline of scripture memory. I have been memorizing in earnest since 2005 and have had...

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Words of Hope: Fervor
I listened to a sermon recently on Galatians. The pastor had worked himself up into a zealous fervor decrying the current times. Then he addressed...

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Words of Hope: Godly Boundaries
I have been learning about boundaries. They are incredibly challenging and require discernment. You can see the problem of lack of boundaries in politics. The...

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Words of Hope: The Greatest Work of Art
Our family had our nightly mealtime conversation and Bella, my youngest, offered up the elegant question for the night. She asked, “In what design or...

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Words of Hope: Provocation
My husband Shann has been researching angels for a novel he is working on. He recently texted me a few verses from Exodus 23.  “See,...

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Words of Hope: Miracle of Grace
My husband Shann and I watched a modern-day movie fable attempting to show the calamity of friendships and families that lead to war. One of...

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WOH: Selfish Ambition Disguised as Evangelism
I watched a video of a woman sitting down with two college students. Her intent was to share the gospel. They recorded their conversation. She clearly...

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WOH-Honoring MLK
Shann was an A student but not a real reader when I met him and now he teaches in the PhD department of Gonzaga’s Leadership...

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Words of Hope: Wrong Direction
My car was turned the wrong direction when we were leaving the house. It was facing the direction leading to my mom and dad’s home....

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Prepare When Life is Calm
a. Who is my mentor? Who can I call for wisdom and objectively wise counsel when I encounter a crisis next year?  b. What are...

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WHEN NOT IF
I’ve written the blogs for NBC Basketball for almost twenty years now. In August 2019, I wrote the following blog—Are you prepared for the unexpected? ...

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Words of Hope: Greetings and Partings
My husband Shann and I often celebrate that we live in the Golden Age of research. We can communicate to anyone, regardless of philosophy or...

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Words of Hope: Emotional Discernment
I admire how my dad navigated his emotions.   He grew very calm under duress. When others became aggressive, he became clearer-headed. He slowed down, spoke...

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Words of Hope: Preeminence
Team chemistry is vital to becoming a championship-level team. Researchers have found the importance of both task chemistry and social chemistry. Task chemistry is a...

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Words of Hope: Intentions
Dad loved the promise of the new year. He loved journals, plans, and renewal. Yesterday, on New Year’s Day, a group of us gathered around...

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Words of Hope: What time is it?
My daughter traveled to Melbourne for her college roommate’s wedding. She left the afternoon of Christmas Eve because flights were astronomical any other time. She...

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Words of Hope: God
I follow a physics Facebook page as Shann and I are both interested in quantum physics. One recent post pictured the father of quantum physics,...

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Words of Hope: Friends
My friend Luska and her daughters traveled to Spokane to spend Christmas with us. Luska is originally from London, and we met at Silver Lake...

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Words of Hope: Repeat the Sounding Joy
We love Christmas music at the Ferch house. One of my new favorites is Aretha Franklin’s “Joy to the World.” I just heard it for...

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Words of Hope: Spark of imagination
One of my dad’s favorite mentors was a man named Paul Nakai. He is a top leadership expert who helped advise after the space shuttle...

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Words of Hope: Christmas Intention
The world outside my window is covered in snow, the trees flocked with hoarfrost. A palpable stillness descends with the snow. I have a quiet,...

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Words of Hope: Community of Trust
At NBC Camps, our team often talks about creating true community together. We discuss the difference between health and toxicity. At the root of toxicity...

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Words of Hope: Stalwart
I love words and the word stalwart isn’t a common one, though it should be. Stalwart is a synonym for stable, committed, foundational, and secure....

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Words of Hope: No Grumbling
This is a strange time to be alive. There is a zeitgeist moving that is full of portent like a mighty storm brewing. I believe...

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Words of Hope: Envy Observed
It’s basketball season. The starting lineups have been announced and I consider all the students who don’t make the starting five. I think about the...

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Basketball Healers
Dad was a basketball healer. He knew how to bring repair and healing to teams who were divided or despairing. Not many people describe someone...

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Words of Hope: The Temptation of Pain
Pain is tricky. It makes people uncomfortable. Pain can cause us to make the wrong decisions. I love the training of Ignatius of Loyola who...

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Words of Hope: Together
A passage of scripture blew my mind this week. The writer of Hebrews is describing so many beautiful men and women of the faith; some...

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Words of Hope: Running the Race
I recently listened to the Pray as You Go app, and the scripture passage was from Hebrews. As I listened to the passage I thought, “I wonder...

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Words of Hope: Time Intolerable
Grief continues to surprise me. The other night I missed Dad so much I just lay on my bed crying for a while. The pain...

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Words of Hope: Listen for the Blessing
I like to talk. Sadly, I often talk too much, and about the wrong thing. This hurts my relationship with my family. I say something...

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Words of Hope: Delight in Difficulty
One of the hardest lessons I have learned is the discipline to delight in difficulty. Our NBC Central office team has been practicing this for...

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Words of Hope: A Life of Peace or Fear
I have a dreadful notion that arises now and then of God as a punisher. As soon as it comes, I remember one of the...

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Happy Thanksgiving and Giving Tuesday
Give ThanksOne of the best ways to praise the Lord is through the prayer of Thanksgiving. Thank you for loving Fred Crowell. Share his legacy...

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Practice Gratitude
Practicing gratitude was one of the most important disciplines for my dad. Gratitude for God, for life, and for people were his intentional and pursued...

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Words of Hope: The Magnificent One
There is a Webb Space photograph that has captured my imagination. It appears to be a huge hand lifted like an artist moving the stars...

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Words of Hope: The Big Six
Dad loved acronyms and teaching slogans. One of his favorites was called the Big Six. These were the must-have, go-to moves for basketball players. Dad...

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Words of Hope: The Importance of Conflict
I am very quick to emotion. I cry, rejoice fully, and get angry quickly. My husband Shann is cool and calm. If you want to...

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Words of Hope: Gentle Impact
I read a brilliant insight from the Gottman Marriage Minute. What I love about John Gottman’s research is that it is immediately applicable to any...

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Words of Hope: Love in Public
I heard a beautiful quote that justice is love in public. What does loving look like? How much does my desire for love become thwarted...

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Words of Hope: Remembering Veterans Day
I read a short story about a firsthand account of the suffering in Iraq aloud to Mom and Dad. Afterward, they read the rest of...

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Words of Hope: The Kingdom of God is Now
I was praying about what to write in Words of Hope and I kept feeling asked to write the Kingdom of God is now. If...

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Words of Hope: Modern Day Pilgrim’s Progress
If you read my Dad’s Words of Hope you will see how much he cared for those going through depression or cancer. Dad struggled with...

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Words of Hope: Cities
I have been fortunate enough to visit many cities around the world such as Cape Town, Barcelona, and Prague. Each city has its own vibe...

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Words of Hope: Ambition
I have been wrestling with the word ambition. The definition of it makes it more complex. In some definitions it says ambition means “aspiration, intention,...

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Words of Hope: Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City is not my favorite in terms of beauty. The water is brown, much of the city is worn down and the tree in...

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Words of Hope: Culture Wars
I have frustration at the hypocrisy and moralism of certain forms of Christianity in America’s extreme right. Men measuring the skirts of young girls and...

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Words of Hope: Fiery Furnace
My youngest child Bella and I only have a few months left together before she launches off to college and a brand-new life. We do...

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Words of Hope: Losing My Head
My husband Shann and I had a bit of a spat in Oklahoma City after our daughter’s junior recital. After all the planning, there was...

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Words of Hope: Banquet Table
My dad deeply loved Psalm 23. He meditated on it often. As I read C.S. Lewis’s Reflections on the Psalms, he brings attention to something I...

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Words of Hope: On Writing Words of Hope
A very sweet friend took me to lunch. She has been so kind in sending encouragement after a Words of Hope message she resonated with. As we...

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Words of Hope: An Elegant Question
During date night, Shann asked me an elegant question. In the metaphor of sowing and reaping, he asked what two seeds I am thankful I...

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Words of Hope: Worth the Pain
I have been missing Dad so much lately. I walked by a neighborhood bench where he liked to sit and pray and shocked myself by...

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Words of Hope: A + B = C
In math, A + B normally should equal C. In life, the same should happen. A loving home will produce loving kids. However, this is...

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Words of Hope: Truth or Hypocrisy Awakened
I recently watched a movie about a man who demands a perfect world to the point he abuses others to achieve it. Perfection is so...

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Words of Hope: Set the Table
Dad loved the phrase, “Set the Table.” For him, it was a call to action for those in leadership to provide a space for true...

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Words of Hope: What Goes Around Comes Around
In C.S. Lewis’s Reflections on the Psalms he addresses a topic I have struggled with. What do we do with the Psalms that pray down wrath on...

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Words of Hope: Right Intuition and False Suggestion
I am reading Swiss Reformed medical doctor Paul Tournier. He writes that neurosis is the division of right intuition and false suggestion.   I see this...

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Words of Hope: God Exists
We have a quote on our fridge by one of the best poets in the world, Li Young Li, who says, “I don’t have faith...

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Words of Hope: An Admirable Faith
Shann and I have an elegant conversation every evening. We sit together looking out a window or sitting on a porch. We hold hands and...

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Eternal Joy
I recently visited Oklahoma to support my daughter Ari who was playing Margo in Bright Star the musical. While I was there, I sat in a chair...

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Words of Hope: Energy Crisis
Dad and I often discussed energy. Navigating cancer requires tremendous energy expenditures, which results in less energy for other aspects of life. I would email...

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Words of Hope: Dangerous Tendencies
Dad wanted to be wise about tendencies to make the wrong response in crisis. He believed becoming wise about how we handle stress and crisis...

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Words of Hope: Accused and Accuser
Jesus always touches me. I am reading about His interaction with the Pharisees and the woman caught in adultery. He takes a woman who had...

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Words of Hope: Never Outwitted
I have been mulling over a scripture verse for the last two weeks. It says, “I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your...

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Words of Hope: The Danger of Must
I recently wrote a piece about Dad being an amazing culture changer and described with intensity a father who neglects his daughter and a mother...

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Words of Hope: Culture Changer
Dad was a culture changer. He envisioned a home with a true loving, present father who asked forgiveness of his children and encouraged dialogue even...

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Words of Hope: Skilled Parents
Parenting is hard.   What makes matters worse is that people often don’t work to figure out how to be skilled as a parent. Much like...

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Words of Hope: Speed Friendship
Our family has a fun mealtime activity called “Speed Friendship.”   We ask a question and quickly find out more about whoever is at the table.  ...

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Words of Hope: Relational Joy
I read recently that researchers have discovered a connection between relational joy in your fifties and wellbeing and flourishing health in your eighties.   I think...

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Words of Hope: A More Transformative Perspective
In the last two Words of Hope, I have been sharing about a presentation Shann and I heard during our prayer retreat. One of the...

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Words of Hope: God’s Heartbreak
Shann and I were part of a prayer retreat recently. Each day had two or three presenters. One presenter who spoke on heartbreak asked this...

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Words of Hope: Heartbreak
Recently Shann and I participated in a contemplative prayer retreat. One of the beautiful and elegant questions asked was, “What breaks your heart?” One of...

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Words of Hope: Joan of Arc Hope
I find Dad’s title, “Words of Hope,” so crucial during difficult times. I say difficult times because I feel a deep battle raging in the...

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Words of Hope: Counsel of Equals
Dad and I had an important mentor who had helped with the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster as a consultant in the aftermath of the tragedy....

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Words of Love: The Source of Love
A friend asked me the other day why I thought Dad was so dynamic and incredibly loving to others. He told me he doesn’t know...

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Words of Hope: Dramatic Transformation
My father-in-law was on a generational pattern of self-sabotage. He came from no education, alcoholism, wasted living, and deeply troubled relationships. He was throwing his...

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Words of Hope: Facing the Year of Fear
On March 11, 2020, we received news the March Basketball Tournament was closing. Games were canceled across the country. We met as a staff in...

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Words of Hope: Priceless Words
I found a letter from my Dad to Natalya, my oldest. (I know the proper way to write “my dad” is lowercase, but I think...

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Words of Hope: Self-Responsible Leadership
Dad loved parenting, and he was a fantastic Dad. He and Mom taught Shann and me so much about the daily habits of being a...

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Words of Hope: Caretaker
I asked Mom what she would like to say in Words of Hope as my Dad’s caretaker for over twelve years. I think caretaking might...

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Words of Hope: Hey Dad
When I was younger, I loved to yell, “Hey, Dad, what would you give me if I make this shot?” One of the biggest wagers...

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Words of Hope: Essential Art
Last year we were in NYC to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. We were with some friends who are artists. For me, art is...

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Words of Hope: The Miraculous Soul
Probably the phrase most people associate with my Dad is, “You are a miracle.” I remember when he started to change his perspective from seeing...

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Words of Hope: God’s Mighty Ones
My husband Shann is studying angelology for a writing project. What an incredible word, angelology—the study of angels. I read that 90 percent of people...

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Words of Hope: Dogging Dogmatism Part 2
Yesterday, I wrote about my Dad’s response to people aggressively purporting their beliefs. Dad’s navigation of dogmatism greatly influenced me. A few years ago, a...

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Words of Hope: Dogging Dogmatism Part 1
Dad had an expansive faith. He rooted his faith in both firm convictions and deepest wonder and awe. One of his good friends has strong...

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Words of Hope: Labor Day
My Dad loved hard work. He had a paper route at the age of nine. I visited Dad’s hometown this summer to watch one of...

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Words of Hope: The Power of Liking
Shann and I subscribe to the Gottman Marriage minute. It’s a perfect, short reminder with simple steps to improve relationships. A recent message asked, “Do...

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Words of Hope: Intensity Considered
Many of you who read Words of Hope know my Dad. Maybe some of you have never met him. After his passing, one person who...

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Words of Hope: Provoked
When Dad was younger, he could easily provoke people into frustration. He loved to induce people to anger, especially on the basketball court. He intentionally...

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Words of Hope: Bitterness Considered
I was rereading Dad’s Words of Hope on anxiety he wrote on April 21, 2021. He discusses lessons learned from nurse Laurie who served with...

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Words of Hope: The Wisdom of Sorrow
I recently went to a memorial, and one of the main verses was Ecclesiastes 7:2. I took time to look at this verse in various...

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Words of Hope: Absent-Minded Wisdom
I was traveling through the Denver airport recently when I noticed I was drinking from a bottle that wasn’t mine. Someone else had left a...

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Words of Hope: Love Without Return
My Dad valued people from all walks of life. He thanked and honored those many would overlook. He believed in leaving places better than when...

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Words of Hope: Good Judgment
If you fly to Oklahoma City, you will see a famous quote by Will Rogers: “Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that...

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Words of Hope: Anxiety Healed
Shann is a forgiveness researcher. I was listening to a lecture in which he enumerated the physical benefits of forgiveness— a more robust immune system,...

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Words of Hope: Suffering Observed
When my Dad was ill during the last weeks of his life, he mostly lay on his back. His cancer treatment medication caused him to...

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Words of Hope: Back to Basics
When I feel the deep ache of loss and start feeling sad about Dad being gone, I go back to the fundamentals. I go back...

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Words of Hope: Learned Contentment
Contentment has been a hard-fought lesson for me and also for Dad. He wrestled with finding contentment even in illness. I have been on a...

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Words of Hope: Loneliness Observed Part 2
I met “Margo” at camp. She loved hoops and baggy shorts and had a cutting-edge fashion style. She found her mother dead when she was...

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Words of Hope: Loneliness Observed
My grandmother grew up in a severely austere home. Her mother did not believe in affection and ruled her family with a no-nonsense mentality. She...

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Words of Hope: Escaping the External Illusion
One of the helpful learning lessons Dad and I received was the conscious decision to move out of the external illusion. Consider a man named...

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Words of Hope: The Slippery Slope of Crisis
One February, we lost our cat, Crystal. She never came home. I was devastated. I held to the fantasy she would be found at a...

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Words of Hope: A beautiful death
Today is the anniversary of my Dad’s death. Our family is traveling together. Mom and Dad’s house, where he passed away, has been sold. I...

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Words of Hope: The World Will Know
I have moved to Spokane three times in my life. It has the largest urban waterfall of any North American city—such an incredible place to...

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Words of Hope: Refuse Being Tragic (RBT)
Dad and Jay love the phrase POSP, which was an acronym for “P—on Self Pity.” My grandmother was very British, and I don’t love the...

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Words of Hope: Secret Sauce
One of the best skills Dad gave our family was the family meeting. Before an event, this meeting time was crucial to outline the expectations...

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Words of Hope: Eyes That See the Need
Dad and I often wondered why people work and live together without knowing each other. This distance creates a supreme sense of loneliness. Proximity without...

