When You Hit a Wall

What do you do when you’ve hit a wall? When you’ve tried all you can, and nothing’s working? When it feels like no matter what you do, it still isn’t enough?

We’ve all been there. Whether it’s work, school, relationships, or another area of life, each of us has come to a point where we just don’t see a way forward. And that is a difficult place to be.

So what do we do in these situations? Do we give up? Think of a different approach? Keep trying the same old tactics? It’s not always easy to know what the right step is.

I’ve been reading the book of Acts recently, and I’ve been inspired by the stories of the early church and the many, many obstacles these amazing brothers and sisters they overcame. In the face of resistance, hatred, and even persecution, they persisted in their faith, and they found a way to share the good news of Jesus across the world.

One of those early followers was the apostle Paul. In between starting countless churches and writing a good portion of the New Testament, Paul travelled all around, sharing the gospel with anyone who would listen. He had experienced Christ in a life-altering way, and so he made it his mission to introduce Jesus to as many others as he possibly could.

Paul had a playbook. His typical approach to sharing the gospel in a new town was to worship at the synagogue and tell people about Jesus there. At that time, Jesus-followers were almost all Jewish, Paul included, and so he saw the synagogue as his primary platform for telling people about Christ.

This was met with mixed success. At times, people responded to Paul’s message and became fellow believers. He would develop deep bonds with these new converts and help them start churches out of their homes. Then, when circumstances forced him to, he’d move on to the next city, entrusting the church to carry on the work he’d started there.

Other times, though, Paul didn’t make any headway at the local synagogues. He was even sometimes met with hostility. Acts 13 tells the story of one particularly tense encounter Paul had at the synagogue in Antioch. I’ll let you read it for yourself, but here’s a quick summary:

Paul and his partner Barnabas travel to Antioch to share the gospel there. After first hearing the message, the people seem interested and ask the men to return to the synagogue the following week. But upon their return, Paul and Barnabas are met with resistance and insults that inhibit them from preaching any further.

In other words, they hit a wall. They had been trying to share the gospel with this group of people and seemed to be making progress, but all of a sudden, they found themselves facing a barrier that they could not overcome.

What was Paul to do? He knew that he had been called by God to share the message of Christ’s love with others. He’d even felt led to the city of Antioch. And yet, nothing was happening.

That’s when he decided to regroup. In Acts 13.46, Paul says to the people at the synagogue, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.”

The word “Gentile” simply means anyone who is not Jewish. Basically, Paul told the people who rejected his message that if they didn’t want it, he would take it elsewhere to those who would be willing to receive it. And in turn, he began bringing the good news to people who had never heard it before, people who weren’t even considered potential converts up to this point.

I imagine that most people reading this fall into the Gentile category. And if you’re a Gentile believer reading this (like me), then you have transformational moments like this one from early church history to thank for your hearing the message. This is one of the earliest instances of the church embracing Gentiles, and I for one am so thankful for that!

When Paul realized that he had hit a wall, what did he do? Well, he didn’t give up. Instead, he used this opposition as an opportunity to discern what God had for him next. And in doing so, he began taking the gospel to a whole new group of people and welcoming them into the family of God. I think that’s pretty amazing.

Throughout the book of Acts, we see the early Christians come up against resistance. But they didn’t get upset. They didn’t give up. And they didn’t blame God (or the devil) for the positions they found themselves in. Instead, they chose to use these moments to reevaluate and ask God what they should do next. Often that was something totally unexpected and new.

What if we took the same approach? Where would we be if we chose to see opposition not as a curse, but as an opportunity for discernment? How different would our lives looks if we searched for wisdom when we hit a wall rather than giving up? It seemed to work pretty well for Paul; maybe we should do it, too.

I’m trying to see things that way now, looking for God’s hand even in the more difficult aspects of life. I don’t believe that God wants us to suffer, but I do believe that God uses those times to form us into who we’re supposed to be and lead us to where we’re supposed to go. But that can only happen if we’re looking for direction in the midst of opposition.

How about you? Have you ever had a similar experience when you felt like you were up against a wall? What do you think of this idea of using resistance as an opportunity for discernment? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences below.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog post. I hope that you found it helpful, or maybe even that it made you think a little differently. I’ll talk to you again soon!

