I remember as a child the anticipation of Christmas morning. My parents were early shoppers. So there would be present under the tree for three weeks before we were able to open them. My brothers and I would spend hours around the tree looking, holding, and guessing what might be inside. On one or more […]
Consuming Fire
Fire is fascinating. As a boy I love to play with a lighter, use a magnifying glass to ignite leaves, or stare at a campfire well into the night. Why is it so fascinating. Recently our family spent an evening with others in our church and we spent time around a fire pit. It was […]
Fight Another Day
As children, our family friends had a basement, boxing gloves, and all boys. Needless to say, this was a ruthless combination. As our parents would sit around the table upstairs playing cards into the night, the boys would give our best impressions of Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. It would start out in […]
Joy and Perspective
I’m about to open a can of worms in many households! When is it appropriate to decorate your home for Christmas? I know this is often a source of tension and debate. If you ask Hobby Lobby we should begin August 1. If you ask some of my friends, the Christmas tree should stay up […]
Commissioned to Share
This past weekend our church hosted a 5K to raise awareness and support for Hopegivers International and their mission to care for orphans and widows in India. This is much more than a humanitarian mission, it is a strategic ministry to ultimately raise up church planters and missionaries to walk by faith in a persecuted […]
Don’t Horse Around
Spring 1985, my mom and dad were doing what any couple expecting a baby does days before the anticipated “birthday” of a new son or daughter, making all the last-minute preparations and being sure the go-bags were ready. Baby Bowden, in this case, me, was ready to greet the world, but an accident involving my […]
Little Things
Little things matter! I opened a letter a few weeks ago that someone mailed to me. Truthfully it was out of the blue. This person has never mailed a card to me. It may be part of their ministry and they write cards to people all the time. But this was the first time they […]
Risk & Reward
In my mid-20’s I waded into the waters of the stock market for the first time. Living off of a private school teacher’s salary I had little to play with anyway, but with a friend’s help, I went “all in” on a dot com mutual fund of penny stocks. I was so proud of being […]
Chili Cookoff and Dessert Challenge
Join us for a chili cookoff and dessert challenge on Sunday, November 14th at 5:30 p.m. in the cafeteria! This serves as our Thanksgiving family get-together. The church will provide drinks, cups, bowls, plates, and cutlery. Consider bringing any extras you think might enhance your chili such as crackers, chips, or other toppings. This is […]
Living Legends
Each month one of our pastors will sit with men at the Gardens for coffee and donuts. We are grateful that our chaplain, Neil Stephens, organizes these gatherings. I am personally grateful for my time with these living legends of faith. We may talk about memories of childhood, wartime deployments, or life experiences. No matter […]