Live Life to the Fullest

I was looking through my photos on my cell phone from the past year and I couldn’t believe how blessed I am to lead such a full life. I can’t believe all the places I’ve been and all of the experiences I’ve had. I am always telling students to live their lives with passion, to not sit on the sidelines of life as …

Penn State Needed A Hero

Yes, I read all 161 pages of the Freeh Report on the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse case at Penn State University. I read this report because everyone seems to have a comment and an opinion on this case, but very few people have read the report.  It is important to have educated opinions, particularly before making public comments in this type …

Poor Sportsmanship or Great Effort?

I was searching the Internet for examples of poor sportsmanship and I found this video of a girl’s high school basketball team (Christian Heritage) beating their opponent (West Point Academy) by a score of 108-3.  I watched the news report and I thought it was a great debate – was this poor sportsmanship or merely a case of one team playing …

Am I Allowed to Have Higher Expectations?

We have all seen so many of these kinds of stories that we typically just shake our heads and say, “Seriously. Does anyone have any integrity anymore?”  I remember when I was teaching this class on character and leadership back in 2001 and Kobe Bryant, a married man, was accused of raping a woman in a Denver hotel room. While we …

True Heroes: A Story of Courage & Bravery

Imagine that you are on spring break and going out for a late bite to eat.  Suddenly, a car races past you and crashes into a tree and bursts into flames. What do you do? Seriously? What would you do? Well, Cody Decker and Luke Vaughn, two teenagers from DeWitt High School in Michigan, MI, found themselves in just this …

Still Think Honesty Doesn’t Matter?

Jermaine Jones, also known as the Gentle Giant, on American Idol was booted off the show because he had four warrants out for his arrest. Apparently, he did not disclose this information or the incidences that led to these charges.  In this video clip below, the producers say that they would have worked with him to clear up his record …

A Unique Comparison on Public Assistance

I am providing 3 links below.  The first link is about a woman, Amanda Clayton, who won 1 million dollars in the Michigan State Lottery last year.  At the time, she was receiving $200 in food stamps each month. She did not cancel her public assistance and continued to receive these food stamps. The next two links are from the movie, …

Final Thoughts On Joe Paterno

I have seen lots of individuals, who were considered positive role models, let us down. The names of Tiger Woods, Bill Clinton, OJ Simpson and Michael Phelps come to mind. To be honest, it really hurts to see Joe Paterno on that list. For me personally, it’s difficult to see a legend, who did so many great things, go out like this. It seems that …

Attitude Goes A Long Way…Literally

I woke up at 6:40 a.m. to the sound of my wife saying, “Aren’t you supposed to be at the airport?” I flew out of bed, but as I rubbed my blurry eyes, I instantly knew that it was too late.  For the first time that I can recall, I missed a flight and it was my own fault. I forgot to …

Penn State: Lessons Learned

The Penn State Scandal is tragic, shocking and upsetting. A few weeks have passed since the revelation that Jerry Sandusky, a former assistant coach for the football team, had been sexually abusing young boys for decades. The grand jury report suggests that many individuals had direct or indirect knowledge of this abuse and didn’t do enough to stop it. Consequently, the head …