All tagged Gratitude

Book Release Announcement!!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!

I am thrilled beyond belief to announce that my book, Clearing the Path: Connecting with God in a Cluttered World is now available on Amazon! (Kindle, paperback, hardcover options available, with a special thank-you to Pastor Matt Brown for writing the foreword!)

This book aims to help you connect with God on a deeper level, experiencing being known, seen, and loved by Him, and enjoying the personal transformation that comes as a result. Please share this post with anyone who you think would enjoy this read!

To grab your copy, simply click here!

On Practicing Gratitude

As we approach Thanksgiving 2021, how are you feeling?

Hopeful? Anxious? Excited? Sad?

Maybe some of you are seeing family members you haven’t seen in a long, long time, and so your heart is filled with a sense of fullness of finally being able to sit around the table together again.

Perhaps others of you are missing the company of loved ones this holiday – whether separated by actual death, geographical distance, or ideological disagreements.

For Joy's Sake

This morning I decided to hop on my bike for a ride. Now, let me first say that it was raining most of last night, and it was dreadfully cold outside (albeit dry) when I woke up. 36 degrees, to be specific.

A big part of me didn’t want to ride, but at the same time, I woke up with a peculiar energy to just get out, get some variety, and go for a good old-fashioned bike ride.

Now, for some quick context:

This was, I believe, the 3rd “real ride” I’ve taken since October 3rd, 2019. That was the day I ruptured my Achilles…

When Things Don't Go As Planned

We recently returned from a “one last getaway before school starts” camping trip to the eastern Sierras. If you’ve never been there before, you’re seriously missing out. It’s the sharper side of the Sierras, where jagged mountains topping 14,000 feet plunge dramatically into deep and verdant valleys.

One of our favorite places in the eastern Sierras is the Yosemite high country. It’s visited by only 10% of the crowds that the more famous Yosemite Valley hosts, but it boasts a dramatic landscape of mountain meadows, glacial lakes, and tall peaks.

It's the Little Things That Matter Most

It’s been one of those mornings. Disrupted is really the only apt descriptor.

It started with waking early, as is my custom, to go to the gym for a light workout.

(I’m in the process of rehabbing from a ruptured Achilles tendon, so my “workout” consists of walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes while being flanked by silver-haired old ladies who like to sprint. I’m not making this up. I think they derive great pleasure from watching a “young” mid-forties man struggle to sustain 3mph on the treadmill. I’m pretty sure it’s the feature story in their afternoon knitting groups.)

But the workouts help set my mindset for the day. I’m doing something to grow, to improve, and to clear the cobwebs that the morning cup of coffee was unable to do.

This morning, however, I walked into the gym to find that the blustering morning winds had knocked out the power and they were sending everyone home.

Wonderful. Disruption #1.

Grateful.

OK, so I’m very aware that this is the trending topic of the week, or even the month, so I write with an element of risk that this might be overlooked as just one more piece on Thanksgiving, one more list of things to be grateful for, or one more reminder of just how good we all have it.

And if I’m crafty enough, I’ll accomplish all three today.  :)