#RunningTo Week 10 in Review: La Jolla, Phoenix

I’ve officially hit the double-digits! It’s the end of Week 10 of #RunningTo, and gosh it doesn’t get old. From the cliff-laden shores of La Jolla (just outside San Diego) to the desert mystique of Phoenix, Week 10 was just gorgeous. Check out some of my favorite moments from the wandering week that was! What’s […]

Fullerton to Fullerton: Back to the Beginning Again

#RunningTo DAY 65: It’s amazing how something that was once so commonplace, so routine, so otherwise ordinary can become quite the opposite. Tonight, I’m sitting at an old familiar window seat. Tonight, I’m writing at The Night Owl. After sixty-five long days and nights on the road, I’m temporarily returning to a familiar though quite opposite life. […]

#RunningTo Week 9 in Review: Return to California!

Last week’s #RunningTo Week in Review was an Oregonian Extravaganza. This week, it’s my long awaited return to the Sunshine State. Wait, is California the Sunshine State or is that Florida? If California isn’t officially the Sunshine State, it needs to be. I’m certainly not in the mild/cloudy Pacific Northwest anymore! I’ve already experienced multiple 100-degree days in this last week […]

#RunningTo VLOG: Mt. Rainier, WA

Hello all! I’m so excited for today’s #RunningTo vlog. It’s from my DAY 41 hike to Mount Rainier in Washington, and it features a lovable little guy I like to call WORMIE. Actually, I’m not exactly the one who came up with that stellar name. My good friend Jana McAdams did, and guess what? She […]

#RunningTo Week 8 in Review: OREGONIAN EXTRAVAGANZA!

It’s an OREGONIAN EXTRAVAGANZA this week! Week 8 of #RunningTo took me to all corners of the Beaver State, from Donald Miller infused Portland to capital city Salem to University of Oregon headquarters Eugene to One of the Best Small Towns in America Bend to the OH MY GOSH BREATHTAKING Crater Lake. Let’s just get right to […]

Seattle Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up to Be

DAY 38: I’d just reentered America after two weeks in the Great White North. I cruised southward down the 5 with a sizzling anticipation unlike any other #RunningTo stop to this point. In many ways, my first month on the road had been leading up to this. The Space Needle emerged, Seattle’s distinct skyline unfurling like a blanket in […]

#RunningTo Week 7 in Review: Seattle, Olympia, Portland

Okay. Deep breath. I will try to refrain from posting another gopher picture this time. But no promises. Week 7 of #RunningTo rocked with a triad of phenomenal Pacific Northwest cities: Seattle, Olympia, and Portland. That last one is still a city-in-progress, so be looking forward to more Portlandia next time! It figures to be an amazing weekend […]

I’m Not at Camp this Summer

It didn’t fully hit me until two nights ago: I’m not at camp this summer. I remember feeling the weight of this strange reality early into last summer’s decision not to return to Camp Ridgecrest. Later in the summer, however, I remedied the restlessness of the situation by working and volunteering at not one, but two local camps. This summer is […]

#RunningTo VLOG: Yellowstone National Park

A couple weeks ago, I trekked to a true wonderland of a national park. This place was massive. I had no concept of just how huge Yellowstone was until I found myself being driven the 100+ mile loop around the entire thing. And not a single fence in sight. The buffalo and bears and turkeys run rampant as tourists from […]

#RunningTo Week 6 in Review: Storybrooke, Seattle, Mount Rainier

There’s no time. NO TIME. I just have to show you guys this: Oh, sorry, I’m past the Gopher Hole Museum now. It’s such a pity, but I’m glad y’all enjoyed my recounting of that adventure! Last week’s pictographical recap was my most viewed #RunningTo Week in Review to date, so I’ll be sure to visit […]

#RunningTo FAQ

Throughout my crazy #RunningTo road trip, I’ve been connecting with so many incredible people. The reaction and reception, both online and off, have been fueling me forward. I’m honestly thrilled that so many of y’all are thrilled. After living on the road for over a month now, a few commonly asked questions have arisen. So, I thought I’d take this opportunity to […]