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Words of Hope: Love Wins
One of my favorite lines in scripture says—“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” It’s located in...

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Words of Hope: Acquainted with Grief
We are approaching the one-year anniversary of my Dad’s death. I can feel the sorrow rising in me. I am quick to tears; my bones...

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Words of Hope: Stiff Necks
Dad and I liked to take a sermon or scripture and understand it as well as we could. He would pass out blank pages with...

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Words of Hope: Sing Until the Miracle Comes
I keep a few old gratitude journals on my desk that I review from time to time. Today I read about an overnight trip my...

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Words of Hope: Repair
Dad and I had many conversations about the attraction to cut-off relationships by not speaking to someone or vilifying others, a tendency to build up...

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Words of Hope: Giving Hope
I heard from two people last week that Dad’s “Words of Hope” book brought people comfort. One person gave the book to a family who...

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Words of Hope: Days of Plenty
My middle daughter, Ariana, is playing at the professional summer theatre in Coeur d’ Alene in Little Women the Musical. Ariana’s character Beth dies from...

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Words of Hope: The Gift of a Good Father
My friend told me, “I didn’t have a dad like yours. He left our family through an affair and wanted to reconcile later in life....

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Words of Hope: Life-Giving Presence
Someone asked me how I was doing with my Dad’s death. I told her, “Honestly, it is much more painful than I thought. I miss...

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Words of Hope: Confident and Compassionate Disagreement
Shann and I recently discussed how family issues become more difficult because many fear disagreements and conflicts. We have very few examples of people navigating...

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Words of Hope: The Best Medicine
Shann is genuinely a happy person. He is cheerful, lighthearted, and never moody or depressed. He sings daily and is genuinely a joy to be...

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Words of Hope: Condemning the Guiltless
I love listening to the Pray as You Go app. The other day one of the scriptures asked us to ponder the story of Jesus...

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Words of Hope: Reconciling All Things
My oldest daughter and her husband, Tim, came to town, and on our last day together, we asked, “What is one way you see the...

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Words of Hope: Relational Laziness
Dad worked on relationships. Scott Peck, who wrote a bestselling book, “The Road Less Travelled,” discussed how laziness, in his opinion, is the biggest obstacle...

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Words of Hope: Do the Difficult
I had another dream of Dad. I saw him walking with mom into the door of the church where we hold the NBC musical theatre...

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Words of Hope: Love’s Discipline
Shann teaches poetry at Stanford, and our family is doing the lectures and lessons together. I can’t believe how incredible this experience has been. I...

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Words of Hope: Minor Adjustments
Dad loved unity, and he didn’t like disagreement. He also was a fierce competitor. Our family could get into heated disputes around politics, news, or...

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Words of Hope: When Problems Compound
One of the great gifts from my Dad was the discipline to write each day in a gratitude journal. At NBC Camps, we say daily...

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Words of Hope: Admirable Faith
My dear friend Josh met Dad in Hawaii. Josh brought his daughter to camp and spent the days watching the coaches and observing. He had...

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Words of Hope: The Anchor and the Cross
A friend of mine called me. Her daughter lost her fiancé in a devasting accident a few months before their wedding. This grief feels unbearable...

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Words of Hope: Clothe Yourselves
One of my dad’s favorite scriptures was Colossians 3:12-17. It starts, “Therefore as God’s chosen people holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion… Dad...

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Words of Hope: Surprised by Joy
I had been dreading Father’s Day. I woke up on Father’s Day, assuming it would be a bone-crushing day of sorrow, but it wasn’t. I...

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Words of Hope: The Highest Goals
My Dad was incredibly pragmatic. He was a genius at making complex concepts simple and easy to understand. Dad believed the clearer you are in...

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Words of Hope: The Choice of a Beautiful Life
Dad LOVED slogans—he had hundreds. One of his favorites was, “You win or lose by the way you choose.” This phrase has been on my...

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Words of Hope: Whose Job
Growing up, Dad was assigned family jobs. Mine was to haul wood to the basement every Saturday and clean up after the dog. This last...

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Words of Hope: Proof is in the Pudding
When we ask forgiveness without change, we commit further harm. Teresa was an angry parent. Despite her best intentions, she often yelled at her kids,...

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Words of Hope: An Elegant Question
Dad taught our family that we cheat the forgiveness asking process when we fail to resolve our conflicts or disagreements using language that does not...

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Words of Hope: Forgiveness Overload
Dad believed we nullify forgiveness and cause pain rather than healing when we ask the other to forgive too much at one time.   “I cheated...

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Words of Hope: Great People Talk About Ideas
Our family likes meaningful conversation. Years ago, we heard the quote, great people talk about ideas, mediocre people talk about things, and small people talk...

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Words of Hope: Learning to Forgive
Dad and I often talked about bitterness and the drive to live in fracture with others. It’s incredible how generational resentment perpetuates—mother cut off from...

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Words of Hope: Flooding
Dad and I loved to talk about relationships. Especially how they can be improved. He loved John Gottman and even met with him personally. Gottman...

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Words of Hope: Celebration of Life
Thank you so much for coming to the celebration of life! For those unable to attend the Fred Crowell Celebration of Life, here is the video...

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Words of Hope: Can You Feel the Peace?
At the celebration of life, we had a video of my Dad talking about peace and the importance of pursuing peace. He asked us, “Can...

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Words of Hope: Power Tool
Forgiveness requires discernment and wisdom for it to bring healing. Forgiveness can happen through the power of the written word, a glance, a touch, a...

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Words of Hope: Daily Relational Clean-up
Dad had the gift of reading the Bible and making the words immediately practical and healing. He believed Christianity should make us more like Christ–more...

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Words of Hope: The First to Apologize is the Bravest
The ancient parable entitled “The Wager” by some is an old tale of selfishness and refusal to change with counterparts of the same theme told worldwide....

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Words of Hope: The Generational Journey
When I first met Shann’s father Tom, he seemed very distant. We would enter the house after having traveled far to get there, and Tom...

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Words of Hope: The Forgiveness Journey- Part 2
One of my Dad’s and my favorite writers, Henri Nouwen writes, “Forgiveness is the name of love practiced among people who love poorly. The hard...

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Words of Hope: The Forgiveness Journey-  Part One
Forgiveness is the willingness to start a journey by faith with the hope what currently feels impossible will become possible. We often drove to Edmonton,...

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Words of Hope: Dad’s Great Gift
Of all the things my dad taught, one of my favorite and the most powerful has been forgiveness. Because of Dad’s influence, Shann became a...

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Words of Hope: Loving what the Beloved Loves
Shann loves loud music. He likes to feel the sound and hear the music throughout his entire body. I don’t love loud music. It is...

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Words of Hope: RPE4FJC
My brother and I made some rocks to give at the Celebration of Life with the letters RPE4FJC. RPE stands for Relentless Pursuit of Excellence-one...

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Words of Hope: Always
I cannot express how grateful I am that my Dad was a student of loving well. He made it his life mission to love God...

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Words of Hope: The Choice
Getting ready for the Celebration of Life was difficult and joyful. As our family gathered together to sing, we could feel the tensions and emotions...

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Words of Hope: Memory Palace
Dad and I loved to memorize. One of the best gifts he gave me was my passion for memorizing scripture and poetry. We started in...

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Words of Hope:  Daily Grace
I am reading Ulysses by James Joyce. Truly not the easiest read but entertaining nonetheless. He takes the day in the life of one man...

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Words of Hope: Compelled by fear or love?
I read about a twin separated from her sister for years. Her grandmother lost her in a crowded market in Korea when she was quite...

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Words of Hope: The Psalm 1 Tree
I recently asked what is bringing someone joy lately, and he responded by learning about trees. He said with all the latest advances in forestry,...

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Words of Hope: Building a Loving Home
When Shann and I had three daughters, we imagined a home full of love and joy for one another. How could we make this dream...

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Words of Hope: Revelation
I read a statement, “Zealous judgment closes us off from revelation.” This statement would have immediately caused me to pick up the phone and call...

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Words of Hope: Celebration of Life
My Dad’s celebration of life is nearing. I look forward to honoring the life of my Dad. Dad loved parties because he loved people. He...

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Words of Hope: Where Your Treasure Is
A huge table in the center of our kitchen seats twelve people comfortably. This table is the focal point of our home, a place to...

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Words of Hope: Moralism or Morality
I am reading about the form versus the formless. Dad and I discussed this often. He had a big journey in his life toward understanding...

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Words of Hope: Praying for Others
Prayer always amazes me. I can fall in love with praying and get discouraged because my prayers don’t “turn out” the way I want. I...

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Words of Hope: A Barometer of Health
Dad believed one of the most telling ways for us to observe if we love well was to examine the quality of our relationships. Relationships...

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Words of Hope: Ego Dying
One thing I have been marveling at since my father’s death is the realization of grief. I feel I am awakening into the color of...

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Words of Hope: Ignatian Contemplative Prayer
Our family loves Ignatian contemplative prayer. You listen to the passage and imagine yourself in the story. Recently, we experienced a prayer session together on...

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Words of Hope: The Negative Spiral
One of my favorite times with Dad was to discuss poor coaching or poor parenting as they share similarities. Dad had incredible insights into how...

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Words of Hope: In the Beginning Was the Word
Shann taught poetry at Princeton Theological Seminary’s Center for Contemplative Leadership. He discussed the power of words. How much power does a word hold? The...

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Words of Hope: Retribution
Being a basketball coach, my Dad studied momentum. He analyzed how teams and coaches responded to mistakes and difficulties. He often asked, when crisis strikes,...

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Words of Hope:  You said. I Believe.
CeCe Winans song Believe For It heals me. She has a bridge where she sings, “You said. I believe. You said it is done.” I love considering...

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Words of Hope: Light in the darkness
We watched an evocative movie the other day. It was a modern parallel of the road to Calvary. One of the characters is an atheist...

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Words of Hope: People of The Lie
Ravi Zacharias, one of the greatest theologians and apologists in modern memory, had an incredible ministry by all outward appearances. Dad and I LOVED Ravi....

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Words of Hope: Only Seven Seconds
Shann and Bella had a late-night this week, and I was alone in the house for the first time in a while. I sat on...

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Words of Hope: Atypical marriage
One quality I admire about my Dad is that he did not speak poorly or negatively about my Mom. He worked hard to root out...

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Words of Hope: Ferch Church
When I was growing up, Dad made time with God something sacred, intentional, and interesting. He hated the idea of church or discussion about God...

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Words of Hope: True testimony
I celebrated Easter at my Mom and Dad’s church. It was my Mom’s first Easter without Dad. I thought about Dad being in church just...

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Words of Hope: Unseen prayers
Mom and I met to discuss Dad’s celebration of life with a beautiful person helping coordinate the day. While there, we bumped into a long-time...

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Words of Hope: Contentment Mindset
When I think about the many things Dad taught me, contentment is one of the most crucial. Contentment is the state of living where we...

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Words of Hope: A Better Person
The slogan for NBC Camps is better players, better people. Dad and I talked about relentlessly pursuing excellence in life without leading to perfectionism and...

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Words of Hope: Father Kolbe
Dad and I loved to read stories of inspiring people. One day, I felt sorry for myself and justified my frustration and irritation with life....

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Words of Hope: Heaven
I can’t fully express my gratitude for having such a fantastic Dad. He was incredible with people, and he always had time for me—how did...

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Words of Hope: Thy Will Be Done
Dad loved Easter and Good Friday. Dad loved the stations of the cross and would meditate at each spot. He especially loved the stations of...

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Words of Hope: He’s Alive
One of the first concerts I attended was in Birmingham, Alabama. It was Don Francisco live. My mom and Dad took me to the show....

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Words of Hope: Unafraid
My Mom and I went to tea the other day and talked about Dad. This journey of grief is new for me. I want to...

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Words of Hope: The Gift of Friendship
Shann has a beautiful coffee table book that just came out on Amazon in collaboration with his artist friend, Craig Hergert. His friend has fifteen...

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Words of Hope: A Novel Point of View
Dad and I loved to read. I am currently reading Graham Greene’s book, The Ministry of Fear. Greene was a masterful writer and author of...

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Words of Hope: Celebration of Life
Come celebrate the life of Fred Crowell founder of NBC Camps. All are welcome at Real Life Church auditorium in Post Falls. Reception directly after...

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Words of Hope: Heart Change or Change of Heart
I miss Dad’s amazing advice. He often had remarkable wisdom. He told me creativity is powerful work. The work, each one of us, are called...

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Words of Hope: The Art of Love
Dad thought outside the box as a basketball coach and had insightful ways to keep students engaged. He believed deeply in the idea of love...

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Words of Hope: Thick Skin
Dad and I struggled with thin skin at times. We love people and want to be loved. Dad often encouraged me to have tough skin...

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Words of Hope: Start with the Necessary
Dad and I loved Francis of Assisi. He is one of my favorite people. One of the quotes I love is, “Start by doing what...

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Words of Hope: Discerning the Why
I love to ask why. I spoke to Dad in person or on the phone every day, and my favorite thing was to ask him...

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Words of Hope: April Fools
When I was in high school, my Dad began to play April Fool’s jokes which were never quite funny to anyone but him. We tried...

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Words of Hope: Garden
As I plan for Dad’s Celebration of Life, the person helping me organize the décor told me that because the stage is large, she imagined...

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Words of Hope: The Body Remembers
One day, I was wiping down the bathroom sink. Focused and intensely absorbed in my work, I didn’t hear my oldest daughter Natalya come into...

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Words of Hope: March Madness
Dad and I liked to play solitary card games while racing against each other. Our favorite was kings in the corner. These games are addictive—just...

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Words of Hope: Fear of Being Taken In
Years ago, one of our dear friends had a church interview to lead a small group, and it had a level of harshness that surprised...

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Words of Hope: Prayer Sisters
Today is my middle daughter Ariana’s birthday. She has the last birthday in four weeks of March birthdays to celebrate in our family. When she...

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Words of Hope: Armed and Resolute Wickedness
Dad and I loved March Madness—mainly because it was fun to coach and critique the teams. We were often negative spectators, so Shann had to...

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Words of Hope: Forgiveness is Divine
I heard a woman share the gospel, and it was truly an inspired gift. She connected the oil spill image off the Gulf of Mexico...

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Words of Hope: Hurting people hurt others
We traveled to NYC recently, and our family watched the MJ musical highlighting the life of Michael Jackson. It has been met with controversy, and...

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Words of Hope: Bright Star
My brother and I are planning my Dad’s Celebration of Life. Dad loved short phrases and slogans, so I love to call his memorial day...

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Words of Hope: Messenger
Today is my Dad’s birthday. Do I write that it would have been his 80th or that it is his 80th birthday? I will say it is Dad’s 80th...

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Words of Hope: Our Present Darkness
I am reading Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal’s novella, Too Loud a Solitude. Hrabal experienced not only the horrors of the Nazi occupation of Prague but also...

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Words of Hope: Prayer
My Dad and I loved to pray together, and I learned so much about prayer from him. I have been on a journey to understand...

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Words of Hope: Next Steps
The news of Ukraine and Russia is everywhere, with images of war, suffering, and trauma. Just watching it is unsettling to a high degree. It...

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Words of Hope: Dust to Dust
I am surprised by my lethargy around the death of my Dad. It really has taken the wind out of me. I am a busy...

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Words of Hope: Mapping out Trauma Triggers
Trauma triggers happen when you have had something difficult happen in your life–for example, a car wreck. For many who have experienced a very serious...

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Words of Hope: Marriage Experts
My parents were married for 58 years, and they deeply admired and loved each other. They worked hard to root out bitterness, detachment, infidelity, and...

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Words of Hope: Tears of Christ
Watching the war in Ukraine has been devasting. The cruelty of Putin, the shocking images of destruction, the terror that feels palpable around the globe....

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Words of Hope: Kintsugi
One of the reasons to travel to Mumbai was the opportunity to work with amazing artists to bring Kintsugi experience to social service workers, pastors,...

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Words of Hope:  Small Whisper
This was my first birthday without my Dad with me in person. Birthdays always involved dinner together with a beautiful mealtime conversation. Dad would share...

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Words of Hope: Bitterness to Healing
We often drove to Edmonton, Alberta, from Spokane when Shann and I were newly married. This long road trip afforded us hours of meaningful conversation....

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Words of Hope: Tears
In our early years of marriage, Shann rarely felt anger, never cried, never had much emotion at all. He lived with a consistently cheerful attitude....

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Words of Hope: Mumbai
Mumbai is a city of 28 million people. There were slums and poverty everywhere we went. People live in tin slabs with tar paper roofs...

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Words of Hope: Freedom
Our family traveled to India last week to work with those in severe poverty. I wore my Dad’s t-shirt – Relentless Pursuit of Excellence (one...