My Apple 2019 Report Card

Last week, famed tech reporter Jason Snell released his annual Apple report card based on his survey of 65 “Apple watchers.” The report included an average of these individuals’ ratings of the company on a five-point scale in several important areas. As you might imagine when thinking about such a large, consequential company, opinions on the report card varied wildly, and Jason did a great job of summarizing the various views. I really enjoyed reading them and thinking through where I stand on each of these topics.

Many of those Jason spoke with are people I highly respect and avidly follow to keep up with Apple news. Of course, I wasn’t included on his list of prominent voices in the tech community, but after listening to Jason’s podcast episode about the survey, I was inspired to fill out the report card myself.

These are just my opinions on the state of Apple coming out of 2019 (not that anyone asked for them). If you’re a fan of the company like I am, I hope this article will help you stay on top of what they’re up to—and maybe even inspire you to share your own thoughts. And if you don’t know anything about Apple, let this be your chance to start learning about one of the most impactful companies in the world.

Here’s my Apple report card for 2019.

Mac

My Rating: 2 | Average Score: 3.6

I almost gave the Mac an N/A rating this year. To be honest, I’ve been moving further and further away from using the Mac in both my personal and professional lives ever since I got my first iPad Pro in 2017. Sure, I still have to unlock my office iMac every once in a while for something very specific, and I rely on Macs to run our worship services at the church, but in my day-to-day life, I do almost everything on a different platform now.

Surprisingly, I don’t even own a working Mac anymore. My 2016 MacBook Pro (the first with the infamous butterfly keyboard) is currently unusable due to a failed logic board, and I’m not even sure that I’m going to fix it. That’s how unimportant the Mac has become in my life.

The other reason I give the Mac a 2/5 for 2019 is that changes to its software this year pushed me even further away from wanting to use it. I really liked the High Sierra update in 2018 and enjoyed using it when I had to. But last summer’s release of Catalina was nearly unbearable for me with all of its bugs while offering me few benefits, and I’ve refused to install it on any of my work computers. I’ll stick with 2018’s software, thank you very much.

Sure, there are still some great Macs out there that work really well for a lot of people’s needs. And Apple did release a couple of notable new Macs this year: the 16-inch MacBook Pro with a new, more reliable keyboard and the beastly Mac Pro. But neither of these devices appeals to me because they’re more powerful and expensive than I need. I honestly don’t know when or if I’ll ever buy another personal Mac, and so it just isn’t that important to me anymore.

Sorry, Mac, but it’s a giant, “Meh,” from me. We’ll see if the rumored update to the smaller MacBook Pro or maybe even a new MacBook Air might change my mind this year.

iPhone

My Rating: 5 | Average Score: 4.0

The iPhone 11 was supposed to be the most boring update of all time, but as last quarter’s record sales numbers indicate,it was actually a huge hit. That’s because Apple took an already amazing design and refined the two features that people care about the most: camera and battery life.

The camera on my iPhone 11 Pro is like none other. I’ve had a lot of fun playing around with the ultra-wide lens and seeing what cool shots I can get. Of course, I can alway trust the standard lens to catch a nice, quick photo in a pinch, or I can zoom in with the telephoto when I need to. The iPhone takes incredible pictures that you just can’t get from any other phone, and users love it.

And then there’s the battery. I switched from the Xs Max to the regular-sized 11 Pro, and I’ve been impressed by the battery life on this little thing. It still lasts as long as my old phone, which was much larger, getting me through the day with no trouble. My wife stuck with the Max size on her 11 Pro, and she can’t even put a dent in that thing’s battery in day. These things go forever.

Even the non-Pro iPhone 11, which includes only two camera lenses and a slightly inferior display technology, is a great buy. It comes in at a very competitive price with all the bells and whistles we’ve come to expect from an Apple flagship, and in a bunch of fun colors. (I’m really jealous of my mom’s purple one.)

The 2019 iPhone is new standard to beat. Sure, the design changes have become less drastic, but that’s only because it’s hard to improve something that’s already this good. I’m sure that there will be a more substantial shift in the look of the upcoming iPhone 12, but it’s going to need more than just an updated design to top what the 11 accomplished in 2019.

iPad

My Rating: 5 | Average Score: 3.9

The iPad Pro is my favorite computer ever. Period. I’ve been a diehard fan of it since I got my first one in 2017, and the 2018 update with Face ID and smaller bezels only made it that much better. I love my iPad, and I do everything on it—including all my work for this blog.

