Archive | Faith

Lessons From Hurricane Florence | The Storm Drain That Saved Our Home

Our home backs up to College Acres Baptist Church, a largish church with quite a bit of paved parking that drains to a retention pond just behind our home. Although the frontside of Hurricane Florence only produced five inches of rain, the retention pond was full and it appeared that their drainage system was not removing any of the standing water. As the water began to backup, it flooded an undeveloped lot beside our home and subsequently poured into our […]

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You Can’t Spell Relationship without R-E-S-T

Over the past few weeks, I have found myself navigating a tension. Since leaving my career to step into full-time ministry with our organization, YouPrint, my schedule has been busy. Between meetings, our radio show expansion and corporate engagements, my time has been filled. But beneath the full schedule is a lurking emptiness. This weekend, as I was spending some time alone at the beach preparing for my sermon, I felt God say, “Don’t become so busy with this stuff […]

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Hope is Hard | A Lesson From My Son

When my wife and I were navigating infertility and the aftermath of bad decisions, it was hard. Actually, hard isn’t an applicable word. It felt impossible. In that moment, we were no longer concerned with having a family, we were concerned with saving our marriage. The immediate feeling was hopelessness. It was an empty feeling with one logical outcome—giving up. But for reasons beyond logical explanation, we felt God’s presence more powerfully that we had ever felt it before. And […]

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To the Man | Peeling Back the False Self, The Pain of Freedom and Flying

To the man who’s feeling the pressure of raising kids even though he doesn’t feel adequate, I hear you. To the man who’s buried under the suffocating weight of debt, I hear you. To the man who’s mistaken himself as the provider, I hear you. To the man who’s trying his hardest to succeed at work because it validates his desire to be known, I hear you. To the man who’s afraid of his greatness because he’s comfortable with good, […]

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The Day You Stop Wondering

Since I’ve made the decision to resign after ten years in insurance business, I’ve had to face a lot of questions. And that’s understandable. I don’t mind questions. If you’re crazy enough to chase your dreams, you have to learn to become comfortable with them. In the world of questions, the two most notable inquiries begin with “Why”. Knowing the answer to this is incredibly important. If you’re going to pursue an uncommon life, you’ll have to answer it. The […]

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The Story I’ve Never Shared | Infertility, Affairs and Restoration

I’ve been writing for almost five years now and during that time I’ve found the courage to share countless stories. But there’s one story that has terrified me. Partly because it’s not only my story, it’s my wife’s as well. Before I go any further, you have to know that I have her full consent for what I’m about to write. For whatever reason, God has given us the courage to share our story today, on our anniversary. There’s beautiful […]

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Learning to Listen to God

When I recently announced my resignation from ten years in the insurance industry to pursue full-time ministry, there were a lot of questions. Most of the questions were self imposed—questions I needed to wrestle with internally. But many of the questions were from family, friends and coworkers who were curious about the next steps. When you admit that it feels like you’re hearing from God it tends to raise concerns. While most the questions were supportive in nature, many were […]

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