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Our Leadership
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One of the things that we highly value is listening to one another's stories. In particular, we love to hear about how people are encountering Jesus in their day-to-day lives. This might be in big ways...but it also happens most often in smaller ways (sometimes in ways that are really easy to miss.)
On this page you will find a treasure trove of such stories! May your own walk with Jesus be deeply encouraged and nourished by what you read here.
If you are interested in sharing some of your story here, please email us to let us know!
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Unexpected Consequences
For a remodel (or any do-it-yourself project), it will take twice as long and cost twice as much as originally thought. Our villa in Palm Springs was built in 2001, and I don’t think our front door had ever been repainted. It was a faded beige with chipped paint, and kind of embarrassing. So let’s paint it! How hard can it be? “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower [paint a door]. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to compl
Bob Witty
22 hours ago3 min read
Standing at the Door to a New Year
Forty years ago while pastoring in California I purchased a signed print of a painting at a street fair. The painting by Randy Klassen pictured a small child at a large church door. It spoke to me of my need for childlike faith no matter how many candles will adorn my next birthday cake. Once framed, that picture has hung over my desk in every church I served for the past forty-five years. It traveled with me from California to Illinois to Washington State. Whenever my three
Greg Asimakoupoulos
Dec 31, 20253 min read
Closet Carols
Most people know that Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t celebrate birthdays and Christmas. Being raised as a Witness, I didn’t either. Their reasoning is somewhat circuitous and contradicting, but here it goes. 1. The Bible commands us to celebrate Jesus’ death, not his birth. There is no record of first century Christians celebrating his birth. (1 Cor. 11:26) 2. Jesus was probably born in the fall, not December. 3. The date and many customs were borrowed from t
Bob Witty
Dec 19, 20253 min read
The Day I Met Santa
The day I met Santa is a day I’ll never forget. It wasn’t at the North Pole. It was in Alaska. He wasn't in a sleigh. He was on a cruise ship. And he wasn’t in his typical attire. He was on vacation. I was sitting on the lido deck of the M.S. Eurodam having lunch. Two men near me were reflecting on the good old days of television. One asked the other if he remembered Red Buttons the comedic actor. “I remember Red Skelton, but not Red Buttons,” came the response. I reached for
Greg Asimakoupoulos
Dec 17, 20253 min read
Karen
The first anniversary of my wife’s death was in October this year. As of this writing, we have been married for 45 years, 3 months and 6 days. Honestly it’s only been 45 years, 3 months, 5 days and I don’t know how many hours. Karen was my best friend. She understood me, even my weirdness of how I think about some things. Karen was my helper. She was willing to sit in the car or truck and do whatever I asked, as I would be either under the hood or under the car itself, work
Steve Pettijohn
Dec 10, 20253 min read
The Awesomeness of God
This season, I’ve been thinking about Alexander more than usual. Photos from years gone by pop up on my phone, and suddenly I’m back in those final weeks of his life — the sweetness of who he was for 13 beautiful years, and the ache of watching him prepare to go home to Jesus. Both memories live side by side: the joy of his life and the pain of his leaving. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:18), and I feel that deeply right now. A few days ago was especially
Angelina Wainhouse
Dec 3, 20252 min read
Giving Thanks
Growing up, one of my fondest memories was Thanksgiving at Grandma Charlotte’s house. It was an annual event for family and friends, and Grandma’s house was the center of it all. Our immediate and extended family could be anywhere from sixteen to twenty-some people, including Great Grandpa Bill, aunts, uncles and cousins, and some adopted relatives. Ironically, this was a small post-war, two-bedroom house in Wedgewood that couldn’t have been larger than 1,200 square feet.
Bob Witty
Nov 27, 20253 min read
Listening is a Gift
A few years ago, I took a class on Call. I realized more of what “Call” meant and what gifts God gave me. I always knew I was called to work with children, but I also learned that listening to God is a gift! Years ago, a month and a half into my marriage, I got sick with a stomach flu that never ended. I was pregnant. That had not been in our five-year plan, as we were 21 at the time, and we were scared, but we knew God had a plan. I was sick my entire pregnancy and was then
Andrea Nelson
Nov 19, 20252 min read
Life Lessons Part 6
After leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses ( see Life Lessons Part 5 ), I became the object of scandal and cruel gossip. After all, I was the golden boy that made his mother and family proud. It was hard not living up to their expectations. It was something I had done all my life and I didn’t know any different. The shunning and sometimes unnecessary rudeness hurt deeply. I often questioned my decision to leave the Witnesses and wondered whether I should have done something d
Bob Witty
Nov 14, 20253 min read
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