The first habit needed to live from a place of abiding love for others is to sincerely seek God. This is the filling station. It...

I love James Clear’s work on “atomic habits,” and his research on how to make long lasting changes. Dad naturally understood how to build tiny...

One of the greatest gifts my dad had as a father was his insistence on total relational transparency regarding emotions. He wanted a home where...

As my husband Shann and I meet with Goldenwood, this unique community not only prayerfully considers gifting but more powerful considerations. They ask these two...

My husband Shann and I are part of a beautiful community of believers who participate in an organization called Goldenwood. This program is designed to...

One of our staff posted something on their social media which deeply grieved another staff member. This is always challenging. How do we handle our...

I opened my office drawer for a notecard and found the one I selected was already written on in my dad’s handwriting. It’s a card...

One of my friends says a powerful prayer when something difficult or challenging happens in her life or in the lives of those she prays...

As my husband Shann and I read and pray through Hebrews every night, we are struck by the admonition to look to the invisible realm...

Dad and I had lovely conversations. He was a masterful listener and question-asker most of the time. When we had a spare moment, he might...

Dad believed and lived that God was speaking to him. He prayed to attentively listen and hear what God was saying. Interestingly, it rarely had...

I am back writing Words of Hope for the remainder of the year. I took a lengthy break for several reasons. Mostly because I was sad....

One of the stories Dad and I loved came from an experiment designed to see how well people can spot talent. The experiment included one of the...

One of the practices of contemplative prayer is eliminating prayer as performance. I consider how much poor religion gravitates toward perfection, judgment, us and them,...

God has been surprising me lately. I have been meditating on these verses, “Do not be anxious about anything but through prayer and supplication, with...

Dad and I often talked together in surprise how fearful people are to compassionately engage in difficult conversations. Instead, they turn to avenues that destroy...

At the core of all systems of love is listening, mutual respect, serving others, repentance, gratitude, and joy. Health looks complete from top to bottom...

I was visiting my daughter in New York City, and we stepped into a French pastry shop. Two beautiful young girls were selecting macrons with...

In this advent season, I love to read the first chapters of the Book of Luke. I am struck by John coming to prepare people...

I have been praying for the discipline to trust the Giver of Good Gifts. I believe God loves to surprise and delight us beyond what...

The scripture passages I read this morning had a verse that has been reverberating in my mind. “When it was time for Elizabeth to have...

A friend sent me a video of their school singing the worship song, “Goodness of God” by CeCe Winans. This is the song our family...

One of my daughters enjoys true crime podcasts. She told me of a real estate agent who sensed something was wrong with a couple that...

Sometimes, when I start to pray my mind wanders over the myriad of tasks I have for the day. Sometimes everywhere I turn, my mind...

I am always surprised by transformation. There are so many stories throughout history of people on a tragic trajectory until grace intervenes and changes the...

My husband Shann and I have been discussing bitterness. It’s a deceptive emotion and incredibly dangerous. Most people struggle to notice they are bitter because...

I have been at my parents’ place, praying where my dad prayed.   I imagine him here and picture him praying. Henri Nouwen, one of my...

God is always surprising me. Several years ago, a man trained up by us at NBC took all our training, investment, and information and tried...

One statement that has been thrilling my mind is this, “The natural habitat for truth is human conversation.”    How we speak to others reveals how...

I have been considering how regret is a stronger emotion than gratitude. Regret can overrun our desire for gratitude. It can invade our thoughts and...

We had a staff meditation on Psalm 4 and Philippians 4:4-8. These are some of my favorite memory verses. I am always surprised by the...

A friend of mine posted on Facebook a description of the physical suffering of Jesus on the cross. I never realized the loss of blood...

We have had a vibrant fall this year. As the chlorophyll dissipates from the leaves, their true colors are revealed. The color deepens with the...

I have a few friends having babies soon and one of the fun parts is to learn the name. It’s amazing how children live into...

I met with a beautiful friend about grief. She asked me about my journey with Dad’s death and how it has affected me. “Like a...

Sometimes I imagine Dad riding next to me in the car. We might pray together, or I will ask him a question. I loved to...

