As parents, we always try to help our kids navigate the world with patience, kindness and love. Paul tells us in Gal. 5, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Knowing this verse is easy, but modeling and teaching these fruits to our children can be [...]
Family stories have a way of living on, both poetically and practically. Such is the story of Grandpa’s violin.When he was a young boy, Stephen Butler from Battle Ground, Washington, first remembers seeing his grandfather DeForest Bliss’ violin near Ashland, Oregon, in November 1956 when the family gathered for Grandma Cora Belle Davis Bliss' funeral [...]
God has promised a special gift to His church and His people living in the last days. This promise is illustrated in a very familiar passage found in Joel 2:28–29: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, [...]
Have you ever changed your mind on something important? I have.Changing your mind about a fundamental issue or belief can be one of the hardest mental shifts to go through.Perhaps you’ve adopted a new system of beliefs, experienced a 180-degree shift in thinking or reconsidered an issue or topic after learning more information.One of my [...]
I hear a lot of stories from people about how they hate their boss or how their supervisor is super hard to please and get along with. I, too, have worked for people through the years that have made life harder and less pleasant. An unpleasant boss can make work a miserable experience — one [...]
Each year my family participates in the annual Native American Canoe Journey. My dad, Brian Cladoosby, purchased a 14-person canoe — the Salmon Dancer — so that we could attend each year. How long we will travel depends on the tribe that hosts. My husband, Tyler, and our kids have attended:2010: Paddle to Makah2011: Paddle to [...]
How often do we read a Bible story title, a sermon title or a book title only to make assumptions, form judgments or label someone or something prematurely? Maybe we have bias, prejudices or discriminatory associations that form.There’s a fascinating story about labels in the Bible, and it’s the well-known story about the parable of [...]
While in college, I spent a year serving as a student missionary in Australia. I was a pastor at Gateway Church and an assistant school chaplain at the Avondale pre-K through 12th-grade school. Among my many duties, one requirement of all student missionaries was to go work at the Adventist summer camp in Yarrahapinni, New [...]
"Put not your trust in princes" (Psalm 146).This year, Americans will go through another presidential election cycle; as a pastor and a citizen, I am apprehensive.I am worried because political seasons seem to commodify fear and spark division. I am exhausted from endless debates that never seem to settle anything.Nonetheless, I am hopeful that, this [...]
We’re in the midst of summer and in our family we love visiting the community pool and beach, buying fresh produce at our local organic farm and bringing kayaks out on a nearby lake. Summer in western Washington is beautiful and we try to get outside as often as possible. This summer, let’s do a health [...]
