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It’s not been a good year. We started to realize this last March. By April, I was reading articles and memes about turning the calendar back to 2019.

Whether or not COVID has changed things for you this year, you are likely reading this because you are spending the whole holiday, or part of it, alone.

Some of you are really stressed out. Especially after this year, and maybe every year at this time.

While some of you absolutely love this time of year, others of you dread it. For some, it brings back hurting memories and it feels physically and emotionally draining.

The first pastor that I considered my pastor, was someone who had gone through tremendous hardship in life. His first wife and three little boys died in a car accident, in the car he was driving. He was the sole survivor, and his physical recovery took a year.

If you use The Bridge Bible reading plan, as I do, you read Proverbs 20:3 today, “It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel” (NIV). I thought, how rare this is for people in general, and even Christians in particular.

As we’ve been studying Jesus’ ministry in the Gospel of Mark, we’ve learned that Jesus openly proclaimed this world is not really ours, and that for his followers, our home is in heaven.

I mentioned to a friend of mine that a person I knew was worth millions. This friend responded, “You are only worth as much as you give."

In a few days, the election will be over. You might be reading this and feeling anxiety over who will be the victor, or even if we will have a clear election winner.

I am convinced that debates can be and should be healthy. If you are surrounded only by people who always agree with you, then you don’t even know what you really believe.

Our most recent family addition is Remy Iris, our daughter and son-in-law’s little girl. She’s 3 months old and she loves to smile. In fact, I often catch her staring at me (or whoever else is nearby), waiting for me to look at her. As soon as I make eye contact, she breaks into a big grin. It’s as though she craves human interaction and knows that she can get it by smiling. Babies learn this very early in life. They get added attention and affection when they smile (they get

I don’t think I’ve ever been to Rochelle before. I’d heard of it, but never had a reason to go there. It’s a small town just south of Rockford, about an hour and a half drive from my house.

We’ve all talked about it…how this virus has changed our lives, and changed the world we live in.

This week, we were reminded once again that death is a reality for all of us. And it’s probably going to come sooner than we think.

"What’s my purpose at work?” someone recently asked.

It happened again this week. Someone I looked up to, someone who seemed to have a nearly perfect home. They were so good together, had good jobs, a nice house, great kids.

I get it. You need a change of scenery. Maybe a move across town…or better yet…to a different state. Maybe it’s time for a job change. You just know that it’s time for change.

Several years ago my sister and brother-in-law moved into an old Victorian home that was in rough shape and needed renovation.

I used to watch The Brady Bunch as a kid and longed to be in a family like that. They had parents who calmly led.

I am told that standing at the South Pole is like being in the eye of a hurricane––deceivingly calm.