I am just going to come out and say it – finishing scare me. To the core of my being. Whether it’s a project for work, writing a book, or hiking to the top of a mountain – it’s the end I am afraid of more than anything else. This fear has risen to the top of my mind lately, because I have been in a …
How One Punch Created Three Friends
Today is an auspicious day for my blog. I have my first guest post – so exciting. Even more exciting is that this post is from one of my favorite young authors. My son Jonathon Woodhall-Driscoll. Jonathon is a junior in high school with a dramatic flair. He enjoys theatre arts and music, and …
When my Teacher was Dead Wrong
Update: My mom read this story and added some more detail which I had forgotten. I have put it into the narrative now. It was a Wednesday afternoon in my sixth grade class, about twenty minutes before school got out. I went up to Ms. Strauss and said, “I really don’t feel good. Can I go to the …
Dori, Abe Lincoln and Jesus Rescue Me
What do Dori from Finding Nemo, Abraham Lincoln, and Jesus all have in common? Their words have become guiding principles in my life. “Just keep swimming” – Dori Finding Nemo is my daughter's favorite movie, and this is her favorite part of the movie. Life is very hard for an epileptic, autistic, …
When Encouragement Saved a Marriage
As my wife and I walked in Dairy Queen, we smelled trouble. Not from the food, but from the couple we were meeting to mentor in their marriage. Let’s call them Suzie and Tim. Suzie was scowling at her husband, and Tim was texting on his phone, clearly irritated. Our fears were soon realized. Three …
Epilepsy and Guilt
Everyone in my family feels guilty because of my epilepsy. Often the first thing I hear from someone once I begin to recover from a seizure is, “I’m sorry.” They apologize for not catching me in time when I fall. For not noticing more quickly I was seizing. For the embarrassment I must feel over the …
Not Always Hope, Not Never Hope, But Sometimes Hope
I have had a few people ask me why the name of this blog is Sometimes Hope. “If we are called to trust God all the time,” the question starts, “why isn’t your title Always Hope or maybe Keeping the Hope?” I even struggled with this a bit myself. After some thought, here are three reasons I can only …
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The Reason I Write
Why do I write? I get up at 5 am most days and spend an hour pecking away at my keyboard, so that maybe 100 people will read it. Why not sleep in, enjoying the body warmth from my beautiful wife? I have to start with why I DON’T write. I don’t write to be famous Fame is a fickle mistress – adored …
Not Safe But Good
If you read my post yesterday, you saw that I was struggling with some things that occurred in a writing group I am involved with. I am a better writer because of the teaching and community in this group, but I felt constricted over certain events. So I did what any writer does – I wrote about it. …
How Safe Begins to Feel Unsafe
I belong to a writers’ group. This group is filled with people from a variety of places, backgrounds, faiths, family structures, and ages. We all focus our writing around different themes, but we have one thing in common. We share the burning desire to write and to improve each day. We give and …
Four Keys to Creative Momentum
Pursuing a passion can be daunting. Not everyone appreciates our art. We don’t get the attention we want. Or worse yet – people DO start noticing, and fear creeps in, whispering doubts into our ear. It seems like either way, there are triggers that can easily lead to failure. How do we get around …
What About That Dead Dream?
What do you do when your dream changes? When it just withers and dies unexpectedly upon the vine of life? For twenty years, I 'knew' I was called to full time pastoral ministry. I went to school to gain the training to support this dream. I got an internship in my senior year as a first step. I was …