Learning
Growth
Unity
Christmas Astronomy
I imagine very few of us have seen the night sky as the ancients did. I can only point to one occasion, in high school, when I joined my youth group for an illegal border crossing into a tiny village in Mexico. We must have been a hundred miles away from the nearest candle or light bulb, and there wasn’t a hint of moisture in the desert sky. Every star, planet and UFO could be seen with precision, and the Milky Way looked so close I could almost taste it.
Who Am I?
I’ve had a secret desire to speak at the NFL Buffalo Bills chapel service. Why the Bills? Josh Allen is their quarterback and he played college football in Laramie, Wyoming where I was a pastor for 21 years.
As With Young Eyes
In our home, the days after Thanksgiving are our D Days. While others may rise early to shop, chasing Black Friday deals around town, our D Day stands for...decorating! Much of our normal stuff is put away, and in comes all things Christmas. My role is of the Devoted Schleper-man, toting bins off garage shelves and staging them in designated rooms, then scaling ladders to string outside lights, and finally, to make myself scarce.
Opening All The Holiday Gifts
It was going to be a bit of a whirlwind trip. Over the snowy mountains for Thanksgiving dinner with my daughter, son-in-law, and their kiddos, including Shihoko, our Japanese exchange student from the 90s, and her family. A second Thanksgiving feast with Dan’s kids and grands and friends, and then overnight with Dan’s daughter and son-in-law.
What I Learned About Prayer From My Recent Surgery
As many of you already know, I recently underwent major surgery (what’s called a radical prostatectomy) to remove some cancerous and other surrounding tissue from my body. Fortunately, my prognosis looks good thus far. I appreciate all the prayers and comforting words on my behalf.
The Unseen
Talking recently with a dear friend from long before high school days, I was reminded, again, how rich are long-term friendships. Tom and I touch base a few times each year to get caught up and challenge one another to read our latest favorite book and lament the unrelenting onslaught of age …
Two Little Words
In the Shirley Temple years of my faith – young, curly, and cute – I was invited to participate in a “Cell” group in my church. The group my husband and I became a part of was coveted by other church attendees because we had some heavy lifters in the fold. The leader was the Senior Pastor and we had a “deep bench” in the sense that other people in our party of twelve had extensive Biblical training.
On Sherpas
I’m a routine guy, and part of my (most) morning behavior is reading a bit from several books. In time I whittle away at them and most days glean something worth remembering. One of those books these days is Bob Goff’s Dream Big.
The Joy of Remarrying Later in Life
For the month of November, the editors at Grit + Grace, an online women’s magazine, requested that we, the regular writers, consider drafting an article starting with “The joy of …”—as in, the joy of being a mother-in-law, the joy of raising teens, the joy of being a military wife. Grit + Grace has been posting these pieces as a different twist on the traditional thanksgiving articles.
Spiritual Body-Building: a Reflection on the Disciplines
A short time ago, Foundry completed an eight week foray into the Christian spiritual disciplines. Attendance for the class was consistently between 25 and 30, all participating in mesmerizing discussions each Sunday morning. Why so much interest in ancient, sometimes uncomfortable, practices of the church?
Go and Do the Same
The familiar stories from Jesus' life can lose their punch if we aren't careful. At the time, they were often stunning to the hearers and challenged accepted ideas about God and life. The parable of the Good Samaritan is a case in point.
What We Wish We Knew About Foster and/or Adopted Kids
I believe it’s important that we who are on the fringes of adoption and foster care have a better grasp of the journey—we, the family, friends, and church members. And so, I interviewed several foster/adoptive moms, and this is the collective message I heard:
No Map, Just Compass
One reason I enjoy reading the Bible lies in its honesty. People are described as they lived, warts and all. Wander into most any church and the sermons you hear can too often sound triumphalistic, simplistic or just a glazed-donut version of life, but the pages of scripture are filled with real people facing real problems and looking to God for a way through them all.
What’s a Micro-adventure?
Dan and I recently stumbled into an unplanned micro-adventure (a micro-adventure defined as short, cheap, local, and low-tech). We zipped up armored jackets, strapped on helmets, and rode Dan’s motorcycle into the mountains on a blue-sky autumn day.
Wait For It
The women at Camp Morrow scurried towards the Chapel building at 8:45 a.m. It was a crisp and clear morning, 23 degrees. Acorns, pine needles, and dry leaves littered the ground. The oak and maple trees were nearly bare. We had been summoned by the camp bell all weekend for meals and Chapel time. The large room bowed in a curtsy to invite us in for the final session of the ladies’ retreat.
Just Another Cow Flop Tuesday
So there I sat, head in hands. I'd blown it again. It seems like just when I make progress in my faith walk I stumble back into old patterns and foolish attempts at making my own way. How could Jesus want me on his team? When will I get it together? Why does it seem when I have a whole pasture to enjoy, I find the one cow flop to step in?
Battle of the Cs
William D. Hoard is a guy most have never heard of. Even if you are a die-hard Packer fan, he is probably unknown to you. William, born in 1836, was a civil war veteran from Wisconsin and later an energetic advocate for the dairy industry in his state. He was elected Wisconsin governor and carried the legacy of the "Father of Wisconsin Dairy Farms." A true cheese head.
What If We Risked Delight?
My heart is saddened by recent world events. And not just bombs and killing and war, but also ongoing poverty and deep hunger, injustices, the selling of humans into slavery, and homelessness right in our backyard.
Beauty In Chaos
For the last several weeks, BibleProject has been exploring the concept of chaos in the Bible. Chaos, also known as disorder, confusion and unpredictability, is represented in Scripture by several things, like the ocean, the wilderness, wild animals, and even dragons! Meditating on chaos, my imagination goes wild.
Who’s Your Shepherd
One of the most recognized and recited passages of the Bible is Psalm 23. Most can quote its opening by heart and easily lean into David’s cadence and imagery. Today, let’s take another stroll through its verses, this time in the New Living Translation.