The iPad Pro didn’t receive a 2019 update, but that was mostly because it didn’t need one. The 2018 model is still powerful, modern, and way ahead of its competition. It’s all the computer one could have needed last year.

But that’s not to say there weren’t any changes on the iPad front in 2019. I’d say there were two. First, Apple spread out the iPad lineup to fit every need and price point. They revived the iPad Mini, bringing it into the modern era with a processor update and Apple Pencil support. And they made the base model iPad an even more appealing offer with a bigger screen and support for peripherals like the Smart Keyboard and Pencil, all without moving its ridiculously low starting price. There truly is an iPad for everyone now, and if you haven’t checked out the lineup in a while, I’d suggest you do.

Secondly, on the software front, Apple made a huge decision that will impact the iPad’s trajectory forever. Instead of running iPads on a modified version of the iPhone’s software, Apple decided to give the iPad its own operating system: iPadOS. This means that we’ll hopefully be getting significant, dedicated iPad software updates every year. The iPad’s development is no longer tied to the phone’s, but running right alongside it, and that excites me.

It’s hard to imagine that the iPad line could get any better, but Apple is going to try this year with new iPad Pros rumored to be coming very soon. I might have to hold off on upgrading, though. This one I’m writing on now is still serving me just fine.

Wearables

My Rating: 5 | Average Score: 4.6

Wearables is a relatively new category in the Apple world, but it’s one that we’re going to be hearing more and more about as the company invests in new devices that keep us connected and help us stay healthy.

For now, wearables consists of two product lines: Apple Watch and AirPods. It’s a little weird to call either of these two “product lines” because until 2019, they were just singular products. But in the case of both Watch and AirPods, Apple again expanded their offerings this year and brought these wearable technologies to more people than ever before.

Apple Watch was the gift this holiday season, thanks to the company’s decision to sell their Series 3 models for an extremely competitive price. Previously, getting into the Apple Watch world cost over $300, usually closer to $400. But because the Series 3 is a little older and cheaper to produce, the entry price dropped to $200 this year, and that made it a possibility for so many new people. Of all the Apple Watches the company sold this quarter—and they sold a lot—75% of them were to people who had never owned Apple Watch before. Wow.

And for those who wanted the bleeding edge in smart watch technology, there was the Series 5 with its smaller bezels and always-on display. Who knew that people who wore watches would actually want to use them to quickly check the time? I’m still on the Series 4 and it’s serving me well, but I can’t pretend I wasn’t tempted by the latest model’s new screen. Maybe next year.

As far as AirPods go, they literally can’t make enough of them to meet demand. Not only are the classic AirPods selling like hot cakes, but the new AirPods Pro are sold out everywhere. When my dad wanted to purchase a pair as a Christmas gift, I had the challenge of tracking down the only pair in a 150-mile radius. It was fun. 😁

It’s been tough year for me headphones-wise. My original AirPods from 2017 finally wore down to the point that I couldn’t use the daily anymore, so I swapped them out for the Powerbeats Pro, made by Apple subsidiary Beats.

They were great, but then in October, the company released both the AirPods Pro and the Beats Solo Pro on the same day, and I couldn’t resist. For the full story, you can check out my blog post on it, but to sum it up, I loved the Beats Solo Pro but couldn’t wear them comfortably, so I switched to the AirPods Pro. I couldn’t be happier with them. They’re portable, they last forever, and the noise cancellation is astounding for a device so small.

Needless to say, wearables are going strong. Mine make my life better every single day, and I can’t imagine going without them.

Apple TV

My Rating: 4 | Average Score: 2.7

I was surprised by how low the average score on the Apple TV was this year. Sure, some people complain that the remote is hard to handle and that the TV app is difficult to navigate, but there’s no way the Apple TV deserves a rating this harsh.

Let me put it this way: The Apple TV is the best way to watch television, hands down.

To put that statement into context, no TV interface is perfect, and most them frankly stink. But out of all of them, Apple’s stinks the least and lets you watch what you want with the least trouble out of all of them.

I think part of the problem is that TV is in a time of major change right now. The streaming wars are just ramping up, and no one has totally mastered how to bring the internet into the living room just yet. But I’d say Apple is pretty darn close.

