I spent an interesting day yesterday hanging out with Vineyard pastor Rand Tucker.  A San Diego boy, Tucker, 40, started the Hyde Park Vineyard Church in Chicago 10 years ago.  The photo here on the left is of a century-old Hyde Park mansion ... now owned by and home to the Hyde Park Alliance Church.  It's two blocks fromContinue reading "The Vineyard church in Chicago’s Hyde Park"

Missionary housing, baby.  Here is Ellen Benefield (Vineyard missionary) doing work on her laptop in her 9x9 foot bedroom, while baby Ethan sleeps on the bed beside her. The entire floor plan for the house is 400 square feet.  Baby Ethan has been my roommate this week.  Our bedroom also is 9x9.  It is, shallContinue reading "400 square foot house … Good to go!"

Here in Mazatlan I am having a hard enough time with my very limited Spanish.  This week I am hanging out with my Vineyard Church missionary friends Kyle and Ellen Benefield. Today, wouldn't you know it?  On the north side of Mazatlan. Kyle and I run into Ginger's horses who, naturally, are bilingual.  But, please.Continue reading "Bilingual Horses … Sigh!"

After our morning walk, Kyle Benefield proceeded to show me how to shave.  Here he is putting on lather with a shaving brush.  I think he got it from my grandfather's stash.  Until recently the brush had been in a box of shaving supplies for 30 years.  And then Kyle is shown scraping his face withContinue reading "Saturday morning in Mazatlan…"

I am down in Mazatlan, Mexico, for the next week spending time with good friends Kyle, Ellen and Ethan Benefield.  The Benefields are planting a Vineyard church in Mazatlan.  Take a look at their website: http://www.mexicomercy.org

David Mathis of Desiring God Ministries says, "The last 12 verses of Romans 8 (verses 28—39) are the biblical Himalayas, and Romans 8:32 is Mount Everest.Here's the "view" from the top:  "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"  verse 32ThisContinue reading "Standing atop Theological’s Mt. Everest"

  Last weekend Jennifer and I drove with good friends Mike and Gwynne McQueen  to the Mercury Theatre near Wrigley Field in Chicago.  We went to watch the screenplay of C.S. Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters."Here are Gwynne and Jennifer pictured after the play.For 90 minutes Uncle Screwtape mesmerized the crowd as he and his "secretary"Continue reading "My dear Wormwood…"

This is my dad and mom standing outside the Hospital in Hays, Kansas on Thursday.  Dad told his oncologist [She's a 39-year-old woman with short red hair...  Dad calls her "a young girl."] that he's been in the workforce for 62 years and has no intentions of quitting quite yet.  "Maybe in March," he said smiling.My mom,Continue reading "Serenity Prayer … Is there any other way?"