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Words of Hope: Celebration of Life
My Dad started talking about dying in the last few years. Honestly, it bugged me. I didn’t want to talk about his funeral; I didn’t...

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Words of Hope: Caesura Pause
I have been thinking about skills and gifts my Dad had that I aspire to have in my life. One skill he had was the...

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Words of Hope: Absurd or Obedient
Shann wrote the lyrics for an opera. I love to think about this. He is a poet, a researcher, a novelist, and a librettist (opera...

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Words of Hope: Magnificat
Dad and I loved to talk about Mary, the mother of Jesus. When we were in the Philippines, Dad was adored everywhere he went. He...

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Words of Hope: Awakening from The External Illusion
Here is an insight into conversations I would have with Dad. One of our favorite topics was how to live outside the external illusion. Every...

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Words of Hope: Caesura Pause
I have been thinking about my Dad’s skills and gifts that I aspire to have in my life. One skill he had was the caesura...

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Words of Hope: Communion
Our family has been visiting different churches as our church of many years disbanded before Covid. We have been watching the church Natalya goes to...

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Words of Hope: Spotlight
We spotlight every meal, and it can be challenging to find new and meaningful ways to spotlight others. To keep it creative, sometimes, we look...

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Words of Hope: Creative Learning
When I was young, Dad would make devotional times meaningful. He would grab plain white paper and put color crayons, markers, and highlighters on the...

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Words of Hope: Valentine’s Day Story
I met Shann at basketball camp. We have been married 31 years. Dad met Shann before I did, and he adored Shann. He loved his...

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Words of Hope: Dream Dinner
I had my first dream of my father. He was younger than I am now at my current age. We sat side by side at...

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Words of Hope: Better People
One of the longtime slogans at NBC Camps is the mission to be better players and better people. Dad and I discussed this often—how can...

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Words of Hope: Relational Bravery
Dad was an extreme extrovert. He loved to be around people. My oldest is an extreme extrovert like her papa. She is constantly with friends...

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Words of Hope: Accountability
Dad had great accountability partners. One of his is also a dear friend of mine. His name is Bobby Moore. He was Dad’s pastor, his...

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Words of Hope: Transformation
We went to a new church nearby our house today and they were doing baptisms. One of the women shared she had been raised in...

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Words of Hope: Loving Father
My brother called last week. I picked up the phone and heard a choking cry. I panicked. “What’s wrong?!” I said. Jay wept hard into...

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Words of Hope: Shooting Star
When Dad lay dying, I told him he would soon get to spend time with Sojourner Truth one of our favorite people. We never met...

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Words of Hope: Master Teacher
Dad was a maverick and exceptional teacher. He grasped ways to make concepts understandable way before the science of pedagogy confirmed his teaching methods. Cookie...

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Words of Hope: Next Generation
One of the verses Dad and I memorized together was Deuteronomy 4:7-9, a beautiful set of verses reminding parents to pass on what they have...

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Words of Hope: Pure Joy
The book of James says, “Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter trials of various kinds.” Some translations say to consider trials, “pure”...

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Words of Hope: Weather Man
Dad would say, “Imagine an elevator. Most of us have moods and emotions which take us up and down the elevator. But some people get...

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Words of Hope: The Book of Peace
Shann had his first dream of my Dad last week. He had been wondering when he would have one. He woke up and told me,...

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Words of Hope: Beauty over Utility
I have never loved flowers as a gift. They have always seemed to be an extravagance. I would rather Shann buy me a vacuum or...

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Words of Hope: Eternal Life
Last spring, I read Dad and Mom a beautiful short story from Anthony Doer’s book, Memory Wall. The story tells of a young girl who loses...

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Words of Hope: Too Soon
I spoke to one of Dad’s lifelong friends from California. They expressed sorrow because they did not get to say goodbye in person to Dad....

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Words of Hope: True Self vs. False Self
One of my daily devotionals gives short segments from the writings of Henri Nouwen, a beautiful Christian author. He wrote many moving books, including Return of...

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Words of Hope: Disagreement without Discord
One skill I am incredibly grateful for in my Dad is the peace he had to navigate difficult topics with wisdom and care. My Dad...

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Words of Hope: Oyster Mouth
Dad and I both struggle with our mouths sometimes. Dad said things he should not say. I would get so frustrated with him when he...

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Words of Hope: MLK
A woman named Luska is one of NBC’s bright stars. She is brilliant and has an incredibly powerful mind. Since we first met more than...

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Words of Hope:  Honest Love
In an earlier Words of Hope, I shared a message Dad asked me to consider in the year of 2018. We had a relationship where...

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Words of Hope: Daily Forgiveness
I met with some very lovely friends who want to create a language of forgiveness. I love this idea because forgiveness is such a misunderstood...

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Words of Hope: Family of God
I drove by a snowy park bench near the Spokane River yesterday. The last time I drove by this bench, Dad, Shann, Bella, and I...

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Words of Hope: Delight
Dad traveled many days when I was young. He went all around the PNW recruiting for NBC Camps. His journey brought him to the Cheyenne...

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Words of Hope:  Struggle
I looked back on my recent WOH and several begin with the words: Dad struggled. I find it important to consider unconscious repetition.  The word...

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Words of Hope: Surprise Journey
Dad loved surprises. We liked to take him and mom on a secret trip each year. It would be a 3-4 day trip within driving...

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Words of Hope: Stone or Life
Grief is tough. My Dad tried to overcome his grief for the few years after his mom’s death, but many situations triggered his pain and...

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Words of Hope: True Peace
Dad sat down with me in the New Year of 2018. He asked me to consider a few tasks for my life. I will be...

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Words of Hope: Clean Heart
Dad’s nickname around the house was Norman Neat or sometimes Matt Ticulous. He loved it clean, but he also loved having people over, which caused...

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Words for Hope: Consider the Birds of the Air
Dad loved New Year’s Eve. He loved to clean out closets; he loved to organize and plan; he loved fresh starts. New Year’s Eve was...

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Words of Hope: The Third Option
Dad loved Jesus’s response to the Pharisees. They often tried to trap Jesus. He frequently faced either/or no-win decisions by them but Jesus offers the...

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Words of Hope: Decide
Deuteronomy 30:19 “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life so that you and your children may live.” This...

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Words of Hope: Common Sense
Dad struggled with some forms of common sense—like when he accidentally shot my mom’s dog (no, it did not die) while trying to warn off...

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Word of Hope: Encouragement is Oxygen
At camp, my Dad struggled to help student-athletes understand the necessity of encouragement. Then he compared it to oxygen.  Oxygen is necessary for life; the...

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Words of Hope: Joyful and Triumphant
Merry Christmas to all of you at Words of Hope. I want to share this Christmas story. Tom is my father-in-law, and he and my...

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Words of Hope: Courage Erases Loneliness
How many of our friends and family struggle with feeling alone? My Dad loved the great poet Maya Angelou who said, “We, unaccustomed to courage,...

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Words of Hope: Reborn
My oldest daughter Natalya turned twenty-five Sunday. Dad was there for her birth. Shann, my Mom, Dad, and other friends waited in the comfortable birthing...

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Words of Hope: Release from darkness
I have been praying daily for the Christians kidnapped in Haiti. They were held by a murderous gang who wantonly killed children and adults unable...

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Words of Hope: Garment of Praise
Sorrow can feel like a heavy shroud. I sometimes feel suffocated by it if I allow my mind to think of no more time with...

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Words of Hope: Poetry
I wouldn’t say Dad loved poetry when he was younger, but he definitely grew to love poetry. We both found poetry more and more beautiful...

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Words of Hope:  Love must be Sincere
Dad believed fully what Mother Teresa said, “Christ’s love is always stronger than evil in the world… this kind of love begins at home. We...

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Words of Hope: The Incarnation
Shann, my husband, had a book interview last week. His interviewer had respect for Shann’s faith but also incredulity. How could Shann, a learned scholar,...

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Words of Hope: IS
I have been wrestling with language around my Dad’s death. I don’t like to say I lost my Dad because I didn’t lose him. I...

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Words of Hope: A Beautiful Mind
I opened my journal from 2017, where I had listed concerns I had during that time. They seem so trivial in light of my current...

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Words of Hope: Relationship Over Rules
Dad disliked rules over relationships. In our home, he cared more that there was love in our hearts for God than if we went to...

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Words of Hope: Perfectly Teachable
After watching thousands of athletes at NBC Camps, Dad said the two most dangerous emotions which hurt any athlete are arrogance and fear. Those emotions...

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Words of Hope:  The Power of Hope
My Dad’s hope inspires me. Dad studied, researched, prayed for, and meditated on the word hope. He knew it was a crucial foundation for life...

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Words of Hope: Bedtime stories
Dad was a magnificent storyteller. He could mesmerize audiences at camp with stories of Challenger, our big black lab, or make everyone howl with laughter...

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Words of Hope: The God of All Comfort
My Dad believed fully in Christ and in His resurrection power. He did not fear death but trusted implicitly in the message that the dead...

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Words of Hope: Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood
My Dad loved the movie about Mr. Rogers, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. He watched it many times. During the NBC Alaska Airlines Invitational...

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Words of Hope: The Human Soul
The day after Thanksgiving was difficult. I found myself feeling quite sad about Dad. I went thrifting with the girls, and the vintage store we...

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Words of Hope: Psalm 23
Dad and I often talked about life balance. Dad was a juggernaut of energy when he was younger. He was a make it happen person....

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Words of Hope: Love is Patient
My Dad had an abusive father, and so did my Mom. My Mom was born in November of 1941. A few weeks after she was...

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Words of Hope: Worthy of Imitation
My good friend was in town on a recruiting trip, and he stayed with Shann and me. He loved Dad and considered Dad in many...

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Words of Hope: Never Bored
Dad hated the phrase, “I’m bored.” He believed great coaching, teaching, and parenting never allowed for boredom. He believed it was the responsibility of the...

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Words of Hope: Thanksgiving
Dad was masterful at creating meaningful moments. At Thanksgiving, the TV would be off, there would be intentional time for grateful reflection, and there would...

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Words of Hope: People of the Way
Dad hated God when he was young. He vowed he would never pray or cry again after his Mom died. He was filled with anger...

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Words of Hope: Great is Thy Faithfulness
Dad and I memorized Lamentations 3:22-23 together, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassion never fails, it is new...

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Words of Hope: The Age of Enragement​
My Dad’s father loved rage as a tool to solve problems. Dad desired to learn to be gentle. He sought out gentle men as mentors...

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Words of Hope: Fun Dad
Dad was a very fun dad. He enjoyed games. He loved playing with my brother and me. When I was little, Dad and I would...

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Words of Hope: The Sin of Criticism
Last December, Dad and I read sections of “The Violence Within” by Paul Tournier aloud to each other. Tournier believed that criticism was a form...

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Words of Hope: You are a Miracle
Dad delighted in people. Wherever he went, he made lifelong friends. On the day he died, I called many people whose numbers were on his...

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Words of Hope: Great Joy
One aspect of Dad’s character I admired was his presence. He carried himself with dignity and power. His voice could fill a room or a...

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Words of Hope: A Godly Woman
Today is my Mom’s 80th birthday. Her courage in caring for my Dad through cancer reveals her reliance on prayer and dedication to serving. Mom...

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Words of Hope: Friendly Flowers
The other day Mom and I walked through our neighborhood together. We stopped to see a woman planting in her yard. Her house has a...

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Words of Hope: Veterans Day
My dad loved veterans and felt deeply grateful for his friends and family who served. One man that he came to know and love fought...

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Words of Hope: The Decision of Gratitude
Dad asked our family to be with him when he first received the news he might have cancer. We gathered around the kitchen table to...

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Word of Hope: Dear Parents of Teens
When my daughter Natalya turned fourteen, our relationship didn’t feel the same. I felt like she didn’t want to connect, and I wanted to blame...

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Words of Hope: No Dis-Aster
The night Dad died, the sky was full of color, the sun was blood red with Hesperus, the evening star was visible. I took a...

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Words of Hope: Dad’s Voice
I asked my Mom what the most challenging part of her journey right now was, and she paused for a minute and then said, “Not...

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Words of Hope: Lean Back
A song comforting me during this painful loss of my Dad has been “Lean Back,” written by Tony Brown, Chris Mcclarney, Nate Moore, and Amanda...

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Words of Hope: Love Deeply from the Heart
I have talked with many people who felt loved and close to Dad, and they often tell me how much Dad meant. Sometimes they say...

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Words of Hope – Beautiful Faith
Following up on last week’s WOH. I wanted to discuss my Dad’s beautiful love for Christ. He always cherished my faith and did not look...

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Words of Hope: Finding Balance
I loved asking Dad his thoughts about parenting and coaching- both are similar. An authoritarian coach or parent who leads with fear and intimidation creates...

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Words of Hope: Forgiveness as a Healing Force
Dad loved servant leadership. One beautiful definition Dad would have loved from Dr. Marleen Ramsey, who writes, “Servant leadership is an ethical perspective of leadership...

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Words of Hope: The Gift of Mentoring
My Dad believed in the intentional work of mentoring. Many of you reading Words of Hope are testimonies of Dad’s investment in your life. My...

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Words of Hope: Dad the Adventurer
Traveling through Switzerland recently reminded me how much fun my Dad had sightseeing around the world. He loved new places and adventures. Swiss physician Paul...

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Words of Hope: God supplies our Needs
God shall supply ALL my needs?! What a sentence! Do I live like I believe this? I know this is something Dad wrestled with for...

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Words of Hope:  Strong Love
Dad loved my mom. They were married for 58 years. He loved to tell the story of when he first saw her at the University...

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Words of Hope: Focused Feelings
Dad didn’t like it when I asked him how he felt. He instead preferred me to ask what he was learning from God or what...

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Words of Hope: The Full Amor of God
One of the passages of Scripture Dad and I memorized is Ephesians 6:10-18. Verse 12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood...

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Words of Hope: Detachment
One of the essential life lessons Dad helped me with is the idea of detachment. I am very passionate and opinionated, so the lessons of...

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Words of Hope: Generosity
My dad grew up extremely poor. He often told stories of the paper route he had when he was age nine. He told us often...

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Words of Hope: A Loving Dad
A few days after Dad died, my friend sent me a loving text and ended with: You won the “Dad of the century” award. He...

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Words of Hope: The God of Hope
Several people reached out to me after the Words of Hope in which I shared not being able to hear Dad’s voice on the voice...

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Words of Hope: The Discipline of Prayer
Dad died two months ago. It feels like it just happened and conversely that it happened long ago. Dad’s 12 year battle with cancer carried...

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Words of Hope: Grief
Hope, Dad’s dog knew he was dying. She lay by his bed and would rest her head on his arm. When my dad passed away,...

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Words of Hope: Letters of Love
I opened Dad’s desk recently and found hundreds of random note cards. Some were covered in images of nature; others were blank white cards or...

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Words of Hope: The Lord’s Prayer
Dad loved the Lord’s Prayer, and it was one of his favorite ways to pray. Here is how time with Dad praying the Lord’s Prayer...

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Words of Hope: RPE4FJC
My brother Jay created RPE (one of my dad’s favorite slogans, which stands for Relentless Pursuit of Excellence) and FJC—my dad’s initials Fredric James Crowell....

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Words of Hope: Outside of Time
My Dad left me a lengthy voicemail before he died. I waited to listen to it for a few weeks after he passed, waiting for...

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Words of Hope: Wisdom
My dad had wisdom that resulted in practical ways to live. Before he died, I asked him about a parent who had a young child...

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WOH: The Daily Examen
Our whole family often jumped into learning what Dad was learning. He was so infectious and enthusiastic; he inspired us to understand what he was...

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Words of Hope: Mealtime Conversation
Our family created a ritual around mealtime conversation. This ritual refined through the years, but it emerged from my Dad’s quote he often used, “Great...

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Words of Hope: Brave
Dad and I loved to go to movies and see them on the big screen. One of our favorite movies was 1917. We loved the...

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Words of Hope: Overflowing with Thankfulness
Dad liked to use a jar illustration to help people diagnose the quality of their thoughts and words. Picture a large glass jar in which...

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Words of Hope: Sing for Joy to the Lord
Dad loved to sing, and for a long time, he was not good—so poor people thought he purposely mocked the song when he sang in...

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Words of Hope: Full Armor and Prayer
I love history with all my heart, especially World War 2, perhaps because I know Dad loved Winston Churchill, or because I lived in Germany,...

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Words of Hope: The Need to be Seen
My Dad noticed people that many do not—people mopping floors, or bussing tables, people who were often unseen or unrecognized. He treated everyone he met...