#RunningTo VLOG: Biking Vancouver

On July 4th, I celebrated my independence by renting a bicycle and roaming free across vibrant Vancouver. Favorite bike ride of all-time. Such a highlight of my #RunningTo journey thus far. I’d recommend a bike ride through Vancouver or most any city. Gives you a revitalizing perspective on the place. Check out this brief snippet […]

#RunningTo Week 5 in Review: Gopher Hole Museum, Canadian Rockies, Vancouver

There’s no time. NO TIME. I just have to show you guys this: And this: And this and this and this: The Gopher Hole Museum basically altered the very course of my life. I might ditch every dream I’ve ever dreamt just to volunteer in the same vicinity of a couple dozen dead/dressed gophers. I […]

#RunningTo VLOG: Great Salt Lake

A couple weeks ago I posted a video blog featuring my descent into the Grand Canyon. I got a lot of great feedback, so it inspired me to create another vlog! I hope y’all enjoy this one, too. On Day 15 of my massive continental trek, I hit the unique wonderland of Salt Lake City. […]

On the “Girl Meets World” Premiere

I never got into Boy Meets World growing up. I did catch a few episodes here and there. I know all about “Fee-hee-hee-nay” and how Cory Matthews started out as a fellow Phillies fan and then just didn’t care about my Phils anymore. But Boy Meets World was more my younger sister’s show than mine. More her world than my own. I was […]

#RunningTo Week 4 in Review: Billings, Yellowstone, Saskatchewan

Hello my wanderers! It’s that time again. A chance to reflect on the wandering week that was via the magical wonders of photography. For #RunningTo Week 4, I ventured to Big Sky Country in Montana, including a good old Montanan hike and a day trip to Yellowstone National Park. Ugh, this world is beautiful. Then, […]

Utahn Glory: The Point of Everything

There’s something about Utah, I thought two years ago while driving through its southeastern corner. The canyons, the chasms, the reds and oranges and browns all colliding into some of the most magnificent painting-esque scenes. While planning #RunningTo, I made it a point to spend as much time in Utah as possible. I got my money’s worth. […]

#RunningTo Week 3 in Review: Provo, Salt Lake City, Idaho

It’s time once again for my #RunningTo Week in Review! For Week 3, I ventured northward from southern Utah to Provo, Salt Lake City, and Rexburg in Idaho. Check out some of my favorite Utahn/Idahoan moments from this week of #RunningTo! And for a little bonus moment, I was actually interviewed just before taking my hike […]

Las Vegas Bums Me Out

Two years ago, I first ventured to Las Vegas. I’m not big into gambling or … everything else Vegas is notoriously known for, but I was stoked nonetheless to add another notch to my traveling belt. I mean, it’s Vegas. A magical city where you can walk the streets of Paris, New York, and Venice within a […]

#RunningTo Week 2 in Review: Las Vegas, Southern Utah, Zion National Park

It’s time for my new weekend tradition: my #RunningTo Week in Review! Week 2 was a special one, venturing from the desert of Las Vegas to…well, the desert of southern Utah. So hot, but oh so beautiful. The longer I venture throughout Utah, the more convinced I become that it’s in my top-5 favorite US states. Check out some […]

#RunningTo Vlog: My Grand Canyon Hike!

Over a week ago, I kicked off my #RunningTo road trip with a hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. You can read all about my adventure, or you could LIVE it by watching my trip’s first video blog below! I mean, ideally, you will do both. Read it and live it. But I understand […]

The Grand Canyon is Upside Down

#RunningTo DAY ONE: Seeing the Grand Canyon It didn’t seem like I was approaching the world’s most illustrious crater. I suppose I was expecting many mini-craters leading up to it. You would think that a gigantic hole in the ground would be preceded by lots of littler ones, right? Instead, what I saw for sixty […]

#RunningTo Week 1 in Review: Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Hoover Dam

Now that I’m week-deep into a massive trip across North America, I’m going to temporarily retire my compilation tradition of The Weekend WOW. It’s time for a new weekend tradition. It’s called my #RunningTo Week in Review. Each weekend, I’ll be posting my favorite pictures from the wandering week that was. Since I can’t upload every single snapped picture to my […]

