by MS Christian Living | Apr 3, 2026 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By Chris Bates The outdoors can be a canvas for us to shape and use well. From our backyards to farm fields, the earth can at times look empty or bare on the surface. Then, as we apply growth and life to it, transformation happens. Driving through the north...
by MS Christian Living | Jan 30, 2026 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By Chris Bates There is a certain kind of quiet in the painted dawn in the Mississippi Delta. The Delta is vast, open, and level, and revealing in its beauty. At first glance, it may seem sparse, but the Delta is rich with hidden life. The woods are alive with...
by MS Christian Living | Nov 28, 2025 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By Chris and Stacy Bates Outside Darby came home to us just a few months ago. There is nothing like the experience and joy that go along with a new 10-week-old puppy. Besides the playfulness and fun, there is also a fascination with newness. During the first few...
by MS Christian Living | Nov 1, 2025 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By Chris Bates Outside: In early fall several years ago, I spent a cool, clear, high mountain day trout fishing alone along Colorado’s Taylor River at about 8,000 feet elevation. I slowly worked my way wading upriver, pausing at each turn and eddy area to run my flies...
by MS Christian Living | Aug 1, 2025 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By Chris Bates Outside: A few years ago, my daughter and I joined a mission group near San Cristobal, Nicaragua. We expected an adventure filled with service opportunities, but the real lessons came from unexpected places. The focus was to help dig water lines for...
by MS Christian Living | May 30, 2025 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By Chris Bates One of the most memorable nights of my youth happened alone on the side of a mountain. I was a teenager at a summer camp in North Carolina and was preparing to complete the final test in a multi-summer journey to earn the rank of “Little Chief.” The...
