Sometimes marriage sounds like a symphony. Every note working together, the dynamics, the ebb and flow of rest and movement, everything working in complete harmony. And sometimes marriages sound like a piano thrown down the stairs of a 30-story building.  Regardless of effort and time, there is no harmony. I have been a musician since […]

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As Summer winds down and the anticipation and excitement of going back to school begins, it can be nerve racking as well. There is a vulnerability in your kids, no matter how tough they may seem on the outside, that gets exposed when put into a new environment with new teachers, new classmates, new routines, […]

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As a dad, I say “I’m sorry” a lot. Probably every day. Multiple times a day. This shouldn’t have surprised me, but this is one of the things about being a dad that caught me off guard. I thought good dads just never messed up, or at least, only occasionally messed up towards their kids. […]

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I remember the first year of being a dad. The late nights, the diaper changing, the shift in habits and time management, the sheer cost of children—it was both exciting and overwhelming. I heard about all of this stuff and been warned, so although it was craziness, it was not particularly surprising. Something did surprise […]

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DAY 31 : GRACE  “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14  {ESV} Charles Wesley, on the one year anniversary of his conversion penned the great hymn “Oh For a Thousand […]

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DAY 27 :MASTER  “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15  {ESV} I’ve […]

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{Originally published in 2011} It was a rainy day outside of Chancellorsville, Virginia. I had just turned thirteen. To my left across the train tracks was a non-descript 19th century home where a man died 134 years before. The man’s name was Stonewall Jackson, and despite his being a general for the Confederacy, he was […]

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{an archive from 2011}   One of the greatest issues facing the church today in America is the issue of children leaving the church when they get to age 18. According to a Barna survey, only 20% of teenagers involved in church activity as teenagers remain involved as twentysomethings. Despite millions of dollars spent by […]

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I stopped playing soccer when I was six because I didn’t like getting kicked in the shins. This is a fact I am not necessarily proud of, but I unfortunately cannot change my past. I really enjoyed the sport, but the thought of playing hurt week in and week out was too much for me […]

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In all likelihood, parenting has always been challenging. Whether you are a postmodern parent raising kids in the 21st century, a renaissance parent raising children in the 16th century, a first century parent with first century kids, or a cave parent with cave kids, I’m convinced many of the challenges of parenting are the same. […]

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