Goodbye, California

California, Growing up on the east coast, I always wanted to visit you. To venture to a foreign exotic land and bask in your palm trees and mountains and a neighboring ocean not named Atlantic. Forget visiting; I could have never imagined one day living within your 2000 zig-zagging miles of gorgeous borders. Upon actually living here, I […]

To All My Students I’ve Ever Tutored

Dearest students, For the last four years, you have spurred my heart to race with rage and fury. You have joked with friends at the table, uttered inappropriate words, played with phones, and otherwise misbehaved when your parents have left the room. You have often made me question why I do what I do. You’ve also blessed me in […]

How to (Actually) Resolve Conflict

Oh man, I really had you guys going, didn’t I? Alas, that last post was entirely satirical and not, in fact, my actual advice on how to resolve conflict. Apologies to those of you who read and started spontaneously yelling at your friends, family, bank tellers, etc. That one part about my being a HARMONY MASTER was true. […]

How to Resolve Conflict in 7 Simple Steps

I know how to resolve conflict. I’m basically an aficionado of accord, if you will. (And you will.) I mean, “harmony” was my second highest strength on Strengths Finder. I could take a Yankees fan and a Red Sox fan from fist fight to tickle fight by the third inning. Clearly, peacemaking is my thing. In recent years especially […]

Life as an Enneagram Average Type 4: What Normal Tom Looks Like

I’ve been recently blogging about Enneagram — the personality model that defines humanity into nine particular “types.” I started with an Enneagram intro, then examined the life of Unhealthy Tom and Healthy Tom. Today, I conclude this Enneagram series with my life as an average Type 4 “Individualist.” It’s the life of Normal Tom. Most of life isn’t depressing. Most of life isn’t amazing. Most of […]

My Life is Strange: On Being Between

My life is nuts right now. Some bountiful blessings, some awful rot. I’ve spoken with many others about it, and they all agree: my life be straight-up strange. And that’s not even considering my #RunningTo trek in three short weeks. I’m in a funky phase of “being between.” Between credit card debt and financial overflow. Between broken relationships and revitalized ones. Between my 4-year life in California and my multi-month […]

when wonders wither

when did the rainbow go grey? the raindrops drip up, the sun run away? when did the tides retreat? silk-sand now stiff, laps lost at my feet? when did the breeze grow cold? inducing shivers of memories warm and old? when did the lilac lose her luster? her stature shrunken, her roots resist water? when did the robins rob us of their […]

Life as an Enneagram Type 4: What Healthy Tom Looks Like

I’ve been recently blogging about Enneagram — the personality model that splits humanity into nine definitive “types.” What follows is the third post in a brief introspective series about my life as a Type 4: “The Individualist.” Check out my Enneagram intro if you missed it. Last time, I blogged about Unhealthy Tom. Today, I examine the lighter side of being a Type […]

Make Life’s Moments Momentous

What is life? Philosophers and religious scholars and non-religious scholars and simpletons have been striving to answer this question for millennia. I’m no Plato, but the answer to that question seems quite simple to me: life is a string of moments, connected together by the passage of time. Most of life’s moments involve sitting in a lecture hall or […]

I’ve Never Been a Groomsman

I’ve always hated weddings. I think my childhood proves this claim quite clearly. Comical childish outbursts aside, I was never one to get on board with this whole wedding business. Truthfully, weddings just weren’t enjoyable. How does one enjoy watching two people do something one assumes he’ll never do? Engaged and married couples have always felt so foreign and “advanced” to me. I’ve rarely […]

Life as an Enneagram Type 4: What Unhealthy Tom Looks Like

I recently blogged about Enneagram — the personality model, not the board game. The Enneagram Institute splits humanity into nine definitive personality “types,” each interconnected with the other types. What follows is the second post in a brief introspective series about my life as a Type 4: “The Individualist.” Today, I examine the darker side of life as an unhealthy Type 4 […]

Running To: Leaving California and Hitting the Road

Last week, my beloved wanderers were let into a secret. They were among the first to learn of my dramatic future-to-be. Today, I thought I’d clue the rest of humanity into my momentous decision. I’ve been hinting at the news for a while. It’s been a hard decision six long months in the making. A decision I finally […]

