Catalina Island

Headed to Catalina Island for a camping trip at the Two Harbors campground with the youth for the next several days, and then to Missouri for a service trip later this month. I’m excited to...

One of my Grandad’s Sermons

One of the cool things about serving here at Sierra Madre Congregational Church is that many of our friends at this church sat under my Granddad’s ministry at Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena (pictured, formerly...

TGC Brief Recap

I had a great time in Chicago.  It was fun to be away, hang with my friend Ryan, reconnect with friends and family, and be blessed from some great teaching and worship.  I thought Tim...

Headed to Chicago

Worship: what you were made for

We just finished a series on worship among the youth called “worship: what you were made for.”  We talked about having both joy and reverence in worship, how worship is all of life, how to...

Samuel Rutherford on suffering

The book I find most spiritually nourishing after the Bible is Samuel Rutherford’s The Loveliness of Christ, which consists of extracts from his letters.  I keep the copy my parents got me when I graduated...

Grateful for 2010

Esther and I spent some time last night thinking together and listing all the ways God has cared and provided for us in 2010, and filled up several pages with notes of gratitude.  We’re especially...

Our first Christmas tree

Esther and I have spent the evening setting it up.  The challenge is always getting the lights evenly stationed around the tree (not too hidden, not too obvious) and then run out just in time...

Machen on the Virgin Birth

I got a bunch of new books tonight in the mail tonight, mostly commentaries and other books I’ll be using for my ministry here.  One that I threw in out of interest was Gresham Machen’s...