Life Updates--end of June 2026

I usually do these in bullet form. I'm going to try this in paragraph form today.

We've been watching the World Cup for the last two weeks. The knockout stages are the most fun. I picked Ivory Coast to win. Most of our family want a country outside of Europe or South America to win. Only Europeans and South Americans have ever won it.

I finished 3 books this month. Man of Sorrows, King of Glory by Jonty Rhodes is a great book on the person, natures, offices, and work of Christ the Son. He organized it around the humiliation of Christ (taking on humanity) and the exaltation of Christ (rising after the ascension to the highest place). It is a short but strong book. I would pair it with Mark Jones' Knowing Christ. 

The Glamour of Grammar by Roy Peter Clark. Clark is a good writing coach, but he crossed in this book from crass to vulgar. I don't understand why he had to be so vulgar when explaining grammar. I threw it away. 

Alisse Califry by Elizabeth Radosevich. I really enjoyed this novel by my sixteen year old. It surprised me with the maturity of the storytelling. It's not out of place with many novels I've read. I'm a proud dad.

I've been pastor here in Manchester for 5 years on June 14th. I've been really anxious to reach this milestone. I'm grateful for our time here and look forward to pastoring with this much experience and investment here. The five year mark is normally considered a milestone for longevity and trust in the pastorate. That is why I've looked forward to it so much.

I've been preaching through Psalms 50-59 this summer. This is the sixth summer that I've preached through the Psalms. My kids figured out how old they will be when I finish if I preach 10 chapters each summer. That is depressing.

I wrote my first post in a couple of months for SBC Voices where I am supposed to be a regular contributor. I've been sitting on several ideas for a while, but my June was really busy. My post is on Psalm 1 as the secret to planting or pastoring a church. You can read it here.

The garden is humming along. We've had a lot of rain and sun in June, but the temperatures were bearable until this week. This week the heat index is 105-110. Our first tomatoes are ripening right now (Sungold and Golden Cherrywine) while we harvest cucumbers, summer squash, herbs, and lettuce. I ate my first jalepeno today too.

I bought a new walker for our workout area. My wife uses it for stability while riding our Airdyn, and I use them for dips and dip holds. I bought our first walker around 15 years ago, but that one finally broke. I also replaced my Lifeline Fitness resistance bands after 12+ years. I love Lifeline products like the resistance bands, Power Wheel, Jungle Gym XT, and kettlebells. I've thought  of writing a bit more about their products because I don't think they are as well known as they should be.

I really like this video on AI and art by novelist Brandon Sanderson.




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