I’ll pray for you — you’ve said it, I’ve said it, we’ve all said it. There’s nothing wrong with saying you’ll pray for someone, especially if you sincerely will. But far too many times I’ve seen this used as an excuse for apathy rather than a show of empathy. It’s something I’m personally guilty...
“Tyler… Tyler… TYLER.” No, that line you just read wasn’t me practicing the spelling of my name. That was a direct quote from my wife as she tried to get my attention recently as I was looking down at my phone. I’m not sure if it was email, social media, or a text message from a friend — it doesn’t really matter...
I try to read the Bible every day, usually before getting started with anything else. I’m not perfect at it, and if I’m being honest, a lot of times I read it too fast and I overlook the richness of God’s Word. Lately, I’ve been reading through the Psalms and as I was on my way to brushing past the depth and divine nature of scripture...
As a kid, my name and the word “shy” was inseparable. Classmates, friends, family — everyone classified me that way. In all truthfulness, I guess I was. I always got nervous speaking in class, I rarely initiated new friendships, and I never went out of my way to talk to someone I didn’t know. I was never proud of being called shy, and I...
A few weeks ago after moving into our new house I had to make one last visit to our apartment office to turn in our keys. I walked in but before I could do anything I was approached by an older man who was visibly distressed. The rent payment system had just been transitioned to online-only and in an act of desperation he asked if I would help...
Over the past several weeks I’ve spent some time reading through the story of Christ’s birth. It’s a story that transcends both time and history and is one that I look forward to teaching my son every Christmas season as he grows older. He may only be a little over a year old, but my wife and I already have him playing with a plastic manger...
I don’t mean to start this post with a complaint, but if there is one thing I hate in life, it’s being sick. It’s not just the physical aspects either. I hate getting off schedule, getting out of rhythm, feeling stagnant, feeling bored, and after staying home for several days – feeling like a hermit. Last week I felt all of...
As I write this, CNN is playing on my TV in the background and political pundits are offering their projections and estimations for the 2016 election. I’m not sure who the winner will be but I don’t have to be sure about the winner in order to be sure that there will be millions of disappointed people as the winner is announced. That’s the...
Whether we like it or not, we all have to deal with difficult, negative people on occasions. You may work with one, you may be friends with one, you may even be married to one. But the question is, how do you deal with one? It’s not easy, and more often than not, my default reaction is avoidance. But, as my wife recently showed me, there’s a...
Our family has only called Charlotte our home for a few months, but when events unfold like they have this week and it affects your neighbors and not just your newsfeed – it changes things. It becomes real. I don’t plan on giving another opinion about Charlotte, or Tulsa, or any other incident – I don’t think I’m qualified to do...
