By Portia Nelson Chapter 1I walk down the street.There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I fall in.I am lost … I am helpless.It isn’t my fault.It takes forever to find a way out. Chapter 2I walk down the same street.There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I pretend I Read more…
A couple weeks ago I wrote about the importance of relationships regarding the two significant outbreaks that Nashville had faced in the recent weeks. Today with our country and world seemingly at a standstill with social distancing and quarantining, worry and anxiety are spreading much like the virus itself. I’m Read more…
In the Lord of the Rings epic, JRR Tolkien brilliantly weaves in the practice of Sabbath in a number of ways. Often times this centers around food, the respite of a fire, and the sharing of stories together. Yet I think the clearest picture he presents of the Sabbath is Read more…
The majority of us are having to grapple with our ourselves in a completely different way due to the virus outbreak. Our limitations are on full display as we all try to navigate these new realities of life without activities outside the home. A good friend of mine said it Read more…
Nashville has been hit pretty hard the last two weeks with an outbreak of tornadoes and now the coronavirus. This is not to suggest we’re special as a city, but these challenges have been pretty acute for a lot of people here. These two major events have illuminated how little Read more…
A friend of mine asked me to put together a brief one-page guide to give to couples at a marriage retreat about finding a good marriage counselor. I thought it might be helpful to share here. Whatever your reason is for seeking counseling, there are a few guidelines that will Read more…
Lent is the penitential season of the church calendar that usually involves fasting (or giving up) something that gets in the way of your relationship with God. This season prepares the way for Good Friday, and the celebration of Easter Sunday. One of my good friends is a pastor, and Read more…
Maturity is the ability to resist acting out on behalf of what one feels. One donut is amazing. Two probably isn’t as amazing, but I’m still probably going to have another one. I know from experience that three is not going to feel good in a few hours. And if Read more…
We’re all control freaks. Not just the type-A personalities, but also the B’s, C’s, and Z’s of the world. No one likes to be out of control. Those that act as though they don’t care about being in control are just practicing an apathetic version of control. My barber laughed Read more…
Narcissism is a word that is thrown around a lot, especially in attempts to describe certain world leaders currently in office. Despite how common of a term it is, it’s difficult to know, with certainty, that someone we are in a relationship with is a narcissist. To a certain extent, Read more…
When my kids were younger, they would often complain of not having anything to do. It was tempting to spring into action, and give them a project or some kind of entertainment to quiet their boredom. At some point in those early parenting years, we stumbled onto something together: Boredom Read more…
This post is a part of The 15-Day Relationship Challenge. If you’re just now tuning in, click here for the whole series. A New Mission & Vision Welcome to the final day of your 15-day relationship challenge! I hope that it has been a productive, connecting, and celebratory journey together. You’ve spent Read more…
This post is a part of The 15-Day Relationship Challenge. If you’re just now tuning in, click here for the whole series. MORNINGRest, part 2. We’re going to be ok. Good morning. Welcome to Day 14, another day of Rest! Last week on day 7 we began addressing the topic of rest, Read more…
This post is a part of The 15-Day Relationship Challenge. If you’re just now tuning in, click here for the whole series. MORNINGForgiveness. Letting go, holding on. Good morning. Welcome to Day 13. Imagine dangling from a cliff, you’ve just slipped and caught a tree branch growing from the mountainside with your Read more…
This post is a part of The 15-Day Relationship Challenge. If you’re just now tuning in, click here for the whole series. MORNINGResponsibility! Taking Ownership. Good morning. Welcome to Day 12! The first failure of humanity is recorded in Genesis chapter 3. After all the Earth was created and enjoyed, something terrible Read more…
MORNINGBless! Our Losses Good morning. Welcome to Day 11, Blessing what has been lost. There is an ancient tradition in the Japanese culture to repair a broken object. If a vase has been broken, it will be repaired with the appropriate materials. After it’s been repaired, a small object of Read more…
This post is a part of The 15-Day Relationship Challenge. If you’re just now tuning in, click here for the whole series. MORNINGCelebrate! What we have accomplished. Good morning. Welcome to day 10, cellll-ebrate good times, c’mon! We’re at day 10, and in case you’ve missed how we got here, take a look Read more…
This post is a part of The 15-Day Relationship Challenge. If you’re just now tuning in, click here for the whole series. MORNINGGrace. Sweat the small stuff. Good morning. Welcome to Day 9. Today is all about grace. Several years ago, my wife and I were sitting around the room full of Read more…
This post is a part of The 15-Day Relationship Challenge. If you’re just now tuning in, click here for the whole series. MORNINGRemember Us. Our story. Good morning. Welcome to Day 8! We’re taking a shift from focusing on you as an individual, to you two together as a couple. The next Read more…
This post is a part of The 15-Day Relationship Challenge. If you’re just now tuning in, click here for the whole series. MORNINGRest. Let all things be. In the creation story found in Genesis chapter two, it says this: “By the seventh day God had finished his work. On the Read more…
This post is a part of The 15-Day Relationship Challenge. If you’re just now tuning in, click here for the whole series. MORNINGGrowth. Who am I becoming? Good morning. Welcome to Day 6. How is the challenge going so far for you? Growth happens in all kinds of ways. We Read more…
This post is a part of The 15-Day Relationship Challenge. If you’re just now tuning in, click here for the whole series. MORNINGTop 5, part 2. Keystone Stories of Joy. Good morning. Welcome to Day 5 of 15! Yesterday was a big hurdle you made it over! Good for you Read more…
There’s a invaluable rule in construction: Measure twice, cut once. If you’ve ever made the mistake of not following this advice, you understand how important it is. One mis cut piece of material can vastly alter the overall structure and finished product. It takes a little extra time, focus, and Read more…
This post is a part of The 15-Day Relationship Challenge. If you’re just now tuning in, click here for the whole series. MORNINGTop 5, part 1. Keystone Stories of Loss. Good morning. Welcome to Day 4 of 15! Over the past two days, we’ve talked about some of the building Read more…
This post is a part of The 15-Day Relationship Challenge. If you’re just now tuning in, click here for the whole series. MORNINGPersonality. How you are. Good morning! Like so many things that are abundant in our culture, there is an abundance of tests that will tell you your personality. Read more…
This post is a part of The 15-Day Relationship Challenge. If you’re just now tuning in, click here for the whole series. MORNINGWhat’s My Role? Good Morning. Welcome back. Have you ever heard the phrase, “Home is where life makes up it’s mind?” Some of us grew up in chaotic Read more…
This post is a part of The 15-Day Relationship Challenge. If you’re just now tuning in, click here for the whole series. MORNINGHello. A Walk Down Memory Lane. Hi. Hey. What’s up. Hello. These are are words of welcome. Of invitation to be here. The word “hello” lets those who hear Read more…
Relationships are a lot like owning a house. Unlike calling our landlord in a rental, when something goes wrong with the plumbing, HVAC, or roof, owning a home means that it’s my responsibility to address the problem. I would say that the majority of us naturally respond to our relationships Read more…
The problem of our life is almost never the real problem. The real problem is what we are doing in response to our problems. We blame. Point fingers. Yell. Throw things at others, words mostly. We cheat, and steal, and lie. We manipulate. Shade the truth. We get hyper vigilant Read more…
Every day on the way to my office, I drive past a massive mound of dirt that has been excavated from a nearby building site. This pile is enormous and for several weeks it kept growing in size. At some point the mound stopped growing and the makers planted grass Read more…