Faith

- - - | written by Jason on 6/15/2025 | - - -

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

This past week was...not great. It was already slated to be a busy week during a very busy month. Then, in 72 hours, we went from a simple wellness visit to the emergency room to a training session at Milwaukee Children's Hospital to learn how to check blood sugar and inject insulin into our kid. We interrupt your regularly scheduled life to bring you this important message: your son has Type 1 Diabetes. Just like that, speaking gigs were postponed, daily planners were whitewashed with white-out, and Ben's life changed forever. He's handling it well with a great attitude. I'm so …

- - - | written by Jason on 5/18/2025 | - - -

I Got Another Rock

I recently spent time tracing the footsteps of Orville and Wilbur Wright. I had two speaking engagements in North Carolina, less than a week apart. Rather than fly back and forth, Kim and I decided to have me stay down there. She found me a cool place on the Outer Banks, near Kitty Hawk, where the Wright Brothers had their historic first flight. I used the time to think, pray, and make progress on my first-ever children's book about, of all things, a penguin with a dream of flying. It felt perfect, and you can be sure I will be sharing more about my experience in the weeks and months to …

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- - - | written by Jason on 10/27/2024 | - - -

Not a Morning Person

Do elk have the choice of being a morning person? Are there some elk, hidden away in the woods, "sleeping in?" Some who stayed up late contemplating the universe, or were up all night partying with other woodland creatures? Alas, I assume that elk are wired the way they are wired, and they don't have the choice of whether they are a night elk or a morning elk. No, but we do. I used to be a night person. I rolled my eyes at the people who annoyingly championed the virtue of early rising. I loved staying up to work on art when the world was quiet. I'd go to bed way past midnight and …

- - - | written by Jason on 8/11/2024 | - - -

Waiting for Answers

Have you ever texted someone a question and then those three little dots pop up as they formulate their reply? You know the three dots. Depending on how consequential their response is, that delay can feel like an eternity, right? We want answers now, but sometimes they take a while to come. From the very beginning of our relationship, Kim and I talked about living in a lake home one day, surrounded by tall pine trees. It took over twenty years to come true, which was approximately nineteen more than I expected. Over that prolongated waiting period, I asked God what was …

- - - | written by Jason on 7/14/2024 | - - -

A Message in a Bottle

On our very first date, Kim and I agreed to live on a lake. As we began the process of getting to know each other, we got talking about our ideal place to live. For some reason, Idaho was mentioned. (When you grow up in a small town in Illinois surrounded by cornfields, almost everywhere feels more exotic.) We talked of mountains and potatoes (obviously), but pine trees and lakes took precedence. We both agreed that living on a lake surrounded by tall pine trees would be an ideal place to settle down. (We didn't necessarily know it would be together.) The two of us dated for …

- - - | written by Jason on 6/16/2024 | - - -

How Many Seeds in a Watermelon?

What do motivational posters, charismatic preachers, and embroidered pillows have in common? They regularly tell us to count our blessings. If we're in the midst of a good day, we'd probably admit it would take a long time to count all our blessings. Maybe even longer than it would take to count all the seeds in a watermelon. But theoretically, both could be done. This painting was inspired by the saying "Anyone can count the number of seeds in a watermelon, but only God can count the number of watermelons in a seed." Today is the second anniversary of the day I needed a …

- - - | written by Jason on 2/11/2024 | - - -

48 Things I’ve Learned in 48 Years

Well, today is the day. The cultural event where millions of people are unified in celebration of what many have called the biggest secular holiday in the United States, and possibly the world. Of course, I'm referring to my birthday. I'm not sure how I'll mark the occasion, but perhaps there will be something interesting to watch on TV? 🏈 #SuperbOwl It's true; as of today, I am 48 years old. Is that old? It feels kinda old, but still a few years shy of fifty, so that's something. I do relate to Margaret Atwood who believed, "Everyone else my age is an adult, whereas …

- - - | written by Jason on 7/9/2023 | - - -

A Moonrise to Remember

I pulled out a notebook and pushed aside the bowl of creamers and the container of jellies. My family was at one of our favorite breakfast spots, our go-to place for celebrating big milestones. This day was decidedly less joyful, however; more of an escape from a nightmare we recently experienced. A few miles away, our house was an island in an apocalyptic landscape. A week before, a hurricane force straight-line wind mutilated an idyllic stand of 150 pine trees into an ugly riot of splintered, uprooted sticks, violently strewn about. Amidst the aftermath, it was hard to imagine …

- - - | written by Jason on 5/23/2021 | - - -

I Got a Rock

In the immortal words of a trick-or-treating Charlie Brown...I got a rock.It wasn't just any rock, mind you; it was a kindness rock. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, people hand-paint ordinary rocks with inspirational or encouraging messages and leave them in a public place for someone to find. This particular one was shaped a bit like a heart, painted red, and included the words, "Love you." I found it on a walk, near the lakeside bench where I like to sit. I immediately recognized what it was, but completely resisted the idea that it could actually be intended for me. After all, …

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- - - | written by Jason on 3/28/2021 | - - -

How is Not Your Job

"Where there's a will, there's a way!" they say.But what if you can't find a way?Can you relate to this? Sometimes I trample my dreams before they've even had a chance to take root. For example, when something epic bubbles up from my heart – a fabulous, joy-sparking dream – I immediately go into logistics mode. How would this work? How can I make this happen? How do I make this dream come true?And then, nine times out of ten, I realize that I don't know how. I don't have the knowledge, the connections, or the resources to make it happen. It feels too hard, too unlikely, too out of reach. I'm …