Every now and then, a metaphor pops into my brain that’s just too good to ignore. I love cooking and baking competitions. Lately I’ve been watching a lot of Chopped and The Great British Bake off. Chopped is a frantic Food Network show where chefs are handed a mystery basket of ingredients. As I was watching Chopped the other day,  I thought: Oh my goodness… this is also pastoring. To be honest, for a fleeting moment, I thought this metaphor applied during COVID pastoring too

It’s officially cookie-baking season—my favorite time of year to fill the house with butter, sugar, chocolate, citrus, and joy. One of my clearest childhood memories is coming home from school after my mom had spent the entire day baking. I’d walk through the door and the whole house smelled like sugar, butter, vanilla, and love. I’d sit at the little family room table—our spot—and tell her about my day. It wasn’t fancy, but it was holy. A small place where I felt known and s

A bright orange guitar pick with Gsus Saves on it. My office manager handed me this guitar pick earlier this week — bright orange, with the words “Gsus Saves” and a guitar chord chart printed right on it. I laughed out loud at first. It’s clever, right? A pun that strums right at the intersection of faith and music. But the longer I held it in my hand, the more I realized — there’s actually a little theology in this tiny triangle of plastic. On one side, there’s the Gsus chor

We know something about waiting in the church world. We’re quite good at it, actually.

This picture is one of my absolute favorites of me in the midst of ministry. It pops up on my Facebook memories every year in late...

A relationship with God isn’t meant to be static. It’s not a single well-worn recipe you memorize and never change. It’s alive, dynamic, and full of opportunities to grow.

...ministry takes more than a balanced budget—it takes bold imagination, a little holy restlessness, and a willingness to try things that might seem unusual, risky, or even a little wild.

A few weeks ago, my office manager Jill and I took a day trip to Oregon State University to attend a presentation by Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB).

hank you for dreaming big, for trying even when you were scared, for loving deeply. Thank you for laying the foundation of the life I now live.

I wish I could go back and whisper something true to her: some of those dreams won’t come true—and that’s not a failure. That’s grace unfolding.

Here’s to reclaiming our souls—one small act 50 before 50 at a time.

Ever wonder what a Pastor needs every week to do their job? Here is a peek at mine in honor of Labor Day (Yay Unions!): Ministry in the...