When I was fifteen years old, I moved into the room over the garage at my parent’s house. With my own bathroom and personal space, I felt like a king. I was ready for high school, independence, and life on my own. Ten years later, my wife and I moved back into that same room. I was a broke salesman. The real estate bubble had burst and left me holding the bag. To add insult to my already injured ego, […]
For most Americans, “church” is the place we attend on Sunday. To some that means ornate buildings and men in robes reciting ancient prayers. For others that means new age campuses, skinny-jeaned pastors, and high-energy services. But for many, church is a place filled with hypocritical people who say one thing and do another. Let’s not pretend that these stigmas do not exist. And whether we want to or not, we will bring our own experiences to this conversation. Since the writing of the New Testament, we […]
I didn’t read The Shack until ten years after it was originally published. I figured that a book depicting God as an older black woman was either heretical or just too weird for me to digest. But then, I watched an interview with the author. He was gentle, humble, and he pointed me toward God. After listening to him tell his story, I was compelled to read. Paul Young chose the daunting task of writing a letter in an attempt to explain his life’s […]
This April, my wife and I will have been married for twelve years. And I’ve spent the majority of those twelve years bouncing back and forth on the pendulum of pleasing her and simply shutting off. It’s an exhaustive charade that has robbed me of peace and caused me to fall into the trap of loving her circumstantially. I treasure the fact that she challenges me and pushes me beyond my comfort zone, but it grates on every last nerve. For more than thirty years, I’ve been […]
Christmas makes me feel like a kid again—like I’m ten-years old sitting in the kitchen at Grandma Ham’s house on Christmas Eve, anxious and giddy about what Santa might bring. But this year, I had the stark realization that those memories are twenty-five years old. It’s hard to believe, but I’m days from turning thirty-five. I’m no longer the little kid. I’m a father to four beautiful children and we’re having Christmas at my house. For whatever reason, that reality has been a […]
I remember when I was a kid, laying in bed, unable to close my eyes, my heart thumping and my mind racing in anticipation for what Santa might bring. Although my friends refused to believe, I had faith that it was all real—that Santa wasn’t some made-up, imaginary story that my parents lovingly went along with. But around my eleventh or twelfth Christmas, I began finding receipts and gift bags that caused me to question. Even still, hope is a powerful thing. Deep down, I’d […]
Earlier this week, a friend of mine named Bill reminded me that the holidays are not always joyful. Bill lost his wife to cancer a few years ago, and as much as he doesn’t intend for it to happen, the holidays remind him of what he’s lost. In those moments, it’s hard to give thanks. Bill’s encouragement struck a chord with me because, honestly, I’m guilty of overlooking other’s pain. Even worse, I try to combat it with positivity. But sometimes, positivity […]
We get busy in life. Matt reminds us of why we dedicate ourselves to something other than ourselves.
- Robert Wagnon, CEO, Republic State Mortgage
