Painfully Hopeful

The right tools

I love this iconic image of my wife and son doing some homework on his iPad. Looking at it got me thinking about how we can use the massive amount of information found on Internet to communicate, to research some noble endeavor, shop, and to find out that, “Beam me up Scotty” was never actually…

Connection

People who see me as a “computer guy” often make the assumption I am of the opinion, “Old is bad.” They are inevitably surprised this is not the case. I love Tradition. I love the connection it gives me to the long history of God’s people gathering in community and experiencing the presence of the…

Aftermath

Let me be clear, I love worship and I am compelled to preach and teach – but by Sunday afternoon it’s usually all I can do to get changed and take a nap. Worship is an emotionally powerful experience for me, and while I love to preach it does wipe this introvert out. Throw in…

Annual obligation – It’s called “Advent” people…

It seems like the annual tradition of Christian snarkiness gets earlier every year. First it starts with e-mails which follow the general theme of, “Make sure you say ‘Merry Christmas’ this year and let people know the real reason for the season!” I usually get upwards of ten of these e-mails, eventually I’ll get a…

Olive Tree moves into a new neighborhood

Olive Tree has been my “go to” mobile Bible solution ever since I got an iPaq in 2001. I’ve stayed with it all through my migration from Windows Mobile, though Palm OS, and finally to iOS. For 10 years it’s been one of the most valuable tools I could carry in my pocket. Imagine my…

If I could plant a church

I’m a small church pastor. In a lot of ways I like being a small church pastor. After all, the smaller environment allows me a lot more freedom to experiment and see what catches on. Larger congregations tend to be more corporate minded. I don’t do well in an environment which brings cubicles to mind….