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.... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
“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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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,... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →