This April, my wife and I will have been married for twelve years. And I’ve spent the majority of those twelve years bouncing back and forth on the pendulum of pleasing her and simply shutting off. It’s an exhaustive charade that has robbed me of peace and caused me to fall into the trap of loving her circumstantially. I treasure the fact that she challenges me and pushes me beyond my comfort zone, but it grates on every last nerve. For more than thirty years, I’ve been […]
Christmas makes me feel like a kid again—like I’m ten-years old sitting in the kitchen at Grandma Ham’s house on Christmas Eve, anxious and giddy about what Santa might bring. But this year, I had the stark realization that those memories are twenty-five years old. It’s hard to believe, but I’m days from turning thirty-five. I’m no longer the little kid. I’m a father to four beautiful children and we’re having Christmas at my house. For whatever reason, that reality has been a […]
Earlier this week, a friend of mine named Bill reminded me that the holidays are not always joyful. Bill lost his wife to cancer a few years ago, and as much as he doesn’t intend for it to happen, the holidays remind him of what he’s lost. In those moments, it’s hard to give thanks. Bill’s encouragement struck a chord with me because, honestly, I’m guilty of overlooking other’s pain. Even worse, I try to combat it with positivity. But sometimes, positivity […]
America has become incredibly divided. But one of the most convicting things is the response of so many Christians to this divide. There seems to be an eager willingness to quote Jesus in spite of a rampant unwillingness to actually emulate Him to others. In a culture that finds Christianity difficult to believe, this makes it utterly unbelievable. In a culture of division, it’s simply not okay to hold up a LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR sign while throwing stones at anyone who doesn’t agree with you. While […]
It’s that time of year when a lot of parents are preparing for their children to leave. And regardless if it’s kindergarten or college, the emotions are the same. We’re sending someone we love out into the world—a world that doesn’t seem love them like we do. But in both the sadness and excitement, it’s important for us to remember that we raise our kids to leave. When my son, Matthew, Jr., was born, my best friend sent me a song […]
We get busy in life. Matt reminds us of why we dedicate ourselves to something other than ourselves.
- Robert Wagnon, CEO, Republic State Mortgage
