Your Best Life Now

The psalmist said, “Be still and know I am God” (Psalm 46:10). “Be still”…”and know…” In the Hebrew language, when two coordinate imperatives or imperative verbal forms appear together, as in “Be still” and “know” the emphasis goes to the second command. In other words, what the psalmist is saying could be translated to mean,…

Why follow Jesus? This morning, I opened the Gospel of John to the sixth chapter, desiring to read and reflect on what has become my favorite Gospel account of the life of Jesus. I did not get very far in the text, however, before I stumbled over these words… “A huge crowd followed him, attracted…

The Parliament of World Religions I’ll be attending and presenting at the upcoming Parliament of World Religions meeting this year in Salt Lake City, October 15 – 18, 2015. And, I thought about something Mother Teresa purportedly said some years ago: “I love all religions, but I’m IN LOVE with my own.” I love that.…

The Golden Rule Last night, I stayed in Philadelphia near the airport in an older Hampton Inn. I mean, an older, Hampton Inn. Not “old” as in the old, but elegant Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue, New York City. I mean old, dirty and, well, just old and dirty. As I approached the entrance, I…

I’m thinking about those times in life when the doubts of faith are many and the difficulties of life are manifold. Thank God, on the sailing journey of life, those times are few. Do you remember that time when Simon Peter and the other disciples were sailing on the Sea of Galilee (Matt 14)? Suddenly,…

PRAY HARDEST I just drove past an electronic billboard located in front of a local church. The following message flashed brightly for those passing by: “Pray Hardest When It’s Hardest to Pray!” I thought to myself: “Clever. Memorable. But is it true?” This much is true. At least, true for me. 1. Sometimes, I find it…

I read a story today shared by one of my Facebook friends whom I’ll simply refer to as Joe. It is a powerful, illustrative story shared by the Lutheran Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton about money and our weird relationship to it. Money! Here’s her story in her own words: “A church in the Northeastern Ohio…

“Hell? Are You Going There?” “Heaven or Hell…Which?” “Are You Saved? Only the Saved Go to Heaven!” “Have You Heard of the 4 Spiritual Laws?” Those were the cliches’ I often heard…heck, I even used them…when, at one time in my young adult life, I was an over zealous evangelical out to “win souls,” and…

Like many of you reading this, I was raised to believe many religious things. Much of that stuff, however, I no longer believe today. Make no mistake, I’m still a believer. And, what I believe today is very important to me. But what I believe has been and continues to be subjected to rigorous questioning…

The illusion of spiritual health and disease may actually run in both directions. There are those, for example, who regard the Church in almost any of its communal expressions as wrought with a kind of irreversible and terminal illness. And, truthfully, there are times I feel this way myself. Like this branch and its brown…

smcswain
about

Dr. Steve McSwain

I'm an Author... Leadership Coach... Counsel to Non-Profits, Faith-based Organizations and Congregations... Adjunct Professor of Communication at the University of Kentucky... Spiritual Teacher... Inspirational and Motivational Speaker.

But not always in this order.

On the university campus, I teach students the Art of Communication. In my public talks, however, I teach leaders the Art of Leading; I teach everyone the Art of Living...so that... when you come to the end...

and, you will come to the end...

You're able to look back on life feeling... Fulfilled... Accomplished... Content, Peaceful, and Happy, too...

Knowing your brief but important journey has made this world a more... Conscious... Compassionate, and... Charitable place.

What could possibly be more important than this?

read full bio
More from Beliefnet and our partners
Close Ad