An index card and pen rest on my bedside table, and I use them to jot down the to-do’s that jolt me awake just as I’m falling asleep. In the morning, I usually forget that list, then opt to type a few of the day’s tasks on my phone’s Notes app. At various points during … Continue reading Shiny, new computer. Same, old me.
Favorite Songs From 2021
Some songs I really enjoyed this year, in alphabetical order by artist. "Phoenix" / Big Red Machine (feat. Fleet Foxes & Anaïs Mitchell) Get you a song that’s both intimate and epic. We've got horns, we've got big, wistful choruses, and we've got a long talk with a friend, sitting in the sunset, contemplating life. … Continue reading Favorite Songs From 2021
Ted Lasso as an Apology for Fiction
There’s a new show on Apple TV+, and if you get the free one-week trial, you can watch the whole thing. I know this because I did. (Note: Be sure to cancel the subscription before they automatically charge you. I know that because I didn’t.) Ted Lasso is a sports TV show, which means I’d … Continue reading Ted Lasso as an Apology for Fiction
Favorite Songs of 2020
A list of seven songs I liked this year, in order by artist Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit "It Gets Easier" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CagbTwPxXw “It gets easier, but it never gets easy.” For addicts struggling to persevere in sobriety or people just trying, failing, and trying again to stay disciplined, this line is many things all … Continue reading Favorite Songs of 2020
Chatt: Now that voting is over, the real work begins
To my fellow Chattanooga voters who, like me, stood in line, filled out a ballot, and snapped selfies with our “I Voted” stickers, The Electoral College convenes today, casting each state’s electoral votes for the President and Vice President. So now that the voting is over, it’s time for us to get to work. It's … Continue reading Chatt: Now that voting is over, the real work begins
Quarantine, Sabbath, and Still Souls
Often, I view the Sabbath as free time—a day with no work where I can do whatever I want. Yet, even at the end of days I haven’t worked, my soul still feels tired. Simply not working doesn’t bring me rest, which makes me think: maybe the Sabbath is not so much free time as it is freeing time—a day to remember the freedom we have from the cares of the world. A day for the soul to be reoriented toward its eschatelogical purpose.
The Burden of Choosing
I used to think the hardest thing in life was choosing right over wrong, and I had my reasons for thinking so. As a kid, I’d faced and lost my fair share of internal conflicts, yielding to the visceral pull of The Dark Side rather than the cerebral call of Doing The Right Thing. For … Continue reading The Burden of Choosing
Lyft and Single Stories
To be a Lyft driver is really to be a rider in someone else’s story.
The Leadership Square
Leadership involves learning to balance four key elements: authority, friend, coworker, and servant. These four elements work together to create The Leadership Square.
The Jesus Elevator Pitch
I became a Christian at a Bible summer camp when I was eight years old. That was seventeen years ago, and I’ve been in the church even longer. Over the years, I attended a Christian college, went to Christian camps and conferences, and heard countless sermons. Yet despite listening to over two decades of teaching, … Continue reading The Jesus Elevator Pitch
Always Growing Up 