I keep a giant 6×3 foot calendar hanging on my office wall. It helps me see an entire year with one glance: birthdays, family trips, camps, mission trips… I received my 2019 calendar in the mail a few weeks ago and made an immediate and short-sighted decision. In my excitement about the year to come, I replaced my 2018 calendar and begin filling in the dates. There’s only one problem. We still have 2 months…
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.—Matthew 5:10 This is the eighth Beatitude. It’s different. I can understand the attitude of humility that comes with being poor in spirit. I recognize the need for mourning over sin. Gentleness, mercy and peacemaking are clearly characteristics worth pursuing. We should all be pure in heart with a hunger and thirst for righteousness. But, blessed are…
It’s October, and there’s plenty to look forward to. Fall weather, flannel and familiar flavors. That’s right. Pumpkin Spice! Maybe it’s a recent phenomenon but I feel like the pumpkin spice people are getting pushy. It’s started off with the lattes but now they are invading every aisle in the store: muffins, donuts, cereal, candy, candles, cologne and body spray… Ok, I may have stretched it a little. But pumpkin spice is pervasive. While pumpkin…
Well, I got off track. I’d been faithful to post once a week, but a busy weekend got the best of me. Our student ministry took a trip to raft the Chattahoochee. It was an incredible trip. We rafted a class five rapid. We zip lined from Georgia to Alabama,. We took time to worship with one another. To be gut honest with you, it was much easier to be purely in the moment when…
Every so often someone asks a question that flips the world upside down. Nearly, 19 years ago, the Baha men accomplished that feat with this simple question: Who let the dogs out? Who? Who? Who? The question probably isn’t significant nor is the song really that good, but it is catchy. Songs are like that. We can go years without hearing a song, but in a moment those words come rushing back to our mind…
The Tchoupitoulas Challenge. It’s impossible to pronounce but worth the effort. This ice cream creation is a product of the Creole Creamery in New Orleans, and it’s the only food challenge I’ve ever seriously considered. I have little interest in the worlds spiciest wings or the nations meatiest burger. But, something seemed magical about eight scoops of ice cream, eight toppings, whipped cream, sprinkles, cherries and wafers. I never attempted the feat, partially for…
While they’ve faded as fast as the fad arrived, fidget spinners were all the rage for a few short months. You couldn’t go anywhere without the seeing a child spinning the trinket between their fingers. Although the fidget spinner was absent from my childhood, I had something far better: the rubber band. There was no end to the possibilities. You could wear it, stretch it, connect it, or shoot it.. But, in elementary school, our…
Jim, Pam, Dwight, Angela, Kevin and Creed. If you’re anything like me, you love them more than Dwight loves beets, bears and Battlestar Galactica. If you don’t recognize the names, they are characters from my all-time favorite show, The Office. While these people may not be your crew, you’ve probably found a similar affection for other TV characters from Friends to Cheers, Happy Days to the Andy Griffith Show. When we watch characters for years…
It was orange, goofy and uncomfortable. There was no way I was wearing it. As I stood staring at the ocean in front of me, a kayak at my feet and a paddle in my hand, the thought of wearing this ridiculous life-vest seemed unimaginable. I boldly tossed it to the shore, confident in my ability as a swimmer. Three separate times I was tossed from the kayak. I remained in the deep water, paddle…
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.”—Psalms 1:2 There are few outlets that can keep my attention day or night. Buzzfeed is one. It knows me. It draws me in…with the most ridiculous, random lists. 45 Things from Your 90’s Childhood You Probably Forgot. The 25 Most Loved One-Hit Wonders Ever. 31 Horrendous Pinterest Fails. When I think about living out this verse,…