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Some Pictures from Tornado Damage
We did not have the devastation in Minneapolis that was seen in Joplin, MO. But today I went over to a fellow pastor’s house to help a little bit with some tree removal. Here are a few pictures of the streets along the way.
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Transitions of Life
WARNING: Shameless parental bragging about to commence. I have decided I will probably spend the next 5 years of my life crying constantly. I cry a lot, anyway, but this is a time of life where transitions are really touching me. Last year it was my oldest son getting married. This year, my second son is graduating high school. He…
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Translation Battles and the Advantage of One Main Bible
I try to read broadly on issues of English translations, though I know I miss a lot. Over the past several years I have wanted to settle in on a translation that is useful for me in personal study and in public reading. As I have settled on one main translation (and still using a LOT of others as I…
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The Lesson of the Controlled Burn
Last week when I arrived at the retreat center for my silent prayer retreat the staff let me know they would be doing a controlled burn in the meadow near my cabin. It saved me from panicking when I saw the smoke a few hours later. Being a guy, I had to walk over to see what was happening. The…
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The Gift of Silence
The discipline of silence and solitude is God’s gift to us. It is not our time to come in with our agendas. It is his time to allow us to gear down. To put it bluntly for pastors, it is a time that is needed. We talk too much. There are times we need the Spirit to say to us,…
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Embracing the Silence
As I am away on a silent retreat, I wanted to leave some thoughts on silence and solitude. These are from Thomas Merton. “In order to find God in ourselves, we must stop looking at ourselves, stop checking and verifying ourselves in the mirror of our own futility, and be content to be in Him and to do whatever He…
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Setting the Pilgrim’s Heart
I will be away at a silent retreat this weekend. It is time to come away and listen. My Bible and journal will be the only items to join me. No study materials. It is time to HEAR. My heart is longing for refreshing, as is my body. The silence is wonderful. These are times when I joyfully pull aside…
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Amazing Generosity Within My Community
I know I just posted about the amazing generosity of my community, but the examples are so precious to me. This morning I had my sons drop me off at the church so they could have the car for the rest of the week while I head off to a silent retreat. Later in the morning I decided to take…
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Amazing Generosity
I love being involved in my community. Last night was one of those great nights. As president this year of a service organization (Kiwanis) I got to present scholarship awards to two graduating seniors from our city’s high school. This is a huge night to give out scholarships. In a town with a population around 20,000, an inner ring suburb,…