Dad always believed that philosophies would play out to reveal the best way to live. An acquaintance from church in my younger life turned his...

Sometimes we think we are God. We act like we alone know what He wants and others need to listen to us.   What we find...

My daughter is in her Freshman year at Pepperdine. This past week a group of senior girls were walking in a busy part of the...

My dad loved spontaneity, but he also loved ceremony. He believed events required the joy of planning, the importance of tangible ways to talk about...

I love this quote, “There are people who go on infinitely preparing for life and not living it.” I can be like this. Most of...

In our office there is a photo of my friend’s son who died recently in an accident. He is smiling and as I walk by,...

With war stories and upsetting news, I believe the most powerful decision is to praise and pray. When we as followers of Christ become afraid,...

Dad understood leverage which can be a tough concept to grasp. In my opinion, Dad understood leverage so well on the basketball court which helped...

I have heard two sermons now on the devil. They are both wildly confusing and humbling stories. The first is about Job. Satan demands to...

I love the word metanoia. It’s not necessarily a pretty word but the meaning is beautiful to me. It means a change in thinking and...

I have been mediating on a sentence I wrote last week. “Dad did the work of forgiving his father.” Work is a true description of...

My friend reached out to tell me about a new form of Christian counseling that involves writing out a traumatic story and walking through that...

One of my dad’s favorite mentors was a man named Paul Nakai. Paul did so much to elevate our understanding of relational health. He taught...

One of the questions we have been meditating on in the office is, “What do you believe God wants to help you remove or release...

I spoke with Mom about the miracle of my dad’s transformation from aggressive agnostic to total faith. How do these things happen? After his mom...

My mom’s good friend died last week. She was in her early seventies and the epitome of health. Last March, she and mom vacationed together....

Sometimes, I write messages to myself when I am in the middle of a crisis. I keep them as reminders that this painful moment will...

Dad and I loved the story of Joseph. It is such a fascinating consideration for me. Joseph, annoying, openly, and shamelessly favored. He is thoughtless,...

Dad loved scripture. Memorization was a big part of our lives together. We would drive and pray scripture aloud. For example, we memorized 2 Corinthians...

One of the first passages we all memorized as a staff was Psalm 20. It’s my go-to passage for those in distress. I think of...

One of our family friends has an app that’s called “We Croak.” Seven times during the day, a small alarm goes off and a quote...

I am so often surprised by Jesus and I want to know more about His interactions on earth. The story that is shocking me right...

During a poetry night at our house, we played a round of “speed friendship” and then ended with the question, “Who is someone who has...

I liked how Dad spoke to me.   He was a great coach because he could take a task that felt daunting and make it very...

I received a beautiful letter from William May who told me stories about his appreciation for my dad. He shared with me a podcast I...

I was cleaning out a backpack and found a staff meeting paper from March 11, 2020. This was the last time we met in person...

One meditation I have been speaking in my mind and heart is from Proverbs 13:10, “Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is...

I am feeling afraid to remember. What if I struggle to remember? What if I don’t want to think of all the white crosses and...

I have been finding photos of my dad when he is my age. He looks so young and healthy! I can hear him counseling me...

A close friend sent me a Ted Talk that is the most watched in Ted history. This talk references the longest study of adults done...

I keep thinking about many Christian churches and schools I have witnessed in my life. Here is one thing I deeply admired about my dad....

We have a chalkboard with the “verse of the week” stenciled across the top hanging above the NBC Camps office sink. The verse we have...

I love thinking about the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God seems full of joy, life, and abundance. Maybe I believe this because I...

I love the phrase, “A setback is a setup for a comeback.” I have been chanting this in my mind for the last few days....

Dad greatly excelled at relational discipline. He willingly submitted to the rigor of relational well-being, investing time and attention, encouraging words, and spending quality time...

Growing up my family had a daily ritual of reading Our Daily Bread every morning at the table. No matter who was staying or living at our...

 Dad and I struggled with listening. Shann would laugh at our conversations sometimes when we were both distracted. When present, Dad was an amazing listener....

I am often surprised by sorrow. I didn’t realize how many different shades of sadness I could experience. Small moments trigger me, and I am...

