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Family is so important. Paul even gave specific instructions to Timothy and Titus in regard to a pastor’s family. I chose the scripture above because I believe it reveals something we often overlook in our western independent mindset. Serving God is a family thing. We often think of our calling on very individual terms, I’m called to this, you’re called to that. In the first-century culture of Israel, people thought along different lines. Trades and skills passed from one generation to the next from father to son. Whatever the husband and father did impacted the entire family.

Now, though that’s not the actual point I’m trying to make, it illustrates a principle that is helpful for you, Son, as you look toward having a family of your own. Over the years your mom and I have longed for a ministry that we can do together, and for the most part, we have made that happen as much as possible, However, there were still moments where we felt the stress of being pulled in different directions. We have seen far too many families be torn apart by the demands of people and ministry. From my perspective, I can honestly tell you that you don’t need to allow yourself to be put in a position where you have to choose. God intends for you to serve together as a family. As the jailer in Acts stepped into faith, he brought his family to God as well.

Whatever it means for you in terms of job and ministry, be together. Let it be a family thing!

I have written in my journal so many times about a dream, a vision, a stirring in my heart that generates excitement and energy just to think about it.  This dream represents a hope for something that motivates me toward both belief and action. It is a beautiful thing, but also a bit dangerous. Dreams like this are beautiful because they are, at least in part, something of the image of God in you. They reflect your personality at the point where it unites with your passion to serve others.

Even though these dreams are obviously from God, they can be dangerous if they begin to take the place in our heart reserved for God alone. If we live for what we do rather than for the one that placed the dream in our heart, we end up living in idolatry.

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It would be so tragic to live what we believe to be a faithful life, only to find out we missed God in the midst of doing good. I love the way Paul encourages us to allow our worship of God to be the catalyst for our energy and passion as we pursue all he has for us.

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Being a parent, I understand these words very well. There is really nothing that your mom and I wouldn’t do for you, Son. How much more does God stand ready to be an active part of our lives! The following words were spoken through Isaiah to Israel just prior to their captivity in Babylon.

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If you have time, read the verses that follow as well. It is the sad story of how the people continue to rebel. Despite God’s constant offer of help, the people stubbornly continue to rely upon themselves and pursue their own desires.

Let’s just do this right now. Admit that there are times, more often than not, that we need help. Say it out lout, “I need help.” That does not make you weak. It reveals the kind of relationship that God wants to have with us. He wants us to know that he is dependable. He wants us to know that he is happy to provide strength when we feel overwhelmed. God loves us. He is not ashamed to find us deep, in over our heads, in a struggle with sin and the things of this world. What breaks his heart is that we try, over and over, in vain to fix everything on our own. There is nothing about life that is meant to be faced alone.

Think of how Jesus confronted the Samaritan woman at the well. He offered her everything, and moment by moment she responded with excuses and questions to deflects the pain within her heart. I love that Jesus was not deterred. He kept pressing until her walls came crashing down in a beautiful moment of complete surrender. Maybe that’s a moment he is seeking with you today.

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Pardon the pun, but fighting off a critical spirit is critical to walking with God and living your best life. The hardest part about recognizing a critical spirit is that you are often right or justified in the way you feel about something. The key is where you go with it from there. As you come up against things in life that you don’t like, you must learn to beware of a critical spirit. A critical spirit will often appeal to your pride or your sense of justice. It can quickly pull you into an immediate emotional reaction. This is the first red flag that should make you aware of this spirit’s presence, and this is the easiest point to turn it away.

Now, I want to shift gears right here to better demonstrate what you have to do in this situation. First, realize that this critical spirit is trying to hurt you. It will appear to be on your side and fueling your fight for what is right, but make no mistake, a critical spirit wants to take you out. Secondly, ask yourself why you are having such a response, and identify whether or not it actually falls under your sphere of influence. Like it or not, many issues are simply outside of our ability to make a difference, so our only healthy option is to let it go. And finally, focus on the “right” things. Let your mind dwell on what you can model in your own life. Make a list of what you love, or of the things you want in your walk with God, dreams you have, and relationships you value. As Paul noted, when you do these things, you will find peace. Take a moment to do this today.

