Blog Archive 2020

Janet Starkey
Looking Forward
December 28,  2020
I do not want to discuss 2020.  We are DONE!!! But… what better time to think about next year than during the last week of the current year? So, the questions I want to ask are:
How can this coming new year be different? How can this new year be better? ... read more
Bonnie Piovesan
Silent Night
December 22,  2020
My favorite Christmas song is Silent Night. I have this very fond memory of sitting on my mom’s lap as a child singing this song together. It was one of those precious and rare moments in my childhood when all was calm and the world seemed bright ... read more
Blake Miller
ADOREnaments:
Celebrating the Names of Christ
December 14,  2020
Keeping Christ in Christmas is one of the most important things we as Christians can do during the holiday season. It presents new opportunities for sharing the gospel and our beliefs of what we are celebrating. The adorenaments have been a part of my ... read more
Chris Gray
How Does God See Our Choices?
December 8,  2020
What choice will we make? We constantly must choose through our daily routines as well as major life situations. We want to make the right choice, the one that will help us in our lives. But, do we consider the one that will please God?  We also know that a wrong ... read more
Emily Rogers
My New Journey to Mizpah
November 30,  2020
A couple weeks ago, our Children & Family Director Carley Walker, told the story of the prophet Samuel and how he prayed for protection for the Israelites who were under attack from the Philistines. In 1 Samuel 7:12, it is told how Samuel set a rock between Mizpah ... read more
Max Lucado
The Benefits of Gratitude
November 23,  2020
This week of Thanksgiving we decided to bring in a guest author. Please enjoy a Max Lucado reflection.
The widest river in the world is not the Mississippi, Amazon, or Nile. The widest river on earth is a body of water called If Only.  ... read more
Carley Walker
A Quarantine Reflection
November 16,  2020
As I sit here reflecting on 2020 I’ve determined one thing, it’s been a wild ride! From lockdowns and homeschooling to losing our beloved pet to fostering three additional pets, layoffs and new jobs, a switch from public to private education for my children, switching majors for my Master’s program, and even contracting Covid -19,  ... read more
Blake Miller
New and Creative Ways to Worship
November 11,  2020
During these ever-changing times, it can be difficult to find new ways to come together in praise for the Lord. We have to keep in mind the safety of our congregation and still be adaptable in offering in-person worship because of its importance to so many ... read more
Kay Mills
Community Outreach Chair
Community Outreach Happenings
November 3,  2020
Late in 2019, I was assigned the privilege of chairing the Community Outreach Ministry Team for the year 2020. The team had plans to bring our Love 1st message to the community during many different events.  Alas, as everyone knows, our lives were changed ... read more
Stephanie Rogge
Praying God's Names
​October 27,  2020
When the winter storm blew in last week and I started hearing reports of car accidents and power outages, I found myself praying again. The prayers were not for myself but instead for complete strangers who might be in danger. I find that I’ve been doing that a lot  ... read more
Janet Starkey
Choices
​October 20,  2020
I have been thinking about my blog for days. The topic kept shifting.
I’ve been reading a book written by Dr. Edith Eger, The Choice. She is a woman who lived through the horrors of the Holocaust. The story is an inspiring account of survival. I could have gone with that ... read more
Bonnie Piovesan
Spiritual Shortcuts
October 13,  2020
My father-in-law is notorious for his shortcuts. We will all be in the van with him on some trip, and the famous words are soon uttered, “I know a shortcut.” We all giggle or moan, and then settle into our seats, because we know the trip just got longer. ... read more
Kent Kimball
Zippy or Somber?
October 6,  2020
Some people say I’m too serious; others say I’m not serious enough. Is there a “Goldilocks” amount of light-heartedness and laughter, a “just right” dose? I wasn’t sure, so I did some research. What do scientists say? ... read more
Emily Rogers
Autumn Ruminations
September 29,  2020
Argh! How did it happen? How can it already be Fall? Perhaps the fact that we usually refer to it as “Fall” brings about a different feeling than the beautiful word, “Autumn.” As in falling into the darker time of year, as in putting away all those suddenly ... read more
Chris Gray
Some Assembly Required
September 22,  2020
“Some assembly required”, these three words on the box of a new toy can cause a Dad to turn pale and a Mom to gasp in horror. What usually follows are several late night hours squeezing “A” into “B”, bolting “D” into “F” and hoping no one notices if steps 4, 5 and 6 are skipped altogether. ... read more
Blake Miller
Hello 1st Pres!
