Rising above all the houses in town stands the beautiful brick and mortar Methodist Church. It's beautiful stained glass windows are definitely a sight to see and on Sunday mornings that church bell rings all throughout town. My wife and I visited this church a couple weeks after we first moved to town. As the … Continue reading Practical personal socialism →

When our lives gets difficult and we are stressed and at wits end, that is when God reveals himself. Like a patient teacher, quietly waiting for us to recognize the lesson, God allows us to try and figure it out on our own. He may have a particular lesson he wants us to learn that … Continue reading The First shall be Last →

In the new world of social media, it seems like everyone is talking about mental illness and the symptoms associated with depression and other problems. I think this is fantastic. Everyone needs to know about these issues and the signs and symptoms that may be present in the people that we care about. I am … Continue reading The Darkness within →

The last several port days have had more than their fair share of difficulties. One day there was a problem regarding my appointment, the next day I was getting yelled at for going the wrong way (I didn't know). I had hoped the following morning that some good luck would finally be heading my way, … Continue reading Trusting God →

These days it seems the world is filled with nothing but negativity. You turn on the news only to hear endless angry political banter filled with he said/she said, or the day's topic is about the most recent mass shooting. Sometimes it's hard to find the moments of pure joy. Sometimes you have to force … Continue reading Little moments of joy →

The people closest to me know just how much of a rock nerd I am. I am quite taken with all sorts of rocks and minerals, and love educating others about the magnificent transformation process these rocks go through deep within the earth. I was even a geology major during my brief time at the … Continue reading Transformations →

It's Wednesday afternoon, and the temperature gauge on my dash reads 92 degrees. I pull into the loading facility, and check in at the office. The office personnel here at Hinrichs Trading Company are excited to see me as I walk through the door.  It sorta feels like an episode from Cheers, because here everybody … Continue reading The need for community →