Messages

I’ve continued to ponder this idea of resilience. The next teacher to emerge is Pronghorn, who has an immense track record of resilience over many millions of winters. This species who looks for all the world like it belongs on the African savannah is, in fact, most closely related to Giraffes and goes back at […]

It is Valentine’s Day as I pull this lesson together. And it is from Iowa, the land of my home prairie that I write. I’ve come back to help out as my dad tries to rally from a bad health setback that started around Thanksgiving. So my thoughts are of the heart—Dad’s and mine—on this […]

I’m driving back to Colorado from two weeks in Iowa with my dad. His life energy is fading. What is emerging for him is surrender. Not something he’s ever been good at or fond of. What’s emerging for me is a deepened appreciation of who my dad is and who he has been, to me […]

Knowing where to begin can be tricky. Let me start by saying that 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 can be a bit of a troublemaker. Not on its own. On its own, I am sure it would be fine. The trouble comes when it gets mixed up with a contemporary human interpretation. A seemingly innocent scripture pressured into having […]

Inspired by Psalm 139:1-6Psalm 139: 1-6 is one of the first scriptures I have read as being complete without explanation. To add anything risks ruining something perfectly simple, something succinctly pure. Psalm 139:1-6 is a passage waiting for us, tucked in, and cozied up deep into the psalms. A sleeping giant offering a literary blanket […]

One week into the new year and the term ‘unprecedented’ floods back into our daily vocabulary. Another unprecedented event thrown upon a world weary with the weight of trauma and tragedy. One week into 2021 and it is apparent that the ills of our national culture are not bound by any calendar year. The societal […]

Ever since I read the book The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben (Wohl-lee-ben) and learned that trees could feel the bite of an insect into one of their leaves, I have been horrified by human carvings in the trunks of trees. If a tree can feel the bite of an insect into a leaf, how […]

As we prepare for Christmas Eve, anticipating the traditional lighting of our candles and the communal singing of Silent Night, I am cognizant of the familiarity this year has given us with our own Silent Nights.   This time last year gathered together at The Land, none of us would have guessed that a global […]

A pastor stood behind the pulpit with sweaty palms and a racing heart, knowing that the sermon he was about to preach to the congregation was embarrassingly lacking. Desperately praying for God’s intervention, the pastor noticed out of the corner of his eye a letter floating down from the sky. Relieved, the pastor rushed to […]

Fiona and I went out to The Land yesterday. For her, the motivation was the opportunity to photograph anything that “wasn’t a rabbit or a squirrel.” For me, it was a retreat inspired by a shallow sense of sorrow and a deeper sense of well-rounded frustration. I absolutely love editing and viewing our pre-recorded services […]