The past few weeks I’ve found myself reflecting deeply on the world around us and my place in it.
Like many others, I’ve been watching the growing tensions in the Middle East and the suffering of ordinary people caught in conflicts far bigger than themselves.

One night I had a dream that stayed with me.
In the dream I was in a recording studio helping produce music that sounded like modern Iranian pop and electronic music. The details of the dream shifted, but one impression remained clear: the music was meant to reach ordinary Iranian people living under the strain of war and uncertainty.

When I woke up, my heart was full of prayer.
I found myself praying that God’s face would shine upon the Iranian people, that His peace and love would somehow penetrate the darkness of conflict. I prayed the same for Israel and for the other nations of the Middle East who are being pulled into the turmoil.
In moments like these I often remember the words of Jesus:
“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed… Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.”  Matthew 24:6
Jesus didn’t say these things so we would panic. He said them so we would stay awake.

So my prayer has been simple:
Lord, help us keep watch.
Help us pay attention.
Guard us from deception and the subtle distractions of the enemy.
But even more than that, help us examine our own hearts and how we are responding to the conflicts around us.

The Question Jesus Asks Leaders
In the middle of these reflections I found myself drawn back to another passage in the same chapter of Matthew.
“Who then is the wise and faithful servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?”
Matthew 24:45

Jesus frames leadership in an interesting way. Not as building something impressive.
Not as gathering the largest crowd. But as feeding people faithfully.
This question has always stirred something in me because if I’m honest, church growth has been a tension I’ve wrestled with.

Part of me sees growth as validation. If the congregation grows, it feels like evidence that I’m leading well. That kind of thinking can quietly nurture pride.
But another part of me feels the opposite fear.
What if the house becomes larger than my ability to feed it well?
The bigger the household, the more servants are needed to care for it. And the responsibility of making sure people are fed spiritually at the proper time can feel weighty.
This tension has exposed something important for me.

Jesus never said our goal was to build the house.
That’s God’s job. Our calling is something different. Our calling is to feed the servants He brings.
God builds the house.
God provides the resources.
God brings the people.
The wise and faithful servant simply watches and feeds.

What Does It Mean to Feed the Household?
Jesus’ imagery is simple but profound.
Feeding the household means providing spiritual nourishment, bread from heaven,  for those entrusted to the care of "wise and faithful servants".

The servants are those who God calls to serve within the kingdom. This is not just for vocational ministers, but for everyone who has received Jesus as Lord.

The "proper time" speaks to the rhythms of life. Moments when people need strengthening. Moments when truth must be spoken. Moments when encouragement, correction, or hope must be offered.

The household itself represents the people, purposes and resources God has entrusted to His kingdom work.
They are not burdens to manage.
They are testimonies.
Living stories that reveal the glory, honor, and power of God.

A Prayer of the Faithful Servant
As I sat with these things, my reflections turned into prayer.
Lord, I want to be a wise and faithful servant.
Help me recognize the food You have provided.
Help me discern the proper times to feed Your people.
Help me remain watchful and diligent in the work You have given me.
Guard my heart from growing weary.
And guard my heart from the opposite temptation, to use Your people for my own selfish gain or recognition.
Teach me to discern the voices that would distort this calling.

The Faithful Servant's Reward
Jesus ends His teaching about the faithful servant with this promise:
“It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.”
The reward is not applause. The reward is being found faithful.
In a world filled with noise, conflict, and the constant pressure to be seen, the calling of Jesus remains surprisingly simple:

Stay awake.

Feed the household.

Trust God

And live for the day when the Master returns and says,
“Well done.”

A Story That Begins With Hunger

The Vineyard Movement began not with a strategy, but with a hunger, a longing to experience the life of Jesus described in the Gospels as a present, everyday reality.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, believers began asking a disruptive question: What if the life we read about in Scripture is meant to be the normal Christian life? Out of that question, a movement emerged committed to a lived, embodied faith—rooted in Scripture, alive to the Spirit, and active in mission.

At its heart, the Vineyard exists for one reason:
to embody the way of Jesus so the Kingdom of God can be seen, experienced, and extended on earth as it is in heaven.

That same story has shaped us here at Vineyard Hood River.