On This Good and Not-So-Good Friday

27 years ago, I was born on Good Friday. I spent that Easter Sunday of 1987 in a blessed hospital, though the specifics are a bit fuzzy. I haven’t celebrated a “true” Good Friday birthday since I was 5 years old, and I won’t celebrate another Good Friday birthday until I turn 84. This year, my mid-April birthday fell […]

What Makes You an Incredible Friend

You’re an incredible friend. You’ve loved me when I’ve often struggled to love myself. You’re an incredible friend. You’ve texted me and called me and otherwise checked on me when I’ve never asked you to do so. Especially when I’ve secretly needed your love but felt too ashamed or needy to ask for it. You’re […]

What Makes Me a Horrible Friend

I’m a horrible friend. I only want your friendship for your kind words so that I can feel affirmed. I only want your friendship for your favors so that I can do less work or spend less money. I only want your friendship for those one-sided conversations that make me feel less lonely as I completely […]

Song Altars: “In the Dust” by Brandon Heath

Throughout the Old Testament, the Israelite people constructed altars. Altars not so much for God as for themselves. They built altars in places where God had delivered them, so that whenever they passed back across those particular locations, they could see the victorious altars of yesteryear and remember. Remember the victory, remember the Victor. Last […]

I’m Not Growing Anymore

Tonight, I sit alone. It is a night not quite unlike many prior Tuesday nights, secure within my favorite coffee shop on Earth. I am sitting by the window, the only such seat in this confined space, and the view downtown is lovely tonight. Just like every other Tuesday night. Coming to this coffee shop […]

We Are a Fairy Tale and We Have a Happy Ending

Once Upon a Time is one of my favorite shows. It’s a show about fairy tale characters come to life, but it is also a show about more than this. Every episode is just so rich, so deep. Themes of good versus evil, and hope versus despair. The classic fairy tale characters we all know have intricate […]

Inhaling Grace: Reacting to Fred Phelps’ Death

According to a recent USA Today article, Westboro Baptist Church’s Fred Phelps is “on the edge of death.” In another article, Fred Phelps’ estranged son further reports that his father had been recently excommunicated from the very church/cult he founded. A man rejected by his own hate group, now facing death’s doorway mere months later? The whole […]

On Homosexuality: Let Us Only Handle Love

Today, I’m honored to be guest posting over at my friend Adam’s blog. I’m writing about homosexuality and how we can respond with love, not anger. Check out this post’s excerpt, and be sure to click over for the continuation! When my blogging friend, Adam (or as I’ve long regarded him, “That Monkey Guy”), asked […]

I Have a Son

I don’t usually remember my dreams. I awake often remembering general emotions, but details are either fuzzy or completely forgotten. When I do remember my dreams, I tend to analyze them. Perhaps too much. As an unabashed “story guy,” I love reading significant things into the seemingly insignificant. I went to bed the night of […]

Wandering Wednesday #16 – Newport Beach, CA

Gosh, I’ve missed wandering with y’all. But guess what?? IT’S WANDERING WEDNESDAY TODAY. ALL. DAY. I’m going to try and make my video wanderings a more regular routine again. Hold me accountable, guys! I’ve honestly missed the intentionality of wandering to new places, and I’ve missed communicating with y’all beyond merely digitized words. Today’s wandering […]

Why I Used the F-Word in My First Book

I’ve been wanting to write this pestersome post for almost a year now. But I’ve also really wanted to avoid it. I’ve wanted to pretend like “the issue” didn’t exist or matter and, like, whatever. Avoid, avoid, avoid. Avoidance works for a while. Sometimes, avoidance works for a long while. After a long while, though, […]

BLESS THIS MESS

Sometimes I fire up my blog and deposit 1,000 words about my messy life or the messy world or my messy life in this messy world. Other times, though, a picture speaks more fitting words than I could ever express. Today is one of those latter times. I encountered this graffiti in Chattanooga, Tennessee a […]

