In Guatemala, a street dog named Scar demonstrated the power of influence. The story underscores the lessons from Proverbs about wise associations and the impacts of positive and negative influences. Learn how ancient wisdom applies in today's digital age, emphasizing discernment in companionship and content consumption.

You would not be the first to wonder why I would tell this story! First, I have not pooped my pants since I was three years old, fifty years ago. I hope not to poop my pants for another 50 years. If this becomes a more regular event, it’s tragic. But if this is, as I hope, a semicentennial event, it's hilarious and needs to be told! Secondly, the dual insights drawn from this messy ordeal have a 'load' of significance, just like the unwanted cargo in my pants!

In those fleeting moments, as I had the privilege of hearing a glacier move, I realized something deep in my heart. That sound, that unique thud—it wasn't just the ice. It was a reminder, a nudge, telling me that I would have never heard that beautiful sound if I hadn't put myself in a place where I was quiet enough to listen. Isn't that true for our relationship with God, too?

Are you bored with your faith? Feel like God's on mute? Trust me; I've been there. But take it from me, and these wise words from some folks who know a thing or two:

It was like my seatmates were prison guards who had hand-cuffed me to my Delta "Comfort" seat. My heart was pounding like a Sunday morning kick drum, and my thoughts were racing. I couldn't for the life of me control the flood of fear washing over me. My seat was a straightjacket. All I wanted was to escape this suffocating window seat nightmare that had become what felt to me like my prison of personal weakness.

Three hours after walking into the immigration office in Copacabana, Bolivia, and a $40 bribe later, I was finally permitted to cross into Peru on foot.