How did you spend New Year’s Day? We spent it together as family, enjoying some of our traditions and taking time to appreciate one another. Most of what we did would be considered boring by many people, but the day was filled with a sense of meaning and family, even the nap I took to catch up on the sleep I lost watching the ball […]
Happy New Year! Does anything say new beginnings better than a birth? Even our cultural celebration of New Year’s Eve and Day represents the New Year in the form of a baby taking over for the aging Father Time. I, for one, am profoundly struck by the celebration of beginnings right in the middle of the Christmas season. It there is a new beginning worth […]
Yesterday, I announced that I was being appointed to another church. The congregation I serve did not expect that news and a few weeks ago, neither did I. I already indicated my desire to stay where I was and the church shared their hope that I would remain their pastor. We were comfortable with each other and enjoying ministry together, then God stepped in with […]
“I am just not feelin’ it.” That was exactly how I felt yesterday, as I stared at a blank screen pondering what to write for my blog post. I’ve actually felt that way off-and-on for several days. I love to write, but I simply did not feel inspired. Then, last night, I got the word. While watching a rerun of an episode of Art Race, […]
The beginning of a new year brings opportunities to dream new dreams, to discover new visions and to take important steps toward fulfilling your destiny. The pause we create as we say goodbye to the old year and embrace what lies ahead, gives us time to listen to the voice of the Spirit and respond to the heart of God. This is the time to […]
In the beginning, God created all that is. For six days He crafted the heavens, the earth and all that is in them. On the sixth day God created humanity and then on the seventh day, He rested, and while the initial creation was complete the story was far from over. There would be sin, brokenness and pain, yet the creating, restoring power of God […]
Well, here we are again, entering into another new beginning. These new beginnings are wonderful opportunities to assess where we’ve been and to prayerfully consider where we are going. Now is where we remind ourselves of what God did for us in the past and ask ourselves what we did for God. It is the time when we dream about the future and pray for God’s vision […]
How much is your relationship with God worth? What are you willing to exchange for the blessing God has for you? What issues and agendas are you willing to pursue in spite of the effect on your faith, your witness, and your life? We all have something, or some-things, that we get so attached to that we let them affect the meaningful parts of our […]
Where will you be when Christmas finds you? It happened to me tonight in a most unexpected way. This morning, I was in the office commiserating with someone who shared my sense that it just did not feel like Christmas. Sure, many of our presents are already purchased, and yes, the carols have been playing in the stores and in our car. There is even […]
There is just something wrong with finding the Halloween candy and the candy canes next to each other,” was the quote posted by a good friend of our family as she lamented the advance celebration of the holidays. Most of us have probably had similar feelings as we watched the Christmas decorations come out near the beginning of October, and most recently the Black Friday […]