Portage County Trail Quest
I’m coming to the end of another quest: to hike every trail in Portage County in 2021. If COVID-19 was going to “shorten my leash,” I figured I’d make the most of it! At first, I estimated that it would … Continue reading
Category Archives: Kent
H2O Kent Racquet Club
We’re coming out of COVID. It’s a process, for sure. Nothing easy or instantaneous about it. But we’re relearning how to lean into community dynamics again. We’re relearning how to have fun. And last night’s establishment of the H2O Kent … Continue reading
Posted in Church, COVID-19, Culture, H2O Kent, Kent, Recreation, Sports, Transition
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Negen Jaar Geleden
Negen jaar geleden, woonde we nog in Amsterdam. Onze huis stond wel leeg met een boordje in het raam: “Te Koop.” Maar onze vrienden… onze kerk… onze gezinsgeschiedenis… Die waren allemaal nog steeds daar, in Nederland. Tot de ochtend van … Continue reading
Posted in Amsterdam, Europe, Family, Home, Kent, Nostalgia, Ohio, The Netherlands, The United States of America, Transition
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Post-COVID Family Reunion
In June of 2019, my parents, my brothers, my sisters, and our families all got to participate in a broader family reunion for my Mom’s side of the family. There were official T-shirts and waterpark outings and catered dinners. It … Continue reading
We Get to Live Here (in Ohio)
I’ve done a little bit of hiking since our family’s return to Ohio. And I have to say that I am freshly impressed with the beauty of this region. It’s so green and bushy and wild! The forest floors around … Continue reading
Not the Weird New Kid Any More
I felt like the “weird new kid” when our family moved to Kent in 2012. I wasn’t a part of the church-planting team who moved from Bowling Green in 2008. But I wasn’t the traditional 18- or 19-year-old freshman on … Continue reading
Posted in Children, Church, Family, H2O Kent, Home, Introspection, Kent, Marriage, Nostalgia, Transition
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Empathy for the Hesitant
I’ve been thinking, praying, and processing some pandemic recovery stuff lately. And I feel like I had an epiphany this morning while walking in the woods. I started by praying for a nurse who’s recently been hospitalized for COVID-19. She … Continue reading
Posted in COVID-19, Culture, Culture Shock, God, H2O Kent, Health, Introspection, Kent, Ohio, Prayer, Social Issues, The United States of America, Transition
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Good Stories with Good People
We finished the year by telling stories. We said the stories could feature heroes. But the heroes must be others (not ourselves). We said the stories could feature fools. But the fools must be ourselves (not others). And with those … Continue reading
Posted in Church, COVID-19, God, H2O Kent, Home, Kent, Small Groups, Transition
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Spring Break Trip to Kent
It’s been a challenging year of ministry through the COVID-19 Pandemic. Last Spring, especially, we lost so many opportunities — including three Spring Break trips that would have involved 81 people from our church. We’re still not fully recovered. But … Continue reading
35 Rocks
I counted them this morning: 35 rocks. They were nestled inside the rotted-out trunk of an old oak tree. But I temporarily took them out to count them and clear some of the dust and debris. So that’s how I … Continue reading
Posted in Church, God, H2O Kent, Introspection, Kent, Ministry, Prayer, Small Groups
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