Release

I’ve been playing Disc Golf more, recently. It’s been a good way to get out and exercise a little. I have been playing since I was a Young man but I haven’t put in a lot of thought or practice, It’s always been just a “grip it and rip it” kind of thing for me. But recently I have been trying to put more thought and intention into playing. I have been watching videos and reading guides on how to get better, and I have been practicing.
 
I have seen some improvements already, but one of the things that still needs work is my ‘release’, where the disc comes out of the hand during the throw. This point needs to be fairly consistent for your disc or it’s going to be all over the map when you throw it. Release is a funny thing. you have to hold tight enough to get it to the point you want, but not so tight as to ‘grip-lock’ the disc and overshoot your target point.
 
Sometimes in our Christian life we have just been gripping and ripping, trying to muscle through our walk with the Lord without putting much intention into our way of following. We have to practice our faith life, to work on things so we are more consistent in our ‘release points’ with the Lord. Holding on too tight to things causes problems. The goal in our Christian life is to have a consistent life trajectory moving closer to the Lord.
 
How can you be practicing your walk with Jesus for more consistency?

Read more...
Leaves Just Turning to Fall

Changing Seasons

Leaves Just Turning to Fall

Fall is here! the weather is cooling, the sun is going down way earlier, people are starting to wear sweaters again, soup is a way more popular meal, and pies will be consumed in abundance. Small changes, buit there are big ones coming. The leaves, the dormancy of this winter’s horizon.

Southern Oregon is gifted with four seasons and the changing of those seasons often signals changes in our being. The shift from summer to fall is a time of schedule change: School starting, sports picking back up, events being more common, and ministries around the church re-engaging. In this changing season, I am hoping and praying that more than the outward things are changing.

God is working in our hearts to bring change in us. As Christ followers, there are seasons of change that we go through in our walk with Him. Times of sorrow, or joy. Times of Struggle or celebration. Time when we feel like we are in the valley and times when we feel like we are on top of the mountain.

Each of these seasons is ripe for growth in our spiritual lives, as we walk with Jesus through these moments. What can we learn from Him? Again, my hope is that as things change in our lives, we are being changed by Jesus to more fully be the people He made us to be.


Read more...

A Message From Emily 2/28/25

We just finished a Spina Bifida Clinic in Portland for Thatcher. They are able to have all his specialists come to us in one location on one day. It is super helpful for us since we need to travel to Portland, but it does make for a very long day of appointments. But really, it is the work put in during the in-between that makes progress happen in Thatcher’s life. The PT and OT appointments at home, therapies we attend, the individualized care he receives daily to keep him healthy.
 
This week as we finished clinic it made me think about how the same applies to our spiritual lives. We often can try to cram it all in one day a week spiritually and hope for good progress, but it is the daily spiritual tasks that are really making progress possible.
 
1 Corinthians 3 talks about spiritual food and the progress from spiritual milk to spiritual meat. How do we becomes more mature believers? We spend time with Jesus daily. We learn about Him, practice how to live more like Him, and study what His word says. We don’t wait for the day with the specialists like we do for clinic, but rather press forward making progress in the between.
 
May we continue to seek Him moment by moment.

Read more...