a little of this, a little of that
Posted in Olmsted Community Church, Random Thoughts on Jul 1st, 2010
It wasn’t a “typical day” in any sense, though I’m not sure I’ve ever had one in this job. But here’s a glimpse into a Monday (June 28) in the life of this pastor: 8:45 a.m. Phone call on my way to the office: the church secretary’s father is gravely ill and the family has [...]
Posted in Olmsted Community Church, Random Thoughts on Aug 29th, 2008
A few months ago I was having vision problems. It had been a while since I’d been to an eye doctor, and I was noticing that road signs were a bit blurry. The biggest problem was in seeing notes at the pulpit. A few times I had to pull my glasses off to follow the [...]
Posted in Olmsted Community Church, Uncategorized on Jul 29th, 2008
I created a word cloud for OCC, using words to create art that expresses a sense of our congregation. You can see a larger version by clicking on the image below. If you read this post via email, click here to see the original post on the Potluck blog site. What other words would you [...]
Posted in Olmsted Community Church on Jun 23rd, 2008
It was a year ago this week that I began my pastoral duties at Olmsted Community Church. In the course of a year, a pastor experiences almost everything at least once. Now the newness is worn off a bit, but I am wonderfully happy to be serving with the dedicated staff and the great people of [...]
Posted in Olmsted Community Church on Jun 1st, 2008
Ever since I began preaching in 1984, I’ve had a recurring nightmare. I get to the pulpit, look out over the congregation, open my Bible…and find no sermon notes. I panic. I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I have nothing to say, and I stand, humiliated, and have to confess my ineptitude to the people [...]
Posted in Olmsted Community Church, Photos, Random Thoughts on Mar 20th, 2008
…these late winter snows. But glancing out my office window yesterday, I was shocked—shocked, I tell you—to see big, fat, heavy flakes coming down. It was snowing like crazy for most of the afternoon and evening. The trees in the park and around the church looked like they’d been dunked in the same white icing [...]
Posted in Banner, Community, Inspiration, Olmsted Community Church, People, Photos on Nov 18th, 2007
I was overwhelmed by the number of volunteers and the amount of food collected at Olmsted Falls’ annual “Turkey Hunt” food collection for the needy. Tables were piled with canned and boxed foods that will go to needy families in time for Thanksgiving. It was a well organized and inspiring kind of event, both ecumenical [...]
Posted in Inspiration, Olmsted Community Church, Scripture on Oct 9th, 2007
From Sunday’s sermon: The disciples say, “Give us more faith.” They are asking Jesus to help strengthen their belief in what God can do through them and for them. And Jesus gives an interesting reply, “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could uproot a tree and plant it in the [...]
Posted in Inspiration, Olmsted Community Church, Photos on Sep 8th, 2007
Two weeks ago, I was contacted by my friend Cory Miller to participate in a radio interview about pastors and ministries that use blogs. Cory is a Southern Baptist communications director who also blogs and teaches others how to use electronic media in sharing the gospel. It was his site, Church Communications Pro, that got [...]
Posted in Olmsted Community Church, Random Thoughts, Scripture, Uncategorized on Aug 30th, 2007
Hurricane Katrina was over and I was relieved. I’d been glued to CNN and the Weather Channel for days, fearful of heavy damage to the Gulf Coast. The eye had passed through my parents’ hometown of Slidell, Louisiana and, by all accounts, it wasn’t as bad as anticipated. My parents had evacuated before the storm [...]
Posted in Olmsted Community Church, People, Photos on Jul 16th, 2007
Vacation Bible School had a great lift-off today. Can you tell that the kids were enjoying themselves, even while they were learning about scripture and prayer? More photos, click HERE.
Posted in Olmsted Community Church, Photos on Jun 22nd, 2007
Today was my first day at work at Olmsted Community Church. I have so many thoughts in my head that, ordinarily, I wouldn’t be able to sleep. But I’m so tired tonight that I shouldn’t have any trouble at all. I think it’s mental weariness from the long anticipation of this start date, and I’m [...]