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Shorter Posts. Personal Experience. More Grace.

After a one year hiatus, I’m back at it again. 
I published by last personal blog on January 11, 2015. It was my 100th blog over an 8 year period. And interestingly enough, I hit 30,000 page views with it. That seemed like a nice place to stop. Or pause. To recalibrate. To rest. Or something. So, I did. I took an entire year off from writing blogs. I was out of things to write about. I didn’t have all that much to say. So, I didn’t. 
I’ve decided to make some significant changes. First, I’m committed to writing shorter posts. 450 words max. Most of my blogs were between 1300-2500 words before. Those are not blogs. They are essays. That no one really reads. Sorry about that. Second, I’m committed to writing about personal experience instead of hot topic, theoretical, and theological subjects. And finally, I'm committed to writing with grace and humor as opposed to super serious, judgmental stuff.

I’ll be writing about things like husbanding and parenting and leading and getting me…
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Kingdoms Always Fail

I find world history and global geopolitics fascinating; it’s what I read about in my free time. And it is because of this that I have a confession to make: I have very little faith in the long term prospects of any empire.
Throughout history, kings have led nations and people groups to the height of power only to have that power vanquished by another king somewhere down the line. It’s a cycle that never ends. Somebody, somewhere is always grasping for more power and they will pursue it through imperial conquest if they have the means.

 Ancient Mesopotamia was home to many of these empires. Egypt had multiple runs as the big kid on the block, as did Assyria and Babylon. Asia was also home to many powerful dynasties, including the 13th century Mongolian empire which spread over 20% of the world’s land mass and ruled over 1 out of every 4 people on earth. Then you have the European Empires run by the British, Ottomans, Spaniards, and Russians. And there are a hundred more.

For centuries…
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Alone in A Crowd: An Open Letter to Pastors

It was 2:00am. I couldn’t sleep. I decided to grab my phone and catch up on the current events from the day before, so I typed cnn.com into my browser. Just below the main headline about the continued search for the Malaysian airlines flight was a heading that read:
“Mega church pastor admits affair, quits”.
Once again, a man who had set out to join with God in the restoration of all things had become all wrapped up in the brokenness before him, shaking the foundation of the lives of the people he loves and the foundation of a ministry he built from the ground up. And it was that simple. A man who was revered as a god-fearing visionary, leader, and shepherd by thousands one day before, was reduced to a headline. He just admitted his affair and walked away as the world caught on fire behind him. Unfortunately, for those who have grown up in this particular subculture, this is an all too familiar storyline. Astonishingly, 1,500 pastors leave the ministry every month due to moral failure…
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5 Ways to Disciple Your Kids

Families are the perfect environment for discipleship. But I think, like the people of Israel, there are dangers we may encounter along the way that can cause us to overlook our most important job as parents. Here are 5 things I think we can learn from Deuteronomy 6.
1 // Pass on your identity as delivered people
God didn’t want the people of Israel to stop passing down the story of how He delivered them from Egypt. In the same way, I think he wants us to build into our children a profound sense of a gospel identity.
2 // Teach them to chase the right thing
God wanted the Israelites to be aware that they would naturally teach their kids to chase after something – and to make sure it was the right thing. We all find ourselves in a constant struggle with how much emphasis to put on education, athletics, skills, approval, money, and comfort. These things can potentially be held up as gods to chase. But they can be regarded as gifts to steward too.
3 // Guard against the dangers of affluen…
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7 reasons why you should see the movie “Noah”

7 reasons why you should see the movie “Noah”
I'll admit I'm late to the party on this -- but only because I don't go to the theater. Redbox and I kind of have a thing. So I waited for months to see Russell Crowe as Noah and finally had the chance to watch it a few weeks ago. And I have 7 reasons why you should watch it too (or again).
First of all, I’ll say that I know that this movie was not received well by the majority of Christians that cared to post or talk about it. Because of that, you might be wondering why I am taking a different stand, and so late in the game. I am actually writing because I have been pretty concerned that Christians have been so offended by the movie; especially in light of the fact that I thought the movie did an excellent job of capturing the prevailing themes of the Genesis 1-6 story. It is concerning to me because I think several of the themes the movie highlighted desperately need to make their way into the discipleship pathways in our churc…
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5 Traits of Fascinating People

Fascinating people are a different breed and are therefore difficult to find. But when you do meet them, they are almost irresistible -- they are great to be around. These are 5 traits I find fascinating in people. 
1) Ask compelling, open-ended questions
I find people fascinating when they don't settle for asking questions everyone else asks. Instead, they ask questions that create space for open dialogue around interesting subjects.
2) Sincerely Listen
I find people fascinating when they look you in the eyes and value what you have to say. They tend to see every conversation as an opportunity to learn new things about someone or something
3) Demonstrate Vulnerability
I find people fascinating when they have a raw and unbridled devotion to authenticity. They are open about their shortcomings and flaws but aren't afraid to carry themselves with confidence in spheres where they have insight
4) Open Minded
I find people fascinating when they are not nervous or offended by ideas they…
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Brothers, Keep Chasing that Girl

In college, Lindsay and I used to drive home almost every weekend. We'd cut through the mountains of Tennessee and through the beautiful city of Lexington. We'd get stuck in traffic in Cincinnati.

And I remember when we'd get close to home we'd put on the song "My Town" and well up with pride for the bittersweet city of Xenia.

We had this fantasy - this dream - of a life lived out together in a small town that smells like fall, raising our kids to have that same feeling of pride in their hometown. That dream always felt like porch swings and swing sets, sidewalks and cookouts, freshly cut grass and pancakes. It felt like Saturday mornings and fire pits, friends and family, long walks and conversations. But the absolute best part of that dream was my brown eyed girl. It was waking up beside her every morning, kissing her just before I fall asleep each night.

I'm living that dream. She is my happiest place, my brightest day, my most stimulating conversatio…
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