What’s the leading cause of death among black men in the United States? If you support Black Lives Matter, do you think it’s important to know the answer to that question and be supporting efforts to address the problem? On a recent episode of The Crossman Conversation, Mark Salmon, president of Appliance Direct in Orlando, [...]
It doesn’t matter what the cause is, I say no. I believe in serving others. I believe in giving and sharing my time, talent, and treasures. But when I’m checking out at a retail store and the cashier asks if I want to make a donation to something, I say no. Every time. Sometimes the [...]
I was in my early 30s when I became a Christian. Prior to that, I didn’t actively reject the faith, I just didn’t get it. And my life was fine, thank you. But once I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and began a spiritual journey that has taken me to places more amazing, more [...]
I have the right to say it, but should I? As an American writer, I am an unequivocal supporter of our First Amendment right to free speech and free expression. I also believe that speech should be honest, but that’s not the rabbit trail I want to go down today. What I want to discuss [...]
When kind, generous, service-minded people do charitable work, they often say that they want to “give back.” And I think: Why not simply give? To me, “giving back” means returning something. It means I have something that was loaned or given to me and I’m giving it back. But most of the organizations I support [...]
Veterans Day marks the anniversary of the end of World War I, when major hostilities ceased at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. It has evolved into a holiday that celebrates the service of all veterans (different from Memorial Day, which remembers those who died in service). I [...]
Sometimes life knocks us to our knees. Not just once, not just twice, but over and over. When it does, we need to get up and keep going. But first, while we’re on our knees, we should pray. I’ve always said that God doesn’t care about our posture when we’re praying—what He cares about is [...]
One of the keys to living a joyful life is prayer. Go to God in prayer every day. Do this not just when you need something, not just when you’re on autopilot and chanting a quick prayer while you’re thinking of something else, but have a focused, purposeful time of prayer every day. Excerpt from [...]
The statement was insulting, even cruel. Then the person who said it smiled and added, “Just kidding.” Do you know people who do that? We all do—in fact, I have several of them I regularly encounter in business, socially and even in church. And I don’t think they’re kidding. For whatever reason, they feel compelled [...]
It was a title we didn’t want. But also one we didn’t want to give up. Just a little more than 15 months ago, Orlando—my hometown and home to “the happiest place on earth”—also became known as the place where the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history took place. The attack at the Pulse nightclub [...]
