by mcl | Jan 1, 2020 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By CHRIS BATES How my dog reminds me to serve others We can learn a lot from our dogs. One of the big differences between my lab, Julep, and me is her endless energy to serve. Those of us who are dog owners know well their...
by mcl | Dec 3, 2019 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By CHRIS BATES How to make this Christmas a ‘favorite’ moment Last year I took a good friend duck hunting in the Delta. It was his first time seeing where our group hunts. We geared up well before dawn and got out to the area...
by mcl | Oct 1, 2019 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By CHRIS BATES A frozen lake and a father’s love It was a hard frozen January morning many years back. My brother was probably only 7 years old and I was 11. He and I were doing our best as young guys to endure freezing hands and...
by mcl | Aug 3, 2019 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By CHRIS BATES Discipleship is simpler than you think Beto and I, along with several others, got to work rebuilding his house on the side of the mountain. The forest smothered us with humidity but also gave much-needed shade. Everyone...
by mcl | Jun 2, 2019 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By CHRIS BATES Mount Hood and how to mess up the hike of your life Many years ago, I literally took off into the wilderness for three days. It was something I had wanted to experience. I had a map of the trails in the Mount Hood Wilderness in...