The 1 + 1 = 3 Principle
Denise and I looked at each other, as if to say, “What just happened here?” We felt it: the “1+1=3 Principle”.
The 1+1=3 Principle happens when two people combine forces, creating a mysterious chemistry where together they can accomplish much more than they would separately. I believe it’s this principle that God inspired the author of Ecclesiastes to write: “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12) When God is the focus of hearts and conversations, He works even when we’re not aware.
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Bumper Cars
Several years ago, my sweet bride and I came up with the utterly brilliant idea of taking our kids car shopping with us. The novelty of dealership-quality popcorn and showroom cars quickly wore off, and a glorious cacophony of chaotic car buying stress soon followed. At the end of this disastrous car buying experience, we welcomed a new automobile into our little family.
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What's the Big Deal about Christmas?
“What’s the big deal about Christmas, anyway,” Becky asked rather bluntly. She and I had been good friends since elementary school. Becky’s family never attended church, but lately she’s tagged along with us. As we’ve came closer to Christmas, however, Becky’s grown agitated. “I hear that this isn’t even the time of year Jesus was really born,” she said over lunch after church.
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Don't Do This On Your First Date 😳
My first “sort of real” date was with a classmate my junior year of high school. Her name was Stephanie, and it’s probably important to note that I married Stephanie - just not the Stephanie from my Junior year of high school. My wife Stephanie s is one of the sweetest, kindest, most selfless human beings to ever walk this earth. (We’ll say maybe a step or two below Jesus, but on par with Mother Teresa).
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Red Rocks and the Sublime Charity of Being Someone's Burden
I recently had the privilege of visiting my brother and his family out in Colorado. We spent some time with his family, visited the museum, and hung out in Breckenridge. On one especially beautiful day, my brother decided he would take all of us on a hike through Red Rocks: me, my wife, my son Caden (age 13), my son Logan (age 8), and my little guy Ryan (age 2).
My guess is you are seeing the problem with that far faster than we did.
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Roger and the Rear View Mirror
Several years ago when I was in college, my wife and I experienced the joy of scraping by on Ramen noodles and a beat up old Ford Tempo. This particular jalopy was a rusted out hand-me-down from my gracious uncle, and was held together with duct tape and metal clothes hangers. Each day, I would honor the legacy of Mr. Henry Ford by jumping in my white wonder and race from work to school as I chipped away at the requirements for my undergrad degree.
On one particular occasion, I was running late to class and the rearview mirror of my dilapidated death trap just, randomly, fell off. I mean it literally just fell off…out of the blue, onto my lap.
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Heart of Christmas
Each year at the holiday season, my otherwise happy and fun-loving husband, Randy, would turn into a Scrooge. I didn’t understand it because unlike most husbands, mine liked to shop and gift giving was always his “gift.” But now I was beginning to hate the holiday as much as it seemed he did.
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Airport Adventures and a Letter from Prison
Several years ago, when my family was composed of a few less car seats, my amazing bride and I were preparing to take our then four-year-old son Caden with us on a plane to Indiana for the big family Christmas. The problem? Our flight got cancelled due to the sudden blizzard bearing down on us. Bigger problem? We were stranded an hour from our home, the nearby hotels were sold out, our bags were already checked, and they were even out of “essentials kits.”
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Time to Party
Recently, I took a walk around Lake Dora with my friend Steve who has been married for twenty years longer than I have. Always curious about the wisdom I can glean from someone a little further in their journey, I asked Steve what advice he would give a younger guy about marriage. He stopped, thought about it for a few moments, and then uttered two simple words.
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Yard of the Month
In an effort to encourage homeowners in our community to create and maintain pleasing home exteriors, every 30 days our homeowners’ association representatives tour the streets of our subdivision and award one home the coveted “Yard of the Month” sign. This artfully-stenciled sign magically appears in your front lawn and resides there all month, advising passers-by that your decorating and landscaping efforts are worthy of commendation.
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Joy In Childhood Connections
My home is filled with owls—stuffed, paintings, trinkets, even placemats. My love affair with owls began one Halloween when an unexpected encounter taught me a lesson.
I’d only been called to the principal’s office one other time, and I knew from that experience I never wanted to go back. But there I was on my way there again. My mind raced. What had I done?
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Where is Joy?
With all the world’s unrest, I heard a quote recently, wondering where God is. So of course, I looked for how to look for God. One of my favorite songs is by Twila Paris, “The Joy of the Lord.” In a roundabout way, we look for God because we are looking for Joy.
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Kaboom!
All that rumbling was either a sign of a very empty stomach, or perhaps I had swallowed a swarm of butterflies. Boy, if it’s butterflies, they must be having a party. While stirring the pitcher of squeezed-by-my-own-hand lemonade, I chuckled at the thought of party streamers in my stomach. Once again, I glanced at the oven timer. It’s almost to the pre-heat temperature.
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What A 3 Year Old With A Tricycle Taught Me About Life
My amazing little three-year-old son, Ryan is the proud owner of a luxurious baby blue plastic tricycle. While his usage of pedals is a skill yet undeveloped, it nevertheless brings him great joy to scoot along the pavement with the wind in his hair and a smile on his face. A daredevil at heart, and the younger sibling of two older boys, he scoots with reckless abandon and lifts his feet in the air while going down hills to pickup speed. (His dad is generally running right behind him trying to keep up.) His little tricycle has become both a symbol and a facilitator of fun, freedom, and adventure.
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Folded Potato Chips and Other Evidence of Devotion
My husband’s eyebrow arched when I announced that folded potato chips are superior to plain,
flat potato chips. When he figured out I was being completely serious he, being the sensitive
guy that he is, promptly burst out into derisive laughter. I was not amused. I defended my
position by explaining that the extra crunchiness of the folded chip brought more chip
satisfaction to the game.
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Time To Party!
I took a walk around Lake Dora with my friend Steve recently who has been married for twenty years longer than I have. Always curious about the wisdom I can glean from someone a little further in their journey, I asked Steve what advice he would give a younger guy about marriage. He stopped, thought about it for a few moments, and then uttered two simple words.
“Have fun.”
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And She Keeps Laughing
I have this amazing friend Toni who works at a radio station and in her spare time heads up community service projects all around her community --- and in her other spare time is working on writing her first book. Like I said, pretty amazing. Toni and I had not caught up in a while, so I dropped her a quick phone call. She began to share about some tough issues with her family, financial struggles, and fighting two brutal forms of cancer.
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Notfulness: Just say "No!"
My husband and I are friends with a well-known speaker and author, Simon Bailey, who travels the world giving motivational talks to members of large corporations and other organizations. Simon says (I just love saying that) “It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not that holds you back.” How profound is that? When I first read those words in Simon’s blog I was immediately convicted of all the ways I hold myself back by thinking that I’m NOT.
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Grated Expectations
Grated Expectations: In Robert Heinlein’s book The Door into Summer, the main character’s dog signals to go outside. When the door is opened to a gust of frigid wind and a frosty tableau of ice and snow, the eager dog is dismayed and refuses exit --- this is NOT his expected reality. The door is supposed to open to a lovely summer day filled with squirrels to chase.
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My Cup Runs Over
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
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