Evergreen Connection
We Seldom Get the Church We Want
Last week – as the snow was softly falling outside and my wife and daughters were enjoying the coziness of the day and the fun of the lush white front yard, I was in bed with food poisoning. Worse yet, my wife had warned me to refrain from consuming what I had chosen to, promptly, […]
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Be Snow and Know That I Am God
Snow prompts a wide array of reactions from those us on whom it rarely falls. Some laugh and clap their hands, while others groan and hang their heads. I recommend trying to like it as well as you can, because when God says to his heavenly storehouses, “Fall to the earth,” it falls, whether we […]
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GriefShare
If you were at church on Sunday, you may have heard me mention in the announcements that we are in the process of launching a new-to-us ministry called GriefShare, which is a 13 week video-based support group, designed to care for the needs of people who are experiencing significant grief due to the loss of […]
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Lois Souder Gave Jesus to her Generations
Having been a pastor for so many years, I rarely get to simply attend a memorial service, but today I had that privilege as we gathered to remember Lois Souder. As always happens, my knowledge of Lois increased exponentially in the space of an hour and I came away overwhelmingly blessed by the story of […]
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Remember Our Spanish Ministry
I went to the doctor this morning and it was wonderfully boring. I went simply because it has been a few years and my miles are getting high enough that wisdom calls for periodic checkups. Happily, I have nothing to report. That is quite humbling when so many others are facing very difficult health problems. […]
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What’s Next?
Alicea and I are preparing for the next chapter in our lives. We are closing up shop in Vancouver and are heading to Weatherford, Texas. Weather-where? It is North-East Texas near the Dallas-Fort Worth area. I will be stepping out of vocational ministry for the time being and I will be pursuing a career in […]
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Mission 2023: Rock Nest Ranch
When I was in high school (quite a few moons ago now), I took a trip with my youth group to north-central British Columbia, where we served under the umbrella of UIM International. UIM exists to help First Nations / Native American people come to know and follow Jesus. They have missionaries serving in Canada, […]
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Mine to Give
She was a joyous surprise from the first day we met her. We were grateful as could be for Tyler and Justin, but we openly hoped baby number three would be a girl. That hope grew and grew as delivery day approached, and many well-wishers cheered for the same. (Yes, there were ultrasounds in those […]
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The Art of Catechism
One of the beautiful things about the church is that we have 2000 years of history to call back on. That’s 2000 years of saints gathering together in the name of Jesus, taking communion together, and baptizing those that have professed faith. As 21st century Christians, we can easily miss the fact that church history […]
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2022 – What a Year!
2022 – What a Year! Or something like that. We’re near the end and it’s not a bad idea to take stock of the year. What happened? What situations or circumstances dominated the year? Is it a year you’ll look back on with fondness? Or a year you’ll be happy to move on from? My year has […]
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