Follow Jesus. Lead the church. Change the world.
Without question, Ethan’s most used words are in the phrase, “What’s that?” He asks that question over and over when we first see him each morning (and throughout the day). Earlier this week, I thought I should try to count how many times he says it in the morning. So on Friday, I tried to … Read more
Ever since the movie, The Great Debaters, was released, we’ve wanted to see it. We finally got a chance to watch it on DVD this past week. And we’re glad we did. “The Great Debaters” is about a debate team from Wiley College, an historically African-American United Methodist college, located in Marshall, Texas. The college … Read more
We just added a new page to the navigation menu above called Ethan’s Adoption. It’s an attempt to summarize the story of our adoption journey and to point to some of the key posts written along the way. We hope it will be helpful to those who are getting to know us in Clearfield as … Read more
I recently started a series of posts called Life Realignment, reflecting on 4 key areas we need to work on as we get settled as new parents in a new home, a new community, and new churches. First on the list is nutrition. I’ve always been interested in nutrition, including the latest information and reports … Read more
There are several organizations, or causes, that are close to our hearts. We’ve written about a few of them before (see posts categorized as causes). One great cause is the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), a disaster response effort on behalf of the United Methodist Church. UMCOR is an impressive organization, one that’s well-respected … Read more
Vacations provide an opportunity to catch our breath. Just about every time Joleen and I are on vacation we usually end up talking about adjustments we need to make in our lives to maintain a healthy way of living so that we don’t get so “out of breath” along life’s journey when we’re not on … Read more
Life is full of boundaries — moral, ethical, and legal boundaries. There are some things you cannot do. There are limits. When you cross a boundary, there are consequences. Knowing the boundaries is important! This lesson was driven home to us this week as we spent time at Joleen’s aunt and uncle’s house in New … Read more
We’re finally taking some much-needed, long-overdo vacation time. Our last vacation time, spent packing in Mooresville, moving, and unpacking in Clearfield, certainly wasn’t restful or renewing! We’re in Woodbury, NJ (east of Philadelphia) visiting Joleen’s aunt and uncle, Jim and Wanda, whom Ethan is meeting for the first time. This morning, Wanda, Joleen, and I … Read more
Few people have influenced and equipped me for leadership like John Maxwell — through his books, conferences, and monthly leadership audio lessons in the last 18 years. One of the last Maxwell books I’ve read (it’s been a while since I read it) is Thinking for a Change. In the book, Maxwell discusses 11 thinking … Read more
This is an interesting week. Because today, Tuesday, August 12, 2008 marks 6 months since we received Ethan on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 (i.e., “gothcha day”), we’re reliving and experiencing even more memories and flashbacks (of our time in Korea) than normal. Yesterday marked 6 months since we met Ethan for the first time (see … Read more