If we’d lived in first-century Israel and witnessed Jesus of Nazareth firsthand, we would have noticed that parties followed him wherever he went. After all, there was much to celebrate. The center point of his teaching, “The kingdom of God is near,” struck a deep chord in the people. They had been waiting a long […]
The older I get, the more convinced I am that Jesus’ presence with me – the gift of the Holy Spirit – comes alongside me, most often in very ordinary days and ways. Jesus in our midst — Do you notice that, too? In the Luke 24 Emmaus Road story, two adults were walking about […]
Since early October we have sought to gather a like-minded network of friends to pause, pay attention, and pray. The 210 Pause. At 2:10 PM each day an alarm chimes on my phone reminding me to turn my attention toward the Lord, to engage in this practice of prayer. I pause and pay attention and pray […]
One of things that jumps off the pages of the gospels is how often Jesus paused, stepped back, and took time to be alone in order to draw closer to God. The gospels record over and again that Jesus withdrew to a deserted place to pray. (Mark 1:35; 6:31, 45–46; Luke 4:42; 5:16; 6:12; Matthew […]
“Teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 Short thought this time… A few weeks ago I was leading two Facilitator Retreats; one in Olympia, Washington and two days later in Warwick, New York. I found myself emphasizing to both groups of pastors and lay-leaders the […]
For many years I’ve been wrestling with the conundrum of moving forward safely on a beautiful hiking trail, while at the same time paying attention to the beauty of God’s creation all around me. I am declaring here, that it cannot be done. You must choose. Forward steps OR paying attention. […]
I am reminded this Thanksgiving week of Christine Pohl’s words on gratitude. She writes, “Our capacity for gratitude is not connected with an abundance of resources but rather with a capacity to notice what it is that we do have.”[i] Our capacity for gratitude is connected to our capacity to notice… We […]
The word kairos means a moment in time. It holds a different meaning than chronos, which is how we typically think of time in terms of a sequence of seconds, minutes and hours ticking along. Kairos has more to do with a right opportunity, or a ripe season, or the progression of something toward a […]
The other night we were out for a walk in our neighborhood and noticed the early signs of the fall season. The grass felt stiffer with a few more rusted leaves to kick around, the air was cooler and smelled fresher, the horses in the pasture across the road seemed a bit more mischievous, and […]
How many times have you heard yourself saying, or thinking, “I don’t think I’m going to go to (fill in the blank).” And then, you summon the energy, obedience, or heart to show up. Later you hear yourself saying, or thinking, “I’m glad I went.” What’s that all about? I think I know the answer. […]
Susan (my wife) and I decided to tag team leading a Journey group in our church. Seven strong women (Judy, Jayme, Carla, Hannah, Rebekah, Andrea, Susan) as well as Seth and myself (we felt much less strong at times) made up our group. Everyone who leads a VP3 group believes they have the best one, […]