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One of my favorite teachers, and the founding pastor of the church I happily attend in downtown Portland, recently re-released one of his bestsellers, Garden City: Work, Rest, and the Art of Being Human. Along with the release, his teaching podcast Practicing the Way (also the name of his latest book), re-aired his six-part sermon series by the same name, originally delivered in 2013. My how the world has changed since then (especially mine), but his message has not. As I hav

Easter Brunch at Cornell Farm In recent years, I’ve been introduced to the inner workings of the annual church calendar. When I started in full-time youth ministry, the church calendar meant Youth Convention in the fall, Winter Camp, spring Fine Arts Festival, Summer Camp, and assorted beach trips and lock-ins along the way. Those were great days, but I still don’t miss the smell of the boys’ cabins, and why in the world do we do all-night lock-ins again? I mentioned in one

2026 has not gone according to script as of the end of the first quarter. It hasn’t gone according to resolution either, because I finally learned the secret . . . don’t make any!  A long time ago I heard the secret to happiness is having low expectations. Sad . . . but kinda true. Sigh. But my sad start to the year actually had nothing to do with resolutions. Many of you know that I lost my father recently, after a lengthy time in the hospital, and an even lengthier battl

No, this isn’t an end of year financial appeal. I’ve gotten more than a few of them from great organizations, and I wish I could support them all. The need is always great, and now in my neck of the woods with the recent flooding in the Pacific Northwest. It has been hard to watch the news and see the devastation being wrought by the rain and the wind. Convoy of Hope, who we support every month, is always one of the first on the scene, as they are in northern Washington stat

Happy Holidays! I do hope you and yours have had a wonderful holiday season to date. Me and mine certainly have, including a fabulous feast on Thanksgiving at grandma and grandpas with extended family. And the Christmas season never disappoints, with the return of the Egg Nogg Latte at Starbucks, a particularly warm and inspiring mix on my Paul Cardall Pandora station, and an upcoming trip to the desert to be with the newlyweds (oldest son Kyle and Claudia). But the highl

Happy Halloween! Or Happy Harvest. Or happy day before the Christmas season unofficially begins. I have friends that decorate their tree… tonight! Sigh…pass the Reese’s. But before the orange and black turns to red and green, it is only appropriate to reflect on our fear. Well, I guess that should be plural. Spiders, ya know. And high places. And final exams. Do you still have that nightmare? You forgot to study. Your #2 pencil is broken. And you’re wearing pajamas. Sigh…pa

I see dead things . . . Of course I do. Tis the season, after all. Boney hands and bodies reaching up through the ground. Skeletons as tall as a house and as small as a mouse. The best I’ve seen, by the way, is a yard in Cannon Beach where a large skeleton has his hands raised, controlling an army of small skeletons climbing the fence and ready to take over the otherwise sleepy beach town. And in a nearby neighborhood in my town, the Pirates of Pinehurst have already taken

Hello Friends! I hope your fall is off to a “best-of-all-seasons” start. Ah, the red leaves, orange pumpkins, and brown liquids (PSL’s & Cider)! Why is it we celebrate death this month again? I know, but I think I feel the most alive during these months. Speaking of alive, I heard a definition of life recently that was quite thought provoking. If you are alive then you “have the ability to change.” That sounds like the line from a sermon, but it turns out it’s scientifica

If you read last week’s blog, you’ll know I’m a small-town boy from Prineville (and Monmouth, and Dallas, and …). So the transition to...

I greet you today from Oregon’s wine country, which I’ll introduce at length in book two (A Taste of the Kingdom). At the moment, I’m...

WELCOME TO PARADISE! I greet you today from my happy place, which is truly paradise. I’m looking out the window at a pine and juniper...