Category: Rambling
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Light into the Darkness: Journaling Through a Depressed Heart
Sitting early this morning in the coffee shop, I had just finished reading John 15:26-27. I sat in stillness at the word Jesus used to describe the Holy Spirit jumped off the page. The Advocate, or Comforter. In scripture, the Psalmist calls this “selah” (stop, pause, think). And in the midst of meditating on the words of my…
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Fighting Change: 4 Thoughts on Change in Your Marriage
It seems to me that people don’t like change. Even those that proclaim how much they enjoy change, usually are speaking to specific changes they prefer and not necessarily all change. But isn’t “change” part of how we fell in love? We met someone who was of a different sex, from a different family, with…
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What does the future of your marriage look like? 3 Questions to Ask
I’m not married to the same woman I married back in 1998. Let me clarify. I’m married to the same human, but she’s not the same person. Really, neither one of us are. Marriage wasn’t meant to be a change of a title (single to married) or a feat to accomplish. Marriage is raw material…
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Pro Tips: 4 Ways to Get (& Be) Marriage Help
Ever heard of the term “pro tip”? It’s origin came from gamers who were mocking novices. Nowadays, it’s become internet slang for “tips given by professionals to those who are lesser experienced.” Simply said, a “pro tip” is information intended to help convert a novice to an expert. About 20 years ago, a very experienced pastor…
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Reflections from a Depressed Pastor: 2 Thoughts about Depression
I’ll start this off as I have my previous blogs on the subject: My name is David. And I’m a pastor who deals with bouts of depression. I don’t write as one who is specialized in the medical or psychological field, but as one who fights a personal battle while refusing to let others stand alone…
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Shed the Shame: 4 Ways Shame Adds A Burden to Our Marriage
There’s a gentleman in our church community who’s introduced me and my son to backpacking. Ethan and I have fallen in love with it. We talk about it frequently as, every time we go, we enjoy it immensely and learn something new to apply to our next experience. That, by itself, would make a good…
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A Pastor’s Response to #MeToo: 3 Thoughts for Men
I’ve been praying over how to respond to the #MeToo movement for quite a while. Being candid, I’ll tell you that I’ve put it off. Why? I’ve been so overwhelmed with so much to say, and (IMO) the fact that there are much better writers and voices to speak to what I cannot articulate regarding…
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Picking up the Pieces: 4 Thoughts About Personal Brokenness
Have you ever said, “What just happened?” Me too. Last winter, I had one of “those” mornings. As I’m leaving for the day, I’m doing my best to be careful pulling my car out of the garage and I destroyed my driver’s-side mirror. I remember being physically exhausted. My mind was wide awake saying “You’re…
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“I’m collateral damage…” 4 Thoughts for Pastor’s Schedules
These three words stopped me in my tracks yesterday and broke my heart. While on my way to a highly packed and anticipated schedule, the most unexpected moment happened. When I’m in certain a part of our state, I try to frequent a very unique store. Every item sold has a story and a mission.…
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The Carryover: 4 Ways to Approach What You Carried Into Marriage
I had a realization about 9 years ago. At the time, my daughter was in fourth grade and I was staring at her homework and it hit me: Cammi’s math had exceeded my abilities. I could no longer help her. I’d love to say this is some sort of exaggeration, but sadly, no. Once her math…
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