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Words of Hope: Every Thought Captive
Dad valued quality thinking. For most of us, we assume whatever we think about is reality. A thought enters our head, and we unequivocally believe...

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Words of Hope: Little Things
One of Dad’s favorite sayings was, “Yard by yard, life is hard, but inch by inch, life’s a cinch.” Dad would often counsel me on...

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Words of Hope — Be Anxious for Nothing
I opened up Dad’s journal from 1987 recently. The year I survived a severe car accident on my way to school. The entry date was...

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Words of Hope — Heaven Minded
Dad met with his doctor for the last time in July. A cancer doctor is such a massive part of a cancer patient’s life. My...

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Words of Hope — Not by Might
When I was a young girl in Birmingham, Alabama, mustard became available for purchase in a new plastic bottle. Before this new packaging, we had...

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Words of Hope — Wait for the Lord
Dad was not the best at waiting when he was younger. He disliked waiting in line or at the doctor’s office. With cancer, you spend...

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Words of Hope — You can trust God
I trusted my Dad. He created a very safe space for me to share with him my life and my struggles. He listened well and...

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Words of Hope — Find Ways to Laugh
Laughing seems difficult for me right now. I almost didn’t write this though I felt my Dad intentionally gave me this word. Dad loved rocks...

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Words of Hope — Right Here Right Now
Dad loved to do crazy things, like two-footed hops down the middle of main street Disneyland or teach strangers how to laugh or practice his...

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Words of Hope — Live in Forgiveness
The keyword I wanted to focus on for today is, forgive. I know that as Dad crossed over into eternity, any memories of bitterness, resentment,...

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Words of Hope — Creating Your Own Secret Garden
I have felt fairly bereft with dad’s passing, so I have decided to set a daily intention, something he would encourage me to consider for...

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Words of Hope – From Fred’s Daughter Jennifer
Fred Crowell passed away on Wednesday, August 11, at around 7:40 pm. Fred is my Dad, and I’ve had the unparalleled blessing of being raised...

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WOH ARCHIVE: DOING GOOD
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians...

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Special Announcement
Hi All, My dad has taken a very serious turn. We keep hoping it is temporary and he makes a remarkable recovery as he has...

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SACRED SILENCE OR SELFISHNESS
Written near the end of his life, Soren Kierkegaard gives insights into what we call “infinite resignation.” This is in his book The Lily of the...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY: CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS
Something truly amazing happens when we clean when the dirt is removed when clutter becomes neat. Our human spirit is enhanced when we make something...

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WORLD’S SYSTEMIC PROBLEM, PART 1
Today’s world lives out the adage, “There is a season for everything.” Solomon said this in his book of Ecclesiastes. In other words, there is a balanced,...

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MOUNT NEVER ENOUGH
Looming in the hearts of human “doings” (not human beings) is the majestic Mount Never ENOUGH. This imaginary self-imposed mountain stands taller than America’s tallest Mount...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED: EGO, PRIDE, HUMILITY
Recently my brother Larry relayed Giannis Antetokounmpo’s comments to me. Giannis is the shooting guard for the Milwaukee Bucks that won the 2021 NBA championship....

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY: ESTABLISH THE WORK OF OUR HANDS
In the Bible, Psalm 90 is a prayer by Moses, full of wisdom. Moses had eight requests in the last part of the prayer. In fact, his...

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TIME TO STAND
It seems to me there comes a time in everyone’s life when we can either take a stand or remain seated. Historically, there were many...

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MYELIN PROTECTS HOPE
You must build hope, for the day will come when it is desperately needed! Myelin is a coating that covers your circulatory neurons. Every time...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY: BE OF GOOD CHEER
Here in Spokane we have had record-breaking heat in June. Now in July throughout the Pacific Northwest we need rain. Don’t you agree there always appears...

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NOT AFRAID OF ANYTHING
Fear is a dominating emotion that cripples performance and steals success. Is it possible to live without fear? Probably not because there are two types...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED: TWO MOST IMPORTANT HOW’S
I am convinced the two most important HOW’S in the world are: 1) HOW to be born again, and 2) HOW to be filled with the Holy...

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THREE STAGES OF LIFE
In the early days, a baby spends the vast majority of time in a crib. The middle years of life are spent grinding it out...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY: THE WORD FOR ALL
Happiness is watching your granddaughter dance. Possibly one of the greatest joys of being a grandparent is watching grandchildren excel and love life with passion. As...

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MAKE TODAY A MASTERPIECE
“You pile up enough tomorrows, and you will find you have nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays. I don’t know about you but I...

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HAVE OR HAVE NOTS
This is the ultimate difference between contentment and discontentment. Contentment is living in abundance. Discontentment is living in scarcity. Contentment is living in – “enough...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED: STAY IN YOUR LANE
Yes, Fred Crowell loves to drive a car! And the better the car, the better I love driving! And how fun it is to drive on...

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HAPPINESS A GIFT
“Folks are usually about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” This is what Abe Lincoln felt. For some, happiness is a common...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY: NATURAL VS. SUPERNATURAL
One of the great gifts of life is that of choice. Everyone can choose whether they live natural, meaning normal or ordinary, or supernatural, meaning transcendental or...

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PERSONAL GUARANTEE
Imagine making a blanket guarantee that all things, meaning everything in your life, will work out for good!  Consider this life guarantee written by St. Paul...

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AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
It was a fateful Christmas Eve in 1776. General George Washington, also Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, led his men across the Delaware, marching 13 hours...

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LAND THAT I LOVE
“This land is your land, this land is my land. From California to New York Island, from the Redwood Forest to the Gulf stream waters....

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY: COMFORT IN SILENCE
Years ago, Henry David Thoreau said: “The mass of men live lives of QUIET desperation.” Yet today, I (meaning Fred Crowell) say: “Most people live lives of ACTIVE...

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LIFE IS HARD
“Once we admit life is hard, it is no longer difficult.” – Scott Peck It baffles me when people; notably Fred Crowell, think we deserve...

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GOOD NEWS – GREAT NEWS
The Apostle James encourages us to consider trouble when it comes our way, to be an opportunity for great joy. Common sense tells us this...

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THE LAW OF HELP
Many of us have heard “HELP!” from a child. Sometimes this means the child is in danger or perhaps just needs assistance or support. Maybe any help...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY: THE INSIDE STORY
Fred Rogers, the famous child inspirational television star, said, “There is an inside story for every outside behavior.” If every teacher, coach, and, most importantly,...

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LAMPS AND LIGHTS
Lamps and lights are favorites of mine, more than the average person. My wife will agree with that. She will tell you how an extraordinary...

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THE CLIMB
When we stop climbing, facing the challenges life presents every day, we lose our mission and purpose. For the toddler, the climb is learning  to...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED: IT’S ONLY YOU
When life gets so hard, we seem to be in a place we cannot describe. In fact, we do want other people, but it seems...

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THE IN-N-OUT PHENOMENON
One of the most important life principles is the phenomenon of In-N-Out. Coincidentally, an American popular fast-food chain is named In-N-Out, where placing an order necessitates...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY: PRIVILEGE
Webster writes PRIVILEGE is “a special benefit, advantage, or favor; a right or immunity granted only to a particular person or group.”There was a time in...

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SHARING JOY
The Dead Sea, bordered by Israel, Jordan, and Palestine, is the world’s lowest point below sea level.  Animals cannot live in its water even as...

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WHO ARE THE GOOD GUYS
An elementary teacher was talking about the subject of good and bad guys. One little boy raised his hand: “Teacher, who are the good guys?“ This is...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED: WANTING MORE
Very early this morning I asked myself this question: Is my life enough, or do I want more? My reality is while I am in my secret garden,...

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THE LANGUAGE OF HOPE
In hopes to offset today’s primarily angry, harsh, rhetorical, judgmental language. The language of Hope seems like an excellent alternative.  These quotes are the Hope...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY: DYING WELL
Dying well begins with living well. Nearly 40 years ago, one of my best friends from Seattle called me. His words were: “Fred, I am really afraid....

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FOUR FOUNDATION SUCCESS SYSTEM
Four is a great number! Why not three? Look at the original ATV (all-terrain vehicle); it had three wheels. Didn’t work – would cause far...

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THREE MYSTERIOUS MIRACLES
In Proverbs 30, the writer says there are things God has done that are too wonderful to understand. I, too, feel three mysterious miracles are...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED: LIKING & LOVING, NOT ENOUGH
Coach Crowell, I really like reading your book, Words of Hope!” “Coach Crowell, I love reading your blog, Words of Hope!” Thank you is my...

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HOPE IN 1865 – HOPE IN 2021
JUNE 3 is an important date. June 3, 1865, was the date for the Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia, as part of the Civil War (156...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY: WHAT’S UP PEOPLE?
Here I sit in my easy chair, at 4 AM, wondering about life. How is it possible, so many diverse thoughts roam through my brain...

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MOST AWESOME
The Psalmist wrote, “The Lord Most High is awesome.“ The word awesome always reminds me of my brother Larry.  He delights in saying, “You’re awesome!” ...

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BEST WE NOT FORGET
Wise people do not forget those who have gone before and made our lives richer, better, happier, and safer. Foolish people do not honor those who have...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED: CHOOSING GREAT FRIENDS
Pictured above is Jim Harrick – John Wooden – Fred Crowell. Coach Jim Harrick is one of the finest friends any person could ever have in...

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HELPLESS TAKE HEART
Hope is helpful if you find yourself in a position much like myself, HELPLESS TAKE HEART are words that speak loudly. This sun-filled, blue-sky May morning inspired...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY: THE 5 WHY’S
If you truly want to know your life purpose, ask yourself the 5 Whys. In fact, asking 5 Why’s may help solve many of your...

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NEVER LOSE YOUR DREAMS
The four P’s – Psalms, purpose, prayer & power. Dr. Shann Ferch tells the following story. One day my dad took me to Circle, Montana to...

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Hopefulness
Nestled in the decorative rock among my beautiful rhododendrons, I discovered what looked like trash.  To my big surprise, it was not trash!  Instead, it...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED: 3 PILLS, BIG JOB
Approximately 160 men with metastatic prostate cancer are counting on three (3) daily pills to give them a few more good days on this earth,...

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AMAZING GREAT PODCAST – Hosted by Ric Hansen
Amazing Greats interviews with well-known actors, authors, artists, athletes, musicians, and business leaders. Authentic conversations about their lives, careers, and how their faith played an...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY: CAME BY NIGHT
One of the closest followers of Jesus wrote of a special man who came to Jesus at night. Why would Saint John want to make...

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TAKE A PLANNED TIMEOUT!
Coaching basketball taught me many life-related concepts. These principles just appeared on the court! One example is a timeout. To take a break, intermission, breather...

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THE LAW OF DID YOU KNOW
There are three profound Laws of Life that impacts all of us, whether we are aware of them or not. These Laws of Knowledge make...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED: THE PURE AUTHENTIC STEADFAST LIGHT
I like to begin Words of Hope with a story that inspires me. A long time ago, there was a man who said he was...

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MOUNTAINS
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news.” As remarkable and beautiful as Alaska’s magnificent mountains is the notion...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY: WORLD ATTITUDE CHAMPIONSHIP
View this IMAGINARY CAGE FIGHT: Nemsa vs. Pemsa. In the south corner of the cage, wearing red/orange is Nemsa. He is fighting for world domination...

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CROWELLIANS CHAPTER 1
Greeting from Fred Crowell! This letter from Fred to all who have a special place in my heart. As I study my favorite Bible book,...

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WHOSE SLAVE AM I?
“You can’t break a bad habit by throwing it out the window. You’ve got to walk it slowly (and deliberately) down the stairs.” When people...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED: THE IMPOSTER WITHIN
Sooner or later in life, we discover we are not who we think we are! We discover there is a difference between who we are...

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THE LAW OF ATTRACTION
Key Statement: People have an internal compass. This compass points in the direction of people who have a compass pointing toward us. We call this...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY: YOUR KING
Who is worthy to be called your king? What a profound question! According to Krois’ definition, A king is any person, any object, anything or undertaking that...

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DEATH MOMENT(S) PART 2
Key Statement: Death Moments and death are inevitable. Yet both death moments and death are subject matters seldom discussed except at funerals. Elegant question. What...

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DEATH MOMENT(S)
KEY STATEMENT: If you have experienced a death moment you are never the same. If you have not experienced a death moment, be prepared because...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED: CLINICAL TRIALS
After 12 days with my new Medical Trial by UCLA, I now more fully understand why it is called a Clinical Trial. It is because the prescribed...

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ENOUGH IS GOOD ENOUGH
“The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, I have everything I need, all I really want is God.” – Crowell It’s been said...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY: MAKING SENSE OUT OF NONSENSE
Have you considered that NONSENSE MEANS NO SENSE? It is an indicator of lacking good sense, judgment, or real meaning. Therefore, nonsense becomes foolishness.  A brilliant...

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LET THERE BE LIGHT
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. In basketball language, an excellent metaphor for shooting a basketball is an...

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SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU
Young children do it the best! They get so excited to see people they love. They run, jump in arms (confident to be caught!), gleefully...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED: BASKETBALL BETRAYAL
Years ago, a wise college basketball coach evaluated a hopeful recruit with these words: “His body betrays him.” At the time, these were stunning yet insightful words....

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ALL IN TODAY?
The crucial question… My daughter Jennifer tells the story of being seven years old. She braved a flight of steps to the high board at...

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THE WORLD’S GREATEST MACHINE
Some would have said Henry Ford’s mass production of the Model T is the world’s greatest machine.  While others would have said it was the...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED: MY TRIBUTE TO A MAN WHO CHANGED MY LIFE
My dear, dear Father B: I slept a very rare 8 uninterrupted hours through the night this week. Praise God. I think of you through...

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THIS IS MY STORY, THIS IS MY SONG
“Old things passed away, all things become new.” – Paul Early this morning in my secret garden, I was thinking of my grandson. What kind...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY – LAUGHTER
Do you want to live longer? Then LAUGH! Laughter heals the body, decreases pain, protects the heart and blood flow, and lowers blood pressure. Do you want...

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THE LAW OF THE SECRET PLACE, THE SECRET GARDEN
In Psalm 8, David wonders about his micro-self and says, “What is humankind that God is mindful of him? He has created us a little lower...

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IMMUTABLE LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE
No reasonable person can dispute there are immutable, unchanging laws that govern our lives. There is no escape from them.  One such law is the...

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WISDOM IN LAUGHTER
Laughter heals the bodyLaughter reduces angerLaughter elevates hopeLaughter is funLaughter is caught, not taughtLaughter is unique to eachLaughter is contagious Laughter is social happinessLaughter lowers blood...

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TOP 10 CHARACTERISTICS OF BEING WISE, Part 2
Last Wednesday, we discussed 5 characteristics of wisdom seen in wise people. They were: Personal Admission, Personal Commitment, Personal Trained Behavior, Personal Skills, Personal Diligence....

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WATCHING PEOPLE WITH WISDOM, Part 2
As I inspire myself to love and good deeds, I realize I need to give more thoughtful attention and continuous care to watching over others. I need to...

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WATCHING PEOPLE WITH WISDOM, Part 1
People-watching is fun, entertaining and a valuable source of learning. A wise spiritual and life educator taught his students to master three people-watching skills. WATCH...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED – KINDNESS
Just one act of KINDNESS can change a life forever. It is a type of behavior marked by favorable acts of generosity, consideration, and concern. What...

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MENTORS – A Worthy Coach
“A worthy mentor is one of the most valuable people leaders, parents, coaches, and peoples of all professions can have in navigating through life.” –...

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TOP 10 CHARACTERISTICS OF BEING WISE
For about 100 days, the mysterious and remarkable topic of WISDOM has been on my mind and heart. At the end of the year 2020,...

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EXIT HELL HALLWAYS ENTER PEACEFUL ROOMS
Key Statement: “Ex” means to get out, and “en” means to enter. Get out of the hallway and enter rooms of beauty, grace, peace, joy,...

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STUCK IN THE HALLWAY
Ideas from a sermon about being stuck in the hallway of life. People get mentally stuck in hallways because only 5% of our emotional decision-making...

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Fridays with Fred – Excellent UCLA doctor time
Dear Forever Friends, Once again, the Lord delivers Fred Crowell big time. After 11 intense metastatic cancer years, my cancer is isolated in the bones...

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WORLD’S GREATEST ARTIST
Is it Rembrandt, Picasso, Michael Angelo, Chagall, Van Gogh, or is it GOD? Susan Stricker, high school math teacher, lover of beauty, declares to any...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY – WALK CIRCUMSPECTLY WITH WISDOM
The idea of walking with 360-degree vision seems absurd, yet this is a Biblical challenge. Dr. Thomas Jones told 120 truly good kids at an...

