I went on my first overnight backpacking trip in middle school. The pack was about as large as I was. I was so excited for the adventure of carrying my food, clothing, and tent on my back and taking off into the wilderness. The first five miles were strenuous but uneventful. We followed a narrow...
Jay Sloan is an elder and the current chair of the Unity Mission Team. He recently wrote this report on an encounter he had with a local neighbor. CPJ has launched “Building Bridges to Racial Unity” with a stated purpose to grow proactively into being better neighbors to African-American residents in East Lincoln County. We...
Today I am in Banner Elk for a Presbytery meeting. This is my first time in this part of North Carolina. I feel like I have been saying it so often since I’ve moved here, but what a beautiful state! I am looking forward to gathering with other pastors and elders from the churches of...
Greetings from Spokane, Washington! I am on study leave this week as I attend a conference for pastors at Whitworth University (my alma mater). Twice a year, I will take a week of study leave in order to learn, reflect, and grow as a pastor. My week will be used in two main ways: Study: ...
This week, I am officiating a wedding at Sunset Beach, NC. This is my first time visiting a North Carolina beach. It is also the first time that I will conduct a wedding ON a beach. I’m really looking forward to it. My family spent the morning splashing in the waves and building sandcastles in...
A couple of weeks after my family first moved to North Carolina, we visited Sweetwater Farm in Huntersville. Once a month they open their farm to the public. We went because we wanted to show Zoe and Riley where their food came from. The girls had so much fun seeing all of the animals. There...
North Carolina is an exciting state to explore. There is so much natural beauty to see and experience. I feel lucky to be able to live here. This past weekend my family explored the Lake Lure area for a couple of days. All I can say is “WOW!” What a breathtaking part of our state. In...
I can remember my first time riding on a roller coaster at a theme park called Wild Waves and Enchanted Village near my house in Washington. This park was only open for about three months out of the year because otherwise, it was too cold. And even when it was open, most of the time,...
Ever since the creation of the world, God’s eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. -Romans 1:20 Paul wrote a letter to a church in Rome around 57 A.D. in order to encourage them in their faith. Paul had never been to...
Wow, it has been a rainy week! I’ve noticed that a few things things happen when it steadily rains for several days in a row: -The grass grows much faster (mowing hills is hard)! -My desire for a hot cup of coffee grows -My kids get stir crazy after being cooped up in the house Thankfully, I’m...
