Posts with the tag “downtown-kansas-city-churches”

Last weekend, Leigh-Ann, the boys, and I drove out into the country to get haircuts and watch Sophia play soccer. We definitely enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine and decided to make a pit stop at a l...  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

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

Change is in the air! Whether it’s tossing caps at graduations, stepping into new jobs, or just shuffling furniture around one more time, change is a constant companion. Here at New Life CityChurch, w...  Read More

Nearly thirty years ago, I was a Freshman in college and spent Spring Break traveling with several other students from Maranatha Baptist University. We started in Wisconsin and went out to the East Co...  Read More

Four years ago, as Alexa was preparing for her freshman year in college, we reconnected with a friend who had briefly lived in Kansas City. After a few months, he decided to move back to Springfield, ...  Read More

Yesterday, our oldest daughter graduated from college. She has made great friends, learned a lot, and is now all grown up. In the words of one of the speakers yesterday, she is now an “adult, adult.”I...  Read More

A few weeks ago, my youngest son Ian invited me to join him for “Doughnuts with Dad” at his school. I must admit, the prospect of waking up early to hang out in a cafeteria filled with elementary scho...  Read More

As I walked into our living room a week ago and saw my college wrestling coach Ben Peterson, the memories flooded back—sweat-drenched practices, hard-fought victories, and his life-changing influence....  Read More

This past week has been a whirlwind of activity at the New Life office. It’s almost like watching a team of caffeinated beavers (side note: we also have a new coffee maker) on a mission to turn the pl...  Read More

A few weeks ago, I was driving downtown Kansas City, heading back to the church office and I noticed a car coming towards me while I was stopped at a light…nicely obeying all traffic laws ...  Read More

This past week has been tough. The Chiefs won the Super Bowl and about a million of our closest friends squeezed together for a celebratory parade.We enjoyed plenty of cheering and revisiting our favo...  Read More

What makes you happy?There are plenty of things that make me happy.This weather makes me happy – plus Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see his shadow. Early Spring is on the way! And if you want to get a litt...  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

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

This past week, we were able to attend the elementary Christmas program at Isaiah and Ian’s school.To be honest, after five kids, the elementary program is typically one of my least favorite things to...  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

About three months ago, I opened the garage door bright and early on a Sunday morning…and noticed something was different…but not sure what it was……it took a few seconds….and then I realized there was...  Read More

Last Saturday evening, I was waiting for one of the boy’s soccer games to begin and was watching some really young girls play, but I couldn’t stop watching the parents.It was entertaining to see what ...  Read More

Several weeks ago, while on vacation, we were waiting for a shuttle and several of us noticed a beautiful tree. It was night time and most of the light was coming from the moon, although it was a clea...  Read More

This morning at 7 am, our kids and two of their cousins started a challenge….run 1 mile an hour for 24 hours. So far, as I write, the core of the group is up to 11 miles and counting….Based on their c...  Read More

Over the past few years, our family has started a tradition of mini-golfing while on vacation. We love the challenge of putting the golf ball around obstacles, through tight spots, up and down hills, ...  Read More

Today is our annual celebration of Leigh-Ann’s journey around the sun. We’ve officially been married for more than half of her life.Wow! I still remember the first time we locked eyes….there was certa...  Read More

How have you experienced a healthy family?Although health in our biological families is not always possible, our Scripture passage for Sunday from Galatians 3:25-4:7 offers us hope for health in our s...  Read More

As a family, we have a mission statement posted on the refrigerator that we use to inform our direction. Here is what it says:Serve Jesus as the Lord of our home,Value honesty with ourselves and other...  Read More

Sunday is Mother’s Day!I know Mother’s Day can be tough for some…for those of you who like Hannah in the Old Testament long to become a mom, this day might be a reminder of that void…for others who ha...  Read More

A few days ago, a friend, who knew I was a pastor, commented about Easter Sunday and said, “this is your big weekend.”And it is a big weekend…its definitely not mine….but I know what he meant. And bet...  Read More

Yesterday, Isaiah and Sophia had soccer practice while Dallas had a day off. So he and I decided to go to the fields and shoot on our own while the others trained.We found a field with goals that were...  Read More

On Tuesday, the US Men’s National Soccer team defeated Iran 1-0. If you didn’t get a chance to watch it, the guys played really well and deserved the win. If they had only tied or lost that match, the...  Read More

I love this time of year. The weather over the past few days has been nearly perfect. Cool in the morning and evening with sunshine and a nice breeze throughout the day. But that’s not all….it’s also ...  Read More

Our family has lived downtown KC for twelve years….and we love it! We have heard our share of sirens and gunshots…we’ve also witnessed plenty of unique situations…from someone passed out in our front ...  Read More

It’s hard to believe summer is almost over…and it went way too fast. Yesterday, someone described life as a merry-go-round at the playground….that starts slow and continually picks up speed until you ...  Read More

A few days ago, I ground some coffee beans, loaded up the coffee maker, and hit the button to start my brew. One of my favorite times of the day is when I pour a fresh cup of coffee and take it out on...  Read More

For the past few days, many of the youth and young adults from New Life have been serving our city. They have partnered to serve the homeless, played sports with refugees, shared their faith with vari...  Read More

Over the past two weeks, our family has driven more than 4,000 miles and been in every time zone in America. Leigh-Ann and the girls were in Seattle for a soccer tournament where Sophia’s team took 3r...  Read More

This past week, the girls have been out of town on a trip and so it has been just the “boys.” We are doing well, but we certainly miss the “girls.” On Tuesday, they left early in the morning and so I...  Read More

A few days ago, I was at a coffee shop with Pastor Don Lewis and Lee Bramlett for a meeting about fatherhood and the opportunities with Good Dads KC. We shared some of the amazing examples of God’s tr...  Read More