At the risk of alienating most people reading this update, I am not a football fan. When I must pretend to follow sports, I am a basketball fan, and I cheer for the Dallas Mavericks. In a city full of rabid San Antonio Spurs aficionados, I wear my Mavs gear with pride. Every other year [...]
Here comes Season 2 of the Presently Engaged Podcast! In it, you'll find short, friendly, Jesus-focused encouragement to live intentionally right where you are. Listen in wherever you enjoy podcasts! Open Tabs & Emotional WasteAn Engaged LifeComposition for World ChangersFinding GoodCarry a Big StickNegative SpaceDon't Skip the CreditsMusic [...]
There are things we tell our children never to do. When I think about directives my parents gave to their seven kids, there are a few that stand out. For example, there was only one child that they told to never jump from the roof to the pool. There was only one child that they [...]
I'm so excited to share Season 1 of the new Presently Engaged Podcast! In it, you'll find short, friendly, Jesus-focused encouragement to live intentionally right where you are. Listen in wherever you enjoy podcasts! Feeling God's Pleasure Work as Worship Peek During Prayers Grasping at Waves Well Done Priceless Pearls Places of Worship [...]
A new year brings with it the excitement of a new reading list! It's always a treat to look back and review the books read in the previous year. First, how I rate: If it would be rated 1, I probably didn’t finish it. A book I either did not find compelling or disagreed [...]
Family and friends gathering over the holidays are the perfect opportunities to build relationships! Join the Presently Engaged mailing list and receive my friendly 60-question "Conversations for Christmas" guide. You'll have access to both the e-book and a mobile-friendly version so you can access question prompts on the go this holiday season! Asking and listening [...]
It's hard to pinpoint who first declared, "Music is food for the soul." Perhaps Arthur Schopenhauer first stated it, over 200 years ago. Perhaps Plato inspired the sentiment when he penned "Music is medicine for the soul." Regardless, each sentiment gives voice to the power of music. Music is food for the soul. This statement [...]
When you hear this tune, what words first come to mind? Do you hum "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"? Do you sing "The Alphabet Song"? Do you think, "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep"? Many songs in many languages have used this familiar melody throughout the centuries. In an officially patented Pallock Poll, we all associate it with [...]
Have you ever wanted to have a different name than the one your parents gave you? At times as a kid, I remember not really liking my name Amanda. It just sounded so…straightforward and official, and just a little boring. I experimented with all sorts of names, and after a while I decided that the [...]
We talk a lot about asking specific questions of specific people in heaven. David, what was it like to face Goliath? Eve, what was it like to live in the garden of Eden? Noah, how bad did it smell on the ark? Martha, what was it like to see Lazarus alive again? It's the [...]
