You Were Never Broken

You Were Never Broken

I spent a lot of my life believing something in me needed fixing. That I didn’t fit, didn’t measure up, didn’t belong.

I didn’t grow up feeling like I fit in with other boys, and somewhere along the way, that turned into a belief that something in me was broken.

This is a story about survival, identity, faith, and what it takes to finally understand that I was always enough.

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Broadway Lights & Cabin Nights

Broadway Lights & Cabin Nights

I spent this week watching my students experience New York for the first time—and then came home to the realization that this is the last week all of my kids will be under one roof. It’s a strange, beautiful tension of joy, pride, and quiet ache… and I’m learning what it means to live in all of it at once.

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Learning Grace… the Hard Way

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.

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The Hardest Show I’ve Ever Done
Leadership, Theatre, Faith & Growth Jere Van Patten Leadership, Theatre, Faith & Growth Jere Van Patten

The Hardest Show I’ve Ever Done

Theatre hits differently when you’re breathing the same air as the story unfolding in front of you. This weekend, I closed two shows — and one of them became the hardest production I’ve ever led. A train-wreck rehearsal just days before opening. And then, almost overnight, everything shifted. Here’s what it taught me about culture, faith, and showing up again.

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You Will Be the Villain Somewhere

You Will Be the Villain Somewhere

This week taught me something I didn’t necessarily want to learn — but probably needed to.

I found myself reading words and sitting in conversations that quietly reframed my judgment and my values in a way that didn’t match my heart at all. Decisions I had made thoughtfully and conservatively were being interpreted as careless. Standards I believed were kid-centered and appropriate were described as questionable. And for a moment, I felt it — that tightening in my chest when you realize you are being cast in a role you never auditioned for.

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