Dear Grace Family: Well, after nine years I have come to this day in which I write my final Gracevine. I told my wife Colleen recently that nine years ago I could never have predicted the various events we have experienced. It has been an incredible honor to serve this church. I have gotten to know many of you quite well, and…

Dear Grace Family: In our Methodist tradition, May 24 is an important day known as “Aldersgate Day” or “Wesley Day.” On May 24, 1738, John Wesley experienced assurance of his salvation. Prior to May 24, Wesley really struggled with the idea that he needed to become sanctified before he would receive assurance of his salvation. The story goes that Wesley reluctantly attended…

Dear Grace Family: As my time here at Grace is winding down quickly, I have been reflecting upon so many of you who truly make me proud to serve this church! Here we are with another Family Promise hosting week, and I am in awe of the team that works together during these hosting weekends. Family Promise in particular is a ministry…

Dear Grace Family: The past two weekends here at Grace have been extra special. Two weeks ago we hosted the women’s Via de Cristo weekend, and the joy of celebrating the love of Christ was palpable on the campus. I hope more Grace members will attend one of these retreat weekends in the future. Those of us who have participated can attest…

Dear Grace Family: Perhaps you are familiar with the mantra that “if we cannot recognize and celebrate everyone, let’s not celebrate anyone because we do not want for people to feel left out.” Personally, I really do not like this perspective because it implies that “if we cannot do it perfectly, let’s not do it at all.” As a wise person once…

Dear Grace Family: Recently I have been reading Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk. The book is a well-written summary of Musk’s life. Like so many successful people, Musk has several unusual personality traits, including obsessive and compulsive tendencies. Musk is also someone who likes to take risks, sometimes even dangerous risks. Musk has a noticeable deficit in his ability to feel…

Dear Grace Family: Transitions are both exciting and challenging. Here at Grace, we are in the process of an upcoming pastoral change. It is very important that we embrace this transition with acceptance and confidence that God is involved in this process. Personally, I am filled with a mixture of joy and some nostalgia as I think about the past nine years.…

Dear Grace Family: Recently, I read about a pastor who was frustrated with how often, in preparing for funerals, family members say the most memorable thing about the deceased is that “he worked hard.” The pastor acknowledged that working hard is virtuous, but hard work alone is not our best legacy. In fact, our culture promotes workaholism so much that we can…

Dear Grace Family: In today’s world, we have access to more information than ever before in human history. We can do an online search and learn about anything through a google search. Yet our access to information does not necessarily help us to grow in our faith. Growing in faith is not about accumulating knowledge, but rather about having God transform our…

Dear Grace Family: I offer my sincere appreciation to our music ministry team for a wonderful Palm Sunday service. It was truly an inspiring service and everything from the solos to Nick’s explanation of “Holy Harmonious” and “active listening” was well done. I am so proud of the ministry team here at Grace, including our paid staff and every choir member and…