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NO TAXES?
I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethoughts of grief. – Wendell Berry No taxes –  no...

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CURIOSITY TRUMPS ANGER
Curiosity opens doors; anger closes doors. The Apostle James gives us solid counsel when he said, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow...

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WILL AND WHAT?
Two extremely important, yet uncommon questions that bring relational healing. Will you forgive me for; now call the offense by name. I am sorry; I...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY – WISDOM CHECKLIST
The value of a wisdom checklist is to prioritize each vital activity necessary to complete the task with great success.After choosing major projects, it is wise...

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YOU MAKE ME BRAVE
CRUCIAL QUESTIONS Are you brave? If yes, how? Are you brave? If no, why not? Football legend coach Vince Lombardi said, “Fatigue makes cowards of...

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THE IDES OF MARCH
March 15 became a famous day known now as “THE IDES OF MARCH” relating to Roman history. We can learn three lessons from Roman incidents...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED – 99.9% vs. 100%
“Fred, how do you do it? How do you have such peace and joy going through the challenges you are facing? Four times in the...

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PAIN COMES IN THE NIGHT
JOY COMES IN THE MORNING I BELONG TO JESUS JESUS IS MINE As boys Father Crowell trained us to not shed tears. Whether it was...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY -WISDOM CHECKLIST
The invention of the checklist is one of the all-time great discoveries! It can also be called PLOTTING THE COURSE. It is a reminder list...

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THE GIFT OF CHOICE
Three choices; two usually poor ones! As a young coach at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks my college president taught me a lesson for...

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LIFE EXPERIENCE
Each life experience has the potential to reward us three times. #1. The Preparation Experience. Potentially, this can be an exciting time. Anticipation, hoping, planning...

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STORY COLLISIONS
The tendency is to believe the first story told and forget there are two sides to every story. The late Dr. Bill Bright cautioned his...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED – MY LIFE MEANING
A good Friday to you, dear friends! Let’s start today’s Word of Hopefulness with two inciteful, elegant questions, answering Yes or No. Do you know...

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GOD IS GOOD… ALWAYS
The giant enemy of the human spirit is self-pity! Years ago, one dark emotional day at an NBC Camps clinic for the Tulalip Indian Reservation...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY – WISDOM’S ORIGIN
Wisdom is the design of the one and only true Creator. Without the existence of God, there is no wisdom. There are only opinions, people’s viewpoints.  Even...

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PEOPLE WATCH YOU
People watch what we are doing, how we do it, and how it makes them feel.”  – Derrick Sebastian “May I have another cup of...

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LAUGHTER – GOOD MEDICINE
“Laughter is a fascinating subject to study because each person has a unique way of laughing.”  F Crowell In my years of empirical research I...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED – OXICOURAGE
Today is Day 57 in our 2021 Words of Hope. May I politely ask a favor of you? I really need your help. This is...

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SLEEP IS PRECIOUS AND PRICELESS
“I think of you through the watches of the night because you are my help.” After three full, long days at a camp, the 75-year-old...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY – INITIALISM
Wisdom is doing the right thing at the right time. W – Want it! This is the first step in being wise. See Matthew 6:25-33. I...

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THE LAW OF SEEING, HEARING, AND GIVING
To SEE means I have seen. In essence, I cannot help others see the value of something if I have not seen its worth. Growing up, I...

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PRINCIPLE OF PROBLEM SOLVING
Albert Einstein believed you could not solve a problem with the same level of consciousness that created it. Operating on the belief system that everyone...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED – MY HOPE
My dear friends, I write this Word of Hope from Cabo, San Lucas. This is a wonderful place, especially when Spokane is experiencing bitter coldness –...

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SOLUTION TO POOR CHARACTER
Do you desire freedom from quick temper, anger, and personal conflicts? The Apostle Paul is truly a remarkable writer. I marvel as I read his...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY – KNOWING I AM NOT WISE
Wisdom begins knowing I am NOT wise. There is a circular presupposition: To be wise is to know; if you don’t know, you can’t understand;...

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EASY TO START, HARD TO FINISH
Each New Year resolutions are made with high hopes and firm resolve. By the year’s end, these well-intended resolutions will have been abandoned.  In January...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED – THE CLIMB
Today is the 43rd day of the year 2021. Wow! At least 10% of the year 2021 has already evaporated! Really, it is more like...

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ENCOURAGEMENT IS LIKE OXYGEN
Every life form is starving for a drop of encouragement. Some examples: The cactus in Arizona cries for just one drop of moisture.  The house dog...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY – TRAIN TO WIN WISDOM
TRAINING TO WIN is far superior to trying to win. Trying is not sufficient. We fail because we don’t train. Trying is not enough. The world...

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WIN IS A CHOICE
The win begins with the decision to know you can and will win. A win is in the preparation. Preparation builds confidence. Confidence promotes high-level...

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HEAVEN ON EARTH
One of the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. A profound request! Who else should be asked! His instructions were condensed to 70...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY – THE PRINCIPLE OF LIFE
I hope you are enjoying the 416-page, hardcover Words of Hope book. The book helps us discover how hope heals, elevates the spirit, and brings energy and...

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SANCTUARY  HOME
“If your faith does not work in the home, your faith does not work.” – Howard Hendricks Vividly the bird sanctuary at the San Diego...

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DETACHMENT LIFE PRINCIPLE
Crowell’s Fourth Spiritual Pillar Detachment Truth is the 4th foundation of St. Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercise Theology. Every Jesuit priest is taught to exercise this foundational...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED – PERSONAL LETTERS & DELICIOUS OMELETS
Dear FRIDAY WITH FRED Friends, Today’s communication is to lift your spirit and inspire you to positive caring, life-giving, yet enjoyable actions.  Personally, one of...

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FIRST AND LASTS
Briefly, why do we idolize being first and disfavor being last? Often last trumps first. Here are some real-life examples depicting in the end first does...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY – PROBE FOR WISE COUNSEL
Solomon has given us this advantageous bit of wisdom in Proverbs 11:14, “Where there is no advice, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors...

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GUARD YOUR HEART & MIND
“Defense is the best offense in basketball and in lifeball” – Fred Crowell One of my father’s passions I inherited was a clean car. When...

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LIFE EXPERIENCE
“Experience is a term used to name our mistakes.” – Oscar Wilde Four pillars form the foundation for my meaning and purpose in life.  Life...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED – A WRITTEN LETTER
A WRITTEN LETTER can be an effective way to communicate. Francis Bacon said: “Reading makes us full, speaking makes us prepared, and writing makes us exact.” A letter is...

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HEAVY HEART THERAPY
Imagine a valentine heart shape burdened with a heavy backpack running to jump and clear a high bar. Recently I visited a very special person...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY – MAKING WISE THE SIMPLE
To review, we have looked at WISDOM along with four negativities to avoid, mainly people who sap us of our real meaning of life and...

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PRINCIPLE OF THE ICEBERG
What you don’t see is far more important than what you do see. Imagine the excitement 2224 of the richest people in the world and...

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TOUGH MINDS SOFT HEARTS
A tribute to the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. How many coloreds are you going to play at a time in the game...

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FRIDAYS WITH FRED – YOU ARE ENOUGH
My Dearest of Friends, When St. Paul wrote his many letters from his Roman prison cell, I am sure he did not know they would...

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HELLO, MY NAME IS ANGER!
Within arm’s reach is a ping-pong-ball-sized red light button. It is your anger button! Press it and anger flows or possibly explodes like a volcano....

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY – THE WISDOM DISCIPLINE LINK
King Solomon combined WISDOM and DISCIPLINE in his Proverbs writings. In fact, he advised us to not despise them or treat them with contempt. It intrigues me...

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OBSOLETE TOOLS
Imagine a farmer plowing a field with his hands hanging tenaciously to a plow pulled by two hefty horses. Then, out of nowhere, a brand...

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THE BATTLE FOR YOUR HEART
What do you hold most dear? What do you want to be most known for? Whatever the answer, God’s intent for contacting us is for...

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Fridays With Fred
I am writing to all who call Fred Crowell brother and friend. I want you to know I love and appreciate you. I also want...

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WORDS OF WISDOM FOR 2021
Let’s explore what it means to be wise. We know the decisions we make determine our destiny. In 2021, Words of Hope will give you...

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY
Each 2021 Wednesday, Words of Hope will focus on the personal skill development of being wise. It will be designated WISDOM WEDNESDAY.  The first Wednesday of 2021...

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2021 LETTER FROM FRED
WARMEST GREETINGS TO MY DEAR FAITHFUL FRIENDS: The year 2020 had the earmarks of a very unique year. For too many, it was the worst of...

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TWO GREATEST DAYS, TWO GREATEST MIRACLES
Some say the two greatest days of your life are the day you were born and the day you die. Wisdom says the two greatest...

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DRIVE-RHYTHM-MARGIN
Life without balance between drive, rhythm, and margin is like driving an automobile with tires out of balance. It can be done; however, the journey...

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OLOGY-Crowell’s Five
PHILOSOPHY-OLOGY PSYCH-OLOGY BASKETBALL-OLOGY LIFEBALL-OLOGY SPIRITUAL-OLOGY KEY STATEMENT: These five OLOGY’S are the five disciplines that have played a significant role in my life. Two principals...

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PEOPLE ARE LIKE FLOWERS
These Chinese flowers give evidence to the elegance, beauty, and grandeur of the miracle of creation. The China basketball experience continues to warm my heart...

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HARD TEACHER – DIRTY GRADER
It may be impossible to escape life without some Hard Teachers and Dirty Graders. Life is hard until you realize it; then it is no...

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HOW TO MAKE HOPE WORK FOR YOU
This Word of Hope is written to my hero Mike. He is responding to a fellow employee who has just been given a cancer diagnosis....

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THE ADVENTURE OF LIVING, Part 1
Life is meant for good friends and great adventures! Life is an adventure to be lived! Even Aristotle said, “Adventure is worthwhile.”  However, why should it...

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HEALTHY SILENCE
The base note of our lives is silence. The trees must be in it, the birds sing, the dogs bark, cars beep – people speak...

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HOPE, AN ANTIDOTE FOR DEPRESSION
“Hope is the anchor to our souls.” In my former career as a marriage and family counselor, I faced a monumental counseling challenge. A young,...

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PRICELESS VACATION ABSOLUTELY FREE
Sounds too good to be true. Well, truthfully it is priceless but it is not absolutely free. This priceless vacation does not cost one red...

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TWO CHOICES – WE GET BITTER OR WE GET BETTER
God’s mercy is for everyone. “And so dear brothers and sisters, ‘I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He...

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THE TRIPLE A’s
Adversity – Abundance – Appreciation Is it possible to go through life without adversity? Are learning valuable life lessons possible without adversity? In your life...

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THE TRUTH ABOUT TRUTH AND LIES
Truth is what we need to hear, a lie is what we want to hear. You shall know the truth and the truth shall set...

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CROWELL’S IRREVOCABLE LAW OF THE BROKEN PLATE
A broken plate! Imagine the pain a mother experienced when her young child dropped one of her most precious treasures. It was a special plate received...

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THE HOUR HAS COME
The wise King David encouraged us to measure our days and to know the brevity of life (Psalm 39:4-5). He also told us we are...

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JUST LOVE PEOPLE
Life offers no greater gift with greater rewards than just loving people for no other motive than to love. Frankly, I never much liked the...

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SACRED PLACE – SECRET GARDEN
The most beautiful and blessed place on earth. Slow the bus down is a favorite expression in the Crowell home when one of us gets...

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LISTEN WELL
6 WAYS TO BE A BETTER LISTENER LEARN – Listen with the purpose to learn, not be quick to tell what you know. INTENTIONAL –...

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BE NICE
Kindness Is Contagious is a valuable educational documentary on the magic of kindness. Of all the species on earth, the most helpless for the longest period...

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GIVING AWAY THANKFULNESS
Why should Thanksgiving be limited to one calendar day a year? Giving thanks can be so much more than watching football all day, eating piles...

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THE BATTLE FOR YOUR SOUL
If there is a battle, then what is a soul? The soul (psuche in Greek) is our animate life, the seat of our mind, senses, will, and desires, reflected...

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WHAT’S IN YOUR TOOLBOX?
“If you try to fix a problem with the wrong tool you will make the problem bigger, not smaller.” – Jennifer Crowell Ferch My true...

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THANKSGIVING WEEK
In 1863, because of the Army victory at Gettysburg during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln declared a national Thanksgiving holiday for every succeeding November. This was...

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CHRIST IS OUR LIFE, Part 1
As I reflect on the major decisions of my life, there was one that took the longest to decide yet had the most impact on...

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DON’T NEVER STOP – Positive Force Statement
Don’t never stop being HOPEFUL  Don’t never stop being kind & cheerful Don’t never stop loving life and people Don’t never stop loving the Lord...

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SOLUTION FOR TIREDNESS
We all need IRON in our bodies and also in our social lives. Are you aware of this? IRON IN THE BODY Iron is a mineral that...

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GRATEFUL FOR GIFTS
Once in a while, I question why I find such joyful delight when I receive a grateful expression. Recently, I received this written gratitude from...

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HOPE IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE ANCHOR
One of the most enlightening Biblical chapters is I Corinthians 13. Here Apostle Paul extols love as the highest creative act of human giftedness. Despite...

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THE LAW OF THE UNREACHABLE ITCH
In broad terms, there are only two kinds of body itches. However, there are many types of “life itches.” One kind of Body itch is reachable;...

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LIVE WELL DIE WELL
Today I received OXYCOURAGE from a wonderful man who was a valuable player on one of my basketball coached teams, approximately 44-years-ago team. He has...

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A PRAYER FOR YOU
Years ago, a brilliant leader taught the magic learning number is 6. For example: If you want to remember a person’s name when introduced, silently repeat...

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HOPE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT
The best experience in life is simply living, breathing, loving people, delighting in God’s creation, and earth as our Disneyland. Life is a blessing! Yet, one...

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MAN’S BEST FRIEND
When neighbors are out walking their dogs, my favorite question is: “Who is having the most fun — you or the dog?” Of course, the...

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WHAT THANKFULNESS IS
“Thank you“ may be the most forgotten phrase in all mankind! Is the loss of a couple seconds of our time worth not expressing thanks?...

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FINISH BEFORE YOU START
Genius is being able to visualize the finish line or the finished product before you begin the race or the task. The late Dr. Howard...

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DOOR OF HOPE
Anytime the word “HOPE” appears in writing, my eyes light up! It is my inspiration! It became my go-to word when cancer knocked at my...

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DON’T DABBLE WITH SIN
My reading in James 1:15 (NASB) says: “Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” May...

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HIDING PLACES
Some people hide all their lives, and some people don’t know they are hiding. We seem to live in a rootless society. Our identities seem to...

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7200 POUNDS OF HOPE
Do we really measure HOPE in terms of pounds? Yes, we surely do when it is Words of Hope books. How fitting that the ordained day...

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STOP BEING A BULLY — START BEING A FRIEND
October is Bully Prevention Month. What better month could there be because October comes soon after the start of a new school year? The first 4-6...

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HOPE SAYS HAVE HOPE
If dogs could bark in human language, I am convinced my new pup, Hope LUV, would bark words of hope to you. Hope is kind...

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HAVE COURAGE BE KIND
You can change the world! Think big! But… start small! Today’s world is fragile, imperiled, hurt, unknown, in a type of bubble. This is our...

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LEAVE MAGIC WHEREVER YOU GO
Something incredibly positive has happened during my 10-year journey of over 250 oncology appointments. As always, ATTITUDE is the difference-maker in all of life experiences, cancer...

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THE GLORY OF CREATION
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His handiwork. There is no speech or language where His word is...

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REASONS TO MAKE GRATITUDE A GOAL
Why is gratitude important? Gratitude becomes mental and emotional medicine. John Hopkins Hospital asks each cancer patient to journal 25 gratitudes daily. Gratitude enhances greater performance. Research...

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HELP ME PARADOX
My years of counseling have taught me it is nearly impossible to help others unless they sincerely say ‘HELP ME!” This kind of help is to advise,...

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BABIES CHANGE EVERYTHING
The birth of a child is the grandest and most Godlike event a mother and father can experience in a lifetime. In fact, it is so...

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THE HISTORY OF HAPPINESS REDISCOVERED
The relatively new science of phenomenology, empirical-based research, is understanding the meaning of people’s lived experiences. It has made it possible to quantify reliable data to...

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HEALTH AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR
The relatively new science of phenomenology, empirical-based research, is understanding the meaning of people’s lived experiences. It has made it possible to quantify reliable data...

