Fire Side Stories

  • Through the Eyes of a Christmas Tree

    I’ve stood in this living room for three weeks now — long enough to learn the rhythms of this home, long enough to see what people often overlook. Trees like me don’t rush. We don’t multitask. We don’t worry about being impressive. We simply stand, rooted in the moment, paying attention. And from where I…

  • Beyond the Hallmark Christmas

    Christmas isn’t What You See on TV. We want to believe some of it—maybe a little, maybe even all of it—but deep down we know it’s not. Most of us haven’t lived “Hallmark” lives. We haven’t shared a house with Scrooge or the Grinch. None of us have flown in Santa’s sleigh or been chased…

  • Christmas Reminds Us That Light Shines Brightest in the Dark

    A Season of Light in the Midst of Darkness; Coaching Helps You Find Clarity in Every Season Every December, as the days grow shorter and the nights stretch long, we find ourselves surrounded by light. Strings of bulbs drape across rooftops, candles flicker in windows, and trees glow with ornaments that catch and scatter brightness.…

  • Letting Go of Expectations: Designing a Holiday Season That Feels Right for You

    Introduction: The Weight of Holiday Expectations The holiday season often arrives wrapped in layers of expectation. Family traditions, cultural norms, social media snapshots, and even our own inner voices whisper what the season “should” look like. We imagine perfect gatherings, flawless meals, joyful reunions, and a sense of peace that somehow emerges from the chaos.…

  • Holding Space for Both Joy and Sadness This Holiday Season

    Introduction: The Paradox of the Holidays The holiday season is often painted in bright colors—twinkling lights, cheerful music, busy gatherings, and the promise of joy. Yet for many, this time of year also carries shadows. The absence of loved ones, the weight of memories, or the quiet ache of grief can make the season feel…

  • Coaching vs. Counseling: Choosing the Right Path for Your Season of Growth

    Every Story Has a Frame At Storyboard Coaching, I often remind people that every story begins with a frame. Each frame represents a moment in your life—a chapter in your story. Some frames are filled with joy and purpose. Others are marked by pain, confusion, or transition. The question I hear most often is: “Do…

  • What it Really Means to be Married

    Marriage shows up in Scripture as a beautiful, messy, holy partnership. It isn’t a romanticized fairytale or a project you finish and shelve; it’s a covenantal way of life—ordinary grace that asks two people to show up for one another with patience, courage, and a readiness to be sharpened. As a pastor and coach, I’ve…

  • Growing Through the Falls and the Rise

    One moment we are born and in the blink of an eye we are adults. We are forging our way through this world the best we can, with the knowledge given to us, but also from what we have learned. Yet this world will do all it can to knock you down at times; how…

  • Sex as Storytelling Between Two People — the narratives we bring into the bedroom

    Sex is a kind of conversation that happens with bodies, an intimate way two people tell the stories they’ve been carrying alone. In the quiet between kisses and the rhythm of a held hand, the past shows up: the messages we learned about worth, the small betrayals we still replay, the soft hopes we have…

  • Your Calling Didn’t Change—You Just Stopped Listening

    Why: Friend, somewhere between that first holy “yes” and this morning’s third cup of coffee, the noise won. Not dramatically—callings rarely die in explosions. They fade in the thousand small compromises we call “wisdom.” Success became your silencer. Those beautiful gifts that once drew you close to the Spirit now run on autopilot, producing fruit…