September 14,  2020
Hello to everyone here at First Presbyterian Church Downtown CDA. My name is Blake Miller. I am the new technology coordinator here at our church. This Sunday will be my sixth week of running sound and live-streaming our worship and service on YouTube. ... read more
Stephanie Rogge
What Can We Do But Pray
September 8,  2020
I find myself praying more. With everything going on the world, I find myself getting overwhelmed. I’m sure many people feel the same way. Rather than sit around and worry, I find that I need to take my concerns to the only One who can do anything about them. ... read more
Linda Scheideler,
& the Deacons
Blessings Abound!
September 1, 2020
Did you ever want to do a do-over, when something just didn't go right the first time? How lucky are we that the Deacons were able to hold our Back-to-School Clothing Giveaway for a second Saturday! As I am sure most of you have heard, our clothing giveaway on August 22, 2020 did not go so well. ... read more
Wendy Wilson,
​Adult Discipleship Team
Staying Encouraged & Connected in a Disconnected Time
August 24, 2020
As a 60+ woman who knows my way around the computer technology I have to use every day at work, I’m not one who jumps at the idea of another “learning curve” every time that technology morphs or new platforms emerge that are going to “make things so much easier.” Groan. ... read more
Carley Walker
It’s not all sunshine, unicorns, and rainbows…
August 18, 2020
Whenever it is my turn to write the weekly blog, I always try to come up with some profound, interesting or uplifting topic or theme. This time has not been any different. However, instead of writing a blog full of sunshine, rainbows, and unicorns, I want to tell you the truth. I am tired. I bet you are too ... read more
Rosanna Blackston
A Summer Reflection
August 11, 2020
For the past many years we've been fortunate to welcome students from the Whitworth Fellowship program during the summer through Whitworth’s Office of Church Engagement. Due to change in the program, that was not an option this year. Instead we welcomed Rosanna Blackston as a summer intern ... read more
Sabbatical Management Team
A Fond Farewell to Jennie Barber
August 3, 2020
We have been truly blessed by having Reverend Jennie Barber to lead us during this tumultuous time period of Pastor Craig Sumey’s sabbatical and the unanticipated and challenging time of dealing with the Covid-19 virus. The virus caused us to close down the worship service to protect our members and visitors ...  read more 
Rev. Jennie Barber
Remembering and Blessings
July 27, 2020
Do you remember January? Though it was only six months ago, it seems like light years. We say “January” and it feels like we are evoking a mythical time and place. Maybe that’s why it’s hard for me to recall January. So much of it seems lost in a fog that blurs memories of what ...
 ...  read more 
Matthew Harrison
Farewell From Our Custodian
July 20, 2020
I was given the chance to write the blog for this week because it is such a great opportunity to say goodbye. With two new sons in the last year (my baby-boy Holden and my foster son Maxx), my family is growing, and I felt it was time for me to grow, too ...  read more 
Janet Starkey
Summer Camp Memories
July 13, 2020
I like to multi-task. I can focus on a task and be aware of something else like music or the news on television, running in the background. Last week the news was sharing stories on summer camp and what it will/could/should look like this summer ...  read more 
Kent Kimball
God is Great! 
