The places on this section of the list are not exotic.  They are rather ordinary places where I have experienced extraordinary things.  Here's the final ten spots of my top 30 list: 21. Olathe, KS, 1987-1999 - This is the town I spent most of my…

In my thirty years, I've been to something like 33 of the 50 states.  I need to hit the Northeast, Alaska and Hawaii to make 50 states by age 50.  But these are my favorite places so far. 11. Chicago, 1999-2005 - This is the magical…

I almost hesitated to do this one, because it felt like showing off: “look where I’ve been”.  But I decided to post it anyway, because exploring and serving the world that God has made is a priority  for me.  I post these places reflectively: thankful…

20. Life is about relationships, and loving well is the goal. 21. Love in action is very different than love in dreams. Love is commitment, self-giving and sacrifice, not “warm fuzzes”. 22. Real life is found not in taking but in giving it away.  The…

13. Spiritual leadership flows out of knowing and following Jesus.  This means that I must care for my own soul first before I can care for others. 14. As a pastor, I am called to equip and empower others for ministry. 15. Discipleship is not…

These are the truths that shape my life most deeply. I have divided the 30 truths into three parts: 1) truths about God, 2) truths about leadership, 3) truths about life. 1. There is a deeper layer of reality than what can be observed by…

I am turning 30 on Friday, and so in honor of the end of one decade of life and the beginning of another, I sat down and wrote a couple of lists that I will be posting over the next week. Here’s what’s coming in…