As I sit down to put thoughts onto the screen, it’s 138 days until Christmas. Many of us will sit down with family in four months, two weeks, and two days to open presents. This can be a special time for those with the love language of giving (or maybe receiving) gifts. So I ask: What does a gift mean to you?
Some people relish giving gifts; others dread it. Some of us don’t have the emotional needle moved with a gift, while some will be launched into an aura of happiness for days.« Read the rest
It’s been just over two years since we moved to South Dakota. One of our challenges when moving was the housing market. Many places sold within hours. Others had generous cash offers without inspection or appraisal. And we wanted a few specific things in our house.
One particular was a space where we could host groups from church. Another, which was extra important to me, was a usable kitchen. Whoever keeps putting sinks in the middle of an island, please stop.« Read the rest
I’m just past the two-year mark of accepting the Tech Director Job at Ransom Church. So in just a few months, it will be two years that we have lived here in the Sioux Falls area. In that time, Tiah also accepted a job at Ransom, and it’s been such a great move for us.
It was a decision we wrestled with. In Bismarck, we were part of the Missio launch team, which has since found a home and holds weekly services.« Read the rest
Last weekend I overheard a comment during the photo slideshow at the Steer Missions Banquet, “A third of these pictures look amazing.” To be fair, all of the pictures were great, but the point being made was the other two-thirds of the pictures look the same as they would any other year. Many venues go long periods without aesthetic refreshes, so it’s up to each event to make the space unique. For Steer, this shows what incremental improvements can do for an event.« Read the rest
About a year ago, Tiah and I became involved in a church plant. Saturday evening was the first preview service. It was a great night, another step on the journey to having weekly services. But on the journey, we first had to learn what church is about.
Maybe you think you already know, and some of you might. But if you aren’t doing anything that shows you know, then it’s fair to question if you do.
It’s easy to say church isn’t a building.« Read the rest
Please bear with me. This is not a post of great inspiration. There’s no great insight or helpful how to. This is a post of reflection, of expression, of putting a variety of thoughts into words. It is a collection of thoughts from weeks, months, years of life. There’s things I have no control over, things I may never get closure on, and things that may change with time.« Read the rest
What a crazy time we are living in. Toilet paper disappears from stores as fast as it appears, restaurants are nearly empty, businesses are finally letting more people do remote work (how many of you need to be in the office all the time to do your job?), travel is being restricted, the list goes on. Life as we know it has been upended, but we don’t need to panic. Today I bring you a collection of thoughts on an assortment of topics.« Read the rest
It bothers me every time I hear that. Our opening keynote speaker said it. It’s almost always about the technology used in churches. Audio, video, lights, computers, iPads, phones, fog machines, lasers; apparently, they can all somehow make the Gospel better.
I strongly disagree. That may sound strange coming from a guy who is passionate about technology and how it can be used to help the church, but it’s true. I remain in favor of better mics, the best speakers we can get, brighter projectors and video walls, a more powerful computer, and dramatic lighting, but not because any of it can enhance the Gospel.« Read the rest
“I’m healthy!” That’s what I said when I ran into Val, one of my oncology nurses, today. After last year, it’s nice to run into people from the hospital and be able to tell and show them that you made it through. Of course, while completely true, there is a little more to it than that.
We’ve been preoccupied the past few weeks, so this update comes after a delay, but we recently made the trek back to Mayo to make sure I’m still cancer-free, and in that regard, everything looks great.« Read the rest
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