The Sounds of Advent: Music to Contemplate the Season
For many of us, the traditional holiday trappings, Christmas parties, and family gatherings won’t happen this year. My wife and I have thrown an annual…
6 Things to Watch When You’re Stressed
My life has a lot of drama. In my work as a pastor, I help people through their most difficult moments: family conflict, guilt, sickness,…
5 Ways to Support a Friend Who Is Going Through a Tough Time
Sooner or later, it happens to everyone. A friend gets sick, loses a loved one, gets fired, or something else just as terrible. They need…
5 Ways Shelter-in-Place Is Making Me a Better Person
The city of Chicago, where I live, has been under a shelter-in-place order for over a month, like much of America. I think most of…
5 Albums to Help You Contemplate Lent
Lent is a period of reflection, when I examine my life to see how I can be more faithful and loving. However, I don’t just…
5 Things to Do When You’re Feeling Lonely
When my wife and I moved to St. Louis, 700 miles away from our friends and family, we were pretty lonely. I was going to…
Can’t Meditate? Try Running
You probably know someone like me. I’m that guy who can’t stop tapping his fingers on the conference table. I’m the one clicking his pen…
What a Health Scare Taught Me About Asking for Help
I opened my eyes to see the two heads of paramedics, hovering over me. I could barely remember my name. “What’s the date?” one head…
The Benefits of Getting Married in My Early 20s
Just over a year ago, my wife and I celebrated 50 percent of our lives together. I called it our “fifty-percent-iversary.” We had been together…
Newlyweds? Here’s How We Figured out the Holidays
My first year of marriage was tough. Kristan and I had just graduated from college, gotten married, and moved to a new state, far away…
