Right Here, Right Now

July 10, 2014.Reading time 3 minutes.

This morning as I was looking out my window, I got a strange feeling, the same feeling I have when I’m traveling in a new country. The homes, streets, nooks and crannies are unfamiliar, and my eyes linger, imagining the lives of those who inhabit them, imagining how it might feel to live there. It’s a feeling of […]

Teacher Life: Giving Rewards

July 1, 2014.Reading time 7 minutes.

I could not stop smiling yesterday during my crazy class, the one packed with noisy third grade boys who like to fight with each other and test the limits of my patience. I was outright grinning from ear to ear. Because those kids were behaving SO WELL!

Taking Myself Seriously as a Musician

June 13, 2014.Reading time 5 minutes.

This year, God has been challenging me to take myself seriously as an intercessor, worship leader, shepherd, and influencer. And a big part of that has been choosing to cut certain things out of my life. In order to gain something, you often have to forfeit other things. So I’ve been rearranging the way I live…

Summer Has Arrived!

May 27, 2014.Reading time 1 minute.

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I went running this morning and almost died. It felt great in the moment, because although the sun was a little hot, there was nice breeze coming off the ocean and the running path was much less crowded than usual. I could also tell my endurance had improved, which made me happy. But after I […]

My New Energy Renewing Strategies

March 28, 2014.Reading time 4 minutes.

The past two weeks, I have had zero energy. I think it has something to do with the weather or the pollen in the air or something. (Despite neither of my coworkers knowing what I was taking about when I brought this up yesterday, I’m pretty sure I’m not making this up…) I suppose most people […]

More Than Good Enough: Overcoming the Pressure to Perform

March 21, 2014.Reading time 6 minutes.

The Pianist There was a time when practicing the piano was a part of my daily life. That time spanned most of my life thus far. I forget that sometimes. But when I randomly sit down at my keyboard and play some Chopin, it all comes rushing back. I feel like I’m breathing in real air […]

Loving Past Irreconcilable Differences

March 16, 2014.Reading time 8 minutes.

There have been moments in my life when someone I am supposed to love has hurt me to the point that I just can’t take it anymore. I don’t even know what the loving way to handle the situation is. Love seems impossible. They have been some of the most gut-wrenching moments in my life. Because to me, love is the ultimate goal. So if I can’t love, I must be a failure.

Teacher Life: Was I Like This in Third Grade?

March 5, 2014.Reading time 5 minutes.

I was nervous going into this week. Actually, I was downright dreading it. I’ve been teaching after school English to a range of elementary to middle school students for a couple months now […]