I recently read a story about an ambitious dad who decided to trump the Elf on the Shelf tradition by actually dressing up as the elf himself. Apparently, hiding a stuffed elf every night wasn’t challenging enough. His story went viral. Touché elf dad, pictures of you dressed up like a life-sized elf duct-taped to the wall are on every news site in America. Clark Griswold, eat your heart out. But I have a confession. When I see stories like this […]
A man once approached me after a speaking engagement and asked, “So how long have you been a pastor?” “Oh, I’m not a pastor,” I quickly replied. I even threw in a chuckle as an attempt to further dismiss the absurdity of his suggestion. “You’re not?” He paused and tilted his head ever-so-slightly, locking his eyes with mine. “No, I’m not.” I repeated assertively. “Well,” he said with a smile, “keep listening.” That conversation has replayed in my mind like a broken […]
When my wife was fourteen-years old, she lost her father to cancer. A spot on his tongue spread eventually stealing his capacity to speak, and then, his life. But just before he died, he wrote each of his children a letter. As you can imagine, my wife treasures her letter from her father. After my cancer diagnosis in 2014, I decided to write my children a letter, starting with my oldest, Matthew. I share this letter with you as encouragement to do the same for your children. ◊♦◊ Matthew, […]
As we were getting the boys ready for bed, I caught my oldest son, MJ, watching inappropriate videos on his mom’s cellphone—something he knows he’s not supposed to do. To make matters worse, when I confronted him about it, he lied to me. “I just picked up mom’s phone to check the time,” an attempt to cover his disobedience. Seeing his sweet, innocent spirit give in to the temptation to lie to his father pierced my heart. My first response […]
HUGE question and although I don’t think I can give you an answer, I do think I can help you with direction. Listen to this all new podcast episode: via iTunes via Stitcher Radio And, at the end of the episode, I announce an all new offering: The Whole Life Mastermind Series MH
In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was fashionable to wear wigs—wigs that were mostly made of wool. So, when the media would report on an issue from a biased perspective, the common critical response was, “they’re pulling the wool over our eyes.” And of course, it’s hard to see the truth when you can’t see at all. One of the most blinding forces we face is our own pride. It inhibits us from seeing clearly because, of course, the only thing pride […]
This week, I had a situation that didn’t go the way I had planned. At the last minute, an obligation I couldn’t escape forced me to change my schedule and cancel something I was really looking forward to. I was angry, frustrated, and ungrateful. I was a picture of Israel: in the desert, complaining. Do you remember the story? “The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin. In the desert the whole community grumbled […]
We get busy in life. Matt reminds us of why we dedicate ourselves to something other than ourselves.
- Robert Wagnon, CEO, Republic State Mortgage
