I wanted to send a quick reminder of two things for this Sunday morning....
No one needs to be told that almost everywhere, there’s unpredictability. We all know chaos abounds right now. And I do not want Trinity to be part of that chaos....
You likely know that the Continental divide, a ridgeline in the American West, divides where rainfall (or snowmelt) ends up....
In getting a basic physical evaluation, no medical professional asks you one question. They ask you dozens of questions....
The New Oxford Dictionary defines microcosm as: “a community, place, or situation regarded as encapsulating in miniature the characteristic qualities or features of something much larger.”...
A professor in a Speech Class that gave us this simple axiom: “Anxiety begets anxiety, and calm begets calm.” You’ve likely experienced it. ...
I wanted to send a brief email with a few reminders for tomorrow and going forward....
I have a specialized weeding tool and last week I just couldn’t find it. But I wasn’t worried, because I was pretty sure I knew where to look....
Obviously, our country is divided. Many will see this as a surprising new concern, and some will see this as a long-standing cancer. ...
Have you ever thought something (an event, an outcome, a goal) was impossible? We humans live in the realm of our own experiences. And because our experiences are limited to our own singular life events and surroundings, there are many things that seem impossible to us....
Keep ReadingThe run-up to Easter is full of historic beliefs as we rehearse the centerpiece of our faith. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus resolutely “set His face to go to Jerusalem.” And as He did so, He soberly foretold how He would suffer, be put to death but also be raised from the dead....
Keep ReadingThe first mention of violence in the Scriptures is not in Genesis 4, when Cain murdered his brother Abel. That is the first murder. But the first violence was in the prior chapter when Adam and Eve violated God’s good design. To do violence is “to damage or adversely affect.” It’s behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or someth...
Keep ReadingWe have exciting news to share with you on our Grace Abounding Maintenance Campaign! Thanks to your continued generosity the renovations continue, and we are moving forward with the projects on our list....
Keep ReadingOne of our core values as a church is that we want to be outward-faced. It’s the biblical (and Gospel) practice of hospitality. This means that we want to work, think, speak and act as if outsiders are genuinely welcome with us. After all, if you see yourself as a Christian, how did all of us start? We were outsiders worthy of condemnation and death. But God welcomed us ...
Keep ReadingI’ve just returned from our denomination’s annual church planter training conference in Orlando. It was a privilege to go in the early years of Trinity’s existence, and now I go as a trainer....
Keep ReadingIn today’s Bible reading, in 2 Samuel 23, King David thinks out loud as it were in the middle of a fight with the Philistines. He longingly said, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem.” So being the LORD’s Anointed, and being surrounded by loyal warriors, three of them broke through the Philistine lines and (of all things!) drew w...
Keep ReadingLast weekend we spent an evening with our daughter and granddaughter churches, united in singing and in celebrating what God has done and continues to do by His spirit and through His people in Polk County. It was an amazing time of fellowship and worshipping together with one voice lifted to our Maker. ...
Keep ReadingBack in 1992, I was preparing for ordination. A family friend (who knew little about church) asked a genuine question, “Why do you have to go through all this?” And by “all this” he was referring to 5 distinct exams, written and oral, the papers I had to turn in; and the final process of being examined first by a committee (for a total of about 4 hours) and then s...
Keep ReadingFrom Buffy the Vampire Slayer, to Harry Potter, to The Hunger Games, there is a common theme that even the lowliest, most average person (even a teenager) can actually be part of a much larger story. What if the humblest person is actually in an epic battle of good and evil with the fate of the world in the balance?...
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