Faith column

Have you ever felt like you were at the "top of your game," feeling fantastic, and then everything began to crumble? A professional golfer experienced that feeling. He had shoulder surgery, life was good, and then his shoulder pain returned. The timing couldn't have been worse. He...

My first truck was a very old Chevy. It had a cassette player, and included was an old cassette tape titled "Country hits of the '70s" or something like that. That is how I was introduced to Lynn Anderson's "Rose Garden." At that time, it was the only cassette tape I owned, and soon...

The testimony of Dr. C.I. Scofield of his conversion: "I was a drunken lawyer; I was 37 years old. One day one of my clients, Tom McPhetters, was in my office. When he started to go out, with his hand on the knob of the door, he turned and said, 'Scofield, I'm the biggest coward on...

As the former senior pastor of a large church with a large staff, I found myself consumed with being the very best leader I could be for my staff and people. I attended leadership conferences, read leadership books and even met with other leaders in my community so I could continue...

The death of our daughter, Maria, has become the most impactful experience of my life. I have never faced anything that has radically changed my existence in an instant. My faith, my marriage and my role as a father are probably more formative in my life than her death, but each of...

Memorial Day has come and gone and the clock is ticking on the three most important months up here in the Brainerd lakes area. Each year it seems that there is pressure to make the most of the days between Memorial Day and Labor Day. This is why we live here, why we endure the winters...

These are exciting times. For kids and parents, the end of the school year is not far off. I happen to have a graduating high school senior - my last - this year. He is looking very forward to the next experience of his life: college. I am grateful to strong teachers, excellent mentors...

Philippians 2:4 says, "Look not to your interests only but also to the interests of others." On Jan. 20, the people of the Crosslake Log Church took that message to heart as they wrote personal notes in books that they purchased to be delivered to inmates in area jails. The backstory...

When you really need to talk to someone, do you have a best friend you can call out to? Is the person approachable 24 hours a day? Isn't it a relief and comforting to know that when you need to talk to your best friend, you will never get your patience tested because of a busy signal,...

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I was born in an era of great turmoil and great hope in America. Born in the late '60s, I remember seeing news reports, films and articles...

Merry Christmas, all! As you read this, Christians in the lakes area are going to church, singing carols, raising candles against the darkness of the night and of the cold world, and placing renewed hope again in God's Christmas promise in Jesus. To and through Mary, God's Word is,...

Casual Christianity, the place where the fence straddlers converge. It has always felt like a safe place for so many. A place where no clear, hard lines in the sand ever needed to be drawn. Casual Christianity sidesteps both being offensive and being offended. Coming from a guy who...

The tech world has a way of creating apps and tools that leave us wondering what our lives were ever like without them. The most recent app that has captured the attention of my household is Timehop. If you are not familiar with it, the app simply gathers old photos and status updates...

The message that I spoke to the congregation this past Sunday made reference to Memorial Day. The title of my message was, "Memorial Day. What's the Big Deal?" Although too many ignore, overlook, or don't understand the significance of Memorial Day, it is a big deal because what we...

"Gamma Kate! Gamma Kate!" Music to my ears as my 2 ½-year old grandson PJ spent last week with Gampa and Gamma Kate. What a brave little guy to be nearly 500 miles from his parents. PJ doesn't know how far that is, but he knows he spent a day in his car seat to get to Gamma Kate's...