Why do humans work? Most people spend the majority of their waking hours working or traveling to work, but to what end? If pressed for an answer, many would respond with statements such as, “To make money,” “To provide for my family,” or, “To make a name for myself.” Although valid reasons, are they enough […]
On the edge of burnout
Do you ever notice yourself saying the same phrase when you are on the edge of burn out? Mine is “why do I have to do everything myself!” Apparently I say it so often it’s becoming a joke around here, and this week I was totally convicted when I heard my five-year-old son repeat the […]
Blindsided
Hello, Chapel Hill! I have a friend who flew attack bombers for the Navy. He was involved in the very first attack in the Iraq war. He tells of completing his run and then, suddenly, having alarms going off in his cockpit warning of an enemy behind him. He pulled a hard left, look back, […]
Thy kingdom come…
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 […]
Take one step forward
Waiting isn’t always doing nothing; sometimes, waiting is doing just the next best thing. Let’s lift our eyes higher than our troubles up to the God who has proven his faithfulness and translate our grumbling into acts of grace. Here are service options that you can take right now. Take one step forward! Contribute […]
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 […]
Worshipping with Hamilton
My wife Megan and I watched Hamilton, the hit Broadway musical that blew away the box office and made cultural waves, now available on Disney+ in these strange times. We’d heard positive reviews from friends who’d gone to see it in person, read articles about it, saw the memes and other ways it had filtered into the […]