My husband Shann and I have been talking a lot about the criticism/defensiveness cycle and how insightful it is for relational health. I have found...

If we go shopping, it is almost always going to be for a book. One of the new ones we picked up was from a...

Dad loved biographies more than any other type of book. He read to me children’s stories of inspiring people. One person he loved was Florence...

When you read or listen to the stories, the ones that deeply change and transform us are the ones with the great themes of life...

I am in love with Christianity, but I am also overwhelmed by all the trauma and bloody history this word represents. So I will say...

How important is hope? I can’t believe how I need it. I have five big hopeful dreams right now and they are easily toppled with...

I am surprised at how many men I meet who laud the fact that they don’t cry. They make it sound like it is an...

My husband Shann teaches poetry for Stanford. I read one of his lessons and it was so beautiful I felt like crying. He says that...

My dad loved the concept of forgiveness. He grew up in an abusive home with a father he did not admire and in fact deeply...

Does anger change us? Jesus opens his ministry after the wedding miracle with anger. I identify with this. Wanting to move the church with righteous...

During our mealtime conversation, my husband Shann asked how the idea of God sacrificing His son on our behalf moves us? It is a profound...

Shann and I were speaking at a conference about forgiveness. It’s always amazing how everyone gets overwhelmed with this topic. I think because most people...

I have been meditating on a few lines I heard in my devotional about Peter and the devil. Jesus says, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked...

I have been thinking about unity and violence. How does the turn happen? For Cain it is losing his joy for being in union with...

We read a gorgeous essay aloud as family members recently written by Albert Camus. He seems like a person I would have loved time with....

At the conference Shann and I spoke at, we invited people to practice asking forgiveness. I role played with a woman who had been a...

One of Dad’s favorite hymns came on when I was listening to my Pray As You Go app. The words say, “Thou my best thought by day...

Driving through a beautiful college campus, I notice several ugly tree stumps in the middle of the landscaped meridian. They jut sideways with sharp points....

Our family recently listened to a sermon delivered on the wrath of God. If you cringe reading this, it was cringeworthy. The message was delivered...

I met a devout atheist on a flight recently who loved Christopher Hitchens, a world-famous atheist. Hitchens contracted throat cancer and died denying God. My...

I read an evocative post about the thief hanging on the cross.   He did not get baptized. He didn’t do anything most churches classify as...

I had a beautiful opportunity on a flight to Oklahoma recently to talk with a brilliant person who memorized the poetry of GM Hopkins and...

Today marks the beginning of Lent. It’s a time that triggers strong images and memories of Dad. I can picture him walking around New York...

Dad had a paper route at the age of nine. He had to be out the door early in the morning, as early as 5:00...

Dad loved acronyms. He had a million different ones he used often. My newest favorite is from my brother Jay. He texted a response TGBTG...

I have been reading my dad’s Words of Hope messages lately. I was surprised to find one in April of 2021 where my dad wrote, “My promise...

It is Valentine’s Day, a day most people focus on romantic love. However, the namesake for this day was deeply devoted to so much more...

Dad and I memorized a beautiful poem by Wendell Berry. One of the poignant lines says, “when despair for the world grows in me…” Despair...

Our family liked to tease Dad that he would be peaceful hearing about his car being wrecked but enraged about five crumbs on the table....

I just finished a historical book on Florence.  After reading it, I felt compelled to write an unfavorable review. I usually never write unfavorable reviews...

I am reading a historical novel about Quebec set in 1697. The author, one of my favorites, did extensive research for this book. She described...

Dad loved the Trinity. He literally was ecstatic about the community and unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Because of his deep love for...

I continue my meditation of the first verse in Psalm 34. The beginning of the verse says, “I will bless the Lord at all times.”...

One of my favorite passages of scripture is Psalm 34. What a psalm of solace! Dad and I would pray each word, meditating on it....

My husband Shann and I took a class together when he was getting his PhD in clinical psychology. It was a religion class taught at...

My best frame of mind comes from meditation on gratitude and the truth that I belong to God.  Every time I draw my attention away...

I listened to a sermon recently on Galatians. The pastor had worked himself up into a zealous fervor decrying the current times. Then he addressed...

