Paul, who was Saul, was a man that despised Christians. He was on a mission to stop the message of Jesus Christ and was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. But one day, Paul encountered Jesus, and everything changed…

To say my mom's parenting style involved hovering, nosiness, and being overbearing would be the understatement of the year. Scratch that...century. Let's just say she had trouble cutting the chord…

Strength is valued. Or, perhaps what’s more true, the appearance of strength is valued.

Some men are taught early on to suppress emotions because crying or showing hurt is a sign of weakness. Some women are taught early on to guard themselves because people are only out to take advantage…

"Tony...you're in." Wait, was I hearing things? My coach must surely be mistaken. I'm a bench warmer whose highlight most games involved the sundaes at McDonald's afterward…

I hope you will answer this with honesty: how do you respond when someone does you wrong? 

I love asking people who are not following Jesus this question because they will actually be honest. Those of us who follow Jesus tend to answer this with a little more buffer…

The other day I got sucked into watching YouTube videos. I regret wasting so much time clicking on random comedy clips, but it did lead me to one that, oddly enough, encompassed how we handle and attempt to make up for our mess…

Loving God includes loving people. It sounds simple and straightforward. I think we all agree that we SHOULD love everyone. But why do we often dismiss this and excuse ourselves when it’s hard…

We were having a blast at a house party thrown by my good friend, Jonathan. A few of us were getting up to no good, but with no parents around, we figured we were in the clear. And that's when it happened. It unfolded just like those cheesy 90's teen movies always do…

If you ever want to understand the depth of the Old Covenant, google random laws in Leviticus you think you might be breaking. I will go ahead and warn you, you’re probably breaking 2 or 3 at any given moment…

The law could never do for us what Christ did on the cross. If it could, then as Paul wrote above, Christ died for nothing. Here’s some truth about me: I’m a rule follower, especially when playing games. My sweet family tolerates me on game night…

Do you use a calendar? Or a to-do list? Maybe a cool, efficient phone app that keeps your whole life on track? We have reminders and check-lists to keep track of our events, meetings, children’s schedules, birthdays, anniversaries, places to be, and people to see…

My husband loves to build things. He doesn't work in construction or have professional training, but he grew up doing projects with his dad, so it's ingrained in who he is. I have grown to truly love and appreciate his hard work and the details that go into each project…

It’s a typical Sunday afternoon at my grandparents’ house. As with nearly every other Sunday of my childhood, we all sit around the table with not one empty belly to be found. After some laughs and a little conversation, right on time as always, my grandmother gives the signal…

Imagine a life that is debt free. I know right, a person can dream! Realistically a debt free life is not impossible. It starts with some budgeting and saying “no” to desires. Regardless, the reality of being debt free is because everything has been paid…

The high school I went to many moons ago (which my daughters remind me of always) was recently torn down. As a fundraiser for the new state-of-the-art building taking its place, they sold bricks from my old stomping grounds. My parents surprised me by purchasing one and giving it to me as a present…

I came across a documentary the other day on Netflix called The Perfect Bid, which documents the story of a man who outsmarted the game show - The Price is Right. The hard work and dedication of superfan Ted Slauson allowed him to help a multitude of people take home thousands of dollars worth of merchandise and trips…

Maybe it's because I love games, or perhaps it's because I love teaching, but I can't help but think of the tray game when I hear this verse. I'm sure there is a more formal name to the game, but I remember playing with a plastic tray, much like the one's lunch was served on back in elementary school…

Relationships are a necessity for all of us. There is something built in our DNA that wires us with the need for community. We yearn for connections with others to the point we will settle for a toxic relationship instead of none at all. We can determine whether our links are healthy or unhealthy by how often we question our value in the other person's eyes…

The town I grew up in had a minor league baseball team. On most Friday nights during the summer, my dad would take me to the stadium and teach me the ins and outs of the game…

This moment Abraham had with God always felt crazy to me, but now that I am dad, it’s also scary! This encounter is a reminder that the call of sacrifice can be intimidating. It will look different for each of us but, at some point, God may ask us to lay down what we value the most. This could be a relationship, a title, a skill, a dream, a salary, or anything we have longed for…