Witty Witness

As I neared the top of the concrete hill, rain fell hard all around me. My legs felt like jello and my running shoes were wet and heavy. Each step heavier and harder than the last. Lumbering 250 pounds of myself up a steep incline is no easy feat, let me tell you. It was around 5:45am, and it was a dark and chilly fall morning. As rain drenched my head and shirt, cold wind acted as rain's co-conspirator, and tried to freeze me to death right then and there. In a just a few short hours, cars would be using this roadway to enter and leave the community park, but for the moment, the roadway, more accurately the hill, was my workout nemesis. Breathing heavy and now standing at the crest of the hill, I turned around to see the ground I had just covered. Through exhaustion and pain, I took pride in completing this round of the workouts. They say, "Never look back," but I have to disagree. Looking down that steep hill I could fully grasp the accomplishment of that moment. ...

His name was David "Cooper" Moore. He was, and he remains...my son. He was my second son, and my third child. Five years ago today, we said hello and we said goodbye, to David "Cooper" Moore. He was named David after me, and also after my dad. We planned to call him "Cooper." It was a tip of the proverbial cap to my love of baseball. After all, Cooperstown, NY is the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Five years. That's how long he's been gone. That's how long it's taken me to be able to say his name to others without raw emotions following my words. David "Cooper" Moore, my son. Needless to say, it was a heartbreaking loss. Cooper was a son I wanted. A son that was ripped from my grip before his life could even begin. You've no doubt suffered a terrible loss in your lifetime. Maybe for you, it wasn't a child. Maybe it was a job you truly loved. A home taken away due to fire, flood, or an inability to pay th...

As I mindlessly scrolled through Facebook a few nights ago, I stumbled upon an advertisement for "custom coordinate bracelets." The embedded link redirected me to a website called "Wanderer Bracelets." The website went on to explain the origin and purpose of the bracelets. In the company's own words, "In 2014, a twenty one year old left for Bali and got lost riding his motorbike through the jungle. He stumbled upon a village of talented artisan carvers struggling to make a living and asked them to make a bracelet to bring back to his friends. Inspired by the Tolkien quote, "Not all those who wander are lost," he realized he wasn't lost after all and was exactly where destiny intended him to be. Soon afterwords Wanderer Bracelets was born, creating a reliable source of income for these incredibly talented Balinese. Each bracelet serves as reminders to embrace what you value most, the people and places you encounter on the path of life. We beg...

All of the kids in the room quickly gathered around the glass display case, where the scientist in the oversized blue lab coat promised to "turn air into a solid." The Denver Museum of Nature and Science is a massive place with many different rooms and exhibits for young and old to explore. My kids were particularly drawn to the science experiment in the Earth and Space room. If I'm being honest, I was just as fascinated and excited as the kids to see the promised feat of gas becoming solid. I had to take a few steps back from the display case to snap the above photo and also to cut down on the number of angry onlooking parents whose kids I elbowed out of the way trying to get a prime viewing spot. Despite growing up in a science hub (Oak Ridge, TN), I've never had a mind for science. As a matter of fact, I'm the guy that took 12 hours of a foreign language (Yo hablo espanol, mis amigos) in college, to avoid one 3 hour science class. Hence the BA on my degree,...

"The bible is one story of God putting His family back together again." That was a quote shared with me by a close friend recently. The Bible can be overwhelming at times. At least it is for me. It's voluminous and some parts are difficult to wrap your mind around. The Bible is comprised of many books, written by many authors, from many places, across many generations. All of that being said, the quote above really sums up the major take away from the Bible. The corporate world would call that a "30,000 foot view." Stated differently and in keeping with an overarching simplistic theme of the Bible, I've often heard the following: 1.) God loves us. 2.) Our Sin separates us, 3.) Jesus saves us. God wants His family to be together. That is the hallmark of any loving Father, isn't it? Fathers (and mothers) are most content when their family is "all together under one roof." There's something peaceful about knowing your children are happy a...