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Phil Altmeyer, Executive Director

2 min read

A Forgetful People

We are a forgetful people. We forget how broken the world is in which we live. We forget how much we are loved by a good God. We forget the sinister and tantalizing nature of temptation. We forget that the enemy truly does prowl about like a lion...

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1 min read

We Have Heard the Joyful Sound: Jesus Saves

When I learned that this newsletter was to have a gospel focus and that the team wanted to use old hymns to help tell the story… well, I was happy....

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Team of Superheroes

Did you ever watch the “Fantastic Four” when you were a kid?

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Joy is Possible

Comparing 2020 to the plagues in Egypt might be an exaggeration, but it has certainly been one of the more difficult years in my lifetime: global...

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Made for More

“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” – Proverbs 23:7.

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The Breath of God

We are nearing one of my favorite times of the year: the celebration of Christ’s resurrection from the dead! He is risen. He is risen indeed. Without...

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Meaningful Investment

“I think we’re all made to find our significance by being attached to the ultimate. All human beings are created to attach their tiny, little lives...

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Creating a Change Environment

Imagine committing to a smoking cessation program right before going on a road trip with a pair of chain smokers. Imagine trying to avoid sugar while...

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Stop the Lies

“You’re stupid.” “You will never amount to anything.” “You’re a failure.” When you’ve grown up hearing lies, you begin to believe them. Your mind and...

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The Homeless Crisis in Downtown Spokane

As I reflect back on 2018, my overwhelming reaction is one of gratitude: gratitude for God’s faithfulness, your partnership, the lost who have come...

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The Great Light

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” – Isaiah 9:2 Generally, I'm an optimist. I see what is possible. I dream and make big...

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Speak Truth. Speak Life.

I had a teacher in sixth grade who thought she’d motivate me to try harder in school by giving me straight Ds. It didn’t motivate me. Quite the...

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The Truth of Easter

“If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, who could stand?” This is the Gospel. All of humanity is under a curse. No matter how hard we try, we can...

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Strengthen and Solidify

2017 was a year of strengthening and solidifying ministry work throughout UGM. Frankly, it all started by identifying some weak areas and...

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The Gift of Mothers

Tasked with raising five boys, my mom was an expert at energy management. She knew we needed to keep busy. She played baseball with us, worked...

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What is the Loving Response to a Homeless Person?

Editor's Note: This column was originally published in The Spokesman-Review on September 10, 2017. An abbreviated version of this quote by author...

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We are in the Heart Business

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” - Proverbs 4:23 The heart. What an important, complicated, mysterious thing....

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Love & Power

“What the world needs now is love, sweet love.”* We couldn’t agree more, but not the wimpy, conditional love the world has to offer – not love based...

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Partnering with the Inland Northwest

In 2010, UGM leadership undertook the monumental task of creating our first strategic plan. We started by taking a hard look at our purpose...

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Heart to Heart: Giving Good Gifts

We talk a lot in Christian circles about the commercialization of Christmas and the damage it has done. You’ll get no argument from me on the...

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Re-Parenting

I remember the day very clearly. I was a junior at Northwest Nazarene University, walking across campus…I can even tell you the spot on campus where...

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First Impressions

This story has become a bit of an urban legend, but its veracity is authenticated by Snopes.com.

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There is Always Hope

We have been using the slogan “Hope starts here” for years now, and I’ve always thought I got it, but after a recent trip to a major metropolitan...

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Perfectionism is the enemy of recovery

When it comes to failure, the question is not if but when. We all fail. Every. Single. Day. Sometimes those failures are the result of taking healthy...

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