God's Pattern in Life's Pieces

On May 24th, 2015—her 90th birthday—Eunice Cargo made a bold move from Brighton, Michigan, to Aurora, Colorado. It was a courageous step, and one that ultimately impacted Mary, me, and our entire family just as deeply as it impacted Eunice herself. It’s true. My own story of impact has, at its core, a simple yet […]

Not long after Mary and I moved to Franklin, Tennessee in 1987, we gathered our three kids and two Nashville nieces and set out on a Christmas tree hunt. We’d heard about a local tree farm with an outstanding selection, so we borrowed my brother’s larger vehicle and headed out for what we hoped would […]

Somewhere, tucked inside the fog of distant childhood memories, is an unforgettable interaction with a man who himself stayed in the shadows. Graybill Wolgemuth was my father’s father—a man with persistently whining hearing aids, an unwelcoming beard, a posture of seriousness, and a famine of words. He walked with God. Quietly. Stoically. Obediently. Joylessly. There […]

It’s dark. Division, dissension, bitterness, hatred, prejudice, war, natural disasters, and loneliness all seem to be having their day. It’s hard to watch. Job put it this way—and he put it well:“Why do the wicked have it so good,live to a ripe old age and get rich?They get to see their children succeed,get to watch […]