Desert Week: Things To Do With Kids - Go Camping

This spring, my dad and I are taking my son camping for the first time.  I am in no way a camping expert, and I've never taken little ones with me.  While I love to get outside, it has historically revolved around running.  It's only in recent years that I have even begun camping.  So instead of pretending to know what I'm talking about, here are some nice links to help you in your adventure.  Enjoy!

Desert Week: 5 Ways to Stay Motivated

Losing motivation is honestly one the scariest things that happens to me.  It feels like I have no control over it, though I know it has to do with my own brain.  Immediately, I see my plans and goals in jeopardy.  Nothing says “desert” like being stuck without motivation to get unstuck.

Lack of motivation is something we all deal with.  Whether you are trying to lose weight, get in shape, spend more time as a family, read more, or start a side business, your ability to stay motivated can be the limiting agent in your plans.

Luckily, as I’m getting older and more mature, I’m learning how to recharge the old motivation batteries before I find myself facing a complete breakdown.  Here are five ways I’ve found to help you when you lose your motivation:

Desert Week: The Scriptural Armory - God Uses Bumbling Screw-Ups

Moses is a really interesting character.  Obviously, he’s a hero.  He saved an entire race from the hands of extreme oppression.  Though reluctantly, he followed God into an amazing adventure marked by opposing royalty, a pillar of cloud and fire, the parting of the Red Sea, manna from Heaven, and receiving direction from God etched into tablets of stone.....not your average afternoon outing to the mall.  But we tend to forget that the same guy who encountered God in all of the above ways, started out by murdering someone then fleeing for his life to a far away land.

11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?” 14 The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well (Exodus 2:11-15, NIV).

Desert Week - Re: What the Race to the South Pole Can Teach You About How to Achieve Your Goals

I read another amazing article on Art of Manliness this morning, and couldn’t help but chime in.  This one looks at two competing treks to the South Pole taking place in 1910 - one ending in success, one ending in death - and learning from the contrasts between the two approaches.

There is one specific lesson I found particularly interesting.  The team winning the competition was focused on one thing - reaching the South Pole first.  The team that lost, had two goals.  They were attempting to reach the South Pole first, but also scientifically study the Antarctic environment.

The authors of the article point out a very important lesson.  If you want to be successful, focus on one goal.

Desert Week: What Is Love? Baby Don't Hurt Me. - Part 6

Welcome to Desert Week on Lead Yo Fam.  For those who didn't read last week's Highlight Reel, all of this week's posts are desert themed.  If you are wondering why, I really don't have a good answer.  It just seemed to fit, so here we go.

In 1977, George Lucas introduced the world to one of the great cinematic heroes in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, launching a global phenomenon.  Out of the barren deserts of Tatooine and into the hearts of millions world-wide, roars an elderly Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi.  Not only does Obi-Wan have mad Jedi skills, he also has his rugged, rebel individuality that draws the admiration of men like dune banthas to an oasis.

Highlight Reel

Last Week


On Sunday/Monday, we kept on keeping on with "What Is Love? Baby Don't Hurt Me. - Part 5".  Love is not rude.  If you are like me, you are rude.  The problem arises when we go to lead our families after being a slob.  Our wives and kids are going to have a difficult time taking us seriously if we can't even behave ourselves in a halfway decent way.  You can't hold a family meeting in the stink you just made, my friend.


On Tuesday, we joined a conversation on Tentblogger.com, where John Saddington posted an article originally directed to entrepreneurs insisting they probably don't need as much money to get started as they think.  In "Lessons From Cutting Our Living Space In Half", I extrapolated to address all men, describing the experience we had with selling our house and consequently cutting our living space in half. Bluntly, we buy a lot of crap we don't need.  This thought was burned into my cranium as I took box after box and bag after bag of worthless stuff to the thrift store.  Spend your money on experiences, not stuff.  It's cheaper in the long-run.  Memories don't take up space.