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 […]
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 […]
Rampant, subtle dishonesty ruled my life for many years. My business was booming although it stressed me out, my social media feed showed the smiles instead of the meltdowns, my marriage appeared pure despite the fact that it wasn’t and my conversations delivered what I thought people wanted to hear instead of what was true. With the best intentions I ever-so-gently positioned my life to seem better than it was. It was a vicious cycle that robbed me of authenticity and […]
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all.” Galatians 1:3-6 Those are strong words written 2,000 years ago by the Apostle Paul to the church he established in Galatia. However, I feel like they have a very applicable tone as we navigate the waters of the church in America today. In many ways, American Christians have turned or […]
His name was Anthony Isley King. His clothes were ragged and his face unkept. He smelled of alcohol, but didn’t appear to be intoxicated. His dark black skin blended perfectly with his dark clothes making him almost invisible against the backdrop of night. As he approached, I could feel the weight that seemed to rest upon his shoulders. Something within my spirit moved me to talk to this man. My prejudices were quick to make themselves known and I attempted to […]
I want to debunk the notion right now that every day will be rich. Spiritual and personal poverty lurk like a thief in the night, ready to strike at any time. I had a bad day yesterday. Scratch that. I had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. As I write about it though, nothing was really that awful—your favorite team loses, disagreements happen, kids pee on the floor, goals seem daunting, blog posts don’t go viral, clients say No—life […]
My Grandfather Ham was a special man. He loved God, his family, and his country. Now that I think about it, probably in that order. Those were his priorities, his ideals. He cherished them so much that he created a place for our family to gather together and celebrate them. Behind his house, with his own hands, he built a carport. It was a large, covered space capable of housing up to three cars and still have room left over. Without […]
We get busy in life. Matt reminds us of why we dedicate ourselves to something other than ourselves.
- Robert Wagnon, CEO, Republic State Mortgage
