Before I forget, let me wish each and every one of you a very Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Welcome to Holy Week!  Every day has its own traditions and rituals, and if they draw people closer to God and deepen their genuine relationship with Him, then I’m all for them…

Somehow, it feels like this year is flying past at a much faster pace than most years do.  Everyone seems to be running around, just trying to keep up with life.  So let me encourage all of us to take a moment to stop, take a deep breath, hold it, then slowly let it out -- and let’s remind ourselves that God’s pace is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow...

Man, things are starting to ramp up into full gear as the weather warms and Spring is coming upon us...

We had a bit of a bittersweet weekend at First Covenant Church this week, as we celebrated the homegoing of Cliff Johnson on Saturday morning.  It was poignant and sad to say “Good-bye” to our friend and brother -- and yet, it’s never entirely sad to take part in the funeral of someone who so clearly had a warm and loving relationship with God, because we know precisely where Cliff is now, and that he’s with his Lord (and with Carol)…

Before I forget, let me begin by wishing all of you a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

There are an amazing number of times when I’m reminded that God is much, much smarter than me--and that He plans things on a much deeper and much better level than I do. Take this week, for instance…

I was just telling someone about how so far, 2019 has been the “year of the absentee”--between illnesses, physical rehabilitation, bad weather, last-minute trips, etc., we’ve been really missing seeing our full complement of FCCers here on a regular basis…

Here at First Covenant Church, we’re trying to support not only the regular, ongoing ministries of the church (Sunday Schools, prayer meetings, the Worship Service, Youth Group, etc.), but also the ancillary ministries that help people who fit into various niches that can sometimes feel sidelined, underappreciated, or even misunderstood...

This week, after the service, we had our very first “working lunch Congregational Meeting,” and it went pretty well (especially considering that most of our Elders and Deacons ended up not being able to attend, for one reason or another)...

Between illnesses, canceled services due to weather, attempted times of revisioning retreat, etc., I haven’t sent a Sunday Morning Update out in a month!  It’s bizarre how strange it feels not to have done something for a month that you’ve done every week for the past 15 years...

Many were out with illness, including our beloved Pastor Kevin. If you were one of them, you were missed! Sunday school converted from our typical interactive growth-provoking teaching to be a time of sharing followed by intimate group prayer. It seemed a Lord-ordained beginning to a memorable and moving Sunday morning service…

Everybody’s got to stop falling down…

The people of First Covenant Church have had something of a hard week this week…

It’s an absolute joy to have my children finally home from school this week for ISU’s Christmas break!  There’s nothing in the world that I love more than snuggling with my family and my dog, so I’m pretty much in Heaven right about now…