When I turn on my Apple TV (using my phone as the remote, of course), I have access to all of my streaming services, purchased content, music playlists, podcasts, photos, and even most of my favorite mobile games. I can tell Siri what I want to watch, use the device’s universal search to see if the show I want is available on the services I’m already paying for, or jump into my cross-service Up Next queue and get to the latest episodes right from the home screen.

It requires a little bit of setup, but if you take the time to get the Apple TV tuned properly and learn how to use it, it’s the ideal way to experience TV. My mom has a smart TV that she uses all the time, but when she came to visit me and saw me use the Apple TV interface, she immediately asked, “How do I get that on my TV?” Nothing else comes close.

Sure, I have a few complaints: I wish Netflix would integrate with the device’s Up Next queue, though that’s not really Apple’s fault. I wish there was a way to turn off suggestions for shows and services I don’t pay for. And I wish that every streaming service was offered as an official Apple TV channel, because that experience is just so smooth. But all in all, I’m pleased with the Apple TV, its quality, and the way it lets me sit back and just enjoy the show.

I have an Apple TV box on every TV I use, both at home and at work. It’s just the best TV experience, and it’s well worth the money for something I use and enjoy so much and so often.

Services

My Rating: 5 | Average Score: 3.7

2019 was the year Apple made its big push into services. Traditionally, they have made most of their money by selling computers and phones, but in the future, more and more of the company’s revenue is going to come from these recurring services that customers subscribe to and pay for on a regular basis.

When I first heard about this shift in the company’s strategy, I was unsure. I think it’s natural to have a certain amount of skepticism toward subscription services. Are they really worth the money we’re being asked to put into them every month? That’s difficult to judge. Plus, it was hard to imagine what these services would be like before they actually came out.

Now, though, I’m convinced. With one minor exception, I think that Apple’s services are great values, and I use most of them myself.

Apple Music has been around for a while, and it’s a no-brainer. The thing that held me back from music streaming for so long was my carefully curated library of songs I had purchased over the years. I didn’t want to lose them. When Apple Music came along and offered the ability to integrate streaming and my library together, I was immediately hooked, and I’ve been a subscriber ever since.

I got the Apple Card soon after it came out this summer, and I love it. It’s a beautiful card, but I hardly ever have to use it because it allows me to pay with my phone via Apple Pay. The daily cash back and the ability to pay on any schedule (which for me is multiple times a day) are a nice touch. My only complaint is that I can’t add Katherine as an authorized user yet. Once they add that ability, it’ll be perfect.

Apple Arcade is the service I’ve used the least, but when I take the time to play the games on it, I really enjoy them. It’s nice to know that every one of them is high-quality, ad-free, and devoid of in-app purchases. It’s a worthwhile investment for anyone who likes mobile games or has kids who play games on their phone.

Apple TV+ has really surprised me. I didn’t think I would even bother watching it, much less like it, but Katherine and I have watched nearly every show available on the service at this point, and we love them all. TV+ has become a must-have in our house, and we will gladly pay the $5/month subscription once our free trial runs out this autumn.

The outlier here is Apple News+. The magazine subscription service is confusing and impractical, unfortunately. I hope that Apple can refine New+ into a valuable, ad-free news source, but for now, I don’t think it has much value unless you’re one of those people who really loves magazines.

Overall, Apple services have been on point so far. I’m hoping to see some sort of bundle come this year to simplify my budget a little bit, but either way, I’m a happy subscriber, so Apple gets top marks from me.

HomeKit

My Rating: 3 | Average Score: 2.8

My smart home makes me feel pretty dumb sometimes. I’ve gone all-in on HomeKit at my house, and the experience ranges from mildly convenient to downright frustrating. It’s not the magic that I always imagined it would be.

The pieces are all there: I’ve got my lamps, my most-used lights, my fans, my doors, my thermostat, my TVs, and my sound system all smarted out and loaded into the Home app. I’ve created scenes for when I wake up, go to bed, come home, and leave the house. It’s all automated, and in theory, it should be great.

But in reality, the whole thing is quite inconsistent. I don’t know if it’s a problem with Wifi technology or with the Siri smart assistant or if smart home technology just isn’t ready. But it feels like about a third of the time I try to do something with my smart home, it fails. And often, it will work but lie and say that it failed. It doesn’t make a lot of sense.

