Every Tuesday before the overnight, Captain Ralph packed us into the dining hall for Leaders' Huddle and said some version of the same thing, like he assumed we'd all forgotten it since last Tuesday, which, in fairness, some of us had. We were expected to show up as "35 year old mature fathers." Thirty-five, because … Continue reading 35. Mature. Father. (Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad)
Category: Faith
Forward
He doesn’t know it yet, but he was literally standing on the edge of something. The water going still and gold in front of him. The sun dropping low over a mountain that’s watched sixty summers of boys grow up on this very lake before he ever took a breath. My son just stood there, … Continue reading Forward
Forward To The Far Horizon
Weddings have a way of slowing time. Everyone else was talking, laughing, and toasting, but I found myself crouched low, watching my son crawl across the hardwood floor. The sunlight poured through the curtains, throwing long shadows of a man bent low and a boy moving forward. And in that moment, I wasn’t thinking about … Continue reading Forward To The Far Horizon
Still.
A year ago, I limped into the mess hall—bruised, pale, and unsure of how much of me was still intact. Some of you were there. Some of you carried me. Some of you prayed when I couldn’t pray. I had nothing in the tank. Just pain, and the sinking sense that maybe I had finally … Continue reading Still.
Infinite Grace
It’s been two years since Tom passed, but the memory of that conversation under the stars feels as vivid as the night it happened. We were sitting outside the evening before my wedding, the sky alive with countless stars, stretching endlessly above us. I remember the moment so clearly—the awe I felt as I looked … Continue reading Infinite Grace
A Father on Christmas
My son’s tiny hand stretched toward the Christmas ornament, his fingers brushing the edge of a red truck dangling from the tree. His wide eyes reflected the glow of the lights, filled with awe and wonder, as if the world had slowed just for this moment. I couldn’t look away. He doesn’t yet know what … Continue reading A Father on Christmas
The Quiet Growth of Our Little Lion
As I write this, Judah is fast asleep, his chest rising and falling with the serene rhythm that only babies possess. It’s in these quiet moments of pause that I find the space to reflect on the time past since he entered our lives—a period marked as much by his growth as by the deepening … Continue reading The Quiet Growth of Our Little Lion
Living in the Tension of Grace and Grit
Titus 3:4-7 (NIV) “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our … Continue reading Living in the Tension of Grace and Grit
Leader of the Pack
During our walk, something about Dacks caught my attention. His usual pattern of walking ahead, then doubling back, played out as it always has. But this time, when he turned, his focus wasn’t solely on Cassie, but also on Judah, our son. Dacks has always taken it upon himself to check in on the group, … Continue reading Leader of the Pack
Held in the Stillness
The other night, after bath time, I found myself sitting on the bathroom floor, holding my son wrapped up in his towel. His tiny body relaxed into mine, the warmth of the bath still lingering. At 3 months old, he doesn’t know much about the world, but he knows when he’s safe, when he’s held … Continue reading Held in the Stillness
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