What is a 20,000 foot view?   If you can remember your last flight in an airplane you know that things look much different from 4 ½ miles up!  There are also beautiful patterns that come from ordinary fields of soybeans and corn.  The squarely cut fields form a mosaic. As Doug mentioned last week we […]

A core value of Cathy’s and mine is communication and transparency.  One of the questions we have been asked more than once is how does the Co-Senior Pastor model work?  What follows is my attempt at a broad stroke overview. Preaching:  As a rule Cathy and I will rotate preaching between the Grace Campus, and […]

Most of us would like to believe that joy is a by-product of a good day.  The opposite is true:  if you choose to claim the joy that is yours as a child of God, then you will have a good day!  William Barclay wrote: “We are chosen for joy. However hard the Christian way, […]

Joy versus Happiness . . . In today’s world we’ve come to confuse happiness and joy, and we need to be continually reminded that there is a difference.  I’ve come to appreciate and embrace the following distinction:  Happiness is dependent upon external things; Joy is internal. My “happiness” is dependent on my circumstances. How “happy” […]

Celebrating Vital Signs A church is a living, breathing organism with “vital signs.”  Each congregation has unique “DNA” and is equipped by God to bringing healing, hope, and grace to God’s people.  When you get a physical check-up, nurses and doctors will perform a blood pressure check and ask you to open your mouth and […]

On a beautiful Tuesday evening in May, a small circle of six people gathered and prayer- walked around the church building and the streets in this church neighborhood. Fresh air, sweet fragrance, and spring flowers seemed to rejoice with us as we blessed our neighbors, walked, talked, and enjoyed each other as we rejoiced in […]

In Alaska there is a true story about a sled dog named Anna. Anna was a dog whose owner was uncertain that she was big enough or strong enough to serve on her team. As the team of dogs ran across the ice and snow they came across a patch of soft ice. Anna fell […]

Luke tells us in the second chapter of Acts about the day God anointed the disciples and all those gathered in Jerusalem on Pentecost: the people were “Amazed and Perplexed”.  To this day, our experience of God’s “Holy Spirit anointing” is both “Amazing and Perplexing”! Because we live in a world that demands an explanation […]

The time has passed by swiftly, since first being approached about coming to Cincinnati to serve you on an interim basis. I must admit I had to warm up to the idea as I had no prior interaction with HPCUMC and my only exposure to Cincinnati had been through limited very brief visits over the […]

What DOES the church offer seniors? Probably not enough. Having said THAT, let’s focus on what we do offer: On a social/fellowship level, our THURSDAY EDITION program meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday from 10 a.m. to Noon – Sept through May – decadent donuts, speakers – all both inspiring and fun! FIRST FRIDAY […]