We’re up in Southwest Virginia for the holidays, and God gave us snow on the night of Christmas Eve! The miraculous part of it was that it had barely snowed here in many years. But somehow, everything lined up perfectly and we got almost six inches to create one of the most picturesque winter wonderlands I had ever seen. We ate icicles, went sledding, threw snow at each other, and ...
Merry Christmas everyone! This special day allows me to reflect on Jesus, his celebrated birth, and all that He means to me and my family. And the day itself has become even more fun since Rachel and I had kids, because we get to remember what it was like as a child, and see everything afresh from their eyes. Finally, we do love that the holiday brings family members together ...
When I was in elementary school, I used to entertain myself in the oddest of ways. I remember taking a a ruler and a fine sharpie marker and drawing a compass (like, the kind you would see in the corner of a map) on a 4x6 index card. And I would carry this around whenever my mom or dad would take us somewhere by car. It would be so much ...
You may know that I’ve been hoping and praying for a older, wiser mentor in my life for decades. Someone who has walked the road I am on, who sees something unique in me and feels led to invest in me, and who regularly demonstrates they care through intentional actions and words – reactively (when I ask for help) and even proactively (because they love me and want the best ...
As you know, I have been thinking about how I’ll never be satisfied. And that all of the beautiful things I've gone after – romantic love, success, pleasure, adventure, money, clout – won’t ever fully do for me what I hoped they would do. Rather, they are meant to point me (and you) to God, who is the only One who can complete us. Well, I’ve had another breakthrough in ...
With Christmas fast approaching, I was thinking about the relationship between the parents of Jesus. We don’t know much at all about Joseph from historical texts, but English translations convey that he was a carpenter pledged to be married to Mary, a Jewish girl in her teens. However, under Jewish law and according to Old Testament scholars, a betrothed woman was considered to be married. When Mary got pregnant, Joseph ...
Every fall, it’s hurricane season down here in Southeast Florida - which serves as an annual reminder that disaster could be headed my way. I’ve had to deal with four major hurricanes while I’ve lived down here, and it has not been fun. Typically, what happens is that the news channels let us know a new one is moving in our direction, and everyone monitors the updates to see where ...
You might not know this about me, but I get frustrated frequently. Not with my job, or marriage, or even other people, but with small stuff. Like when one-year-old Ravi throws his food on the floor for the 100th night in a row. Like when something breaks in the house and it becomes yet another thing to do on my list. Like when I forget to set a reminder about ...
Have you heard this quote, or one of its variations? Originally made by John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard church movement which has spread across 95 countries and involves over 2,000 congregations, it is an allusion to the story of Jacob in Genesis 32. And the statement carries much wisdom by underscoring how extreme hardship produces humility and an honorable approach to God. To fill in the gaps of ...
I have been doing a lot of walking down memory lane recently. Every night while trying to fall asleep, I take these voyages in my mind back to various stages of my life. And I remember so much, in vivid detail. It brings me back to the sights and sounds and even the smells, and I once again feel the emotions I felt in those seasons. And even though many ...