July 4th is staked out each year to celebrate the historic freedoms Americans share together. We do well to remember these freedoms of which many in human history have been deprived: the freedom of religion, the freedom of assembly, the freedom of speech, and the freedom of the press, to name a few. Others are […]
One of my good friends has dubbed it the quarter-life crisis. Somewhere around 25 or so, a young man can feel the question hanging in the back of his mind, unformed and yet very much present. He has walked through all pre-planned educational doorways, finishing high school, college, and perhaps graduate studies. He has taken […]
Every man chases a greatness that eludes him. That chase can send him on an ambitious hunt for career success. It can drive him to amass power and influence. It can propel him to garner fame. But there is nothing inherently evil about our longing for greatness. It’s how we go about it that sets […]
Every Monday night they gather on my back porch—a small group of young men. After some hot tea and snacks, the conversation begins. My good friend Dave and I lead them through a time of telling stories from their lives. The topic last Monday was a familiar one for me—mentors. But what came out of […]
When I taught high school, one of the science teachers told me about a fascinating assignment he gave to his class one day. They went outside and sat down on assigned places on the lawn. Then he marked out for each of them a tiny square piece of ground and told them to watch and […]
This is the last in a four-part series describing some tried and true ways Christians have drawn close to God through the centuries (Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3). For this fourth post, I want to look at a path that taps into our most powerful mental capacity, the imagination. Because of it, […]
Every boy is trying to find it. Each young man is trying to capture it. Every man is trying to own it. It’s that elusive quality of masculinity. On first glance, we feel this is about gaining certain virtues and skills associated with masculinity, but it’s more than that. It’s deeper than a man’s behavior […]
“How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven.” I have sung this line countless times during the Christmas season. Taken from the 3rd verse of “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” this line evokes in me both wonder and awe. The greatest gift God […]
It’s such a simple word. Yes. We say it constantly each day. When we are asked a question, asked to do a task, or invited to a gathering. We don’t think much about it in the normal affairs of life. But there are other times when the word yes is fraught with meaning and possibility. […]
Advent encompasses the four weeks before Christmas. It is a time of waiting, not only for the first coming of Christ as a baby but also for His coming again as a king. This first advent meditation is about that baby. One of my vivid memories of visiting London comes from a visit to the […]
