Latest blog entry
2019 Vision Update
Schools are starting, vacations are ending and it’s a great time to reflect back over the last 3/4 of the year so we can move through the last 1/4 together well. We embraced three priorities at the start of 2019. One, we recommitted ourselves to cultivating gospel clarity in the church for the world. To that end, we hosted the first installment of our Gospel Clarity Study Series. Together, we explored the relationship between the Gospel and Ethnic Identity. On November 9, we will...
No One Should Feel Isolated or Unseen
You've probably seen it in the news, read it on social media or experienced it yourself at some point--the reality that many in Seattle are surrounded by people but still feel isolated finding it hard to make meaningful relationships. As a church, God has given us a...
God is Already at Work: How Will You Join Him?
When I joined The Hallows, I was 4 months pregnant, newly married and had only lived in Seattle for 8 months. Actually, living in America was “new” for me as well. I had previously lived in, served, and breathed in China and all its chaos, culture and people for 5...
A God Who Sticks Around
“Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.” –Galatians 6:9-10In August, 2014, Amy and I...
When I Pray for My Kids
A few Sundays ago we made it to Ephesians 6 in which the Apostle Paul provides a bit of insight into being imitators of God as parents. As Father's Day approaches, we are reminded of the closing encouragement from Pastor Andrew's sermon "Grace in Parenting"...
2019 All-Church Retreat | What to Expect
Are you getting excited for our fourth annual All-Church Retreat yet?! Below you will find various details about the weekend and our retreat site (thefirs.org). We hope this will answer any questions you may have about our time together. Feel free to contact Kim...
How God Can Use a Weekend Away (with His Church)
Our family is counting the days until the Hallows All-Church Retreat on Memorial Day Weekend. Last year we left the Firs Retreat Center encouraged in our faith, better connected to our church community, blessed from the generous volunteers who loved on our kids, and...
Who Am I?
When asked to share about exploring, communicating, and even wrestling with her journey of ethnic identity, our friend, Ashley, eagerly agreed to the opportunity because as she shares below, she hadn't had much opportunity nor even resources previously to explore the...
Should We Pray Corporately or Privately?
In Acts 2:42, we are told that the early church "devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer."The modern church still typically meets weekly for teaching, and there seems to be no shortage of opportunities...
Every Path Has a Lesson to Teach | Megan Braaten
Before coming to college I had only seen one consistent life path, and I only got to see it from the outside. People found a job that they would be at for the rest of their lives, got married in college, and had kids a few years down the road. While this is a great...
Every Scar Has a Story
Earlier this year, Pastor Andrew highlighted three priorities we are pursuing as a faith family in 2019: Gospel Clarity, Missional Engagement and Being the Church (watch the video here). We want to take a moment to share with you how we’ll go about pursuing the...