Category: Personal Essays
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She’s Why He Came Back
Alissa came home last night physically and emotionally wiped out, too hungry to see straight. She dropped into a chair and started talking anyway. What she saw that day outside Schnucks is still with me this morning.
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Driving to Gibson Instead of Mercy
She panicked and drove straight to Gibson. What happened next is the best argument for harm reduction you’ll ever read.
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Made on Purpose
When did we start apologizing for being exactly who we are? New post up at fiveminuteobservations.com.
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He’s Sitting With Us
Most of us show up with something when grief enters a room. The people who help us the most show up as themselves and stay. No words required.
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The Warming Center
Every Sunday morning, she walks through the church doors, and it follows her. Nobody notices. Nobody asks. Today on Five Minute Observations, I’m writing about the cold that doesn’t register on any thermometer. And the only thing that actually fixes it.
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Refuse to Quit
She had no standing. No invitation. Absolutely no business being there. She walked in anyway. I’ve confused institutional pressure with correction, leaving the room believing I was the problem. I’m still discovering the difference between humility and surrender. New post. Short. Honest. And straight to the point. Link in the comments. Five Minute Observations.
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Of Course They Are
Alissa wanted me to feel something this morning. I did. Just not only what she planned.
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What Mr. Freeman Taught Me
I didn’t say his name. I just nodded. One small dip of my chin. Less than a second. And it cost someone else everything.
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“Life is meaningless.”
Most of us don’t lose meaning all at once. Instead it slips away quietly. Somewhere between the job, the bowling league, and a Wednesday morning with cold coffee. But what if meaning was never yours to lose in the first place? What if someone wrote meaning into your life before you ever arrived?
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Why?
You’ve tried to fill it in. That space inside you. You’ve tried. We all have. And every once in a while, when you aren’t looking, something comes close. Close enough to stop you. Close enough to make you wonder. That’s when it starts.
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A Broken Key Saves Lives
Outside the gates, fifty villagers are chanting, waiting for us to come out. But half the key is broken in the lock. We’re trapped.
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You’ve Got the Wrong Guy!
God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called. You’ve probably heard that. The harder question is whether you, like me, are ready to believe it. We’re not worthy. That’s the honest starting point. Not false humility, not a performance, just the plain truth most of us carry around quietly. And yet, somehow, that’s not…
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Go First
I’ve been thinking about a four word sentence that we’ve all heard, and a one word response that might be more dangerous than we realize.
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The Table
We used to gather at the table without thinking about it. Now we have to choose it. What changed? Everything. What matters? Still the people.
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What Holds
Trust is something given out when we see consistency in people who show up when it costs them something. Some call that guarded. We’re learning to call it wisdom. Learning what holds.
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Twice
I told her the wrong date. Twice. The calendar. It was right there between us. She trusted me because I was ahead of her in line.
