I didn’t complete the 50,000 words for the National Novel Writing Month challenge, but I wrote more fiction than I ever have before, and I learned a lot about novel writing, discovered some interesting plotlines, and even wrote a few good scenes. It was a great experience and I am ready to try again next year. I will be sure to start at the the […]
Autumn’s beauty is upon us, drawing our attention to the wonders of God in the creation that surrounds us. Trees blaze with leaves of red, orange and yellow. Skies capture our vision with drastic shifts between brilliant blues and black foreboding clouds. The smell in the air, the sounds of geese beginning to move away and busyness of birds and squirrels as they make ready […]
Our church is currently in the midst of our annual stewardship program. This is an important part of our life together where we consider what it means to be a steward of all God gives us, and where we encourage each other to embrace more of what the Holy Spirit is asking of us. This is not about “getting people’s money,” instead; we are looking […]
What would you do if you truly believed all things are possible with God? Early this morning, while I was still up wrestling with the symptoms of a sinus infection I am fighting, I made a decision to jump into the middle of the river. No, I am not planning on literally getting wet, but figuratively, I am in up to my neck and it […]
I have many favorite hymns, but one of them is definitely “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing.” The hymn always touched me but recently, it became even more meaningful. There is a stanza in this classic hymn that includes the words, “He breaks the power of canceled sin, he sets the prisoner free.” I cannot begin to imagine how many times I sang these […]
When I lead mission trips, one of the key tools I take with me are journals. I encourage each member of the team to keep a personal journal where they can write memories and insights then reflect upon them in prayer to see if they can sense the Holy Spirit leading them to a deeper understanding of themselves, of God and of their experience. I […]
We exercised our right to vote and now we face an even bigger responsibility: supporting our leaders and becoming a part of the solution. Our commitment to God and country reaches far beyond a day here or there when we cast an informed ballot. We are called to build community, work together for the common good and seek God’s direction on how to lift up […]
Sometimes real beauty can only be discovered by adversity. When we go through the fire, common things are refined into something uncommon. Challenge and pain can uncover hidden virtues, passions, and possibilities. Watching nature transition from the luscious life of summer to the vibrant beauty of autumn, it is hard to miss that a deeper beauty is revealed in the process of letting go. As […]
Writing yesterday’s post was troubling. Not only because the subject matter was painful, but because the issue of hatred and bullying is so overwhelming. I could not help but feel there was more to consider. Whenever one of these tragedies occurs, there is a sudden outburst of emotion by people troubled by horror of what happened, accompanied by reflections on how we can stop or […]
Thank you for your patience. The post I planned for yesterday no longer felt right, and what I sensed I should write needed time to be written with the right words. This past weekend, our region learned of the death of Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14 year old boy who was struggling with some significant issues in his life. He was also dealing with bullies. On […]