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Bloom Again: A Weekend of Power, Purpose, and Testimony God has been doing some amazing things in my life recently and I wanted to share some of it with my readers! I actually had the incredible privilege of speaking at a first time ever event called Bloom Again. It was a powerful women’s event...

Why the Grandparent Effect Still Matters Today I didn’t grow up with a grandparent nearby. And while my parents have ten grandchildren, they only live within a two-hour drive of one of them; most of the rest are at least a two-day drive away. Our family (while bigger than many) is not unusual...

Belonging is a Two-Way Street We often talk about how much we want to belong. There is a clear desire in all of us to feel included, a part of things. It is a huge part of feeling purposeful in this communal world. We enter institutions and relationships with a deep hope. We hope to find...

How Can Couples Communicate Better During Conflict? On of the most common complaints that I hear from couples in my office, especially women, is that their partner doesn’t listen to them. For instance, Karen, age 40, has been married to Derek, age 42, for a decade and they bicker often due to...

In His Deliverance of a Desperate Man, Jesus Gives Us Hope Mark 5:1–20 speaks powerfully of an angry, alienated, and lonely man, driven to despair at the hands of evil spirits. This ancient story captures the emptiness and desperation of countless people today. “This man lived in the tombs...

What Does It Mean To Be Grafted In? “Grafted In” In horticulture, the term grafting means the joining of a section of one tree (the scion) into the trunk, or life force, of another tree (the rootstock) with the result of them becoming one tree bearing the characteristics of both. The scion...

Real Men Get Sleep [ 1 min read ★ ] . . . for I am fearfully and wonderfully made—Psalm 139:14 Our physical frames matter. People see God in and through them. We have spiritual natures, yes, but our physical frames give our spiritual selves home. They also...

Christian Faith Urges Us to Respect Political Authority As Christians and people of faith, have you ever asked yourself: “What would happen if there was no government, no political authority?” Although the thought would be tempting to buy popcorn to watch our senators and representatives...

Want Financial Freedom? [ 1 min read ★ ] . . . as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything— 2 Corinthians 6:10 We ache for financial freedom. We imagine being one day free from worry about money. We dream of security and peace...

Going Too Many Directions? [ 1 min read ★ ] . . . let us run with endurance the race that is set before us—Hebrews 12:1 Every man has a sweet spot—a skill, an aptitude, a function that results in maximum impact for a given amount of effort. We’ve all felt...

Depression: How To Help Those Who Are Suffering When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34: 17, 18 Experts consult; then move on. Friends and family keep at it...

Praise Is Not a Proxy for God’s Acceptance We live in an age of relentless self-promotion. Whether on social media or in ministry circles, people feel pressure to showcase their accomplishments—platforms built, books written, churches planted, degrees earned. Christians are not immune to this...

You’re Made for Adventure [ 1 min read ★ ] . . . how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done?—Numbers 14:11 God the Father designed us for adventures . . . for his adventures. Listen for his call. Imagine a boy awakened early by his...

What are the 7 Worst Things Parents do and How to Become a Great Parent? Parents do some very dumb things. I know I have and my kids know it and my wife can confirm it! But we don’t get up one morning and say to ourselves, “I think I will do some dumb things today and become a bad parent”! That...

Doing Too Many Things? [ 1 min read ★ ] The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day—Psalm 139:16 There are twenty-four hours in every day. We wish for more. We often act as if there were more: stay at work a little longer; stay up a little...

What's This "Margin" Thing? [ 1 min read ★ ] I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes—Job 3:26 Men are drawn toward extremes. We’re wired to want to explore the edges of things. Going to extremes can be good, of course. In most...

Walk With Me Through the Valley Some days it’s hard to keep going. Some days are easier. You’re human. You have not been affording yourself the grace to experience the days as they are. You’re super spirituality does not allow you to acknowledge the valleys. I did not tell you that you would...

When Wandering Isn’t Losing: Trusting God’s Path “Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost” I usually talk to graduates about the quotation, “All that is gold does not glitter; not all those who wander are lost” (J. R. R. Tolkien from The Fellowship of the Ring). I usually concentrate on the first...

Forming Family Habits That Disciple: Habits of the Household In the same way that rails dictate where a train goes, our habits become grooves that often unconsciously dictate what we do and where we go. All of us have habits. Not all of our habits are good. Not all of them are patterns in our...

Eight Years of living with Chronic Illness Today is the 8th anniversary of my diagnosis with blood cancer. I had been sick for several weeks and therefore the diagnosis was not out of the blue. But what was less expected was that I would constantly struggle with chronic illnesses from then on...