Posts with the tag “youth-ministry”

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

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

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

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 😊.I watched ...  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 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

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

Super Bowl LVIII will be held on Sunday, February 11, 2024. This will be a game between the two best football teams in the world (at least at the time 😊).If you are a Chiefs fan, you are hoping we can...  Read More

About five years ago, we took a family trip through Birmingham AL for a wedding.  It’s amazing how much kids can grow in 5 years!I was reminded of some historical sites we visited while we were in Bir...  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

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

Recently we were driving in the car, going back and forth about who gets “Aux” (the person who gets to pick the songs). In case you are wondering, everyone in our family is competitive, so “Aux” can b...  Read More

Welcome to the first day of December! I had a conversation with someone earlier today, and it struck me how, during this season, time seems to slip away, and suddenly Christmas is upon us.The calendar...  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

This week, Leigh-Ann and I reached a new milestone in life…our oldest daughter turned 22.It seems like just yesterday that we were at St. Mary’s hospital for her birth. It was certainly not easy…(I ha...  Read More

Our boys have discovered one of the greatest toy inventions of the decade!It’s not a fidget spinner or Nintendo Switch….it’s not Razor Scooter and its not stuffed….they have discovered Gel blaster gun...  Read More

Yogi Berra, the author of some of my favorite quotes had a way of stating the obvious….obviously!He was born in St. Louis and grew up in a working-class neighborhood. He loved baseball and became one ...  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

Earlier this week our oldest daughter, Alexa came home to shadow a physician as a part of her preparation for the future. She left right after an early morning soccer practice and drove home. Her tire...  Read More

Last week, I got to take Isaiah out of town for some 1 on 1 time. With five kids it can be tough to offer individual attention to our children, however, we know it’s important, so Leigh-Ann and I do o...  Read More

This rain has been great, but it’s also creating more work. I would much rather look at green grass but brown grass requires less maintenance 😊.This past Monday, Ian was helping me mow the back yard a...  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, most of our family took a leap of faith. For more than a decade while vacationing on Table Rock Lake, we have watched people jump off a cliff. And for more than a...  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

Over the past few days about 20-25 teens and leaders have been living at New Life, serving the city, eating a lot, and sleeping a little.Several years ago our church began the tradition of serving rig...  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

About thirteen years ago, God brought Dave and Karen Robinson to Leigh-Ann and me. Their friendship has changed our lives and ministry…in a really good way 😊.We’ve served in the city together, listeni...  Read More

Leigh-Ann, Dallas, and Sophie left last night to travel to St. Louis for Sophia’s final club soccer tournament. Her next games will be in college.Alexa, Isaiah, Ian, and I stayed home! 😊After eating s...  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

For the past few days, I’ve been wearing sunglasses.The sun is bright, and I want to protect my eyes from ultraviolet light…but that’s not really why I’m wearing sunglasses.I’ve realized it’s easier t...  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

Today was the last day of high school for our second daughter, Sophia. We are extremely proud of her as a student, athlete, and most importantly, a follower of Jesus. She has attended Lincoln Prep sin...  Read More

This past Sunday we had just finished eating our Easter lunch when we heard our neighbor’s dog barking and pretty soon our dog, Gratzi bolted for the door with incredible passion.It wasn’t long until ...  Read More

Our dog is an awesome dog…she is also whacky…and very absorbed with her “ducky.” A while back Leigh-Ann bought her this toy “ducky” and she loves it. In fact, I don’t think it’s an overstatement to sa...  Read More

Since the kids were young, I’ve carried them up to bed. I never really planned for this to become a tradition, it just sort of happened. When you have a toddler, it’s not that big of a deal, but when ...  Read More

This past week we were able to get away for a few days of R&R on vacation. We went to Branson and spent some time swimming, mini-golfing, reading, boating, and tubing on Table Rock Lake.It’s hard to b...  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

A few days ago, Leigh-Ann made a family favorite for Memorial day that is borderline addictive. It has the perfect amount of salt and sugar that makes my brain SCREAM for more…. …it’s her ridiculously...  Read More