Category: Rambling
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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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“Look What You Made Me Do”: 4 Thoughts on Mistakes in Marriage
About a couples years ago, I was letting my daughter back out the car and, well, she ran over the mailbox (yes I have permission from her to share this). When she ran it over, her first response was “If you wouldn’t have parked the car crooked, that wouldn’t have happened.” Enter a “dad-talk” about…
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Marriage Blog: 2 Thoughts about Navigating Through Your Differences
I’m a proponent of dating before and after marriage. Dating, in my opinion, is a very good thing on both sides of marriage. What you used to win a heart before marriage helps you keep a heart after you’ve married. But if you’re not careful, you can get deceived by the pre-marriage dating process. Let…
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18 Parenting Thoughts on Cammi 18th Birthday
Often, I hit the blogosphere when a significant day happens for the family. Today is my daughter’s 18th birthday. I’m trying to let that sink in. Cammi is 18….I have an 18-year-old. *pause for a moment of silence for this parent. Okay. I’m back. [deep breath] As usual, theses moments cause you to reflect upon…
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Marriage Mondays: 3 Ways We Can Play fair
So I thought I’d try something new. For the past 5 years-ish, I’ve reserved most of my marriage blogging for Fridays as people are heading into the weekend. So I thought, like a good cup of Costa Rican coffee on Monday morning, I’d start off the week with a simple marital challenge. So today, I…
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Use your inside voice: 5 Thoughts on Your Marital Tone
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” – Romans 12:18 “Use your inside voice” has been a parenting tactic for years. For some parents, it’s an attempt at telling a child to “quiet down” but in a nicer way. Randomly, I hear parents tell this to…
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