Author: Buddy McElhannon
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Constantly Improve Your Position
Navy Seals have this well-deserved aura about them. Hearing one speak always makes me glad they are on our side. I recall watching a video a few years ago featuring Seal Commander Rorke Denver, who shared a fundamental principle by which Seals work, that to “Constantly Improve Your Position.” Rorke reminded listeners that there is…
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Leadership Lessons: Jumping Off the Conclusion Cliff
Years ago I learned a valuable lesson about jumping to conclusions and the inevitable embarrassment that comes when speculation confidently wears a veneer of certainty. It is like diving off a cliff into a lake only to discover the water is just three feet deep. Oops. The new Millennium had just dawned and with it…
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Living Southern: Scattered, Smothered, and Covered
If you see a Southern Baptist Church on every street corner, a Dollar General every few blocks, and a Waffle House at every major intersection, fear not, you are not lost. You are probably cruising through the great state of Georgia. Down here, you can Eat, Pray, and Shop without leaving your neighborhood. In the…
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A Spiritual Legacy
It is never easy to contemplate the end of your life when you are in the middle of living it. But long ago I realized if you love your family, you will be sure to have a current and valid will. So, when I recently updated mine, it prompted much thought about what I will…
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Generational Thunder – The Tale of Two Women
Actions have consequences. More often than we may know, those consequences roll down like thunder across generations. For most of us, our parents have the most significant influence upon us. For others, it may be an uncle, an aunt, a close friend, a sports coach or a Sunday School teacher. Looking back over my formative…
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Living Southern – In the Peach State of Happiness
No Georgian has to look at a calendar to know that it is now July in Georgia. There is ample evidence that sauna-time has hit the Southland. Just step outside and be greeted with the invisible monsoon. Summertime is defined in Georgia as “you gonna sweat a lot.” Well, at least, men will sweat. In…
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View from a Pew
Author’s Note: Thirty years ago, I purchased a 60-year-old fourteen-foot long church pew during a fundraising program at my church. In time I had it cut down to seven feet, re-stained and polished to become a cherished family treasure. I have often pondered what that pew has seen and heard in the decades it spent…
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Nails at Noon – Lessons from a Nail Parlor
Last week, our country celebrated its Independence Day. The 4th of July, for me, has always been filled with memories of fireworks, barbecues, and hot, sunny days at nearby Lake Oconee. In this land of the Free, we often forget the cost of that freedom or how cherished it is, especially for those who have…
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When Irish Eyes Are Smiling….I Must Have Made Them Laugh
Visiting a foreign country, especially for the first time, is always an exciting adventure. You just hope it’s not too exciting, if you know what I mean. After all, learning about a new culture, interacting with locals, and experiencing first hand how things are different from the US of A adds a breadth and depth…
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How the Irish Spell Hospitality
My wife decided I needed a heads-up. In an attempt to manage my expectations, she explained in precise terms, what I should expect on our two-week vacation to Ireland. “You need to understand,” she said, “that the Irish are some of the most hospitable people on earth.” Though welcome words to one visiting Ireland for…
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