Giving God's Comfort

"He’s the one who comforts us in all our trouble so that we can comfort other people who are in every kind of trouble. We offer the same comfort that we ourselves received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:4, CEB

The phone call ended, and my wife immediately began searching for plane tickets.  She had just heard from a lifelong friend that her marriage was coming to an end, and Debbie felt moved to give more than just long-distance encouragement.  It took a little rearranging of s

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Eating with the Expert

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35

I think I’ve said this before but just in case you missed it. I don’t really care about food. No, not that I don’t need to eat, more like food for me is a way to get calories. I can eat most anything (NOT Kale) put in front of me. Food for the longest time in my life was a necessity. Recently my friends and I have started callin

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The Ministry of Mothers

Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. Proverbs 31:28, NIV

Many years ago, I joined a small outreach team for a simple compassion project: hand deliver five dozen roses to moms in the community in honor of Mother's Day. Though simple in effort, the project was significant in impact. After gifting about four dozen of our supply at a senior living apartment, we strolled through downtown with these floral tokens of love in hand. We appr

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The Evidence of Our Belonging

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children Romans 8:16

Have you ever overheard a conversation between a couple of high school students? Not because you were intentionally listening, or eavesdropping or dare I say snooping, but because you simply were near them and it was impossible to ignore. I am blessed to have these opportunities more than many people because a large part of my focus in ministry is to high school students. This last week I ha

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Bold Prayer

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16, NKJV

“You’re my favorite customer now.”  That was the bold statement made by a King Sooper’s employee we’ll call Brian.  Brian declared this about me with conviction after I came through his line last week, but that wasn’t his first expression of boldness.  As I retrieved my groceries, I asked the bagger how he was doing.  It was a casual que

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Looking with Love

“Teacher," he responded, "I’ve kept all of these things since I was a boy."  Jesus looked at him carefully and loved him.  Mark 10:21, CEB

The other day, I took my car in for  repair at the dealership, and I soon discovered that I wasn't the only one needing work done at 8am on a Monday morning.  I poked my head into the customer waiting lounge, detected that most of the seating space was already occupied, and kept on walking to find a table by myself in the showroom.  Funn

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Not Fake News

"And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them." Luke 24:11, NKJV

When the calendar turned to April, I found myself duped by a few posts and headlines.  Some of us have grown accustomed to putting on our skeptic's hat on April 1st.  I, on the other hand, had to be reminded to do so as I read some surprising things on my friend's social media timeline online to discover he was pulling everyone's leg.  Later that same day, when I caught wind o

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A Living Hope

"...For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34, NKJV

A few weeks ago, my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.  And it was awesome!  My siblings and I planned for nearly six months, and when family and friends gathered for the epic event, it was full of meaning and sweet memories.  We lingered in California for several days after, and my parents' celebration was perpetually the topic of conversation -- people we connected with, prog

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Forgiveness Goes Both Ways

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. Ephesians 1:7

Have you ever made a decision you regretted? What did that cost you? I made a decision once with a friend and I was lucky that we walked away from it. I had a friend who came to visit the Island of Oahu where I grew up. She really wanted to go cliff jumping. This was something I had grown up doing and so we went to a pretty popular spot. I hadn

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How Long is a Rope?

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12

How long is a rope? What an interesting question. At face value there is no way to answer this question without more context. How long is a rope for belaying a rock climber? It's not the same length that you would want to tie down your boat. The question isn’t simply about the rope’s length. The question is about what it's needed for. This was the respo

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Speaking Life

Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you.  Ephesians 4:29, GNT

It was my first year playing volleyball for the men's team at Pacific Union College.  I had overcome a lot of anxiety to even try out, but even though I had good friends on the team I often felt more pressure than joy when game time came around.  One game in particular was particularly difficult.  

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Principles of Health

Just this last week I went to the dentist. Many people have anxiety when it comes to the dentist. I am going to brag a little and tell on myself a little here. I’ve only ever had one cavity in my life and that one was so long ago I don't even remember it. Because of this I have found that my motivation to see the dentist is not very high. When Covid hit I didn’t keep up with my appointments, I moved twice and 5 years later I found myself neglecting my dental health. It was

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Heaven Came Down

Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down!...For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him. Isaiah 64:1a, 4, NKJV

Early Sunday morning, our household was doing something out of the ordinary.  Awake much earlier than usual, we were tuned in to one of the last competitions of the Olympic games -- the gold medal mens ice hockey match between

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Kept for Jesus Christ

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:  Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. Jude 1:1-2

I recently found my box of memories that I had been keeping since I was a kid. I found letters from friends, toys I was gifted, foreign currency from trips I had been on and a bunch of other things. The box was filled with seemingly random things that all had a connection to

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Electrifying

I had the privilege of being a chaperone for the 3rd through 5th grade classes at MHA for their field trip to the Colorado Symphony this last Wednesday. If you were to see us get on the bus you would most likely ask yourself, “Why are they all dressed up?” If you are familiar with the symphony you would know that it is common practice to dress up. As we got into the concert hall and found our seats the room was bustling with the noise of hundreds of elementary students fro

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