If someone is overwhelmed or burned out, we say they have lost their edge. And this makes my point: All edges, even human ones, need to be cared for.

I bear physical scars from my years that testify to the fact that my guardian angel has gray hair, frayed wings, and bags under his eyes from sleepless nights. 

If purpose and meaning are jeopardized, our souls sink under a weight of desperation and despondency until we are able to determine what makes us special. While there is the option to grasp wildly at what is temporal and worldly in order to sate our craving for distinction, the need to live extraordinarily is given to us by God.

Opening your soul for another’s examination is a scary proposition. However, if we see in ourselves what God sees in us, we will recognize that we are absolutely secure in Him. 

God intends for us to live life the same way He lives His. When we purpose to live as He intended, we make it a supreme, over-arching priority for Him to be our life.

Ultimately, a life lived with distinction must have clarity regarding individual meaning.

As followers of Jesus Christ, here is a sample purpose statement: Our purpose is to know Jesus Christ, see ourselves as He sees us, live as He intended, and effectively share the same with others.

There are people to love, children to be reared, projects to be developed, games to be played, homes to be managed, and empires to be run. Behind all of these initiatives—and many more—are people, each with unique distinction, living in an extraordinary manner, believing inside that what they do is important.

You might see a blog from me that you've seen before, especially if you access my blog via Facebook or LinkedIn versus subscribing.

Instead of sending my report to a few, I decided to post my notes here. Enjoy! And for the curious, only one fish was harmed in the catching. All the others are presumably still eating salmon eggs.

I realized that pretending everything is okay when it is not is a lie. 

Every now and then, Father gets stuck on an idea and obsesses about it with me for a long time. Lately, every time I ask Him if He has any counsel for me, He has been saying the same thing: “Love, Preston.”

My agnostic friend offered interesting counsel. Sitting by the fire with me, he said, “Preston, you have to embrace the security that must exist between you and your God and live there, untouchable as a person, regardless of what anyone might say about you.” 

All was well.  The only difference between the daylight of tomorrow and the darkness enveloping the bedroom was that I couldn't see.  But that didn't alter the fact that I was secure.   

Is the reputation of darkness all that it's cracked up to be?  Is darkness really that deep?  Is it honestly the absence of light, especially the light of Christ?  Are our only options to hunker down and wait for morning or cut and run in any direction hoping to stumble upon a flicker of light somewhere in the dark? 

How dark was it?  So dark that I couldn't see my brother, eighteen inches away, or even my hand in front of my face.  

Each man labors under the weight of his own burden--except for David.  He carries his own as well as the yoke of grief that every man, woman, and child under his care feels.  Alone with the weight of the world, the fire illuminates his warrior face.  

Ever so slowly, like a locomotive turning the wheels of a loaded freight train, the strength of the Lord begins the process of reclaiming lost ground. 

If composed, the score for these words would read, "Andante with fortitude."  These weren't dance tunes.  These were steady, major chords of resolute encouragement.

It's not hard to see how some of David's most meaningful Psalms were penned during the days described in chapter 30.  And I'll tell you right now, I am going to sit next to David at dinner one of these days and get the unabridged version of the chase scene.