I was surprised at how emotional I felt all morning. From the moment I walked in and saw the incredible venue – (a gym with huge cartoon bulls painted on the walls, filled with church “stuff”)—to the warmth of the greetings, to the flood of people walking through the doors…I was a little “verklempt” (a […]
What happens when they walk out that door?
One of the hardest moments in a parent’s life is the day their graduate walks out their door and heads into a future apart from the love, care, wisdom, and, yes, scrutiny, they received while living at home. In that moment, every parent understands what is at stake. All they have poured into their child…and […]
Our daughter is launched!
I still remember clearly the day almost 13 years ago when we drove our firstborn, Rachel, over to Whitworth College (it was “College,” not “University,” at that time) to begin her post-Gig Harbor life. And I remember vividly the moment when all parents were told, “OK, it’s time to leave. Say your goodbyes…and go. They […]
Sorry…no star!
Only Matthew tells the story of the magi—the “three kings”—who journeyed to worship baby Jesus. Of course, we don’t know if there were three (we assume so because of the three gifts). And they weren’t really “kings” (but they were apparently wealthy, judging by the swag they offered to the Holy Family.) They were “magi”— astrologers […]
A Christmas morning gift
If you are familiar with the Five Love Languages, you know that one of them is “gift-giving.” My mom has that gift. She LOVES to think about and shop for the people in her life. I don’t have that gift. I DON’T like to think about gifts and shop for them. The fact that Amazon […]
Pedal to the metal
Over the last few weeks, at the encouragement of many, many of you, we have tried to share more candidly about our current financial situation. As with so many of our families, your Chapel Hill Church family has faced some economic challenges this year. So we took some positive steps. We shared with you our […]
Insufferable grandparents
We grandparents can be insufferable, I know. Just give us an opening…just push the door open a crack…and we will dash through it with stories of how brilliant, how beautiful, how extraordinary our grandchildren are…replete with a terabyte worth of cell phone photos and videos to make our case. I might be the worst, I […]
I’m so blessed!
The other day I was driving home, pondering… if I am honest…worrying some… about several challenges facing our church. As I drove along in a funk, a song came on the radio. I’d never heard it before…but it captivated me like no song has in a long time. The song was called “I’m So […]
Legacy Sunday
Twelve years ago, I shared with our elders what I believed to be the three priorities for our coming decade. Not that we didn’t have other things to attend to, but these three would be our particular focus. I called them the “3 Ds”: denomination, debt, and discipleship. First, denomination. We were increasingly aware that […]
Fret not
I “rediscovered” a psalm recently: Psalm 37. Of course, I’ve read it countless times over the years, but somehow, it jumped out at me. I’m calling it the “Don’t fret” psalm. Pull it out and read it. David encourages the reader three times in the first eight verses, “Fret not yourself.” “Fret not yourself because […]