The Exodus story about manna serves as a great comfort at first glance – daily provision of bread; no hunting for it, no waiting, no wondering, just there, every day. Sure, it became bland and repetitious, but at least you could count on it. How good of God to deliver it to people wandering the […]
God provides… again!
Who would have thought that two days before Christmas Eve that it was even possible for twelve pastors, school administrators, and ministry leaders to reply to an urgent email? And yet, that’s exactly what happened. Subject Line: SOS! Response: (universally) We’ll see if we can help! Every single person was on vacation and/or preparing for Christmas. I was overwhelmed […]
Christmas Is Coming!
We did a whirlwind tour of New York City last week. The six-month cohort we’re part of met there (who gets a group of pastors together the week before Christmas?!). Well, they promised Christmas magic, and New York City delivered. I don’t just mean Rockefeller Center or the Disneyland-style presentation on Saks 5th Ave. The […]
Chapel Hill Port Orchard: big announcement!
We’re delighted to share the news that Pastor Larry will now fully dedicate his ministry work to Port Orchard! The timing reflects our shared call to serve Jesus together in Kitsap County and the local congregation’s readiness to receive additional ministry staff support. You’re accustomed to seeing Larry on Sundays and team nights, but you […]
Do I really need more lights?
Spur of the moment—the time was set aside for sermon preparation, but I wrote this instead. It made sense, given all the questions swirling in my brain at that moment: “Can I spend $$$$$$$ on a remodel? It’s just supply and demand, right?” “How reasonable it is to buy four more strands of Christmas lights?”; […]
You’ve got two options!
Starting this Sunday, Chapel Hill Port Orchard is worshipping at 9:30 AND 11:00am! Why would a small church add a second service? Because we are a church for our neighbors, seeking God’s shalom in our neighborhoods… And we’ve run out of room for our neighbors! May this never be! This Sunday we had two or three seats […]
Hurry up and slow down already
“Yala, Yala!” I can hear a co-worker enticing us to transition into a meeting. “Pali-Pali!” I can hear a professor teaching us about Korean culture to get moving. “Let’s go!” I can hear myself calling out to my family from the garage just about any day. It’s human nature, right? Productive. Efficient. Multi-tasking. These attributes rank high as points of praise for employees, students, and kids alike. […]
Movin’ on up
Our son came home after every service this summer with a new Bible verse memorized. They came complete with hand motions, and he was so proud to show them off. Do you know any teenagers who similarly want to learn Bible verses with exaggerated hand motions? Me neither! But we had a conundrum in moving […]
Launch Conundrums
The 3 big tasks this week are all because of 3 huge causes for celebration Sunday. We need to expand our downstairs space – because we had 21 kids in the house! We need a safer way up to the front door than our brick steps – because all generations joined us for worship! We […]
Don’t Miss September at 703!
It’s a time of transition. We’re making a move! September 7th will be our last Tuesday on Sidney Ave. We’re moving downtown to 703 Kitsap Street! We’ve already been seeing there what we’d hoped for in starting a church in Port Orchard. […]