Throughout the course of life, perspective on age changes quite a bit. When you’re sixteen, you feel invincible. When you’re eighteen, you want independence. When you’re thirty, you’re hoping to have made some kind of progress on your goals. Then, when you’re about forty, one word is usually at the front of your mind— legacy. You want to live a...
I’ve always been a fighter. Sometimes it’s my greatest weakness; other times, my greatest strength. But over the years, I’ve found that a choice to fight doesn’t guarantee that the cause I’m fighting for will be fulfilled. It’s when I fight right that the battle is won. That’s why Jesus said in Mark 10:34-35, “Do not suppose that I have come...
We see it on so many Instagram photos these days. A hashtag that lets people know, “Hey, I got the life I want.” That new car in the driveway of your new home, while your newborn is sleeping in your arms? #blessed. That’s not a bad thing… in fact I like seeing people enjoy life! When it concerns me is when...
In college, I majored in history. There’s just something about exploring events that changed the course of lives, people groups —even entire nations— that intrigues me. I love learning from the past, and using those lessons in my present to make my future better. Even more than I love learning from stories in Texas or American history, I love learning from...
As a young father, most of my days were spent teaching my kids lessons like how to respect people and things, how to budget their money, how to ride a bike, or how to pursue their own relationship with God. Now that they’re all post-college-aged adults, it’s funny to see how these teaching moments have changed just a bit. Sure, I...
When I was young, I was a paper boy. When I was young, I also believed I was invincible. Bad combo. I’ll never forget riding my bike up to a sign one morning that read “Beware of dog.” Of course, I ignored it. I realized that was a big mistake the moment I locked eyes with a Great Dane. I...
I love a good movie. Especially an underdog story— one where a character fights through all kinds of trouble to get to the top. I’m convinced I love them so much because they stir something up in me. Afterwards, I’m ready to go after my goals. I’m ready to fight to no end for the dreams God has given me. Sometimes...
The past few decades, our society has seen a lot of progress in a lot of areas. We’ve made huge technological and medical advances, and we’ve seen many social issues aggressively pursued. But there’s one area in which we’ve gone backward—one toward which I really believe we need to turn our focus. Marriage and family. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that...
My late father-in-law, John Osteen, is still my favorite minister to have ever preached. One of the best phrases he used was one about success. It went something like, "When climbing the ladder of succcess, be careful you don't get to the top, only to find you're leaning against the wrong wall." In other words, live intentional. Invest in the...
There are times in all of our lives that we’d give almost anything for a do-over. Unfortunately, do-overs typically don’t just appear out of thin air, no matter how hard we wish for them. But when you tap into the grace that Jesus gives, you do get a second chance. The thing about Jesus’ do-overs is that they don’t happen...