When people think of February, they often think of Valentine’s Day. That is a wonderful holiday, but my first thought is actually a somewhat forgotten holiday. I usually think of Presidents’ Day. In my growing up years, this was the February holiday that I most looked forward to for two reasons. I felt a… Read More ›

    I love the beautiful Christmas song O Holy Night. It’s a difficult song to sing, so we don’t usually sing it as a congregation. But if you want to hear an excellent rendition of it, watch our Christmas Eve service on our YouTube channel. Meagan Olson did a fantastic job with it at… Read More ›

  I’m reading a book right now entitled Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp. I’ve read it before, but it has been a blessing to work through its pages again. The book wrestles with some of the unique challenges to pastoral ministry, and I would add, spiritual leadership in general. I just finished a chapter in… Read More ›

  I wrote the following article in order to have a resource to share with couples who are preparing for marriage. It is not an official “church document,” but the council helped me do some editing, approved my use of it, and agreed that I could share it here with the congregation. Perhaps you will… Read More ›

  “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2 In 1 Peter 5:2, elders (pastors) are exhorted to “shepherd the flock of God.” The picture of Christians as sheep is a common one in the Bible, and pastors are typically thought of as under-shepherds of Christ, who is the… Read More ›

  A friend recently shared on social media an article entitled The World is Catechizing Us Whether We Realize It or Not. It reminded me of an article with a similar title that I quote from every year at the beginning of confirmation class, when I meet with the parents. The premise behind articles like this is… Read More ›

  Dear Church Family, In Ephesians 1:16, the apostle Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, “I do not cease to give thanks for you.” Paul explained that he was so thankful for them because he had heard of their faith in Christ and their love for one another. Over the last few months, my… Read More ›

  “Who wants to write the obituary?”  In my mind, this is a question that should accompany a bleak winter scene at the top of the newsletter and not, as I expect will be the case, a beautiful summer themed design. But, as we know, obituaries have to be written in all seasons of the year…. Read More ›

The following is an excerpt from an article I wrote a number of years ago on singleness, a stage of life that I’ve been in for a long time but which will be changing for me this month. If you remember it, then I pray it’s a helpful reminder to you. If you haven’t read… Read More ›

In 1984, Martin Nystrom penned the famous song, “As the Deer.” He based the lyrics on Psalm 42:1, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.” The song was very popular in my growing-up years, and whenever I sang it, I think I always had this picture in… Read More ›