I am keeping a gratitude timer on my phone. Every hour and a half, I check in with myself. How grateful have I been? How much news...

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...

The other day I was praying through Colossians 1:9-14. I was praying about myself which is interesting because the passage is about praying for others....

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...

I appreciate my dad so much because of how he dispelled the fear and chaos of conflict. Conflict can be part of a passionate life....

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 becoming high and mighty about fathers and their need to change when my husband Shann reminded me that a critical, hateful woman will...

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 find the research on complaining so powerful. Complaining or listening to complaining for thirty minutes impairs and diminishes the intellectual part of the brain....

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...

One of the recent devotional messages asked me to picture Jesus as He weeps over Jerusalem. He laments, “If you, even you, had only recognized...

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...

I recently researched the benefits of gratitude. I am still surprised how overwhelmingly transformative gratitude is to our health and wellbeing, to our relationships, and...

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...

I have been reading Proverbs recently. Dad loved this book of the Bible, and we talked about it often. He and I both struggle with...

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...

I have been thinking about how crisis reveals truth. What does difficulty show about the underlying fabric of a home, marriage, business, or nation?  When...

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 read recently that gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. It counteracts against the four most toxic emotions: envy, bitterness, regret, and depression. I...

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...

Dad and I would discuss why Bible classes in Christian schools and colleges were often the worst classes, boring, uninspired, didactic, and lacking. I think about this...

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 drove by a sign that said, “God uses us to love people.”  I have felt tremendously loved by others. My mom and dad loved...

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...

My husband Shann was speaking recently to a group of people describing his life before Christ came to him with healing power. He had been...

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 I wrestle with what to pray for others. I have learned that praying for something specific may not be what God wants. Instead, I...

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...

I have made my house a memory palace which is a device to help me remember things.   Near my sink is one of my favorite...

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...

I was talking to a woman about our family’s mealtime conversation and daily spotlighting. She looked skeptical. “What if you had a sullen child who...

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,...

My dad started a practice of letter writing at camp and for the last fifty-plus summers, student-athletes pause during the week to write a letter to...

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 like to guess what will happen in the future. I would like to be a prophet. I hate to be caught unprepared. The problem...

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...

One of the most misunderstood, difficult concepts on the planet is forgiveness. You can watch a YouTube video of a celebrity recommending not to forgive...

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...

I read a wild verse that I hadn’t noticed before. It says, “Do not rejoice and gloat when your enemy falls, And do not let...

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...

This summer we focused on the topic of enthusiasm. It was one of Dad’s favorite words. He loved to ask the camp, “How’s your PMA?”...

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...

I love thinking about the phrase, “Words of Hope.” I meditate on each piece of the phrase.   WORD – Some of my dad’s favorite scripture...

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...

I have had a long break from Words of Hope for various reasons. Primarily, I needed to regain my footing. I had to accept an...

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...

Camp is in full swing with many moving parts and of course unforeseen challenges. Most of these come out of nowhere surprising me without warning.  ...

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...

The other day I had a few inordinately aggravating difficulties that were more irritations than problems. If you follow Words of Hope regularly, you know what that...

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...

We have been playing a short game and praying everyday as at our office. I have been curious about building meaningful connection. How do we...

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 so thankful my dad called these little devotionals Words of Hope. I bless him for this. His words do give me strength and hope...

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...

I found a note from my dad. Dad wrote amazing words of encouragement. He celebrated people and made me feel like I could run through...

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....

A friend of ours is doing his dissertation on the phenomenon of forgiveness asking. He is researching the experience of asking forgiveness of family, friends,...

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...

Last night, our family attended a beautiful event combining the discussion of leadership and dance. This teaching was presented by a father/son duo. Shann and...

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...

Recently, I had a waking vision of my dad. I was walking on the treadmill, praying through the Pray as You Go app. I saw Dad walking...

 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....

Adjustment is such an important skill in relationships. I picture Dad with his injured neck. He could not easily adjust his posture or his point...

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...

I watched one of our friend’s post a video of his baptism. His daughter also was baptized. It’s so surprising to me what a joyous...

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...

I love that Dad worked hard to redefine success. He had to do it all his life because the temptation to place “numbers” or “money”...

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...

One of the gifts God has given me is a reframing of what I define as good. It’s been a long life lesson. I believe...

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 dad loved people, and he built beautiful friendships. One person he loved is a man named Rachi Wortham. We just did a short video...

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...

I have a bad habit of imagining someone else’s suffering will pass to me like a contagious disease. Sometimes the images of another’s suffering is...

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...

The words from the hymn, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand,”rang through my mind this morning. Dad loved...

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...