Look Up and Let Go

It’s time for another round of Wandering Wednesday: Guest Post Edition! Up today is a guy named Jason Clark, singer/songwriter/author extraordinaire. His new book, Prone to Love is now available, and it’s fantastic. I am so stoked to feature him today with his humorous wandering tale to New York City. Grand Central Terminal. Spring of 1993 […]

The Real Reason Why I’ve Never Dated

I’m 26, soon to be 27, and I have never dated. This fact used to elicit great shame; at times, it still does. Looking back, however, I don’t believe I’ve ever been “ready.” Somebody in an online group recently posed a question that awakened me as to why: “How do you know you want to […]

What’s Your Favorite Friendship Story?

I’m currently taking my pretty little time drafting a second book. I’ll soon divulge more info on that venture in an upcoming newsletter (sign up, won’t you?). In the meantime, though, I had a question for y’all. I was hoping we could have an extensive dialogue in the comments below. Here’s the question: What are […]

Why I’m Joyful and Why I Might Not Run Away

Last week, I hit the publish button on a messy post I’d written two days prior. Truthfully, I didn’t know whether to post it. This feels a bit too vulnerable, I thought — even for me. Alas, I needed to vomit those long pent emotions from my system. My poor gut couldn’t take it anymore. Upon dispelling […]

Why I’m Sad and Why I Might Run Away

I don’t often “vent” on this blog. I usually reserve such emotional outpourings for my journal. Or if I’m feeling courageous enough, with a trusted individual or two. To all who have personally suffered amid the snotty sniffling presence of a Tom-meltdown, I vigorously apologize. In these two-plus years of blogging, I’ve often considered the […]

Fiction vs. Nonfiction: Finding My Writer’s Calling

Today I’m thrilled to be guest posting at Sandra Carey Cody’s Birth of a Novel blog. My writing career actually started with a novel upon my college graduation in 2009. Nearly five years later, that novel remains unpublished, but another (nonfictional) book took over my life in the meantime. Here’s a snippet of my guest […]

TMZ Reviews: “Camp”

“For the whole week, I couldn’t wait to go back to my real life, you know? Now I feel like my real life is fake and camp is real.” Last summer, I did not — much to my lingering chagrin — return to Camp Ridgecrest. Ridgecrest was that magical (though often daunting) land from the […]

5 Instagram Rules You Should Follow

I’ve been on Instagram for upwards of 26 days. I’m what you would call an expert or aficionado in all things Instagram. Take this little tidbit, for instance: did you guys know you can post videos on Instagram now? I’ve not posted an Instagram video yet, but it’s true; more on this hot story as it […]

On the Fullerton Homeless Man Killed by Police

I don’t usually comment on current events. It’s tedious and tiresome and often prone to conflicting opinions. But one particular current event has captured my attention and the attention of an entire nation, and I feel the need to say something. In 2011, a homeless man named Kelly Thomas was brutally beaten by police despite bearing […]

Onething 2013: How I Viewed the Christian Body Changed

For the last dwindling months of 2013, I kept a secret that only me, myself, and I knew: after Christmas spent with family, I’d fly to Kansas City for the International House of Prayer’s Onething 2013 conference. I received a lot of flack for my ongoing travel secret, inside my family and out, but can […]

My OneWord365 for 2014: Hunger

If you go on The Twitter, you’ll find the nifty hashtag #OneWord365 that many twitterers across the globe have embraced in lieu of traditional, bulleted, often impossible-to-keep New Year’s resolutions. OneWord365 trains you to view your upcoming year through the lens of a single word and to simply live out each of your 365 days […]

The Best of TMZ: My #1 Blog Post of 2013

MY DEAR WANDERERS: we’ve reached the end. As 2013 concludes, so do I wrap this end-of-2013 countdown of my top 6 posts of the year. As a quick summary, my #6 post of 2013 was “As Tom Daley Comes Out.” My #5 post was “Tenth Avenue North Songs: TMZ’s Top-11 Favorites.” My #4 post was “INTELLECTION: My #1 ‘Strengths […]

