The Narrow Way: Choosing Formation Over PerformanceThis week, as we gathered for worship, many of us carried a heaviness with us. The fires across our region are not right in our backyard, but they fe...  Read More

This past Sunday was not the morning I expected.I was supposed to be on the road to Portland for a family reunion. Instead, I stood before our church family with a heavy heart because Pastor Ed Burns—...  Read More

Lifting Our Heads: A Reflection from VBS SundayThis past Sunday was VBS Sunday, and what a joy it was to celebrate what God did in and through our church this week.All week long, our building was full...  Read More

What Has Your Heart?This week, as our building fills with the colors, lights, and energy of VBS, I’m reminded that following Jesus is meant to involve our whole lives—not just our Sunday mornings, not...  Read More

Learning to Pray with Open HandsThere is a question I have been sitting with lately:When was the last time I came to God with open, empty hands?Not hands full of my agenda.Not hands gripping a plan I ...  Read More

Know Jesus. Know Yourself. Live the Mission.This past Sunday was a gift.We gathered, worshiped, prayed, gave, laughed a little through announcements, and then had the privilege of hearing from Reveren...  Read More

Living Before the Audience of OneHappy Father’s Day again to all the dads, grandfathers, and father-like figures in our church family. Fatherhood is a gift from God, and today we celebrate the men who...  Read More

Who Is Hardest For You To Love Right Now?(A Pastor’s Reflections on Loving Our Enemies)When I stepped up to preach this past Sunday, I knew we were heading straight into the deep end.Before we opened ...  Read More

On Preaching About Lust, Adultery, and Divorce (When You’d Rather Preach on Almost Anything Else)I didn’t exactly volunteer for this passage.As we laid out our teaching plan for the Sermon on the Moun...  Read More

Jesus Heals Every Kind of OppressionA Pastor’s Reflection on Partnering with God’s Mission, Here and in AfricaOn Pentecost Sunday, as we gathered for worship, I was reminded again that we are part of ...  Read More

When Happiness and Holiness Collide: Reflections on the Beatitudes(A Pastor’s Heart After Sunday)Every Sunday, right before I step up to preach, I look around the room for a moment.I see people I know...  Read More

On Being Truly “Blessed”: Reflections From a Pastor’s HeartYesterday I preached the opening lines of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–6). Today I’m still sitting with them, and honestly, they w...  Read More