My Grandfather Ham was a special man. He loved God, his family, and his country. Now that I think about it, probably in that order. Those were his priorities, his ideals. He cherished them so much that he created a place for our family to gather together and celebrate them. Behind his house, with his own hands, he built a carport. It was a large, covered space capable of housing up to three cars and still have room left over. Without […]
He found himself in The Garden of Gethsemane. It is the night before He is going to be crucified. The cross awaits, His torture and punishment for crimes He did not commit. It will be His act of love, carried out through His obedience, even to death. Yet, this night, Jesus wants another way. And He pleads to the Father. Do you know this place? It is the place where it’s always nighttime and you’re terrified, where the darkness of lies and hopelessness […]
Just last night Liz and I watched the final scene from the epic World War II tribute, Saving Private Ryan. The story tells of an Army Ranger unit that is charged with the task of searching for and saving Private James Ryan (Matt Damon), a fellow Army paratrooper, from behind enemy lines. The Ranger’s Captain, John Miller, played by Tom Hanks, leads his squad on the rescue mission and finds Private Ryan. As they seek refuge, they learn that the Germans […]
Yesterday was one of those days. A day so heavy, I could hardly stomach the reality I was facing. For the past few months, my wife has been asking me to go see a dermatologist to get my skin checked. It seemed like such a waste of time. Besides, it’s something I had already done a few years ago. But despite my hard-headed nature, especially when it comes to doctors, I decided to comply with my wife’s request. My dermatologist happens […]
The crowd of strangers surround you and scream your name. An incessant roar that grows with each painful step you take. Although this isn’t the Coliseum in Rome, I imagine that it is close as I will ever come to experiencing what that may have been like. You are in the spotlight and in this moment, your moment, everyone is pulling for you. Amid the noise, you hear your name projected over the speakers along with the name of your home city. […]
Just the other day, a good friend asked me, “How do you know when you’re hearing from God?” My quick response was, “I don’t.” I think it caught both of us by surprise. As I started thinking about my answer, it brought to mind an example. This past Fall, as I was thinking through my goals for the upcoming year, I had the inclination to complete another Half Ironman. I wrote it down in my journal along with a few […]
This is a guest post from another Matt, Matt McWilliams. Matt is a world changer. Not in an arrogant kind of way, though. He believes we all are. He writes about changing the world through entrepreneurship, leadership, parenting, and more at www.mattmcwilliams.com I am a visual learner. God knows that. Every important message I’ve ever received from God has been in the form of a vision. Every so often, I have an intense, completely life-like vision that changes things. For […]
We get busy in life. Matt reminds us of why we dedicate ourselves to something other than ourselves.
- Robert Wagnon, CEO, Republic State Mortgage
