32 For 32


Each year around my birthday (for the past three years), I like to share my thoughts from the previous year. These are keen and not so keen observations, musings, and the like. Feel free to read and disagree, silently judge, or even criticize these -- I'll probably never know that you did that!

  1. Those little nose pimples that you get on the inside of your nostril from time to time are the worst. 
  2. Life is really, really hard. We aren't meant to go it alone. We need community. I've lived most of my life thinking the opposite, but I'm realizing I need people more and more as I get older. 
  3. Social media lives are not reality. Who are you trying to impress? Who am I trying to impress?
  4. Fear is perhaps our strongest motivator. Beware of any person who tries to influence you based on your fears.
  5. Has craft beer jumped the shark? I will neither confirm, nor deny. But you know what will never jump the shark. A nice cold domestic. Also, I recently learned that Bud Light Lime is delicious. 
  6. Props to my wife, Allison. As we have followed this calling into ministry and pursuing church planting, she has been my biggest supporter. Especially in light of the many sacrifices and all the time we are putting into this. I am so grateful to have her by my side. 
  7. I'm 32 now, and I've been following Jesus for just over 4 years. I gotta say this. I'm so sick of everything else. I want to know the real Jesus and help others know him as well. That's what I'm interested in, that's what I want my life to be about. He saved me, y'all. He saves me everyday. There's nothing more precious than having Jesus. He leads me in his life giving ways. His yoke is easy, and his burden is light. Obedience to his words is the only thing that has brought real fruit, lasting joy, and true transformation to my life. The more time I spend walking through life with Jesus, the more I want to know him, be like him, share in his sufferings, and bring him praise and honor. 
  8. Speaking of suffering, life comes at you fast. You will suffer, have trials, have hardship. If you're like me, there will be (or has been) times where you weren't sure if you could go on another day. But there's nothing better than having Jesus through all of it. Jesus will never leave or forsake. Jesus will never betray. Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever. Jesus is a rock. Jesus is faithful. Life will change and circumstances will change, but Jesus will remain steadfast. Not only that, but our suffering turns out for our glory. We don't have a meaningless universe with suffering as a consequence of it all. Suffering is a reality in this broke world, but God redeems it. 
  9. And another thing. Nobody is beyond redemption. How good is that. If you are reading this right now, and you do not have peace with God, or with yourself, just know that you are not beyond his grace. God is the healer, the redeemer, the deliverer, the transformer of lives. You are not beyond his grace and power. Reach out to me!
  10. Google Calendar is the best. 
  11. I've recently got into cooking in new ways. I'm starting out with marinades and cooking pork tenderloins. Soon I want to do a brisket and take a butchering class. 
  12. I miss hunting deer. We're going to try and do that this year. 
  13. Twitter is insane. 
  14. Martin Luther once said, "The Christian life is a life of repentance," and he's right. We are sinners saved by grace, and we spend our lives being transformed by the Holy Spirit out of our old ways of sin, and into new ways of righteousness through the process of repentance and growth.
  15. The Green Bay Packers will win the Super Bowl this year.
  16. When will Tom Cruise stop running?
  17. I love the U.S. Women's National Team. World Cup Champs!
  18. They say that you never regret generosity. I've also never regretted sacrifice. It is always worth it to sacrifice for others. 
  19. Ravi Zacharias: "The loneliest moment in life is when you have just experienced that which you thought would deliver the ultimate & it has just let you down." This is absolutely true and I've experienced it.
  20. I can't imagine bowling being a leisure activity much longer. I bet bowling stops being a thing within the next 25 years. 
  21. Life is too short to drink bad bourbon. 
  22. I didn't drink enough water this year. And I did watch too much TV. Going to reverse those for year 32. 
  23. I caught a mouse in our house the other day and instead of killing it, I put it outside in the garden. This morning I found it at the bottom of our steps, and it looked dead. I grabbed a paper towel to pick it up, and startled it awake. It was sleeping. Totally adorable. I put it further away in a different patch of grass this time. If it comes back again, we're making it a pet. 
  24. Christianity isn't just about saying a prayer and being "Saved." Jesus wants your whole life. Your words, your deeds, your heart. God is in the business of making whole people like his whole Son. That's pretty cool. 
  25. I never regret reading my Bible. 
  26. Outrage culture has got to stop before we continue to miss the things that we should actually pause and be outraged about. The President inciting "Send her back" chants at a rally, building on fear to promote racism and xenophobia is a moment we should stop and really think about. Is this America? Well, yes. America has a long, storied, racist past. But we don't have to give in to fear. We can get to know our neighbor. We can love them, empathize with them, have compassion toward them. We shouldn't just let the 24 hour news cycle sweep these kinds of stories away into another different story to be outraged about. Things are changing in the political and media landscape, and this will continue to devolve unless we stop and reclaim the fact that every person has equal dignity, value, and worth. God has a claim on every human life, even (and especially) the people we disagree with! But let's settle down, let's get out from our computers and phones and get face to face with people. Let's have discussion, debate, argument, and conversation again - face to face! 
  27. Speaking of that, I spent way too much time on my phone in year 31. That's gotta change. 
  28. I love you, very much. 
  29. Key & Peele was an incredible sketch comedy show.
  30. Dogs are the absolute best. Far better than cats, and nearly impossible to do life without. 
  31. Pecan Turtle was the best flavor of ice cream in year 31. Also, Pizza Hut crust is surprisingly good now. 
  32. I hate sin, and it makes me want to kill my sin and preach the gospel all the time. So that's what I intend to do this year. 
Thanks for reading!

31 really aged me! HAHA


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