Every morning, thousands of cars pass through the intersection of Ridgeway and Park in Memphis.

And there’s one man I’ve seen there for years.

I still don’t even know his name.

He’s a veteran, and from the little I learned years ago, he stands by the roadside collecting money to help other veterans who are homeless. Food. A warm meal. A place to stay. Help getting through another day.

In Episode 213 of Summit After the Storm, I talk about the people we pass every day without really seeing them, the danger of reducing people to a sign or circumstance, and the kind of leadership that comes from choosing to carry a burden nobody assigned you.

Hebrews 13:2 reminds us not to forget hospitality to strangers. Sometimes the person we know the least about may have the most to teach us.

This one has me asking a simple question: how many people have I driven past without ever learning their story?

My book, Summit After the Storm, releases November 10. Preorder and learn more at SummitAfterStorm.com.

#SummitAfterTheStorm #HomelessVeterans #Veterans #LeadershipLessons #KeepClimbing

I thought Episode 212 was going to come from Sunday’s baseball game.

Then the rain canceled it.

But the best lesson of the weekend had already happened at a child’s birthday party.

Great food. Great people. Football on TV. An inflatable obstacle course for the kids. Then the party rolled straight into trick-or-treating.

Nothing dramatic happened. Nothing “big” happened.

And maybe that was the point.

In this episode of Summit After the Storm, I talk about why some of the best moments in life are the simplest ones, why great culture is really about belonging, and why we need to recognize a good moment while we’re still living it.

Sometimes the best part of the weekend is simply being with great people.

My book, Summit After the Storm, releases November 10. Preorder and learn more at SummitAfterStorm.com.

#SummitAfterTheStorm #SimplyBeingWithGreatPeople #Gratitude #LeadershipLessons #KeepClimbing

What happens when you’re used to being the one who helps—but suddenly you’re the one who needs help?

After tearing my ACL, I’ve had to slow down and accept some temporary limitations. Then last week, while Amanda was out of town, my mom and dad came to stay with me and help out. At 52 years old, having my parents step back into that role hit me differently than I expected.

In Episode 211 of Summit After the Storm, I share what this season is teaching me about strength, pride, family, leadership, and the humility required to accept a hand when you’re usually the one offering it.

Ecclesiastes 4 reminds us that sometimes we’re the person helping someone back up—and sometimes we’re the one who needs the hand.

You don’t have to be at full strength to still show up.

And my book, Summit After the Storm, releases next week on November 10. Preorder your copy and learn more at SummitAfterStorm.com.

#SummitAfterTheStorm #KeepClimbing #LeadershipLessons #FaithAndLeadership #PersonalGrowth

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 training for?

That’s on hold.

I was frustrated, but I had started accepting what the next few weeks were going to look like.

Then I got another update.

Zeke, number 12, one of the most valuable players on our team, injured his wrist sliding into home Tuesday night.

He’s now out for about eight weeks.

Our season has two weeks left.

So just like that, his season is over.

And yes, we’ll miss his arm.

We’ll miss his power at the plate.

I was planning to start him in our next game.

But that’s not what makes Zeke so valuable.

He encourages his teammates.

He pulls for other kids to get chances.

He wants them to succeed.

He’s a leader.

He’s the kind of teammate every coach wants.

And that’s what this episode is really about.

An injury can change your role without changing your value.

That’s true for Zeke.

It’s true for me.

And it may be true for you too.

Sometimes life changes what you can do.

An injury.

A job loss.

A family change.

Age.

A setback.

Something you never saw coming.

And suddenly, you’re not playing the role you expected.

That doesn’t mean you’ve lost your place.

It doesn’t mean you’ve lost your purpose.

It doesn’t mean you’ve lost your value.

Romans 5 reminds us that suffering produces perseverance, and perseverance produces character.

Resilience is not pretending nothing happened.

Resilience is being honest about what changed and deciding who you’re going to be inside the new reality.

So if your role has changed lately, remember this:

The plan may change.
Your role may change.
But your value does not.

And resilience means finding a way to keep moving forward anyway.

🎙️ Summit After the Storm Podcast
Season 6: Lessons in Real Time
📖 Summit After the Storm releases November 10
🌐 SummitAfterStorm.com

#SummitAfterTheStorm #LessonsInRealTime #Resilience #ACLRecovery #YouthBaseball #Leadership #Identity #KeepGoing #Faith #LifeLessons #InjuryRecovery #Character #Perseverance #Teamwork #KeepClimbing

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 told them:

“Don’t worry about all three games. Go 1–0 tonight.”

Then I reminded them why we lost our previous game.

Overthrows.

Missed balls.

Holding onto the ball too long.

Little mistakes.

Tuesday night, they cleaned it up.

Skyler and Karter both pitched great.

Luke was outstanding behind the plate and twice hustled after passed balls to get runners out trying to score.

Rhys played well at second, took a fastball to the inner thigh, walked it off, and then kept running aggressively.

Reed ripped a ball that should’ve been a home run.

Will turned a dropped third strike into a trip all the way around the bases because he never stopped hustling.

Final score:

Orioles 9. Rockies 2.

And what struck me most was this:

We didn’t need nine players to play like a complete team.

We needed eight players willing to do their job.

But this episode also has something special.

My 76-year-old mom was at the game, and I asked her one final question.

After surviving cancer, raising four children, watching kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids grow up, and seeing plenty of good days and hard ones, what’s one simple piece of advice she’d give to these boys and anyone listening who may be struggling?

