We thank thee for this food, dear Lord. Bless it to thy glory and our good for Jesus’ sake. Amen. Growing up, my family would gather in a circle and say that prayer aloud before eating. My mom tells me it was written by my Great-Great-Great-Uncle Charlie some time after emigrating from […]
Read MoreWord Pictures
Silence Me
His questions drip out. One. After. The. Next. Rolling along. Rippling together into a run-on inquiry. Void of breaks, breaths, and gaps for answers. He’s a three-year-old boy. — I am a 41-year-old man. But. I’m. No. Different. Mind churning. Chattering to the other voices inside my head. Without any space to hear […]
Read MoreEmpathy
Why do you run from me? Why do I hide from you? Why do we hardly know each other? My reservoir for you must be so small…or the exit point so tight. Why must I work so hard to muster you up? Why aren’t you smothered all over the memory of my mental muscles? […]
Read MoreThe Hug of Home: A Guest Post for Jen Pollock Michel
In December 2016, I submitted the following guest blog to Jen Pollock Michel, for her guest series called, “Home: Musings and Memories.” Jen invited writers from all over the Internet to share their stories from home—in advance of her new book, Keeping Place: Reflections on the Meaning of Home (IVP, Spring […]
Read MoreJoetography 2016: A Pictorial Review
Thank you all for making this another amazing year! From my family to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Read MoreLook Up…Look Out | Thanksgiving 2016
Today, may I look up to look out. Beyond the corners of my table to the corners of my world. Away from the self-reflection always peering back at my from my palm. Toward the friends, family, and strangers that surround me. May I open my eyes to peer deeper into theirs. Welcoming them as they […]
Read MoreDeath and Taxes: In Memory of my Aunt Sandy
It’s Tuesday. Election Day 2016. And after all the hatemongering and mudslinging that we’ve seen, given, and received this past year—it’s finally coming to a close. It’s time to vote. So what if? What if after all the doom and gloom we’ve heard about the world were to actually end today? What […]
Read MoreA Pinhole of Light
If you know me, you know I’m a bit of a podcast junkie. All Songs Considered. This American Life. Serial. Car Talk. Song Exploder. They get me every time. And a few months ago, I stumbled on one called The Moth—a captivating collection of true stories told to a live audience. […]
Read MoreThe Healing Day
I still remember the sun that filled our hospital room that day. It was brighter—maybe brighter than it had ever been, but certainly brighter than it had been lately. It was October 11, 2013. The sun rose quickly that day, but it had taken half a decade for it to […]
Read MoreCore Ache Within Us
“It’s out of our wounds – from the core ache within us, that we find our calling.” —Dan Allender, The Wounded Heart
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