Please & Thank You

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In the last few weeks, some of Ethan’s favorite words/phrases, surprisingly enough, have been “Please” (pronounced “peas”), “Thank you,” “Excuse me” (pronounced “scoos me”), and, to a lesser degree (or at least more recent), “Sorry” (pronounced “sar-you”). Ethan has been using “please” the longest. Awhile back, Ethan learned to add “please” to “more” when he … Read more

Transformational Leadership

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I have been thinking about “transformational leadership” in terms of three keywords: Character, Culture, and Perseverance. (1) Character Our character is our foundation. It involves our spiritual/devotional life, our connection to God. This is who we are, and who we are is foundational to what we do. Transformational leaders seek to build strong Christ-like character … Read more

It’s a Girl!

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We announced 3 months ago that we are adopting again. Last Wednesday, we received a referral of a baby girl from Korea — up to two months earlier than expected! On Friday, we met with our caseworker to receive and review a packet of info including a description of the child, family history, medical information, … Read more

2009 Fair Vespers Prayer

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Iwrote a prayer for the Clearfield County Fair Vespers services, which took place this evening. The prayer was a response to Jesus’ prayer in John 17. Here’s the prayer, along with words from John 17 that I was specifically responding to (the parenthetical statement, “Make us one,” was a response by the congregation) …. Quotes … Read more

Sharpening the Ax

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This morning, during my morning walk and prayer time, I remembered the language/imagery I’ve heard used for things like reading, personal growth, and even spiritual disciplines, “sharpening the ax.” When chopping down a tree with an ax, a sharp ax is better than a dull one! So, if you’re chopping down a tree with an … Read more

Investing in God

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Everyone invests in something. We invest our time, energy, and money in things in which we expect a good return (be it financial, emotional, or spiritual). Christ-followers invest their lives — their time, energy, and money — in God. But sometimes we wonder if our investment is really worth it. One day, Peter, one of … Read more

“Circle of Prayer” Requests

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Each week, United Methodists in more than 950 churches in Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania pray for 10 randomly selected churches (listed on the conference website). The whole process should take about a year and a half. Centre Grove is on the list for the coming week, starting tomorrow, July 26, 2009, going through Saturday, August … Read more

HealthMiles Level 4

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Yesterday, I reached Level 4 (of 5) in the HealthMiles walking incentives program, less than six months after signing up. That leaves me plenty of time (six months) to reach the final level (Level 5). At my current pace, it should take up to four months. I reached Level 4 on day 7 of the … Read more

We’re Not in Jerusalem Anymore!

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I recently read a piece written by the President-elect of Asbury Theological Seminary in which Dr. Timothy C. Tennent reflected on the cultural changes that are impacting seminary education. Tennent writes (emphasis and paragraph breaks added for readability) … Jerusalem and Athens are symbolic of one of the key shifts in theological education today. Like … Read more

Four Week Marathon

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Beginning at midnight tonight, 2,830 people from across The United Methodist Church will begin a 4-week challenge. The challenge is open to members of the denominational health insurance plan, HealthFlex, who are participating in the HealthMiles rewards incentive program. As we’ve blogged before (see Racking Up HealthMiles), we are participating in the HealthMiles program, which … Read more