Desolation Wilderness is a beautiful but remote region of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Over the years, Valorie and I have enjoyed backpacking there, including several times with our girls when they were younger. One particularly dry and hot summer, water was scarce; our bottles were empty, and we were thirsty. We came upon a dried-up…
Hey Family, I made new friends — Kevin and Angela Luh. I’ve never had the chance to get to know them. What gracious people (they serve at the Welcome Table) and I learned how they came to the U.S. and how they met at Murray State in Kentucky. I’m glad they’re members of my spiritual…
Hey Family! VBS starts on Monday – the greatest week at Valley Church all year. I saw Sonja Tillman in the classroom across the hall from my office working on T-shirts earlier today. When she left I sneaked in and held up one to my chest. Ah, to be a kid again! I loved VBS…
November 7th, 1995 ended the longest three days of our lives. We had been happily expecting our first baby to arrive sometime around the end of October. But she had other plans and didn’t even begin to arrive until almost a week later. After 30 hours of labor she was finally in our arms, healthy…
Do you have songs that remind you of certain settings? For Valorie and me, we try to pick an album for special occasions, like anniversary trips, that will remind us of those moments every time we hear one of those songs. When our kids were young, Saturday mornings were always set aside for cleaning house.…