July 6, 2020
Question: Did you know that David addressed over 50 of his Psalms to "The Choir Director"?  Yep, it's true.  David was passionate about music, specifically music used to glorify God and to lead worship.  What does this have to do with 1st Presbyterian Church ... read more
Emily Rogers
A Job Done Well 
​June 30, 2020
I love to work—always have and probably always will. Coming from a large household of six children, I learned early-on to chip-in and do my part of the work of keeping up a home. Washing dishes for... read more
Bonnie Piovesan
Looking Forward
June 23, 2020
Lately I have found myself looking forward to lots of things. Looking forward to when we are all back together again at church. Looking forward to a stocked toilet paper aisle at the store ... read more
Janet Starkey
My Fitbit Died This Week
June 16, 2020
​My Fitbit died this week. Some of you might know that I wear a Fitbit (fancy pedometer) because I like to track the number of steps I take every day. It also tracks my sleep, which either confirms or denies the quality of my sleep—good and bad ☺... read more
Stephanie Rogge
​Happiest Year
June 91, 2020
The year 2020 has been an eye-opening year so far with the world pandemic and civil unrest all around us. It is easy to become disheartened, which is where I have been occasionally in the recent months. It’s times like these that we need to remember the good things that God has done in our lives ... read more
Matthew Harrison
​Happiest Year
June 1, 2020
The last year has been the happiest of my life! Nine months ago, God gave my wife and me our amazing little Holden. Every single day, my perfect son has brought so much joy to me–even when he has decided for the moment to not be so perfect with his endless antics...read more
Chris Gray
Memorial Day 2020 - A Symbol of Remembrance & Hope
May 27, 2020
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friend. John 15:13
It is bright. It is bold. It is something to behold. These resilient flowers flourished in the middle of so much chaos and destruction, growing in the thousands upon thousands. It also serves as an ​... read more
Carley Walker
The Most Precious Gift
May 18, 2020
Last weekend, I had the lovely opportunity to get together with my four sisters and my mom for a lunch and cousin visit. It had been such a long time since we were all together. It was precious to say the least. My mom had called us all together ​... read more
Bonnie Piovesan
Beautiful Name
May 11, 2020
I like my name. Bonnie is not a common name, and it means beautiful. My mom said she named me after her best friend when she was young. From my point of view, my name is pretty nice ... read more
Emily Rogers
What's My New Normal
May 4, 2020
During our last staff meeting with Pastor Craig before he went on his 3-month sabbatical, he asked us to think about all the changes that have come with responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. ... read more
Janet Starkey
Coffee and Community
April 29, 2020
A very dear friend permanently moved to Hawaii with her husband a few years ago. On one hand, I mourned the move because rather than being on the mainland and a few hours away by airplane, she was now an ocean away ... read more
Judy Flieger
A Still Small Voice
April 20, 2020
1 KINGS 19:12-13 And the Lord told Elijah to ‘Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord’ and behold the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces ... read more
Steve Balas
Are You Seeing What's Happening
April 14, 2020
When you watch the news, and you see and understand something of the scope of the human suffering associated, it is hard to think anything good about the coronavirus. Lost lives, lost jobs ... read more
Chris Gray
Not Cancelled... God's Goodness
April 6, 2020
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another ... read more
Bonnie Piovesan
'I Told You So'
​March 31, 2020
I hate it when people tell me, “I told you so.” I remember as a kid I would get hopping mad when this phrase would come out. I don’t think I fully understood why this phrase would make me so angry back then. Now as an adult I understand some of the emotions ​ ... read more
Janet Starkey
Inspiration and Introspection
​March 23, 2020
Last Tuesday, I received a text message from my daughter; she and her fiancé made the tough decision to postpone their May wedding. “Due to local restrictions and health concerns, we’ve made the decision to reschedule our wedding to a later date this year. ​ ... read more
Emily Rogers
God's Plan for Us
​March 16, 2020
“I know you’d want to know that Jesse passed away this morning,” read the text message from my ex-husband, Keith. It started me on a long trip down memory lane last week. And, it eventually reminded me that God has a plan to prosper us. ... read more
Stephanie Rogge
Something New and Beautiful
​March 9, 2020
Since moving to the area from Montana, I’ve enjoyed the weather here, for the most part. We don’t experience the subzero temperatures or have to endure the deep freezes that seem to linger forever in Montana. I have to admit the long periods of gray skies, rain or snow, and short days here in the winter have been a challenge ... read more
Connor Harris
Come Unto Me
March 3, 2020
​Isn’t it odd to think of all the generations before us – how they have looked forward to the end of this present age and thought how glorious to be alive in that time – and wished for themselves so great an honor as to live for Christ in the ... read more
Steve Balas
Isn't it Odd
February 25, 2020
Many times inspiration is visual, as it is in this sculpture. Truly, a photo is worth a thousand words!  When my grandmother passed away a few years ago, I noticed that my mother had made this her background photo on her computer screen.  ... read more
Matthrew Harrison
Signs
February 18, 2020
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” Matthew 12:38

In our day to day lives as Christians we look for the signs around us that reaffirm God’s blessings ... read more
Chris Gray
Valentine's Day
February 11, 2020
Isn’t it funny how the mythology of our human love involves a roly-poly, flying, diapered baby wielding a deadly weapon!?! This whimsical creature and icon of Valentine’s Day sees two people and shoots them with his bow and arrow … read more