Leaning on the Father

Have you ever had a moment where it felt like you were lifted out of your body and got to see your life from a birds eye view?  It changes your perspective doesn’t it?  I had that moment two days ago.  I was about 8:45 pm on Saturday evening, and we had just gotten home…

What a difference a year makes

This picture is a comparison of the first day of school, and the last week of school.  Today is the last day of school, pre-k for Olivia and the last day of Kindergarten for Riley.  A year ago, when they both started a new school I wondered how this year would go.  Now, a year later…

Game Changing Leadership

You never realize how important some moments are, until you look back and see the impact they had over a lifetime.  Game changing leaders see the future and ask themselves, how can I leverage my influence now, to positively impact someone else’s life later?  Coincidentally, that’s the central question I’ve been asking myself as a…

Flying Solo

I love those movies that give you a glimpse of what life would be like if something dramatic changed (aka learning it’s a wonderful life after all).  This weekend, I got that glimpse with my wife out of town in Nashville.  For 3 days, it was me solo with the girls for the first time……

Embrace the mess

Yesterday at church we started a new series entitled, Address the Mess, and it got me thinking about a picture I posted recently on social media of our home on a typical Saturday morning.  I got a lot of commentary on this picture when I posted it earlier, it resonated with folks which didn’t surprise me….

When ideas become things

It’s remarkable when as a parent you get to see the fruition of seeds that you’ve planted in your kids begin to come to life in the actions they’re taking.  Last weekend one of my best friends visited for a wedding and he noticed the behavior of my girls, and declared to the oldest, “one…

Losing yourself

An often quoted scripture is Jesus’s warning, what good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?  Growing up I always wondered about that particular saying…how could one gain everything that they seemingly always wanted and somehow manage to lose what’s most important, the very essence of who…

Decisions, Decisions…

It’s not hard to know what decisions to make, once you know your values- Roy E. Disney Last night I attended the annual Coca Cola Scholars Banquet, where we celebrated the incoming class of Coke Scholars.  These are brilliant high school seniors who have taken on the mantle of leadership in their communities and have,…

Traditions

Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire- Gustav Mahler I love this quote because it highlights the reality that we must first examine our traditions in order to determine their relevancy.  Why do we do what we do as families?  And is this practice still meaningful to us based on our…

random observations on a beautiful afternoon

You ever just sit back and observe your kids, like in their natural elements?  Sometimes I just like to sit back and watch my girls do their thing.  It’s in these moments that I get to see their true personality shine through.  Earlier today I took the girls to the park to give my wife…