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Before leaving earth, Jesus commissioned us to become disciple-making disciples. For the sake of today’s discussion, we will call ourselves apprentice-making apprentices. All good masters know that teaching will only give an apprentice knowledge without practical experience. That is why Jesus did something pretty amazing with his disciples.

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I know that small part of a verse doesn’t seem all that significant, but in it, Jesus gives us the greatest example of true leadership. He turned over the reins of ministry to his apprentices. Jesus had sown the seeds of his Kingdom in their hearts. It had taken root and begun to grow. Every crop yields a harvest AND along with that, new seeds. In this process a single seed becomes many.

A lot of “leaders” today totally miss this. It is far easier to be a manager than a leader. A manager focuses on organizing, creating plans, and overseeing their implementation. A leader focuses on developing people, which is the essence of making disciples.

It really comes down to whether or not we are willing to give our leadership away. If you seek the glory, then your success and that of your apprentices will always depend upon you.

If you sow the seeds of leadership, creating Jesus followers, and cultivate them well, you can be part of something far greater.

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It seems not so long ago that your mom and I were bringing you home for the first time. Days turn into months, months turn into years, and before you know it, here you are. It sure is easy, in the midst of everything, to miss the most important things.

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A while back, I wrote out these truth statements in my journal.

1. Time is not the same as quality time. People have to receive your full attention in order to feel loved and valued.
2. What I miss matters. Dreams never become reality if they are not pursued. Inspiration isn’t ultimately for your own fulfillment. Who is not receiving because you have not offered?
3. Distraction is a myth. Reality exists in the lack of intention, devotion, and perseverance.

Time can either be spent or invested. Choose to invest your time at the feet of Jesus and in meaningful relationships. As you look back on your time, that’s what will matter most.

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From your earliest memories in school people started asking you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It seems like we have this crazy obsession with the future. Dream houses, dream vacations, dream… on and on the list goes. But, what about today? Right now, this very moment, are you here? Do you see the people and circumstances around you?

Most of us go through life as if today is just a steppingstone on our way to tomorrow. The problem with that kind of living is that we miss so much. Every moment of life is a gift from God. They are gifts, opportunities, and responsibilities for which God generously provides new mercies daily.

Don’t confuse living in the moment with living for the moment. Living for the moment is not a good thing. It is all about self. It is the stuff of graduation speeches and those who wave the YOLO banner every chance they get. On the other hand, living in the moment is recognizing God’s presence right here, right now. It sparks gratitude and genuine worship. It gives us eyes to see and ears to hear. Living in the moment slows down the pace enough for us to experience the abundance of life. With it we gain the patient endurance we need to see people and their joys, sorrows, and needs. Living in the moment propels us to help others, to develop deeper friendships, and to devote ourselves to knowing God. So, let’s rejoice and be glad in it!

Making excuses is easy. Owning your own mistakes can be a major problem for some.

In episode 4 of season 22 of The Amazing Race, by winning the first leg, a couple won an express pass that they could use at any time to skip a task and potentially avoid finishing last and being eliminated. A couple of legs later the perfect scenario arose for using the express pass. They struggled to complete one side of a detour, but instead of using the pass, after much wasted time, they went and completed the other side of the detour. Then, when they arrived at the final roadblock, once again they passed up the opportunity to bypass the other teams and ended up finishing last without using the express pass. The worst part of this story, instead of owning their mistakes when questioned about it by Phil, they said something to the effect of, “There’s no use thinking that way. The truth is we didn’t need a million dollars.”

Can you believe that answer? Okay, before you get too harsh, what about the time…

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October 2, 2019 – I could spend time today lamenting over the fact that so many distractions and last-minute schedule changes constantly keep me from making progress, OR I could just own the fact that I am not being intentional enough in planning out my daily choices. I am getting sidetracked by good things that don’t need to be priorities.

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So, we all are susceptible to falling prey to this temptation. Intentionality and owning our mistakes is the first step toward gaining wisdom for life. I say that because until we take ownership of the decisions we make, whether intentional or unintentional, we cannot learn. Ownership invites reflection and evaluation, which can ultimately result in change and growth. That's where you want to be.

