Posts with the category “weekly-update”

Last Sunday, we celebrated our church’s seventh anniversary. One of my dreams from the beginning of Arborway is that we would be a church that loved our neighbors. Early on, when I was first asked about the vision of Arborway, I described it as a church where each member was like a beacon of Christ’s light on their blocks.  Read More

Recently, Allie and I began using a new budgeting app. I like it for two reasons. First, it gamifies budgeting. Which makes budgeting more fun for my dopamine receptors. Second, and more importantly, it helps us budget every single dollar we earn. Every dollar has a name and a place. This may seem counterintuitive, but we even have spontaneity built into our budget.  Read More

Not many people know that I was an art minor in college, with an emphasis in graphite (Pencil drawings). I was always pretty good at drawing and art was an easy A for a little GPA boost.  Read More

Last night I found myself out with the family at about 6:30 PM. We were going to picnic at a local park and enjoy Boston's September weather. As enjoyable as that sounds, I was not very happy. I was, what you might call, a little hangry. I wanted to eat and I wanted it now And I did eat, eventually. I ate a wonderful sandwich prepared by Allie, and I was happy again.  Read More

I am honestly one of the most forgetful people you will meet. I don't mean that I can't memorize things. If I put my mind to it, I can memorize as well as the average person. I mean that I will be told to do something, and then five minutes later I cannot remember what I was told. I don't mean to be that way. Honestly, I'm sorry that I am that way. It's just who I am.  Read More

I'm going to tell you about a part of my life I don't talk about a lot. I used to race go-karts. And I don't mean the kind you might find outside a local arcade. I mean real racing go-karts. At the age of 10, I would race go-karts that would go interstate speeds. I both loved it and was terrified by it.  Read More

In high school, it wasn't unusual for two people to get into a verbal altercation. If someone had a quick and particularly pointed comeback we would say, "Oh, you just got roasted" This idea of being roasted was birthed out what is known as a "Roast."  Read More

I was done with them. I tried to make it work, but, now, it was over. You see, at the age of 4, my parents had gotten on my nerves one too many times. They made me eat broccoli, go to bed on time, and listen to what they said. I couldn't take it any longer. So, I proclaimed that I was running away. I got a stick and a handkerchief and packed all the most important things. Things like food, a flash...  Read More

Growing up, did you have a squad? I did. My mom would call us a motley crew. There was Benji, Chris, Justin, and me. We thought we owned the town.  Read More

Death is the one reality we will all face, but we don't really like to think about it. Some people will not attend funerals or even talk about the possibility of death. Yet, while we try not to linger on our deaths, we all want to leave a legacy. We want to live a life we're proud of, and we hope people will remember us fondly... Unlike the two subjects of this week's email.  Read More

There is something really satisfying about seeing someone get what they deserve. It's even better if the just deserts are somewhat comical. I have compiled some of my favorite fictional moments of people receiving their deserved consequences.  Read More

Children are wonderful. Some of the greatest joys I have ever experienced have been because of my kids. But let's face it, being a parent is hard.  Read More

Last night's family movie night was Godzilla Minus One. If you have yet to see this Academy Award-winning film, it is worth a watch.  Read More

The greatest superhero movie ever is The Dark Knight, and it's not even close. One of the most memorable lines from the movie comes from the ace district attorney Harvey Dent. Dent says, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” Harvey Dent was the hope of Gotham City. He was the legal hero that Batman could never be. Harvey was supposed to turn crime-riddled ...  Read More

If you grew up in church you are probably familiar with the old church van. I am not sure if it was a denominational requirement or just built into the fabric of the universe, but every church had one. I am sure they were bought new at some point, but you never saw a new one. They were all barely running death traps that ran on hopes and prayers. Every ride may be your last. If you think I'm exagg...  Read More

King David is one of the most important figures in the Bible. There are several well-known stories about him, and not all of them are good. But one of the characteristics of David that God treasured most was that he was a man after God's own heart. This made him a worshiper. While worship is more than music, it is not less than music, and David was a prolific songwriter. He wrote almost half of th...  Read More

Yesterday, Allie and I were reminiscing about how half our honeymoon was spent driving around lost. Seriously, my sense of direction is admittedly, not great. To complicate the problem, we had to look at actual physical maps made of paper to get where we were trying to go.  Read More

Because it is May the 4th, I couldn't not write about Star Wars. I am a huge Star Wars fan. I've seen every movie many times (Except for The Last Jedi, that movie is hot garbage). I've seen the prequels and original movies more than I dare admit. They are great movies, and in some opinions, the original movies are the greatest trilogy of all time.  Read More

Did your parents ever ask you to deliver a message to your siblings? Maybe they wanted the trash taken out or their room cleaned. Whatever the reason, I was never more drunk on power than when I carried a message from my parents.  Read More

I wanted to tell you about an amazing opportunity that came my way. You probably will not believe this, but a real-life prince emailed me Me, of all people. He said he chose me because of my sterling reputation and impressive résumé. I was so honored.  Read More

As a freshman in college, I had the opportunity to intern for the youth ministry at a church in South Carolina. I was only there a few months before the youth minister left the church. The church was lucky enough to have the head of the Youth Ministry department at the local Bible college become their interim youth pastor.  Read More

