A little over a year ago, my wife and I started CrossFit . After more than a decade of not doing anything consistently, I plunged into this new fitness journey. There has been a lot to learn, and there still is. Some things feel completely new. But there are also things that have come back surprisingly quickly. Many of the lifts and movements we do now are things I first learned when I was 13 years old. Different form. Different equipment. A very different body that had not

We live in a time in American history when people seem more divided than ever, even while loudly proclaiming messages of diversity and inclusion. This division is especially evident in our political scene. Whether you like him or not, Donald Trump, the current president of the United States, is deeply loved by many and just as deeply despised by others. Regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, or whether you even knew this was a thing, I recently came across a headline

Photo by Antony Freitas on Unsplash Have you ever gotten lost before? I suspect all of us have at some point—whether in a store, in the woods , or out on the road. These days, most drivers set out with confidence, especially with GPS at our fingertips. But even GPS can lead us astray. That happened to me recently. Last week was our Spring meeting for our local Baptist Association , held at a church I’d never visited before. I had been to the neighborhood, but never the chu

Photo by Sarah Donaghy on Unsplash Earlier this month (April 6) marked the 10-year mark of my father's passing . It is hard to believe it has been that long. Interestingly he passed the Monday after Easter, and seeing as we just celebrated Easter , I thought it would be appropriate to post an “I Was Just Thinking…” Throwback. Titled “Feeling Alone? It's Your Fault”, this article shows that even in our loneliest moments, God stays by our side and gives us strength. We are n

Photo by Morrow Solutions on Unsplash He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed! Easter Sunday is here, and while many people are focused on baskets and bunnies, we remember what Easter is truly about—the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This past week at CrossFit , we had an optional finisher workout called The Carry . It was created in partnership with a national CrossFit brand and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). The Carry involves taking a weighted bar

This past Saturday, I ran in the Monument 10K . I’ve done this race once before, and let me be clear—I’m not trying to win the thing. But I did want to finish it… ideally without stopping. It’s always amazing to see the crowd at this event—over 18,000 participants. The range of people is incredible: little kids, elderly walkers, Division I athletes, cancer survivors, hardcore runners, and even individuals pushing someone else in a wheelchair. One of my buddies was checking t

As a regular at our local Mexican restaurant , I’ve witnessed plenty of amusing moments. But on a recent visit, one particular scene caught my attention. A little girl, no older than five, burst from the back dining area and hurried toward the bathroom. Judging by her pace, you’d think it was an emergency—but I wasn’t convinced. Her mother followed shortly after to check on her. As she knocked on the door, the entire restaurant overheard the child’s enthusiastic response : “I

Basketball season is winding down for me as an official , and one of my recent games happened to coincide with a school's senior night. Before the game, there was the usual ceremony recognizing the athletes and celebrating their high school careers. I couldn't help but notice, when they got to the two basketball players, that one of their teammates was visibly emotional, with tears in her eyes. What struck me most was how one of the girls being recognized seemed genuinely s

On New Year’s Day , I played in a “for fun” golf tournament. It was more of an outing with a few elements of a traditional competition. I invited a friend from church to join me, and we were partnered with two players we had never met before. I wrestled with how good I needed to play in order to either help carry the team or not be embarrassed. I’ve never claimed to be a great golfer—just someone who enjoys the game and has played a fair bit. The challenge, though, is that I

Another Christmas Day has come and gone. I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday season. But I wonder—was it everything you planned for? Maybe you didn’t get the gift you really wanted. Maybe a family member couldn’t make it after all. Perhaps the cookies didn’t turn out quite right, or a cherished tradition was dismissed by the rest of the family. For us, this was the second year in a row our extended family was sick . This year hurt a little more because my wi

This past summer, I led a team of high school students from our church to Costa Rica on our first youth international mission trip . One of my favorite parts of international mission trips is the flight. Unlike most people, I love the airport and the plane ride—even the 12–14-hour ones ! Costa Rica was my fifth of six international mission trips, and I am always fascinated as we climb to cruising altitude. As we get further from the ground, we get closer to the clouds. And t

Lately, I have realized that I enjoy words. I enjoy a good pun, a good riddle, and even just playing around with different words to decipher meanings and connections. Many of my students in youth ministry (and now in substitute teaching as well) roll their eyes and take a deep breath when I get going. SIDEBAR : One of my favorites is “when was the first time medicine was mentioned in the Bible?” You’ll have to read all the way to the end to find out. This week our local middl

About a week and a half ago, we celebrated Easter. Many people celebrated it by decorating Easter Eggs and looking forward to the gift of Easter Baskets filled with toys and candy. Christians, while maybe doing the same thing, celebrated the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Jesus is simply amazing. From all standpoints, especially the idea that He would die for me and then come back to life. However, there is another amazing point. He is absolutely the most important figure in all o

Guest Post by Paula Morgan If you told me five years ago that I would be a pre-med student in college who loved science and planned to study health and medicine for the rest of her life, I would have looked at you doubtfully and told you that you must be mistaken. Too often in public school, I was taught the sciences not only in a secular manner, but sometimes in an atheistic manner that was hostile toward God… and I hated it. I avoided science when I could because I was afr

This week I was having a conversation with a couple of classmates in a coaching class I am taking. It was a demo where I was being coached while one of my classmates was the coach. The intention is to help us get more comfortable coaching and to apply what we have learned. When we had finished our trial run, the three of us were debriefing how it went. One big realization was that giving voice to an idea to someone outside your spouse gives it more validity. When it is just s

We are just a few weeks away from Christmas , and I know for many of you, things might be a tad different this year. And I am not talking...

Recently, my wife and I were putting up curtains around our house. Now you have to understand that when we do this, I tend to get...

This is part three of my Panama reflection series . This time a month ago, I was in Panama on a mission trip with a group of pastors from Virginia. This series of articles is my effort to share some of my experiences while also debriefing from my trip. Enjoy. One of the things that is NOT on my bucket list is to drive around in another country besides the United States. I have enough issues navigating other states here in the United States (just ask students who have gone on

This past weekend, I was listening to the AFC Championship football game on the radio between the New England Patriots and the Kansas...