What an Angel, a Mermaid, and Santa Claus Taught Me About How I Read the Bible
In short, I’ve discovered that the Bible isn’t what I’ve thought it was. In a good way. It’s not a proof text for my preferences and proclivities. It’s not a security blanket to wrap around my political stances or any patriarchy. Jesus didn’t look like me, and his kingdom doesn’t look like my country has at any point in its history. And the best part? The real deal—whatever I someday will understand fully—is better than the constraints of my biases.
Hijabs on the Other Side of the Home Run Wall
The protesters in Iran right now don’t hate Iran—just what Iran has become. They’d love a flourishing environment where freedom and equality wafted in the air they all breathe. Iranian women and those they’ve inspired dream of a place with liberty and justice for all. For me, “justice” means tov, the ancient Hebrew word God used over and over when he surveyed his pristine, yet-unfallen creation. I long for a country and a church where everyone is treated as though they were made in the image of God—because they were. I pray for a nation and religion where those who endanger the safety of women and children have boundaries placed around them to protect other potential victims from harm.
An Adventure Unlike Any Other I’ve Ever Done
This non-glamourous setup has heard hosts admit surprise that I had anything spiritually profound or practical to say. These pillows have heard a host (who had hate-read the first few chapters of my book) pull random quotes and tell me how unbiblical and gutless I was. But, mostly, this bright & cozy spot hosted fun discussions between curious and thoughtful people.
Wasted Grace
God knows we won’t recognize most of what he’s doing around us, and he still lavishes those blessings on us. He hides wonders around the world for us to eventually find. I imagine he waits in anticipation as we bumble around the Easter eggs of his character that he’s stashed in the nooks and crannies of our lives. Gracious, he “hides” his blessings right out in the open, where we’re blindfolded by our myopia.
If You’re Going to Flip …
Saturday, several of my church buddies and I ran the Upper Gauley through Hurricane Ian’s rain in a private raft. The water was 58ºF. The air was 49ºF. The mist rising off the water and around each fold of the gorge made it feel like we were paddling through a scene from Jurassic Park. None of us wore GoPros. But it wasn’t just scenic. We got to pound and paddle our way through some wild water.
Half Our Lives Together
Crystal and I got married when I was 22. For our twenty-second anniversary, Crystal and I returned to one of our favorite sports (and my favorite city in the world): Vancouver, BC. She’s half Canadian, and I’ve spent half my life with her. So, Canada seemed like a fitting place to celebrate.
Setting Cones Around Contentment
I’ve spent a summer, paying my way into recorded conversations because my life isn’t interesting enough to enough people—and in particular the “right” people. I got my money’s worth from this publicity tour, because I learned that the life I have offline is a full one, an enough one.
A Love Bigger Than My Dreams
I’m not done dreaming. In fact, my dreams prove far more ambitious now than any I had when she said, “I do,” on a Maryland beach. I’m not the man she married, but she has adapted to every version of me.
The Worst Thing That Happens Is We Die
Nate and I spent Labor Day weekend, riding a Can-Am Maverick Trail over and between Utah’s beautiful mountains. At every turn, we saw rugged beauty—sometimes in robust forests and other times in barren dirt. We challenged ourselves along precarious ledges and over obstacles that required careful crawling. We came home having conquered anxious moments and having cheered each other on while we did. The title of this album came from all the times we paused to consider whether we should try a “high consequence” stretch of trail. Almost every time, Nate would pause, survey the situation, and say, “The worst thing that happens is we die.” Haha.
Country Roads That Didn’t Take Me Home
In just over 30 hours, I rode my motorcycle 530 miles. Those miles took me to Tennessee, West Virginia, and parts of Virginia I’ve never seen. We powered through a hail storm and rode ourselves dry over 100+ miles. I had a bear run out in front of me, and I almost became a hood ornament on a Toyota Tacoma in a blind curve. I successfully survived a steep rutted hill climb and a section of trail made out of 57 stone.
A Part of Myself on a (Barnes & Noble) Shelf
Today’s the day! Barnes & Noble has sold my book online since last November; but as of today, you can buy it off the shelf at their Lynchburg, VA, store. I signed all three copies currently in stock.
A Summer of Silver Linings
The other day, I blurted out to Crystal, “The clouds have been amazing this summer!”