I have been learning about boundaries. They are incredibly challenging and require discernment. You can see the problem of lack of boundaries in politics. The...

My husband Shann has been researching angels for a novel he is working on. He recently texted me a few verses from Exodus 23.  “See,...

My husband Shann and I watched a modern-day movie fable attempting to show the calamity of friendships and families that lead to war. One of...

Shann was an A student but not a real reader when I met him and now he teaches in the PhD department of Gonzaga’s Leadership...

My car was turned the wrong direction when we were leaving the house. It was facing the direction leading to my mom and dad’s home....

I’ve written the blogs for NBC Basketball for almost twenty years now. In August 2019, I wrote the following blog—Are you prepared for the unexpected? ...

My husband Shann and I often celebrate that we live in the Golden Age of research. We can communicate to anyone, regardless of philosophy or...

Team chemistry is vital to becoming a championship-level team. Researchers have found the importance of both task chemistry and social chemistry. Task chemistry is a...

Dad loved the promise of the new year. He loved journals, plans, and renewal. Yesterday, on New Year’s Day, a group of us gathered around...

I follow a physics Facebook page as Shann and I are both interested in quantum physics. One recent post pictured the father of quantum physics,...

My friend Luska and her daughters traveled to Spokane to spend Christmas with us. Luska is originally from London, and we met at Silver Lake...

One of my dad’s favorite mentors was a man named Paul Nakai. He is a top leadership expert who helped advise after the space shuttle...

The world outside my window is covered in snow, the trees flocked with hoarfrost. A palpable stillness descends with the snow. I have a quiet,...

I love words and the word stalwart isn’t a common one, though it should be. Stalwart is a synonym for stable, committed, foundational, and secure....

This is a strange time to be alive. There is a zeitgeist moving that is full of portent like a mighty storm brewing. I believe...

Dad was a basketball healer. He knew how to bring repair and healing to teams who were divided or despairing. Not many people describe someone...

Pain is tricky. It makes people uncomfortable. Pain can cause us to make the wrong decisions. I love the training of Ignatius of Loyola who...

I recently listened to the Pray as You Go app, and the scripture passage was from Hebrews. As I listened to the passage I thought, “I wonder...

Grief continues to surprise me. The other night I missed Dad so much I just lay on my bed crying for a while. The pain...

One of the hardest lessons I have learned is the discipline to delight in difficulty. Our NBC Central office team has been practicing this for...

I have a dreadful notion that arises now and then of God as a punisher. As soon as it comes, I remember one of the...

Practicing gratitude was one of the most important disciplines for my dad. Gratitude for God, for life, and for people were his intentional and pursued...

There is a Webb Space photograph that has captured my imagination. It appears to be a huge hand lifted like an artist moving the stars...

I am very quick to emotion. I cry, rejoice fully, and get angry quickly. My husband Shann is cool and calm. If you want to...

I read a brilliant insight from the Gottman Marriage Minute. What I love about John Gottman’s research is that it is immediately applicable to any...

I read a short story about a firsthand account of the suffering in Iraq aloud to Mom and Dad. Afterward, they read the rest of...

I was praying about what to write in Words of Hope and I kept feeling asked to write the Kingdom of God is now. If...

I have been fortunate enough to visit many cities around the world such as Cape Town, Barcelona, and Prague. Each city has its own vibe...

I have been wrestling with the word ambition. The definition of it makes it more complex. In some definitions it says ambition means “aspiration, intention,...

I have frustration at the hypocrisy and moralism of certain forms of Christianity in America’s extreme right. Men measuring the skirts of young girls and...

My youngest child Bella and I only have a few months left together before she launches off to college and a brand-new life. We do...

My dad deeply loved Psalm 23. He meditated on it often. As I read C.S. Lewis’s Reflections on the Psalms, he brings attention to something I...

A very sweet friend took me to lunch. She has been so kind in sending encouragement after a Words of Hope message she resonated with. As we...

I have been missing Dad so much lately. I walked by a neighborhood bench where he liked to sit and pray and shocked myself by...

In math, A + B normally should equal C. In life, the same should happen. A loving home will produce loving kids. However, this is...

Dad loved the phrase, “Set the Table.” For him, it was a call to action for those in leadership to provide a space for true...

