Archive | America

Beauty in Disaster | Life Lessons From Hurricane Florence

As I sit here on my front porch overlooking countless piles of debris and water receding from my yard, I have mixed emotions. I can’t help but be overwhelmed with gratitude because our family and our home is safe. But there’s a sense of grief as well because I know so many who can’t say the same. There are hundreds of thousands of people with significant structural damage and millions more who have undergone significant emotional stress. And as I […]

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‘Merica | We’re Better Than This

For a country that was founded on the notion of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, we’ve done well. In fact, America has become so free and prosperous that we’ve even removed the “A”. We’re now know as ‘Merica—a reality television version of ourselves with schizophrenia. Some days, we see the resolve of the human spirit unite under the concept of faith, hope and love—like the response to Hurricane Florence. But other days, we digress to into fear, division and […]

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Billy Graham is Dead. Evangelism Isn’t.

This week, we celebrated the passing of a man known affectionately as “America’s pastor”. Billy Graham was one of the most prominent figures of this generation, and I would argue that he bridged the gap between religion, politics and popular culture better than anyone in history. But there are others who would disagree. In fact, a scathing article ran in Rolling Stone calling him a “shameless sycophant” and credited him with “transforming evangelical Christianity into a patriotic corporate entity”. Opinions […]

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Leadership Anemia | The Condition that is Quietly Killing America

During last year’s Presidential primary debates, I remember having the thought, “Is this really the best we can do? Of all the leaders in our country, this is who we have to choose from?” From that point on, I launched a personal expedition to find the leaders in our culture. And not just those in the national spotlight, but those on a local level as well. After eighteen months of searching, I have come to the conclusion that America is suffering […]

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Yes, They Serve Omelets in Heaven

There are certain people that we immortalize because we can’t imagine a world in which they don’t exist. These are the rare few who have blessed our lives with such abundance that they’ve imprinted themselves into our existence. They are part of our story. That’s how I felt about Ida Jean Mayhew. And I know I’m not alone. It was just too hard to imagine the day when her warm smile and charm wouldn’t welcome me when I walked through […]

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What Taylor Swift’s New Song is Really Saying

I’m not sure if this is ok to admit, but I’m a thirty-five-year-old father of four and I just watched Taylor Swift’s new single and animated music video, “Look What You Made Me Do.” But, there you have it. And I’ll be honest, as a fan of music and a kid who grew up in the pop culture era, I was a bit uneasy after watching it. Why? Because I immediately saw history repeating itself—maybe. Much like Elvis Presley, Michael […]

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Confederate Statues and Taking Sides

There is a fierce battle raging in our country. The events in Charlottesville and the backlash that followed have sprouted bitter fruit from a crippled seed planted long ago. At a quick glance, the conversation is about Confederate statues, racism, and taking sides. Like a schoolyard fight, we line up on one side holding fast to our stereotypes, anger, and hatred for those across from us. But is that really the issue? In a moment of clarity, I feel like God […]

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