At NWLife, we’ve been singing Bethel Music’s beautiful remix of the classic hymn It Is Well.
Having grown up in the church, I heard the backstory on this song a number of times – but as we’ve been singing this newer version, I realize many, if not most, of my NWLife church family don’t know the story.
Here is the story behind… Read More
This is the story of how I fell in love with a table…
From growing up in the church, there are two things I remember about communion:
1) I remember it passing me by because I was too young, apparently. So I watched my parents receive. I could smell the grape juice on their breath when they would whisper something to me afterwards. I didn’t understand why I wasn’t included – because I knew that I was included in every other meal my family had.
2) When I was “old enough” to receive, we had another pastor at that time. What I remember was how this pastor seemed bored with communion and in a hurry to get on with the real show. He said the same exact lines every time at the speed of an auctioneer.
Twenty years later, I have… Read More
It’s Sunday – and I like to give some shout outs (what I read online during the past week that I think is worth your time too). So, I’m shouting about these two posts…
This post, Love In The Time Of Ebola by Jayson D. Bradley. Here’s my favorite line: “Tragedy isn’t an opportunity to drum up hatred or animosity toward… Read More
Some dear friends of mine have recently gone though an incredibly tragic and painful experience. Along with them, I want to know “Why?” I want answers. Conclusions. Resolutions. And I know there are none.
Although there are no satisfying answers, I do believe beauty rises from our suffering – but just not quickly.
It will come, in its own time. So in the meantime, we sit in the pain and learn how to manage with it.
While reading Beauty —The Invisible Embrace I was reminded again of the promise from God that beauty will rise from our ashes.
In the words of John O’Donohue… Read More
When there are some particularly share-worthy posts that I read during the week, I save them for Sunday and do a couple shout outs – like…
This post, The Ministry of Disappointment by Amena Brown Owen. Here’s my favorite line: Then I grew up. I learned the painful way that sometimes, even when we pray and ask… Read More
Let Christ inform all of life
Don’t be a religious cliché
Be a real human being
Belong to the human race
Belong to the woods
Belong to the city
Go for long walks
Learn to appreciate… Read More
I’ve had the privilege of serving in full-time ministry for almost 22 years. Looking back, there is much to be thankful for. It hasn’t been all picture-perfect or easy-breezy, but it has been richly rewarding.
More than anything else, I’m thankful for the relationships built over the years with wonderful, real people.
Just yesterday, I received a text message from… Read More
Have you ever noticed how campaign ads will mention who is endorsing that particular candidate?
“Endorsed by Renton Fire Fighters”
“Endorsed by the Seattle Times”
“Endorsed by the National Rifle Association”
Here’s one I’ve never seen…
“Endorsed by Jesus Christ”
Jesus doesn’t belong to your political party.
Why?
It’s… Read More
What do you think of when you hear the word mega?
If you’re into the lottery, maybe “Mega Millions,” right? Or if you’re a fan of the Transformer’s franchise, “Megatron” comes to mind.
Mega is a unit prefix in the metric system – denoting a factor of one million.
For example, with digital cameras, we talk about mega pixels: an 8-mega pixel camera can record up to 8 million pixels.
Mega is also used to describe the explosive power of nuclear weapons – as “megatons,” and the frequency of electromagnetic radiation – as “megahertzs.”
But what we’re talking about today is church… Read More
It’s Sunday, so here are a few shout outs (what I really enjoyed reading online this past week and want to share with you):
This post, I See You by Andrea Levendusky. Seriously, this one is beautiful. Here’s my favorite line… Read More
