“Too blessed to be stressed. Too anointed to be disappointed.” Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks quarterback. As some of you know, I enjoy watching football. Honestly, I not only enjoy it, I look forward to watching the game with great anticipation! During the holidays Doug and I...
Silent night, holy night,All is calm, all is brightRound yon virgin mother and Child.Holy Infant, so tender and mild,Sleep in heavenly peace,Sleep in heavenly peace. Silent night, holy night,Shepherds quake at the sight;Glories stream from heaven afar,Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!Christ the...
Waking up to snow is always exciting! Last Sunday my family experienced this joy as the kids jumped out of bed and begged to go and play in the snow. They were full of energy as they ran outside to have a snow ball fight, play with friends, and build a snowman. Portland tends...
It’s the New Year 2016! It’s a new beginning, for some, a fresh start. Old challenges are over and new ones are just beginning. It’s a time to look back once more at the full year of 2015 then head forward into 2016. So where are we headed? It’s so easy these days...
You are receiving this newsletter on Christmas Day. So, Merry Christmas! Here are two things that are more important for you to do today other than reading this blog. Do both of them if you can. Engage in a meaningful conversation with one or more of the family members or friends that you...
Back in 2011, Jonathan Dodson wrote an article about how being on mission “is not an event we tack onto our already busy lives. It is our life. Mission should be the way we live, not something we add onto life.” The obstacle for most of us is, where does one find the time in an...
Well, it’s that time of year again. Jingle bells and white peppermint mochas at Starbucks; big guys in red suits and white beards running around town; long lines at the mall with great deals on everything from socks to fruit cake to tickle me Elmo. It’s a great time of the year...
We are in the Advent season now, officially looking forward to Christmas. However I still find myself looking backward at my recent trip to visit our church’s families in Spain and the Middle East. I am very grateful to John Brunton and our Global Partners team along with a great team of...
ASTONISHEDGRATITUDE “When we learn to read the story of Jesus and see it as the story of the love of God,doing for us what we could not do for ourselves –that insight produces, again and again,a sense of astonished gratitude”–N. T. Wright The Thanksgiving feast has...
What a blessing it was to hear from our Global Partner this past Sunday.(For security reasons we cannot include his name here). He has a way of communicating the heart of God that challenges and inspires. Their family has been enjoying a furlough from their assignment in Central Asia after...