I spent 2019 tinkering with the smart stuff, trying to get it to all work properly, and for the most part, it does. As long as I stick to my regular routine and don’t poke anything, the house performs as expected. But it feels like the whole thing is held together by thread and could shut down at any minute. That’s not the kind of reliability you want when it comes to something as important as your house.

To be fair, this problem isn’t exclusive to HomeKit. All smart home platforms have their issues, and Apple’s is the most private and secure of all of them. But the company really needs to invest some time and money into getting this thing right, and recent rumors and job listings seem to indicate that that’s the direction they’re going. Maybe my rating will be higher in this category next year.

One last HomeKit-related note: The HomePod smart speaker is amazing. In doing my research before buying one, I read that everyone who buys one ends up buying more, and that’s been true for me. I now have three: one in my bedroom and two in my living room. They’re great for music, podcasts, and watching TV. I’m hoping 2020 brings us a chapter HomePod Mini so that I can put one in every room of my house.

Hardware Reliability

My Rating: 5 | Average Score: 3.9

Apple’s hardware is as good as it’s ever been. The iPhone 11 is the most well-built phone I’ve ever seen. iPad design is in a great place. Apple is slowly but surely fixing its unreliable keyboards on the MacBooks. And have you seen how cool the Mac Pro looks (not to mention how functional the design is)? It was a great year for Apple hardware.

Software Quality

My Rating: 2 | Average Score: 2.7

Software, on the other hand, was a mess. Both iOS 13 and macOS Catalina had convoluted, bug-ridden rollouts that have left a bad taste in the mouths of Apple’s users. Adoption rates are getting better as the bugs get worked out, but these updates are nowhere near the no-brainers that 2018’s operating systems were. Here’s to hoping that Apple learned their lesson and will focus on software reliability before releasing anything new this year.

One more complaint on this issue: Apple promised that we would be able to share calendars stored in iCloud with other users this summer, and that feature is still nowhere to be seen. I need it! Please, Apple, get this one shipped soon.

Developer Relations

My Rating: 3 | Average Score: 3.4

As a non-developer, I can’t really comment on this topic other than what I read in the news and hear on podcasts. Apple has put so much money into the app economy through its app stores and made space for companies and careers that never would have exited otherwise. In that sense, they should be applauded.

On the other hand, 2019 was the year that some of Apple’s policies were seriously called into question on a grand scale. Spotify is officially suing the company for discriminatory app policies, claiming that Apple holds a monopoly over the software marketplace on its devices. We’ll see where that goes, but the idea of breaking the app store monopoly has become quite popular in the tech world as of late.

Also, it seems that Apple did a poor job of providing developers the tools they needed to adopt the latest technologies released this year. Documentation for Mac Catalyst (the tool for porting iPad apps to the Mac) and SwiftUI (a new, simpler app development workflow) were either missing, vague, or downright wrong. This has led to poor adoption of the technologies and a general consensus that they are dead in the water.

Apple relies on developers to keep its app stores relevant and lively, so they need to prioritize them a little more, or there could be a reckoning on the horizon.

Environmental/Social/Societal Impact

My Rating: 3 | Average Score: 3.3

It’s hard to argue that Apple hasn’t done a lot of good for the world. Specifically, their efforts in environmental-friendliness and accessibility have had a major impact across the industry, and I think they deserve credit for it.

However, 2019 was a tricky year for Apple when it comes to international politics. Between the Hong Kong protests, Russia-Ukraine land dispute, and U.S.-China trade war, Apple found itself in a middle of a many hotly contested issues. And a lot of Apple customers were not big happy with the way the company handled these situations.

It’s tough trying to do international business in a world with so many competing interests, and Apple has to toe a lot of lines. But for a company that claims to have such strong principles, they seem to be willing to make compromises so long as they benefit the bottom line. Maybe that’s just good business, but for people like me who value integrity, it can definitely hurt a company’s reputation.

I gave Apple a three because I still think their impact is a net good for the world. They’re pushing accessibility and privacy as human rights, which I am completely on board with. And I try to understand that some of their international decisions are complicated, even if I don’t necessarily agree with them. But Apple should be doing a better job of consistently applying their principles to these situations, even if they result in a loss of profits. That’s what an ethical company does.

