This past week was Labor Day and my family took that literally. We have been meaning to organize our garage for years now and it seems like a never ending battle. I was just about to install some shelves when my wife reminded me that two years ago we dreamed of installing windows in the back of the garage to allow more circulation. So, this past Monday, I started the process of installing two wind...  Read More

We are all called to continue to look more like Christ. And sometimes the best way to do that is to be willing to hear from others where we might need to improve. And, I can tell you first hand, that is hard.  Read More

Regularly we offer a Membership Class at the church. I love to talk about all the things that the church is doing and helping people take their next steps in growth. There are always questions about our church's beliefs and how they can volunteer and serve in the church. But, one of my favorite parts is to share the origin story.We all have origin stories. Who were your parents? Where were you bor...  Read More

Unconditional love” is a near-cliché. People use those words as if it happens rather naturally. But, that is the kind of love that our dog of the past 14 years offered. Buddy died last night and as I was saying goodbye, I was overcome by how much unconditional love he showed us. No matter what day we had, or what mood we were in, he always loved you.In actual practice that kind of love comes easil...  Read More

My family and I are in Maryland for a few days to attend the funeral of my wife's aunt. I've been thinking of a verse from Isaiah, "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”  Read More

Negotiating. It always feels like everyone loses. Yesterday, my sister called saying she was driving to town to buy her dream Jeep. I did my research as quickly as I could. I told her what to say, what not to say. She did great. And then, at the last minute, after she thought everything was done, they changed the terms on her.Car negotiations can stir up anxiety and frustration as both parties str...  Read More

Today, I am working on fixing my dad's house before I put it on the market. After he died, we found the house had foundation damage. Now that the foundation has been fixed, there are cracks in the walls and floors to repair.This experience reminds me of the Scripture about the wise man who hears the word of God and builds his house on the rock. Sometimes I see cracks appearing in my heart. I get a...  Read More

DAY 20 | FEBRAURY 3, 2023Mark 5: 1-20They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.[a] When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was stro...  Read More

DAY 19 | MARCH 2, 2023Mark 4: 35-41That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 3Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.  Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke h...  Read More

DAY 18 | MARCH 1, 2023Mark 4: 26-34He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the ...  Read More

DAY 17 | FEBRUARY 28, 2023Mark 4: 21-25He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”'“Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will b...  Read More

Day 16 | February 27, 2023Mark 4: 1-20Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along...  Read More