I’m 39 today. I’ve been dreading this birthday. It marks the last gasp of a brutal decade—one that ushered in emotional disorders, chronic physical challenges, spiritual battles, and relational wounding. I just keep thinking: If my 3os were so hard, what am I up against in my 40s? Yet this past month my thoughts have turned to the benefits I’ve reaped… View Post
You woke me this morning with a kiss on the cheek and a whispered, “Happy anniversary. I love you.” Then you went downstairs and made me bacon and coffee. My love language. A year ago we talked of saving up for a big anniversary trip. Our 15th wasn’t an anniversary to let slip by unnoticed. There have been too many… View Post
I almost skipped church on New Year’s Day. It was the last place I wanted to be—surrounded by people, music, and words of hope and redemption. It would all be salt in a wound, but I couldn’t come up with a legitimate excuse to stay home. The worship was relevant, the sermon like an arrow aimed at my cynicism. I… View Post
Two years ago, as October faded to a close, I felt myself fading with it. After a marathon of school, church, birthday, and holiday events, I needed to recharge. That was the beginning of what’s become my annual November Slowdown. Each year, about this time, I step back from the breakneck pace of life and ask myself: Where am I feeling rubbed… View Post
There’s a frog in my chest. It hops around, especially at night, and on bad days makes me feels like a wrung-out dishcloth. The technical term for this frog is Premature Ventricular Contractions, or PVCs. They’re extra, abnormal heartbeats that are essentially harmless to a structurally normal heart, like mine. I’ve had them since puberty, but didn’t give them a… View Post