If you walk into FBC of Sister Bay, Wisconsin, turn right past the gym doors, and take another right, you'll be in the youth room. I don't know if it still looks this way, but when I was the youth pastor there, it was covered from one end to the other in handprints.

I have been working too much lately. I overcommitted, or assumed I was more proficient than I am. Many days in a row, all I wanted was to go to bed. I even talked to the Lord about getting rest and catching up on what I'd promised people.

I needed some glue I normally order from Italy, but didn't have time to wait. I figured the hardware store down Middle St. would do.

Walking over, I felt a bit of nostalgia. Who walks to a hardware store anymore?

Hand Over The Heart.

When I was young, my dad was very serious about the fact that when the national anthem played or the flag passed at a parade, I was to stand, take off my hat, and cover my heart. I didn't like it because my friends didnt have to.

A couple of weeks ago, I was looking through a stack of pictures. They were all people doing church activities.

I saw Ed probably in his late 20’s. He looked

I am often alone in the building after the sun sets, especially in the winter, and it scares me. The elevator resets itself, I get startled, and then I start making up stories in my head. 

I have watched Dave and Dave, the committee of sound, put in countless hours making sure our sound system is professional. Not

It is not uncommon, in conversations about church growth, to hear concern about older congregations. Words like “resistant” or “set in their ways.”

Have you ever taken a photograph, one that you only had one chance at? When that moment was gone you looked at the photo and the right subject was out of focus, instead a leaf a few from the lens was the main attraction? 

There is a term I often see written in different ways, all of which mean the same thing. “Be a decent human.” I saw this on a coffee cup the other day, and I started thinking about it. 

There is certainly a lot of tension in our culture, and people would like to blame that on a lack of decency. 

Children don’t always behave, and in my experience, as well as others, children who always behave are abused or neglected.

I was online and saw a bracelet that cost $40. I wanted it, but I didn’t want to spend that much. 

I’ll just make it myself.

I made a checklist, went down to 28th Street in Grand Rapids, and walked out with a few tools and a side of leather, spending close to $200. Remember, the bracelet was $40. I can make a bunch of these and sell them, I thought.

This week in Williamston, the weather is changing. Frost covers my windshield less, and the sun is beginning to peek out from behind the clouds more often.

On Sunday, I was driving north on M-52 when Cecilia said, “I love it when that shows up.” I looked over and there it was — a field already turning green, tiny shoots covering the ground. Just a few weeks earlier, I had stopped at the same corner, and the field was covered in snow. I took a moment to breathe in its beauty before traveling on.

Growing up, we had a little game in our family called “I got the last hit in.”

There were eight kids in our family, and never enough room in the car. We sat hip to hip, which is not the ideal arrangement for children with strong opinions and quick tempers. Before long, somebody would say something, somebody would answer, and then somebody would reach across the seat and make the point with a smack.

For years, I worried about our projector.

After many years of faithful service, the connections were tired and failing. I knew it was time to replace it. I even knew what I wanted to replace it with, and I was confident the church would stand behind the purchase. But one thing kept me from moving forward: who would install it?

Sometimes we pay for things that are free - but you have to have self-discipline to receive them. 

Cecilia isn’t really into things, which makes holidays hard to shop for. She loves experiences. So for Valentine’s Day, I rented a tiny house for one night so we could get away together.

We were driving north to Camp Barakel, where my dad was going to speak for a week of camp.

“Guys,” my dad said, “when we get up north, I’m going to take you to a cool spot I found. It’s a coffee place called Mac’s Coffee Shop.”

One of the best ways to gain attention is controversy. People care deeply, and when they care, they speak. And when they speak, others respond. It spreads quickly.