YONDER BREAKS

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. (Hebrews 3:13) I've always been plagued by procrastination. I don't know if it's my rampant indecisiveness or a poor concept of time, but I tend to put tasks off far too often. Even fun things escape my daily grasp, and here's an example. I look at development through the lens of a skateboarder, and so my eyes are always open to new skate spots. Some areas are better than others, but in Los Angeles, there are too many to count. Nonetheless, whenever I saw something that looked skateable, I took notice. Most of the time I would be driving by in a hurry or passing through with the family, and so I couldn't just grab my board and start skating right away. And so I would take a picture on my phone, write it down or even add it to my  GoogleMap  documenting many of the skate spots/parks in town. Unfortunately, that...

Here's a tune with a fun folk sound that I'm pretty proud of. It came about while on a long walk with my daughter one clear evening. As we crested the hills of  Redondo Beach , California, I noticed a light on a mountain in the distance. There are  ranges  that line the north side of Los Angeles, and it's really a beautiful skyline when the air is clear enough to see that far. While watching the flicker, the melody that became the chorus for this song popped in my head (see below). I liked the words, and so I thought about what that might mean and how it would apply to life. The idea of past struggles in my relationship with my wife came up, and eventually turned into a history of our dating life together. In any relationship there are ups and downs, and sometimes it just feels like you're walking in darkness; but then you see that light shine, coming up over the horizon, and you're reminded that there is morning and with it, hope. When you're there, do...

If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where “the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched." (Mark 9:42-48) Whenever I read these verses I imagine all the people that have maimed themselves over the centuries because of what Jesus said. Were they right? Was Jesus to be taken literally here? Most of us would agree that's probably not what he meant...

I've been skateboarding for a long time, over half my life actually. And through all those years, there is a big lesson I wish I had learned earlier, because it could have saved me countless hours, pain and heartache. The tragedy of it is, though I know it to be true, I just can't seem to act it out consistently! And that big lesson is:  put your feet down. Let me explain:  fear  plays a big role in skateboarding. When you're hucking yourself down sets of stairs and trying to balance on rails that could potentially end your ability to bear children, naturally there is an element of fear involved. Fear, when acted out in kicking your board away (bailing) eventually turns to habit, and habits are hard to break. For years I would try the same trick, over and over and over, kicking the board away every time. Sometimes it was justified -- I didn't clear the gap or the board wasn't under both feet -- but often times I could have landed the trick by just simpl...

I've heard about a thousand times that your kids grow up "too fast." This comes mostly from seasoned parents, with kids in high school or even out of the house, grandkids to follow who are also growing more quickly than their parents wish. And I'm sure they're right! However, in my tenured two years as a parent, I haven't really felt that way. I chalk it up to my status as a stay-at-home dad. I've been able to spend about every waking moment of the first two years of my daughter's life with her, and so when people have told me, "They grow up so fast," I just thought: E h, feels about right to me.   I think that's actually one of the great benefits to staying home with your kids -- time seems to travel more slowly -- and until they invent time machines, those are moments you just can't get back. But then today, it happened -- I had my first "they grow up so fast" moment. I was feeding Ellie and asked her if she remem...