Embedded Files
Some moments arrive as photographs. Others take shape slowly through words.
Sometimes that means reflecting on something I have seen through a camera. Sometimes it means wrestling with a passage of Scripture, an experience in ministry, or a question that will not easily let me go. At other times, it takes the form of a poem, a devotional thought, or a longer essay.
Shorter pieces drawn from photography, creation, ministry, memory, and the ordinary places where grace shows up.
September 17, 2026
The air was thick—or, to borrow a word from previous generations, it was close. It was the kind of morning when you could see individual droplets of water floating through the air, caught in an intricate dance between the fog and the early morning sunlight. I had been out that morning searching the hills, hoping to catch a glimpse of a passing bull. I didn’t have to wait long. But almost as soon as he appeared, he was swallowed again by the mist.
A few minutes later, I was walking down an old dirt road when something ahead of me caught my attention. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before.
What is that?
Stories told through a sequence of images that capture change, movement, atmosphere, or a moment unfolding over time.
September Without Me- September 15, 2026
I couldn’t sleep last night. This happens to me periodically. I remember the first time clearly. I was twelve years old, lying awake the night before opening day of deer season. It happened again and again on the eve of opening day through much of my early teen years.
But last night was not that kind of sleeplessness. This was the kind where every time I turned, my shoulders ached. My body groaned, and I longed to find rest. Sleep finally came sometime in the wee hours of the morning, and I crawled out of bed around seven. I had hoped to get out early and experience some of the elk rut unfolding in the hills and valleys surrounding our home. It has been an unusually busy season in my world, and the workload has only increased over the past month or so. Ministry, family, speaking, projects, responsibilities—good things, mostly.
But meanwhile, just over the ridges, bulls are gathering cows. Bugles are carrying through the valleys. Calves are following their mothers. One of the great annual rhythms of this place is unfolding without asking whether our calendars have room for it. It can be hard in busy seasons to make time to get outside and pay attention. Yet this magnificent thing happens whether I make time to witness it or not.
The fog was especially thick this morning, and the 45-degree air had a crisp bite to it. Somewhere beyond what I could see, the bulls were bugling. As I traveled the dirt roads of the local elk refuge...
Longer explorations of Scripture, theology, ministry, and the Christian life. Pieces that need more room for careful thought.
Poems shaped by faith, memory, suffering, creation, and the moments that are sometimes better witnessed than explained.
Sleepy Shadows
Sleepy shadows on gravestones lie
Names and faces the day won’t see
Where grass withers and flowers die
Reminders of who used to be
Continue Reading the rest of the poem...
Devotionals
Devotionals
Scripture-centered writings intended to encourage reflection, prayer, and faithful living in the ordinary rhythms of life.
Living Your Faith
Living Your Faith
Living Your Faith is an eight-week daily devotional through the first four chapters of 1 Timothy. Written in a personal and pastoral style, each day combines Scripture, reflection, practical application, and prayer to help readers move beyond simply knowing their faith and begin living it.
Through themes such as truth, grace, prayer, leadership, spiritual growth, and faithful Christian living, this devotional challenges readers to examine their lives, grow closer to Jesus, and allow the Holy Spirit to shape the way they live each day.
Living Your Faith is currently available directly from the author.
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