Some time ago, I read a story in the newspaper, announcing the sudden death of Lonesome George. In case you haven’t heard of Lonesome George, he was actually quite famous. He was a giant tortoise from the Galapagos Islands, the last known representative of his species. But Lonesome George unexpectedly died at the young age of 100, marking the extinction of yet another species of exotic wildlife.

Leon C. Megginson, a noted writer of business management books, once noted, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but rather the one most adaptable to change.” And scientists are now admitting that the likely cause for the extinction of the giant Galapagos tortoise was its inability to adapt to a changing environment.

Michael and Chris were well-behaved boys who grew up in Richmond, California, in the 1960s. They got good grades. They stayed out of trouble. They obeyed their parents. But their parents were poor, so Michael and Chris eventually started stealing food, because they were hungry. They would take sandwiches, shoplift cookies, and even steal money from their parents to buy food.

When Michael and Chris grew older, however, they changed schools. Then, at the conclusion of the boys’ freshman year of high school, something happened that took them in opposite directions. Chris got his end-of-the-year report card and discovered that he had received three F’s, the maximum allowed over the 4-year program. So Chris decided he wanted to turn his life around, and he made up his mind to change some things.

In a recent survey conducted by Team Technology, a business resource firm in Great Britain, 4000 people were asked, “What qualities in a leader would make you want to follow him or her?” Of the top five answers, four of them dealt with qualities that are acquired through education or life’s experience. These include confidence, knowledge, intelligence, and ability. But the quality that stood at the top of this list was the quality of honesty.

In a world where people believe truth is constantly redefined, it is easy to fall for the lie that there is no absolute. It's takes no effort to let the current whims, the public opinion waves, and the easy road guide us wherever they may. 

Now more than ever, we have to fight the temptation to just go with the flow. Proverbs 11:3 says the integrity of the upright will guide them. To impact the lives of the people around us, we much choose integrity and let it be our compass and our guide. 

I couldn't think of anyone better to join me and talk about this subject than my good friend, Pastor Charles Nieman. Pastor Charles is a man of integrity, and his life is an example how to live and thrive with foundational, absolute truth. I have learned so much from Pastor Charles, and I am delighted to share him with you for a few minutes today. Please click play below to listen to this week's audio blog on Integrity.

 Make sure to get this month's eBook on Integrity. Click here to purchase it for only $1.99! And follow me on social media if you haven't already. I want to stay connected with you!

Over the course of our lives, the world will ask a lot from us. Our employers, our schools, and our communities will ask a lot from us. Our families, our friends, and even our church will ask a lot from us. But character and integrity are developed when a person starts asking tough questions of himself.

One of the most important questions a person can ask himself is, “Did I do what I said I would do?” The honest answer to this question will be quite revealing, because the answer will reveal the fiber of a person’s character and the philosophy of his life. It will reveal whether he uses people or serves people, whether he possesses an identifiable purpose or is merely feeding his appetites while he extracts as much as he can from others.

This month our focus is the importance of integrity. If you want to be great and be successful, integrity is a trait you must have, and this trait has to be of the utmost importance in your life. Every great leader will rise or fall based on their integrity.

It's my job as a coach to encourage you and to help make your success simple. Just because it's simple doesn't mean it's easy. It also doesn't mean you won't have to fight for it, but I am here to stand with you.

I want to help you this month to realize the importance of integrity and the vital part it plays in your life. I encourage you to take a few minutes and watch the video below as we begin our discussion.

If you have questions about integrity, I want to hear from you. Feel free to comment below or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Later this month I will write a blog and will do my best to answer your questions.