Well, let’s first backup to Jingle Jam 2022 for a moment please. I decided that maybe it would be cool for Santa to have an ‘elf helper’. So, I asked Beth and Meg what they thought about that and Dr. Shannon was with us at the time, and everybody loved the idea of me dressing up as an …
When does Christmas come to town? For me, it’s at Jingle Jam. If I haven’t told you lately, I had a great childhood. My parents made every birthday, every holiday, really every single day special for my brother and me. I am so grateful to them for all the amazing memories. But I’ll share a secret…Christmas was my favorite. I …
I think my kids are learning a different language at school, and I don’t mean French, Spanish or Latin. Gen A (the generation born in or after 2010) has thrown convention to the wind and collectively decided to change the meaning of words entirely or come up with completely new words through a combination of abbreviations and slang. Here’s a …
One of the struggles I have with holidays as a pastor is the fact that there is little left to say that hasn’t already been said better than I can say it. In the seasons when I’ve been a solo pastor, I secretly dreaded Christmas, Easter, and every other special day on the calendar. All the good stuff has already …
I have the worst memory. More specifically, I have the worst long-term memory. It’s easy to remember where I’m going in a sermon or facts and figures for a meeting (obviously maps fall in this category!). It’s an entirely different story when it comes to childhood memories, collegiate adventures or life with two under two. I’m sure there’s a reason …
Ahoy Mateys, What a great opportunity to be good neighbors we shared last week at the Fall Fest. The joy and excitement on all the faces was definitely a shiver me timbers kind of moment. The event was so well planned and thought out that volunteering was seriously an absolute pleasure. We were so emboldened with our Pirate skills from …
I recently rediscovered a collection of letters that my father wrote during his time overseas during the Vietnam War era (he served in the Air Force in parts of Thailand). It’s a fascinating, strange, wonderful and heartbreaking thing to read letters from a loved one who passed. To be frank, it took me a little off-guard because I’m surprised at …
The Bible has a lot to say about pride. ‘Pride’ or ‘proud’ appears about 120 times in the Old and New Testaments, and not much of it is positive. James offers a representative sample: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). The general sense of scripture is that God hates pride and we should do …
