Many people ask me “How’s your sabbatical going?” I often pause before I answer. I do this because I think the same words may convey different questions. Some people ask out of politeness. Some seek a more in-depth answer. Some ask because they genuinely wonder, “What does one do on a sabbatical?” It’s sort of […]
Category > Ministry
The Toughest Job in the World
The most common response I received about my post yesterday (from my wife) was about how my experiences compare with this article. Before I share that, I’d like to offer perspective on this question: is being a pastor the toughest job in the world? I agree that each job has it’s unique set of challenges […]
To Understand a Pastor
This is a typical article on some challenges in pastoral ministry. I am not endorsing the article, nor am I making comparisons with my own experience as a pastor. But if you want a pastor’s perspective, this may help. More interesting than the article itself are the comments that follow in the discussion. They exemplify […]
Family Worship
On Sunday we attended a church in Medford. I’m on sabbatical so I wanted to visit a few churches while I have opportunity. We visited the great folks at Redemption Hill Church. Our two older kids sat through worship with us. It was one of the first times my kids sat next to me during […]
cantaloupe?
We finally harvested and cut into the mystery melon. It was very fragrant but Evan told me that it tasted watery. I’m allergic to cantaloupes so I took his word on it. I suppose that it needed more time to ripen but the neighborhood creatures had started getting to it. We are back in the […]
just 2.5 weeks
Wow, it’s been 2.5 weeks since the last post and it seems like it was ages ago. We’ve dived back into life here–two weddings, tennis camp, garden club, visits from family. Last I checked we had just enough time to breathe, I guess that’ll have to do. You can be glad that I posted a […]
there’s no place like it
Well, we’re back home swimming through the heat and humidity, piles of mail and the contents of our suitcases. It’s wonderful to be home but all of us are feeling Scandinavia tugging at our hearts. We still have to process and reflect upon our trip. We don’t know what God’s plans might be for next […]
wifi junkies
I’m sitting here with our BCEC team as we wait to board our plane in Amsterdam. I count a total of 6 devices leaching off the free wifi: email, facebook, angry birds. What junkies we are. We are going home! It’s a little surreal since we have been away from home for so long and […]
night in Sweden
I haven’t yet been able to process the past couple days of our time here. The weather has been wonderful: sunny, no rain, mild and not humid. The air has a bit of a clear, crisp feel. I’ve had time to talk with BCEC team members, sit in on Enoch’s messages and still get to […]
this bit of Sweden feels like China
It sounds strange but as we interface with more people from the camp, it reminds me of my time in China. I don’t speak Chinese and I think that those I meet expect me to. Also, if they speak another language it would be their Nordic one. So like my experience in China, I use […]