In C.S. Lewis’s Reflections on the Psalms he addresses a topic I have struggled with. What do we do with the Psalms that pray down wrath on...

We have a quote on our fridge by one of the best poets in the world, Li Young Li, who says, “I don’t have faith...

Shann and I have an elegant conversation every evening. We sit together looking out a window or sitting on a porch. We hold hands and...

Dad and I often discussed energy. Navigating cancer requires tremendous energy expenditures, which results in less energy for other aspects of life. I would email...

Dad wanted to be wise about tendencies to make the wrong response in crisis. He believed becoming wise about how we handle stress and crisis...

I have been mulling over a scripture verse for the last two weeks. It says, “I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your...

I recently wrote a piece about Dad being an amazing culture changer and described with intensity a father who neglects his daughter and a mother...

Parenting is hard.   What makes matters worse is that people often don’t work to figure out how to be skilled as a parent. Much like...

Our family has a fun mealtime activity called “Speed Friendship.”   We ask a question and quickly find out more about whoever is at the table.  ...

In the last two Words of Hope, I have been sharing about a presentation Shann and I heard during our prayer retreat. One of the...

Shann and I were part of a prayer retreat recently. Each day had two or three presenters. One presenter who spoke on heartbreak asked this...

I find Dad’s title, “Words of Hope,” so crucial during difficult times. I say difficult times because I feel a deep battle raging in the...

Dad and I had an important mentor who had helped with the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster as a consultant in the aftermath of the tragedy....

My father-in-law was on a generational pattern of self-sabotage. He came from no education, alcoholism, wasted living, and deeply troubled relationships. He was throwing his...

On March 11, 2020, we received news the March Basketball Tournament was closing. Games were canceled across the country. We met as a staff in...

Dad loved parenting, and he was a fantastic Dad. He and Mom taught Shann and me so much about the daily habits of being a...

I asked Mom what she would like to say in Words of Hope as my Dad’s caretaker for over twelve years. I think caretaking might...

Last year we were in NYC to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. We were with some friends who are artists. For me, art is...

Probably the phrase most people associate with my Dad is, “You are a miracle.” I remember when he started to change his perspective from seeing...

Yesterday, I wrote about my Dad’s response to people aggressively purporting their beliefs. Dad’s navigation of dogmatism greatly influenced me. A few years ago, a...

Dad had an expansive faith. He rooted his faith in both firm convictions and deepest wonder and awe. One of his good friends has strong...

Shann and I subscribe to the Gottman Marriage minute. It’s a perfect, short reminder with simple steps to improve relationships. A recent message asked, “Do...

Many of you who read Words of Hope know my Dad. Maybe some of you have never met him. After his passing, one person who...

I was rereading Dad’s Words of Hope on anxiety he wrote on April 21, 2021. He discusses lessons learned from nurse Laurie who served with...

I recently went to a memorial, and one of the main verses was Ecclesiastes 7:2. I took time to look at this verse in various...

My Dad valued people from all walks of life. He thanked and honored those many would overlook. He believed in leaving places better than when...

If you fly to Oklahoma City, you will see a famous quote by Will Rogers: “Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that...

When my Dad was ill during the last weeks of his life, he mostly lay on his back. His cancer treatment medication caused him to...

When I feel the deep ache of loss and start feeling sad about Dad being gone, I go back to the fundamentals. I go back...

I met “Margo” at camp. She loved hoops and baggy shorts and had a cutting-edge fashion style. She found her mother dead when she was...

My grandmother grew up in a severely austere home. Her mother did not believe in affection and ruled her family with a no-nonsense mentality. She...

One February, we lost our cat, Crystal. She never came home. I was devastated. I held to the fantasy she would be found at a...

Today is the anniversary of my Dad’s death. Our family is traveling together. Mom and Dad’s house, where he passed away, has been sold. I...

Dad and Jay love the phrase POSP, which was an acronym for “P—on Self Pity.” My grandmother was very British, and I don’t love the...

One of the best skills Dad gave our family was the family meeting. Before an event, this meeting time was crucial to outline the expectations...

One of my favorite lines in scripture says—“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” It’s located in...

