I am the spender in my Family. My wife restrains my impulsive buying. She asks me, “Is this a ‘need’ or a ‘want’?” Usually it is a want, especially during the holiday season, I notice how easy it can be to can get swipe happy with the credit card. It is easy buying gifts for others or oursel…

“But daddy, why can’t we FaceTime Mimi, sing songs, do our Bible verses and read our story before bed?” my daughter asked very confused.

Today is a new day given to you by a gracious and merciful God.

On a cool, rainy Saturday I was driving with my 5-year-old daughter to pick up pizza for lunch when she said, “Daddy, the leaves are really pretty colors.” I hadn’t noticed, but as I lifted my gaze from the road I realized the leaves were indeed changing from the deep green of summer to the …

Regardless of where you stand on the political or social spectrum, one observation seems absolutely clear, something is not right here.

An old anti-smoking commercial years ago showed a little boy following his daddy all day long. He mimicked his every move, trying to be just like his father, right down to wanting to smoke just like him.

I was born and raised in southside of “the projects” in Chicago. Way back then as a middle school student I remember needing to fight for my survival. I clearly remember one day when I came back from school some kids were picking on me about my accent and calling me names. They started to sh…

It is hard to say goodbye. The thought of letting some things in life go is a daunting task for many. However, in doing so we could potentially bring much needed peace into our lives.

“No man is an island” means we are relational beings and we can only realize our full potentials in the midst of others.

Have you ever felt like not wanting to face your day?

It seems everywhere you look someone is promoting fitness. The term has become synonymous with good physical health.

To provide good customer service, you first have to know what is customer service. Customer service is the act of taking care of the customer’s needs by providing and delivering professional, helpful, high-quality service and assistance before, during, and after the customer’s requirements are met.

Often people make instant conclusions based on snapshots of information with limited details and information. I see it on the evening news, read it in political rants, and hear it in motor pool conversations.

In a 1986 movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” Ferris says, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

A journey is defined as “an act of traveling from one place to another.”

In her book “Code of the Warrior,” Shannon French points out that unlike the rules of war that are imposed through treaties and agreements, the warrior code is understood by its adherence to originate from inside the warrior culture. Warriors themselves hold one another to the standards.

Moving with the military can be challenging. While it is typically a time of uncertainty and stress, 20 years of military moving has taught me in the midst of these challenges, there will be someone uniquely placed on the other end to provide some assurance and certainty.

All of us enjoy getting our order from a busy restaurant quickly. Who does not love it, while you are on public Wi-Fi, watching that download bar on your smart device just zip across the screen without so much as a second thought?

Most of us are like the rest of us.

Receiving household goods during a permanent change of station move can be a significant emotional event.

Being a chaplain, father and husband can be exhausting. I cannot tell you the number of times I have come home from work just hoping to survive dinner and bedtime stories and make it to bed.

When we think of receiving blessings we often associate the term with some form of good fortune, whether it is an unexpected pay raise, good health, obedient children or frankly any outcome that we would consider favorable.

As Americans, we love the drama of restoration. We spend evenings watching HGTV or DIY shows, where people perform the home makeover and bring a house back to its former glory.

Shortly after I married my wife I found myself seeking advice from one of my church leaders, and I will never forget what he told me that day.

The challenge to integrate into the lifecycle of a unit is real, but that is what makes serving in the U.S. Army Chaplaincy a joy.

When I was a second grader, I learned and memorized the Ten Commandments in Sunday school. I did not care about some commandments including the seventh: “You shall not murder.” As a little girl, I believed that I did not have a chance to murder.

The boxing great Mike Tyson once said this about his opponents, “Everyone has a plan until they get hit in the mouth.” I love that quote. I love it because it represents what also happens in life. We all make our plans and then life hits us in the mouth … and there go our plans.

Someone may have told you that God will never give you more than you can handle, or you may have said it yourself.

The first time I used night vision goggles was July 2004 during a field exercise at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Before putting them on, I had my doubts about how much I would be able to see in the pitch black darkness.

It seems like most people who know who Samuel Langhorne Clemens, aka Mark Twain, was have at least one or two favorite quotes by him.

One of the realities of Army life is moving. Sometimes it is good, and sometimes, well it just happens. But every time my Family and I move, I face the same daunting challenge – hanging pictures. Having pictures hung on the walls really makes everything a little more cozy, a little more comf…

The tax return season has come around again. As a proud Oregonian, I pay state income taxes throughout the year and get all of them back on my state tax return.

Officially spring started with the Vernal Equinox, and now we are looking forward to the warmth in the air and long sunny days. As for the Nishimura household, we are expecting to move across the country to Fort Bliss, Texas, during this summer.

Psalm 1:1-2: “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”

In Joshua 6, God commands the Israelites to do something that seemed completely absurd.

Over the course of my life I have witnessed or have received personal testimonies where people sincerely bargained with God to get them through difficult situations.

Managing a home by oneself can be overwhelming. As a chaplain, I hear from many spouses who face this challenge regularly. Being married to someone serving in the Army guarantees time apart. Trying to work, pay bills, clean a house, get the oil changed, fix the washing machine, shovel snow a…

We all face trials and tribulations in life, however how we respond is up to us.

There is one thing that we have no control over and that is constant change.

I would like to encourage you on the idea of receiving strength from above.

I remember listening each year to fire-safety teachers explain the importance of a maneuver descriptively called the “stop, drop and roll.” If you find yourself on fire, the best thing you can do is stop running, drop to the ground and roll around to extinguish the flames.

With the holidays behind us, most are now working hard to faithfully keep a New Year’s resolution.

It happens to all of us. Some of us are on the glide path that we choose and things are going well then all of a sudden life comes to a screeching halt.

I ran into the uncommon word – forbearance – the other day, and realized I really was not sure of its full meaning. So, I looked it up.

Christmas brings us back to the basics.

There was a Soldier named Sarah who deployed to a forward combat zone.

“Good morning, Fritz.” (No answer).

The advent season begins this Sunday. In many Christian traditions four weeks leading up to Christmas marks a period of preparation for the celebration to come, which is known as advent.

Turkeys and cornucopias and pilgrim hats. Seasoned stuffing hot from the oven. Creamed onions, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Uncles and aunts and cousins to play with.