Whenever I'm watching a movie and I can't remember where I know an actor from, I'm searching on Google. If I'm having a discussion and someone says something I think might be a little off, I'm pulling my phone out of my pocket and googling it. If I have a burning question, the answer is only a few swipes and taps away on Google. How did we ever resolve arguments and answer random questions before smartphones? Did we write down our burning questions during the day and search at home from our desktop computers? Were we pausing movies to crank up the Pentium 3 and ask Jeeves? I don't know about you, but I was not.  Read More

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday It is hands-down the most important Christian holiday. I love Christmas as much as the next person, but we were never commanded to remember Christmas. Do you know what holy day we are supposed to remember is Easter? Actually, we are supposed to remember the resurrection which happens on the day we call Easter.  Read More

Recently my daughter got in trouble for a word she said at school.This past summer our family went to Shakespeare in Boston Common to watch Macbeth. It was an incredible performance. I would highly recommend it. Skip ahead 6 months and my daughter was in a school performance of Hamlet. She was having a conversation with one of her teachers and she mentioned that she saw "MacBeth" this past summer....  Read More

Known as the Millennial Anthem, Mr. Brightsides by the Killers is now a classic. You cannot go to a sporting event without hearing it blasted throughout the stadium and belted by all in attendance. To be honest, I do not know why it has become a sports anthem. You see, Mr. Brightsides has nothing to do with sports. It is a song about jealousy.  Read More

What is the most afraid you have ever been? Maybe it was a movie, in the middle of the night, a traumatic life event, or attempting some crazy stunt.  Read More

Americans love underdog stories, and honestly, I'm not even sure why. There is something in the air that causes us to root for the underdogs. Some of the greatest movies are about Underdogs. Whether it be Rocky, Cinderella, Rudy, Karate Kid, or the women from Hidden Figures, we love them.  Read More

About 125 years ago one of the strangest and ridiculously destructive events occurred in Boston's North End: The Great Molasses Flood.  Read More

When I was around 13 years old, I wanted an iguana as a pet. I heard they were both enjoyable and inexpensive to care for, and since an iguana was a small enough pet, my parents agreed to let me have one. I diligently saved up money and purchased all the necessary supplies: an aquarium, a hot rock, a heat lamp, bedding, a stock of dead crickets for feeding, and even a leash.  Read More

I was afraid of the dark growing up. I mean, who wasn't? Honestly, I'm still afraid of the dark sometimes.  Read More

Tomorrow we are exploring the beautiful Christmas lullaby, "Away in a Manger." It got me thinking about little baby Jesus in Mary's arms that first Christmas.I remember bringing home my daughter when I was a new parent. I could not believe that a tiny human was put in my care. On her first night home, I stood over her cradle and occasionally placed my hand on her chest just to make sure she was br...  Read More

Let me tell you an ancient Christmas story. Once upon a time in the 4th century A.D., when Christianity first became legal, the first council of Biblical scholars was called. It took place in Nicea (Modern day Turkey). It is where we get the Nicene Creed. A creed we still recite to this day. The important idea that was being settled at Nicea was the nature of Jesus, the Son of God, in his relation...  Read More

This advent I am trying something a little different. I will be taking some of the most theologically significant carols and using them to jump into the Scriptures and talk about Christmas.  Read More

Allie and I have known each other for twenty-one years and have been married for seventeen of them. We met when she was almost sixteen and I was seventeen. We have essentially grown up together. You could say that we know one another pretty well.  Read More

I grew up in a Monopoly family. If I'm going to be specific, I grew up in a Star Wars Monopoly family. It's like regular Monopoly with Star Wars flourishes and a few different rules.We learned all the tricks, moves, and analytics for Monopoly. We knew which properties were most likely to be landed on, how many houses were worth building, and that, counterintuitively, Coruscant (Boardwalk and Park ...  Read More

One of my favorite scenes from a superhero movie happens in the original Avengers from 2012. It's been a while, so here is a quick plot refresher. Loki, brother of Thor and the god of mischief, is trying to take over Earth by using interdimensional beasts as his minions. A team of heroes, known as The Avengers, puts aside their differences and quirky personalities to defend Earth.  Read More

I grew up blocks from the beach, and we went often. Because of this, I became quite a skilled sand mason. One of the games we would play while building our sand castles was "War." But it was not war against each other. It was war against the waves. We would attempt to build castles that could withstand attack from the Atlantic Ocean.  Read More

The Lord did a miracle and we bought a house in Boston a couple of years ago. When we moved in, there were a few DIY projects we wanted to do, but it definitely was not a fixer-upper. Yet, there was one issue that had not shown up in the inspection or any of the walk-throughs: The house was haunted. Not by ghosts... but by mice.  Read More

It is not unusual for me to encourage people who are struggling with purpose and direction. So many of us can get caught up in what feels like a rat race. We may feel like we are waking up every weekday to do the same old thing and in the same old place. Then we enjoy our weekend, go to church, and start it all again on Monday. Without purpose and perspective, it can all seem meaningless.  Read More

Allie and I have opposite perspectives on time. I run on "clock-time" and she runs on "event-time." Clock-time means that when an event starts at 10 AM, you show up at 10 AM (If not earlier). Event-time is far less rigid. Event-time means certain events are completed during the day, but there is no set schedule or defined start or ending for them. The next event starts when the last one ends.  Read More