What I’m Reading (2017)

Prayer by Tim Keller

Keller’s book is the most complete book on prayer I’ve ever read. As you read, you quickly realize that Keller is a great deal smarter than you’ll ever be. His humility and skill in communicating, however, make his books readable and accessible. Prayer discusses the theology of prayer, it’s history and importance, and also includes […]

Effective Communication

How Simplifying Your Communication Will Strengthen Your Relationships

It’s amazing what you can learn if you are willing to see all that goes on around you. Recently, while having a coffee in a small bakery, I noticed a mother and daughter climb out of their car and ready themselves to come in. It was a bit of a process because the daughter was […]

What I’m Reading (2017)

Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance

The Vance family story is equal parts tragedy and inspiration. Vance paints a clear picture of the struggles of many impoverished rural Americans. Having grown up in a small town in western N.C., there were many parts of the book that rang painfully true. It’s difficult to accurately describe the people we love. Most of […]

Happy Mother’s Day!

A Poem and a Prayer

I am grateful to have had a wonderful mom, and even though she is no longer with us, her memory and impact is fresh and real every day. My mom was the most courageous person I have ever known. So, for those of you who enter this Mother’s Day without your mother, I encourage you […]

6 Things I’ve Learned About Grief (Number 6) (The Final One)

They Were Worth It

Last Christmas, our daughter gave Mindi and I a free night of babysitting that we used to catch a concert at one of our favorite venues. I wasn’t expecting a new insight into grief as Johnnyswim walked out onto the stage that night, but that’s what I got.  The husband-wife duo talked about how they had […]

It is easier (and less painful) for us to rely on God’s forgiveness of our sins than it is to believe that God might support us to quit them.

Barbara Brown Taylor
Speaking of Sin: The Lost Language of Salvation (Lanham, MD: Cowley Publications, 2000), 4