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Truth #1
We are eternal beings, created in the image of God, designed to live in his presence and goodness forever.

Truth #2
We live in a world that was designed to reflect God’s glory but has become something “less than” because of sin.

Truth #3
Our heart aches and longs for that original creation.

Life is full of longing. We know something greater exists—it’s out there, somewhere. Often our longing turns to vain pursuits and disappointment because we attempt to fill now what can only be filled then. The earth remade, absent of sin, devoid of enemy opposition, where the mountains sing songs of joyous worship, is our truest desire.

No temporary pleasure can ever satisfy this longing. So, let’s get practical. When you find yourself longing for some worldly pleasure, that leads you into sin, choose to defer. Don’t settle for “less than.” And, when God does bring joy into your life, give thanks and know it is just a taste of things to come.

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Growing up, I remember watching Mid-South Wrestling every weekend. Guys like The Junkyard Dog and the Von Erichs were almost heroes to me until… UNTIL I FOUND OUT IT WAS ALL FAKE! So not cool!

I wish I could say that the struggles we have with sin are just as fake as professional wrestling, but unfortunately that’s just not the case. This kind of wrestling is very real!

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September 27, 2019 – Why do we, who know Christ, who have a relationship with him, and who know the conviction of sin, still desire to give ourselves over to it? This makes no sense to me, and at the same time, I know and feel the powerful draw of sin on my life. I suppose as Paul said, it is my flesh within me that sins, not my entire being, but that sure makes for a struggle that I don’t want to go on inside me. It is devastating to find yourself reeling after giving in. Sin leaves us torn inside, wrestling with where our allegiance truly lies. This is all such a distraction that stands in the way of experiencing God’s best.

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There seems to be a recurring theme in my journals throughout the past year. I have this longing for authenticity and a genuine love for God. It would be really easy to try to address the lack of these qualities in others, and yet be blind to my own hypocrisy. That truly is the nature of what it means to be inauthentic or fake. Accuse others, all the while living the life of a poser.

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September 25, 2019 – Is there anything truly genuine in my heart? There is just too much show and too little substance. I believe the answer lies in changing the goal. Instead of entertaining the troops in the hope of inspiring a few, maybe we should just walk with God and invite others to come along. Then, we walk with God together. Otherwise, what are we really inviting people into with God? Anything that I manufacture may be good, but ultimately, it’s temporary. Learning to walk with God isn’t flashy or entertaining, but it is eternal.

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Shrek: Ogres are like onions.

Donkey: They stink?

Shrek: Yes. No.

Donkey: Oh, they make you cry.

Shrek: No.

Donkey: Oh, you leave ‘em out in the sun, they get all brown, start sproutin’ little white hairs.

Shrek: No. Layers. Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers.

Donkey: Oh, you both have layers. Oh. You know, not everybody likes onions.

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April 27, 2019 – Yesterday, I climbed this mountain, but only went part of the way. Unfortunately, that is how I have learned to live so much of my life. Over and over again, I have made the words of others into prophecy. I don’t know how old I was when I was first called lazy. I was called a quitter, though I was never actually presented with that option. I can’t explain why, but I really have become lazy. I live lazy. I think lazy. BUT, I am not lazy. I spend much of my time working hard, doing any and every task, never asking for help, just to prove people wrong. I will never be accused of being lazy. My driven, task-oriented persona is such a poser. The problem is, this poser has stolen my life, or rather he is living in my rightful place.

Today, I sit here finishing my story on the top of the mountain. The awesome thing is that I didn’t really set out to climb the mountain this afternoon. God led me here step by step. Somewhere on this climb, I left the poser far behind.

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Son, life can build layer upon layer of false belief on top of who you have been created by God to be. His is the only voice that matters. Who does God say that you are?

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The moral of the story: Her greatest desire isn’t for a prince or jewels or treasure. Her heart longs to be invited into the adventure—to join you on your quest as you pursue God.

God sees me and knows me.
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

God is always with me.
I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.

