There is so much that we have learned as a people over the last year, since George Floyd was killed. There have been so many really important conversations. Personally, I have listened and learned more from my black friends, hearing their stories and personal experiences, than I had ever before…

How time to rest, a family trip of a lifetime, and a reading list I cannot recommend enough, changed and shaped me. — Most of my readers will know by now — through personal relationship, social media, and through the sermon I gave in September of 2020 (HERE) — that I was on my first sabbatical in June-August of last summer. It took me a while to finally sit down and gather some…

The attached article/blog immediately below is clear, gracious, and much needed. I’d encourage you to take the time to read… — Christian Faith and Conspiracy Theories - Holy Trinity Church by Joel Miles When someone proclaims both the gospel and a conspiracy theory, it suggests to our watching world that the…htcchicago.org The deep concern of my heart, as a pastor, is that Christians are being pulled and distracted from the mission that we have been given.

Well, yesterday was different… — For the first time in our history, at least in the last century and a half plus, a mob attacked the US Capitol building, breaking windows, looting, and even assaulting the Capitol Police. In the events, one woman was shot in the neck and killed. Like most, I suspect, I…

by Brandon Barnes — Zoom and technology fatigue maybe setting in. I know it is for me — why is this? This article https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200421-why-zoom-video-chats-are-so-exhausting does a good job of demonstrating why fatigue from video based chats is likely occurring. As we hit the next phase and stretch of time in this quarantine and isolation…

The corona-crisis, while certainly more foreboding and concerning with each passing day, may just be the best thing to happen to fatherhood in the last 30–40 years — or at least it is a tremondous opportunity. A recent study by the Pew Research Center noted, Among those who were raised…

If I hear the word “unprecedented” one more time! (I’ve used it myself a myriad of times in the last week). …

A few thoughts about my upcoming sabbatical — This coming summer, beginning on the first of June, I’ll be taking my first ministry sabbatical. 2020 is my fifteenth year in full-time ministry at Groton Bible Chapel, spanning 10 years as GBC’s Youth Pastor, 2 1/2 years as an interim Associate Pastor, and the last three as GBC’s Lead…

Captured in this shot is the sun coming up over the hill behind our house, with the treehouse in the foreground. For just a moment it caught my attention and I snapped this picture. I am reminded that, while this storm left things wintery and beautiful, (finally!), that winter is…