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RELATIONSHIP VALUES
QUESTIONS: After a gathering of friends, do you ever wonder if they had a good time? Do you sometimes wonder if a person dislikes you or...

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17 MINUTES, 17 SECONDS
These two 17’s are the best moments of my day! This is time dedicated to entering my personal secret garden. The psalmist called this a...

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HIGH ON HOPE
Many years ago a college student told me his story: “For six years I was drug-free. However, after graduating from college, I was struggling to...

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CUP OF JOY
A cup of joy has the potential to give more vitality than a cup of joe. Do we really believe this? Ask 65% of adult Americans who...

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LOVE HURTING PEOPLE
The customary “How are you doing” greeting continues to receive the same casual responses of either “Good,” “fine,” or “ok.”  Yet, today there may be a big difference...

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SMALL & GRAND SURPRISES
My family, especially daughter Jennifer, delights when I am excited over surprises, no matter the size. A small surprise came yesterday, although it was tear-moving. It was a...

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PEOPLE BRIDGES
SPOKANE IS A CITY OF BRIDGES. These bridges are crucial for connecting south and north Spokane. This city has the truly magnificent Spokane River which...

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UNSTUCK
“Unstuck” is a descriptive word, an adjective. When an object becomes unstuck, it is freed or loosened from being fastened or stuck. An example would be...

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BLOOD AND HAPPINESS
The incredible human machine has an approximately 10-ounce heart that pumps blood through the entire body. Can you imagine every 24 hours our arteries, veins, and capillaries deliver...

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TIME FOR A TRADE-IN
The auto industry survives on used car sales, not new car sales, according to some experts in the car and truck industry. One highly successful...

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WAR AGAINST UNBELIEF
Sad to say, in today’s culture you and I are at war. The enemy is unbelief. Too often we view the enemy as other people, but...

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HANG TIGHT TO HOPE
HOPE IS REAL ANTICIPATION IN A VERY TOUGH AND DIFFICULT WORLD. Hope is our medicine for depression, failure, discouragement, illness, broken dreams. Hope is the cure for...

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TEN THOUSAND BOOKS
The time has come! Ten thousand WORDS OF HOPE books are now being published: Full-color, hard-back cover 416 pages of wisdom 366 Hope messages The daily messages...

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BASKETBALL, A SMALL TOWN RELIGION
Anacortes is a small fishing, lumber town in northwest Washington. This community has lived, breathed, and died basketball. It has been the town religion. No one cared...

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THE WORD — Learn it, speak it, obey it!
What is a word? It is a revealer, a messenger; it can also be a unit of a spoken or written expression.  The ultimate source of wisdom is...

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BE LIKE RAIN DRIZZLE
Music is the universal language of the world. Melodic music can be like the soft drizzle of rain, in other words, light rain in fine...

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HINDS FEET
Difficulties and troubles in this world often cause us to cry out unthinkingly for help to be strong, brave, and invincible. Even for me, the...

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CANCER BEATER #1: THE SPIRIT
To WIN against cancer, it is first and foremost necessary to understand what war and winning are. War is intense conflict and combat; winning is...

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LIFT UP SOMEONE
“If you want to lift yourself up, lift someone else up.” This is a wise statement by Booker T. Washington. A great example of lifting up...

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COACH ED PEPPLE
Ed Pepple (1932-2020) was a great high school basketball coach for 49 years in the state of Washington, 42 of those years at Mercer Island...

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CERTAIN PATH TO PEACE
With many mental parts moving about in the “Crowell Cooker” today, I wonder how do I find peace where there is so much pain in our...

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THE ONE AMAZING ENCOURAGE TOOL: THE PERSONAL LETTER
In life experience laboratories, human condition scientists search to find new methods to educate people to live at maximum potential. Their one mystery question is:...

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THE POWER OF PERSONALIZED LETTERS
One of the most powerful ways to inspire and encourage someone is a personal letter. This is because written words can be reread and encouraged...

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DANCING WITH DEATH
Dear Words of Hope reader, please do not flee from this WOH because of the word “death.” To equate it with dancing will be mind and heart...

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MEET MISS HOPE, MY NEW TEACHER
Everyone is a teacher! The title teacher is not inclusive to those who are certified academic instructors. The most effective teacher is one’s life experience....

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Labor Day Celebration
I discovered far too late in life what Labor Day Celebration should be.  I thought it was valuing hard work.  It really is appreciating what...

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GUT CHECK DIAGNOSIS
From time to time, all of us need to assess where we are emotionally. We need to be willing to open the door and take...

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SFA – STAMP FOR APPROVAL
One of the most spectacular auto plants in the world is the Audi headquarters in Germany. According to my family, it is a marvel to...

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LETTER TO FRED
Good morning, Freddy J. Crowell. The immediate, direct question needing an answer is: How are you? With a nice breeze coming through the open window, a favorite blanket over...

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EVERYONE HAS A LORD
This is to be very personal, so let’s approach this as a personal one-on-one conversation even though it is a monologue. My dad used to...

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CHREIA-PITHY EDUCATION
KEY STATEMENT.  To encourage someone is to give them oxygen. 12-year-old Bella Crowell Ferch gives us an education on what 6 graders are learning at...

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A TEEN’S FOUR MOST ENEMIES
Military battles, sports, and music competitions all demand mind management and self-regulation skill training and development. It is said that elite, world-class stars in sports...

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TWO POUNDS OF HOPE
Have you ever held two pounds of HOPE in your hands? With today’s many worldwide problems housed in nearly every human life on this planet,...

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NEVER LET BE SAID
Of all the possible criticism words that could be leveled against me by someone I love and admire, the most heartbreaking one would be: “I HOLD...

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HOPELESS TO HOPEFUL
Imagine the hopelessness one would experience under the following conditions: Stay of execution although standing before a firing squad Ten years in prison Death of...

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IF YOU WANNA CRY, AMERICA, CRY FOR OUR CITIES
What is my favorite city in the USA? Perhaps New York City! Traveling to the Big Apple for great Broadway plays with our musical Ferch family...

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AN OLD BASKETBALL COACH’S EXISTENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF RACISM
As a general rule, basketball coaches have a single focus: to coach/teach the team to excel. Great coaches are outstanding in creating the team environment...

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HOME – WAR ZONE OR SAFE SANCTUARY
Within the world-famous San Diego Zoo is a truly magnificent bird sanctuary. It is breathtakingly beautiful. It is a perfect home of safety with the...

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NBC CAMPS NEVER QUITS
For the first time in 49 years, NBC Camps worldwide have not been able to host even one single live day or residential camp. This...

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THE STORY – THE ASK
Behind every Ask is a life experience story. The more significant the story, the larger the Ask. The less important the story, the smaller the...

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WORLD’S SYSTEMIC PROBLEM, PART 2
Every nation, every region, every city, every town, every village, every group has two classes of people. My terms are The Haves and The Have...

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ABUNDANCE NOT SCARCITY
“I have come that you might life and have it abundantly.” – Jesus Often people tell me, “We grew up poor but I never knew...

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THE FOUR F WORDS –  FAITH, FAMILY, FRIENDS, FUN
“If you have faith, family, friends sprinkled with a little fun you can beat anything.” – Loraine Derr, Juneau Alaska If anyone on earth understands...

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THIRST
Key Statement:  “My soul thirst for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”  – Psalm 63 Water has been the...

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BONHOEFFER ON DEATH
“…LIFE ONLY BEGINS WHEN IT ENDS HERE ON EARTH” – Bonhoeffer St. Paul has often been quoted, “Death where is thy victory, where is thy...

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WHAT DO YOU SAY WHEN THERE IS NO HOPE?
These past few days people have asked me questions that are extremely difficult. There doesn’t seem to be a helpful answer.  Five years ago Bill...

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MOOKIE FIGHTS CANCER
Meet Mookie! He lives in Thailand. He is a favorite at NBC Camps; always smiling, inspirational, hard-working, and a pure delight to teammates and coaches....

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ADVANTAGES OF COMPANIONSHIP
“Better to trust and run the risk of being disappointed than to trust no one and be alone.” – Jim Harrick In a recent conversation,...

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TIME FOR A GUT CHECK
The human gut has 80% of the immune system to fight disease. Best to take care of the gut. Don’t you agree? Coaches routinely take...

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THE NEW NORMAL
Recently USA News made two statements: “Ignorance is the new normal. Stupidity is the new normal.”  Where is there hope in these two philosophical statements?...

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PEOPLE FEAR
“Do not be afraid of people or I will make you look foolish in front of them.”  – God’s words to the Prophet Jeremiah Elegant...

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THE CRUCIAL LIFE QUESTION
WHAT IS YOUR M/P (MEANING AND PURPOSE FOR LIVING)? Meaning and purpose are jet fuel for life. Tell me in 30 seconds or less your...

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RESTORE OR REBUILD
“Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and dies it abides alone…” Do we destroy the old bridge, let it stays as is...

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WANNA BE BRAVE
Aristotle said, “We become brave by doing brave acts.” The clear logical definition of brave: Courageous, dauntless, perhaps a little bit daring, a brave person,...

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THE LAW OF RESTITUTION – RECONCILIATION
“You can never do too much for Him who has done so much for us.” -The late Coach T. One of my best friends, Coach...

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RELAX
Slow the bus down. Relax. Breath. Call Time Out. When the pace gets too fast, relax. When words flow too quickly, relax. When the conversation...

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DEATH
“You aren’t ready to live until you are ready to die.” — Ray Eberle My days in the book of Matthew completed. The last chapters are like...

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ONE PILL ONE BOOK
In my left palm is a white $200 pill. Its purpose is to prevent kidneys from producing testosterone, a food prostate cancer delights in eating....

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FIVE DAILY GRATITUDES
Research suggests gratitude helps beat cancer. Dr. John Gottman has proven through extensive testing that when the heart jumps over 100 beats per minute when...

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WAKE IN DARKNESS
When I awaken in darkness in the middle of the night with a sudden thought that cancer will defeat me, fear grips my heart like...

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NEVER EVER QUIT
Never ever be discouraged Never quit Never ever let cancer win Never stop loving people Never cease to love God & His Son One of...

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CROWELL’S WAR ON CANCER
“Cancer cannot steal my joy, rob me of hope, or destroy my love for life and people.” The past decade has been some of the...

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Dear Fellow Cancer Fighters:
This morning the candle is lit here in my home office. Prayers for your courage, faith, and hope have been offered to our loving Heavenly...

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RECOVERY RATE
The best athlete in my lifetime of coaching was gentle and kind, yet super competitive, his name was Jonathon Stringier. Jonathon was our star center...

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JOY OF FATHERHOOD
What are the two most important qualities of father excellence in teaching Lifeball to children? My life experience in being a teacher/coach and a father,...

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TRUTH IS DEAD, NOT GOD
There was a time in my life when transcendent truth, or absolutes, was accepted as reality. Not today. Such acceptance is dead and gone. Today...

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MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS OF THE HUMAN CONDITION
No one would expect a university physical education major to attempt to analyze the human condition mathematically! Well, here we go! At least the analysis...

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HOPE LUV – SAYS HELLO
If dogs could bark in human language, I am convinced my new little pup would bark words of Hope to you. Of course, she would...

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EVERY SINGLE BLACK LIFE MATTERS
We are in an intense and painful season of humanity. As a former basketball coach, I need to call a TIMEOUT. Coaches know teams need...

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QUICKSAND?
A friend said to me, “I feel like I am walking in quicksand because life is so difficult these days.” Quicksand is soft, cannot support weight, and...

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TRAVELING LIGHTLY
LIFE IS A RACE. For some, this means a long-distance marathon (maybe a decathlon?); for others, 400-meter hurdles. Too many live only long enough to run...

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WITHOUT GOD, WITHOUT HOPE
With bold confidence, strong conviction, passion, and compassion, I, Fred Crowell, proclaim without God and His hope, I have no firepower to beat cancer, nothing but...

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LOVE IS LEARNED BEHAVIOR
Hundreds, possibly thousands of times, NBC camp students have told me these words, “I know my father loves me but I have never heard him...

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MAY I PLEASE HAVE MY OPINION?
In today’s national crisis, everyone seems to want to express their opinion. Have you noticed this? Even all the pro athletes. We must keep reminding...

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YOU CAN’T
Have you ever been told you can’t do it? I hope you replied, “Yes, I can!“ A Crowell Core Value: Never let anyone or anything stop...

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HUMAN NATURE: IS MAN GOOD OR EVIL?
Years ago in a graduate psychology class, my professor said, “I am going to ask a controversial question. I do not want you to be influenced...

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HOPELESS TO HOPEFUL
Imagine the hopelessness one would experience under the following conditions: Stay of execution although standing before a firing squad Ten years in prison Death of...

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AN ELEGANT, PROFOUND QUESTION
After reading yesterday’s blog entitled, Prepare for Battle, my special friend in Mexico asked, “How can I identify the enemy besides CV-19?” Enemy identification is difficult because the...

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PREPARE FOR BATTLE
Today you and I are at war! The battle is raging and seeking to destroy us! There are forces who oppose us! Do you know...

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PEOPLE ARE LIKE A LOAF OF BREAD
Bread has been on my mind. As a boy, mom’s homemade bread was worth dying for. Then, for many years my wife had Mondays as...

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WHAT EVERY CHILD SHOULD LEARN – LOVE WORK
The older I get, the more I learn about life. The happiest people I meet and the most unpleasant people I observe confirm to me...

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THANK GOD IT’S FRIDAY
We build our personal world within the global world with the words that proceed from our mouths. So, if words matter as I believe they...

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THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE MYSTERY OF GOD
Doubtlessly, humans were created to think and act with logic in mind. If it makes sense and is understandable, in today’s world it becomes acceptable....

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MIND MANAGEMENT SELF-DISCIPLINE
There was a time in my life I detested all pain. It was to be avoided at all costs. Certainly nothing good about it! Yet...

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HARD LESSONS TO LEARN FROM FORMER LEADERS
In his day, Job was a leader; in fact, a terrific leader. He was one many people sought counsel from until his own world crashed...

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IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL
One of my most favorite songs is “It Is Well with My Soul.” The lyrics are what I need, sometimes several times a day. The...

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TODAY’S LIGHT
My 20% PMA advantage plan today is gratitude. I am thankful I am alive with a strong heartbeat and breathing ability. Today I am confident,...

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KNOW THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH
Have you heard these quotes about Truth? Have you heard these quotes about Truth? “Truth is beauty; beauty is Truth.” John Keats “In a time...

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MOTHERS
How does a boy become a man without a good mother? This is a mystery to me. When I journeyed to my secret place or...

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PHENOMENOLOGY – THE 20% LIFE EXPERIENCE ADVANTAGE
Doctor Shann Ferch, my highly esteemed, intellectual son-in-law, introduced me to Phenomenology (phe·​nom·​e·​nol·​o·​gy). He is also respected as my daughter Jennifer’s husband and cherished father...

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HOPE – HELP FROM YOU
A wise professional athlete said, “The stars are not the athletes because without fans there would be no professional sports; fans are the true stars.”...

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HOPE WINS, CV-19 LOSES
When fear grows in me at the least unexpected time (now concerning CV-19), I go to my secret place, my secret garden. This is where...

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ONE PAIR OF HANDS
Today my remarkable friend, Dr. Caviezel, sent me “One Pair of Hands” sung by Carroll Roberson. Incredible, inspiration, uplifting! Dr. Jim knows something about a...

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LOOKING FOR A NEW JOB?
The world’s best organization is looking for good people who are difference makers. Not long ago, in a Words of Hope, I spoke to the...

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THE TWO WAY MIRROR
Mirror Mirror in my hand who has a pure clean glass that can show reflection in two directions; first at me; second to my world...

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EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
The Psalmist said, “The Lord knows everything about us.” Imagine being able to say, “You know everything about me, even before I say it, and...

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CAN’T – NEVER DID ANYTHING | CAN – DOES ALMOST EVERYTHING
Long ago when my dad was in school one of the basketball games fan chants was: “Ash can, tin can, who can, we can beat Everett…Bellingham…...

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THE LIFE ELEVATOR
Yes, in life we are either going up, going down, or not moving! Just like a mechanical elevator. Today, like every day, you and I stand...

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HAPPINESS IS…
Happiness is: an emotion of joy a feeling of merriment absence of anxiety an attitude a decision encouragement a smile kindness purposeful practiced a learned...

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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CRAZY?
One of the funniest comedians Jay Crowell and I enjoy is Chris Rock. In one of his monologues he makes his famous toothy, wide-eyed look;...

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THY KINGDOM COME
A basketball coaches analysis of the Lord’s Prayer. Based on the prayer instruction of Jesus, how is it possible to have His Kingdom come and...

