Don’t Pursue Your Dreams. Pursue Obedience.
“When I grow up, I want to be a doctor.” This was what I told my second-grade teacher when she asked me what I wanted to be when I grow…
Advocating For Presence: Why I Deleted My Instagram Account
I downloaded Instagram in the summer of 2015 and from that moment, I opened the app every single day. At first, my account was solely for personal use and was…
In a World of Frauds and Broken Promises, Who Can We Trust?
They met at a Christian university and got married, eventually settling down in Illinois and having a little girl. Next came a house and full-time jobs to pay the mortgage.…
How Learning the 5 Love Languages Changed My Relationships
Recently, I learned a language that completely changed my life. It only took a few minutes, and once I understood it, it revolutionized the way I think about love. It’s…
6 Things to Remember When You’re Struggling with Anxiety
Anxiety is a monster. It can cripple you or make you act in ways that you would never otherwise act. It causes you to believe the most incredible of lies,…
You Never Marry the Right Person
In generations past, there was far less talk about “compatibility” and finding the ideal soul-mate. Today we are looking for someone who accepts us as we are and fulfills our…
4 Pitfalls of ‘Purpose’ (And How to Avoid Them)
I am not the smartest person that ever walked the planet. For example, one day I wanted to make coffee. Someone once told me, to make the best coffee, you…
Why Your ‘Type’ Isn’t Always Good For You
When I was single, I would often imagine what my future relationship was going to be like. I wondered about the kind of guy I’d end up dating and marrying.…
An Open Letter to Christian Perfectionists Everywhere
Dear self-confessed perfectionist, I know how you feel. It’s been another day where you said the wrong thing at work. Another moment where you read too much into a friend’s…
Who Am I Becoming By What I Am Doing?
Driving my 1997 Honda Accord toward Colorado Springs, Colorado, the road, and my entire life ahead of me, I thought of nothing but what was coming next. Who are the…
Forgiveness and Reconciliation: What’s the Difference?
Most of my work as a psychotherapist consists of helping individuals and couples work through very difficult relationship challenges. Nearly everyday, I have a person sitting across from me in…
3 Things to Do When Your Life Doesn’t Match Your Plan
Sometimes life doesn’t always go the way we think it should. Many times it goes in the exact opposite direction. Like you were planning on going to the Bahamas and…
I Never Thought I Would Be That Neighbor
I thought I was destined to be forever shy—the one silent in most conversations, the one who avoided eye contact, the one whose comparisons always showed that I was the…
How Your Enneagram Type Impacts How You Set Goals
While training for a half-marathon several years ago, nothing—neither hell nor high water—could prevent me from accomplishing my goal. I ran at 5 a.m. in below freezing temperatures. I ran…
The No. 1 Relationship Killer
I got married in the summer of 2017, and it was and still is a major blessing for me (and hopefully for my wife also). It was an amazing wedding,…