These are my honest reflections on Christian character and integrity — the slow, lifelong work of becoming who God made you to be. Character is not built in the big moments. It’s built in the small, unnoticed ones: the way you treat someone when no one is watching, whether you keep your word when it costs you something, whether you stay humble when life goes well.
On Humility
Pride is sneaky, and humility is a choice you have to keep making.
- Humble Yourself — or Life Will Do It for You
- Never Trust a Leader Without a Limp
- Do You Feel Like an Imposter?
- Comparing Myself to Other Men
- When You Struggle With Never Being Good Enough
On Integrity and Keeping Your Word
Integrity is simply whether the private you and the public you are the same person.
- Integrity in the Men’s Bathroom
- Do You Keep Your Word?
- How Our Compromises Cost Us
- Doing Things Out of Obligation
- Learning to Say No
On What You Say and How You Treat People
Few things shape a life more than the words we use and how we treat the people right in front of us.
- If You Don’t Have Something Nice to Say
- My Mouth Gets Me in Trouble
- Do You Curse Your Neighbor?
- Don’t Judge Lest You Be Judged
- Do You Catch Someone Messing Up?
- Caring What Others Think
On Mentorship and Leadership
We’re all being shaped by someone, and shaping someone, whether we mean to or not.
- When You Want to Find a Mentor
- Want a Mentor? Be a Mentor
- Lead With Your Sadness, Follow With Your Success
- You Can’t Help Others Help Themselves
- Do You Feel Compelled to Rescue Others?
On Identity and Legacy
Where you get your sense of worth quietly determines almost everything else.
- Where Do You Get Your Identity?
- How Do You Want People to Think of You?
- Remember Me With Favor
- Learning Lessons the First Time Around
- Life Lessons Learned Playing Ultimate Frisbee
- Being Tempted
Common Questions About Character
How is character actually built?
In the small, unnoticed moments — how you treat someone when there’s nothing in it for you, whether you keep your word when it costs you. Character is the slow accumulation of quiet decisions, not a few big dramatic ones.
How do you stay humble when life is going well?
That’s actually the harder test. For me it comes down to remembering that most of what I have I didn’t earn alone, and keeping people close who will tell me the truth when I need to hear it.
What do you do about a mouth that keeps getting you in trouble?
I’m still working on this one, honestly. What helps is the pause — that half-second before responding where you get to decide whether the thing you’re about to say is true, kind, and necessary.
Why does integrity matter when no one is watching?
Because who you are in private is who you actually are. The empty parking lot, the anonymous comment, the moment no one would ever know — those reveal far more about you than your public self ever will.
I seek to live my life in a way that keeps me joyful and young at heart — and character is what makes that possible, one quiet decision at a time.