Put On Those Hiking Boots
One of the reasons I have loved backpacking over the years is the feel of the journey. I step into my hiking boots and step onto the trail. The sounds of my footfalls soon mix with the sighing wind and the chickadee calls. I am quickly enveloped by the colors and textures of the forest. […]
Summer Vacation or Summer Rest?
(Note: Beginning with today’s blog, there will now be a video companion where I talk through the content of the blog. Check out the YouTube link here: https://youtu.be/MGMTMdG0cN4 During my earlier years, I distinctly remember the tastes and sights of summer when school let out. It was a time of unstructured play, of romping through the […]
Go Ahead and Fall
When I used to teach high school freshman Bible, one of my favorite activities happened during the section on trust in God. Instead of just discussing it, the boys would go and experience it. I would take them to the auditorium stage and have a courageous volunteer stand with his back facing the front of the […]
Skydiving, Lent, and the Beauty of Death
A number of years ago, I had two friends kidnap me for a day and take me skydiving. It was probably the only way I would get the nerve to do it. Once the plane had ascended to 14,000 feet, I was pushed out by our instructor. For the next 10 seconds, I fell into […]
The Serious Call to Play
It happens at most wedding receptions. Everyone seems to be on the dance floor enjoying themselves while I hesitate in the corner. There is something unnerving about hurling self-consciousness aside and letting my body go. A similar reticence occurs when I am asked to throw my schedule aside and go have fun for a day […]
Come, and You Will See
What if you had a day to spend with Jesus in person? What would you do? What would you ask Him? What do you think He would ask you? Just such a scenario happened in the gospel accounts (John 1:35-39). Andrew has been mesmerized by John the Baptist, becoming one of his disciples. But after […]
The Protest of Advent
The word advent is used to signify the arrival of a notable person or event. For Christians, that notable person is Jesus and the notable event is His birth. Christmas tells the story of His first advent while Jesus Himself spoke of His second advent in the future. This month, as we enter Advent season, we […]
The Lust of the Discontent
So much of my life has been spent lusting after fame. It didn’t matter whether I assumed the role of a musician, a minister, a teacher, a coach, or an author. The lust would leap out of me like a raging tiger, driving me to daydream and scheme. The same lust would also make me […]
Drinking in True Happiness
(To my readers: I am back with the blog after taking a much needed summer break). I was a high school coach for many years. I have also cheered on countless teams in competition. And I have been caught up in the swirl of last-minute victories and Cinderella successes. Yet at the end of the […]
A Peek at the New Book
Dear friends, I am spending the whole summer working on the manuscript for the next book, Heroic, the book I have wanted to write for men for some time. Because of this, I am giving the blog a rest for the summer. But I wanted to give you one peek into the new book. It’s the […]