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Unnerving Pause

Redefining Greatness

The Gift of Relationships

Leaving Space for the Divine

Chasing Joy

One Week

Mar 20
5 min

One Week

Let’s say you only had one week left to live. That’s it! Just one week. How would you live? How would you spend your time, and with whom? What might you do differently? As I look at Jesus walking into the last week of his life on this earth as a human being, I am struck by his choices. The Bible says, “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come From God and was returning from God,” (John 13:3). In other words, he knew his time w

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Unspoken Words

Held

Feb 27
3 min

Held

Today marks the one-month anniversary of the unexpected passing of my brother, Joe. He was nine days past his forty-second birthday. The Lord called him home sometime during the middle of the night on a seemingly ordinary Saturday. Death almost always feels like a thief, especially when it steals the young or strikes without warning. It is traumatic for those left in its wake, and it has felt like a different level of grief to navigate. In the days following my brother's deat

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Your Love Moves In

Feb 20
4 min

Your Love Moves In

I sit down with a heavy sigh, trying to understand my mood. My head is full—full of the looming list of responsibilities that seem never-ending. Full of past mistakes and current disappointments. My thoughts wander over to the funeral I attended in the morning. My friend was a good man. He lived a full life. I am envious of him. He’s home. He’s finished the race and crossed the finish line. He gets to be with Jesus every single day. In person. No more sorrow. No mo

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Moving Forward

This Will Never Be Different

In the Rearview Mirror

Loving Others is Never Wasted

Jan 2
4 min

Loving Others is Never Wasted

The bell on the door chimed as I entered the local florist shop to purchase a bouquet of flowers. The aroma of fresh cut stems filled the air and graced the floor in the area where arrangements were carefully put together by skilled hands. It was a time when many local small businesses were struggling to stay afloat, a side effect of the pandemic plaguing the world at large. Sadly, I knew it wasn’t the case for this shop. Instead, the local florists were bombarded with busine

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Embracing a New Year

Jan 1
5 min

Embracing a New Year

I was doing a spiritual exercise where I spent time reflecting on my childhood. I was really struck by how much those initial life challenges still play such a role in my life. I remembered the easy-going, natural confidence I had early on in my life, and how it slowly eroded away. The alcoholism and unhealthy relationships, the discipline that bordered on abuse, the big move that led to new kids in new neighborhoods that didn’t like me much. So many, many challenges. I w

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The Magic of Christmas

Dec 25, 2020
4 min

The Magic of Christmas

Over two thousand years ago, unto us a child was born. His parents named him Jesus. He was born in the lowest of circumstances to a blue-collar step-father and a teenaged mother. Throughout his life, he would experience pain, pleasure, joy, fear, stress, hurt, heartache and love, just like we do. He would have friends who would betray him, a family who openly feared he was crazy. There were always more needs to meet than time to meet them. He had to juggle competing pri

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Repeat the Sounding Joy

Realigning My Heart

You Are Valued

Dec 2, 2020
5 min

You Are Valued

The two younger children jumped out of the newly purchased mini-van, their eyes sparkling with excitement. When they see their new home, their joy bubbles over with laughter and shouts. They have finally been chosen by foster parents. For the first time ever, they will get to experience family. The fear and anxiety of belonging nowhere, of being unwanted, temporarily dissipates. The third child, older and more seasoned, steps out of the minivan quite differently. Her who

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Down a Rabbit Hole

Nov 28, 2020
5 min

Down a Rabbit Hole

Finally! No more wearing masks, social distancing, or washing hands to the point of making them raw and chapped. This is what I long to tell myself after nine long months enduring the pandemic. Unfortunately there is no visible end in sight. When we locked down in the spring in order to “slow the spread,” I figured by Thanksgiving we would be heading back into the pre-pandemic normalcy that is my life. Instead, daily newscasts report increasing infection rates, and warn of

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His Eye is on the Sparrow