It’s the season of Advent. The four weeks before Christmas are set aside for joyful preparation and waiting for the birth of love into our world in a new way. I was reminded yesterday that Jesus comes into our hearts and lives in our past, present and …

Remember high school homecoming dance season? I recall nervously waiting for someone to ask me to what felt like the most important social gathering of my entire life. Fifteen-year-old girls don’t skimp when it comes to high drama. We over exaggerate w…

God, I see you comingTo love meComfort meChallenge meBut first, give me a minute,I must clean upAll these things about meThat I don’t likeMy home needs to be cleanBefore you arrivePlus, I’m sure there are thingsI haven’t realized yet Or can’t seeOr am …

This is for any leader in our world who’s tired of cultures of fear, control, distrust, cynicism, isolation, unhealthy competition, status quo and fear of failure. Let’s keep shifting our cultures together toward something more beautiful, more compelli…

My family and I got to visit Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands last weekend. Somehow, we lucked into the best October weather the Pacific Northwest ever sees. We assumed it would rain the whole time but we got beautiful sunny warm weather. Our famil…

In high school, I was a part of a group of people who changed my life. In those teenage days where feelings change by the minute and our insecurity screams, it was pure gift to have a group of people where everyone felt safe to figure out who they were…

There’s competition in every industry. Some get promoted over others. Some work incredibly hard but their gifts go unnoticed. Others do good work and people assume they’re fine but underneath, they feel like they could never be honest about how hard li…

Have you ever felt nudged, invited or slightly pushed into a new season of life? You sense the old way of being is on its way out and something new is calling you forward.It’s awkward. Exciting. Nerve-wracking. Compelling.These seasons can feel so disr…

Jesus doesn’t make sense. It’s probably not a great thing for a pastor to say. But it’s true. Our community is studying one of Jesus’ most famous sermons. And he said such odd things:“Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is …

This is a guest post from my very own dad! He’s a United Methodist pastor serving in Bend, Oregon. I enjoy chatting church leadership with my dad and it’s fascinating to see how our generational differences bring different perspectives to our calling a…