Author: Josh

  • On Suffering, Pain, Joy, and Glory

    On Suffering, Pain, Joy, and Glory

    I Would Not Know I would not know the pleasure of relief if I did not know pain. It is through the death of those we love that we grow to appreciate life. I would not have tasted the heights of Joy if I had not known at least some of the depths of depression.…

  • Barnacles and Hard Things

    Some things are really hard until you see the easier path. Barnacles have glands that “secrete a type of natural quick cement able to withstand a pulling strength of 5,000 pounds (2,000 kilograms) per square inch and an sticking strength of 22–60 pounds (10–30 kilograms) per square inch.” (Barnacles, Wikipedia) In plain English: If you…

  • Perfectionism is Fatalism

    Perfectionism isn’t the pursuit of greatness, it’s fatalism. “I can’t do x, therefore I won’t do what I can do.” “I am so busy I could not read a book this month so I will not read a page today even though I have the time. One is too little.” When you read one page…

  • Empathetize With Those Who Have Suffered Less

    Empathetize With Those Who Have Suffered Less

    Empathize With Those Who Suffered Less It is important to empathize with people who have suffered less than you. I have suffered from many health problems and still try to empathize with people who have suffered less. We all naturally do this with kids. Most kids have not lived long enough to suffer much, yet…

  • Moved.

    My blog has been moved to the new host. If you get an email or notification for this, you are still a subscriber. Thanks for tagging along! I think I transferred over everyone who subscribed through email or commented and seemed interested. I may have lost a couple people who subscribed through WordPress. Of course…

  • Writing is Thinking

    “Writing is thinking.” I like that turn of phrase. If I want to figure something out or am working on a difficult problem writing is a good way to think it through. It helps me see the problem from a different perspective. I often do this when I don’t know how to say something in…

  • Suffering: A Different Take on Thanksgiving (Updated)

    Suffering: A Different Take on Thanksgiving (Updated)

    The First Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a special time of year for giving thanks as we reflect on all God has given us. The cliche is that everything is great, therefore I praise God. When the harvest is in, the table is full, and we have no apparent lack of anything. What about when the harvest…

  • “What’s The Most Important Thing I Need To Do Today?

    What’s Most Important? I love Essentialism by Greg McKeown. He asks lots of great questions in the book that help to determine what really matters. Here’s one: “What’s the most important thing I need to do today?” The answer is ONE thing that if done would make a satisfactory day. A Story About This Important…

  • Unexpectedly Grateful

    Unexpectedly Grateful

    I’m in pain right now, and also someone grateful. My pain is better than it has been for the last few days, even though it is still worse than usual. That mild reduction in pain is a cause for gratitude. I am not always grateful that these reprieves but I should be. Losing something, or…

  • Writing, Living, and Resting

    Writing, Living, and Resting

    I used to write about life a lot more than I really invested in living it. I have some catch-up work to do in living by the principles I’ve preached. That catch-up work may occupy my attention to the point that I may not write here as much. You may have already noticed this in…