life. faithful.

Memorial Day #12. It's a day I never could have imagined becoming a reality. And honestly, it's a day I still struggle to come to terms with each year. Sometimes, it feels like there have been 1,000 Memorial Days since my brother was killed. Other times, it feels like each Memorial Day is the first one. And sometimes, my mind and heart go back and forth between the two. So how do you come up with words to explain what this day means? How do you come to terms with a day like Memorial Day when it means something totally different to you than it does to most people? How do you put words to thoughts and feelings you can't even get straight in your head, let alone on paper (or a computer screen, as the case may be)? How do you tell other people something that you can't even really explain to yoursel f? Ho w do you exp lain what it means to have a specific day set aside to remember your brother-- as if you're being told that you shouldn't be remembering him

"Your mouth exposes your heart, and your religion is useless." ~James 1:26b In 2 Samuel, there's a story about a man named Shimei. There was a rebellion, and David was leaving Israel. Shimei was cursing David as he left, calling him worthless and saying that he was getting what he deserved by being driven out. Yet when David came back (just a couple of chapters later, though I'm not sure how much time had passed), Shimei was the first to welcome him back. He was even bowing at David's feet when he crossed the Jordan, asking David to forget everything that had been said. How often are we that way? Do our convictions change as quickly and easily as Shemei's? When it seems like our King is leaving, do we turn away from him to swear allegiance to whoever comes next, whoever seems to be in control? The human heart is fickle. We waver between our "convictions" like we're being tossed around by the waves. We get caught up in the circumstance

Dear Senior of 2016, Well, you've made it--"finally" is usually the word that follows that statement, breathed out in a sigh. And now, you face the question that everybody and their brother seems to be asking: What are you going to do with your life? from venturebeat.com You may have something planned. You might be like me, and have a plan all laid out for the next 5 or 10 years. Or maybe not. You might not know what you're doing this summer, let alone next fall or 5 years from now. Either way, I would like to share a few things with you that I wish I had realized 14 years ago when I graduated (wow--that sure seems a lot longer when I see it written down). People may have told me all of the stuff I'm going to tell you, but if they did I was too busy being sure that I was a grown up and knew what I was doing to truly listen to them. Be smarter than I was. So, here are a few things I would tell you if we were sitting across from eac