I was shopping recently when a decorative sign caught my eye and stopped me in my tracks. It said: The world needs who you were made to be.
Immediately, tears welled up in my eyes.
I couldn’t help but be made aware of my passion for seeing people realize their full, God-given potential, but that wasn’t what brought the emotion to the surface.
What got me was that the sign seemed to be speaking directly to me.
I don’t have any compelling introductory paragraph to offer. I figure the title kind of speaks for itself, so let’s dive straight in:
Why do I choose to follow Jesus?
Well, let’s start this thought exercise at the gym…
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.
What do we do when hardship seems to come at us from all sides? Why doesn’t God fix it? How do we find peace when we feel stuck? Read about my personal experiences with these questions here…
It’s been one of those stretches where things have just been… heavy.
You know, when you feel like you’re rolling a big boulder uphill in every aspect of your life. Over the past few weeks, I’ve just had one of those stretches where it seems like everything takes considerable effort, and despite that effort, everything still goes backwards. Pair that with the physical exhaustion that invariably accompanies seasons of stress, and you’ve got a compound effect that can feel more than a bit overwhelming.
There is a vacation home in the back woods of southern Utah where my family and I have gone nearly every January for the past 8 years.
We found it at a time when our lives were in major transition and upheaval. As we drove up to the house for the first time, we were all amazed at how incredible the place was. A large mountain home on 5 acres, this place became our sanctum after the busyness of the holidays.
And last week, we found out that the house sold and is no longer listed as a vacation rental.
I’ve been chewing on this since March of 2020…
Clearly, I don’t need to go into any details about the recent span of human history we’re living in, so let’s hop right in, shall we?
In a world where everything is about safety, about protection, about playing the odds and having them fall in our favor, I believe now, more than ever, is the time to throw caution to the wind and stop playing it safe.
Well, the summer is as good as over – school is starting back up, vacations are wrapped up, and it’s time to get back into the rhythms of the “normal”.
How does this transition of seasons sit with you? Are you refreshed? Excited? Nervous? Anxious?
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…
