A pandemic, wildfires, and political unrest are a few reminders of why we won’t soon forget the year 2020. Clearly, we are all exposed to some sort of circumstance today, whether public or personal. Responses to them will vary…

A few years back my parents retired and moved out of my childhood home.  During the downsizing process, I got a call from my mom saying that she had a big problem on her hands: my sports card collection, which occupied my entire bedroom closet. From baseball to football and hockey to basketball, I collected everything…

One night, my wife and I were talking to our oldest daughter Madison at the dinner table when the topic of boys came up. She grinned and reminded both of us that she was now sixteen and that our archaic dating rule had now expired…

One of the greatest lessons I continue to learn is the difference between happiness and joy. To some, these words are synonyms and used interchangeably. But for me, these two words are worlds apart. I tend to view my happiness through the things that bring me enjoyment..

A few years back, we were cleaning out my grandparent's house. Decades of memories, we gently placed in either moving boxes or the trash bin. We worked all day to get the house ready to be shown by the local realtor. Eventually, we got their place cleared except for a few large pieces of furniture – couches, beds, tables, and desks…

Time is one of the most unstoppable forces in this life. Despite our best efforts, there is no slowing it down. King Solomon saying, “there is a time for everything” highlights the tension of time and the peace and nervousness it brings…

I want to thank whoever came up with the "brilliant" idea of Powerschool which enables students to have 24/7, real-time access to their grades. Being the parent of a daughter who has an uber-driven Type A personality, you have added a great deal of unneeded angst and stress to our household. Out of nowhere, with a simple click of a button, a flood of anxiety and frustration can wash over her…

Studies show that on average people have 6,000 thoughts per day. Holy moly. That number hurts my brain just thinking about it! Can you even imagine what you think of in the span of an hour…

Rest always feels like a place that lies just beyond our reach. We think that as soon as we get things under our control, then we will experience those precious moments of rest…

One of the blessings we have in the United States is freedom of speech. There are some oppressive countries where systems are put in place to silence people's voices, depending on their gender, race, or economic status. Unfortunately, we have twisted our freedom of speech, believing we have the freedom to say whatever we want…

I got into my car over the weekend, and it looked like a bomb went off in it. Oh, the joys of sharing a vehicle with Madison, my teenage daughter. With her busy school and social schedule, our combo car has complied a lot of "stuff:" numerous outfits, hair ties, textbooks, running shoes. A fast-food wrapper or two also made an appearance, along with stray receipts and an ungodly amount of Starbucks cups…

During my junior year of college, I had the opportunity to travel to Ireland on a cross-cultural trip. Everything about this experience was a treasure: the people were welcoming, the history was rich, and the food made my belly oh so happy…

We’ve all had numerous people who gave us advice that went “in one ear and out the other.” To take this to another level, we’ve probably caught ourselves giving the same advice to someone else and as we hear it come out of our mouths we’ve realized that we don’t even heed what we’re saying. Our greatest regrets could’ve been avoided if we asked, “What is the wise thing to do?” and acted on our conclusions…

One of my greatest regrets in life is not taking school seriously. For the most part, I mailed it in by going through the motions and resting on my laurels. My parents told me I was too smart for my own good, and I think they were right. Friends who pulled all-nighters cramming for a test would often be livid at me…

What is your greatest desire? Nothing like a loaded question to start off your day. But, how you answer this question is important. It reveals a great deal about your priorities, and, sometimes without you even knowing it, influences the direction and course of your pursuits…

Integrity is who you are when no one is looking. Over the years this definition of integrity has become extremely popular in capturing what integrity looks like. Even though there is a great deal of truth to the statement, the definition in and of itself is incomplete…

Have you ever played a game with a group of people that had too many rules? We all reach a point where the long list of rules makes it impossible to follow, enjoy, or even decide on a winner…

Have you ever been lost? I mean really lost? Like deep, dark, terrifying, can’t go back type of lost? I recently heard someone refer to this as The Point of No Return…

Growing up on a farm with a decent amount of land, I didn't have many "neighbors." The family living next door was a far way off. So, my perspective of what makes someone a neighbor was largely shaped by my grandpa…

As I watched the rain continue to pour down, the more frustrated I became. It was the early morning, and I still had bedhead and bad breath. All I wanted was to get a few more minutes underneath the covers. Meg, our puppy, had different plans, which mostly involved running through the puddles and rolling around in the muddy grass…