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 […]
Our home backs up to College Acres Baptist Church, a largish church with quite a bit of paved parking that drains to a retention pond just behind our home. Although the frontside of Hurricane Florence only produced five inches of rain, the retention pond was full and it appeared that their drainage system was not removing any of the standing water. As the water began to backup, it flooded an undeveloped lot beside our home and subsequently poured into our […]
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 […]
To the man who’s feeling the pressure of raising kids even though he doesn’t feel adequate, I hear you. To the man who’s buried under the suffocating weight of debt, I hear you. To the man who’s mistaken himself as the provider, I hear you. To the man who’s trying his hardest to succeed at work because it validates his desire to be known, I hear you. To the man who’s afraid of his greatness because he’s comfortable with good, […]
I once met a marginally famous author. The experience was underwhelming and unimpressive. This person had a great online persona—they had best-selling books, wrote engaging articles, interacted with readers and maintained a great digital presence. But the truth is, they weren’t a great person. They were arrogant and off-putting. This person was great at Facebook, not at life. That experience was a turning point for me. It left me upset and uncertain. Until that point, this person was a sort-of […]
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 […]
A few years ago, I would have never admitted to being narcissistic. I had a website dedicated to me and a countless social media accounts highlighting my opinion. I shared that opinion often and regularly dominated conversations. In addition, I was impatient when things didn’t align with my will and I constantly surveyed my bank account and financials to see how things were stacking up. And finally, I analyzed my performance in both my career and in my hobbies. What I wanted, […]
We get busy in life. Matt reminds us of why we dedicate ourselves to something other than ourselves.
- Robert Wagnon, CEO, Republic State Mortgage
