Emory's Last Morning at the Crosswalk
Before you discount Emory’s service, know that he represents all of us. We’re all only part way on our journey of serving. We’re all proud to wear our safety gear. We all look forward to Sunday mornings.
Freedom of Expression: My Worship Journey
Worship has changed for me over the past decade, informed by others (like Todd) who see worship as a lifestyle instead of as the standing song, the sitting song, and the standing song before a sermon.
3 Things I Learned from Being a Heretic
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been regarded a heretic in two very different but very important parts of my life: my faith and my career. I was struck that my response to both controversies was similar and that the lessons I learned were the same.
3 Reasons I'm Writing about a Vacation I Haven't Taken
It’s exciting to meet people with passion. We can all enjoy conversations about what inspires each other, and we should. That requires that we act on those passions, that we create those stories, that we pursue our dreams.
Living in the Shadow of a Great Man
Kendall embraced this intentional lifestyle instead of the American dream. He bought into the concept of eternity and brought the weight of it into daily practice. He jumped into a lasting legacy with both feet. He walked a path so many regret not taking. He showed us how to do this life thing, even though he was given less time to do it.
Why God's Sovereignty Needed a Jet Boat
The story I’ll remember most won’t be the one on the screen. It’ll be the one God wrote and directed behind the scenes. A story of rescue, a tale of sovereignty.
Peyton Manning and the Power of "Both"
That’s the nature of sports discussions now—the nature of all discussions. For some reason, we as a culture have to reduce the things we love to either or. Popularity and support have to be a zero-sum propositions, where the light can only shine in one direction.
The Best Valentine Gift I've Ever Received
Crystal knew I needed to be reminded of my purpose. She knew I had let this winter be filled with self-doubt, uncertainty, and discontent. She had seen me dreaming of more
What if the NFL Didn't Own Sunday?
There’s not a single verse in the Bible that says church has to be boring, that it has to be attended in investment banker attire, that worship can be expressed only in liturgical ways. When Jesus healed people or raised their loved ones from the dead, how do you think those beneficiaries responded? If lives are being utterly changed in a church, why would we expect a different response?
How God Used Oprah to Prove His Sovereignty
One of the sayings we have on the parking team goes back to my driver ed instructor. “There are no accidents—only collisions.” I don’t think it was an accident that all of these situations intersected as they did. I prefer to think God planned a collision with her that night.
My Journey to Almost Go on a Mission Trip
It’s not numbness. I’ve just moved on—like I do on the highway after I pray for the family involved in the wreck I just passed. It was such work to “hold this trip loosely with open hands” that I barely felt it eventually leave my hands.
A Movie Too Nuanced to Summarize in a Facebook Status
13 Hours will not be go on my list of favorite movies. As with the military movies that have preceded it, I hope I never have to watch it again. It is, however, one of the most important movies I’ve ever seen. I’m grateful someone made it—and that they made it indelible.
A Question for the Monday Morning After Powerball
I don’t need a lottery jackpot to pursue those goals. Chances are, you don’t need a Powerball payout to move toward your ideal vocation, either. Sure, we might have to sacrifice more, save more, or be more creative with our time, talent, and treasure in order to accomplish our grandest dreams. We might need to let go of some relationships, status, or security.
What Steve Harvey Didn't Tell You About Abundant Life
That’s actually why we were given our unique gifts, talents, and contexts that Steve mentioned. We’re supposed to leverage them for the greater good, the spiritual abundance of others. We are assigned to be conduits through which God’s character traits flow into the lives we touch. As we do that, how we measure success will change.
A Different Approach to New Year's Resolutions
Just as the first step in financial order is knowing where your money currently goes, personal analytics can give you a baseline for future comparison. Just as a food journal can alert you to the difference between your perception and your reality in your diet, a personal activity tracker can separate your intentions from your behavior. While there’s no cure-all to make your resolutions happen, a points system can at least give you actionable insight.
A Social Media Guide for Christmas
Rather than blame social media for invading the holidays again this year, harness it for wonderful Christmas memories.
Why Entrepreneurs Should Think About Their Résumés
That week of contrast for me was a wakeup call, a reminder to keep working on my game while playing the game. It was healthy for me to realize talent is chasing me, that the playing field might be more level than ever, that I can’t assume auction companies will continue to send me work.
Why "Shop Small" and "Buy Local" Send the Wrong Message
Local media should still celebrate local business culture. Municipalities should still offer financial and infrastructural incentives to businesses of all sizes—encouraging both local startups and organizations that are expanding or relocating. All of us who love our community should market the heck out of where we live and why we love it. We just need to save the charity for nonprofits and give our neighbors reasons why shopping local or shopping small is the no-brainer option that’s best for them.
The Surprising Highlight of My Career
Over the years, I’ve learned that one of the marks of a healthy culture is its exports to others. So, retention cannot be the primary benchmark by which I’ll measure buy-in for the rest of my promotional career. That said, I will never stop being proud of the moment when a raw, untrained kid in khaki corduroys asked, “Who’s with me!?” and everyone else in the room answered, “I am.”
5 Business Lessons From a River at Flood Stage
Then, I started thinking about the auction industry I serve. I don’t have enough fingers to count the times a client has tried a project I’ve wondered if they should’ve declined. Those are the times when I get this phone call or email: “Hey, I’ve got this auction. I’ve never sold one of these before. How would you market it?” They’re hoping I’ve helped another auction company sell something similar.
Band-Aids and the Big Bang Theory
I hope that wonder leads you where it leads me. If it doesn’t, I’d really love to know where it does lead you and how it inspires you.
The Undoing of a Love Letter King
Over the last three years, a series of things in which I’ve taken pride have become embarrassments.
10 Ways for Husbands to Improve Their Sex Lives
For a lot of guys I meet in church settings, though, sex has been all but taken off the table by their wives—some going months or even years between sexual encounters. That breaks my heart. It also makes me mad that Satan wins. He wants to thwart fulfilling, married sex so that spouses are tempted to look to other (unholy) places to get their needs met. Since God uses marriage as a picture of his relationship with us, evil wants rejected, dejected husbands and distant, unconnected wives.
Sweaty Hands at the Controls
I love being in the sky. I’ve got an adventure résumé filled with aerial adrenaline rushes, including jumping out of planes. So, it’s a bit ironic that I get nervous on airplanes during turbulence. Sometimes, straight out scared. I use the free drink napkins to dry my hands on multiple flights per year.
A Long Night Alone on a Mountain
What I knew is that I had a story. And, really, the chase of a story—along with some solitude for contemplation—was why I had traveled as far and as hard as I had. I smirked in acceptance. It was an altered mission accomplished.