Life is filled with stuff that stinks. And we can complain about the smell. Let's face it, most do. Or we can trust that all the fecal-tinged crap we have to wade through in life is leading to something. That it isn't just a noxious odor, but that sometimes life's worst moments are simply The Maker's fertilizer for your future best moments.

“In my mother’s house are copious amounts of positive affirmations. If it were not so I would have told you.” —The Book of Ry 27:18

So, we cling onto life the way we had it, the way we want it, and the storm of entropy dashes us on the rocks. It's a white-knuckle way to die.

It’s time to stop hiding. Time to be you, in all your scandalous mess.

Maybe that “mistake” is something more. Maybe that ink stain is an opportunity for something unexpected. Something beautiful.

The work isn’t done yet. Keep going. Your gifts won’t work unless you do.

“Judas sold you for thirty, I’d have done it for less.”

I don’t think I’m wrong when I say the world is over these blasted Elves. But, for the record, I was always there. Years ago, when having kids was more of an idea than a reality, I refused to participate in Elf on the Shelf for so many reasons.

Temptation is an invitation, but it is an invitation to a better life. An invitation to make another rep towards the you that God designed you to be.

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”

When I was in college, I changed my major five times, all because I couldn’t make up my dang mind. It had nothing to do with the kind of career that I wanted to have or the degree I wanted to graduate with. It wasn’t even because I was weighing my options, trying to figure out what would make me the most money. No. It was because of one single question: what am I passionate about.

Better is your birthright. And just like in all the old stories, you’re going to have to fight for it.

… Those are things that don't stay dead. Instead, they come back and whisper songs of what could have been, soundtracks of defeat, transforming your imagination into a sadistic cemetery of failure.

Tis the season for haunts and haunting. And with over 1200 professionally run haunted attractions, 300 spooked-out theme parks, and over 3,000 charity-run spook shows, it's safe to say that we love being scared. But our love of scaring and being scared isn't a new phenomenon. Heck, it dates back to the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks. Never underestimate the power and value of a good scare ( and we will spend billions of dollars this spooky season getting our fill of things that go bump in the night to prove it).

Have you ever had a muscle cramp that made you want to punt a small adorable animal? Me neither (you answered yes, didn't you? Terrible person)

At least, that was my answer until last week. It all happened on a Monday, as all terrible things do. I was swimming, and on my last lap when my calf (the muscle... not the baby cow I brought with me) seized up. So I had to finish the swim on my back like a floating appetizer for a shark.

There is something inspiring about seeing someone go from the ordinary version of themselves to them 2.0. It’s the central theme of nearly every great story, movie franchise, and even The Princess Diaries. But moving from who we are, who you are, to you 2.0 isn’t as easy or straightforward as it may seem.

You've failed epically. Of course you have. You're human. And what happens when things don't go according to plan? When the results are less than ideal? You dissect it, figure out what went wrong, the variables that were against you - and that becomes the new company line.

Do you remember the stories about monsters you were told as a kid? They were remarkably terrifying (if they weren’t, then your storyteller did a crummy job), and nearly all of them had one thing in common: no matter how giant, hairy, or smelly the monster was, there was always a way to kill it.