Maybe it's because I love games, or perhaps it's because I love teaching, but I can't help but think of the tray game when I hear this verse. I'm sure there is a more formal name to the game, but I remember playing with a plastic tray, much like the one's lunch was served on back in elementary school…

Relationships are a necessity for all of us. There is something built in our DNA that wires us with the need for community. We yearn for connections with others to the point we will settle for a toxic relationship instead of none at all. We can determine whether our links are healthy or unhealthy by how often we question our value in the other person's eyes…

The town I grew up in had a minor league baseball team. On most Friday nights during the summer, my dad would take me to the stadium and teach me the ins and outs of the game…

This moment Abraham had with God always felt crazy to me, but now that I am dad, it’s also scary! This encounter is a reminder that the call of sacrifice can be intimidating. It will look different for each of us but, at some point, God may ask us to lay down what we value the most. This could be a relationship, a title, a skill, a dream, a salary, or anything we have longed for…

Our family spends a lot of time at the beach. As a true, born and raised local, my summer childhood memories include boats, waves, sand, and the smell of sunscreen. I’ve always loved everything about the beach, but I really loved building sandcastles…

Have you ever sat down and simply thought of God’s mercy? The God of the universe not only intentionally created you and me with a specific purpose, He also desires to be in a relationship with us. Even though we mess up constantly, God constantly desires us…

Like most twenty-somethings, when I graduated from college, I was living on a shoestring budget. Buying nice stuff was entirely out of the question. Luckily, people took pity on me and offered up their hand me downs…

A strange tension was building in my gut as I waited for the appraisal of my Camaro. I was wrestling with the reality of having to get rid of my first car. Denise and I had been talking about the potential for our family to grow in a couple of years, and we knew the value on my car would only depreciate the longer we held onto it. But I was not ready to surrender my Camaro…

Seeing things from our limited perspective can get us into trouble. We react to our circumstances based off what we see and how we interpret the things going on around us. Feeling rushed forces faith to give way to certainty and hope to lose out over control. The perceived pressure leads us to feel overwhelmed, so we continue to force our way in a never-ending loop that leaves us exhausted…

I'm an introvert at my core, but recently the reason why I didn't call or text my friends and family is was due to me waiting for my dead phone to resurrect itself. A spotty battery had me playing the game of "what inconvenient time will my phone die?" daily…

Do you ever read Scripture, and the more you read, the more confused you get? No? Maybe it’s just me…

Sitting on top of my fireplace mantle is a breathtaking picture of the North Carolina mountains that's near and dear to my heart. I didn't snap the photo, haven't had the opportunity to take in this serene view, and couldn't tell you the towns it overlooks. But, for me, it serves as a reminder that small acts of mercy can have profound impacts…

God is love. Those three words are some of the most powerful that exist in the human language. Those three words can change the hardest of hearts, and redeem some of the most broken lives. Once you get a true glimpse of God’s love, you are changed forever…

I am not a big list person in day-to-day life. I enjoy having a sort of open-handed approach to each day and letting life throw what it has at me. My wife Denise though loves a good list. The more listed life could be for her, the better…

"Suit up and show up." It's a charge I often give to the students and student-athletes whom I work with each day. While on the front end, I use it to motivate the individual to personal respect and preparedness, it might just be what's on the unspoken side that holds the real power. What I'm driving at is the power of community…

The smartphone, electronic device or laptop many of you are utilizing to read this post came from humble beginnings. Believe it or not, there was a day when technology wasn't at our fingertips or small enough to fit inside our pockets.  What is now the world's most valuable brand started inside a plain old garage in the suburbs of Los Altos, California…

At my house, we are deep in the throes of toddlerhood. In just two weeks, we will have a one, two, AND three-year-old under our roof! Toddler excitement and emotions are real, constant, and ever-changing…

As a new dad, I think our son Ivey Brooks is incredible in every way, but to say He would be the greatest in heaven is a little bold, even for me. I mean, the greatest implies that there is something they do better than anyone else, and children (as well as parents) are learning life by trial and error. However, I think our adult brains forget the power a childlike approach has in relationships…

The words of Christ found in The Sermon on the Mount were a revolutionary rallying cry that confronted the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of the day. Jesus’ message set the tone for all that would come afterwards…

Once the air got crisp and the leaves began to change color, my elementary school held a fall festival. There was music, games, rides, and a wealth of food. Yet, for competitive kids like myself, taking home the ribbon as the winner of the three-legged race was the creme de la creme…