Article: The Mood of Christmas

At the Wednesday Lenten Service, I talked about being reLENTlessly misguided. When Jesus was the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives between Jerusalem and the town of Bethany he was arrested. The Passover meal had ended and they left Jerusalem for Bethany because they were most likely staying at Mary, Martha and Lazarus’…

Yesterday we began the intentional journey toward the most important event on the Christian calendar: Easter. It is so important that we take these 40 days (minus Sundays) to prepare for Jesus’ resurrection. Every excursion has a starting point. For us, our starting point is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday has a long history within Christianity….

Sometimes I think we are wired to ask the question, “What’s in it for me?” We are motivated by advantage. We might weigh the benefit of doing something selfless before we act. The benefit might boil down to, “Will this act make me look like a good person in the eyes of others?” Not everyone…

I stumbled across this article by Pr. Rick Warren of Saddleback Church. This is a wonderful approach to team ministry.  The picture is my own addition.   8 Values of TEAMWORK That Keep a Church Healthy By Rick Warren The success of your ministry depends largely on developing a strong team with a deep sense…

This past Sunday at church, I told everyone that Rachel (my wife) made an old family cookie recipe that goes back several generations. That old Swedish cookie is called “Pepparkakor.” The house smelled wonderful as the first batch of cookies baked in the oven. The aroma took me back to when I was a child…

  This is the season of graduations. Yes, people do graduate from various institutions at different times of the year but early June is when the vast of majority of people (young and old) graduate from schools. A week ago today (Thursday) I picked up Carl’s high school diploma from his school. I have now…