The Day my Mother Met an Islamic Terrorist
My mother doesn’t shy away from talking to anyone, especially when it’s about Jesus. In 2006, at the age of 65, my mother left the comforts of her home in Medford, Oregon to begin a new ministry with Child Evangelism Fellowship. My mom was the pioneer in launching...
The Summer That Almost Destroyed My Family
The summer of 1976 started off great. I had just finished sixth grade and celebrated my 12th birthday in early June. Then I received the sudden news that my father was leaving our family. I didn’t want him to leave but he said he needed to go to Alaska to earn some...
God Had to Blind Me So I Could See
The year was 1942. The place was San Jose, California. World War 2 was headlining all the news reports from the Pacific and European fronts. Updates on the battles, troop movements, and death tolls were beginning to frighten an eleven-year-old little boy named...
Finding Some WINS in a No-Win COVID World
The Kobayashi Maru is a training exercise in the fictional Star Trek universe designed to test the character of Starfleet Academy cadets in a no-win scenario. James T. Kirk failed his first two Kobayashi Maru tests. Before his third attempt, Kirk reprogrammed the...
Psalm 23: I Shall Not Want
As Candy and I walk with you through the gold mine of Psalm 23, it is vitally important that we grasp the very first verse because it sets up the rest of the verses in this psalm. The first part of verse one accurately positions the Shepherd as the source of our love...
Psalm 23: The Lord is My Shepherd
King David wrote Psalm 23 over 3000 years ago. However, it is still powerful, relevant, and extremely personal in the year 2020. So much so that it’s the chapter in the Bible that millions of people turn to in times of stress, concern, and even despair. It seems...
The Antidote to Fear
No One Really Saw This Coming. Just a few weeks ago our economy was booming, the stock market was soaring to record heights, people were spending money and making plans for the approaching spring break. In a matter of days our economy came to a screeching halt as...
How to Thrive with HOPE
In this season of crisis and change, Candy and Barry provide practical insight on how to THRIVE using the acronym of H.O.P.E.
India Missions Trip Recap: Part 2
I went to India for the first time in 2008. It was an incredible experience to share the gospel halfway around the world. It was also exciting to witness so many people who came to the Lord, many of whom had never heard of Jesus and the gospel before. While my trip to...
What Is Church and Who Is It For? (Part 2)
On Sunday, September 2, I launched our new ministry year with a special messaged called, “Church: What is it? Who is it for?” There were a number of people that commented afterwards, “This was so helpful. I understand so much better now.” The only problem...
Picking a Bad Time to do Something Great
We picked a bad time to do something great. We chose the last Sunday night of the summer to thank the many people who make GracePoint the vibrant church we are today. Seriously, the end of the summer? Several had doubts that many would come. Would the...
Disappointed at the Birth of my Child
It’s true. I was disappointed, at first. Let me explain. With Candy’s first two pregnancies, we were not able to afford the cost of finding out the sex of our coming baby. With our first child, we didn’t really care if it was a boy or a girl. We just...
What If I Am Wrong?
Some people are natural skeptics. Without thinking about it or trying very hard, they question everything. And everyone. Others, like myself, are naturally trusting. For the most part, I trust just about everyone. Especially those I love and respect. What...
“God wants me here! I’m not going home!”
There are a few moments that sets your life, heart, and faith in a certain direction. A direction in which you never turn back. One of these moments took place in 1983 when I was 19 years old. I knew the year before that God wanted me to attend Liberty...
Blast from the Past: Barry interviewed by the 49ers
In 2015, the San Francisco 49ers sent up their film crew to interview me and my family at GracePoint Church. They heard that I was a 49er fan pastoring in a Seattle Seahawk crazed churched. It was a part of an award winning segment called "The Faithful"...
Sabbatical Final Report: Five Sabbatical Takeaways
Before I jumped back on the fast running treadmill of ministry, I took a little bit of time to write down some takeaways from my three month break from ministry. It was helpful to think through the highlights and what impacted me the most from my time...
Sabbatical Part 8: New York City
Here is a short video of our first ever visit to New York City!
Sabbatical Part 7: Special Time in Italy
Candy and I had never been to Rome before. We enjoyed learning the history, seeing the sites, and walking hand and hand down the cobbled streets saying to ourselves, "Are we really here?" Click to see the video I made that highlighted our time in Italy....