Wow, that was a lot. I didn’t realize I had so much to say about Apple in 2019, but I hope this gives you a snapshot of where the company is and how I feel about what they accomplished last year.

I’d love to hear what you think. Are you an Apple fan? How do you think they did in 2019? And if you’re not an Apple user, what is it like watching all of these things happen from the outside? Do you think we’re weird for caring so much? Let me know in the comments or on social media.

If you got this far, thanks for reading my Apple report card for 2019! It was really fun to put together. I’ll see you next week for something different. Until then!

Self-Awareness

I once had to take the Meyers-Briggs personality test for a college assignment, and it told me that I am an INFJ: introverted, intuitive, feeling, and judging. When I was filling out the questionnaire, I couldn’t get over how ridiculous it all seemed. I thought, “There’s no way answering all of these stupid questions is going to tell me anything about myself that I don’t already know.” It was frustrating.

When I saw the results, I was unsurprised. We went over them as a class, and my professor explained what each of the letters mean. Had I known the options beforehand, I probably could have guessed what I would get. If you’re familiar with the test, you might have already deduced my type just from interacting with me.

Glancing over the initial results didn’t change my conclusion that taking the test had been pointless, but then I started to read some of the analysis. Each result comes with a packet of further information about one’s type, and the more I read, the more convinced I became that Meyers and Briggs were onto something.

In section after section, I saw myself reflected in what I read. The analysis covered topics like how INFJs act in relationships and which careers worked well with my personality. As I read, I felt like I was finally putting words to things I’d experienced all my life but never been able to articulate to anyone. Ever. It was a catharsis.

The part that spoke to me most deeply was about weaknesses. Every personality type is prone to its own set of shortcomings, and reading that section felt like a checklist of every single thing I struggled with or didn’t like about myself.

It was hard to read. It made me feel exposed and uncomfortable, maybe even a little bit guilty. But it also helped me confront some things about myself that I needed to deal with in order to grow, and I think I’m better for it.

I wish I still had that whole packet to flip through now. It’s probably in my attic somewhere. But one statement felt so particular to me—and so tragically comical—that I’ve never forgotten it. I actually posted a picture of it on my Facebook for all to see. Here’s what the sentence said:

Under great stress, INFJs may become obsessed with data they normally would consider irrelevant or overindulge in Sensing activities such as watching TV reruns, overeating, or buying things that have little meaning for them.

If that’s not me, I don’t know what is.

When I’m trying to avoid dealing with something, I can nerd out about basically anything and go down a rabbit hole that lasts for weeks. TV is always a part of my life, but if I’m feeling anxious or down, it can quickly become a means of escape. And back when I had Amazon Prime and disposable income, you better believe I engaged in some serious retail therapy.

You can ask my wife, my parents, my siblings, my best friends, or anyone else who knows me well, and all of them will tell you that this is how I react to stress. It’s honestly a little scary just how accurate that sentence is. Were the people who wrote this spying on me? Or am I just a textbook INFJ?

Regardless, I used this statement as a tool over the years to help me monitor my stress level. When I found myself veering off into one of these stress-induced patterns, I knew that it was time to hit pause and figure out what I was trying to distract myself from. At times, I didn’t even know I was feeling anxious until one of these behaviors resurfaced. But once they did, I knew I was in need of some self-reflection.

I haven’t thought about that test in a long time. Thankfully, I haven’t had to rely on it as much over the past several years. Part of growing up is learning healthy ways of managing one’s mental state, and I feel like I’ve made a lot of progress on that front.

But not long ago, I suddenly realized that one of these old habits had snuck back up on me. I had been watching a lot of TV. And when I say a lot, I mean too much TV. An unhealthy amount of it. Reflecting on that realization, I remembered my Meyers-Briggs test for the first time in years, and I thought to myself, “Wow. Something must be wrong.”

I knew that I was under a good deal of stress, but I didn’t realize the extent to which it was affecting me until I saw the symptom. Only then was I able to fully recognize the emotional turmoil below the surface. And only then was I able to start to actually deal with it.

Thankfully, I’m in a good place now. But I couldn’t have gotten from where I was to where I am if I hadn’t had the self-awareness needed to recognize the problem. In another person, watching that much TV might be perfectly normal. It’s not a sign of distress at all. But for me, it was an unhealthy coping mechanism that I needed to get past. It was a sign pointing to a deeper issue.

