We went back to Richland County for a family reunion this weekend: a low-key, potluck picnic-at-the-pond kind of thing on Sunday afternoon. The reunion itself was fine (though the kids and I couldn’t stay very long because of commitments back … Continue reading
I’m back from a summer of worship. It’s hard to explain, hard to encapsulate. But when I think back on everything I’ve experienced over the past couple of months — both on vacation and on assignment at Estes Park Leadership … Continue reading
Daniel and I started at dawn. Mist curled over the lake at Milner Pass, as we started quickly gaining altitude. Within the first mile, we were already above tree line, and the landscape spread before us: sun and shade in … Continue reading
We often have an “Adjustment Period” when we hike as a family. This usually happens in the early part of a hike, where aggravations mount, tempers flare, and despair can feel overpowering. We’ve observed this on all different sorts of … Continue reading
We weren’t fully prepared for the cold and wind. I mean, we knew the weather forecast ahead of time and packed sufficient layers. We had talked to park rangers and mapped out our plan. We were logistically prepared. But we … Continue reading
Out in the farmlands of Richland County, there’s a cemetery labeled with a simple wrought-iron sign: “Revolutionary War Cemetery.” As the name suggests, a few well-weathered gravestones go all the way back to the 1700s, when this part of the … Continue reading
Marci and I flew out to San Francisco last week for a four-day getaway. We arranged for the trip because this month marks our 20th wedding anniversary, and we wanted to do something special together. Northern California was appealing to … Continue reading
We’re back from H2O’s Spring Break trip to the Great Smoky Mountains! Fifty-four of us traveled from Ohio to Tennessee to learn and practice spiritual disciplines in the wilderness, like Moses, and Elijah, and John the Baptist, and countless others … Continue reading
The air temperature was a brisk 10° Fahrenheit. A light snow fell from the sky. The weather forecast called for a high of about 20° Fahrenheit and another inch of snow. But we were undaunted. We said, “We laugh in … Continue reading
December 15 The Cuyahoga Valley National Park has been a place of sanctuary for me throughout the busy Fall Semester. December 8 December 1 November 27 November 17 I’ve returned to park week after week to seek God and refocus myself … Continue reading
