Posts with the tag “church-community-downtown-kc”

This week, Pastor Jeff and I were back on set filming another episode of Church Improvement, our little behind-the-scenes show giving you updates and laughs from the auditorium remodel. Things have be...  Read More

 If you’ve ever tried to build something…whether a bookshelf, a budget, or a backyard shed that didn’t quite turn out level, you know that building takes time, effort, and a clear plan.The same is tru...  Read More

March Madness is one of my favorite times of the year! Every year, I fill out my tournament bracket with great anticipation, convinced that this is the year I finally prove my basketball expertise. An...  Read More

This afternoon, I had the privilege of attending a graduation…not for high school, college, or even a seminary. No, this was a graduation for Fatherhood Foundations. A ministry designed to help men un...  Read More

Today is Valentine’s Day, which means I get to celebrate Leigh-Ann who has been my Valentine for the past 28 years.From the moment I first saw her, I was blown away by her beauty. And as we got to kno...  Read More

Well, here we go—on Sunday night, the Kansas City Chiefs have a chance to do what no team has ever done: win three Super Bowls in a row. And, of course, if they do, some will say, "It’s all because of...  Read More

If you’ve ever watched kids play sports, you know it’s an adventure. Over the years, our kids have played everything from soccer to basketball, football to taekwondo. We’ve cheered from the sidelines,...  Read More

This weekend, Dallas and I headed out of town for a soccer tournament. We were looking forward to getting some sunshine and playing outdoors. Even though we were hoping for warmer weather, it was 32 d...  Read More

This week marks a BIG moment for our New Life family: the fourth phase of our building remodel is officially underway. As I walked through our now-demoed auditorium and kitchen, I couldn’t help but fe...  Read More

Yesterday, we took the kids skiing for the first time. If you’ve ever introduced beginners to the slopes, you know it’s equal parts adventure and chaos…and plenty of stories to tell about Black Diamon...  Read More

The other day, our dog Gratzi gave us a masterclass in determination. While I was fast asleep, Leigh-Ann heard the Gratzi digging around in the closet where we hide (emphasis on hide) all the kids’ Ch...  Read More

Setting up for Christmas isn’t my favorite thing.At all.It means climbing into the attic and through the garage to retrieve trees, wreaths, lights, greens, linens, bins and bins of stuff, candles, orn...  Read More

Advent is a season of waiting. The word itself means “coming,” and let’s be honest—most of us aren’t great at waiting. Whether it’s waiting in traffic, for coffee to brew, or for Netflix to connect, w...  Read More

A few weeks ago, I met up with a friend for lunch. After a burger and fries, he showed me his new car—a limited-edition Corvette. Let me tell you, this car wasn’t just nice—it was mighty fine. With th...  Read More

Last Saturday, I took my two oldest boys and a friend to Worlds of Fun, thanks to some free tickets Dallas scored. The park was packed—longer lines than I’ve ever seen—but that turned out to be a bles...  Read More

I will never forget my first flight with my daughter as the pilot. She flew in to meet me on her own, and then we took off together for an incredible experience in the sky. I have to say, I was blown ...  Read More

This past week, I was sitting in my office, deep in thought and preparing for my sermon, when I suddenly heard the familiar sound of buzzing. You know the sound—it’s like a tiny alarm clock going off,...  Read More

A few months ago, we started receiving random gifts in the mail. At first, it was kind of fun—like Christmas had come early! We got a high-end car deodorizer, a nice tool kit, a giant teddy bear and e...  Read More

Today, I took our three boys for haircuts—look good, feel good. Since I was overdue, I’ve been looking forward to walking out of the barbershop with a fresh cut all week. As you know, for a few days, ...  Read More

How well do you like to admit you were wrong?  Yeah, me neither…what is it that makes this so difficult?This afternoon I was working on some illustrations for Sunday and decided to enlist some help, s...  Read More

This past Tuesday, I went for a run—well, more of a duty to ease my guilt so I could justify eating ice cream later that night. I figured, “Run now, relax, and refuel later,” right?What could go wrong...  Read More

Earlier this week, I was all set to start a fire on the porch to chase away the chill. But when I looked at the fire thing-a-ma-jig, I discovered what I thought was a large stick. Turns out, it wasn’t...  Read More

A few days ago, our middle son, Isaiah, got the chance to be a ball boy at the Sporting KC match. We were all pumped about it, ready for an evening of soccer thrills. But, as it turns out, soccer game...  Read More

A few days ago, I set out on one of my favorite weekend rituals—mowing the lawn. Now, I know mowing the lawn might seem like just another chore, but for me, it's a cherished time of reflection and sat...  Read More

This week, Leigh-Ann and I celebrated our 25th anniversary. Wow-I have always remembered “old people” celebrating their 25th…and we are not old ...  Read More

Since coming home for the summer, our daughter Alexa’s car hood has been looking pretty rough. The once sleek surface had become blotchy and, frankly, a bit embarrassing to drive around. With her upco...  Read More

Last night, when most of the world was asleep, Leigh-Ann had an unexpected encounter that left her heart pounding. She walked into our bathroom and was met with a sight that would send shivers down an...  Read More

This past week, our family managed to escape for a much-needed vacation. We swam, floated, read, and competed in all sorts of fun activities. But one of my favorite moments happened last night, and it...  Read More

I hope this message finds you well and excited about the latest developments in our church remodeling adventure! Phase Three has been quite the rollercoaster of demolition, surprises, and valuable les...  Read More

If you’ve ever spent a morning, afternoon, or even a whole day waiting at the DMV, you know the frustration of feeling like just another number. Today, I needed to get one of the girl’s cars registere...  Read More

What does the ideal personality look like to you? Is there a single word that comes to mind?Now, before we dive in, let’s set the record straight: I don’t believe there’s an ideal one-size-fits-all pe...  Read More

Easter Sunday breathes new life into us for many reasons. Personally, it started with seeing our New Life CityChurch family and worshipping together. This was truly a blessed time for worship and buil...  Read More

Yesterday evening, Leigh-Ann took our youngest boy, Ian to Tai-kwon-do and I was in charge of dropping off Isaiah and picking up Dallas from soccer training. Since the weather was nice, Dallas and I d...  Read More

This past week, Isaiah entered his first wrestling tournament. This is a pretty big deal in our household. I started wrestling about the same time I learned how to crawl and went through college…also…...  Read More

Today we are headed back to Kansas City after spending several days with family to begin 2024 in Florida. We loved soaking in some sunshine and warmer weather while relaxing and spending time together...  Read More

A few minutes ago, I was putting some final touches on my sermon for Sunday. I want to end our Advent Series, “Embracing Eternity” from the Psalms well. I also want to provide some practical ways to b...  Read More

Christmas is a time for favorite traditions.If you are like me, you probably have some favorite Christmas songs (Gloria in Excelsis Deo-sung loudly in my best dad voice ...  Read More

Yesterday, while stuffing our faces ...  Read More

It’s been a week since we observed Daylight Savings Time.We did get an extra hour of sleep, however, we’ve also lost an hour of daylight….every…single…day.As we were driving home just past 6 pm today,...  Read More

We are in a seasonal sweet spot! Fall is my favorite time of the year.Sweatshirts and pumpkin spice lattes. Football and Hot Apple Cider and Bonfires. It seems like only recently that we were navigati...  Read More