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We were watching the presidential debates this week and it hit me that my son, Donovan, will have a chance to vote in his first election. He turns 18 just weeks before the election. As we talked, I realized he hasn’t registered yet. It hadn't crossed our minds that in the state of Tennessee you have to register 30 days prior to the election in order to vote in this year’s presidential election. We went online immediately to print out a simple half page form and he placed it in the mail the next day. Now he’s officially registered to be as confused as the rest of the country about who to vote for in November. But at least he has a voice.

A good friend needed extensive engine work done on his car. He called to ask, “When is it better to buy a new car verses paying for repairs?” If he indeed needed a new car, he also wanted to know if I had any tips for how to begin the car buying process. Specifically, he wanted to know how much should he spend on the new car. Here are the 7 steps I provided & I think they will assist you as well if you are thinking about your next car purchase!

Recently, I had a couple come to me for financial advice. Like many of us, they were spending more money each month than they were bringing home. One question helped me to come to the conclusion that they could significantly increase their monthly take home pay without making any major financial sacrifices.

Who doesn't want to be promoted at work? The decision may be in the hand of others, but there are some things that you can do to help put you in position for that next promotion. There is a story in the Bible where a man named David was promoted from a person who watched sheep to what was in essence an internship for the Kingship. Eventually David was promoted to King. This amazing story of David highlights 5 Key Lessons we learn in order to help us get promoted.

Mr. Curtis is a grill master, 82 years strong and like a father to me. Recently, Mr. Curtis came for a visit to show me how to make ribs the right way! As we spent the morning together over the coals, I found I not only learned to master the grill but took away some invaluable life lessons. Here are just a few of the life lessons learned while cooking with Mr. Curtis:

What is the most fulfilling thing you have ever done? This question was asked to the world's wealthiest person, Bill Gates. I can think of many ways he could have answered this question . . . He could have responded: Co-founding Microsoft (which has become the largest PC software company in the world) Topping Forbes list of wealthiest people as the wealthiest person in the world with a net worth of $78.3 billion! Or maybe being named one of the 100 people who most influenced the 20th century by Time magazine. All those accomplishments and you may be surprised at his answer . . .

Unfortunately, many of us are just drifting through life while often facing defeat at every turn. We long to improve our relationships, our health, and our finances, but for many of us it seems as though we are just getting by in life. The good news is that God does not want us just to survive so that we can enjoy eternity. God wants for us the same thing that we all want for ourselves - to win in life. He wants for us to win in our relationships, our health, and our finances. With this post, I wanted to share a complimentary excerpt of my new book, Winning: The Guide to a Life of Peace and Purpose. This book was written to help you do just that, Win in Life! I hope you enjoy and that it spurs you to the next steps of winning in every area of your life!

The tragic events that have taken place over the last few weeks have shaken me personally as it has our entire nation. As I'm sure it has for others, it has driven me to pray more and more not just for me and my family but also for the concerns of our nation.​ Spending time with God in prayer is the one thing we must do every day. Especially now. Time with God doesn't have to be a long boring period of time we just endure. My objective in writing this post is to encourage you to have a more effective, efficient, and enjoyable daily prayer time with God.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to officiate my sister-in-law’s wedding. My sister-in-law has always accused me of acting like her dad. Guilty as charged! I am as protective as any big brother should be! I didn’t know the groom very well when he proposed and I knew I either had to quickly stop this train or give my blessing. So I invited him for dinner to get answers to 5 questions that would let ME know if she was about to marry the right man.

When I hear the word "prosperity," I immediately think of material things such as big houses, luxury cars, vacation homes, diamond rings, expensive clothes, and eating out at fine restaurants. In recent years, I hear more and more about the "prosperity gospel" and wonder is this really what God intends for us? Not surprisingly, the Bible has the answer to this question.

I was watching this ESPN documentary called "Broke." It was a story that featured professional athletes and their finances. The report stated, “By the time they have been retired for two years, 78% of former NFL players file bankruptcy or are under financial stress.” Their stories were incredible! How could so many highly paid athletes go broke within two years of retiring? It was not just a few but the overwhelming majority.

I loved hanging out with my dad when I was a little boy. One of the things I remember is how he always opened the door for others. If he saw a woman or elderly person approaching a door, he would almost hurt himself in order to open the door for them. Sometimes he would just tell me to open the door. I liked doing it or I guess I liked the attention I got from doing it . . .especially from the pretty ladies.

A friend approached me about investing in this "no lose" business venture. After talking with him about this venture, I quickly realized that it was the typical get-rich-quick scheme. No matter what I said, my friend was convinced this business venture would make him rich soon. Some time later, I spoke to my friend again to see how it was going. Just as I suspected, this get-rich-quick scheme has not worked out as projected. They never do. There is only one way to build sustaining wealth...​

Recently, family and fans of entertainment legend, Prince, were surprised to find out the entertainment mogul apparently died without a will. Several years ago, my wife, Carol and I were talking with an attorney friend, Peggy, when Peggy said, "Anyone with kids or a home, who does not have a will is a fool." Carol said, "Travis and I don't have a will." Our friend responded, "Then you both are fools!" Even though Peggy had a brash way of saying it, she was right. Unfortunately, most Americans rich or not do not have a will.

My wife recently went on a journey to lose a few pounds and one day she made this comment, “You husbands could help if you would complain when your wives are overweight. That would motivate us to get in better shape!” I didn’t respond. I thought to myself, “Yeah, right! Like that would help!” I realized my wife didn’t fully understand my 4-point Surefire Plan to help her lose weight.