I would normally look at a fender bender as a a frustrating inconvenience. But when it happened to me this summer, I got a glimpse of how God can use – even orchestrate – an inconvenience to change lives for the better.
I was re-acquainted with an amazing artist and cultural treasure of Detroit. After eight years, we’re both grayer and our joints hurt, but my respect for him has only grown.
Julia has never really had a “summer off“. We are always working on something; and this summer it’s occupational therapy to help her do things that typical kids take for granted.
What follows is a small vignette of what she’s been working on with her OT, Miss Courtney…
As a dad, I have spent the last 13+ years teaching my kid as best I can. But what I found is that she has a heck of a lot more to teach me. Here are the latest ways she’s been taking me to school…
Despite the ugliness that happened on the east end of the National Mall three years ago, an opportunity for healing is still at work on the west end…
In a hard emotional season, I was reminded of a heavenly paradox: the journey from “fitting in” to experiencing real belonging in my life is in the direction of my teenage daughter with a condition that unenlightened society relegates to irrelevance.
For years, I’ve thought deeply about what it means to enter seasons of healing from the past and be a better human. I’ve had to put my money where my mouth is more than once in that direction and have developed some convictions around it.
The work is not finished.
I’ve heard the words of friendly advice, “Take it to Jesus” more than once; but I’ve often struggled with what that really means.
This is an expanded version of a blog post I recently did for my church to take a stab at answering that question.
The Cook family are big fans of our local Farmers Market, so it was an easy YES when I was asked to capture the spirit of the market and the people who make it beautiful!
For years, I’ve carried a camera (like, all the time) and engaged in the simple act of occasionally giving away an image or two to people I meet. I recently had just such an exchange that gave me a whole new perspective and it’s deepened my commitment to intentionally giving it away…
We were at the wedding of one of Julia‘s very best friends. Julia was looking pretty snazzy and feeling the exuberance of the moment and it reminded me again why I always bring my camera with me.
With the excitement and anticipation of seventh grade starting tomorrow, I couldn’t let the weekend go by without stopping and looking back with gratitude on a season of Julia’s life fondly coming to a close. Thank you Miss Loretta!
Three months ago, I got word that my friend Jaya died suddenly. As I’ve spent time pondering the sad space that has opened up, I’ve come to realize the amazing impact his simple invitation twenty-three years ago had on the trajectory of my life.