You've always heard: "The early bird gets the worm". But, as I often say, THE SECOND RAT GETS THE CHEESE! Have you ever had a brilliant idea but didn't pursue it because you thought someone else might have already done it? In 1816, Carl Benz applied for a patent for his “vehicle, powered by a gas engine.” In other words, he invented the automobile. However, that didn't stop Henry Ford in 1903, about 87-years later, from founding Ford Motor Company. You see, Henry didn't inven

My Grannie, Rosie What is a BAD HABIT? Some say it's a habit that is different than yours! In 'the good-old-days' before warning labels, cigarettes were heavily marketed on television and in other publications, as glamorous, relaxing, and sophisticated. Doctors even appeared in cigarette advertisements, and major league athletes were spokesmen for promoting smoking. Long before cigarettes were popular, people dipped snuff. My Grannie, Rosie, found joy in her Snuff Ti

One of my favorite pastors, David Jeremiah, used this illustration in one of his sermons when he asked: "Are you a puddle or a pipeline?" When water collects in a puddle, it becomes stagnant and brackish; it has no outlet or circulation. A pipeline, on the other hand, allows fresh water to flow through to the spigot for the benefit of others. What flows in is meant to flow out. Maybe it's time to do a quick evaluation. Are you keeping blessings to yourself for your ow

Bob and his buddy decided to go to the top of the Empire State Building to see the view from above. As they stood there enjoying the view and pointing out different sites, his buddy asked him: "How long do you think it would take me to reach the ground if I jumped?" Bob laughed at such a ridiculous question, and told him he was going to take the elevator down to the 50th floor. And just as Bob was looking out the window, he saw his buddy fly by. Bob yelled out, 'So, h

A woman was waiting at an airport, with several long hours before her flight. She bought a book and a bag of cookies and found a place to sit. While she was lost in her book, she watched the guy sitting an empty chair away, bold as he could be, grab a cookie from the bag between them. This guy was so rude -- but she tried to ignore it to avoid a scene. She grabbed a cookie to munch as she watched the clock. And the gutsy thief beside her smirked and continued eating the

Humility is a funny thing. The minute you think you’ve got it, you probably don’t. There’s an old joke about a guy who received an award for being the most humble man in town. The next week, they took it away -- because he wore the medal! That pretty much sums up the problem. We live in a world that encourages us to promote ourselves, advertise ourselves, post ourselves, photograph ourselves, and occasionally act like the entire internet has been waiting all morning to see w

A young friend of mine, suffering from very serious health issues at MD Anderson, was going through horrific treatments. I wanted to encourage him, so I sent him this message: When God closes one door, He always opens another . . . but it's hell in the hallway. He responded . . . . 'FROM THE HALLWAY!' We aim to support and encourage others during difficult times, but sometimes we find it hard to choose the right words. When I was a kid, I broke my arm, and the thing neve

A young girl was walking along a beach where thousands of starfish had been washed up on shore during a terrible storm. As she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement. She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!” The girl, suddenly deflated, se

A young boy shared with his dad that he had been reading and studying the Bible, but he was having trouble remembering a lot of the verses. He didn't understand so much of it and couldn't see the purpose in reading it. He asked his dad if he thought reading the Bible was really necessary. The father said, “Son, see that old, dirty woven basket? Take it out back and fill it with water.” "But dad" his son said, "it won't hold water! " When the boy tried to fill it, the w

If you are more fortunate than others, build a longer table -- not a taller fence! A longer table signifies hospitality, sharing, mentoring, and welcoming others while a taller fence represents segregation, isolation, fear, and guarding your success so that others cannot reach it. If you are blessed with success, lift others up and use your advantages to help people move forward. Industrialist Andrew Carnegie used his massive success to help others by challenging author Nap

If a fish is judged by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is a failure. I can speak from experience because during my high school years, I enrolled in first-year Latin . . . TWO TIMES! If you're wondering why I took first-year Latin twice, the straightforward answer is that I failed it the first time! What was I thinking? I could barely speak English must less try to learn a foreign language. How about you? Have you ever tried to d

Zig Ziglar always said "You do not have to be great to start, but you must start to be great." But what happens when you don't really know when to start or which way to go? In my life whenever I started something new, I believed that God had guided me in that direction. Even after having given it my best effort, it often didn’t work out as I had planned. I realized then, that God not only initiates projects but sometimes stops them as well! God not only orders our Steps.

The Greatest Gift You Can Give Someone is Authenticity! Recently I came across the following article about Authenticity by Chuck Swindoll, one of my all time favorites. I wanted to share it with you and hope it blesses you as much as it did me! The greatest gift you'll ever give isn't your talent, your title, or your time. The greatest gift you can offer your family, your church, and whomever God places in your path —as the Lord continues His work in you—is simply who you ar

. An elderly woman was sitting alone in a busy coffee shop waiting for her order. Her face reflected a lifetime of sorrow. The barista noticed her sadness, and as he handed her the coffee, gave her a warm, genuine smile. The woman left without saying a word. The next week, the barista received a letter in the mail containing a photo of the woman and a note which read: 'The last time I was in, I was having a terrible day, and was so discouraged. But your smile made me fe

A father said to his daughter “Congratulations on graduating with honors. Here is a car I bought many years ago. It is pretty old now. But I would suggest you take it to the used car lot downtown and tell them I want to sell it and see how much they offer you for it." The daughter went to the used car lot, returned to her father and said, "They offered me $1000 because they said it looks pretty worn out." The father said take it to the pawnshop. The daughter went to the

When we deposit money in our bank, board a plane for a flight or prepare for major surgery, we often are placing our trust in the hands of total strangers who we may have never seen nor met. Trust is the belief that someone or something can be relied on to do what they say they will. It is a key element of social relationships and a foundation for cooperation. Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. . . . the foundational p

Regret is defined as a complex emotion caused by wishing you had made a different decision in the past. During my school years, I ought to have focused more on my studies and perhaps even considered attending college. However, in hindsight, I didn't feel it was necessary to study because my mom and dad frequently told me 'I already knew everything'. And I believed them! When you are 25 you look back on your 18-year-old self and think that many of your previous decisions were

As a young man beginning my career as a barber, I was fortunate to have had excellent mentors who taught and challenged me to excel. Throughout the many changes in my career path, I have consistently been blessed by outstanding mentors. "The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves." — Steven Spielberg In order to find a good mentor, you must start by being a good mentee. Listen to

Being in the apparel business for over fifty-years, I have always been around younger people and have seen so many changes. Younger people seem to have no fear and are usually open to new ideas. Although we are around younger people, we have to WORK at staying young. It’s more than eating healthy and staying physically active. It's about having a positive attitude, remaining curious and being willing to make changes. I’ve also discovered that one the best ways to stay y

"America was founded by people who believe that God was their rock of safety. I recognize we must be cautious in claiming that God is on our side, but I think it’s all right to keep asking if we’re on His side." ~ Ronald Reagan. Please click below and enjoy A Salute to our Armed Forces May God continue to bless the USA! - Charlie