The Best of TMZ: My #2 Blog Post of 2013

WANDERERS: this is it. We’re really getting down to it. As I wrap this holiday blogging vacation, I’m nearing the end of my 2013 countdown/up/sideways featuring my top 6 posts of the year. If you’ve missed any of the action to this point, my #6 post of 2013 was “As Tom Daley Comes Out.” My #5 post was “Tenth Avenue […]

The Best of TMZ: My #3 Blog Post of 2013

Hey wanderers! I’m wrapping up a holiday blogging vacation, and I’m celebrating the end of 2013 with a countdown/countup of my top 6 posts of the year. If you’ve missed the DRAMA to this point, my #6 post of 2013 was “As Tom Daley Comes Out.” My #5 post was “Tenth Avenue North Songs: TMZ’s Top-11 Favorites.” And my #4 […]

The Best of TMZ: My #4 Blog Post of 2013

Hey wanderers! I’m currently on a holiday blogging vacation, so to celebrate the end of 2013, I’m counting down (possibly up) my top 6 posts of the year. In case you’ve missed the action to this point, my #6 post of 2013 was “As Tom Daley Comes Out.” And my #5 post of the year was “Tenth […]

The Best of TMZ: My #5 Blog Post of 2013

Hello fellow wanderers! I’m currently on a brief holiday blogging vacation, so to celebrate the end of 2013, I’ll be counting down (up?) my top 6 posts of the year. If you missed my #6 post of 2013, check out “As Tom Daley Comes Out.” Coming in at #5 was May 22’s post, “Tenth Avenue North Songs: TMZ’s […]

The Best of TMZ: My #6 Blog Post of 2013

Hello fellow wanderers! I’m currently on a brief holiday blogging vacation, so to celebrate the end of 2013, I’ll be counting down (up?) my top 6 posts of the year. Why 6? Well, in case you haven’t realized, I like to do things (especially lists) non-traditionally. Coming in at #6 was December 3’s post, “As […]

Where I’m Wandering These Days

Quick post today! I just wanted to update y’all on my many winter wanderings. A couple days ago I flew from Los Angeles to Philadelphia by way of Houston and NOT Belize. That will be a fun travel tale to tell in the new year (you might have caught some of the drama on my […]

Why I Want an Older Brother

I’ve been blessed by a fantastic family. I love my parents, and I adore my two siblings. One has flown overseas multiple times for missions work, and the other has found a natural niche in youth ministry. They are my younger siblings, and they are my heroes. I am the oldest Zuniga kid (adult?), and […]

A Birthday Baptism Immortalized

A couple weeks ago, my friend sent me a picture. A picture hearkening back toward my past. The more I stare at it, the more I want to cry. A year and a half ago, I was baptized. Baptized on my 25th birthday despite ascribing to the name of Christ for most of the last […]

How the Hollywood Sign Made God More Real to Me

The Hollywood sign never seemed more real. I’ve lived in southern California for over three years now, and I’ve seen those illustrious blocky white letters on countless treks into Los Angeles. I’ve shown off “Lady Hollywood” to visiting friends and family as if it were my firstborn child, lounging on the side of a mountain […]

10 Struggles I’m Thankful For

In this warm season of friends and family and frozen foul that take days to thaw, it’s difficult, often harrowing, to acknowledge life’s less-than-stellar moments and espouse even a somewhat thankful spirit. And yet impossible though the task may seem, finding the song amid the chaos has produced such release and redemption in my life. […]

STRUGGLE CENTRAL Paperback!

I promised y’all December. The perfect Christmas gift. Or stocking-stuffer. Or paperweight. But I lied. I lied, because the long awaited STRUGGLE CENTRAL paperback is finally available TODAY! Last I checked, Daylight Savings Time notwithstanding, it’s still November. IT’S A THANKSGIVING MIRACLE. Here’s the miraculous link to my STRUGGLE CENTRAL paperback on Amazon! I’m so […]

Urban Wandering: A Guest Post by Laura Coulter

For the second straight Wednesday, it’s WANDERING Wednesday. Only instead of my usual vagabond self, I’m honored to host another lovely wanderer to my blog. Laura Coulter has become one of my best blogging buds, and she even cameo’d toward the end of Struggle Central (of which she also wrote a humbling review). Check out […]

