After going through the trauma of having a hip replacement and after having spent several months in a rehabilitation hospital, Mom was moved into a room in the assisted living section of the Arizona Grand Senior Living facility with the help of Big T Movers. We decorated her room with furnishings, photographs, and other favorite items from her house and then emptied and sold the house. I have simplified…

CANDLELIGHT SERVICE A slathering of cast off couches await. Sagging creamy candles flicker joy. Kitchen counter clothed with cookies. Folks sneak one as they slowly wander by. Villagers pile in from off the street, shouting cheerful greetings ‘cross the room. The Wise’s share their Christmas letter Others run to give some little gift. Still others tell fun stories, making others smile. Little Violet screws up the courage to tell…

I attended a Mission Southwest meeting last week. It was comprised of several pastors and other church leaders and we all gathered around tables to plot paths forward regarding various ministry opportunities in the Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Church in America. Of course, we gather from all around the state and before we sat down, as is the custom, we walked around greeting each other. Hearty hand…

HEALING WOUNDS Truth creeps across the threshold like darkness steals the day, a slow slog of forgetting, a dying act of letting go: It is hard to live, forgiving. Far as distant earthen corners, so far our sin has been removed, even still we’d quick go digging, taking back our dreadful wounds. We hold miserly to what we know. At every moment it’s the other, who we believe should…

Raeya had a problem last night. I'm one of the pastors of the church and when one of your parishioners has a problem you are compelled to listen and take what actions you can to remedy the situation. I was busy talking to Colleen about my sermon. I had not made some things clear during my sermon, and she had been questioning me about the unclear things. I think…

The carpet cleaners came and left and before they went they pulled the sectional couch away from the wall and uncovered a treasure trove of missing items among the cat hair, dust, and cobwebs that had partly filled the crack between the couch and wall. There was a copy of Christian Courier that contained my Graveyards poem. I thought I had lost that copy forever, but there the poem…

I spent Friday night and half of Saturday with Eric at a gathering of Christian Reformed pastors and leaders hosted by the Village with a mission to discover how we might 'be together' in new and better ways. How fun it is to see the beauty of Village hospitality on display. Thanks to those who hosted overnight guests in their homes and who cooked some amazingly delicious food for…

I Do . . . a lot of things I do a lot of things at the Village including preaching, cooking, counseling, encouraging, and leading and I have noticed a few things when it comes to compliments. The first thing I notice is how slightly uncomfortable they make me and yet how much I enjoy hearing them. A compliment is a part of our being thankful and we compliment…

Loved hanging with the high school kiddos tonight. They are a lovely group of kids except that they told me that had we lived hundreds of years ago I would be dead. :)