Easter. Not a holiday. Not chocolate eggs and family dinners. A verdict. The cross was not a tragedy that God recovered from. It was the moment the entire weight of human failure — every broken promise, every hidden sin, every version of ourselves we are ashamed of — was absorbed by the one man who had no debt to pay. And then the tomb was empty. That changes everything. Not just cosmically, not just theologically — personally. The resurrection means that the man you are right now is not the final word on who you will become. Death is not the end of your story. Neither is your worst chapter. This is what Easter asks us to sit with — not just the miracle, but what the miracle means for the man reading this. He didn't stay dead. Which means the old version of you doesn't have to either. Happy Easter, Brotherhood.

I hadn't even thought about my obsession over my beard. Every day trimming, brushing, washing, oiling,waxing running the derma roller tool over it etc. My wife even bought me one of the kits that comes with like 8 scented oils to put in it. I couldn't leave the house without a brush. If I was going to choose one thing for self care that would have been it... until this morning. I was at about 14 hours into my shift. Everything was normal. Pumping fluids out of the back of my semi trailer into a coil tubing unit that was doing work on a well. I got out to help the other guy from another company to disconnect my 4 inch hose from his equipment. He grabbed a steel 5lb short sledge hammer to hammer the connection apart and that's when it happened.. Wellbore gas that was compressed between salt water in the hose started seeping out while he was hitting the union. Typically made up of benzene, hydrogen sulfide, natural lpg and liquefied natural gas. When the fluid hit the open atmosphere it instantly vaporized and him striking the union with a steel hammer was all it took. He swung and missed the union, striking the steel pipe that the brass fitting connects to and created a spark.... the gas ignited and made that unmistakable whoosh sound like gasoline on a camp fire. Needless to say, my fr clothing protected me from any major burns and the whole left side of the goat portion of my beard is gone.. the other guy? Not so lucky. He didn't get burned by it instantly burned off his entire beard, his eyebrows and lashes and his bangs or whatever you guys with hair can the stuff up front. I had been grooming this beard for 5 years. It was a foot long, fully grown in thick tender love and care taken with it and gone in an instant. And I don't care. It's just something I started by asking how long can I get my beard in a year and just didn't give up on. The only disappointment that ill have now is that my wife can't lay there and run her hands through it anymore. But hey... I look 15 years younger this morning.

Tonight, while on video call from work i could tell my wife had a rough week. I had left home to come to work, the car broke down 6 hours into my trip my son's day care has several kids with covid again etc. Just a rough week. I wasn't able to call until later than I usually do but I wasn't going to let the chance slip by. During the call it was the usual casual miss yous and proud of you and we will get through these things together. I told my son to be good for mom and blessed him goodnight. I got a call 20 seconds after we had hung up. My 3 year old had called me out to his mom. When I answered he looked back at me with a look like he had a secret that I didn't know.. I asked what's up buddy. He smiled and said daaaad.. we forgot to pray. I led them in a quick prayer just asking for protection and peace through the weekend and for guidance to find opportunities to help others with nothing in return. And then he smiled and said ok dad very good. Now go back to work. This is because his mother and I have made prayer so important every day and night and I felt so proud of my little dude for not only wanting to pray but for calling me on it and holding me to it when I had simply forgotten. It's the little things like this that make me want to be a stronger father and leader.