This culmination of daily scriptural ruminations is Volume 02 in the Jeremiah Series. It was born out of a place of deep pain and great hope.

What began as a simple pre-dawn sharing of scriptural encouragement with my two brothers, following the loss of my 24-year-old son and my older brother's wife in the late fall of 2018, quickly became a daily lifeline to help us process and understand the tragedies we faced. I soon started sharing these writings with my children, then with a close brother in Christ who also lost his 23-year-old son just three months after Michael. From there, it slowly grew as other young dads and friends in need of encouragement began receiving them. What started as one copy, one paste, and one send at a time has now reached many friends and friends of friends.

After more than five years of faithfully writing and sending out these daily "ruminations," you now hold a portion of this labor of love in your hands.

It is my sincere prayer that these Rational Ruminations will bless and enrich your walk with Christ as deeply as they have enriched and blessed mine while writing them.

The decision to begin this series in the book of Jeremiah was no coincidence. Jeremiah's message, often delivered during times of great hardship and uncertainty, is ultimately one of hope, renewal, and God's unwavering faithfulness. For a project born from personal loss and a deep longing for encouragement, Jeremiah's steadfast reliance on God in the face of adversity perfectly mirrors the heart of these writings. It is my prayer that this starting point in Jeremiah provides a firm foundation for finding peace, purpose, and God's promises in the midst of life's greatest challenges.