The idea of self-care has blown up in the behavioral health field, social media, blog posts, and heck it’s one of the best-selling genres of books. I’m a big advocate of self-care. But not just the bubble-bath-taking, self-pampering, fitness-body-building, travel-the-world type of self-care advocate. I mean the self-care you don’t post a photo of on social media. I mean the hard conversations you have with a friend you hurt.…

Sometimes it’s easy to be invisible. To do work behind the scenes and leave no trace for others to discover your mistakes or imperfections. I was part of a leadership team at a very large church for several years. I successfully hid flaws, fears, sin, and secrets behind a façade of servitude and performance. I think that the most crowded places are the easiest to operate in invisibility… and…

Earlier this Summer, my family took a trip to San Diego. As I sat there on the beach, I was revisited by childhood memories of swimming in the ocean. The sun would barely be coming up, when my mom would cover my brothers and I in layers of sunscreen before we’d go out into the water. One particular trip, I was dragged in an undertow, seconds felt like minutes as…

Blurred lines, dull lighting, and indistinct objects were all a normal part of the world in front of me. It’s amazing how one can spend so much of their lifetime with the illusion that they see things clearly.  Another lens, another perspective… can change your world instantly. Lines become clear, lighting more vivid, and objects more distinct.  I was 17 when I received my first set of glasses. They…

We often reject the thing that we need most. We often believe the lie that by denying something altogether, then there’s nothing to lose. We do this because we are afraid to want the very thing that could make us or break us.  Afraid of intimacy,  because it risks rejection.  Afraid of trying, because it risks failure.  Afraid of vulnerability, because it risks exposure.  Afraid of having faith, because…

Scroll through any social media feed and it doesn’t take long to discover the common theme of self-love. People are becoming consumed by the idea of self-improvement through independence and inner strength. Posting photos of vacation destinations, untouched meals, and filtered selfies has become the new norm. The smoke and mirrors of the 21st century, social media has become a way to create the illusion of the ideal life.…