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YOU MUST BE BORN TWO TIMES
How does the title of the word of hope strike you? Is there a word that stands out to you? For me, the standout word...

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YOUR BELIEFS DICTATE YOUR BEHAVIOR
Behavior is the result of a person’s beliefs. In my early years coaching basketball and counseling families, it became clear to me the most important...

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UNASHAMED
Shame is the demon that haunts all of humanity. When you name it, you can beat it. Years ago, I was in a master’s educational...

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COACH CROWELL’S GRATITUDE STORY
The year 1999 is the year the gratitude story began. The world was in disarray. Brilliant minds predicated the world economy was going to collapse...

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MEMENTO MORI
MEMENTO MORI is the Latin for “Remember your death.” Three important men of the past reminded us of this. St. Ignatius of Loyola encouraged and...

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LOGIC AND EMOTIONS
Most people make emotional decisions and try to justify them with logic. The crucial decision-making question is, am I making an emotional or a logical...

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LIVING IN THE MOMENT
I am sure you have discovered, as I have these past years, that having a fulfilling profession, a joyful marriage, doing daily exercises, and staying...

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YOU MAKE YOUR OWN WEATHER
Settling for the story: Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama 1977 a conversation between Fred Crowell, Basketball Coach & Dr. Joseph King, 88-year-old professor emeritus ensues. “Good...

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HEY WORLD, HOW IS YOUR PMA?
If we don’t protect our minds and hearts the negativity of the world will rob us of our positive mental attitude! If the news you...

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DWELL TOGETHER IN UNITY
The world’s pandemic has forced isolation upon us with a heartless vengeance. This isolation for the vast majority of Americans changed our lives in dramatic...

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DEPRESSION – THE BLACK BOX
Sir Winston Churchill, given to depression, called it the Black Box. This Black Box is too deep to climb out of by sheer human strength...

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PAIN – FRIEND OR FOE
Is it possible to get through life without experiencing pain? Seems every story has an element of pain in the narrative. Let’s imagine being able...

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PROTECT YOUR MIND
“But Jesus didn’t trust them because He knew human nature.”  – St. John The words “protection” and “guard” have been on my mind and my...

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DEATH IS NOT THE ENEMY-THE ENEMY IS NOT LIVING
Hey, wanna come over for dinner tonight and have a meaningful discussion about death? How about a conversation over a latte about what you want...

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BREATHING WITH INTELLIGENCE
When a baby was born years ago, the doctor encouraged the initial breathing by spanking the baby. Why? To breathe is to live. Breathing is life....

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THE ACID TEST (An Idiom)
Our present-day English language is rather difficult to learn because we use so many idioms. These are words or expressions not having meaning unless the...

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CROWELL’S LAW – TWICE GOOD
It is not good enough for a son to become as good as his father or a daughter to become as good as her mother....

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NO CRUCIFIXION, NO RESURRECTION
No pain no gain No sorrow no joy No work no pay No crooked line no straight line No hate no love No late no...

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DRINK WATER
“Two types of drinkable water. Water from God’s earth and water from GOD’S heart – we need both.” Key Statement: “Fred, your bones want water,...

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NBC Camps Delivers Hope
A great high school coach told me many years ago, “If NBC had a finger painting class my 3 children would be there. NBC is...

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THE PROFOUND DECLARATION
I AM WHO I AM is a profound declaration. It is an ultimate statement, an eternal constant, not contingent upon anyone or circumstance. It is the...

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Boys to Men
Words of Wisdom for All Boys Dr. James Jones, a leader of youth, once told me, “There are four vital foundations to govern your life...

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MESSENGER – MESSAGES
“If people accept the message, they will embrace the messenger. If people reject the message, they will reject the messenger.”  -S. Crowell A crude way...

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WE SAW GIANTS
“We were like grasshoppers in our own sight and so we were in their sight.” – Numbers 13:33b An essential element in preparing for a...

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RESCUED
Who is most grateful? The one rescued or the one who does the rescuing? Going back to the four pillars that form the foundation for...

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HUMAN BEING OR HUMAN DOING?
“What is man that you are mindful of him?” Circumstances have motivated me to do some existential self-diagnosis. The self-question that challenges me is, “Am...

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WESTERNERS HAVE WATCHES
An African proverb says, “Westerners have watches, Africans have time.” The meaning: Africans work with goals and targets but do not relate them to a...

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DRY UP! GAME ON!
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” I’m reminded of a time when my fourth graders were playing for the city championship. At...

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DESPERATE CHILD NEEDS
The need to belong and to have something of value to belong to; the need to have success and be recognized for this success; the...

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THE LAW OF FORGIVENESS
The universe is governed by laws. Obedience to the law preserves life. Disobedience to these laws may lead to destruction. Three things you need to...

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SOMETHING BETTER
The strength and integrity of a company or an individual are the associations they are able to develop. Cornerstone Home Lending is one of the...

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NOT HAVIN’ ANY
The Crowell-Ferch family delights in really good movies. The great ones we watch over and over again.  Over 30 years ago, SILVERADO was a family...

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THE BIBLICAL LAW OF SELF-WORTH
Self-worth is the belief that our lives have value and significance. However, how do we know our own worth? Do we look to ourselves or...

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THE LAW OF PSYCHO CYBERNETICS
Spending a lifetime career as a “Basketball-ologist” has given me an advantage in the world of “Ologists.” This is because competitive athletics forces the coach...

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THE ADVENTURE OF LIVING, Part 2
One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure. Where can we apply this adventure of living...

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A HEALTHY COACH HAS CHARACTER
This guest Words of Hope is written by Janice Foland. OUR KIDS NEED HEALTHY COACHES WITH CHARACTER. How do we select healthy coaches for our kids?...

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THANKFULNESS
THANKFULNESS GRATITUDE CREATION Today is focus time on 3 impactful words! First, is the idea of thankfulness. It is impossible to have a negative attitude...

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EXISTENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF SELF-LOVE, Part 2
For the best subconscious nanosecond’s response, I suggest these four literary prose are worth reading repeatedly. They will support our inward peace and rest. “When...

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EXISTENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF SELF-LOVE, Part 1
The legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus reportedly said: “You cannot become a great golfer until you have the skill to watch yourself hitting the golf ball.”...

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OUT OF EGYPT
This Words of Hope blog is especially for those who are experiencing hardship or helping another who is experiencing hardship, feeling defeated. For over 400...

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WALK IT, DON’T TALK IT
“If you know it and you don’t do it, you don’t know it.” – Mike Nilson The Apostle James short book on walking your talk...

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ONE OR TWO FISTED LIVING
Solomon has wisdom for those of us willing to listen, learn and do. “Fools fold their hands leading to ruin.” And yet. “Better to have...

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BOOMERANG 
Today’s culture uses “boomerang” in many settings, especially over the Internet. It is a phenomenon today, a cause and effect, a return to the originator....

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WINNING IS NOT LUCK OR ACCIDENTAL
“That was a fluke!”  When someone said that, did you believe them?  Was it a freak course of nature?  Yet, winning is never pure luck or accidental.   Rather, winning is learned behavior....

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CONSCIOUS CONTACT
In retrospect, maybe even Super Bowl players (winners or losers) see improvements needed in their play. In life, we are never perfect! After Super Bowl...

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MONTH OF FEBRUARY
FEBRUARY is the second month of the year in the Gregorian calendar and its predecessor, the Julian calendar. It is the shortest month of the year with 28...

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NOT MY PLAN
“The steps of a man are established by the Lord; when he delights in His way…” – Psalm 37 Children are remarkably amazing. As I...

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MIRACLE SEARCHES
The difference between an Elegant question and a factual question. Elegant question – How many miracles can you see while looking at the moon? Factual question...

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MINDFUL MANAGEMENT & SELF-REGULATION, Part 3
I believe Mindful Management and Self-Regulation are life’s two most difficult skills to master. St. Paul wrote to Timothy, who he called his son, and...

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MINDFUL MANAGEMENT & SELF-REGULATION, Part 2
One great mind once said, “If you spend 15 minutes a day in Mindful Management with Self-Regulation, you will be able to solve nearly all...

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MINDFUL MANAGEMENT & SELF-REGULATION, Part 1
I have been privileged to spend many years educating, encouraging, inspiring and challenging youth.  The foremost life skills have been:  I have been privileged to...

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GOD SENT A MAN
Who was this man? What was His meaning and purpose in life? Two profound questions for the ages. The questions were relevant when John wrote...

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RUNNING RUNNING RUNNING
“Days at times can be very long, however, in the end, life is too short.” -FJC Often we hear the phrase, I am too busy. What...

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IF-THEN PRINCIPLE
KEY STATEMENT: Every IF statement is usually followed with a THEN. If you read Daily Words of Hope at a minimum, there will be one then. If you...

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SPACE PHENOMENA
Without space, life is absent from rhythm. Life is rhythm therefore life is dead without rhythm. Space is integral to life. Living in the USA...

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FORGIVENESS FRIDAY – Our Get Out of Jail Card
The Crowell Game Changer program dedicated each Friday to conscious level living forgiveness. Forgiveness is or get out of jail free card. To forgive is...

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VAN GOGH – LOVING PEOPLE
Some amazing quotes by one of my favorite artists: “I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.” “Keep your love...

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OPERATE IN PEACE
Who God Says I am, is far more important than who you, or who I, say I am.  In the early 1980’s I was invited...

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FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES
Knowledge and understanding of the following three principles give meaning and purpose to life.   Foundational Principle #1 Where did I come from when I was born?...

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Dear, Crowell Words of Hope Team
My dream of Hope is realized in, helping me, help you, help others. One of the most hopeless feelings is to lack the resources to help...

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WILLING TO NEGOTIATE
“Never fear to negotiate and never negotiate in fear.” JFK 1960 Inaugural Address. Rhetoric is the skill to clearly present in the written or spoken word,...

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IS YOUR QUIVER FULL
In the days of old a quiver full of quality arrows was a must. It was the difference between life and death. The Psalmist used...

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LOGIC REQUIRES IMAGINATION  IMAGINATION NEEDS LOGIC
Logic is like dry toast. Toast with butter and jam is like logic soaked with imagination. Dry toast gives nourishment. Toast with butter and jam...

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TRUTH TRUISM
Tell me, promotes learning – I know, stops learning. The other day at the Oncology clinic several of us were in a conversation. One of...

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HAD ENOUGH YET, AMERICA?
Where is the hope? Years ago an international student from a country suffering terrorism and killings told me, “Once terrorism and killing start, it is...

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Winter Break
Hello Miracles! Soon we celebrate the greatest miracle of all, the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. If Words of Hope has encouraged you in...

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JOY IS A PRECIOUS CHRISTMAS GIFT
A man has joy by the answer of his mouth – Proverbs 15:23 This is the true joy in life, the being used for a...

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DELIGHT – DELIGHTFUL – DELIGHTED, Part 2
Another good definition of delight is “inclination to great pleasure.”  Here are some of the many places in the Bible that talk about delight. GOD’S PART...

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DELIGHT – DELIGHTFUL – DELIGHTED, Part 1
The three D’s are the ingredients for a joyful, cheerful and fulfilling day! Oh, how we love the anticipation of a fantastic day! This feeling is...

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THE IT PHENOMENA
Key Statement:  The IT of life is anything and everything that is on our radar screen. The IT demands our time, energy, and attention. The...

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LEGACY GIFTING, Part 2
Christmas is that time of the year when giving is celebrated. Yet, I remember when, as a young child, I discovered there was no Jolly...

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LEGACY GIFTING, Part 1
Children are precious gifts from the Lord. The greatest legacy gift parents can give their children is to live St. Paul’s parenting virtues, especially in his...

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THE END GAME
In my career coaching years, I discovered a valuable premise which, in turn, can be transferred to practical life. I call it THE END GAME. How was...

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CONTENTMENT
The secret of this attitude. An elegant question from Jay Crowell: Dad, if you could visit one site in Rome what would this place be?...

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VALID IDENTIFICATION, Part 2
Recently one of my remarkable sisters asked me this profound question: “What made you become a Christian?” If you remember, dear sis, we both grew...

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VALID IDENTIFICATION, Part 1
In today’s culture, we are virtually helpless to operate successfully without proper identification. ID’s and passwords have the potential to control our lives. Don’t believe me? Here...

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PAIN PRODUCES CHANGE
No discipline seems pleasant at the time but later on, however, it produces a fruit of righteousness for those who are trained by it.  One day...

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5 HOW QUESTIONS
Be careful how you answer these 5 how questions. Serious reflection may alter the course of your life. For the good! Try to answer each...

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THANKSGIVING WITH THE CROWELL FAMILY
“I will offer to YOU the sacrifice of thanksgiving & will call on the name of the Lord.” Psalm 116:17 Our Special Day dedicated to being...

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A SPECIAL REST
“So, there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God.” My beloved Susie asked me an elegant question last week. “When do...

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TAKE AND RECEIVE
St. Ignatius’s TAKE AND RECEIVE prayer is one of my most favorite prayers. Multiple times daily these are the words of my mouth. May they be...

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WHAT YOU APPRECIATE APPRECIATES – Jay Crowell
For a father I’m not sure many joys surpass the privilege of having children becoming lovely, healthy, successful parents. One of Crowell’s teaching principles is,...

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THE CHECK LIST
When the grind of life is so intensive, the human brain cannot process all that needs to be done without mistakes. A checklist has been...

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WORLD OF PEOPLE AND THINGS
“If you love things more than people you will use people to get things, if you love people more than things you will use things...

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THANKFUL BEATS UNTHANKFUL
As in the lyrics of “Ungrateful Eyes,” do we ever stop and watch the stars shine? This may give us a clue if we are...

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THEREFORE IMPLIES EXACT LOGIC , Part 1
One of my favorite places I find the “therefore” logic is in the Bible. St. Paul carefully uses his vast intellect and exceptional educational training to set...

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WALK ALONE TIME
It is not possible to stand or walk in a crowd until you can stand and walk alone.  The best gift you can give to...

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THE PRINCIPLE OF ACTIVE INDIFFERENCE
“Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, doctor, baker, shoemaker…”  This was a chant we used as kids, especially while jumping rope. How to discover what...

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TIME IS PRICELESS
Time is the only sparse commodity on earth. Time does not honor, respect or bow to those of personal wealth or fortune. Time is the...

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THE MANY GIFTS OF CREATION
Imagine five majestic deer enhancing the Crowell home view of one of America’s best places to raise children and live a peaceful life: Spokane, Washington....

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THANKFUL FOR AMERICA
Twenty-five feet above a huge carved rock in the Crowell front yard waves the U.S. flag. This flag is a tribute to: Susie’s dad who spent...

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CONSOLATION & DESOLATION
“At any given moment you are either in consolation or desolation.” – St. Ignatius of Loyola The idea of “beauty is in the eye of...

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THE WISE PARENT
The wise parent knows and understands that the ultimate test of successful parenting is the day when their son or daughter has matured to the...

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CONTEMPLATIVE ACTION
A young Spanish soldier was leading a fierce battle against the superior French army. He took a cannonball between his legs in 1521. Because of...

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TRICK OR TREAT
5 BILLION spent on Halloween each year; the second biggest money making celebration of the year. Who said capitalism is dead? 2000 years ago the...

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THE MASTER WITHIN
St. Augustine, a fourth-century theologian, and philosopher was considered one of the most respected followers of the Master of all masters. He influenced his many followers...

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FEAR FACTOR, Part 1
Surveys indicate some of our most fearful times are public speaking, heights, the unknown and death. Do you relate? It is said we all have some distress,...

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How high is high? How low is low?
Unless you know how low is low, knowing how high is high is not possible. My life experience tells me rock bottom is the low...

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FORGIVENESS REALITY
Forgiveness asking is one of the world’s most important, yet least understood and practiced success principles. What makes it so difficult to ask forgiveness? What...

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THE SUN AND THE MOON
These exceptional photos of a sunrise on Scout Lake, OR, and a moon-glowing night there as well, are perfect reminders we can count on day...

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AUTHENTIC POWER
Internal combustion – Internal motivation. Gottlieb Daimler is known as the founder of the internal combustion engine. This engine was a game changer in the...

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WHEN LIFE HURTS
Have you been turned upside down?  Or, perhaps, it really is right side up!  In essence, that is what suffering does to us.  It can...

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WALKING IN ANOTHER’S SHOES
Often we say, “I know exactly how you feel!”   But do we really?  It takes much connecting with another person before really understanding him or...

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GREATER THAN SCIENCE
The doctors told me I had less than single digit chances to survive the dreaded Whipple pancreatic surgery.  My medical team was extraordinary. Medical science...

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TRUE FRIENDSHIPS vs. TRANSACTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
If 7 out of 10 calls to me are asking for something, it is not a friendship, it is a transactional relationship. An example of...

