Joseph F. Radosevich

I have a recipe for every type of brewer that I have (It's at least 5 off the top of my head). I wanted to share a recipe that I really like with my Aeropress because it was hard to find a good recipe for brewing a large cup of coffee in the Aeropress. I had to wade through comments on a messageboard to find something that sounded right. This is the second Aeropress that I have received as a gift. I wore the first one out several years ago. I've been experimenting with brewing a really good 16 oz cup of coffee for my favorite mug. It actually is best at only 14 oz. Here is what I've arrived at: Use the Aeropress the standard way over a cup, not inverted. Weigh 20 grams of whole bean coffee Grind it in between espresso and regular drip. That makes it fine, but not too fine. Boil the water. Let it sit for 30 seconds to cool down. Add the grounds to the Aeropress. Pour hot water over the grounds and stir for 30 seconds. You want some of the water to drip through into the cup s...

Psalm 23 has been working on me for over a year now, and I'm still not finished with it. I've been pondering all the ways that I could sing or pray Psalm 23. I can pray Psalm 23 as a prayer of worship--God, how incredible it is that you would care to be my shepherd.... I can pray it as a prayer of confession--Father, forgive me for calling you a bad shepherd who is not worthy of trusting..... I can  pray Psalm 23 as a prayer of thanks--Thank you for being my shepherd who cares so much for me.... I can pray it as a a prayer of asking--Father, I need you to shepherd me and my family right now.... I've been pondering a "Bad" Psalm 23, though, that I more often live with. Here is a stab at it: Bad Psalm 23 The Lord is a bad shepherd; I never have enough. He makes me lie down in hard places. He leads me into raging rapids. He depletes my soul. He ignores me on whatever paths I find myself because he doesn't care. Because I walk through the valley of the shadow of d...

Russell Moore published a list of the best books of the last 20 years. I liked that list better than most end of year reading lists because what I think is important right now and what is actually important and lasting are often different. Instead of a list of what I've read this year, I thought I'd list my favorite books of the last 10 years. Several of them were written in the time period, others were written a long time ago. Either way, these are books I think about or recommend often. Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry. I really enjoy novels like this that only makes sense when you've read the last lines. Those last lines tie everything together. The Children of Men by P.D. James. I loved the movie, and then read the book and fell in love with it. I talk about it often. And I always intend to reread this at Christmas. The Pastor by Eugene Peterson. This is a really important book for me in thinking about pastoring. I love this.  Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This series is...

* This is a series of posts answering questions that I searched for and couldn't find a good article or post on. I'll add to this series as I come across questions that don't have answers. I hope that if I'm interested in the topic, someone else will be too. The first piece of fitness equipment I ever bought was a pull-up bar that I bought in high school and installed by my family's pool. I bought it because I wanted to be a Navy SEAL. I swam laps and then got out to do pull-ups.  The second piece of fitness equipment I bought was a doorway pull-up bar. I bought it when I wanted to lose weight when I was 25.  I never learned much else to do with a pull-up bar until last year when I hurt my elbow and couldn't do pull-ups. I got creative and found exercises that I like as much or better. Here are 5 things to do with a pull-up bar besides pull-ups: Knees-to-Elbows--this is my new favorite exercise. I honestly like it better than pull-ups. You engage your shoulders ...

*This is a series of posts answering questions that I searched for and couldn't find a good article or post on. I'll add to this series as I come across questions that don't have answers. I hope that if I'm interested in the topic, someone else will be too. My last church was a small church in a small community. Sometimes it was hard to find resources that applied to me and my situation. I found myself at conferences as the pastor of the smallest and most rural church. I was in conversations with pastors and staff of churches 5000+. Books tended to be my best resource to help me think through ministry in a small, rural church.  Here are 3 of my favorites: A Big Gospel in Small Places by Stephen Witmer. This is by far the best book on pastoring in a small community. My community was 1/3 the size of Witmer's, though. He thinks theologically about ministry. This isn't practical in focus but it has a lot of application. His biggest encouragement is that there are t...

 This year went by quickly. I had many plans and they changed many times. The big news is that I resigned my position as pastor. We are sad, but know from Acts 17 that God controls the movement of people so that they will seek him. We seek him even in this move that we didn't want. We are currently selling our house as I write this, and I'm looking for a new position as pastor.  I'm using this season to work on a few writing projects, heal with the help of a good counselor, and enjoy my time with my family. Oh, and we're getting a dog! I hope to write some more here. I had plans to do that this fall, but life changed pretty quickly.