2026 July

Read This and Be Pierced

Read This and Be Pierced

Yes, there are things that need to be done when I retire (clean out the shed, sort out things in the basement storage closets, get the yard back into shape), but job one on the to-do list is reading. Now, it will take some relearning to read like a normal person. Imagine reading without a sermon deadline! Imagine reading without looking for a good story to steal! Imagine reading without a pen in hand so that I can zoom in on what was important on that page (and remember where that page was!). Let me be honest—it is going to be an odd feeling at first, all booked up, but no sermon to write. And yet, I am sure I will get used to it. As for other changes that will feel ever so odd, I will never get used to them! But books, well, that is a different story.

A Poem of Compassion

A Poem of Compassion

This sermon is based on Colossians 3:12-14. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: Anne Lamott wrote: “Poetry is the official palace language of Wow.” If she is right (and I certainly am not going to argue with the brilliant Anne Lamott), then this series is pure poetry because it is pure wow. All I can do is look back at all that God has done in our church and say, “Wow!” And all I can do is look at how God is even now showering down his grace on us. And that also drives me to say, “Wow!” And hope compels me to look excitedly toward our future as a church because I know that he who began a good work in us is just getting started. The best is yet to come! And that makes me break out in pure

It Is True: I Love Books

It Is True: I Love Books

There is something magical about a book. After all, it is just paper and cardboard and ink, but those mysterious words on those wonderful pages touch me deeply. They stir my soul. They enlighten my thoughts. They propel me into action. They draw out deep emotions. They convince me of truth and they set me free to ponder, to believe and to hope. I am so madly in love with books, that I even get excited reading quotes about books. If any of these quotes stir something in you, there can be only one explanation. We are reading soul-mates travelling on a sea of thought and imagination together (and let me just say, thanks for joining me!). Here are five great quotes that touched me (all true, all moving, all magical) … “You are today who you’ll be in five years except for the people you meet and the books

A Poem of Missions

A Poem of Missions

This sermon is based on Romans 10:14-15. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: Anne Lamott wrote: “Poetry is the official palace language of Wow.” If she is right (and I certainly am not going to argue with the brilliant Anne Lamott), then this series is pure poetry because it is pure wow. All I can do is look back at all that God has done in our church and say, “Wow!” And all I can do is look at how God is even now showering down his grace on us. And that also drives me to say, “Wow!” And hope compels me to look excitedly toward our future as a church because I know that he who began a good work in us is just getting started. The best is yet to come! And that makes me break out in pure

Favorite Authors Make Favorite Books

Favorite Authors Make Favorite Books

I remember two things from first grade. I remember having to write (on a huge sheet of poster-board-sized lined-paper) what we wanted to do when we grew up. We had to give it a title and draw a picture of it. I wanted to join the army, and so I entitled my first essay, “Combat.” The second thing I remember is my teacher informing my parents and I that I would never be a good reader (and definitely not a voracious one). My teacher steered me wrong on both counts. I am not now, nor have I ever been in the army (for God, for country, and for me that was a very good thing), but I did become an insatiable reader. I love books. I love looking at books and buying books and reading books. Now, I have never counted my books, but we have a lot of them.

How Shall I Live My Life?

How Shall I Live My Life?

This sermon is based on Galatians 5:6. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: You get one shot at it. There are no redo’s, mulligans or second chances. There’s just this one. And your job is not only to make it good, but to make it great. After all, there is nothing more important. This is what life is all about. So, here’s the question: You have roughly 28,835 days in your life. How are you going to shape yours into a life worth living?

I Have a Plan! I Can Retire!

I Have a Plan! I Can Retire!

It is the 1870’s in the Old West and you are in trouble. BAD GUYS are either stealing your horses, your land, or your money (they could also be stealing bases because there was a baseball episode). You need help. You need to do something. You need a plan. Thankfully, you are holding a business card that says, “Have Gun—Will Travel.” And before you know it, you’ve hired a gun. But not just any gun, a good gun wielded by a good guy, a knight without armor in a savage land. For six seasons (1957-1963) he was the best western show on TV. In five weeks, I will retire. People keep on saying that, before that happens, I need a plan. I need to do something or else bad guys will steal my joy. My first thought was to be a gun for hire, but I said, “no” (I really