We are approaching the one-year anniversary of my Dad’s death. I can feel the sorrow rising in me. I am quick to tears; my bones...

I keep a few old gratitude journals on my desk that I review from time to time. Today I read about an overnight trip my...

Dad and I had many conversations about the attraction to cut-off relationships by not speaking to someone or vilifying others, a tendency to build up...

My middle daughter, Ariana, is playing at the professional summer theatre in Coeur d’ Alene in Little Women the Musical. Ariana’s character Beth dies from...

My friend told me, “I didn’t have a dad like yours. He left our family through an affair and wanted to reconcile later in life....

Shann and I recently discussed how family issues become more difficult because many fear disagreements and conflicts. We have very few examples of people navigating...

Shann is genuinely a happy person. He is cheerful, lighthearted, and never moody or depressed. He sings daily and is genuinely a joy to be...

My oldest daughter and her husband, Tim, came to town, and on our last day together, we asked, “What is one way you see the...

Dad worked on relationships. Scott Peck, who wrote a bestselling book, “The Road Less Travelled,” discussed how laziness, in his opinion, is the biggest obstacle...

Shann teaches poetry at Stanford, and our family is doing the lectures and lessons together. I can’t believe how incredible this experience has been. I...

Dad loved unity, and he didn’t like disagreement. He also was a fierce competitor. Our family could get into heated disputes around politics, news, or...

My dear friend Josh met Dad in Hawaii. Josh brought his daughter to camp and spent the days watching the coaches and observing. He had...

A friend of mine called me. Her daughter lost her fiancé in a devasting accident a few months before their wedding. This grief feels unbearable...

I had been dreading Father’s Day. I woke up on Father’s Day, assuming it would be a bone-crushing day of sorrow, but it wasn’t. I...

My Dad was incredibly pragmatic. He was a genius at making complex concepts simple and easy to understand. Dad believed the clearer you are in...

Growing up, Dad was assigned family jobs. Mine was to haul wood to the basement every Saturday and clean up after the dog. This last...

When we ask forgiveness without change, we commit further harm. Teresa was an angry parent. Despite her best intentions, she often yelled at her kids,...

Dad believed we nullify forgiveness and cause pain rather than healing when we ask the other to forgive too much at one time.   “I cheated...

Our family likes meaningful conversation. Years ago, we heard the quote, great people talk about ideas, mediocre people talk about things, and small people talk...

Dad and I loved to talk about relationships. Especially how they can be improved. He loved John Gottman and even met with him personally. Gottman...

Thank you so much for coming to the celebration of life! For those unable to attend the Fred Crowell Celebration of Life, here is the video...

Forgiveness requires discernment and wisdom for it to bring healing. Forgiveness can happen through the power of the written word, a glance, a touch, a...

Dad had the gift of reading the Bible and making the words immediately practical and healing. He believed Christianity should make us more like Christ–more...

When I first met Shann’s father Tom, he seemed very distant. We would enter the house after having traveled far to get there, and Tom...

One of my Dad’s and my favorite writers, Henri Nouwen writes, “Forgiveness is the name of love practiced among people who love poorly. The hard...

Of all the things my dad taught, one of my favorite and the most powerful has been forgiveness. Because of Dad’s influence, Shann became a...

Shann loves loud music. He likes to feel the sound and hear the music throughout his entire body. I don’t love loud music. It is...

I cannot express how grateful I am that my Dad was a student of loving well. He made it his life mission to love God...

Getting ready for the Celebration of Life was difficult and joyful. As our family gathered together to sing, we could feel the tensions and emotions...

I am reading Ulysses by James Joyce. Truly not the easiest read but entertaining nonetheless. He takes the day in the life of one man...

I read about a twin separated from her sister for years. Her grandmother lost her in a crowded market in Korea when she was quite...

When Shann and I had three daughters, we imagined a home full of love and joy for one another. How could we make this dream...

I read a statement, “Zealous judgment closes us off from revelation.” This statement would have immediately caused me to pick up the phone and call...

A huge table in the center of our kitchen seats twelve people comfortably. This table is the focal point of our home, a place to...

I am reading about the form versus the formless. Dad and I discussed this often. He had a big journey in his life toward understanding...