Her answer was simple:

“Just keep trying.”

That may be the best lesson from the whole night.

You may be short-handed.

You may be hurting.

You may be behind.

You may not have ideal conditions.

But you can still keep showing up.

You can still do your part.

You can still keep trying.

🎙️ Summit After the Storm Podcast
Season 6: Lessons in Real Time
📖 Summit After the Storm releases November 10
🌐 SummitAfterStorm.com

#SummitAfterTheStorm #LessonsInRealTime #YouthBaseball #Teamwork #Resilience #JustKeepTrying #Parenting #Coaching #LifeLessons #Faith #Leadership #KeepGoing #BaseballLife #ChristianPodcast #KeepClimbing

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 Amanda and I stood there talking, I kept one eye on the cake walk.

Every time I thought about jumping in, a kid got there first.

Then I thought it was kids-only.

Then I saw adults participating.

Then just as I was about to get in...

“All adults out. Kids only.”

Perfect.

Later, I heard:

“Last round. Everybody wins!”

Finally.

I grabbed a cake.

Took a bite.

And thought:

This tastes different.

Then I looked at the label.

It wasn’t Nothing Bundt Cakes.

It was Holey Cakes.

It was still good.

I still ate it.

But it wasn’t the thing I had spent the last hour imagining.

And that made me think about how often we do the same thing in life.

A job.

A promotion.

A house.

A relationship.

A car.

Something somebody else has.

We build it up from a distance and convince ourselves:

If I could just get that, then I’d be happy.

But sometimes the version in our head is better than the real thing.

Philippians 4:11 says:

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

Maybe part of contentment is learning to stop romanticizing what we don’t have.

So ask yourself:

Am I chasing the real thing... or the version I’ve created in my mind?

Because sometimes the thing across the room isn’t nearly as perfect as it looks.

And sometimes...

it isn’t even the cake you thought it was.

🎙️ Summit After the Storm Podcast
Season 6: Lessons in Real Time
📖 Summit After the Storm releases November 10
🌐 SummitAfterStorm.com

#LessonsInRealTime #SummitAfterTheStorm #Contentment #ExpectationsVsReality #LifeLessons #ChristianPodcast #Faith #Philippians411 #PersonalGrowth #Perspective #Gratitude #CakeWalk #SchoolPicnic #EverydayWisdom #KeepClimbing

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, and our first two each gave up five runs.

By the time we got to the third inning, we were in a deep hole.

But one player stood out.

Skyler.

With the bases loaded, he ripped a triple and drove in three of our four runs.

Then he took the mound in the third and held them to just one run.

Rhys also made a great defensive play, catching the ball and throwing out a runner at first.

Final score:

Orioles 4. Opponent 11.

We lost.

But the scoreboard wasn’t the only thing worth noticing.

Because there’s a difference between being there and being engaged.

Adults do this too.

We show up for work.

We sit at dinner.

We go to church.

We attend the meeting.

We stand on the sidelines.

But sometimes our body arrives before our attention does.

Romans 12:11 says:

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

Not every day automatically brings out our best.

Sometimes we have to choose to engage.

Choose to focus.

Choose to be ready.

Skyler didn’t change the final score.

But when his opportunities came...

he was awake for them.

So ask yourself:

Where am I showing up without really being present?

Because you can’t control how everybody else shows up.

But when the ball comes your way...

you can be ready.

🎙️ Summit After the Storm Podcast
Season 6: Lessons in Real Time
📖 Summit After the Storm releases November 10
🌐 SummitAfterStorm.com

#LessonsInRealTime #SummitAfterTheStorm #YouthBaseball #BePresent #ShowUpReady #Leadership #Parenting #Coaching #BaseballLife #Effort #Focus #ChristianPodcast #Faith #LifeLessons #KeepClimbing

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 position before the pitch arrives.

Good advice.

But I was watching Noah’s face.

He never said it out loud, but his body language was basically saying:

“What does Mom know about swinging a bat?”

You could see it in his eyes.

He was listening...

but he wasn’t convinced.

So Amanda stepped up to show him.

She grabbed the bat.

Got into her stance.

Got loaded.

I tossed the pitch.

And she absolutely crushed it.

Straight into one of the two trees in our front yard.

If that tree hadn’t been there...

that ball was gone.

I looked at Noah.

Then I looked at Amanda.

And I just smiled.

Because Noah’s expression had completely changed.

A few seconds earlier:

“What does Mom know?”

Now?

“Oh.”

The advice hadn’t changed.

What changed was the credibility behind it.

That’s true in baseball.

And it’s true in parenting, coaching, leadership, work, and life.

Anybody can give instructions.

But people listen differently when they know you’ve stepped into the box yourself.

1 Corinthians 11:1 says:

“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

Sometimes the strongest lesson we give isn’t something we say.

It’s something we demonstrate.

And for the record...

Noah kept swinging.

He tried to match her.

He couldn’t.

Mom won the Home Run Derby that day.

🎙️ Summit After the Storm Podcast
Season 6: Lessons in Real Time
📖 Summit After the Storm
🌐 SummitAfterStorm.com

#LessonsInRealTime #SummitAfterTheStorm #Parenting #Leadership #LeadByExample #YouthBaseball #BaseballLife #HomeRunDerby #ChristianPodcast #Faith #ParentingLessons #Coaching #LeadershipLessons #FamilyMoments #KeepClimbing