Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Now I know for many of us, particularly those of us who grew up in Southern evangelical churches, we’ve struggled with Ash Wednesday. Isn’t that the Catholic’s thing? I remember having these thoughts growing up and even the first time I was introduced to the practice of Lent and Ash Wednesday….
highway to the comfort zone
I’m not sure how you process winter, but if you’re anything like me, it is always an inspired quest to see what level of coziness (read laziness) can be achieved. It’s often a combination of flannel pajama pants, warm socks or blankets, hot coffee or cocoa, oversized hoodie, comfort foods and streaming television or movies….
happy valley
I’ve been told that most of us do some of our most effective thinking in the shower…well at least that’s what I’ve been told. For me, it’s usually some of my most bizarre thinking. For instance, this last week, all of a sudden I found myself singing my elementary school’s Alma Mater. What…your elementary school…
the Oscars and our inability to move on
The Oscars are a little less than two weeks away. And I know for many of you that may not be a huge deal, but I’m always curious to see which pictures take home the big prize and how many of my predictions come true. Of course this year is particularly unique as the Academy…
vulnerable
On Friday I had surgery. The reason I say that so flippantly is because it wasn’t supposed to be a big deal. And truthfully it wasn’t. It was an outpatient procedure that had me home before lunchtime. I had a double umbilical hernia repair and other than the soreness and feeling like I’m doing 25…
until you know better
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…
