I can’t believe it, but it’s been three years since I said “I do” at the altar and married the love of my life. Three whole years. Among the joys we’ve shared together (some cool annual vacations, the birth of our first child, cheering on my favorite sports teams) and the struggles we’ve jointly endured (the passing of Rachel’s grandparents, some health issues, and some difficult work and ministry transitions), ...
Have you ever been confused as to whether it is your responsibility or God’s responsibility to make something happen? Man, I have definitely struggled with that. It’s like, okay, I know that He’s not going to drop what I want in my lap, and I’m supposed to use the giftings and abilities He’s given me in order to chase after it. Life involves hard work, and I have to work ...
I’ve been thinking a lot about the saying “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” It’s a solid statement. Especially because there’s a lot of negativity that surrounds us. Heck, many of us are guilty of contributing to the discord around us because there is always something to complain about. And often someone to complain about. But I want to talk about the opposite ...
A while back, I was in Manchester, New Hampshire to give a talk. Everything was going really well – I was connecting with my audience, making them laugh, and basically feeling like a rock star in front of them on stage. I was just flowing and riffing and bantering like a pro – it was completely exhilarating and incredibly fun. It was like, Yes! I belong up here! This is ...
Today, I thought it would be fun to contemplate the best decisions I have ever made. Like everyone else, I have made plenty of bad decisions, but I’m already really great at remembering them, dwelling on them, and eviscerating myself about them. You know, “worst critic” and all that. I don’t need to be always doing that. Neither do you. Especially because on the whole, I would say that I’m ...
I have to travel sometimes for work, and pretty much every time I stay in a hotel, I am fascinated by my hotel room’s minibar. Why, you ask? Well, first off, I typically have just gotten off a multiple-hour airplane leg, and I’m desperate and absolutely starving. Second, I really don’t want to try to find a decent restaurant around me, because I’m exhausted from airports and lines and people ...
Recently someone told me during a conversation about the seasons of life that “the days are long but the years are short.” I’m sure that quote has been around forever, but it struck me as if those words were uttered for the very first time, and I’ve been thinking about it over the last week. Life does seem to speed up when we get older. And even though as an ...
“Society treats kids and senior citizens the same,” Rachel remarked to me the other day, and it got me thinking a lot about the truth of that statement on many levels. In the main, there just doesn’t seem to be a lot of time, respect, and wholehearted care given to those populations by the mass of individuals who find themselves chronologically between them, even if they are related to them. ...
Driving on the backroads of Ireland is very stressful and downright scary sometimes. This is no exaggeration. Americans like me are already at a bit of a disadvantage because the steering wheel is on the right side of the car, and the Irish drive on the left side of the road. Secondly, Irish roads are notoriously curvy and hilly – and the signs say you can go a lot faster ...
Somehow, some way, a bit over twenty-four months have passed while I’ve been doing this marriage thing. What the pez!? You’ll recall I shared some of the lessons learned after one year of being hitched, and I thought it would be important to reflect again now that we’ve hit another milestone. I’m not sure how the first couple years are supposed to be, or tend to be. Are we still ...