Hudson WI pastor

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Freedom, fireworks, and following Jesus

I got in some trouble last night - celebrating my freedom. There’s been a tradition at our house since the year we moved in, we invite friends over for the fourth of July and have a grill out and shoot off some fireworks. Seems like that’s what it means to be an American, right? I thought so too. Or perhaps I even still think so.  Only once (until last night) has this annual occasion proved dangerous, as a firework shot…

Disciplined disciples

I read the Bible almost every single day. At least five out of seven days, and usually it’s more like seven days a week. It’s a fun thing to say, and it sounds good coming out of my mouth - but the truth is, I am kind of a cheater. My job requires me to be in God’s Word; reading it, interpreting it, discerning what it teaches, and relaying that information to a world that is in desperate need of…

Intentional Church

Hudson Wisconsin didn’t need another church. There were already 15 of them in April of 2013 - and many of them were functioning well and growing. But what Hudson was looking for, perhaps even asking for - was our church. Let me explain a little bit more… I grew up in Hudson. Some people would call me a lifer. A guy I went to high school with recently called us “townies.” I guess I would just say I never left.…

Empty tomb, Resurrection, Jesus is alive, Easter, Sunday Morning

Easter Sunday – the world will never be the same – Pt. 2 (He is risen)

The world will never be the same. He is NOT dead, He is alive!  At first they did not believe them, the women, when they returned with the news that the tomb sat empty. It could not be, it was too good to be true. They must have been mistaken or overcome with grief. Perhaps they had just been “seeing things” - wanting desperately for it to not be over.  So they ran, first Peter, and then John to the…

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Holy Week Devotional, Maunday Thursday, The Last Supper, Passover Meal

Thursday – A cup

A cup. Nothing that people hadn’t seen before, but tonight it meant so much more. A single, solitary cup, sitting in the middle of the table, surrounded by bread - and perhaps some grapes and olives - waiting to be filled. It was common for them to have bread and wine with every meal, they were staples of the time and place, and tonight would be no different in THAT regard. But there, in the middle of the table sat…

Wednesday – God’s anointed

He was just spending it with friends. His last day, the day before it all changed. Like the calm before the storm, Jesus is with His people, enjoying a meal and trying not to focus on what the next few days will bring. Perhaps there is even a smile, or a moment of laughter, as for one brief second, there is respite from His reality. And then, suddenly, it was time.  Mark 14:3–9 (ESV)And while he was at Bethany in…

Tuesday – truths from trees

Mark 11:12–14 (ESV)On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. He is yelling at a tree. He was…

Monday – Sometimes, you just have to weep

Yesterday there was a parade. Today there are tears. Yesterday there was a celebration. Today there is frustration. Yesterday he was their king. Today he is feeling the affects of being their God. The events of Monday - Wednesday of Holy Week, are not clearly defined by date or time, only that they happened - but this does not reduce their importance. In his version of the story, Luke tells us something that most of the other Gospel writers do…

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Restored and redeemed

I REALLY like sports. Like, a lot. On my phone, I have approximately 3 pages of apps, which I believe to be fewer than most people, but more than my mom. A few of them are on there, simply because I cannot delete them (Apple says so). Some of them are used for my biking adventures. Quite a few of them appear on there to help me manage the needs of HILLCITY. And the rest, they are there so that…

The answer of opportunity

I’ve been pretty open on this forum about my struggles with anxiety and unwanted thoughts. It is not a fate I would wish on my worst enemy, and it has greatly raised my awareness of, and empathy level for, those who struggle along with me. Over the past ten years, I have had WAY too many experiences and exchanges to share here - with people a lot like me - that have been uplifting, impactful, and inspiring, and have changed…