The Undivided Life Blog

I laughed and joined the chanting with my kids.

“Thirty more feet! Thirty more feet!”

It was day two of the National Eucharistic Congress (NEC) in Indianapolis, and our entire crew was ready to head...

“I wish everything I tried always worked out like it does for you, Jeff.”

I’ve heard this ridiculous statement many times over the past 25 years, and it drives me crazy. Not only is it fundamentally ...

“There is a family in Denver that you have to meet,” Vanessa told me over text. “Their son is in the NICU, facing a serious uphill battle, and get this. His name is Ambrose.” I had only met Vanessa on...

On this day one year ago, I was having the best day ever. We had a new baby and a new home, and there was overall excitement about the adventures God had in store for our family. With so much change h...

We circled each building at the intersection, looking behind the dumpsters and down the alleyways, but still no signs of my new friend. Only hours earlier, I had encountered him at a nearby gas statio...

My niece Sarah was almost three months into her hospital stay when Christmas rolled around that year. As we opened presents and thanked God for this time together, my brother told me that Sarah also h...

Well, it’s 3:00 o’clock, so you have about five hours to convince me this cannot work. Until you successfully demonstrate that we cannot combine all seven of our existing online experiences into one m...

I heard the car horn and the screeching brakes. Then I looked over just in time to see that I was about to be t-boned by someone from the cross traffic at an intersection.

My life didn’t flash before...

I could hardly believe the guest list as I scrolled through the names:

George W. Bush, then President Bill Clinton, Gerald and Betty Ford, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Rev. Billy Graham, ...

It’s 98 degrees outside, and once again, I am drenched head to toe in sweat as I reinforce yet another section of our fence. This is the third time I’ve been called to the pasture to retrieve our mini...

In a competitive situation, it’s important to be the best in at least one of the main areas of comparison – speed, service, or price.

In the early 2000s, our energy company was near the bottom in eve...

The first time I read Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization, I was struck by the practical ways an organization can improve its overall culture as it moves from...

I have no desire to be better than you.

I just want to be the best me.

My best changes from day to day, hour to hour.

My best is different when I am healthy, rested, and surrounded by people who gi...

Not following my passion
was one of the best decisions
of my life.

At 24 years old, I started a new career.

- - Deregulated electricity sales - -

At the time, I didn’t like sales.
And to this day, I still h...

No one ever told me that every sunrise is a rainbow.

I remember flying home from a business trip early in my career and watching the sun slowly set on the horizon.

The red and orange bands became more d...

I need you to complete this ASAP. See below.

…………………………….

Do you ever get emails like this from your boss?

This email contains at least three obstacles to great communication.

1️⃣ “I need you to” is a poo...

After giving over 50 talks each year for the last 24 years, I’ve been asked how to get rid of the fear and nervousness before a speech.

 It’s simple.

The nerves are never going away.

That’s right.

What do you have to do today?

You have to take the kids to soccer,
or mow the lawn,
or shovel snow,
or clean out the garage,
or put in extra work before your family wakes up,
or visit a loved one in the hos...