RECENT POSTS

How We Think About Giving Money Away
Giving money away. What do we think about that? Over the last two decades, Peter and I have thought a lot about where to give

#2: Hopes and Fears
EPISODE #2: Hopes and Fears —Today we’re looking at Matthew 1:18-21, where the angel implies that Joseph is afraid to take Mary home as his

#1: Why Bodies Matter
EPISODE #1: Why Bodies Matter—Today’s podcast comes from Matthew 1:1-17, which might seem boring because it’s a genealogy, but Jesus’ story starts here, and this

Prepare Him Room: An Introduction
Today’s episode on Prepare Him Room, “An Introduction,” sets the stage for our journey together through the season of Advent. Commercialism and a Time of

‘Tis the Season for Stress: Bonus Episode
On the podcast today, I’m giving you a bonus episode, “Tis the Season for Stress,” which I hope will provide a sense of where we’re

How a Baby with Down Syndrome from Brazil Is Changing Lives in Zambia
As we move towards a season of thanks and of giving, I invited my friend Holly Nelson to tell the story of the Special Hope

Gratitude and Growth: How to Practice Gratitude
I’ve been writing about gratitude for the past two weeks in honor of the season of Thanksgiving. Today, as we look at gratitude and growth

Gratitude and Grace
Superficial gratitude can distort the reality of grace. It’s easy for people in relative comfort to compare ourselves to other needy individuals, pity them, and

Announcing Love is Stronger Than Fear Podcast
The short version of the super exciting announcement is that I started a podcast called Love is Stronger Than Fear. The first season of Love

Sabbatical Announcement and Learning to Rest
Our family is walking away from the daily routines of life and learning to rest. What’s behind our sabbatical announcement and learning to rest? Here

Prepare for Christmas with My Advent Ebook
The calendar might say November, but many of us will soon be preparing for Christmas throughout the season of Advent. I love reflecting on the

Gratitude and Grief
At its best, gratitude is a way to live in the midst of a world of pain and grief, not a way to cut ourselves

Gratitude and Grumpiness
As easy as it is to rattle off a gratitude list, it’s just as easy to rattle off a list of things that cause grumpiness.

Embracing Our Common Humanity
I’ve recently adopted “embracing our common humanity” as my shorthand for what I am attempting to do with my writing and speaking. If you look

Classroom Conversations: To Kill a Mockingbird and the Discussion of Privilege
When I was asked to have classroom conversations with a group of 8th grade students about To Kill a Mockingbird in conjunction with White Picket

My New Website Launch!
I could not be more excited to tell you about the launch of my brand new website. I hope you will spend a minute (or

Essential Church Podcast and Privilege
I had a great time talking with Andrew Arndt on the Essential Church podcast about White Picket Fences. He asked great questions that gave me

Gratitude Podcast with Family Life Radio
Martha Manikas-Foster of Family Life radio approached me a few weeks ago about an old blog post of mine about Thanksgiving. Back in 2014, I