Maybe grace is a little like this…
I turn 40 in a couple of months, and I set a crazy goal of running 40 laps–10 miles–on the big day. So I’ve been training, running 4 times a week. I’ve been running a loop that I thought was 4 miles. Tonight I took my GPS, and I [...]

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Wednesday was one of those days that reminds me why I could write, “I love what I do!” on Monday.
I got to speak in a Political Science class at George Fox University about how I face separation of church and state issues. Clint, Professor Baldwin, invited me…and then took me to coffee afterward, where we [...]

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I just finished reading the biography of Thomas Kelly, written by his son Richard. My friend Steve gave it to me; Kelly’s Testament of Devotion has been a favorite of mine for a long time, and Steve has loved The Eternal Promise. Kelly has an ability to give voice to what’s beyond words, that true [...]

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On Monday, I visited someone in the hospital; only, instead of it being the Newberg Hospital, it was about 45 minutes away. It just so happens that this hospital is in my old neck of the woods, right where I went to high school. So when I finished the visit, I drove up Sunnyside Road [...]

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Here’s something I haven’t said publicly for a very long time: I love what I do!
I’ve always loved how being a pastor gives me a unique invitation to walk alongside people through their joy and their pain. In just the last 48 hours, I’m thinking of 3 significant chances to speak hope into people’s lives, [...]

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Thank you.
Thanks for all your thoughts, e-mails, and prayers. Today was a good day. In each service, it seemed we became a gathered meeting. God’s presence was with us, and this was a very good experience for me. I think, as Robin wrote in the comments, that I probably have more to write. But I [...]

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I now have 11 pages, typed, single spaced, of my own thoughts and quotes from books and people about communion. It’s 1:08 in the morning, and I’m too tired to keep pushing on, but I still need more clarity before Sunday. God, work in my spirit and mind and heart even as I sleep.

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In worship on Sunday, I’ll be talking about communion. I’ve been reading things I haven’t read in awhile, like Barclay’s Apology and Jack Willcuts’ Why Friends are Friends and Elton Trueblood’s A People Called Quakers. I’ve read things I haven’t read before, in particular Thomas Kelly’s essay on symbolism in The Eternal Promise. Kelly has [...]

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Wednesday, I gathered with other Newberg pastors for a prayer summit. We met at 5 Rock Ranch, outside of Yamhill, Oregon.
One of the best things about the day came in the late afternoon. We’d gotten to the point where we could share honestly how we needed prayer, and it helped tremendously to feel a [...]

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I’m full, God. The good kind of full. Many good things from the day are filling me with contentment and joy and gratefulness to you. May S______’s meeting today be one where she is able to resist being drawn in emotionally, and instead be a firm and loving presence. For H________ and for B__________…would you [...]

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