Our Mission at Vineyard Hood River
We are not a church that simply inherited a mission, we are a church that has been formed by it.
Through worship and prayer, relationships and repentance, obedience and faith, God has been shaping us into a people who know Him, walk with Him, and join Him in what He is already doing.

Our mission is not a new direction. It is a clarification of calling.

At Vineyard Hood River, our mission is to embody the way of Jesus in all that we do.
Rooted in His presence, transformed by His Word, and empowered by His Spirit, we live to make Jesus known and His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

Discerning Our Focus for 2026
Earlier this year, our Elders invited congregational input, asking what the Spirit might be saying to us for the year ahead. As we listened, prayed, and discerned together, a clear hunger emerged, one that aligned with our Vineyard values and could be gathered into three areas: Holy Spirit Encounters, Discipleship, Witness

From that process, we believe the Holy Spirit has given us three Ministry Objectives to pursue in 2026.

Our Ministry Objectives for 2026

1. Holy Spirit Encounters & Empowerment

To cultivate a culture of expectation for encountering God’s Presence daily, relying on the Holy Spirit’s empowering grace to transform every area of life.

Galatians 5:25 reminds us that life in God begins with grace, “Since we live by the Spirit”, and continues through attentiveness and obedience, “let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
This objective invites us into a daily, relational walk with God, not striving ahead or lagging behind, but walking with Him in rhythm.

2. Discipleship & Family

To equip people and families to live out their faith every day, becoming more like Jesus in character, relationships, and purpose.

Colossians 2:6-7 paints a picture of discipleship rooted in grace, lived out daily, and formed in community.
Discipleship happens over time, in relationships, and bears the fruit of joy, not obligation.
This objective isn’t about adding more to busy lives. It’s about helping us practice the way of Jesus in the rhythms and relationships we already have.

3. Witness & Mission

To mobilize our church family to serve others with compassion, generosity, and courageous faith so that our local and global communities experience the whole gospel of Jesus’ Kingdom.

Acts 1:8 reminds us that mission flows from the power of the Holy Spirit. We are called to be witnesses, ordinary people who testify to what we’ve seen and experienced with Jesus.
Mission begins right where we are and moves outward, local, regional, and global, as we learn to notice where God is already at work and join Him there.

One Next Step
As we move toward 2026, we want to be clear:
No one is expected to do everything.
Everyone is invited to take one next step.

That step might look like:
Engaging one spiritual rhythm (Scripture, prayer, fasting)
Growing in one discipleship relationship
Participating in one expression of mission

This isn’t about doing more, it’s about becoming more attentive, more available, and more responsive to what God is already doing.

Becoming the Kind of People God Is Forming
What we’ve shared here isn’t a checklist, it’s a vision.
A vision of a church ordering its life around Jesus.
When we pray together, we become a people led by the Spirit.
When we grow together, we become a people shaped by love.
When we serve together, we become a people through whom the Kingdom becomes visible.
This is how heaven touches earth, through faithful people saying yes to Jesus in ordinary moments.

As we move toward 2026, our prayer is simple:
That Vineyard Hood River would be a church that knows Jesus deeply,
walks with Him daily,
and makes His love and power visible in our community.

From Hotels to Hospitality of the Heart
I used to work in hospitality across a variety of hotels, eventually rising to the position of Front Office Manager at the Best Western in Hood River. At one national conference, I noticed a buzz among upper-level managers about a book called The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey.

In the book, Covey emphasizes that trust isn't just a soft, social virtue—it’s a hard-edged, economic driver that makes relationships and organizations work more effectively and efficiently. Trust is the foundation of success. It’s actionable, measurable, and vital for high performance. The "speed" of trust refers to how quickly we can build relational equity so that we can entrust one another with valuable resources—like our time, energy, and money.

Seventeen Years Later: A Ministry Perspective
Seventeen years later, now serving in pastoral ministry, I find myself reflecting on that principle again. If I’ve learned anything in this season, it’s this: trust cannot be taken for granted.

When it comes to matters of eternal significance—our beliefs about God, the kingdom of heaven, and eternal life—trust becomes even more crucial. It’s not wise to give our trust lightly, especially without evidence of lasting fruit in someone’s life.

When Trust Breaks Down
When trust is broken or eroded in the church, leaders are faced with critical choices. Will they humble themselves and do the hard, necessary work of relational reconciliation? Will they seek counsel, receive feedback, and potentially shift their approach to leadership or ministry direction?