God is my maker.
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

God takes joy in me.
How precious are your thoughts, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand and when I wake up, you are still with me!
-Psalm 139:1-18 (NLT)

The only one who can reject God’s will for your life is you!

There are two movies in which I remember the use of the term “Farm Boy,” The Princess Bride and Star Wars: A New Hope. The term is used in both of those movies as sort of an insult, referring to one of the characters as someone who has little experience and little potential to ever be more than they are at that moment. Well, of course, you know that both of those characters go on to be the hero in those stories. Westley goes away to earn his fortune to provide a life for Buttercup. He returns a master swordsman and takes down the evil plot of Prince Humperdinck. Luke wanted to leave the farm and join the rebellion against the empire. He never had any aspirations of becoming a Jedi Knight upon whom the hopes of the entire galaxy would rest.

The Bible is full of stories of people just like this. Abraham leaves his home to become the father of a new nation. Moses faces down Pharaoh to lead the people to freedom. Gideon comes out of hiding to lead God’s army to miraculous victory. And of course, the shepherd boy who became the greatest King in the history of Israel. Paul reminds us that God operates this way intentionally.

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We have a tendency to rate people solely upon their strengths. I challenge you to always see the farm boy in people. Saul looked amazing, but his heart was far from God. I suggest you look there first.

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Have you ever given much thought to the men Jesus chose as his closest friends and first followers? What was it he saw in these men in particular? Jesus was good at seeing past the qualities of the person on the outside to the potential of the person on the inside. In the case of a guy like Zacchaeus, you might even say he had a way of changing a person’s direction. Whatever the case may be, Jesus didn’t just call men to follow him. He trained them to be his followers.

Over the years, we’ve had more than a few talks about becoming the man God created you to be. You know one of my favorite books is Fathered by God in which the stages of the masculine journey are explored in depth. The warrior stage is one of the most significant stages because everything in your life leads up to it, then flows out from it. Something that important can’t be left to chance. As your Dad, that’s one reason I am writing this today. Making an investment in you, training you as a warrior for the Kingdom of God is the best kind of legacy I could ever leave you. My hope isn’t that you live like me, but that you become a better man, a better father, a better husband, a better leader, a better minister, a better everything than me. I want my life experiences and my walk with God to help lead you to a starting point farther down the road from which you can grow. No doubt, your journey must be your own. Remember the lessons your mom and I have taught you. Remember our struggles and our victories. Find older men who can help you along the way. Be strategic and intentional with your time and energy to grow and mature to be the man God needs you to be.

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April 25, 2019 – I am on my way to Boot Camp Northwest. I am coming to this camp because a dear friend asked me to go and because of John Eldredge. His books, Waking the Dead in particular, have been very influential to me in my journey back to God. I never fell away so to speak, but for many years I lived a veiled half-life. God was just my job, and I wasn’t very good at it. My life was full of self and not much else. God deserved more, but I was blind to it all. Then, I read Waking the Dead. Exploding off the pages was my story, my longing and the search for my heart was launched.

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Honestly, I am thankful that you were too young (or, sorry Bro, not even born yet) to have known what my faith was like at the time I was referring to in that journal entry. I would say I drifted away from a closeness I had with God at an earlier point in my life, but truthfully, I had never loved God with my whole heart. My faith was a lot of doing and not much being. Satan had me right where he wanted me. I was disconnected from God, going through the motions. I was torn apart by the fact that I was trying to live two very different lives. In the process my heart was obliterated. To understand it fully you probably just had to be there. But listen Son, as you seek to serve God, avoid the pitfalls of routine. You should be more in awe of God every day of your life. Don’t pursue Him so much with your mind that you leave your heart behind. Life came full circle for me. By the grace of God, I consider myself blessed.

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The bible has an interesting way of saying things at times. For instance:

Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.
-Revelation 2:7a (NLT)

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If you think about it, this is one of the saddest verses in the bible, and what’s worse, it is repeated multiple times. Unfortunately, we often don’t have ears to hear, eyes to see, or hearts and minds that are open to walk with God and be led by his Holy Spirit. There is an element of willfulness that must be present. May it be said of you always that you are open and available to follow God wherever he leads.