March 18th was the birthday of my beloved father. I have been crying on and off all week. March is our family’s birthday month, and...

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....

I sit watching about 20 robins congregating in the trees. They greet each other noisily and swoop continuously between my neighbor’s tree and mine.   They...

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...

I loved my conversation with a devout atheist on a recent flight. I think he enjoyed the conversation as well. It was never truculent or...

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 would really love to have a conversation with my dad about loneliness. I never asked him if he struggled feeling lonely.   The main definition...

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 recently wrote an homage to my dad on LinkedIn highlighting a lesson he imparted to me and Jay as a great father. A few...

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...

My dad LOVED reading biographies and one of his favorites was John Adams by David McCollough. He includes letters Adams shared with his wife Abigail full of...

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 pondering a message Brene Brown gave on resentment. She explains that resentment stems from envy rather than anger.   This would have been...

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...

A friend of mine told me she heard about my dad’s love for calling people “a miracle.” She began to do this as a substitute...

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....

Some of my daughter’s friends are incredibly kind and remarkable people. They do not know what they believe about faith. They are curious but feel...

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...

I have been meditating on the first part of Psalm 34:1, “I will bless the Lord at all times.” I consider the words, “at all...

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.”...

I have been thinking about the Fall and the Garden of Eden, specifically what was lost in our relationship with God and with each other....

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...

I am thankful that my dad instilled in me the discipline of scripture memory. I have been memorizing in earnest since 2005 and have had...

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...

Our family had our nightly mealtime conversation and Bella, my youngest, offered up the elegant question for the night. She asked, “In what design or...

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,...

I watched a video of a woman sitting down with two college students. Her intent was to share the gospel. They recorded their conversation. She clearly...

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...

a. Who is my mentor? Who can I call for wisdom and objectively wise counsel when I encounter a crisis next year?  b. What are...

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? ...

I admire how my dad navigated his emotions.   He grew very calm under duress. When others became aggressive, he became clearer-headed. He slowed down, spoke...

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...

My daughter traveled to Melbourne for her college roommate’s wedding. She left the afternoon of Christmas Eve because flights were astronomical any other time. She...

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,...

We love Christmas music at the Ferch house. One of my new favorites is Aretha Franklin’s “Joy to the World.” I just heard it for...

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...

At NBC Camps, our team often talks about creating true community together. We discuss the difference between health and toxicity. At the root of toxicity...

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....

It’s basketball season. The starting lineups have been announced and I consider all the students who don’t make the starting five. I think about the...

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...

A passage of scripture blew my mind this week. The writer of Hebrews is describing so many beautiful men and women of the faith; some...

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...

I like to talk. Sadly, I often talk too much, and about the wrong thing. This hurts my relationship with my family. I say something...

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...

Give ThanksOne of the best ways to praise the Lord is through the prayer of Thanksgiving. Thank you for loving Fred Crowell. Share his legacy...

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...

Dad loved acronyms and teaching slogans. One of his favorites was called the Big Six. These were the must-have, go-to moves for basketball players. Dad...

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 heard a beautiful quote that justice is love in public. What does loving look like? How much does my desire for love become thwarted...

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...

If you read my Dad’s Words of Hope you will see how much he cared for those going through depression or cancer. Dad struggled with...

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...

Oklahoma City is not my favorite in terms of beauty. The water is brown, much of the city is worn down and the tree in...

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 husband Shann and I had a bit of a spat in Oklahoma City after our daughter’s junior recital. After all the planning, there was...

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...

During date night, Shann asked me an elegant question. In the metaphor of sowing and reaping, he asked what two seeds I am thankful I...

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...

I recently watched a movie about a man who demands a perfect world to the point he abuses others to achieve it. Perfection is so...

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...

I am reading Swiss Reformed medical doctor Paul Tournier. He writes that neurosis is the division of right intuition and false suggestion.   I see this...

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...

I recently visited Oklahoma to support my daughter Ari who was playing Margo in Bright Star the musical. While I was there, I sat in a chair...

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...

Jesus always touches me. I am reading about His interaction with the Pharisees and the woman caught in adultery. He takes a woman who had...

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...

Dad was a culture changer. He envisioned a home with a true loving, present father who asked forgiveness of his children and encouraged dialogue even...

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...

I read recently that researchers have discovered a connection between relational joy in your fifties and wellbeing and flourishing health in your eighties.   I think...

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...

Recently Shann and I participated in a contemplative prayer retreat. One of the beautiful and elegant questions asked was, “What breaks your heart?” One of...

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...

A friend asked me the other day why I thought Dad was so dynamic and incredibly loving to others. He told me he doesn’t know...

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...

