Tag: church

Good News of Great Joy: Spiritual Resilience in a Time of Dying

Pastor, you are God’s beloved. Even if your church like mine faces overwhelming odds – in deep need of soul revival, visionary co-laborers, and ministry re-birth. God knows these burdens are too big for you and me. If we make these our goals, we might feel deeply unloved, overlooked, unheard. Some of us may even…
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Big Church

Anne and I recently returned from a 2-month sabbatical. It was the third one I’ve had since being ordained, and in a word it was–epic. We ran and rested, biked and hiked and toured. I read and wrote extensively while Anne (a studio artist) sketched and painted. We spent time with our family and close…
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Learning What You Already Know

The Jewish Sabbath prayer says: “Days pass and the years vanish, and we walk sightless among miracles. Lord, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing; let there be moments when Your Presence, like lightning, illumines the darkness in which we walk.” I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the…
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Staying Connected

After ministry adventures in Minneapolis, my hometown of Seattle, and nearly a decade in Hollywood, CA, we now live in Santa Rosa, CA. That’s Northern California for the unknowing (as I was until 2019), about 45 minutes north of San Francisco. We are in Sonoma County, home of the most vineyards I’ve ever seen–425 different…
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