Or will they circle the wagons—isolating themselves with like-minded voices, creating echo chambers that reinforce personal preferences and ideologies? That choice—the refusal to listen, adjust, or be held accountable—is often the beginning of the end for any organization or ministry.

The Challenge of Transitions
Leadership transitions, in particular, can be a breeding ground for mistrust if not handled with care. It’s often said that it takes around five years for a pastor to fully establish trust with a congregation. The first three years are marked by discernment, as people observe and decide whether they can trust the new leader. Once trust begins to form, it may take another two years before real missional momentum builds again.

I’ve experienced several transitions in the past five years—on top of a global pandemic. I understand why some may still feel hesitant about trusting me as a pastor. I don’t fault anyone for that. Instead, I aim to earn that trust daily.

A Commitment to Trust-Building Leadership
My hope is to lead with integrity by:

• Talking straight
• Demonstrating respect
• Creating transparency
• Righting wrongs
• Showing loyalty
• Delivering results
• Confronting reality
• Clarifying expectations
• Practicing accountability

These aren’t just leadership strategies—they’re relational commitments. They’re how I hope to steward the privilege of serving a community and guiding people in matters that carry eternal weight.

What about you? Where have you seen trust restored—or broken—in your spiritual journey? What helped rebuild it? Please share in the comments

When the Ship Ran Aground: A Dream About the Mission of the Church

Several years ago, I had a vivid dream that has stayed with me ever since. At first, it was striking because of its imagery. But over time, its meaning has become a powerful lens through which I see the mission of the Church—and the urgency of following the Holy Spirit in everything we do.

The Dream
In the dream, I was boarding a ship alongside a pastor. We were preparing to set out on a mission. Just before we launched, the navigator warned us, “You need to be prepared for anything—the navigation system is on the fritz.”

Still, the ship launched and began to pick up momentum.

Later that evening, I found myself standing on the deck, looking out over the open ocean. Everything felt calm—until I suddenly saw an island fast approaching. We were moving too fast to stop. With all that momentum and no working navigation system, we had no way to avoid running aground.

The ship crashed violently into the island and plowed through buildings—tearing straight into the heart of the town square. The impact startled the locals, and they came out protesting. Tensions rose, and the crew jumped off the ship to confront them. It was chaotic.

But over time, the conflict de-escalated. The locals and the crew came to an understanding. From there, the crew began working to figure out how we were going to get the ship off the island.

What the Dream Revealed
This dream shook me, and it’s taken time to fully process. But I’ve come to see the ship as a metaphor for the Church—specifically, the Church as the vehicle through which we carry the mission of Jesus into the world. We are meant to deliver His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

But here’s the key insight:
If we are not following the leading of the Holy Spirit—the Navigator—our vision can become unfocused, directionless, and ultimately ineffective.

Momentum without direction can be dangerous. In fact, the faster we move without clarity from the Spirit, the more likely we are to crash—into people, into culture, into unintended consequences.

That’s exactly what happened in the dream. The Church (the ship) had energy, mission, and intention—but not direction. As a result, we broke into a context we didn’t understand and weren’t prepared to engage. We brought damage before we brought healing.

Relevance vs. Compromise
One of the biggest takeaways from this dream is the importance of relevance without compromise.

We must be deeply aware of our context in order to be effective in our mission.

The gospel message is sacred and unchanging—it should never be compromised for the sake of cultural relevance.
But the method of delivery must always be considered.
To reach the hearts and minds of the people we’re called to serve, we must understand their world. Relevance is not selling out. It’s showing up. It’s building bridges instead of bulldozing into the town square.

Relevance opens the door. But effectiveness leads people through it.

A Final Word: Utter Dependence
This dream has become a reminder to me—and perhaps to you—that we are in desperate need of the Holy Spirit’s leadership. The Spirit doesn’t just fine-tune our mission; He defines it. He directs our course. He helps us land in the right place, at the right time, with the right heart.

Without Him, we might still “arrive,” but we’ll likely cause more confusion than transformation.

Let us be people who listen closely to the Navigator. Who build momentum not from ambition, but from alignment. Who walk in both truth and grace. And who never confuse movement with mission.

If this dream resonates with you or your experience in ministry, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Let’s keep the conversation going—and let’s keep the Spirit at the helm.