If you are reading this blog the weekend I am writing, than you have passed the halfway point of Lent- Congratulations! This year our family ministry team made a conscious effort to encourage this practice among our families. Practices of fasting, prayer, worship, and generosity are all highlighted this season of the Christian calendar, and I hope you’ve had a chance to practice.In the midst of Le...  Read More

As you may already know, I relish in keeping things simple. The Christian life is wonderfully deep and profound (trinity, incarnation, theories of the atonement, eschatology, pneumatology, etc.) and yet amazingly simple, “For God so loved the world…” Gods design is that anyone can seek and find him. Both the intellectual and the simplest mind can come to trust in his marvelous gift!Coming to the t...  Read More

This is the third blog post in my series on the liturgical church calendar. So far, we have covered Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. If you missed those posts, you could find the Advent post HERE, and the Christmas and Epiphany post HERE. Today, we are going to look at Lent.Lent is a season of anticipation and preparation that precedes Easter. It is a time for Christians to reflect on Christ’s wor...  Read More

9 years ago, in February 2014, I experienced something that I'll never forget.  It formed me.  I want to tell you about it.The following story happened in Les Rois, Haiti.  Les Rois is nestled in a forgotten valley, far off the well-traveled roads, between lush mountains.  Les Rois is a special place that I'll never forget!  I met Christ incarnate there, but I'm getting off track...  that story ...  Read More

At the beginning of the new year, my "resolution" (if one could call it that), was to try and read at least 2 books a month. Truth be told, I have been doing a so-so job at that, just wrapping up my first one now, but it got me thinking about the books I've readChristian books can be tricky. I've read ones that are boring, ones that could have been condesnsed into a few paragraphs, and ones that w...  Read More

Every January we are reminded of the anniversary of the Roe versus Wade decision. A black mark on our culture that opened the door to abortion on demand. The numbers since that decision in 1973 are staggering… sobering… and incredibly troubling. But nevertheless, this is the situation we live in.January is also the month that our Upward basketball and cheerleading season starts. Our sanctuary, bet...  Read More