“Is this a movie?” Christian asked as he raced toward the metro in Hollywood, Calif. Christian was homeless, broken, and in desperate need of hope. He had recently arrived in Los Angeles and had spent the last week in the depths of the subway. I was serving with our South Carolina Palmetto Collective group of […]
Outside the Walls: Listen to Your Mom
Nancy was told that her son, Tom, wouldn’t make it in school. They called him addled or mentally ill. One day Tom overheard the teacher talking about his deficiencies to another teacher and relayed the information to his mother with a broken spirit. She fiercely defended him and went to the school to be his […]
Outside the Walls: The Energy of Innovation
“We are having a baby!” As a young husband, I remember where I was when we found out that something new was about to happen to multiply our family and embark on an adventure. Nothing brings more energy and excitement than the birthing of a new baby. The day finally arrived for our first son, […]
Outside the Walls: March Madness
Madness. It happens every March. Sixty-eight NCAA men’s basketball teams compete to be a champion. However, it is not simply the number of games played in March that leads to insanity. The madness comes from the possibility of some obscure, unknown team to upset a champ that no one is betting on. The world waits […]
Outside the Walls: ‘Do You Believe in Miracles? Yes!’
Al Michaels fought back tears to get these words out as the 1980 United States Olympics hockey team mounted an unbelievable comeback in the final period of play to defeat a powerful Soviet Union team 4-3. The U.S. went on to secure the gold, but it was much more than a hockey game. For decades, […]
Outside the Walls: Be Resolved
Let’s face it: You’re not going to accomplish your New Year’s resolutions. Don’t you feel better now? According to inc.com, 91 percent of Americans will not achieve their New Year’s resolutions. I know what you are thinking: “So, you are saying there is a chance?” I appreciate your optimism. The top three New Year’s resolutions […]
Outside the Walls: It’s a Small World
“Dad, what do you want for Christmas?” I asked as we sat at his table. “I want the entire family to go to Disney World,” he said. Dad was on a mission, but this would be no easy task to pull off. We have a big family that includes five guys and all their families. […]
Outside the Walls: The Climb
“Who wants to climb Table Rock?” asked my 60-year-old grandfather while on a family camping trip. To a 10-year-old kid, climbing a mountain sounded like a good idea. I asked how long the hike would take. “It shouldn’t take more than an hour,” he said. That was about all the preparation we had before my […]
Outside the Walls: Moment, Map, Mountain
I remember the moment when my wife said yes. I surprised her at her dorm to go on a picnic. We headed up to Whitewater Falls and hiked around to the top of the falls and climbed down a small embankment. I spread out the blanket on top of the rock and pulled out the […]
Outside the Walls: Unwanted Lives
Shelley was an unwanted child. Ruth had longed for a child of her own and adopted Shelley at birth and loved her. Ruth never hid from Shelley that she was adopted. It was important to her that Shelley know that she had been “chosen.” Shelley would wonder at times who her birth mother was. The […]