Dec 22, 2022 | Christmas, Family, Leadership, Margin, Ministry Leader, Pastor
Today we welcome Jaime Hlavin back to the blog for Part 2 of her Holiday miniseries, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. In today’s post, Jaime pivots to the personal side of the Holidays, and outlines a few healthy boundaries that will help you get more joy out of...
Dec 15, 2022 | Change, Christmas, Family, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Relationships
Christmas was magical to me as a kid. The fresh-cut pine tree loaded with lights and ornaments; piles of snow outside; Charlie Brown and The Grinch Christmas specials; holiday kielbasa and raspberry cream pies; family gatherings; opening gifts; no school for two...
Jan 27, 2022 | Family, God's Love, Grandparents, Relationships, Uncategorized
I’ve been a papa for almost four years. Our fourth granddaughter was born four weeks ago. The same magnetic force I felt holding our first three granddaughters in my arms was repeated once again with granddaughter number four! She is a beauty, a sweetheart, and so...
Jul 9, 2020 | character, Family, Growth, Leadership, Leading Yourself, Relationships, Uncategorized
This past weekend Laura and I celebrated Independence Day with a small group of friends. Over a sumptuous feast of smoked ribs, pulled pork, beans, and slaw, we started talking about—of all things—our lawns. Is that a sign of aging? Anyhow, it got me to thinking about...
Jun 4, 2020 | Calling, Family, friendship, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Relationships, Uncategorized, Work
Today, an important post from our teammate, Jaime Hlavin, on the subject of simplifying. ~ John This week was weird. The governor of Michigan has begun to reopen our state. And it felt almost “normal.” And by “normal,” I mean exhaustingly busy to the point that I...
Jan 16, 2020 | Difficult people, Family, Forgiveness, friendship, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Relationships, Uncategorized
It was the 2nd evening of 2020, I was sitting with a bowl of popcorn on my lap, watching a football game, and enjoying life. A pretty uneventful night. Woke up on Day 3 of 2020 with tooth pain. I thought, “just tooth sensitivity, no big deal.” Day 4 of 2020, the pain...