In my fiftieth year of life, there are some aspects I like about getting older, such as growing a bit wiser, more experienced, more focused, and less concerned about little things that don’t matter. But other things, I don’t like at all, such as the...
This week’s sermon has had a few days to marinate now, to sink into my thoughts, and I noticed something. Every time I became slightly frustrated, irritated, or bothered in the last few days, there is a trend. It is usually all about me. It’s...
My ears and heart have listened to many spoken words. Some words were needed and like food for my soul. Others would have been better unheard and undigested in my mind. Whether good or bad, words often have a sticky quality; they lodge themselves in...
There is a "grove" of massive pecan trees on our old property. They give lovely shade in the summer and produce a harvest every other fall. They look so strong. But they tend to snap off large branches in unpredictable ways. We've had a car...
I stopped immediately as they walked by, pausing mid-sentence to take it all in – the beauty, the perfectly coiffed hair, the slim figures, the flawless skin, the unique and expensive dresses accessorized with the perfect heels and equally expensive jewelry. They oozed money, status,...
I have to be honest. Social media these days is wearing me out. Instead of seeing pictures of friends and family, more often than not I find my news feeds filled with articles and long-winded posts about the latest culture craze. (We can stop for...
I was looking in the mirror the other morning at my body. I have been working hard to eat right and exercise in order to lose the weight I gained while pregnant. My goal weight is now within my grasp. Success brought a smile of...
Do you remember as a child how good it felt to be invited over to someone’s house? Of course, it stills feels good to be invited as an adult. But there was something extra special and exciting about being invited to a party or a...
I remember my grandmother as a woman of hope, but not a woman of faith. At least, we didn’t share the same faith....
A few days ago, I put my hand on my wife Lacey's stomach and felt our son moving for the first time. I suppose there were days when that was the only ultrasound people could get, and for me it had the same effect: a...
I’m seventeen years old, sitting in the passenger seat of a car next to my small group leader. We’re driving back from a youth retreat and I’m the only student in her car, which looking back, I think was purposeful. She’s got me cornered....
I love to write. I love the actual art of writing. I can spend hours carefully considering a paragraph or a sentence or even a word....
As we drove towards the village where the Bible school was to be held, I saw a road paved across a flat, wide plot of land with Mount Kenya towering over us on the right and the Aberdare mountain range running like hills to the...
Spending a weekend on a retreat with a few hundred middle school kids can make you feel either really young or really old (or both, depending on the time of day!)....
Body Matters. Body matters. Really? Well, the culture sure says so. Look at any magazine rack. Clearly, the body matters, particularly the young, shapely, alluring female body....
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the...
Last Friday, our family began the day like so many others in America who have made fitness resolutions for the new year. We went to the gym....
I became a real grown up this holiday season and hosted Thanksgiving dinner for our family this year. I operate on a “less is more” policy when it comes to entertaining – as in, the less I do, the more time I have to do...
Recently, I re-read an old journal entry and stumbled upon this quote by Jon Bloom. He’s talking about the story of Mary & Martha, and this quote is on “being a Martha:” ...
For the Samburu women in northern Kenya, the term "homemaker" takes on a whole new meaning. The Samburu tribe is a nomadic people group that earns their living raising cattle and other livestock. As a society that is still functioning in a hunting and gathering...
I have always had a slightly disordered perception of food. As a teenager, I ate without giving it much thought. The only caveat was calories. I never looked at ingredients or bothered with the nutrition (or lack thereof), but I constantly checked the number of...
Not long ago I posted about being an ezer in the second half of life. I’m truly thankful for how God is teaching me to trust Him in embracing the ever-changing relational seasons of my life. But here’s the flip side of my journey in...
This is embarrassing to admit, but in my late forties I am just now accepting the fact that I will never have a perfect body. I’m sure some of you are thinking, Hello! Of course not! But I have been reluctant to let go...
Cleaning out closets makes me tremble with dread therefore I avoid it for way too long. Recently, this feared chore couldn’t be delayed any longer and I spent a long and lonely Saturday plunging into the chaos. ...
This morning as I drank my coffee, I clicked on the Greenville News online edition to scan the headlines. The title of the last article immediately caught my eye. It said “25 of the most beautiful women of Greenville.”...