Recently I overheard a gentleman say something to the affect, "Don't curse the passing inconvenience of the snow piles for the future blessing in spring." Here where I live in Iowa, we have had a ton of snow in a short amount of time and quite frankly most of us are already over it. This …
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I felt like people were looking at me as a loser. Why? Because I had failed. Because the secret was out. You failed as a husband. You had one job and you failed. What an absolute loser. Aren't you a pastor? How does a pastor allow this to happen? I did not want to face …
Starting over is hard to do on your own but as the saying goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together." Yes, you can start over on your own and be ok but to experience deeper healing you need the power of community. The power of community …
Starting over is hard because you have to admit that something is over. Something failed. Things did not work out as planned so now you have to figure out a new plan. You have been pushed out of your comfort zone into new territory. It's not that you have to start over but that you …
Continue reading "Embracing New Beginnings: The Journey of Starting Over"
"Do you ever stop and think how did we end up here?" It was Christmas day, I was having lunch with my mom. My kids had just left to go to their mom's house for her holiday time. As we were eating I stopped and asked my mom the previous question. We both just shook …
"Worry...is the repetitious experience of a mind attempting to generate a feeling of security about the future, failing, then trying again and again and again...The fuel behind worry...is the internal demand to know, in advance, that things will turn out fine..." -Oliver Burkeman As I have gotten older and wiser (ok maybe just older), I have …
"I wasn’t getting to their heart because I hadn’t logged enough quality time to earn the collateral to discipline." Jamie Hopkins This is definitely a struggle we all face as parents, figuring out how to get quality time with each of our kids. As soon as I say quality time there will be another camp …
Continue reading "The Power of Ordinary Moments in Parenting"
"When I have more money we can do this. When my job slows down I will have more time to do…" What if neither of those things ever happen? What if you don't make more money or work picks up instead of slowing down? What if this is your future life? I get it because …
Continue reading "Chasing Tomorrow: The Illusion of Future Contentment"
"This music is awful! What ever happened to the good ol music I listened to as a kid?" It's a tale as old as time. Kid brings home the album of the latest pop icon and parents say, "No way! Not in my house!" I remember it had gotten so bad for me that my …
It's that time of year again! The time when fitness centers are packed full as everyone seems to be starting some sort of workout program. The time when people decide to make some sort of resolution to do things different this year. Yet, after about 2 weeks most of it is all over. Back to …