Hello, Chapel Hill! Most of us who have any kind of religious background are familiar with the Lord’s Prayer. The disciples asked something of Jesus that they never had before…and never would again. They asked, “Lord, teach us…” Now, if you had been a follower of Jesus during the heady opening days of his ministry […]
Important news about a staff change
Hello, Chapel Hill: For seven years, Ryan Palmer has served the youth and families of our church: as Middle School Director, High School Director, and, more recently, Director of Family Ministries. This week, Ryan presented to me his resignation. I’ll let him explain in his own words: This has been a season of ministry unlike […]
Beyond these walls, like we never imagined!
You may not believe it but someday, this COVID stuff will be behind us! It will become part of our lore and, predictably, we will bore our grandchildren to death with stories of how we lived through the Great Quarantine. There is a lot about COVID that is, obviously, very irritating. I’ll confess, I had […]
Refreshing our look
It’s hard to believe that we’ve already been in our “new” house for three years. Frankly, although we’d always dreamed about living in downtown Gig Harbor, we didn’t believe we could ever afford it. But when our realtor found us the proverbial “worst” house on the block with an incredible view, we knew we’d come […]
Passover plague
Hello, my Sweetheart Church! After a brief road trip through Idaho (Twin Falls is beautiful!), Utah, and Montana, Cyndi and I returned to spend a Staycation in beautiful Gig Harbor. Lots of golf, biking, walking, gardening…and Portuguese lessons. It’s been great! Being home also allowed us a chance to join in our return to in-person […]
I wept.
I didn’t make it through the first stanza of the first hymn. As we sang “Be Thou My Vision,” I began to weep. I had no idea how much I missed worshipping with my church family. Of course, it was only a portion of that family. Ninety-two to be exact. If you’d told me four […]
Wait a second before you get mad
It is amazing and disheartening to me how eager we are to take offense. I knew that wading into my own personal reflections about my views on race and racism would stir things up. (Of course, in case you weren’t clear on it, that is actually part of the job description of a pastor/preacher. It […]
Sleep on This: The Thin Blue Line (June 8)
Good evening, friend: I know, I know…I said last Friday’s Sleep on This reflection would be the last for a while. I lied. I have one more thing I need to say. Many years ago, I was returning home from a particularly boring committee meeting, tooling along in the fast lane on cruise control. I know […]
Sleep on This: Shaking in front of the microwave
Good evening, friend! Most mornings I start my day scrambling two eggs in the microwave. It only takes 55 seconds and produces a surprisingly yummy…and quick…protein shot. But if you decide to try it, be forewarned: it must be carefully monitored lest you blow the whole thing all over the inside of the machine. Trust […]
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Sleep on This: Color blind? Yuck.
Good evening, friend! A year ago, Cyndi and I celebrated our 30th anniversary with a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. One of our anticipated adventures was a drive up Mauna Kea for world-class star-gazing. We parked in one of the lots and walked up a nearby peak to join others in waiting for […]