Posts with the tag “pastor-don-long”

There’s a significant date looming on the horizon of my life and that of my family, too. Tomorrow—Sept. 28th—is my mom’s birthday, the first since her death seven months ago on February 28th. I’ve tried not to think about it or any of the other “firsts” that await me, because when I do, it makes me sad. I don’t want to be sad.But there’s one thing as the day approaches that makes me smile: the mem...  Read More

Impact: “Having a strong effect on someone or something.” I’ve been thinking about those who’ve had an effect on my life, one in particular: Tom Heaton.Tom and I shared a dorm room in the commuter housing of Christian Theological Seminary from 1993-1997. He became a great friend and mentor (he’s a few years older than me ). We’ve been friends and colleagues ever since. Tom adopted two boys—Jose an...  Read More

I just got back from a week-long youth mission trip to Mountain TOP in the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee. Twenty-one (15 students and six adults) missionaries spent a week either leading Day Camp or laboring on work teams building, repairing, painting and improving the lives and homes of people as servants of the Lord. It was a great week! Likewise, I’m getting ready to lead a team of six to M...  Read More

Becky and I recently visited with good friends in Spokane Washington (and I also got to have a coffee with Jen Russell  who lives there). I started each morning with a great hike in the mountains, and on one particular morning I found myself trekking through some pretty dense evergreen forest. I noticed there was a lot of undergrowth, including moss, ferns, Oregon Sunflower, pinecones, etc. But I ...  Read More