Finding God in the And
My daughter Maggie is leaving to serve a mission for our church and this afternoon was her farewell in church. She asked me to be the second speaker along with a musical number that included MANY of her aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was a powerful meeting and I was honored to be asked to do that for her. After the service, several people asked me for a copy of my thoughts. I figured I’d just post them here as this was a momentous day for me and for her and I’d love it preserved forever. So, without further ado, here is the talk I gave in church today: March 8, 2026.
Learning Grace… the Hard Way
Life has a funny way of revisiting certain lessons until we finally learn them well. This week reminded me that grace — especially in difficult moments — is often learned the hard way. But with time, perspective, and a little humility, even the hardest weeks can become teachers.
The Culture of Shame
Shame doesn’t always shout. Sometimes it whispers. It lives in raised eyebrows, quiet speculation, and the stories we tell ourselves about other people’s lives.
And if I’m honest, we don’t always judge to be cruel — sometimes we judge to feel safe. If we can locate the flaw in someone else’s story, we convince ourselves their ending won’t be ours. That’s how shame culture survives.
Fine Is Not the Finish Line
Building culture is different than directing a show. It means holding a standard steady long before everyone else is ready to carry it with you. This season has stretched me more than I expected — physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Resistance doesn’t always mean something is broken; sometimes it means something is being built. It has tested my leadership, my endurance, and my conviction in ways I didn’t anticipate. There has been slow momentum, exhaustion that settles into my bones, and the temptation to lower the bar just to make it easier on everyone. But “fine” has never been the goal. Excellence doesn’t happen by accident — it’s built, protected, and sometimes fought for.
Looking Forward Through the Rearview
I didn’t plan to write this today.
This morning, I opened Facebook, scrolled past a few things, and then—boom—it did that thing it does and served up a memory I didn’t go looking for. Actually… it served up two. One from 2021. The other from 2022. Both deeply honest. Both from very different emotional places.
Reading them stopped me in my tracks. Suddenly, I was face-to-face with past versions of myself—one who was barely hanging on, and one who had found his footing again. It caught me off guard and sent me into a spiral of reflection I didn’t expect.
And that’s what led me here—writing this update four years later.