“Madness” In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Genesis 1:1 Yesterday (Thursday) began one of my favorite times of year – March Madness. There was a time … [Read more…]
“Ready or not …” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening’.” 1 Samuel 3:8b-9 It’s Friday morning and I’m spending a few minutes waking up my mind before I finish the … [Read more…]
“Confessions of the Pastor’s Wife: The Complexities of Love” Several years ago, I remember getting a phone call right before dinner. I was juggling plates, loading up food, and sniffing the milk to make sure it was drinkable when I glanced down at the caller ID and immediately sighed. Ugh…what now? The person calling me was … [Read more…]
“Prayers for Peace ” Wednesday evening we were getting ready for bed when I saw the news alert that the Russian attacks and invasion of Ukraine had officially commenced. We turned on a news station and watched in silence as stories and images of shelling and violence were being shared from across Ukraine. When I … [Read more…]
“Be Careful What You Pray For” As I was looking through some emails, I found the following devotion about taking prayer seriously. As I’m in the midst of preparing a Lenten message series on prayer, these words spoke especially loud to me. I hope you are blessed by these words too. Blessings, Chris The smells … [Read more…]
“Too much, or not enough?” One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow … [Read more…]
“Snow Days” Whether you love it, hate it, or accept it as a part of life in the Midwest, winter weather has hit us hard this week. Last evening, I came across a reflection from a colleague of mine, Matt, about lessons we can learn from snow days. I invite you to consider your need … [Read more…]
“Out of Tragedy” It’s my first real memory. It took place this day 36 years ago. Our whole first grade was assembled in the school’s library excitedly focused on the large (30 inch) television that had been wheeled into the middle of the room. After the librarian attached the cables to the television and the … [Read more…]
This will be a brief update this week. It is Friday afternoon and I just received word that I have tested positive for Covid. My symptoms are mild for the most part. I ask for prayers for the rest of my family, that I haven’t passed this along to them. On a related note, Tuesday … [Read more…]
The next day, Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” John 1:43 I can still remember it vividly. We were sitting in chairs under the shade of an old oak tree in Sam’s backyard. It was a warm summer afternoon. Sam’s son and daughter were running around the … [Read more…]