From great pain, comes our life’s greatest joys. Life is full of contradictions and juxtapositions, if you think about it. And I did, on Monday, walking through The Grotto (The National Sanctuary of our Sorrowful Mother) in Portland, Oregon, with friends. As you walk through their gardens, all of the art there—the statues and carvings—all [...]

There were two themes that really pressed on me as I read Chapter 1 of Kisses from Katie. The first was how great the task is that faces me as I strive and desire to make a difference in the world. The second was how simple the task that faces me really is. And if [...]

Recently, while doing some research for my boss, I came across a quote by Rob Wegner, in Outreach Magazine, that really struck a chord in me. “Every believer carries within them the potential for world transformation.” I agree with this and would take it a step further to say, “every person.” Honestly, some of the [...]

Today, I am excited to have a guest post from my friend, David Allen. David and I met at Methodist College, where we survived a speech class together. We hit it off and have been friends ever since. In fact, he’s a little bit of a hero to me. Being in a wheelchair has never [...]

As I write, I have an episode of Murder, She Wrote whispering on the television across the room. Later this evening, while I make dinner, it will be replaced by either a Bonanza or M*A*S*H rerun. And though I know my friends laugh, chuckle, and snicker about my tendency towards “old peoples’ TV” I have [...]

Guess what?! I have a winner for the free copy of Kisses for Katie! I’ll rewind, in case you don’t know what I’m talking about. Today, my friend, Jason Stasyszen and I are each giving away a copy of the book Kisses for Katie. We talked about it on our blogs last week and if [...]

When I went to college, my friend, Eliza gave me one of the greatest pieces of advice that I ever received. She said, “When you meet a new person, ask God what role you are supposed to play in each other’s lives.” So simple. It revolutionized the way I view relationships. While I had grown [...]

When I was a kid, a Jon Cryer movie was released, by the name of “Hiding Out.” I only vaguely remember it, but the name has stuck with me, probably because, in many ways, it’s my life story. In reality, I’ve spent most of my life trying to blend in, fly under the radar, and [...]

Almost two years ago, I tweeted my good friend, Jason Stasyszen one day to tell him what a phenomenal book I was reading – “Mad Church Disease.” And the next thing I knew, we were having a once-a-week book discussion on our blogs.   I have to say that it’s been one of the most [...]

We got to the church an hour before Christmas Eve communion. There was preparation to be done. The poinsettias needed to be watered and the candles lit. The bread was cut into tiny cubes, the juice poured into tiny sip-sized cups and placed into a brass tray. Finally, the trays were carried to the table [...]