Category Archives: gotta read these

checking in, pushing pause, turning the page

leaning into the challenge. today marks the end of my first 6 months on my new job. there were multiple times during the first couple of months when i had serious doubts i would make it, but around the first … Continue reading

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big boy pants (doing hard things)

i have a full time job. for most of my marriage to rene, i haven’t been able to say that. but it’s finally true! on august 2, i start in a position as a “youth specialist” at a facility in … Continue reading

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you can’t possibly have that many friends

What is it about Facebook that both legitimizes and yet trivializes our real-life interactions? “I’m sorry, do I know you?” “Well, we’re friends on Facebook…” Doh! I have lost track of how many times I will say to my new … Continue reading

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reach out and touch, but think first (part 2 – wise physical touch)

As a culture, I fear we have grown afraid to touch each other. Thankfully, parents are no longer subjected to the nonsense of B.F. Skinner and his behaviorist notions that comforting a crying child only reinforces the behavior of crying. … Continue reading

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reach out and touch, but think first (part 1 – banish paranoia)

This is a topic around which I have labored hard to gather my thoughts wisely. To be honest, parts of this I really didn’t want to write at all. But it’s gotten to the “fire in my bones” stage, so … Continue reading

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once a warrior, always a warrior

Ten years ago today, a group of 6th graders in Leawood, KS, lost a dear friend in a four-wheeler accident. I would meet those students about five months later when I became their 7th grade teacher. I wrote this piece … Continue reading

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this blog is not about…

This blog is not to promote a cause, a church, a religion or faith, or any other ideology. But it certainly reflects what I believe. I am a follower of Christ, and I love the bride of Christ embodied locally … Continue reading

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10,000 hours

Listening to Outliers has been on pause for several days, but I continue to mull some things over. Because they come more frequently and tend to pile up, I always try to get caught up on my podcasts (85-ish subscriptions) … Continue reading

Posted in career and business, church and ministry, feed your brain, gotta read these, ministry longevity, personal journey, volunteer backpack | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

cleft for me

If all goes well, by Christmas Eve my 6 1/2 month journey with my bridge should finally come to a close. I have lost count of how many times I found myself in a dentist chair in 2009. Strangely, though, … Continue reading

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poverty of normalcy

[legacy post from innovideo creative blog] 2009 has been a tough year for many in our student ministry. Among the stories of pain and struggle are three families, all in the middle school at the time it happened, who lost … Continue reading

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