From Test to Testimony
Brother Mark, Pt. 2: Diamonds in the Rough
The dramatic tipping point in Mark Gray’s story. A story of a life clouded by substance abuse, buried in hopelessness, found by love, and restored to brilliant clarity.
From Test to Testimony
Brother Mark, Pt. 1: Portrait of the Past
Mark Gray was a created a person of value. He thought himself worthless after abuse, addiction, incarceration, and failure. But our worth isn’t determined by the labels and criticisms stuck to us and in us. Mark’s story shares why even the most broken of people have value.
If Cassie Could Sing
Hot Rod
One of the hardest parts of loss is seeing things finish without the person you started them with. But that shouldn’t mean despair for us. The fact that godly plans do eventually pan out should only give us hope moving forward. A certain friend’s wedding reminded me how.
If Cassie Could Sing
How a Grinch Stole New Years
Cass and I talked about moving a lot… maybe as a kind of coping mechanism when life got stressful for her. But as eager as I was to be moved out and for everything to be changed, I didn’t really want to do the moving or the changing. So when the time finally came, I found another couple coping mechanisms: one was pretty terrible, the other pretty fantastic.
If Cassie Could Sing
Holding a Candle to God
Cassie’s always wanted to see a sky lantern festival. Though she never got to, I had the chance to light a lantern for her, letting it go while the world around me sang Hallelujah.
If Cassie Could Sing
Heaven in a Pastry
One day, I noticed Cassie was sitting alone eating a pop-tart, so I made a comment about it. Next thing I know, I’m sitting at this high school lunch table with the funniest, cutest girl I’d ever met. At that table she made me feel like I was a better person just for being around her. She made me want to be better, then showed me how just by sharing her life. And over a couple of pop-tarts, she wound up being the first person to ever invite me to church.
If Cassie Could Sing
Wild and Wonderful, Pt. 0
Cassie’s first trip with me to West Virginia was not very fun for her. She despised frigid air, cramped road trips and talking to near strangers through a stuffy nose. But she looked forward to sunshine, outdoor adventures and sharing life with kin. See, God made a promise: The world will keep spinning, winters will pass, summers will come and life will thrive again. I went to West Virginia with that same promise in mind.