Have you seen the “How Hard Did Aging Hit You” Challenge? This is the latest internet craze where willing participants place their first profile picture alongside their current profile picture to see how they’ve changed in recent years. But rather than compare profile pictures, my wife and I want to propose an interesting idea. What if, in addition to how we’ve changed on the outside, we share how we’ve changed on the inside? External appearance is the quick eye test […]
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 […]
Seventeen years ago, I was asleep in my dorm room at University Towers on the campus of NC State University. My phone rang. It was my mom. “Hey, bud. Turn on the news. A plane just crashed into the World Trade Center.” Along with the rest of the known world, I watched in horror as the events unfolded before our eyes in nightmarish fashion. It was the worst case scenario—something we’d never imagined. I remember the fear. It felt like […]
When my wife and I were navigating infertility and the aftermath of bad decisions, it was hard. Actually, hard isn’t an applicable word. It felt impossible. In that moment, we were no longer concerned with having a family, we were concerned with saving our marriage. The immediate feeling was hopelessness. It was an empty feeling with one logical outcome—giving up. But for reasons beyond logical explanation, we felt God’s presence more powerfully that we had ever felt it before. And […]
Since I’ve made the decision to resign after ten years in insurance business, I’ve had to face a lot of questions. And that’s understandable. I don’t mind questions. If you’re crazy enough to chase your dreams, you have to learn to become comfortable with them. In the world of questions, the two most notable inquiries begin with “Why”. Knowing the answer to this is incredibly important. If you’re going to pursue an uncommon life, you’ll have to answer it. The […]
I’ve been writing for almost five years now and during that time I’ve found the courage to share countless stories. But there’s one story that has terrified me. Partly because it’s not only my story, it’s my wife’s as well. Before I go any further, you have to know that I have her full consent for what I’m about to write. For whatever reason, God has given us the courage to share our story today, on our anniversary. There’s beautiful […]
Fourteen years ago, I was forced to choose between what I had grown accustomed to and what I really wanted. On one side, I had my family, my fiancé, my hometown and a well-paying job that most college graduates would kill for. On the other side, I had a not-so-sure opportunity with an upstart real estate company more than 600 miles away. The sensation in that moment was overwhelming and the decision made my heart race inside my chest. My […]
We get busy in life. Matt reminds us of why we dedicate ourselves to something other than ourselves.
- Robert Wagnon, CEO, Republic State Mortgage
