Whether we realize it or not, each of us enters relationships with a set of expectations. This is true of friends, spouses, coworkers, neighbors and our children. These expectations have the ability to sabotage our relational health and leave us we huge wells of disappointment. They also have the power to crush those around us. There are four types of expectations I’ve identified as being prevalent in my own life. Joe was given first read and he wants me to…

The greatest waves of guilt I’ve ever felt have been over my words. There’s no way I could recall all the times my heart has seemingly fallen into my belly while reflecting on a conversation and my own ill-spoken words. I’ve thrown curse words at loved ones, I’ve criticized friends behind their backs, I’ve shared stories that weren’t mine to share. Sometimes these words were simply poorly chosen, but many times these words were from my own internal darkness, pain…

We have become a culture of statements. Jewelry is no longer called a simple “necklace” but a “statement piece.” A couch is no longer a place to sit your butt, but has to also “make a statement.” Our cars, our homes, our clothes, friends, where we eat, the beer we drink have become statements about who we are. And our 140 characters, parsed statements become our summation of how the world should operate. When news hits, we jump on Facebook or Twitter to…