Stories

I'm seeing a lot of photos on social media of friends' children heading off to college.  I can't help but think back to 28 years ago when I made that same transition. Obviously, there was no social media, so aside from an introductory letter and maybe a phone call about who was bringing a fridge, … Continue reading ALF for President!

I've been quiet the last couple months.  Part of that has been unintentional.  Summer schedules have made it a little more difficult to find time to sit down. Some of it has been intentional.  Orlando, Baton Rouge, Minnesota, Dallas, elections. And that's just this country. There's a lot going on, and I get tired of … Continue reading Radio Silent

I really can't stand to read pastors' blogs, tweets, or facebook posts, when they bitch about being a pastor. Yes, we do have to work every Christmas, but 1) If you didn't think about that going in, then you're probably not very good at your job, and 2) At least we get to do what we love. … Continue reading This sucks!

This week a mission team from NPC is headed to Honduras. We will be using this site to update people on our week. For my regular reader, this week you will see more posts, and I apologize that they may not be the usual deep theological inquiry to which you have been accustomed. Sorry. We … Continue reading We’re Off!

We have a little calendar that has interesting quotes on it for each day of the year.  It's not calendar year specific, so every January 1, we simply flip it over and start again. Some of the quotes, I love. "How often are we offended by not being offered something we do not want?" -Eric … Continue reading When I Was Younger, So Much Younger Than Today

Life is hard.  And I say that knowing that my life is pretty damn easy. But still, when I say that life is hard, I don't mean the, "This internet is so slow," kind of hard, or the, "They spelled my name wrong on my coffee cup 4 times this week," kind of hard. It … Continue reading Count Your [Bleeeeeep]ing Blessings!

Last night in worship we talked about this passage, Matthew 22:41-46. 41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: 42 “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him … Continue reading It’s Not a Riddle

19 years ago today I was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Today, we're called Teaching Elders. For what it's worth, here's a little of what I have learned/experienced over the last 19 years. God keeps getting bigger, and I keep getting smaller. And that's a good thing. … Continue reading 19 19 n-n-n-n-n-nineteen nineteen

At my first job in a church we used to take a retreat to this place in Northern Illinois that had an actual castle on the property.  Pretty cool.  Better yet, we would take the youth there in February.  Pretty cold. (See what I did there?) The place had this huge field that was great … Continue reading Style

When I was younger, I couldn't hold my tongue.  If I got in trouble, it was usually because I said something I shouldn't have. I remember clearly the night in our kitchen in PA, when my dad said, "Are you trying to make a fool out of me?"  I said, "Nature beat me to it." … Continue reading Passing the buck?