I find more and more that the world in which many of us find ourselves in becomes more confusing (insert frustrating) with each passing day. Some days I feel like I’m firing on all cylinders and understand each task that comes before me. Then there are other days where I don’t know up from down…
good for the better
She’s been called the Millennial Martha Stewart. And perhaps you may not have heard of Marie Kondo, but her Tidying Up show has taken Netflix by storm and even briefly invaded the Arp household itself. This last Saturday my wife and I had planned a lazy Saturday morning when all of a sudden she said…
death’s sting
In the last few months my wife and I have experienced the death of people we were incredibly close to. And just one of these occasions could leave you without words…but the passing of multiple people you thought of as family can leave you floored. And I know, as a pastor, I’m supposed to have…
full house
Before you get too excited, no, this isn’t a blog post about Danny Tanner and his three adorable daughters and weird brothers. But last night almost felt like a mid-nineties sitcom in the Arp house. You see, a little over a week ago my wife found out about a single mom at our church who…
changing minds
Having kids makes for a unique outlook on life. In fact, I think they help us appreciate things so much more. Recently I’ve begun to realize just how stubborn we grown-ups can be thanks to my own kids and food. In my family we basically have a rotation of about four meals consisting of fast…
you can handle the truth
In 1992 there was a film released starring Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise that received a lot of notoriety known as A Few Good Men. Although I am sure many of you, like me, may not have seen the entirety of this film, we are all on at least some level familiar with it…or at…
brand new eyes
Eleven years and three hundred fifty-six days ago I saw these eyes for the very first time (you have to take into account the gotcha day). We walked into an office building and were eventually greeted by four pounds fourteen ounces of wonder that would forever change our lives. People often say to us that…
thanks-excess
I’d like to paraphrase a recent conversation between my mother and I. “So we’ll have a ham.” “You mean we’re not going to have turkey?” “Well, I wasn’t planning on preparing one. Your uncle usually does that but this is just going to be our immediate family.” “You mean we’re not going to have turkey?”…
with great power
Yesterday the world lost an icon. Stan Lee was the founder of Marvel comics and the creator or co-creator of some of the best loved Superheroes of all time. These characters and their worlds of imagination have become household names: Daredevil, The Incredible Hulk, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, The X-Men, The Avengers…
a healthy body
Yesterday I was having lunch with a friend and he asked me a pointed question about my morning routines. “So how many days a week do you usually run?” I responded with my typical five to six days a week, depending. He then asked, “Does your body not hurt?” And I thought a bit before…
