Walk With The (Sean) Wise

I am a Panhead for life. No band has had a bigger impact on my life than Skillet, and no song has been as impactful on me as the one that this post's title is taken from.  Listen to the song here. When I was 12 years old, life was...complicated. I was finishing my second year in a new city and a new school district, after being in the previous city and district for just one year. Nothing at that point felt stable. I made friends quickly and easily, but I had a fear of getting too close, not knowing when the next change would be that would take me away from them. All of this while dealing with the new-found realities of that wonderful time in life we call "adolescence." Along with these changes, though, came some other changes that I simply was not ready for. That year saw the beginning of the end of my parents' relationship. As they grew more distant from each other, I felt a stronger burden to look after my nine-year-old brother and three-year-old sister, forgett...

I'm not going to claim to be perfect at this, but I try hard to get along with and understand those who have different views than me, especially social, political, and theological views. Several of my close friends fall into that category now. I want to take time to learn why they believe what they believe, and often that serves to strengthen my resolve for believing what I believe. The mutual respect and appreciation we have for each other is necessary for it to be beneficial. Lately, however, there seems to be an overarching mentality that those of differing opinions and stances cannot coexist. There is an enmity that seems to be so innate in our beings against those who stand on the "other side of the aisle," and neither side is any less guilty than the other. There is almost enough of a divide in this nation to spark another civil war, but this time around, it would be fought on party lines rather than geographical lines. Christians, this NEEDS to stop! We are called...

As many of you probably already know, I went in for a tonsillectomy on February 3. Like many others, before actually scheduling the appointment, I thought nothing of it. I mean, little kids get this done all the time with no problem, right? Should be a piece of cake! Well, so one would think. The medical staff made sure to correct that thinking even before I said anything about it. "It's much worse for adults than it is for kids," they assured me. "In fact, you may be hurting pretty bad for up to two weeks!" Leave it to this stubborn man to think that I was going to bounce right back up and be OK. Five days with regular doses of Lidocaine and Hydrocodone later, and I'm still waking up with a miserable pain in the back of my throat. Like most people, sometimes I just wish, hope, and pray that the wounds would be instantly healed and that the pain would just go away. Other times, I just wish that I had never gotten the procedure done in the first pla...

The bitter cold wind Losing feeling in my toes When it's warm, it snows (Special thanks to Peyton Manning for that middle line...)

This month is Pastor's Appreciation Month. There have been many pastors who have had a tremendous impact on my life, and I am grateful for each and every one of them. However, there is one man amongst them all who stands far out above the rest. Salvation Army Major Donald Salsbury was officially my Corps Officer for the first nine years of my life, and was an active part of many milestones in my spiritual development. - He did my dedication service in Holland, MI shortly after I was born. - He was with me in the inner city of Indianapolis when I gave my life to Christ at age 5. -When I was 7, he enrolled me as a Junior Soldier at the Indianapolis Fountain Square Corps. - Despite being retired, he enrolled me as a Senior Soldier in Holland, MI when I was 14. - On August 30, 2008, he performed my wedding ceremony at the Grand Rapids Fulton Heights Citadel Corps. - He performed the dedication ceremonies for both of my children, one in Fargo, ND and one in Rochester, MN. Abov...

The definition of sclerosis comes down to one concept - hardening. It is typically a hardening of body tissue or other parts of the anatomy. Sclerosis is also a word that I've become too familiar with recently, and the more I know about it, the more I hate it. One side of my family is hereditarily affected by amyotrophyc lateral sclerosis (ALS), and the other side has recently become affected by multiple sclerosis (MS). As with any disease, it is understandable for developments of fear, anxiety, and hopelessness to arise in the hearts of those diagnosed and among their friends and family. It's something I've seen and experienced personally. The problem with these reactions is that, when they come to full fruition, they conceive a different "sclerosis" - a hardening of the heart. I'm blessed to belong to a family who has put their faith in God. Time and time again, when times have seemed their darkest, we have been able to trust. When everything seemed hope...

Verse : Left to my own devices, I'm just a crisis Waiting for a chance to Destroy myself, I'll put me on the shelf And turn myself over to You Chorus: You've got to, you've got to Take a hold of me Make me who I'm meant to be Before I self-destruct Before I self-destruct Take a hold of me Make me more than I can be Before I self-destruct And I'm completely out of luck Verse 2: Bound by my pride and passions, I'm taking action And I won't go back now The past is done And I'm trusting the One Who picked me up off of the ground (Chorus) Bridge: A ticking time bomb is not what You see When You look at this mess of me You see potential when ashes remain Restore my life though I am slain (Chorus)