Sabbatical Part 6: Teaching Time in Jerusalem
After several months on Sabbatical, I couldn't help but do a little bit of teaching in Jerusalem on Sunday morning. Click on this to see a short teaching video from the Garden of Gethsemane.
Sabbatical Part 5: Have You Ever Wondered?
Have you ever seriously wondered if Christianity it true? Wondered if Jesus really is the Messiah? Click on this brief video for some examples from my time in Rome.
Sabbatical Part 4: Soaking In
In the first two weeks, I was asked by several people, “How does it feel to be on a Sabbatical?” My answer was the same, “I don’t know. I’ve never been on one.” After one month, I now have a better answer: I am soaking in many things for the first time in...
Sabbatical Part 3: Barry Tours Levi Stadium
As an avid 49er fan living in a Seahawk world, one of my Sabbatical bucket list items was visiting my home city of San Jose and touring Levi Stadium. Watch till the end as Candy and I "announce" the epic "Catch" play. It is still painful for Candy who is...
My History with GracePoint
My history with our church began in 1991. This video tells a brief story of what God has done... twice!
Sabbatical Part 2: I Feel Free
I’ve never had a Sabbatical before so I don’t know what to really expect or feel. I don’t know how I will feel a month from now or three months from now. However, I do know how I feel today, the day before my Sabbatical starts. I feel free! Let me explain....
Sabbatical Part 1: Hitting the Refresh Button
What is a Sabbatical? “On the seventh day God… rested from all His work.” Genesis 2:2 God didn’t need the rest but He modeled it for us because He knew our body, mind, and spirit would need consistent rest to remain healthy. The Hebrew word for Sabbath...
The Back Stories to a Beautiful Sunday @ GracePoint
Satan knew what was coming and boy was he ticked! We are nearing the end of an incredible teaching series called Freeway. Instead of living the "abundant life" Jesus promised, too many are STUCK in their spiritual journey. So week after week we've dealt...
Good News for Candy
On Thursday, May 5th, Candy and I had an appointment with Dr. Prakash Vishnu in Seattle. Dr. Vishnu is the leading Oncologist at Virginia Mason that specializes with melanoma cancer. In fact, he is so good in this field that he will be joining the Mayo...
Cancer Update on Candy
Candy and I have quickly realized that we are on a roller coaster ride with her cancer. One day we receive difficult news and the next day we receive encouraging news, and so on. I've never really been a roller coaster kind of a guy but I'm told that I'd...
The Phone Call You Never Want To Have
Our Life Apps sermon series was all set but my heart was uncommonly unsettled last Wednesday morning. The sermon plan called for me to teach on what to do with stress and worry that Sunday and then teach on encouragement the following Sunday....
The Theology of Laughter
God is holy. God is also hilarious. One look at a duck-billed platypus proves this. They were not constructed from left-over animal parts but by a God who has a sense of humor. God having a donkey speak to a wayward prophet is another example a divine...
10 Things You May Not Know About Your Lead Pastor
A few months ago, my younger brother, Bobby, asked if I would send him a list of things most people may not know about their lead pastor. He leads a men's bible study in Arizona and wanted to provide perspective for his men with some "inside information."...
A Pastoral Perspective on the Supreme Court Ruling
Plenty of articles have been written regarding the Supreme Court expansion on the definition of marriage. You may have grown weary of all of this commentary, but here are my thoughts concerning this seismic event in our culture. My thoughts are...
5 Reasons I Should STAY at My Church
I have read several online articles giving reasons people use to LEAVE a church. I thought we should take a positive approach to this sensitive subject. Although this list is not exhaustive, here are some of my conclusions from 30 years of full-time...
Burnout and Beyond!
Burnout... There have been many times in my 30 years of ministry when I found myself tired, depressed, discouraged, or overwhelmed. But never all at the same time. Just like life, church ministry has ebbs and flows, highlights and lowlights....
Genuinely Happy… Behind Enemy Lines
I'm a huge 49er fan living in Seattle Seahawks territory. On top of this, I'm a pastor at a Seahawks-crazed church. When I moved to Washington in 2005, my team's record was 2-14 and was the worst team in the NFL. This was also the same year the Hawks went...
Marriage is a Dance
I am having lots of fun teaching our current series called, "Let's Dance" at GracePoint Church. It is a five-week marriage series that looks at 5 popular Ballroom dances that directly apply to marriage. So far we've covered the Tango and the Waltz that...