April 22
Celebrating “second birthdays” is growing in popularity in our culture. Over the years, I’ve been honored to celebrate second birthdays with people who mark a new birth in their life. I’ve rejoiced with friends who have celebrated second birthdays of their freedom from addiction, their rescue from the battlefield and their recovery from a grave illness. Easter too is the season of second birthdays. (Read more)

April 15
Tuesday is tax day and one that many look upon with dread. I suspect that many have the same feeling as I do. I don’t despise my citizen’s duty to pay my taxes. The problem is the complexity of tax law and the fear of getting everything right in this obligatory report. (Read more)

April 8
As I recall Easter celebrations past and look forward to this year's celebration, my connection to Jesus and his church has many musical links in the chain. Whether you have a "singing voice" or not, music has a way of bringing words to life in us. Certainly Jesus needs no fanfare to raise him from death, but we are accustomed to attaching his good news to music. Add music to words and they stick to us. (Read more)

April 1
As Christians celebrate Palm Sunday with Palm Branches and crowds gathered in churches around the world the journey isn’t for the faint of heart. The first Palm Sunday was a moment of spontaneous joy, but the same crowds who cried, “blessed is he” will soon turn away and yell, “crucify him.” We may look upon them with distain and imagine that we could never turn away and betray him, but this road into Holy Week asks us all to consider: Are we with the crowds or with Jesus? (Read more)

March 25
A few months ago, Sandi and I had some painting done in our home. How long did it take to put a mark on one of those freshly painted walls? Not long. I think it was somewhere between the final brush stroke and moving the final piece of furniture back in place. Each of us has a story to tell on this account—new cars, new furniture, new clothes—even with the best of care, they all attract marks. (Read more)

March 18
We all feel the fatigue that comes when we drive through life without the preventative maintenance work of bringing God’s healthy balance into our lives. Our Lenten journey has been a way to heal that fatigue and re-energize our spirit through the one true healer: Jesus. Our Grace Place Retreat is keynoting this journey with a baptismal tune-up. (Read more)