I sauntered around the corner of the counter, unfamiliar with this new coffee shop, looking for the menu. Who was I kidding? I was going to get an americano. But still. Settling in a new hometown lends itself to an uncomfortable amount of hesitation in each new...

A story and an open letter especially to my Oroville friends and family:Six and a half days into our southern reconnaissance expedition, as we wind through streets we’ve never seen before, Bella leans forward from the back seat and asks “Why don’t they spell it...

Jesus knocks On churches WhoClose the doors On hurting FewJesus still Runs after YouWithHard words for Hard people Soft words for Real ones Real words for Soft peopleJesus had a knack for finding all of ‘em Hard knocks, soft hearts Hard hearts, soft knocksEvery door...

What a week to contemplate what it means to be in public ministry.Holy week.King and criminal. Triumphant entry and nauseating exit. Hope and despair.Death and resurrection....And we're out here talking about sneakers. In case you haven't seen it, in the last month,...

To be a part of heaven you don’t need to be dead. You don’t need to theologize your way into all of the right/correct/accurate/true/perfect/flawless beliefs or habits. To make a splash, an impact, a did-that-just-happen moment, a heap of hope for hearts-gone-cold, you...

A few years ago, friends of ours asked us to meet them at a local pizza place. We had been partnering with them in ministry for a few years prior to this dinner, and we knew that it was kind of a heavy moment because when it is, you can’t really hide it, you know?So...

So. Friends. If you’re reading this post, you probably know the situation, but just in case, I want to give some context.Yesterday I posted on Facebook about a nomination at our church that was not for me. I shared about how I was feeling and tried to give permission...

For almost 48 hours I didn’t respond to a simple question from a friend.In typical social media form, I had gone to Instagram, too lazy to scroll, settling for the stories to just queue up on my phone, to not think about whatever it was that I was thinking too much...

Sometime right before Christmas 2015 I got a cold. It was pretty run of the mill–cough, sore throat, and out of energy. My son Jace is 5 and my daughter Bella is 6, so my wife Rhonda and I know how these things move through the family. If one person gets it, pretty...