I Still Miss You, Annie

Friday, October 19, 2013: It is the final night of my first return to Georgia in a whole year. And for the first time since abandoning the South three years ago, I am actually sad to be flying back “home” to California tomorrow. Normally, I am not sad; normally, I am beyond ready to return […]

Wandering Wednesday #15: Fullerton, CA

Today is a great day. I don’t care if I get stuck in Los Angeles traffic for hours or lose my favorite watch. (Oh wait, that second thing already happened.) Today is WANDERING WEDNESDAY. At long last. But it’s not just “another” Wandering Wednesday. It’s quite possibly my most pivotal Wandering Wednesday adventure yet. First […]

My Storyline Conference Lessons: Suffering is Good

Last week, I blogged about my impressions from my recent trek to Nashville for the Storyline conference. Storyline is an organization run by Donald Miller and friends; its sole purpose, to help people of all shapes and sizes and ages find their subplots in God’s story. Moving beyond those first impressions, I learned a thing or […]

My Storyline Conference Impressions: People Are Beautiful

A couple weeks ago, I attended my first Storyline conference — a three-day escapade in Nashville, Tennessee. Storyline is an organization run by Donald Miller and friends; its sole purpose is to help people find their subplots in God’s story. From Day 1, Moment 1, I was just so jazzed to be there. Here’s part […]

today we’re younger than we’re ever going to be

I’m still recuperating from my days in “Extrovert Land,” and am still very much processing my time in Nashville at Donald Miller’s Storyline conference. Next week, I’ll begin a blogging series recapping my transformational time in Tennessee. I can’t wait. In the meantime, I was perusing some of my old pictures and came across one that […]

Introvert Issues: Why I Weary

I’m weary. Good-weary, but weary nonetheless. Two days ago, I returned from a ten-day pilgrimage to Nashville with subsequent Tennessean stops in Franklin and Chattanooga. The journey continued onward with Georgian escapades in Watkinsville, Athens, Milledgeville, and Helen. It wasn’t so much the constant moving around that wore me out. It was the people. Good […]

How Well Can You Read?

So, I’m currently gallivanting about the Southeast. As you read this, I’ve just had the BEST time of my life at the Storyline Conference in Nashville, and now I’m kicking it back home in Georgia for a few days. I mean, I’m sure the conference was great. I’m actually writing this post from the past […]

The Top-11 Things I Hope Not to Say to Donald Miller

This a post inspired by Rob Shepherd’s “Things I Hope To Not Say To @JonAcuff.” Mine is different because it is, obviously, about Donald Miller and not that other famous Christian blogger/author/cool guy. Whereas Mr. Shepherd recently united under the same roof as Mr. Acuff at this year’s Catalyst conference, I’m soon-to-be uniting under the same […]

When Life Gives You Pissy Mattresses…

Since flocking my East Coast nest three years ago, I’ve felt like something of a wanderer. A vagabond. Beyond my lack of a stable home or a “big boy job,” one particular element of my westward move has lent to such a wandering feeling. It’s been my consistent lack of a bed. Think about it: […]

This Is Who I Am

Hey guys. I have a confession to make: It’s been a rough week. I’m not sure why, exactly; God’s been so good to me. I’ve been picking up considerably more hours at my new job (did I ever mention I got a new job??), and it’s honestly been fantastic. I love the atmosphere, I love […]

What Is A Good Story?

I’m currently re-reading Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It is, without question, my most favorite book. The Holy Bible would have taken the top spot were it not for one, but TWO tedious books of Chronicles. Side-note: I really hope you guys “get” my sense of humor by now. ANYWAY. Just two […]

SEEK WEEK in Review: God Isn’t Enough

Two weeks ago, my church commenced its annual autumn tradition. It’s called “Seek Week,” a week-long “festival” of fasting and, well, seeking God. Seeing ROCKHARBOR’s five Orange County campuses unite at one location for five consecutive nights was such fantastic foreshadowing for the future: people of all churches, all nations, all cultures, all ages and eras uniting […]

