My Five O’clock Wage
We instinctively evaluate life by outcomes—the wages, the blessings, the portions. But Jesus’ vineyard parable challenges us to stop staring at the coin.
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Author, Lawyer, Believer
Three Birds with a Stone I Didn’t Throw
There are moments in life when you see the hands of someone else at work. Take today, for example. I received an email with a case number in the header—no party names, no signature line. I didn’t even know which court it was from. I asked the sender and figured out the case. Then the…
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Engineers, Evangelicals, and Texas Roadhouse
My wife’s birthday is exactly one week after mine (i.e., January 27, February 3). We celebrated our birthdays a couple weekends ago at Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia during a regional snowstorm. That was actually Chelsea’s first-time skiing––she fell down the mountain several times, which was simultaneously concerning for me and adorable to see. It…
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What’s the Heisman without Linemen?
Oregon had six five-star recruits. Indiana had zero. Oregon entered with one of the most talented rosters in the country. Indiana’s ranked 72nd nationally—behind teams that didn’t even make a bowl game. Final score: Indiana 56, Oregon 22. When quarterback Fernando Mendoza tried to explain what just happened, he reached for the repeated motif: “We’re…
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The Man Who Walked Out of the Woods
I haven’t brought this up in years. But it keeps coming back to me. I’ve told parts of this story before, only to a few I trust, and usually with some hesitation. I don’t want people to think I’m delusional or pretentious or unapproachable. It’s just strange in a way that doesn’t invite easy interpretation.…
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Him Continuing Me
I’ve been thinking about a journey, The one beneath the story told— Not the tale you think you know. The one that’s been there, Long before I grew old. It took me back to that summer: Twenty years old writing at dawn Praying in basements, Journaling for recovery, Buying tents for strangers who were just…
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Clearly on the Edge
Something strange has been happening inside of me. Or maybe “strange” isn’t the right word. “New” is the better descriptor. I feel stable. Like . . . genuinely, almost boringly, stable. My head is clearer. My heart doesn’t swing wildly between apocalyptic despair and grandiose mission anymore. Perhaps this is what people mean by maturity—not…
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Parking Lot Pastor
They say some of us will never “grow up,” and they mean this not in a literal sense. Physically speaking, most of us stop “growing up” by late teens, early twenties. The colloquial phrase is often used in reference to maturity and wisdom, an inner kind of growth. If we were to pin down where…
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Law and Longing
In a world of endless choices and zero certainties, one law student’s questioning the other day changed my afternoon. I met Josie for an hour last week. She’s twenty-two, first year law student, searching for something she couldn’t quite name. We sat in my office with the door open, family photos visible, handwritten Bible flashcards…
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From Patient to Practitioner to Peer
I taught the people who saved my life today. Not a motivational speech. Not a “look how far I’ve come” recovery story. An actual legal presentation: “From Both Sides: Legal Planning Essentials For TBI Survivors—By a TBI Survivor.” Estate planning. Powers of attorney. Special needs trusts. The technical stuff that keeps families from losing everything…
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