This week, we embark on the journey we call Holy Week. We gather in a variety of ways to follow our Lord Jesus in his final days. For those of us who have been Christians for some time, it can be easy to forget the significance of each of the days that we celebrate as […]
Read More… from Journeying Through Holy Week: Unveiling the Heart of the Gospel
“Corporate worship is a weekly event that God uses to shape our people’s souls over the course of decades.” This quote is why our worship together as a church family, week after week, is so valuable to me! Our services…the songs we sing, the prayers we offer, the Word preached…are not only an opportunity to […]
There are lots of things you learn as a parent of a toddler. The latest lesson at our house: whining. My mom used to quote the verse, “do all things without grumbling or complaining” all the time to us kids. Now I know why! But upon further reflection, I am ashamed to admit, my daughter […]
A couple times a week, I will pull up to my favorite coffee stand in the harbor and order myself an iced decaf latte. Iced, because I run warm. Decaf, because I’m naturally caffeinated. And a latte because I’m not a “real” coffee drinker…I just like my milk with ice and a couple shots of […]
Prayer changes the atmosphere. I remember the first time a mentor couple told me that. And it has stuck with me ever since. It was evident to me that they really believed in and knew the power of prayer. They had seen time and time again how spending time in the Lord’s presence made an […]
Last week, I got to do something that I have never done before: I took a week off work entirely devoted to study. One of the requirements and, indeed, gifts of being a pastor in our denomination is to take time away from ministerial responsibilities to engage in ongoing learning. This meant doing something I […]
Fred Rogers, better known as Mister Rogers from the famed children’s TV show Mister Roger’s Neighborhood, received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Emmys in 1997. In his recipient speech, he used his time in a way no one else had before. “All of us have special ones who have loved us into being,” he […]
I know I’m a “young gun” (pun intended!). So, it might come as a surprise that this summer I’ll be celebrating my 10th year in vocational ministry. I am so grateful to God for his faithfulness over the last decade, during which time I have had the joy of leading worship in the local church […]
Believe it or not, the holiday season is upon us! The radio stations are starting to change to Christmas tunes. The Christmas décor is available wherever decorations are sold. And now that we have finished stuffing ourselves with turkey and all the trimmings, the holiday season has officially begun! In light of this, we are […]
What is mental health? Where does mental illness even come from? What are Christians supposed to do about it? If you’re a Christian living in the United States, you can’t help but ask these questions. Around 47 million Americans suffer from some kind of mental illness—that’s one out of every five people. These are real people who are struggling with real […]