Happy New Year!

It’s 2010. And just so you know, it’s now pronounced twenty-ten, not two thousand and ten. Thanks for clarifying Luke.


It’s 2010. And just so you know, it’s now pronounced twenty-ten, not two thousand and ten. Thanks for clarifying Luke.
Life doesn’t always go my way. I should have learned that by this point in my life. Thankfully, I live with a 6 year-old who teaches me some of life’s greatest lessons. Shawna had a miserable morning. She desperately wanted to do something. Mom said no. That’s how I got involved. She thought Dad might…

When I’m functioning at my best I trust my gut. That means having a sense about something that others might not understand. It’s helpful when I’m in places where I have to make choices. By far, the most difficult context of gut-wrenching and gut-testing, is in the wilderness. I’ve spent my fair share of time…

A couple of weeks ago I announced that I was going to start praying for change. What I didn’t say was that I invited the rest of our staff team to join with me. And since my invitation, we’ve met three times. We spend 1/2 hour talking openly about the transition and 1/2 hour praying…

Recently, I’ve had a few of the hardest days of my year. At first I thought I was losing my mind: small comments seemed to irritate me, my heart felt strangely heavy, and I couldn’t focus on simple details. My counselor suggested that I might be experiencing the initial stages of burn out. So, I…

One of the most important seasons in the life of a church takes place during pastoral transition. Roger Nicholson’s helpful book, Temporary Shepherds: A Congregational Handbook for Interim Ministry provides and excellent overview of the important tasks congregations should implement on their way from pastoral departure to calling a new leader. Here’s a summary of…
I had an interesting morning. Staff meeting was moving along at record pace. We were on track to finish in good time. I had poured myself a hot cup of coffee and was enjoying my chocolate chip cookie when it happened. Our custodian caught my eye through the glass doors. I was needed. Without…