9 years ago, in February 2014, I experienced something that I'll never forget.  It formed me.  I want to tell you about it.The following story happened in Les Rois, Haiti.  Les Rois is nestled in a forgotten valley, far off the well-traveled roads, between lush mountains.  Les Rois is a special place that I'll never forget!  I met Christ incarnate there, but I'm getting off track...  that story ...  Read More

At the beginning of the new year, my "resolution" (if one could call it that), was to try and read at least 2 books a month. Truth be told, I have been doing a so-so job at that, just wrapping up my first one now, but it got me thinking about the books I've readChristian books can be tricky. I've read ones that are boring, ones that could have been condesnsed into a few paragraphs, and ones that w...  Read More

Every January we are reminded of the anniversary of the Roe versus Wade decision. A black mark on our culture that opened the door to abortion on demand. The numbers since that decision in 1973 are staggering… sobering… and incredibly troubling. But nevertheless, this is the situation we live in.January is also the month that our Upward basketball and cheerleading season starts. Our sanctuary, bet...  Read More

In my last blog post, I introduced a series on the liturgical calendar. The church has used the liturgical calendar for centuries to order its life around keystones of our faith. If you missed my intro, you can read it HERE. In today’s post, we will very briefly look at three events on the liturgical calendar that are directly connected: Advent, the 12 Days of Christmas, and Epiphany.Advent is the...  Read More

Are you a big reader?  Some of us would say we haven't read a book since we were required to in grade school.  Some of us read voraciously.  Frankly, I'm in the middle.  Recently, I revisited a book that I've read multiple times… "In the Pit of Lion on a Snowy Day" by Mark Batterson.  Mark challenges us to reflect upon the courage of Benaiah in 2 Samuel 23:20-21...  “He also went down into a pit o...  Read More

I’m writing this on the verge of a new year sitting in the South Carolina sun (46 degrees) while my favorite wife (thus far…) is doing some post Christmas returns/shopping. We are visiting our daughters and one new son-in-law, then later on this week our son, daughter-in-law, and 2 precious grandkids! Certainly a great post Christmas gift!I’ve entitled this blog “Embracing 2023.” I initially entit...  Read More