Posts by Pastor Shawn
Wisdom Seekers
Turn your ear toward wisdom and stretch your mind toward understanding. Call out for insight, and cry aloud for understanding. Seek it like silver; search for it like hidden treasure. Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:2-5) A Bible podcast I listened to recently has led me to reflect on the nature of God’s wisdom. Wisdom is challenging to define. One dictionary defines wisdom as “the quality of having…
Image Bearers
“Then God said, ‘Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth.’ 27 God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them, male and female God created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27, CEB) I genuinely love the work and writing of author Andy Crouch. As this election cycle…
Releasing Grief
“Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30 CEB) This past weekend, I attended the memorial service of a peer, Ryan Pennington. I grew up with him in youth group at my home church in Yakima. While…
We Are An Easter People
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from heaven! Praise God on the heights! Praise God, all of you who are his messengers! Praise God, all of you who comprise his heavenly forces! Sun and moon, praise God! All of you bright stars, praise God! (Psalm 148:1-3, CEB) I have talked in the past about my growth in appreciation for the rhythms of the Christian liturgical calendar. One such revelation was learning that in many corners of the Christian church, Easter…
Learning to Lent
Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your hearts, with fasting, with weeping, and with sorrow; tear your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, very patient, full of faithful love, and ready to forgive. (Joel 2:12-13) In the years before high school, my family and I were what I would call “church hoppers.” We attended somewhat regularly, but for various reasons we would attend one…
The Upside-Down Kingdom
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth…” (Matthew 5:1-5 NIV) Yesterday, I received my first “Happy New Year” card for 2024. My friend who sent the card filled…
Trapped By Fear
People are trapped by their fear of others; those who trust in the Lord are secure. (Proverbs 29:25 CEB) As I commuted to the hospital this morning, the podcast I was listening to got me thinking about fear in the life of a Christian. I can’t deny that the rapid changes in our culture, along with present international conflicts provide ample fuel for fear. I confess there are times when I too fear what the future may bring. However, my…
Our First Desire
25 “Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you’ll eat or what you’ll drink, or about your body, what you’ll wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t sow seed or harvest grain or gather crops into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are? 27 Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your…
Overflow
It was a privilege to journey with our eighteen students from Spokane First Church to Florida and experience Nazarene Youth Conference (NYC) for a third time. Once again, thank you church for your support in getting our students there. The theme for this NYC was overflow. Building from Romans Chapter 15 verse 13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”…
Holy Listening
Then the Lord came and stood there, calling just as before, “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel said, “Speak. Your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10, CEB) I admit in my life I have spent a lot of time thinking about the ideas surrounding a person’s calling. And of all the descriptions I’ve found, I love author Parker Palmer as he describes “This is something I can’t not do, for reasons I’m unable to explain to anyone else and don’t fully understand myself…
Our Daily Bread
“Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11 & Luke 11:3) In my small group we’ve been working through a series on prayer. Part of the series uses the Lord’s prayer as a guide. Jesus himself used the Lord’s prayer to teach others how to pray. But when we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” What does this mean? Is it only about asking God to provide food for our physical needs? I think there is lot…
Radical Hospitality
“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (1 Peter 4:9) The bible has a lot to say about hospitality. Through many years of ministry, I am convinced that hospitality can be one of the most effective ways of building community in a church, but also connecting with those who are seekers. Yet, as I write that last sentence, and I reflect on my own household’s practice of hospitality, we could do better. Over the child-rearing years the pace of life…