Posted on Nov 3, 2025 in Christian Living, Faith in Action, Pastor's Blog, Spiritual Growth | Tags: Encouragement in Faith, Following Jesus, Spiritual Renewal
I’ve been playing Disc Golf more, recently. It’s been a good way to get out and exercise a little. I have been playing since I was a Young man but I haven’t put in a lot of thought or practice, It’s always been just a “grip it and rip it” kind of thing for me. But recently I have been trying to put more thought and intention into playing. I have been watching videos and reading guides on how to get better, and I have been practicing.
I have seen some improvements already, but one of the things that still needs work is my ‘release’, where the disc comes out of the hand during the throw. This point needs to be fairly consistent for your disc or it’s going to be all over the map when you throw it. Release is a funny thing. you have to hold tight enough to get it to the point you want, but not so tight as to ‘grip-lock’ the disc and overshoot your target point.
Sometimes in our Christian life we have just been gripping and ripping, trying to muscle through our walk with the Lord without putting much intention into our way of following. We have to practice our faith life, to work on things so we are more consistent in our ‘release points’ with the Lord. Holding on too tight to things causes problems. The goal in our Christian life is to have a consistent life trajectory moving closer to the Lord.
How can you be practicing your walk with Jesus for more consistency?
Posted on Oct 1, 2025 in Christian Living, General, Personal Development, Spiritual Growth | Tags: Everyday Faith, New Beginnings, Spiritual Renewal
Fall is here! the weather is cooling, the sun is going down way earlier, people are starting to wear sweaters again, soup is a way more popular meal, and pies will be consumed in abundance. Small changes, buit there are big ones coming. The leaves, the dormancy of this winter’s horizon.
Southern Oregon is gifted with four seasons and the changing of those seasons often signals changes in our being. The shift from summer to fall is a time of schedule change: School starting, sports picking back up, events being more common, and ministries around the church re-engaging. In this changing season, I am hoping and praying that more than the outward things are changing.
God is working in our hearts to bring change in us. As Christ followers, there are seasons of change that we go through in our walk with Him. Times of sorrow, or joy. Times of Struggle or celebration. Time when we feel like we are in the valley and times when we feel like we are on top of the mountain.
Each of these seasons is ripe for growth in our spiritual lives, as we walk with Jesus through these moments. What can we learn from Him? Again, my hope is that as things change in our lives, we are being changed by Jesus to more fully be the people He made us to be.
Posted on Aug 2, 2025 in Community Outreach, Faith in Action, Pastor's Blog, Personal Development |
*Blog Post Excerpt from NWFriends.org by John Laney
I never expected to be an advocate for short-term service trips. As a matter of fact, after reading the two excellent books “When Helping Hurts” by Steve Corbett and “Toxic Charity” by Robert Lupton, I took the opposite approach and actively discouraged these types of trips. However, after stepping outside my comfort zone, living in Mexico for four years and interacting with groups on short-term service trips, I have a much better perspective on the value these trips can bring….
In my mind, short-term service trips matter in three primary ways. First, they matter to the receiver. There trips allow groups to build projects, paint walls, bring food and money and otherwise aid the group they are serving. Second, they matter to the relationship and Christian bonds between the giver and the receiver. Finally, they matter to the giver, oftentimes walks away with a life-changing service experience….
If this resonates with you, if you are interested in reciprocal service where you both give and receive, or if you or a family member might benefit from stepping outside your comfort zone to see and taste new experiences, then I would love to talk. Email me.
Posted on Jul 1, 2025 in Community Outreach, Pastor's Blog | Tags: Community Outreach, Discipleship, Evangelism
*Excerpt from an Alan Weinacht article first presented in NMYM Connection 6/21/25
“Church revitalization is not a new program or trendy way of trying to engage a post-modern culture. Whatever it is, it is not a cure-all, follow this program and all will succeed proposition. Thankfully it is not about trying to become a megachurch or assuming that the biggest church is the best church. So, what is revitalization?
Church Revitalization is (and this is why it may be so hopeful for Evangelical Friends) an open door to slowly but surely work on the disconnect between our churches’ cultures where we think we are committed to outreach but we really are not. Looking back, over my being a member and eventually a recorded Friends minister with an entire working career in pastoral and yearly meeting leadership among Friends, I’ve concluded that the real issue for Friends is culture. We believe that we are outreach-minded, when in reality our mindset is that anyone is welcome in our churches if they want to take us, just as we are.
This is not a mindset that stands beside Jesus and sees that the fields are ready for harvest. Church Revitalization is not about creating outreach and evangelism strategies that are an add-on to our current programming and life of fellowship in the church. If a church hangs with Church Revitalization it has the potential to vastly improve how it opens its doors to the community and reaches out to invite people in. In the process, the mindset and pace of Church Revitalization creates room for the faithful believers to adapt and adjust, so that they become effective at passing on what they’ve learned about cultivating an intimate walk with Jesus to new believers.”
