Photo by Iain Robertson on Unsplash; edited by Kris Hutchinson in Canva A little over a year ago, my wife and I started CrossFit, and it has been a really good thing for me personally. It has had its share of ups and downs, though. One of the biggest challenges for me has been determining the right weight for workouts. Sometimes I look at the prescribed weight and know I can lift it. The issue is not whether I can lift it or not, but whether I can lift that weight, that many

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

For the past several weeks, I’ve been going to physical therapy. This is new for me. In all the years I’ve played sports, I’ve never been seriously injured until now. Sure, I’ve had my share of scrapes: years ago I sprained my thumb badly enough to wear a brace from wrist to elbow; last Fall I broke a finger playing flag football with some teenagers. But this summer, I sprained my sternoclavicular joint and strained my scalene and trapezius muscles doing hang cleans at Cros

Scarlett and Kendall (May 4, 2025) May is a busy month for my wife and me, full of family celebrations: two nieces' birthdays, her stepdad’s and stepmom’s birthdays, my brother’s birthday, her sister’s wedding anniversary, and, of course, Mother’s Day. Whew!I think that’s all of them! Maybe you’ve got even more on your calendar, but I bet many of you can relate to this kind of celebration marathon. Recently, we took a quick trip down to North Carolina to celebrate two of tho

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

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

The weather is finally starting to turn more favorable. But here in central Virginia, it's toying with our emotions—30 degrees one day, 80 the next. Back and forth we go. On one particularly nice day, I was driving through town and found myself stuck in a long line of cars, waiting for a train to pass. While I sat there, I noticed four people over at the local playground. That’s not uncommon for this time of year. But what caught my eye wasn’t who was there—it was what they

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