By the time you read this letter, I will officially have completed my Doctor of Ministry degree. I am thrilled to complete this five-year journey. I am thankful beyond words… but I’ll try to use words anyhow. Naively, when I began the D.Min. program at Fuller Theological Seminary...
In 2015, our session decided to contribute financially toward two local youth programs. We contributed to the ecumenical youth center, ICKY’s and to Athletes For Education and Success (AFES). Our mission ministry team visited both organizations and felt strongly that our dollars would make...
I’m writing this article the day after our big storm. Now they’re saying that tonight we’ll have a big storm too. So by the time you read this, there may be two days after a big storm. The first night of storms took place on our ministry team night. I had finished up at our...
Have you ever felt like you’ve just been going through the motions, like you were simply doing what was expected of you? I have to be honest; sometimes worship feels that way. Maybe you’ve heard somebody say something like “I just didn’t get anything out of worship...
I’ll never forget the first time I came home after leaving for college. Having graduated from high school in the San Francisco Bay Area, my college was 811 miles away near downtown Seattle, Washington. After just two months away, I flew home for Thanksgiving break. The evening drive from...
This morning while eating my Multi-Grain Cheerios, I finished reading 1 Kings. The end of the book finds the reader going through a cycle of descriptions about the various kings of Israel and Judah. In the typical way, verses 41 through 44 describe the reign of Jehoshaphat, a king of Judah...
I am writing this newsletter article at the eleventh hour. I generally try not to procrastinate, but I am rewriting my newsletter article because a few trusted people told my that my first article was too political. One of the three pastors I shared it with thought I should post it. Also, one...
For the past month I’ve been having a blast thinking about our mission and vision. This sermon series has had me digging through old church newsletter articles, annual reports, and bulletins, while also thinking about our town and opportunities around us, while simultaneously thinking...
There’s a fun youth group game that involves two teams, two individuals, and some of those foam pool noodles. Usually in a big room, the two individuals represent their teams, wear a blindfold, and try to hit their opponent with the pool noodle. To complicate matters, they start off in...
When I was in junior and senior high school, I spent a great deal of effort trying to prove the Christian faith to unbelieving friends of mine. I would refer to books like Josh McDowell’s Evidence that Demands a Verdict and Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ. I never had much success...
