Justin’s Friday Contemplations

December is a big birthday month for our family. My children, Bella and Russell have birthdays that fall just before and just after Christmas. We have been celebrating early. CELEBRATE:…

FRIDAY CONTEMPLATION: Honor & Impact Everybody who knows me knows that I LOVE hockey and the Tampa Bay Lightning. I’m a season ticket holder and attend a lot of games (I…

FRIDAY CONTEMPLATION: Advent kicks off the new year in the Christian calendar (yes, Christians have a calendar). It marks the 4 Sundays that precede Christmas. Read more about it here and…

FRIDAY CONTEMPLATION: Thankful Thanksgiving Did you have a Turkey induced nap yesterday? I hope so. I bet that some of the over 40 servant volunteers did. They invested a part of…

FRIDAY CONTEMPLATION: JUSTICE FOR ALL When we think of the work of the church and faith communities we most often picture charity rather than justice. Serving people in need is beautiful and…

FRIDAY CONTEMPLATION: Gone Fishing When I was 5 years old, my grandfather took me fresh water fishing 5 times. We used worms and a bobber. During each of those outings, I…

FRIDAY CONTEMPLATION: Don’t turn away. Have you ever turned away from something that was painful to see or take in? Most of us have. In truth, most of us want to…

FRIDAY CONTEMPLATION. When I was 20, I tore a retina. My vision went from 20/20 to 20/13 vision (even better). But…… For 2 decades, my eyesight has slowly deteriorated. Every couple…

There is power when people eat together. That’s something we have learned at The Portico’s 1001 Gathering. When we put our knees under tables, share a meal and have conversation,…

Unity is beautiful, fragile, elusive, and complicated in the presence of diversity. But if unity forms around a common enemy, it’s profoundly simple. Creating unity in our time is difficult.…