As a longtime fan of crime procedurals, I’ve watched more than my fair share of Law & Order (and its many spin‑offs) over the past twenty‑five years. I’ve often found myself quoting that iconic opening narration: “In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups… These are their …
A Thousand Cuts
How did I feel when my institution’s all‑male leadership left me sitting alone on the row behind them at the conference athletic meetings? I remember wondering whether they would want their own wives to experience that same awkward moment—standing alone, excluded from the row, rather than welcomed as respected colleagues among their peers. I shrugged …
Wasted Sports
I’ve been thinking a lot about aging lately. Not in a dramatic, mid‑life‑crisis sort of way—more like a quiet realization that sneaks up on you when you’re not paying attention. It happens in ordinary moments. A familiar ache in the knee. A student calling the 1990s “the olden days.” Or, most recently, the startling awareness …
Flourishing Feet
Flourishing Feet… Really, feet?! I know—feet might seem like an odd place to begin a conversation about flourishing. Even those of you who have patiently endured my many God Winks involving the word flourishing may think I’ve finally stretched the metaphor too far. But stay with me. There’s a story here. Recently, in my graduate …
Flourish Together
How do you know when you are trusting God’s timing and not your own? If hindsight were equal to foresight, the answer might come easily. But if I could see the future, there would be no need for faith—no need to rely on God. This Paradoxical Life often rattles my thinking and leaves me confused. …
Third Verse
Imagine this scenario from the perspective of someone who would rather be behind the stage than on it—anything to avoid being the person in front. It’s commencement day. Excitement hums through the air as graduates celebrate this milestone. Faculty in full regalia line up, ready to enter the chapel. Our main concern? That the sweet …
Be Like Fred
I am fully aware that my age is showing when I use quotes like “Show me the money!” and “You complete me” in class and none of the students have any idea that I’m referencing a sports movie. How can we discuss the route to becoming a sport agent if students are unfamiliar with Jerry …
Shared Stories
Did you hear about the time…? Did I ever tell you about…? Do you remember…? Were you there when…? For more than thirty-five years at Union University, conversations often began with some version of these phrases. From August 1989—when I arrived as a scared little freshman—until my job ended in 2024, I was frequently regaled …
Me-First Attitude
If you pose a question like, “What are your thoughts on the current college transfer rules?” you’re almost guaranteed to spark a lively debate about the state of intercollegiate athletics—especially on a campus where nearly 80 percent of students are athletes. Teach in a sport-related discipline, and the intensity rises: not only are most students …
Rag Drawer
Perhaps you call it something else—the place where worn-out shirts and frayed washcloths go to linger in a kind of suspended animation until summoned for duty as a dust rag or a soft cloth for waxing the car. Maybe it lives near your Junk Drawer or in some other tucked-away spot, but it serves a …
Flourishing @ Life 