Dad believed one of the most telling ways for us to observe if we love well was to examine the quality of our relationships. Relationships...

One thing I have been marveling at since my father’s death is the realization of grief. I feel I am awakening into the color of...

One of my favorite times with Dad was to discuss poor coaching or poor parenting as they share similarities. Dad had incredible insights into how...

Shann taught poetry at Princeton Theological Seminary’s Center for Contemplative Leadership. He discussed the power of words. How much power does a word hold? The...

CeCe Winans song Believe For It heals me. She has a bridge where she sings, “You said. I believe. You said it is done.” I love considering...

We watched an evocative movie the other day. It was a modern parallel of the road to Calvary. One of the characters is an atheist...

Shann and Bella had a late-night this week, and I was alone in the house for the first time in a while. I sat on...

One quality I admire about my Dad is that he did not speak poorly or negatively about my Mom. He worked hard to root out...

I celebrated Easter at my Mom and Dad’s church. It was my Mom’s first Easter without Dad. I thought about Dad being in church just...

Mom and I met to discuss Dad’s celebration of life with a beautiful person helping coordinate the day. While there, we bumped into a long-time...

The slogan for NBC Camps is better players, better people. Dad and I talked about relentlessly pursuing excellence in life without leading to perfectionism and...

Dad and I loved to read stories of inspiring people. One day, I felt sorry for myself and justified my frustration and irritation with life....

Dad loved Easter and Good Friday. Dad loved the stations of the cross and would meditate at each spot. He especially loved the stations of...

One of the first concerts I attended was in Birmingham, Alabama. It was Don Francisco live. My mom and Dad took me to the show....

Shann has a beautiful coffee table book that just came out on Amazon in collaboration with his artist friend, Craig Hergert. His friend has fifteen...

Dad and I loved to read. I am currently reading Graham Greene’s book, The Ministry of Fear. Greene was a masterful writer and author of...

I miss Dad’s amazing advice. He often had remarkable wisdom. He told me creativity is powerful work. The work, each one of us, are called...

Dad thought outside the box as a basketball coach and had insightful ways to keep students engaged. He believed deeply in the idea of love...

Dad and I loved Francis of Assisi. He is one of my favorite people. One of the quotes I love is, “Start by doing what...

I love to ask why. I spoke to Dad in person or on the phone every day, and my favorite thing was to ask him...

As I plan for Dad’s Celebration of Life, the person helping me organize the décor told me that because the stage is large, she imagined...

One day, I was wiping down the bathroom sink. Focused and intensely absorbed in my work, I didn’t hear my oldest daughter Natalya come into...

Years ago, one of our dear friends had a church interview to lead a small group, and it had a level of harshness that surprised...

Today is my middle daughter Ariana’s birthday. She has the last birthday in four weeks of March birthdays to celebrate in our family. When she...

I heard a woman share the gospel, and it was truly an inspired gift. She connected the oil spill image off the Gulf of Mexico...

We traveled to NYC recently, and our family watched the MJ musical highlighting the life of Michael Jackson. It has been met with controversy, and...

Today is my Dad’s birthday. Do I write that it would have been his 80th or that it is his 80th birthday? I will say it is Dad’s 80th...

I am reading Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal’s novella, Too Loud a Solitude. Hrabal experienced not only the horrors of the Nazi occupation of Prague but also...

The news of Ukraine and Russia is everywhere, with images of war, suffering, and trauma. Just watching it is unsettling to a high degree. It...

I am surprised by my lethargy around the death of my Dad. It really has taken the wind out of me. I am a busy...

My parents were married for 58 years, and they deeply admired and loved each other. They worked hard to root out bitterness, detachment, infidelity, and...

Watching the war in Ukraine has been devasting. The cruelty of Putin, the shocking images of destruction, the terror that feels palpable around the globe....

This was my first birthday without my Dad with me in person. Birthdays always involved dinner together with a beautiful mealtime conversation. Dad would share...

We often drove to Edmonton, Alberta, from Spokane when Shann and I were newly married. This long road trip afforded us hours of meaningful conversation....

