I Mowed the Wrong Lawn. Twice.

Years ago, my friend John joined the military and was unexpectedly deployed overseas. He and his wife, Heather, had recently purchased a home; they had a newborn, and Heather suddenly had a lot to manage on her own. One Sunday at church, I asked Heather if there was...

Leaving a Piece of My Heart in Tennessee

Last weekend, Erica and I dropped Parker off at college in Tennessee. I knew the day was coming. We had talked about it, planned for it, packed for it, prayed over it, and watched it get closer on the calendar. I understood, in theory, that our oldest child was going...

Goodlets Help People

In the Goodlet family, we have a simple family mission statement. “We are Goodlets. This means we help people, we have fun, and we honor God.” That is it. Nothing fancy. No laminated poster. No twelve-point strategic plan. Just a simple sentence we tried to repeat...

My Orange Belt Era

Several years ago, my son Mason decided he wanted to take karate lessons. His instructor was Sensei Doug, which sounds very official and slightly intimidating. I should also mention that his American name was just Doug. At first, I had a very specific role in this...

No Hiding the Hole

Have you ever torn your clothes? I have. Many times. As a kid, I grew up on Long Island, New York, in a town called Hicksville. Let me just say, there was nothing hick about Hicksville. We lived in a neighborhood with houses close together, small backyards, and...

When Words Get in the Way

There are times in life when I am certain I am communicating well, and I am completely wrong. A number of years ago, I was in Chile on a mission trip. Now, I had taken three years of Spanish in high school, which means I knew just enough to be dangerous and not nearly...