life. faithful.

 Dear Michael,  This year marks 21 without you. It's such a strange thought...I had just turned 20 when you were killed, so as of this year I've officially lived more of my life without you here than I did with you. Somehow it's not as hard as the birthday that made me older than you, but it's definitely a strange feeling. There's so much I wish you were here for. I wish you had met your 4 nieces and 4 nephews. I wish you could hang out on the front porch. I wish you could teach your nephew how to use his size on the basketball court. I wish you could see your niece catch black snakes. I wish I could give them all more of you than just stories and pictures. I wish they could know the real you, not the version that gets a bit glorified by your absence. I wish they could see your crooked smile in real life. Last year, the kids had a ref during basketball season who had gone to school with you...and I was caught off guard by how old he was. I know I'm getting old (...

 I was listening to a debate the other day between John Lennox and Peter Atkins, two Oxford professors with very different views on the Christian faith. If you're a nerd like me, you might enjoy watching the debate here . At the end of their debate, they were asked a question that boiled down to "Why do you believe the Christian faith is or isn't the right one?" John Lennox is a mathematician trained at Cambridge, Oxford, and Cardiff. He is also a Christian apologist who often speaks on how science and the Christian faith can coexist. If you've spent much time here, you know my views on the so-called conflict between science and faith, so I truly enjoy listening to Dr. Lennox (though I have to admit that I believe we likely disagree about a few things). When I heard the question and then Lennox's answer, it promoted this post. In the United States, the Pew Research study from 2022 said that 81% of people believe in God. I tried to find a number worldwide, but ...

 I was listening to Alistair Begg and he said that so often we say that we believe God is in control and will work everything out--but the problem is, we want and expect Him to work those things out the way we want, when we want. So often, we quote Romans 8:28 almost as some sort of incantation that will take any bad thing in our life and turn it into something good. But I would like to propose an uncomfortable idea--that might be a misreading. " And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (NKJV) What if the main focus of that verse isn't actually the "work together for good to those who love God", but instead is the "according to His purpose"? We talk about the sovereignty of God, but so many times I think we still try to put limits on what that means. When good things happen, we praise God and thank Him for His gifts. When we are faced with hard times, we pray and a...

This upcoming weekend is a strange one. Like everyone else, I view Memorial Day weekend as the start of summer. It's a time for grilling out, spending time with friends and family, swimming (if you don't mind the water still being pretty cool), and sunshine. For the last 20 years, though, it's also been a day of remembrance. It's the day that reminds me of my brother's sacrifice in Najaf, Iraq, when he gave his life to protect freedom. It's the day I'm reminded of so many loved ones who chose honor and sacrifice over ease and peace. So as you enjoy your weekend, I would ask you to take just a minute to honor those who gave their all...and remember those who love them. I've posted this before, but it's been a long time. I can't tell you when I wrote this, and I'm not much of a poet. Despite that, in these words you get a tiny glimpse of the relationship I shared with my brother...and why he is still so missed. ***  You taught me to be strong ...

I was at our kids' athletic banquet the other night when a fellow mom of a senior asked me if I cried when my first graduated last year. I'm guessing she had noticed that I wasn't getting teary at our son's last athletic banquet, and that I had nothing but smiles the night before at his graduation. The short answer I gave her was that I'm really not a very emotional person (though it's more accurate to say that I don't let people see my emotions...). If I'm being honest, though? The idea of my kids graduating doesn't make me sad. Sure, there are lots of things I miss about my kids being younger. And when my daughter moved out for college, it was strange not to have her there at home every day. I'm sure the same will be true of my son when he heads to college in the fall. But if I'm honest? I'm not sad about my kids graduating high school. I'm excited about them growing up, moving on to the next phase of life as they make their way int...

  Who is this man? The Jewish chief priests and elders accuse him of crimes their people say deserve his death, yet he doesn't open his mouth. They say he is claiming to be the King of the Jews, staging a rebellion, yet he just stands there, silent. He listens to the crowd calling out for his crucifixion, be he doesn't defend himself. What kind of man does that? Who is this man, that he just walks like a lamb to slaughter? He is mocked and beaten, spit on and with thorns pressed into his brow--and yet he doesn't resist, doesn't protest, doesn't respond to those mocking him as King. He is offered wine to dull his pain, but he refuses. What kind of man can take such pain? Who is this man, who even when hung on a cross doesn't curse his executioners? Even now as he dies they mock him, yet his only response? " Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing. " He hangs on a cross, yet he promises the criminal beside him that he will be...