When my dad was a little guy, just 6 years old, his world ended! Why? Well, there was an outbreak of Scarlet Fever in the little town of...

One of my mom’s earliest memories is one in which she is sitting on the back step of her farmhouse in nothing but a towel. She is 5 years...

Poem by Walter Brueggemann "Prayers for a Privileged People" You know who they are. They preach to us like they are shooting arrows...

We had several guests in worship on Sunday! Isn’t that cool! Let me tell you, nothing lifts my spirits as a pastor more than having...

Mask Created by Indianola Artist Jennifer Angaiak Wood As you may know I'm a big fan of Public Broadcasting. And to be honest, just a...

In the United Methodist Church we have two sacraments: baptism and holy communion. One of my favorite parts of our baptism ritual is the...

Two things to remember. I was tired and anxious. Not a good combination. I had just woken up at the Yankton Sacred Heart hospital. I had...

When I was a little guy of about 8, we moved to a town in South Dakota called Wagner. My dad was a United Methodist pastor, and I really...

I don’t know what I’d do without my Tuesdays! On Tuesday I meet with my staff and tell life stories of last week’s ministries, strategize...

It was 2 in the morning and Cyndy and I (now with 2 kids) were living in Coppell, Tx...a suburb just north of Dallas. I had just started...

This Guy is My Hero! Confession time! I kind of have a man crush on the South African comedian Trevor Noah! Maybe it’s just because he is...

Are You a Good Name Caller? Are you a good name caller? I hope so! Let me explain! When I was in 4th grade there was a bully who got a...

THE POWER OF 3 IN GOD'S WORLD One of my favorite worship leaders is Mark Miller.  I love not only singing and listening to the...

OK. Be gentle, now! A couple of nights ago I was up in the night and I started working on this poem. As I was gnawing on it, I pondered...

When I was in 2nd grade I had an amazing teacher. One day she heard news that an endangered bird called “the Whooping Crane” was spotted...

We are all “in-between”.  In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul writes this: “cr eation has been groaning as in the pains of...

I've been reading a great book called "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri. It is a beautiful story of a family from India who move to the...

I’ve always loved baseball. But my relationship with baseball has had some ups and downs in my life. As a little kid I remember yearning...

If you know anything about me, you will know this: I absolutely love Palm Sunday. Part of this comes from my adoration for our friend the...

I am so excited! This morning, I got a call and someone from our church wants to be baptized! Isn’t that wonderful?!?!  If there’s one...