Cherish Small Joys

I was recently gifted a handless mug. The couple who gave it to me had been on vacation in Europe, and during one of their shopping excursions, they spied the mug. “We have to get this for Shawn,” they thought. This husband and wife know orange is my favorite color. I have a “carrot cake […]

MORE THAN CRUMBS

I’ve been grumpy lately. Not bite-everyone’s-head-off grumpy, but irritated…short-tempered…sad…grumpy. Now, I’m prone to sarcasm and can lean into cynicism, but mostly I think of myself as a generally optimistic, positive, joyful guy. Grumpy is not my default. But lately it feels like I’ve been grumpy more than not. And that’s got me wondering what’s up? […]

How to Improve Preaching

I was reflecting this morning with a friend about our Lenten blogging experience My friend was observing that the practice of writing something every day, even given word prompts, resulted in several themes reappearing over and over in the blog. I suggested it’s the same with preaching. We only have one story to tell…God loves us. The challenge […]