My youngest son and I are involved in our local Trail Life Troop, and we have been for quite a long time. A few years ago, our Troop was asked to help with a service project for the Christian School that our Troop is chartered through.

My Pap trusted the old vice and level in his workshop because it had proven itself over decades of use. He didn’t try to “eyeball it,” didn’t rely on his instincts, didn’t assume he knew better.

We have been teaching through the seven “I am…” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John with the youth group at our Church on Sunday evenings. Jesus speaks these words in John 10:11: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

As we pass the midway point of the year it can be natural to feel the weight of what’s behind while at the same time feel the uncertainty of what’s ahead.

June often feels like a month of transition as the school year ends, routines shift, and summer gets into full swing.

As spring settles in and creation bursts with new life, Jesus’ words in Luke 6 feel especially vivid. He reminds us that “each tree is known by its own fruit.” No matter how impressive a tree may look from a distance, its true nature is revealed by what it produces.

In Psalm 1 God chooses a tree—not a fast‑growing weed or a fragile flower—to show us what a blessed life looks like.

In Philippians 1:12–18, Paul gives a surprising report:

“VISION” is a catchword in ministry circles. It’s a good word, one that Webster defines as

Thomas O. Chisholm, born in 1866, certainly had his share of disappointments in life. He aspired to be a preacher but had to resign after one year of ministry due to poor health. He wrote poetry but various Christian magazines continually rejected his work