Recently I was blessed to be a part of the wedding of my oldest friend, a beautiful woman who by God’s grace I have known my whole life. To say that it was an honor or a privilege feels like a cop out or a cliche: overused words that barely convey the proper emotions. If you have ever had a friend or family member share exciting news with you, and you experienced their joy as if it was your own,…
In his book The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis writes, “For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity… He [God] would therefore have them continually concerned either with eternity (which means being concerned with Him) or with the Present — either meditating on the eternal union with, or separation from, Himself, or else obeying the present voice of conscience, bearing the present cross, receiving the present grace, giving thanks for the present pleasure.” I am very bad at…
In my weakness for good stories, I also have a serious weakness for movies and television shows. When the medium of film is used well, it can create such a magical experience; and it’s also nice to get lost in a story for just a couple of hours rather than the time commitment of reading a whole book. However, alongside my purging of social media the past few years, I’ve also given up the majority of streaming video services. Currently,…
I love the beach, but perhaps not for the exact same reasons that other people do. Yes, the sun and water and sand are all lovely. The sound of the ocean persistently crashing against the shore is indeed the most soothing of melodies. And salt water is really great for my hair. However, one of my favorite things about going to the beach, or even to a neighborhood pool, is witnessing the beauty and diversity in the forms of human…
In my most recent Social Media purge, I finally deleted my account with Pinterest, the glorified visual Search Engine. I can’t even tell you how many Boards or Pins I had saved on there over the years, because it was too painful to even take a last look before making the final deletion. Now, the final straw proved to be political and moral reasons, which prompted me to permanently delete my account; their censorship and data-tracking practices weren’t something that…
Please note: I have intentionally decided not to include Amazon links (unless something is available exclusively on Amazon). Instead, if you are interested in reading any of the books I mention, I encourage you to check out your local library or independent bookstore. These places (and the communities around them) need your support, and they are generally quite willing to order any book if they don’t currently have it in stock. However, if Amazon is still the more practical choice…
Please note: I have intentionally decided not to include Amazon links (unless something is available exclusively on Amazon). Instead, if you are interested in reading any of the books I mention, I encourage you to check out your local library or independent bookstore. These places (and the communities around them) need your support, and they are generally quite willing to order any book if they don’t currently have it in stock. However, if Amazon is still the more practical choice…
Please note: I have intentionally decided not to include Amazon links (unless something is available exclusively on Amazon). Instead, if you are interested in reading any of the books I mention, I encourage you to check out your local library or independent bookstore. These places (and the communities around them) need your support, and they are generally quite willing to order any book if they don’t currently have it in stock. However, if Amazon is still the more practical choice…
It’s been about two and a half months since I deleted my Instagram and Snapchat accounts, and I’m coming up on a year since I permanently deleted Facebook. For those who are curious, here are some of my observations from the post-social media world. First, I will admit that it was very hard to let go. I still miss being able to share pictures easily with all of my friends, and I miss seeing the pictures that others share (especially…
“Until desire becomes obsession, you will never accomplish big things.” I don’t remember where I first came across this saying (it was probably Pinterest), but I’ve had it written down and pinned to the bulletin board over my desk for a few years now, and it continues to resonate. I’ve desired a lot of things over the years: to lose weight, to be more athletic, to bring in more money, to date more, to keep my bedroom clean for more…