Curiosity, Coffee
&Contemplation
"Random reflections on
faith, life, & everything else"
Welcome to Curiosity,
Coffee & Contemplation
I’m so glad you’re here. Pour yourself a cup of something warm and stay a while. This is a quiet corner of the internet where I share reflections on faith, family, and the everyday moments that make life rich, messy, and meaningful.
Whether you're wrestling with big questions, soaking in small joys, or just looking for encouragement in the middle of your day—there’s a place for you here.
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Why write?
I’m a curious soul who loves coffee, heartfelt conversations, and chasing after God's grace in the ordinary. I write to make sense of life, to share hope, and to remember that even our messiest moments can be sacred.
There are Three Pillars for
Curiosity, Coffee & Contemplation
Truth
The Anchor in Life's Storm
In a world drowning in opinions masquerading as facts, we desperately need something solid to stand on.
I believe there's Big T Truth—absolute, unchanging, found in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ. This isn't narrow-mindedness; it's freedom.
When you know true north exists, you can navigate confidently through life's confusion.
But I also honor little t truth—your story, your journey, the honest wrestling with life that brought you here.
Your questions matter. Your doubts are valid. Your experiences have shaped real insights worth sharing.
Here's what I've learned: Big T Truth isn't threatened by our little t truths.
Instead, it gives them context and meaning. When we bring our authentic experiences into conversation with eternal Truth, something beautiful happens.
We discover that God is big enough for our biggest questions and tender enough for our deepest wounds.
Truth isn't a weapon to beat people down—it's a lifeline thrown to those drowning in relativism's quicksand.
Authenticity
The Courage to Be Real
Authenticity isn't a buzzword—it's a battleground. Every day, we choose between the exhausting performance of who we think we should be and the vulnerable courage of who we actually are.
I'm done with plastic Christianity and Pinterest-perfect lives.
Real faith gets messy. It admits failures, wrestles with doubt, and sometimes cries in grocery store parking lots.
It says "I don't know" more often than "I've got it all figured out."
Here's the paradox: the moment we stop pretending to be perfect, we become powerfully attractive to others who are tired of pretending too.
Our scars become doorways for connection. Our struggles become bridges to understanding.
Authenticity means responding honestly when life challenges our beliefs. It means being willing to change when confronted with truth, even when change is uncomfortable. It means admitting when we're wrong and celebrating when others help us see more clearly.
The world doesn't need another perfect person—it needs more real ones.
Transformation
The Journey Home
We're all spiritual beings having a human experience, and every soul carries an ache that no earthly thing can fill.
I've tried filling it with achievements, relationships, possessions, and experiences. They're all beautiful gifts, but they're not the answer.
True transformation isn't about becoming a better version of yourself—it's about becoming who you were always meant to be. It's about discovering that the restlessness in your heart is actually homesickness for a relationship you were created for.
This isn't about religion; it's about relationship.
Not rules, but rescue. Not performance, but presence. Jesus doesn't just offer better behavior—He offers new birth. A complete rewrite of your story from the inside out.
I've watched this transformation change lives: addicts become advocates, the broken become healers, the lost become guides for others finding their way home. It's not magic—it's grace. And it's available to anyone curious enough to ask, "What if there's more?"
Your past doesn't disqualify you. Your questions don't disqualify you. Your mess doesn't disqualify you. Come as you are.
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Interesting Facts About Howie...
When he returned to ministry, Howard found himself walking with people through life's most difficult moments—funerals, hospital visits, and the long journey of grief that follows.
It was here he discovered something profound: grief doesn't end when the funeral does.
People, especially widows, were struggling to navigate emotions that felt like a foreign language no one had taught them to speak.
This insight led him to create support groups that blend psychological wisdom with biblical principles, becoming lifelines for those weathering life's storms.
Today, Howie serves as associate pastor at Living Hope Bible Church in Meridian, Idaho, ministering to adults 55 and older.
After 46 years of marriage to Carris, with three children and four grandchildren, he brings both professional wisdom and personal understanding to his work.
Through "Curiosity, Coffee & Contemplation," Howie invites you into conversations that matter—about faith, life, loss, and everything in between.
Because sometimes the most profound truths are discovered not in having all the answers, but in being brave enough to ask the right questions.
Howard's journey has taken him from youth ministry to entrepreneurship and back to pastoral care—each chapter shaped by curiosity and compassion.
After starting as a youth pastor, he spent 25 years building a landscaping business while he and his wife Carris worked with young families.