We often get asked about our “success rate,” as if the boys who come here are games on a schedule. People want to know our win/loss record. Is it above .500? Did we make the playoffs? If not, what coaches are we going to fire? What off-season moves are we going to make?

And I get it. I can be very results-oriented. But what exactly does it mean to be ‘successful’? Is it something that can be measured? If so, how? Should success be the thing towards which we strive? Or are other things even more important?

These are questions that we can ask not just about Whetstone, but about our performance as parents, teachers, and counselors - as spouses, and friends, and employees, and bosses. But who among us wants our worth to be judged by our output - especially when that output is another human being? People aren’t products to be manufactured and marketed.

On the other hand, the Bible says that you can judge a tree by its fruit. And Whetstone has served close to 140 families over the last 12 years. That’s a lot of fruit. We should be able to demonstrate the program has been successful on some level.

Join us this week, as we talk about the definition of “success.” Or rather, the many different definitions of success.

Sports, sports, sports…and more sports. We can’t seem to get enough. We have 24 hour coverage of every athletic competition across the globe. Sports on television, the radio, the internet. Then there is the conversation before, during, and after each individual event.

I haven’t done the math, but it would probably take a lifetime to consume just one day’s coverage of sports around the globe.

For some, this fact is just an annoyance. But for many others, this obsession with sports creeps into our family life. Wins and losses can affect people’s moods. Over-involvement in youth sports can have a toxic effect on family life and household finances. Keeping up with the Jones’s and the fear of missing out can negatively influence a wide variety of important decisions.

On the other hand, there is much to love and to learn from competition and the requisite need for young people to train and to develop self-control, strength, and endurance. Sports can lay a foundation for healthy living that lasts a life-time.

Join us this week on A Time to Sharpen, as we discuss the need for balance in the wide world of sports. It’s not easy to find a middle ground in a culture that worships professional athletes.

Sir Isaac Newton observed that “an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion…unless acted upon by an outside force.” And while his laws of thermodynamics revolutionized physics, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that this is also true in our lives as parents, teachers, and counselors.

We tend to stick with the same old strategies we’ve been using because they are, well, good enough. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, right?

That’s what makes taking field trips so difficult. They throw us out of our routine. Things go wrong. People behave in unpredictable ways. We often have to revisit our budget, tighten our belt, or sell a few extra things on ebay to make it happen.

On this episode of A Time to Sharpen, we’re going to offer some encouragement to plan a field trip. Let’s get out of our offices, schools, and homes. Let’s go do stuff.

And remember, “It's a dangerous business…going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” (Bilbo Baggins)

You are what you eat. If you eat exclusively chicken nuggets, you’ll probably end up looking like a chicken nugget. Literally.

Remember the documentary, Super Size Me? That dude ate only Mcdonald's food for 30 days, and he almost died. It was crazy. Of course, anyone could have told you that was stupid, so I’m not sure why had to risk his life to prove the point that fast food is unhealthy; but it does illustrate the principle of “garbage in, garbage out” quite effectively.

Join us this week on A Time to Sharpen as we address the importance of treating our bodies like they are the temple of God, and the implications this has when trying to satisfy the bottomless pit stomachs of teenagers.

What is the “Whetstone Way?” Well, to state the obvious, it’s the way we do things at Whetstone. It implies grit, determination, and a commitment to quality in all aspects of the program.

To paraphrase the great Vince Lombardi, it’s about chasing perfection, knowing that we will never attain it, while remaining confident that “we shall catch excellence” in the process.

To quote another great coach, John Wooden, “if you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it again?”

Join us this week on A Time to Sharpen as we discuss the many ways this mindset applies to teaching, counseling, and parenting - all of which require that delicate balance of aiming high without shooting over the head.

Mark Twain once said, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society.”

Join us this week on A Time To Sharpen, as we discuss the importance of our clothing choices. They say a lot, fairly or unfairly, about who we are. This is especially true with teenagers, whose entire identity is sometimes built around name brands. How do we as parents, teachers, and counselors help them to find the balance between dressing like a slob on one hand, and using expensive apparel to disguise their low self-esteem on the other.

Clothing has been a hot button issue since Adam and Eve first draped themselves in animal skins and posted a cute pic on Instagram, so there is quite a bit to talk about.

In the academic world, we sometimes refer to Art as an “elective,” intentionally or unintentionally implying that it is not necessary. At Whetstone, we believe that nothing is farther from the truth. 

From music and film, to painting and poetry, we try to incorporate Art on a weekly if not daily  basis to teach lessons about life and our relationship with the “Creator” or the Universe. 

Join us this week on A Time To Sharpen as we shoot the breeze with Alex Ruschi, former mentoring specialist at Whetstone, and current artist extraordinaire! Alex is a gifted sculptor, painter, and maker of many things that defy description. You really have to see them to believe them. There are still many of his pieces hanging on the walls of Whetstone which remind us of the years he poured into the boys here.

One part interview and three parts group therapy, I don’t think that anyone after listening to this conversation, will hold to the backwards notion that art is optional.

We’ve all been stuck in the mud. Even Brandon, with his vast array of man-skills, has found himself up his axles in mud a time or two…or maybe it's just the one time. My point is that it happens to the best of us. There is no shame in getting stuck. It happens to anyone who is out there trying to make things happen.

It’s what we do once we’re stuck in the mud that matters. Get down on ourselves? Wallow in it? Pretend it’s not there? Hit the accelerator as hard as we can in a frustrated and futile attempt to get out? None of these are good approaches to mud, but it’s safe to say, we’ve all given them a shot in one way or another.

Join us this week on a Time to Sharpen as we discuss strategies for getting unstuck with your teenager. And remember, this is a judgment free zone, so don’t be embarrassed if you’re caked in mud at the moment. It’ll wash off, and you’ll be back on the road and better aware of how to keep from sliding off.