I found a letter from my Dad to Natalya, my oldest. (I know the proper way to write “my dad” is lowercase, but I think...

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...

When I was younger, I loved to yell, “Hey, Dad, what would you give me if I make this shot?” One of the biggest wagers...

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...

My husband Shann is studying angelology for a writing project. What an incredible word, angelology—the study of angels. I read that 90 percent of people...

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...

My Dad loved hard work. He had a paper route at the age of nine. I visited Dad’s hometown this summer to watch one of...

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...

When Dad was younger, he could easily provoke people into frustration. He loved to induce people to anger, especially on the basketball court. He intentionally...

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 was traveling through the Denver airport recently when I noticed I was drinking from a bottle that wasn’t mine. Someone else had left a...

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...

Shann is a forgiveness researcher. I was listening to a lecture in which he enumerated the physical benefits of forgiveness— a more robust immune system,...

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...

Contentment has been a hard-fought lesson for me and also for Dad. He wrestled with finding contentment even in illness. I have been on a...

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...

One of the helpful learning lessons Dad and I received was the conscious decision to move out of the external illusion. Consider a man named...

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...

I have moved to Spokane three times in my life. It has the largest urban waterfall of any North American city—such an incredible place to...

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...

Dad and I often wondered why people work and live together without knowing each other. This distance creates a supreme sense of loneliness. Proximity without...

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...

Dad and I liked to take a sermon or scripture and understand it as well as we could. He would pass out blank pages with...

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...

I heard from two people last week that Dad’s “Words of Hope” book brought people comfort. One person gave the book to a family who...

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...

Someone asked me how I was doing with my Dad’s death. I told her, “Honestly, it is much more painful than I thought. I miss...

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...

I love listening to the Pray as You Go app. The other day one of the scriptures asked us to ponder the story of Jesus...

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...

I had another dream of Dad. I saw him walking with mom into the door of the church where we hold the NBC musical theatre...

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...

One of the great gifts from my Dad was the discipline to write each day in a gratitude journal. At NBC Camps, we say daily...

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...

One of my dad’s favorite scriptures was Colossians 3:12-17. It starts, “Therefore as God’s chosen people holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion… Dad...

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...

Dad LOVED slogans—he had hundreds. One of his favorites was, “You win or lose by the way you choose.” This phrase has been on my...

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...

Dad taught our family that we cheat the forgiveness asking process when we fail to resolve our conflicts or disagreements using language that does not...

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...

Dad and I often talked about bitterness and the drive to live in fracture with others. It’s incredible how generational resentment perpetuates—mother cut off from...

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...

At the celebration of life, we had a video of my Dad talking about peace and the importance of pursuing peace. He asked us, “Can...

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...

The ancient parable entitled “The Wager” by some is an old tale of selfishness and refusal to change with counterparts of the same theme told worldwide....

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...

Forgiveness is the willingness to start a journey by faith with the hope what currently feels impossible will become possible. We often drove to Edmonton,...

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...

My brother and I made some rocks to give at the Celebration of Life with the letters RPE4FJC. RPE stands for Relentless Pursuit of Excellence-one...

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...

Dad and I loved to memorize. One of the best gifts he gave me was my passion for memorizing scripture and poetry. We started in...

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 recently asked what is bringing someone joy lately, and he responded by learning about trees. He said with all the latest advances in forestry,...

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...

My Dad’s celebration of life is nearing. I look forward to honoring the life of my Dad. Dad loved parties because he loved people. He...

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...

Prayer always amazes me. I can fall in love with praying and get discouraged because my prayers don’t “turn out” the way I want. I...

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...

Our family loves Ignatian contemplative prayer. You listen to the passage and imagine yourself in the story. Recently, we experienced a prayer session together on...

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...

Being a basketball coach, my Dad studied momentum. He analyzed how teams and coaches responded to mistakes and difficulties. He often asked, when crisis strikes,...

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...

Ravi Zacharias, one of the greatest theologians and apologists in modern memory, had an incredible ministry by all outward appearances. Dad and I LOVED Ravi....

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...

When I was growing up, Dad made time with God something sacred, intentional, and interesting. He hated the idea of church or discussion about God...

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...

When I think about the many things Dad taught me, contentment is one of the most crucial. Contentment is the state of living where we...

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...

I can’t fully express my gratitude for having such a fantastic Dad. He was incredible with people, and he always had time for me—how did...

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...

My Mom and I went to tea the other day and talked about Dad. This journey of grief is new for me. I want to...

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...

Come celebrate the life of Fred Crowell founder of NBC Camps. All are welcome at Real Life Church auditorium in Post Falls. Reception directly after...

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 and I struggled with thin skin at times. We love people and want to be loved. Dad often encouraged me to have tough skin...

