The Scarcity and Abundance of Shark Teeth

Faith, Trust|

If you live in or around Jupiter, Florida, you’re likely familiar with the fact that over the last couple of years, there have been a lot of shark teeth found on our local beaches. The reason is that there was a major offshore dredging project done to pump sand onto the shores and thereby replace all  that which had eroded over time. This has churned up thousands of shark teeth, ...

What Are You Fighting For?

Faith, Strength, Wisdom|

In every great story, someone is fighting for what they believe in. Something dear to their heart. Something that is much bigger than their own life. When we think about our favorite movies, we recognize that Frodo is fighting for the survival of Middle Earth. Wonder Woman is fighting to preserve human kind. James Bond and Ethan Hunt (from the Mission Impossible franchise) both fight for the lives of those ...

Shortcuts to Spiritual Growth

Faith|

I have been thinking a lot about our microwave society – and how we want everything RIGHT NOW. And every new technological development reinforces that tendency in us. Some of us remember connecting to the Internet on dialup. That was painfully slow and often problematic (like when your mom or dad picked up another receiver in the house and kicked you offline) – but we didn’t know any better; we ...

Why You Need to Say No More Often

Faith, Wisdom|

As the pages of the calendar keep turning, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I spend my time recently. Actually, this is something I regularly have tried to do – the periodic evaluation and recalibration of what I do during my waking hours. I think we all can agree that time (not money) is our most precious resource, and we’re specifically encouraged to make the very most of our ...

When Your Prayers Aren’t Loud Enough

Faith|

I’m not getting a lot of sleep recently due to our eleven-month old waking up randomly to scream her lungs out. We struggled a lot during the first five months, but then turned a corner and enjoyed four months of baby Maya sleeping through the night (I felt like a brand new human, it was glorious!). But now everything has changed for the last two months, and I’m up multiple ...

When You Don’t Pray Anymore

Faith|

Shepherds. I’ve been thinking about them a lot recently, mostly because of a verse that stood out to me: The shepherds are senseless and do not inquire of the Lord; so they do not prosper and all their flock is scattered. When I read that, I was like, whoa, God, you’re really calling them out. What exactly do You want them to ask You about? I mean, what they are ...

When Fear Keeps Us From Trying

Faith|

My little girl Maya just turned three months old. And we've had a lot of fun together even during these early days of life as I try to make her smile in every conceivable way. And as I teach her how to be human, she’s teaching me how to trust God. One of our favorite things to do is to have her stand on my stomach while I’m lying on ...

When You’re Waiting for Your Miracle

Faith, Marriage|

On Tuesday , we were due to have our first baby. People say that with your first child, it’ll probably come late and so don’t get your hopes up for an early or even on-time delivery.  But you all know me – I definitely expected ours to not make us wait. She’s been so active every single day for a couple of months now, and it made me believe she ...

Does God Randomly Surprise Us With His Love?

Faith|

I’ve been thinking recently about the ways that God endeavors to show us that He loves us, that we are the apple of His eye. Many times, we are just moving so fast as we manage our responsibilities and commitments that we miss or dismiss His gestures of affection, and then wonder why He doesn’t seem actively involved in our life. I’ve been there. When I slow down (or am ...

How a Superhero Cape Helps Me Be Awesome

Courage, Faith|

Rachel made me a cape!  A full-sized, heavy, satiny, superhero cape!  I am totally shocked and bowled over by how freaking awesome it is!  This is the best gift I have ever received in my entire life! I’ve honestly always wanted a cape, ever since I saw the original Superman with Christopher Reeve.  We both had black hair, and wore glasses, and were a bit nerdy.  Clark Kent obviously had ...