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RESISTANCE TO SELF-IMPROVEMENT
During NBC Camps’ summer athletic camps, we are exposed to thousands of campers’ lives.  We learn from them, and we challenge them to face their...

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GAME ON – Win the Moment!
Basketball has taught me that victory comes when you bounce back from difficulty. Lifeball is a far tougher game to play than basketball. Psalm 100 is...

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CHANGE IS INEVITABLE
Change is all around us!  There is a constant alteration, meaning a difference from one condition to another.  Look at the world events, seasons, day...

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RELATIONSHIPS – EVENTS PERSPECTIVES
Have you noticed the difference between genuine relationships and required events?  Which would you prefer? Insight says relationships may be more desirable than required events....

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ENCOURAGEMENT IS OXYGEN II
You can become a true game-changer, someone who makes a big difference.  How? By the word ENCOURAGEMENT.  Encouragement is giving another person confidence, support, hope,...

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IMPACT AND INTENT
IMPACT IS WHAT I SEE.  INTENT IS WHAT I FEEL.  There can be a uniformity between impact and intent. However, not until we know and understand how to create...

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NANOSECOND PHENOMENA
Between the stimulus and the response is a NANOSECOND.  This nanosecond is the time we decide our response. It happens so quickly that it is assumed...

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SHINING LIGHT
Let’s play one of my favorite games. It is called “WHAT IF.”   What if you were a lighthouse perched high to warn ships from crashing...

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ALL THINGS PRINCIPLE
When I study the lives of Joseph, Esther, David, Job, Daniel, Jonah, Mary the mother of Jesus, John the Baptist, Andrew, Peter, Paul, and other...

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THE GOLDEN MOUTH ONE
A monk living the aesthetic life for 12 years in the deserts of Syria was assigned to be the Bishop of Constantinople, the leading city of...

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PSYCHO-CYBERNETICS, Part 2
Dr. Maxwell Maltz states so clearly in his Psycho-Cybernetics book, “We must turn to the Bible to discover how to change the self-image.”  This is because...

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PSYCHO-CYBERNETICS, Part 1
This past summer have you seen a helmsman steering a ship to port? If so, this could remind you that the Greek term “cybernetics” is...

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MY PRAYER
1956 Hit Song by The Platters 56′ and 57′ for the Seahawks. The football team was 53-3 for these two seasons. In 57′ they gave...

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TIMEOUTS ARE VITAL
TIMEOUTS ARE VITAL Athletics prove time outs are critically important. The mark of great coaches is having the skill to take the complex and make...

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PRAYER CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Dr. William Parker received his doctorate from USC and was known for his group counseling and pathology of speech. When he was a professional psychologist,...

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LIFE LESSON 101
Be quick to listen – slow to speak – slow to anger. These 3 life skills are as important as a carpenter’s hammer, power saw...

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ALMOST WORKS
A leading human performance expert likes to say, “You can’t get enough of what almost works.”  Here are some examples. Maybe the next drink will be...

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WHAT’S IN THE CLOSET?
Please allow me to invite you into a typical counseling session. You will need to use your imagination. Here is the scenario.  A client walks...

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GET OUT OF JAIL FREE
Unforgiveness is the number one way to be imprisoned in the Emotional Intelligence Jail. It is holding a grudge against someone who has offended us,...

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SANCTUARY HOME
A house is not a whole lot until it is occupied by people. A house becomes either a sanctuary or a battlefield. The definition of...

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DESTINY DREAM MAKERS
“Why did your father end up living alone with a bottle of alcohol in his hand with no hope?” -Dr. Shann Ferch This question could...

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CRY SOME – LAUGH MORE
The mature in emotional intelligence can shed tears and also laugh often.  Both crying and laughter have a healing effect and seem to cure a...

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RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF APPRECIATION
“The ability to appreciate is a learned behavior. Mastery of this skill of seeing the full worth  in people, in creation and all life is...

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BE A GIVER NOT A TAKER
This remarkable, majestic, mysterious world in which we live is governed by physical, psychological and spiritual laws which are both seen and unseen.  The law...

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WIN AT SCHOOL
Millions of USA students enroll in schools across the continent in September with the hope of winning!  Unfortunately, far too many will lose the battle to...

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HAPPY LAND IS NOT A DESTINATION
Walt Disney grew up an unhappy child. His father did not make life fun for the young Walter Disney. Walter developed a dream. In the...

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START WHERE YOU ARE
All too often it is asked, “Where do I begin to change the world?” The simple question demands a simple answer:  Start where you are....

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COVENANT vs CONTRACT
The difference between a covenant and a contract is as wide and deep as the Grand Canyon. A covenant is a commitment that can never...

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How do you want to live?
A noted clinical psychologist believes if you don’t know the why you can never discover the how.  Based on this belief, the why becomes the fundamental crucial...

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UNITY
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! – Psalm 133:1 Unity is 10 times more difficult to achieve than...

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I JUST CALLED TO TELL YOU
Stevie Wonder made famous the song, I Just Called To Say I Love You with the popular lyrics, “I just called to say I love...

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A NEW FATHER
One of the greatest losses a child can experience is father loss. Father loss comes in many forms. A three-year-old boy’s father dies in a...

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LIFEBALL – Wanna Play?
By far the most beneficial game ever invented in my opinion. Dr. James Naismith invented basketball to give children something to do during cold Massachusetts’s...

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TAKES AWESOME TO RECOGNIZE AWESOME
What’s better than getting a text from a person you highly respect telling you that you are awesome? Today one of my heroes, Roger Smith,...

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POSITION DOESN’T DETERMINE DESTINY
When position is more important than destiny the focus needs to be reversed. Research reveals focusing on destiny increases performance and health both individually and within a...

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I CAN ONLY IMAGINE
Nearly 16 million views for the song I CAN ONLY IMAGINE by Mercy Me. That’s a ton of views. As a boy, I mastered the...

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HOLY HANDS
“Cling to your faith in Christ & have a clear conscience.” – Timothy Around about 64 A.D, which was 31 years after the crucifixion of...

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YOUR BODY- LIVING SACRIFICE
Your tongue can speak over 130 words a minute. Your mind can think over 400 words per minute. Recently a friend said to me, “Follow...

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INTERIOR INSPECTION
Accountability without inspection leads to irresponsibility.  Responsibility without inspection leads to mediocrity. Inspection is vital to winning. Winning is a choice. Elegant question: Why is...

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SURVIVE OR SURRENDER
When tragedy or misfortune strikes there are two choices. The most difficult choice is to survive. The least painful way is to surrender. WIND RIVER...

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INTENT vs. IMPACT
A well-developed EQ is evident when one knows and understands that intent must ultimately be measured by its impact. Growing up the statement was, “You...

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FIVE LIFE GIVING SYLLABLES
1. Will 2. You 3. For 4. Give 5. Me 75 years of life experience confirm to me that “will you forgive me” are the...

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CHILD INSPIRATION 
Fall in love with children and you will be in love with life. Find joy in children and you will always be joyful. Play with...

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SILENCE
“He comes to me in the silence.” – Mark Forrest Knock knock Who’s there? Silence, I’ve come to see you because you need me! Please...

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USE YOUR EYES
If you have eyes, use them to see both external and internal beauty. How our eyes observe color through tinted lenses is comparative to how...

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DELIGHT IN DELIGHT
The law of attraction means what we attach ourselves to will multiply and expand. Therefore, what we purposely choose to delight in will grow into...

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THE ‘EZ’ BUTTON
Today’s culture has an auto-pilot:  We do what we know we should NOT do, and we don’t do the things we know we SHOULD do.  ...

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TRAIN TO WIN
WIN – “To be successful or victorious in a contest or conflict.” – Dictionary To win is a verb; a verb connotes action; action involves...

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SHORTCUT TO INCREASE
Years ago when I was in full-time marriage, family, and personal counseling I had a teenage client who was very defiant towards her parents.  I...

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PRAYER PRACTICE – Part 1
Can you name one valuable life skill that does not demand practice?   When someone says, “I am good at ….,” you assume that person may...

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DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE – APPRECIATE AWESOME PEOPLE!
A human flaw is our overpowered magnetic attraction to negativity. Negative people disrupt and influence us more easily than positive people and the beautiful energy...

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PRAYER POWER
1999 was a tough year for many Americans. Political, business and spiritual leaders were forecasting terrible times for our world. They predicted global financial collapse....

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BIBLICAL TRUTH NEVER CHANGES
RELATIONSHIPS – a gift in life 1)  Show how much you care about acquaintances, friends, and family. 2)  Talk positively; the way you talk is...

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3 SKILLS OF EXCELLENCE
Life Skills. Imagination. Imitation. If we don’t teach winning, we cheat our students because they don’t learn the skills necessary to win. The life of...

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CROWELL ON SECOND GUESSING 
The second of two WOH’s on the destructive habit of second guessing oneself. The biggest little word in the English language is the word “if.”...

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BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Break your sternum and you’ll soon realize the reason Paul chose the breastplate of righteousness as a simile for protection of the chest; a vital...

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LIVING LIFE BACKWARDS
The ability to see what is not seen is a valuable skill in coaching and teaching.  It is discerning the invisible. In the athletic world, imagine there...

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OXYCOURAGE
What is oxycourage?  By Fred Crowell’s definition, it is when oxygen unites with the human soul to form internal power and courage.  “Oxy” makes it more...

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THE SNAKE LINE
A powerful solution to stop worry, fear, self-pity, and other forms of negative behavior. I happened to hear a portion of a sermon about not...

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BRING INNER STRENGTH UNDER CONTROL
A healthy baby is gifted with incredible inner strength.  This internal power is vividly displayed when the baby screams to the point of exhaustion. Try...

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FOR SALE
Everybody is selling something. The questions are what are they selling and what is the cost? My children love the story about the richest man...

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PRACTICE HAPPINESS
If happiness were a tool in a carpenter’s toolbox, it would likely be a pair of needle-nose pliers. Many times these specialized pliers are the...

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RADICAL CHALLENGES, RADICAL CHOICES
In our world, a challenge becomes a need for meaningful exploration. It becomes incredibly important. The late Dr. Scott Peck, psychiatrist, also saw it as perhaps a...

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THE SILENT YET DEADLY UNSEEN WAR, Part 2
Each morning in Africa, the lion and tiger wake up hungry. They spend their day hunting for a good meal. Likewise, the gazelle and antelope...

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THE SILENT YET DEADLY UNSEEN WAR, Part 1
An important Emotional Intelligence skill is mastering the ability to see what you don’t see better than what you actually do see. Generally, we foresee...

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HAPPINESS A TREASURED GIFT
How many times have you heard: ‘Just do what makes you happy! Don’t worry, just be happy!” We feel if it makes us happy, it must...

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DEFEATING ANOREXIA ADDICTION, Part 3
The teenage gal (in Part 2) began this day-by-day Win Life plan, the process of “living a brand new me.” There are FOUR FOUNDATION PILLARS to beat...

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DEFEATING ANOREXIA ADDICTION, Part 2
As a child, when my mom asked me to sweep the kitchen floor, it was most convenient to sweep the crumbs under the rug so...

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DEFEATING ANOREXIA ADDICTION, Part 1
Over the past 49 years of leading NBC Basketball Camps, there have been many opportunities to help student-athletes defeat the dreaded disease of anorexia. This...

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TO COMPARE IS TO DESPAIR
“If you want to feel inferior, look at someone above you. If you want to feel superior, look at someone beneath you.”  – Walt King...

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THE REALITY OF BEAUTY
If we approach life from an inner beauty stance, we see beauty all around us, in all things; whereas if we are living in squalor...

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PRAYER PRACTICE, Part 2
Why should I want to practice prayer?  My life is full of demands, responsibilities, people.  Where is the time for additional practice time?  Do you...

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LOVE PEOPLE OR LOVE THINGS
In this world of people and things, we can either love people more than things, or things more than people. If we love things more...

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YOUR ETERNAL IMPACT
Questions: What impacts a person the most? What lasts the longest in a person’s life? The answers may well be different for each person. However,...

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HOPEFEST
Spokane Hoopfest is the largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the world. Nearly 6000 four-player teams of all ages and sexes battle on the streets of...

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MIRROR MANAGEMENT
Key Statement: if you don’t keep your mirror clean, the mirror cannot do its job to tell you the truth about yourself. When you look...

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PASSION AND COMPETENCY
“Which one comes first?” In reading through Van Gogh quotes one stood out because of the fact NBC Camps hires more than 400 coaches each...

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YOUR BEST INVESTMENT
This past Thursday the NBA gave us five continuous hours of drafting 60 fine college basketball players for a possible future with its professional teams....

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SECOND GUESSING IS UNPROFITABLE
“We should have won that game.” – New York Mets Terry Collins Reading USA Today Sports, Bob Nightengale’s interview with Manager Collins brought me back...

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HANG ON TO HOPE
Saint Ignatius trained his Jesuit priests to be aware of and to recognize the difference between consolation and desolation. The bad news when experiencing the...

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SHUT UP MODE
Key Statement: It’s so simple, yet so hard to do; open ears and mouth shut! Three keys: Slow to speak Quick to listen Slow to...

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CONTENTMENT LEADS TO LIFE
It seems comparison has crept into every area of our lives prompted by social media and constant media ads. It can reveal a dissatisfaction and...

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COMPARISON LEADS TO DEATH
COMPARISON leads to death; GRATITUDE leads to life. COMPARISON leads to depression; GRATITUDE leads to satisfaction. COMPARISON leads to arrogance; GRATITUDE leads to humility. COMPARISON...

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LET’S GO PLACES, Part 2
As a great, successful Spokane entrepreneur, here is Eric Hixson’s story. As a boy, Eric Hixson loved the scouts. To pay for his scouts’ summer...

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THE ROMAN GLADIUS
The sword that conquered the world. From the time I was a small boy I have been fascinated with knives and swords. So much so,...

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LET’S GO PLACES, Part 1
Be it Spain, Italy, Arizona, England, Seattle, Greece, New York or wherever, Mrs. C is ready to go places! However, Coach C is not so...

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PARADOX: LOSS OR GAIN
If you happen to miss an athletic game, I imagine you would want two questions answered:  “Who won?”  “What was the score?”  The scoreboard would...

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DISCIPLINED DETACHMENT
If your time is spent with any type of media (the internet, television, radio, magazines, newspapers), you realize hardly a minute or page goes by...

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THE TALENT OF SUCCESS, Part 2
Success, the favored or the desired outcome will be more attainable if we like ourselves, like what we do and how we do it.  THE...

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THE TALENT OF SUCCESS, Part 1
“The TALENT OF SUCCESS is nothing more than doing what you can do well, and doing well whatever you do without thought of fame. If...

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FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE
An apocalypse usually leads to a catastrophic event. Dr. John Gottman speaks of four horsemen as metaphors for the destruction of a relationship, especially a...

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FINDING HOPE IN A CORRUPT WORLD, Part 2
The present world problems do not create anger, vengeful talk, bitterness and aggression in me. This is unlike so many others today. Why? Because I...

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FINDING HOPE IN A CORRUPT WORLD, Part 1
HOPE is a favorable and confident expectation. Who should not want HOPE? It is light! The opposite is darkness, which is despair.We can also say...

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Thankful For Your Service
I am thankful for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms here in the US. It is recorded that after the brutal world...

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TOO LATE MAY BE A TRAGEDY
“I love you Mom!”  Oh, how I wish I would have told Katheen Mitchell Crowell these four simple words before her death. However, speaking love...

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DID SO GOOD
Long ago God had some words to Cain (son of Adam and Eve). God could see in Cain’s heart, seeing his half-hearted motivation and attitude...

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FINISH STRONG
“Work hard and continue to struggle.” – Timothy Last week a friend sent me a text with this question, “Why do we have to struggle?”...

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QUARRELS & WARS = Q & W
“What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?” James, the brother of Jesus,...

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MOTION IS LOTION
An expert yoga teacher says: “Young people have lots of lotion to oil their joints. The aging process slows down the body’s lubrication process.” The solution...

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HUMAN BRIDGES
Spokane, Washington, is the home of many bridges because of the majestic Spokane River.  During its peak season, this river spills over 348 million gallons...

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HELP ME HELP YOU HELP OTHERS
As much as most of us need some help in life, we seem to want to do it all by ourselves no matter what the...

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MOTHER’S DAY – HONOR WOMEN
No other person deserves honor, appreciation and high esteem as does a mother. She continually gives, cares, sacrifices with little thought of anything in return....

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About the Author

Fred Crowell has 69 year life experience as a player, coach and father. Coached teams with wins over Washington, Oregon, USC, Kansas St, Illinois, and Rhode Island.


Copyright 2015 FRED CROWELL