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...

When I was in high school, my Dad began to play April Fool’s jokes which were never quite funny to anyone but him. We tried...

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...

Dad and I liked to play solitary card games while racing against each other. Our favorite was kings in the corner. These games are addictive—just...

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...

Dad and I loved March Madness—mainly because it was fun to coach and critique the teams. We were often negative spectators, so Shann had to...

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...

My brother and I are planning my Dad’s Celebration of Life. Dad loved short phrases and slogans, so I love to call his memorial day...

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...

My Dad and I loved to pray together, and I learned so much about prayer from him. I have been on a journey to understand...

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...

Trauma triggers happen when you have had something difficult happen in your life–for example, a car wreck. For many who have experienced a very serious...

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...

One of the reasons to travel to Mumbai was the opportunity to work with amazing artists to bring Kintsugi experience to social service workers, pastors,...

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...

In our early years of marriage, Shann rarely felt anger, never cried, never had much emotion at all. He lived with a consistently cheerful attitude....

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...

My Dad started talking about dying in the last few years. Honestly, it bugged me. I didn’t want to talk about his funeral; I didn’t...

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...

Dad and I loved to talk about Mary, the mother of Jesus. When we were in the Philippines, Dad was adored everywhere he went. He...

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...

Our family has been visiting different churches as our church of many years disbanded before Covid. We have been watching the church Natalya goes to...

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...

I met Shann at basketball camp. We have been married 31 years. Dad met Shann before I did, and he adored Shann. He loved his...

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...

Dad was an extreme extrovert. He loved to be around people. My oldest is an extreme extrovert like her papa. She is constantly with friends...

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...

My brother called last week. I picked up the phone and heard a choking cry. I panicked. “What’s wrong?!” I said. Jay wept hard into...

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...

One of the verses Dad and I memorized together was Deuteronomy 4:7-9, a beautiful set of verses reminding parents to pass on what they have...

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”...

Shann had his first dream of my Dad last week. He had been wondering when he would have one. He woke up and told me,...

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...

I spoke to one of Dad’s lifelong friends from California. They expressed sorrow because they did not get to say goodbye in person to Dad....

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...

Dad and I both struggle with our mouths sometimes. Dad said things he should not say. I would get so frustrated with him when he...

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...

I met with some very lovely friends who want to create a language of forgiveness. I love this idea because forgiveness is such a misunderstood...

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...

I looked back on my recent WOH and several begin with the words: Dad struggled. I find it important to consider unconscious repetition.  The word...

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...

Dad sat down with me in the New Year of 2018. He asked me to consider a few tasks for my life. I will be...

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 Jesus’s response to the Pharisees. They often tried to trap Jesus. He frequently faced either/or no-win decisions by them but Jesus offers the...

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...

At camp, my Dad struggled to help student-athletes understand the necessity of encouragement. Then he compared it to oxygen.  Oxygen is necessary for life; the...

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...

My oldest daughter Natalya turned twenty-five Sunday. Dad was there for her birth. Shann, my Mom, Dad, and other friends waited in the comfortable birthing...

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...

I wouldn’t say Dad loved poetry when he was younger, but he definitely grew to love poetry. We both found poetry more and more beautiful...

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...

I have been wrestling with language around my Dad’s death. I don’t like to say I lost my Dad because I didn’t lose him. I...

I opened my journal from 2017, where I had listed concerns I had during that time. They seem so trivial in light of my current...

After watching thousands of athletes at NBC Camps, Dad said the two most dangerous emotions which hurt any athlete are arrogance and fear. Those emotions...

My Dad’s hope inspires me. Dad studied, researched, prayed for, and meditated on the word hope. He knew it was a crucial foundation for life...

My Dad believed fully in Christ and in His resurrection power. He did not fear death but trusted implicitly in the message that the dead...

My Dad loved the movie about Mr. Rogers, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. He watched it many times. During the NBC Alaska Airlines Invitational...

Dad and I often talked about life balance. Dad was a juggernaut of energy when he was younger. He was a make it happen person....

My Dad had an abusive father, and so did my Mom. My Mom was born in November of 1941. A few weeks after she was...

Dad hated the phrase, “I’m bored.” He believed great coaching, teaching, and parenting never allowed for boredom. He believed it was the responsibility of the...

Dad was masterful at creating meaningful moments. At Thanksgiving, the TV would be off, there would be intentional time for grateful reflection, and there would...

Dad and I memorized Lamentations 3:22-23 together, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassion never fails, it is new...

My Dad’s father loved rage as a tool to solve problems. Dad desired to learn to be gentle. He sought out gentle men as mentors...