Hope That Fades

Sometimes, somewhere along the way, you unknowingly develop nonsensical habits. You pop a mint every time you enter your vehicle, you tie and re-tie your shoes before walking out the door, you floss after every meal and snack and bowl of pudding. For me, among myriad other bizarre ways to operate in this life, I […]

IDENTITY: My “One Word 365” Summer/Autumn Check-In

Seek Week is over — a phenomenal five days of fasting, prayer, solitude, community, worship, and sincere soul-searching. A week of identity. If I could sum up my first Seek Week in a single word, it would be just that: identity. It was clearly my theme for the week, and lest I forget, it’s also […]

SEEK WEEK! A Personal Request for Prayer

It’s been a fun few weeks here. After exhaustedly publishing a book in the spring and otherwise going crazy this summer (a couple of good crazies), it’s been awesome rekindling a blogging fire with my recent Strengths Finder series. I’ve also just redesigned my blog, and personally, I’m more enthusiastic about this blogging space than I’ve ever […]

EMPATHY: My #5 “Strengths Finder” Strength

Finally, it’s the fifth in a five-part series on Strengths Finder, a phenomenal resource from Gallup. Our culture has grown obsessed with fixing flaws, but Strengths Finder is all about emphasizing your innate strengths. I’ve already blogged about my #1 strength, INTELLECTION, my #2 strength, HARMONY, my #3 strength, INPUT, and my #4 strength, RESPONSIBILITY. Now, the final strength in my […]

Why I’m Giving Away My Book (Again!)

It was a ludicrous idea: give away my first book. But I THRIVE on ludicrous. I mean, all you have to do is read the final 2 chapters of Struggle Central to realize how ludicrous I really am. Plus, I used to love mayonnaise sandwiches as a child. So, ludicrous was the way to go. This […]

RESPONSIBILITY: My #4 “Strengths Finder” Strength

This is the fourth in a five-part series on Strengths Finder, a fantastic resource from Gallup. Our culture seems obsessed on exposing our flaws and weaknesses and how we can “improve” by altering or even reversing those traits. But Strengths Finder is all about uncovering your innate strengths and building those virtues. I’ve already blogged about my #1 strength, INTELLECTION, […]

INPUT: My #3 “Strengths Finder” Strength

This is the third in a five-part series on Strengths Finder, a fantastic resource from Gallup that helps people realize their strengths. Our culture seems obsessed on exposing our flaws and weaknesses and how we can “improve” by altering or even reversing those traits. But Strengths Finder is all about uncovering your innate strengths and building those virtues. I’ve […]

tell me this one thing

tonight, i am fighting. all my life i have been fighting. fighting as one fighting as One; fighting in sorrow fighting in shadows, fighting in and out of fear fighting in tears for years and years. so much fighting and fighting, unceasing, it never flees. it drains it dries it drives me w i l d . […]

The Exodus Altar

This past weekend, I went hiking with two friends. We hit the dust at 7am, venturing to the coast of Laguna Beach, the Pacific Ocean bashfully greeting us beneath swirling molasses of white fog. It actually wasn’t my first time hitting those hilly coastal trails. Two months prior, I hiked at this very location with […]

HARMONY: My #2 “Strengths Finder” Strength

This is the second in a five-part series on Strengths Finder, a fantastic resource from Gallup that helps people realize their strengths. Our culture seems obsessed on exposing our flaws and weaknesses and how we can “improve” by altering or even reversing those traits. But Strengths Finder is all about uncovering your innate strengths and building those virtues. On […]

I recently received my first sales numbers for Struggle Central: book quantities and dollar figures for the month of May. I wasn’t surprised; wasn’t too shocked one way or the other. I sold right about as many copies as I expected or “deserved.” While I’m grateful for the new influx of funds after what I put […]

INTELLECTION: My #1 “Strengths Finder” Strength

This is the first in a five-part series on Strengths Finder, a fantastic resource from Gallup that helps people realize their strengths. Our culture seems obsessed on exposing our flaws and weaknesses and how we can “improve” by altering or even reversing those traits. But Strengths Finder is all about uncovering your innate strengths and building […]