Summit After the Storm | Leadership, Faith and Resilience Podcast

Within a few hours, I learned I had a torn ACL… and one of the most important players on our baseball team learned his season was over.

My MRI confirmed a partial ACL tear, with bruising on both my femur and tibia.

The plan now is four weeks of physical therapy, a more supportive brace, and then another evaluation to determine what comes next.

That means no tennis.

No jarring exercise.

And the marathon I had been thinking about t...

We started the game with nine players.

Then Zeke got hurt in the first inning.

That meant we had to play almost the entire game with only eight fielders.

Full infield.

Two outfielders.

That was it.

Before the game, I had told the boys we were 3–3–1, and if we won our final three games, we’d have the best record in the league.

Not because the record matters that much.

But because sometimes you need something to chase.

I tol...

I spent most of a school picnic trying to win a cake, only to discover it wasn’t even the cake I thought I wanted.

Earlier this month, Noah’s school had an evening picnic.

Hamburgers. Chips. Soda. Kids running everywhere.

Then I saw a Nothing Bundt Cakes bag sitting near a table full of miniature Bundt cakes.

If you know me, you know I have a serious sweet tooth.

And vanilla Nothing Bundt Cake is one of my favorites.

So while...

Sometimes you can show up on time, put on the uniform, stand in the right place... and still not really be there.

Sunday afternoon, the Orioles had a 1:30 game.

Not 7:30 in the morning.

Not some brutal sunrise start.

1:30 in the afternoon.

And somehow, we looked like half the team had been up all night Saturday.

We couldn’t buy a hit.

We struggled with walks.

We had overthrows.

We looked flat.

We used three pitchers, one each inning, a...

Sometimes people don’t really believe your advice until they see you do it yourself.

A couple of weeks before I injured my knee, I was in the front yard playing Home Run Derby with Noah.

The rules are simple.

I pitch the Wiffle ball.

If he hits it in the air all the way to the neighbor’s driveway, it’s a home run.

Amanda was watching and started coaching Noah on his swing.

Get loaded earlier.

Get your hands ready.

Be in p...

Not every win needs a highlight-reel moment. Sometimes you just have to make the routine play over and over again.

After hurting my knee playing baseball with Noah and Skyler, I finally got a little more information.

My doctor thinks I may have torn my meniscus.

Now I’m in a brace, waiting on an MRI next week to confirm what’s going on and what happens next.

So for now, there’s no dramatic fix.

No big answer.

Just:

Wear ...

I told one of my players, “I’m not going to bench myself.” Less than 24 hours later, I was sitting in the bleachers on crutches.

Saturday, I was playing baseball with Noah and Skyler.

I was chasing Noah toward first base with the ball when he slid headfirst right in front of me.

I jumped to avoid stepping on him.

Then I landed awkwardly.

Pop.

My right knee immediately felt wrong.

I tried to stand.

I couldn’t.

By Sund...

Sometimes the thing making something valuable feel broken is a problem that costs less than a dollar to fix.

Noah has a six-drawer dresser.

At least, it was supposed to function like one.

Not long after we got it, one of the drawer handles came off. The drawer was fine. The handle was fine.

The problem was two tiny screws with the wrong threads.

And because I never took the time to fix them, Noah basically had a six-drawer dresser that ...

You can pack the flashlight. You can pack the extra clothes. You can pack everything on the list. But you can’t pack certainty.

Noah recently went on his first camping trip without family there.

No parents.

Just Noah, his teachers, and other kids from his school.

He was excited.

Amanda was nervous.

And somehow our preparation turned into multiple shopping trips, a hunt through the attic, garage, closets and under beds, and a surpri...

Sometimes the person who spends years making everyone else smile needs somebody to notice when their smile gets harder to hold.

For years, there’s been a man who comes to the Collierville area during Christmas season to play Santa.

My older kids sat on his lap when they were little. We became Facebook friends over the years, but I never really knew him personally.

To protect his privacy, I’m simply calling him Santa.

Lately...

We landed in Rome with weeks of adventure ahead of us. Then suddenly, I was packing the suitcase one last time.

When we first arrived, I remember telling the kids:

“We’re here. Think about all the cool stuff we’re going to do over the next few weeks. But this will be over before you know it.”

And then it was.

On our final night in Rome, I packed the suitcase, looked at the things we had bought, and thought about...

At first, they followed us everywhere. Then they learned the way. Then they wanted to lead.

Early in our Europe trip, Noah and Rhys were constantly asking:

“Which way do we go?”
“Where’s the subway?”
“Is this the right station?”

They were 12 and 10, navigating unfamiliar cities, so of course they followed us.

But after a few days in each place, something changed.

They started recognizing t...

Sometimes you have to leave home for a while to understand what home actually gives you.

After nearly a month in Europe, seeing incredible places and eating great food, do you know what I was craving when I got home?

A Chick-fil-A sandwich.

No pickle.

That’s been my go-to since I was a kid.

Some people miss burgers.

Some miss McDonald’s fries.

Some miss sweet tea.

Some miss their own bed.

And honestly, my own bed was pretty high...

One of the hardest things about giving your kids opportunities is making sure they don’t start believing those opportunities are owed to them.

One morning in Europe, one of our kids was complaining about having to get up early for something we had planned.

Amanda and I looked at each other thinking:

We’re literally in Europe right now.

We had spent months planning.

We were spending a lot of money to give our kids this experi...

Not every setback ruins the story. Sometimes the setback becomes the story.

We were in Greece enjoying a day at the beach when Reagan stepped on a sea urchin.

Just like that, beach time was over.

We had to find a pharmacy, figure out how to remove the quills, and decide whether we were about to spend the rest of the day at a hospital.

The pharmacist told us we should go.

We didn’t want the entire day to become a hospital visit if ...

What feels like an interruption to you may be the moment somebody else desperately needs you to stop.

Amanda and I were across the street from the restaurant where we planned to grab dinner when we saw a 79-year-old man get hit by a car in a crosswalk.

What was supposed to be a quick dinner run turned into about an hour of helping, giving statements, and waiting with first responders.

The man was conscious and stable, but in severe pa...

Sometimes the biggest play of the game is the one that keeps something from ever showing up on the scoreboard.

Tuesday night, our 12U Orioles tied the Rockies 6–6.

And honestly, all six of their runs came from mistakes we can fix: passed balls at home, bad throws to third trying to get runners, and routine throws we didn’t catch.

But there was one inning where our defense came up huge.

The Rockies’ leadoff hitter crus...

A bad moment can ruin the next one if you keep dragging it with you.

One evening in London, I managed to make two mistakes in the same night.

First, I bought movie tickets for the wrong day.

I was embarrassed, but thankfully it was fixable. We got a refund, found the same movie at a sister cinema less than an hour later, grabbed some food, and still had a good evening.

Then we got back to our flat.

And realized neither Amanda nor I had ...

Sometimes the scoreboard says you’re losing long before the game is actually over.

Sunday, our 12U Orioles fell behind the Cardinals 10–4 heading into the fourth inning.

The boys looked discouraged.

So I asked them:

“Who thinks we can win this game?”

Nobody raised a hand.

Nobody said yes.

So I told them:

“We need five quick runs, then some quick outs, and it’s possible. I need you to believe.”

Then ...