Our ears must be sensitive to hear God’s still, small voice. They must be discerning to hear through the constant shouting of fear, false witness, and accusation. They must be attuned to the voice of our true master. They must be diligent to wait patiently for a message that seems long overdue.

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September 19, 2019 – Lord, grant me ears to hear. I want to come back to you alone, my first love. Draw me close, place within me a renewed heart of love for you and those around me. Melt the stress from my life as I seek only you. Give me eyes to see my enemy and confront him. Far too long have I allowed strife and his companions to manipulate my feelings and send false messages. Today, I claim free air to breathe, new ears to hear, and new eyes to see in Jesus’ name!

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It was always a joke around our family when I was young that all the Smith men had big ears. Old pictures of my Pa Smith’s family could definitely prove that to be true. I pray that our ears may be big when it comes to listening and following God’s leadership.

Friends are funny.
Friends are frustrating.
Friends are awesome.
Friends are strange.
Friends are beautiful.
Friends are ugly.
Friends bring such joy.
Friends bring such pain.

Friends think that…
Life is funny.
Life is frustrating.
Life is awesome.
Life is strange.
Life is beautiful.
Life is ugly.
Life brings such joy.
Life brings such pain.

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Life may be, but…
Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is not jealous. Love does not brag and is not arrogant. Love does not act unbecomingly. Love does not seek its own. Love is not provoked. Love keeps no record of being wronged. Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness. Love bears all things. Love believes all things. Love hopes all things. Love endures all things.
-1 Cor. 13:4-7 (NASB)

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
-John 15:13 (NASB)

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
-1 John 4:7-8 (NLT)

My initial reaction to this concept and the book with this title was more than a little over the top. I admit my frustration. The principle isn’t without merit. In fact, I would say it builds on the “first remove the log from your own eye” principle that Jesus taught. That being said, I believe my reaction was due to the proliferation of isolation and the “self” mentality.

Self-focused anything is a step in the wrong direction. Yes, I said it, despite the fact that I know what your mother might say about good self-care habits. (Let’s call them soul care from now on.) Okay, why?

We are not intended to live any part of our life in solitude. Iron cannot sharpen iron if you only have one piece of iron. Likewise, the things we do to care for our soul must be grounded in something other than ourselves and a self-centered ideology. We can read scripture alone, but how much more can we gain in wisdom and understanding under the influence of a sage or in a discussion with a group of peers. You can go to church on your own, but you can’t be the church without the fellowship of others.

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You don’t need to be self-disciplined, be disciplined, and lead others to do the same. You don’t need to be a self-starter, be a starter, and lead others to do the same. You don’t need to focus on self-care, instead just care. Care about your life, care about others and lead them to do the same. In all honesty in my opinion, you can’t really lead yourself. Be led, lead others, and then lead them to do the same.

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Compared to a shout, a whisper doesn’t really account for much. One grain of sand can’t compare to the sight and feel of a vast desert. What does a single drop of water add to the ocean? That is what it is like to try and think of a new heaven and new earth, and yet, there is something deep within us that longs for such a place. It is an easy mistake to be drawn in by any and all the pleasures this imperfect world has to offer in an attempt to fill that longing.

This isn’t the life God has for us! It is the hope and faith for what will be our future that gives us the strength to live rightly and with total contentment today. The patriarchs and prophets in the Jewish scripture knew what it was like to live with this kind of hope.

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This is what you are really longing for in life. I don’t know that I know how to write in such a way as to convince you of this, but hear my heart. Don’t waste your life pursuing the faint whispers of all that is to come. Instead, hold out for the real thing.

This may very well be the term that has come to define your generation. Everything from openly biased news networks, commissioned research grants, and partisan politics to social media platforms where everyone’s voice is given equal credibility. It is amazing that the sky on a clear day is still considered to be blue! Society has moved from an era of information to an era of persuasion. People are not so concerned with what is true, but rather what you believe. – Oh, God, please help us to wake up and see this deception for what it is!

