Several years ago, while I was attending seminary, I took a class that focused on contemplative spirituality. It was a refreshing departure from the constant activity and achievement that often characterize both ministry and modern life. During that course, I was introduced to Stephen Macchia’s book, Crafting a Rule of Life, and as part of…
Slow Living
Are We Still Chasing Utopia?
Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, especially in the introduction by John Anthony Scott (Washington Press), invites readers into a thought experiment that still feels uncomfortably relevant in 21st century America. When I first studied the Reformation during my undergraduate years—particularly the Renaissance period—I remember being struck by how deeply thinkers like More were wrestling with questions…
When the Fog Lifts
Legacy is often misunderstood as something o leave behind when you’re gone. But a better way to think about it is through the image of fog. When you’re standing in a thick fog, you can only see a short distance ahead. Life often feels that way. We don’t know all the outcomes of our conversations,…
Slower Living: Finding Beauty, Margin and Meaning in the Everyday
Slower living is one of those phrases that sounds simple until you try to define it. For me, it is not about doing less just for the sake of doing less. It is about living more deeply, more beautifully, and more intentionally. It is about creating space—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—so life can actually be felt…
Sunrise Hospitality: Creating Beautiful Moments on Lake Gaston
There is something magical about gathering people together in an unexpected way. Recently, while visiting my parents’ lake house on Lake Gaston, Virginia, I had the opportunity to create one of those moments that will stay in my heart for years to come. It wasn’t a fancy event or an expensive excursion. It was simply…
A Week at the Lake: A Slow Living Bucket List for Simple, Beautiful Days There is something about the lake that softens everything. The way time stretches. The way mornings arrive without urgency. The way the water holds light like it has nowhere else to be. When we spend a week at the lake, I…
Why Chicks on the Road Publishing Exists
There are seasons in life when everything feels full—full calendars, full expectations, full identities built around doing and producing. And then there are seasons when something inside begins to shift. This blog and publishing space was born in one of those quieter in-between places, where the question wasn’t “What can I achieve next?” but rather…