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Underwater Christmas
Suddenly there was the sense of coming up from the bottom of a pool. Daylight shone through the water’s surface and ripples from the push of water from below radiated outward. It was not yet the moment to break the plane out of the water and into the air.
Peeling Oranges - Part 2
A new TikTok trend called the “Orange Peel Theory” is centered around the idea that small deeds of service indicate a partner’s commitment to their significant other. These small gestures, like peeling an orange for someone, is “the acknowledgement and the feeling of being taken care of and cherished.” What would this look like if we applied this to others in our life?
For Me, It’s 11pm
couple of days ago I hit a big number. The older I get the less I care about birthdays. No need to fuss or party, since everyone has one. But decade markers make a person sit up and take notice.
Meditations on the Lord’s Supper
In most churches we partake of the Lord's Supper every month by eating a small morsel of bread and drinking a tiny cup of grape juice. We use it as a time of meditation, but do we often think of the significance of those two elements?
Third? No, Thanks
A bit ago I wrote about the parable Jesus told of the Good Samaritan. A few folks had issues with the application, as it rubbed a blister on pretty set ideas on life and culture. Living out the great commandment to love one another is often messy and never optional, regardless who needs the help.
Thinking Back, Looking Forward
As usual, it’s hard to believe that another year has already come and gone, but here we sit in 2024. At Foundry, we are very excited for the upcoming year, and we look forward to all that the Lord has in store for us in the next 12 months.
Peeling Oranges - Part 1
When was the last time you peeled an orange? Was it a Valencia, blood, or maybe a navel orange? Or maybe it was a Tangelo. Did you peel it with your teeth, your fingers, or maybe a knife? Nutrition experts advise that we should have two to five servings of fruit per day. That’s interesting, but I really don’t mean to talk about the type of oranges that grow on trees.
End of Year Thoughts
One of my guilty pleasures is to watch Tom Selleck play Jesse Stone in a few of Robert Parker's novel adaptations for TV. Whenever it cycles onto the tube I'm there, and honestly, Selleck reading the phone book would catch my attention, and the stories are a fun diversion.
The Child With Four Names
Names are important. Expectant parents peruse name lists on the internet for just the right one for their son or daughter. Biblical names often have great theological significance. For example, …
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.