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis has a great discussion on authority and the role it plays in what we believe. I highly recommend keeping a copy of his book handy at all times. The transformation of what establishes real authority has changed from being something that is earned to something that is inherent. The cry of our nation from its earliest days has been the cry for freedom through equality. Quite frankly, that’s not a bad cry, until being equal means that all ideologies and opinions have the same level of authority. In the valiant search for righting the wrongs of the world, somewhere along the way objectivity was abandoned. Thus, fake news, inaccurate research, and bias on every level rule the day.

For the sake of future generations, you must work to bring back or restore the value of objective authority. Though you will be opposed, you actually have the advantage. Truth does not fear honest examination.

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This is one of my favorite songs we sing at Christmas. The message is so clear:

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The word “gospel” literally means good news. When we have good news, not only do we want to share it, something inside us isn’t satisfied until we do. A quick question comes to mind then, “Why isn’t this the most talked about topic in all our conversations?” Before we let that convict us too much, I believe this is where our enemy is really good at coming in and whispering insecurity into our ears. Things like, “You can’t do that. No one will listen. They’ll think your just weird. Besides, you don’t know exactly what to say anyway.” Sound familiar? Well, let’s cut that voice off right there! When it comes to sharing the gospel and leading a person to Christ, there is no perfect formula that you have to get just right. Before believing in Jesus, every person is in a different place mentally and spiritually when it comes to what they know or have experienced. Don’t feel the pressure to answer all their questions perfectly. Trust that the Holy Spirit is working and is ultimately responsible for drawing a person to new life.

That being said, here are some of the basics of the gospel message:

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Helpful verses of scripture to know:
Romans 3:23, 6:23, 10:9-13
John 1:10-13, 3:1-21
1 Corinthians 15:1-11

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August 30, 2019 – Today is my mom’s birthday. I am so thankful for her. She is always such a model of generosity and love. In the course of his ministry, Paul had two “children in the faith,” Timothy and Titus. The content of his letters to those two men is absolutely amazing, but even more compelling is the example Paul sets for us all. We should have “children in the faith” for whom we have a special affection and make an investment in their lives. Our physical children are certainly included in that, but it shouldn’t stop there. Parents are special people. Let’s be that, to new believers as well.

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This isn’t the first time that the idea of being a mentor has come up in our discussion. It is such an important part of the instructions Jesus gave us for life. Now, here is where we tend to turn the idea of mentoring into another task on our to-do list. I reject that idea in Jesus' name! Mentoring, like parenting should just flow out of who we are. Once we become a parent, that is a part of our identity. Likewise, when a person becomes a Jesus follower, they also become a mentor. Period. End of discussion.

As you let that idea sink in a bit, let me ask this question, what kind of a mentor are you? All right, so maybe that’s a bit unfair because you haven’t thought in these terms before. That’s totally understandable and okay, but what now? Look around. Who has God placed in your life for this very purpose? You don’t have to have all the answers to be a good example. Walk with God. Take your faith seriously. Admit your mistakes. Make things right. Invite others to join you. That is really all it takes.

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Son, we live in an age when we’re always looking for the “and” that will make our lives and our experiences more complete. Even in our walk with God, we are guilty of looking for this AND that. Unfortunately, in our constant searching we are missing the real simplicity of life a life in Christ that leads to joy and peace.

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August 24, 2019 – The first letter to the Thessalonians is Paul’s most encouraging writing. In chapter four, he provides an often-overlooked consideration for Christian living--live a quiet life and work hard with your hands. The implication being that our simple life will produce an abundance of joy and love which will become an encouragement to others.

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Simply put, all the ANDs in life won’t bring us more joy and happiness. They will actually take us further away by dividing our heart’s attention. Living and breathing and walking in your relationship with God is all you need. John put it this way in his first letter. “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you…for the world offers only a craving for everything we see”.

More complicates without satisfying. Trying to fit a little bit of God into all the ANDs the world has to offer will leave you distracted and empty. Any pleasure that you experience along the way will be fleeting you’ll be left craving more. You see the truth of this all around you every day. So, my son, find peace and joy by choosing a different, simpler way of life.