Stories

This is the story of how I became the Keeper of the Flame, and how the world became the Keeper of the Flame, and how the fire – inside me – changed me.

A Good Friday meditation on why Jesus suffered the cross.

Words, if you look at them, are a binary of black and white, ink on a page. But when we listen to them, when we see them for what they mean, they shine.

When I asked ChatGPT to write a sonnet about socks, it did! And a surprisingly coherent one, too. But then I wanted to see if I could take what it created and turn it into something new.

A very short story about a man longing to return to his past.

A verse reflecting on myself and the things most important to me.

I want to tell stories of majesty and grandeur, but it's far more important to me that my stories be honest, true, and those majestic stories aren't mine to share.

I made a goal for myself to write one thousand words a day, and sometimes, to meet my goal, I have to repeat myself.

Peace is costly—it is not made by ignoring pain or hurt or history. Peace comes with honestly and humility, a commitment to seeing and listening to one another.

Life is complicated, messy, hard to understand. And that's exactly what makes it beautiful.

I was asked to describe my view of Scripture, so I wrote this short reflection as a depiction of how the Bible has come alive to me in recent years. Scripture is no longer a reflection of myself, but is a summons to know the world of life.

Men prepare for battle against the forces of darkness. At the command of their Divine, they ride their warhorses against their foes and, with the power of their Divine, they win what they think is a miraculous victory.

A reflection on Matthew 6:24: "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other." (NLT)

One of my most challenging stories to date, this is a fresh look at the Noah story in four movements. What if Noah really had been the madman everyone thought he was? Do we today ever sabotage the mission God gave us?

When everyone is screaming, no one can be heard.

Sometimes, in our preparation for war, we are the ones creating the fight.

The greatest inspiration often comes through pain.

Sometimes stories, whether they are "factually accurate" or not, carry more truth in their bones than a journalistic account ever could. It's like Santa Claus.

What if the accusations against us are right? What if we're the monsters they say we are? We don't think they are, but could that be part of the problem?

Each day, no matter how bright, passes inevitably into the darkness of night.

Even the best of us often see what we want to see... and miss what we don't want to see. What do you notice as you read this story? What do you skim over? Where in your life do you miss opportunities to make a difference?

In the midst of the storm of brokenness, peace comes from the tender heartbeat of God.

I wake up each morning hoping and praying that you'll still be here.

There's a garden in Kansas City that is a special place for my wife and me, a haven that became a sort of sacred ground for us. This story is a quick, bright sketch of our time there and the reason it brought us so much joy.