January 2015 archive

Really, God?

“There’s no sense in getting upset you can only look at the positives.”  Elijah left us with those words. He had no way of knowing how many of us would be telling God that we’re upset and we want to see the positives in his death. For those of us at the top of the pain chain, …

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InflateGate

There’s been a lot of talk lately about deflated footballs. The NFL controversy even has a name: DeflateGate. But it got me thinking about a much more serious problem. I’m calling it InflateGate. To be fair, some things certainly work better when they are properly inflated. Ever try bouncing a deflated basketball on the ground? And who …

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Let It Go…

Is there a significant loss in your life that you have yet to grieve about? Maybe it’s time to let it go. Not everyone grieves the same way. Or at the same time. I’m certainly learning the hard way ever since we lost our teenage son, Elijah. Sometimes the sorrow just overwhelms me at the most awkward moments. My brother …

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Good Grief

Who came up with the term ‘Good Grief’? Maybe it was Charlie Brown during a moment of confusion. How could he associate grief with anything good? Sort of like mixing the terms ‘Sweet Sorrow’ or ‘Awfully Good’. When we are living through a situation of significant loss, the grief can hit us suddenly and uninvited. And often. We can …

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Beyond the Impass

When we stand at the foot of the mountain, we don’t see the horizon. Our future joy and happiness seem blocked by a monumental barrier.  But when we allow our mind and heart to rise above our current circumstances, we see the horizon from a beautiful and positive perspective. God’s perspective. I took this photo today as I was …

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Tea Bags Everywhere!

One day last November I was standing at our kitchen sink when my wife Melanie brought to me six empty glasses she had gathered from around the house. She told me they were all from Elijah, but it was easy for me to figure that out. Each glass had 4-5 tea bags still in them. …

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The Big Picture

Nothing prepares you for the sudden loss of your teenage son or daughter. Where do you turn for comfort when you feel as though God has let you down? I miss Elijah every waking minute. But despite my pain and sadness, I have been encouraged to see the bigger picture. I just never could have imagined …

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Painful Silence

Have you ever wished desperately to hear from someone that you love? The silence can be painful. For just a moment, consider that experience from a different perspective. Elijah had been missing for two weeks, and we were not sure why he wasn’t contacting us to let us know he was safe and well. During that time God …

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Catching Fire

A wise person once told me, “Don’t worry about others catching fire. Just catch fire yourself. At least others will gather around to watch you burn. And they may well catch fire from you!” The picture above was taken one month before we lost Elijah. I was burning some brush in our fire pit early one evening, …

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Life On Purpose

Thank you to all who supported our family and helped to honor Elijah as we learned of his passing. Elijah was an amazing young man, and his life and death have had a significant impact on the lives of so many people. As we understand more of Elijah’s life and the touch of God upon …

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