The truth is that we’re not always the best at knowing ourselves. Human beings are complicated and mysterious, and sometimes it’s difficult for us to sort out what’s going on even in our own heads. But if we‘re going to be healthy and grow into all that we can be, we’re going to have to learn how to read ourselves well.

This isn’t an advertisement for Meyers-Briggs, by the way. I found it to be an extremely helpful tool, but there are many ways to develop our self-awareness outside of personality tests. Journaling is another amazing aide that I’ve adopted. Plus I’ve found this process much easier when I open up to others as well. Maybe for you it’s therapy or long drives or solo hikes through the woods. Whatever it is, we each need to find ways to be honest with ourselves about what we’re feeling and monitor those emotions as we go.

If you find yourself struggling with self-awareness, I’d encourage you to explore some tools that might help you get started. It’s not easy for any of us, but it is certainly worthwhile. And if there’s any way I can help you along the way, I would be more than happy to. I’m so thankful for the help I’ve received in this area along the way, and I’d love to extend that same help to others.

That’s what I’ve got for you this week. I hope you liked and maybe even found it helpful. Thank you as always for reading, and I’ll see you back here very soon! 

Just Mercy

This weekend, my wife and I went to see the new film Just Mercy, and I knew even before the movie was over that I had to write about it. If you take nothing else away from this blog post, please understand this: You need to see this movie. In fact, if you want to just stop reading and go see the film right now, I’m alright with that. That’s how important I think it is.

But in case you need a little more convincing, here’s my review of the movie and why I think it’s a must-see for everyone concerned about faith and justice.

Just Mercy tells the story of Bryan Stevenson (played by Michael B. Jordan) and his work with death row inmates in Alabama. Bryan is a Harvard law graduate who has dedicated his career to defending the defenseless and fighting to achieve justice for those our system has wronged and cast aside. He’s the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative and a superstar in the world of criminal justice reform.

He’s also a professor and an author. In fact, this movie is based on Bryan’s book of the same name. The book is half memoir about his early days at the Equal Justice Initiative, half reflections on social justice issues in our country today. I’ve been reading it in preparation to see the film, and it is incredible. Of course, no movie adaptation can perfectly live up to the book it’s based on, but Just Mercy does an excellent job of portraying the book’s central narrative in a powerful, compelling way.

Both the book and the film center on one particular true story: the case of Walter McMillian (played by Jamie Foxx). While condemned on death row for a murder he did not commit, Walter meets Bryan, who offers to take on his case for free. Over the course of the film, the two unveil the many ways the system has failed Walter and fight to prove his innocence, an upward battle that will pit them against an indignant prosecutor, corrupt law officers, and a biased public more interested in their own peace than in the truth or justice for Walter.

The premise is interesting enough on its own, and it’s made even more so by the fact that this story really happened. But that’s not all Just Mercy has going for it. It’s also been created by some incredible people. In addition to Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, the movie also stars Rob Morgan, Tim Blake Nelson, and Brie Larson, who each give beautiful, powerful performances that capture the passion and struggle of the real-world people they’re portraying.

The director, Destin Daniel Cretton, also co-wrote the screenplay with Andrew Lanham. Though they may not be household names like the stars of Just Mercy, you could be hearing about them again very soon. The two just received an Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay for their work on this film. The possibility that a movie about criminal justice reform could win an Oscar this year is just amazing.

Star power and Oscar buzz aside, my favorite thing about this movie is the way that it invites viewers to empathize with a group of people they probably have no experience with: death row inmates. While it’s common to dismiss these individuals as good-for-nothing criminals, it’s important to remember that they are people. They have families, communities, feelings, and dreams, and this movie does a good job reminding us of that.

It also highlights the problems with capital punishment in the United States. While the main story is about an innocent man at risk of losing his life for no reason, the film also features the stories of other inmates, including one who admits to the crime that he’s accused of. But even his case is more complex than death row inmates are generally portrayed to be, and the film invites us to recognize the humanity even of those we may not want to.