Why I (Still) See a Heart Coach
Vulnerability scared me. It often still does. The precipice of self-revelation can and has felt like the moments in an airplane right before I jump out of it or walk out onto a biplane wing for some aerobatics. “Well. Here goes nothing.”
Kenny Loggins Would Be Proud
My adventurous friend, Dave Kountz, saw Top Gun Maverick and decided the best way to celebrate his birthday was flying into the danger zone. I’m so grateful he asked me to join him on a crazy caper that included some intense moments thousands of feet off the ground.
Riding the Back of the Dragon
We joined with hundreds of other MINI drivers on a scenic drive through rural Virginia, including on roads none of us had driven and places we’d never seen. So much fun! It was a long day—12 straight hours together—but those hours were filled with adventure, wonder, good conversations, laughter, and cheering for each other.
A Beautiful Scary Thing
Why wouldn’t Jesus want us to absorb all we can be, all of what life can be? He said he’s the way, the truth, and the life. I’ve never felt more alive than in moments after I held my fear, acknowledged it, and then leaned into it. Why wouldn’t Jesus challenge our atrophy, apathy, and comfort, if he knew there was a beautiful scary experience waiting on the other side of surrender?
I Don’t Know When I Became A Dad
My life changed forever 3 years ago today. I was standup paddle boarding on an incredible helicopter expedition in British Columbia with Aaron, Ryan, Tony, and Ralph. When we got back to civilization, I got a text from my wife explaining that law … Continued
Where’s That?
My brother-in-law, Sam, and I drove and hiked around the archipelago nation of the Faroe Islands. From almost every person we told that we heard, “Where’s that?” Well, these 18 islands within the Kingdom of Denmark erupt from the North Atlantic Ocean southeast of Iceland and north of Scotland. And every bend in their roads and trails wows you with a ruggedness that distracts you from almost all thoughts but amazement.
The Gospel of Availability
Woody’s two-word invitation made me ponder a four-word promise Jesus made before he headed back to heaven. As he told his first-century followers to go and make disciples, he assured them, “I am with you.” That promise goes well with his command not to be afraid and his foretelling of the Holy Spirit’s omnipresence. But this morning, I heard something different in that claim: an invitation to access him.
Finding Church in the Dark
Out in the dark on Sunday mornings, my heart’s been buoyed. The people showing up before the sun aren’t disgruntled. They haven’t given up. Even if they’ve chafed under a mask indoors, they’ve counted that small inconvenience as a tiny sacrifice for their mission. Having seen Jesus move in their midst, they remained driven to keep chasing kingdom advances. These folks weren’t trudging with slumped shoulders through a weekend morning on which they’d rather be sleeping in. No: they had smiles on their faces, pep in their step, and joy in their greetings. They radiated an energy that I absorbed and tried to take to my now-smaller asphalt team an hour later.
Gas Station Theology
It took a gas station sign to remind me that the treasure I carry with me is too good to keep to myself. Even on Taco Tuesday, the transformative power of what Jesus gave me is too fantastic not to share.
We Didn’t Train Correctly For This
Jeremy and I trained for months in a rock climbing gym for ice climbing in Ouray, CO. Because of my motorcycle accident, I even climbed for a while in a full-leg brace. While some of those skills translated to the ice, we learned we hadn’t trained our calf muscles. Turns out, you use those a lot when your points are in the ice. Haha.
16,000 Words & 160 Feet Down
After my last book took 1,254 days from start date to publication date, I wanted to expedite my next book. By a lot. To do that, I knew I’d need at least one writing trip. Even in my slow season, … Continued
My College Professors Were Finally Right
In college, I was taught that writers are readers. I scoffed at this axiom, as I wasn’t a reader. But those words proved true this year—a year in which my book Scared to Life was edited and published. In 2021, I read and listened to more books than in any previous year of my life—despite rebuilding my business from its COVID revenue plunge, publishing a book, and trying to get a podcast off the ground. Here are those books in the order I would recommend them.
A Love I Didn’t Know I Needed
Last Tuesday night, our adoption attorney sat in our living room. She’s been working on our behalf for more than a year with an obtuse judge (who told us our adoption folder has more documents than any other he’s ever seen). Sarah said she didn’t know why the process of our slam dunk case has met so much resistance.
I replied, “I do. Jesus loves the irony of me fighting to be a dad after eighteen years of actively trying not to be one.”