On Resilience
My neighbor and I share a cactus. It is planted directly between our two front yards and stands about five feet tall. At least, it used to. One weekend, unbeknownst to me, my neighbor decided to trim the cactus. He took a saw and cut off most of the branches. Maybe it needed a trim.…
3 Things about Pixar’s Inside Out that Are Genius
Pixar studios has brought us some of the most celebrated children’s movies of the past two decades. Classics like Toy Story and Finding Nemo are cherished by both the young and young at heart. In 2015, the acclaimed studio gave us what I consider the diamond of its collection, Inside Out. Everything about the movie…
On Joy
What is Joy? It’s not just a fleeting sensation of happiness; it’s a profound state of being that can enrich our existence. In a world filled with challenges and stress, it’s essential to understand the essence of joy, the remarkable benefits it offers, and how we can actively invite it into our lives. Joy is…
On Shared Experiences
“Remember that time when…” We’ve all had conversationsstart this way. Whether it be with lifelong friends or with acquaintances that we see on occasion, a shared experience creates a certain type of bond. For quite some time now, I have been convinced of something:: connections are built through shared experiences. Anyone who has known me…
3 Things About Grief That Hollywood Got Just Right
Our world has experienced quite a bit of grief in recent years. Coming out of a pandemic and finding our “new normal” has been met with confronting all the things we have lost. We have, of course, lost cherished family members and friends. Grief is not just about losing loved ones. We, as a society…
On Morality
I recently became aware of a group of social media content creators called the CartNarcs (view their YouTube channel HERE). It basically consists of a bunch of videos of a “cartnarc” calling out people who leave their shopping cart strewn all over the parking lot instead of returning it to the proper cart corral which…
On Mental Fitness
I work in the mental health industry as a high school counselor. The type of counseling that I have encountered with teenagers has changed drastically over the past three years. Students are facing emotional and social struggles that the generations before them never even considered. Anxiety of all kinds, stress and overwhelm, grief and depression,…
Top 5 Dog Movies
Dogs are the best and we do not deserve them or their unconditional love. Anyone who has every had a dog knows this. If you’re a dog lover, there’s nothing quite like a good dog movie to tug at your heartstrings and remind you of just how special our furry friends can be. From heartwarming…
Top 5 Streaming Platforms
It’s no secret that network and cable television is on the decline. According to Zippia.com, over 25 million Americans have “cut the cord” with cable since 2012. The numbers are even smaller when looking at the younger generation. In 2021, only 34% of 18-29 year olds received cable or satellite television. There is much to…
3 Things About Andor, Season 1
The first few episodes of Andor on Disney+ were a bit of a slow burn, but the show has turned into the best Star Wars small screen adaption so far! There are no Jedi masters or Sith lords. The “force” is not a topic of conversation. However, the main theme of the hope that builds…
Top 5 Episodes of Seinfeld
The show about nothing is a classic. Seinfeld may not stand the test of time and likely would not survive our current climate of network television, but we cannot deny that the five episodes below continue to make us laugh.
On Nostalgia
This weekend I watched the new Chip ‘ N Dale: Rescue Rangers movie on Disney+. The original cartoon had its heyday when I was in elementary school. I remember coming home to watch the show along with Gummi Bears, Ducktales, Tale Spin, and my favorite Darkwing Duck. The movie brought back many memories of those…
On Hope
Is it pointless to be a fan of a sports team? I had this existential crisis this past March. If you are not a fan of sports, stay with me while I explain. My Gonzaga Bulldogs were the number one seed in March Madness (again). Many pundits and fans had them winning the entire championship…
3 Things About Spider-Man: No Way Home
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD! Seriously, do not read ahead if you do not want to read spoilers about Spider-Man: No Way Home. I am an avid movie watcher who is very aware of recency bias. So, when I say that the new Spiderman: No Way Home movie has instantly become my favorite Marvel movie and one…
3 Things from Avengers: Endgame
It was the pre-pandemic movie event of the year. Tickets were sold out weeks ahead of time. Movie theaters may not recover the same feel of a theater full of fans who have been waiting for months to see a story played out on screen. Avengers: Endgame was an entertaining culmination of 10 years of…
On Time
Businessman and author Harvey Mackay gives us the following riddle: “What is free, but also priceless? You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back. What is it?” The answer, of course, is time. It has…
3 Things I Learned From Gandalf
When I am teaching in my classroom I sometimes use the phrase “As a wise ol’ wizard once said…” My students then roll their eyes and know that a quote from one of my favorite fictional characters of all time will soon follow. I am a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings, both…
On Safety
Youth groups take a lot of trips. Camps, retreats, the forest, the beach, other countries. When I was a youth pastor, we would travel everywhere for different reasons. Sometimes it was for fun, other times it was to accomplish a purpose like helping out a sister church in Mexico or giving teens a great week…
On Freedom
Just saying the word freedom invokes images of patriotism and American flags waving majestically in the wind. Indeed, freedom was one of the guiding principles of the founding fathers of the United States (even if they didn’t do it perfectly). Freedom from the tyranny of a monarchy was one of the driving forces of the…
3 Things About the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
I love the Olympics. Something about the combination of unity, diversity, and competition appeals to me and gets me excited. Fortunately the Summer Olympics usually happen when I am not working and I can take in all the coverage, and I mean all the coverage. I watch whatever they will put on tv. I enjoy…
3 Things I Learned From Ted Lasso Season 1
If you have not jumped on the quickly growing bandwagon of fans of the Apple TV show Ted Lasso, let me be the one to invite you. As a self-appointed president of the show’s fan club, I assure that there is still room. Chances are that if you have come in contact with those of…
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