How dark is dark?

September 22, 2023

Perhaps, like me, you’ve noticed how much “space” is being given in Christian dialogue around the darkness of our culture. In print. In social media. On podcasts. Many of us have become experts in describing just how dark the darkness is. It was two years ago that Mary and I toured the Quincy Mine in […]

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Confessions of a Non-Camper

September 8, 2023

It was two years ago that our family gathered outside of Steamboat Springs, Colorado for a camping weekend. Yes, that means all 19 of us… with one notable adjustment. In this case Mary and I opted to “camp” at a nice hotel in Steamboat Springs. Certainly we joined the other 17 family members for a […]

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Hey, Jesus…

September 1, 2023

Good morning, Lord. I’m starting my day with a deep sense of gratitude for your love, mercy, grace, and sacrifice. You are too wonderful for words. So… I’ve got a few things I’m sorting through that I need some clarity on. Consider this a process check. The Sermon on the Mount, which, by the way, […]

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The Groans of Lahaina

August 18, 2023

“For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all […]

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Nevin…

August 11, 2023

While most parents in Suburban Chicago were sending their kids to summer camp, or enrolling them in Little League, my parents had a different plan. The farm. Specifically, the homestead of Jesse and Wilma Dourte, my mother’s younger brother and his wife. Picture it. Beautiful rural Pennsylvania. Lancaster County. Rolling hills. Full and lush vegetation, […]

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Day Six… Lingering in the memories

August 4, 2023

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of […]

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Day Zero

July 28, 2023

Yes, Day Zero. That’s what we call the preparation day at YFC Camp before students begin to arrive. For Mary and me that means a travel day. Denver to Des Moines to Ogden, Iowa. Sunstream Camp. The Lead Support Team will meet tonight. To mingle. To connect. To pray. To anticipate. But Day Zero means […]

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On the 199th Day of the Year

July 21, 2023

It happened on July 18th. Yes, the 199th day of the year, at roughly 2pm. Yes, for the first time in 2023, I activated our air-conditioner. For much of the United States that is sweltering in sizzling temperatures, that may seem outrageous, but not so in Colorado. At least not on Davies Way in Aurora, […]

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Oreo-ID

July 14, 2023

Have you heard of it? Oreo-ID is the new way to customize one of your favorite cookie sandwich treats. From the crème on the inside, to the design on the outside. From pictures to corporate logos… Oreos are here for you. And of course, the same can be done with M&M’s. Pure individual customization. Customization. […]

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One Shining Moment

July 7, 2023

With breakfast in the rearview mirror, we showed up at Skagit Cycle shop in Anacortes, Washington. It was July 10th, 2012, and we had bikes to rent and a 50-mile ride in our plans… We paused for a picture on the threshold of Deception Bridge, just before riding onto Whidbey Island. Once across, it was […]

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