Mumbai is a city of 28 million people. There were slums and poverty everywhere we went. People live in tin slabs with tar paper roofs...

Our family traveled to India last week to work with those in severe poverty. I wore my Dad’s t-shirt – Relentless Pursuit of Excellence (one...

I have been thinking about skills and gifts my Dad had that I aspire to have in my life. One skill he had was the...

Shann wrote the lyrics for an opera. I love to think about this. He is a poet, a researcher, a novelist, and a librettist (opera...

Here is an insight into conversations I would have with Dad. One of our favorite topics was how to live outside the external illusion. Every...

I have been thinking about my Dad’s skills and gifts that I aspire to have in my life. One skill he had was the caesura...

We spotlight every meal, and it can be challenging to find new and meaningful ways to spotlight others. To keep it creative, sometimes, we look...

When I was young, Dad would make devotional times meaningful. He would grab plain white paper and put color crayons, markers, and highlighters on the...

I had my first dream of my father. He was younger than I am now at my current age. We sat side by side at...

One of the longtime slogans at NBC Camps is the mission to be better players and better people. Dad and I discussed this often—how can...

Dad had great accountability partners. One of his is also a dear friend of mine. His name is Bobby Moore. He was Dad’s pastor, his...

We went to a new church nearby our house today and they were doing baptisms. One of the women shared she had been raised in...

When Dad lay dying, I told him he would soon get to spend time with Sojourner Truth one of our favorite people. We never met...

Dad was a maverick and exceptional teacher. He grasped ways to make concepts understandable way before the science of pedagogy confirmed his teaching methods. Cookie...

The book of James says, “Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter trials of various kinds.” Some translations say to consider trials, “pure”...

Dad would say, “Imagine an elevator. Most of us have moods and emotions which take us up and down the elevator. But some people get...

I have never loved flowers as a gift. They have always seemed to be an extravagance. I would rather Shann buy me a vacuum or...

Last spring, I read Dad and Mom a beautiful short story from Anthony Doer’s book, Memory Wall. The story tells of a young girl who loses...

One of my daily devotionals gives short segments from the writings of Henri Nouwen, a beautiful Christian author. He wrote many moving books, including Return of...

One skill I am incredibly grateful for in my Dad is the peace he had to navigate difficult topics with wisdom and care. My Dad...

A woman named Luska is one of NBC’s bright stars. She is brilliant and has an incredibly powerful mind. Since we first met more than...

In an earlier Words of Hope, I shared a message Dad asked me to consider in the year of 2018. We had a relationship where...

I drove by a snowy park bench near the Spokane River yesterday. The last time I drove by this bench, Dad, Shann, Bella, and I...

Dad traveled many days when I was young. He went all around the PNW recruiting for NBC Camps. His journey brought him to the Cheyenne...

Dad loved surprises. We liked to take him and mom on a secret trip each year. It would be a 3-4 day trip within driving...

Grief is tough. My Dad tried to overcome his grief for the few years after his mom’s death, but many situations triggered his pain and...

Dad’s nickname around the house was Norman Neat or sometimes Matt Ticulous. He loved it clean, but he also loved having people over, which caused...

Dad loved New Year’s Eve. He loved to clean out closets; he loved to organize and plan; he loved fresh starts. New Year’s Eve was...

Deuteronomy 30:19 “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life so that you and your children may live.” This...

Dad struggled with some forms of common sense—like when he accidentally shot my mom’s dog (no, it did not die) while trying to warn off...

Merry Christmas to all of you at Words of Hope. I want to share this Christmas story. Tom is my father-in-law, and he and my...

How many of our friends and family struggle with feeling alone? My Dad loved the great poet Maya Angelou who said, “We, unaccustomed to courage,...

I have been praying daily for the Christians kidnapped in Haiti. They were held by a murderous gang who wantonly killed children and adults unable...

Sorrow can feel like a heavy shroud. I sometimes feel suffocated by it if I allow my mind to think of no more time with...

Dad believed fully what Mother Teresa said, “Christ’s love is always stronger than evil in the world… this kind of love begins at home. We...

Shann, my husband, had a book interview last week. His interviewer had respect for Shann’s faith but also incredulity. How could Shann, a learned scholar,...