The Easy Way

Over the last 17 years, I have passed a run-down mobile home park several times a month. The sign at the front entrance always smacks me with irony. It’s called, Easy Way Park, and let me tell you, there is nothing easy about the way there. It’s like my grandmother’s words come to life. “The easy

The Laughing Room

This weekend our best friends are coming into town for a birthday celebration. To say that we are excited is an understatement of colossal proportions. I don’t have many good things to say about COVID or 2020, but it has brought the power and importance of relationships to the forefront. Last year, as a family,

All Symptoms Normal

I think you would agree Teenagers are interesting animals. Sunday mornings are the truest testing ground to see which of the fellas in my small group will come to church wildly pissed off. We all have kids that have stepped into their teens (13-18yo), and none of us were ready for it. Punctuality, making eye

The Rolodex

Years ago, I heard a piece of advice that left my heart pounding and my palms sweaty. It was that we should invite older people out for lunch, a coffee, or even a beer from time to time because they know things we don’t, and they’re just dying to tell us all about it. It

Cut Me, Mick!

My small group and I were talking about heart and tenacity the other day. You can’t get a bunch of dudes in a room talking about that and not get several references from Rocky and Braveheart. There are a lot of great scenes in both of these movies, but the one that always comes up

Knowing Helper

Remember last week when I sarcastically asked God for a secret decoder ring? It was more of a metaphor a week ago, but I realized I needed a translator after missing a few opportunities to step into His plan this week. So, I literally asked God for a decoder ring. We used to find them

Decoder Ring

This week I came across a passage of Scripture that left me annoyed. “It is written:‘What no eye has seen,what no ear has heard,and what no human mind has conceived’the things God has prepared for those who love him-these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.”1 Corinthians 2:9-10 Great! Thanks, God!

Jack of All Trades

The biggest lie of my 20s was that I had to dive into adulthood headfirst and master multiple life skills all at once, do them all perfectly and quickly. My study of life began to look more like the spinning cartoon Tazmanian Devil than a scholar. It took me well into my 30s to slow

Who and Who’s

We recently bought a used car which required me to withdraw several thousand dollars from the bank. The counter attendant asked for my debit card and driver’s license for identification. She handed me a thick envelope of money, and I quickly put it in my pocket, feeling like I was in a mafia movie, and

Confessions of a Hoarder

Guest Author: Mandy Marzano I remember watching an interview about a woman who was a compulsive hoarder. I sat there with my mouth gaping open as they showed video footage of this woman in flip-flops walking through the mounds and pounds of junk that carpeted every inch of her home. She pointed to where mold