In our heyday of real estate sales we had a saying, “I’m going bear hunting.” This was analogous to chasing something really big. Wether it was a big client or a new business idea, “bear hunting” was our catch phrase. Unfortunately, we learned the hard way that sometimes the bear eats the hunter. After the market crashed, I traded in my bear hunting attire for a suit and tie. It was time to grow up and stop living with such […]
Archive | Wisdom
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 […]
Beauty in Disaster | Life Lessons From Hurricane Florence
As I sit here on my front porch overlooking countless piles of debris and water receding from my yard, I have mixed emotions. I can’t help but be overwhelmed with gratitude because our family and our home is safe. But there’s a sense of grief as well because I know so many who can’t say the same. There are hundreds of thousands of people with significant structural damage and millions more who have undergone significant emotional stress. And as I […]
Hurricane Florence and 9/11 | Waiting For The Storm
Seventeen years ago, I was asleep in my dorm room at University Towers on the campus of NC State University. My phone rang. It was my mom. “Hey, bud. Turn on the news. A plane just crashed into the World Trade Center.” Along with the rest of the known world, I watched in horror as the events unfolded before our eyes in nightmarish fashion. It was the worst case scenario—something we’d never imagined. I remember the fear. It felt like […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]