Even though the story depicted in the film took place nearly 20 years ago, it’s still timely as ever. Debates over the issues in our legal system, especially when it comes to racial bias and capital punishment, are extremely relevant today. Regardless of where you stand on the death penalty—and I’m not shy to say that I’m opposed to the entire practice—this film is beneficial because it shares the experiences of people who’ve largely been shut out and ignored by society. It’s important that we recognize and value the humanity of every person, even those on death row.

And as Just Mercy points out, we’ve got some serious work to do if we ever wish to call our society just. I don’t think anyone wants to live in a country where an innocent man is condemned to death without recourse. If we want to avoid harming innocent people like Walter McMillian in the future, we need to face the mistakes of our past and learn from them so that we can do better going forward.

Just Mercy is a beautiful portrayal of two men working together towards justice. And it’s emblematic of a larger movement within our nation to create a more just and merciful future for everyone. I consider it a privilege to be a part of that movement, and the film invites everyone watching to join in, too.

I think that invitation is worth considering, and so I hope you’ll give this movie a watch.

Just Mercy is in theaters nationwide now. Please go see it and let me know what you think. I’m already planning to watch it again soon, and I’ll definitely be rooting for the filmmakers at the Oscars this year. We need to be support movies like this, because they do good for the world. I’d like to see more of them, and less of the incidents that inspire them. We can make that happen together.

Thanks for reading, friends! I hope you enjoyed this review, and I’ll see you next week.

Hope for the New Year

A few weeks ago, we talked about making space for pain during the holidays, and that’s really important. I tried to do a good job of that this year, and I hope you did, too. Now that the holiday season is over, though, the struggle for many does not stop. It might be different: less sharp and immediate, more throbbing and below the surface. But it’s still there.

Maybe you feel the weight of the world’s problems on your shoulders. Maybe it’s discontentment with where you are or the fact that your circumstances haven’t changed much since this time last year. Or concern about whether you’re where you’re supposed to be. Maybe it’s confusion about what you want this year to look like. Or maybe it’s a pain that you feel deep down in your soul, though you can’t quite put it into words yet.

Whatever the situation looks like right now, I want you to know that if you’re struggling in this new year, there is still space for you.

The new year is meant to be a time of hope. A time to look forward to exciting things ahead. A time to get motivated and make that change you’ve always wanted to make. And for some, it is.

But if that’s not where you are this new year, that’s okay. This time is for you, too.

Aside from simple recognition, I’d also like to offer you one other thing in this post: an opportunity to find hope in the small things. Because even though our circumstances sometimes seem bleak, and even though it isn’t always easy to see it, there is always a reason to hope.

It might seem like a small thing, but hope can often mean the difference between wallowing in despair and finding a way through the darkness. Even the smallest bit can remind us that things won’t always be this way. That they can be better. That they will be better in time, if we’ll only hold on to hope.

So this new year, here are a few things that I find hope in. I believe that you can, too.

• I find hope in knowing that I’m not alone. There are people in this world who love me, who support me, and who want nothing but the best for me. And you’ve got people like that, too.

• I find hope in believing in something bigger than myself. For me, that’s my faith and my dedication to making the world a better place for others. For you, it might be family, your pets, a cause you’re passionate about, or any number of other things. Regardless, we are all apart of something bigger than ourselves, and knowing that can give us hope.

• I find hope in taking steps towards where I want to be. It might be something tiny like reading an article on a goal I want to accomplish, but at least it’s something. We each have a certain amount of agency to change our circumstances. It might take all you have just to take a tiny step, but even the smallest move in the right direction can be a source of hope.

• I find hope in remembering the passion I’ve had for things I love in the past. If I felt that way before, I know I can again. So I look back on those days and look forward to the days when that fire comes back. We all know what it’s like to be passionate about something, and even just the promise of having that feeling return can be enough to get us started.

• I find hope in investing in others. Even when I feel like I can’t help myself, I love being there for other people. Having a positive impact on the world gives me purpose. I don’t do it for me; I do it for them. But I usually find that I get more out of it than I could possibly have given.

Those are some the things that give me hope when I’m struggling, and I go to these sources often. Without them, I’m not sure where I’d be. If you need a little bit of hope in this new year, maybe you can find it in one of these places, too. I’d encourage you to try, because a little hope can go a long way.

That’s all for this blog post. Thank you for reading, and here’s to you having a new year full of hope, healing, and progress. I’ll see you next week.