In 2016, I began a blog called Bloom Where You Are Planted.
The title reflected a conviction that had been developing within me for many years: God places each of us in particular circumstances, relationships, communities, careers, and seasons of life for a purpose.
We are called to become rooted and grounded in Christ, grow in faith, and use the passions, abilities, spiritual gifts, strengths, and experiences God has entrusted to us. As we do, our lives can bloom—encouraging others and bringing glory and honor to the Lord.
As Paul wrote:
“Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” —1 Corinthians 10:31
A Blog That Was Never Intended to Be About Me
Although I have shared many personal stories during the past ten years, this blog is not—and never was—intended primarily to be about me.
My experiences are simply illustrations of God’s faithfulness and providence. When I write about my work, marriage, ministry, decisions, disappointments, grief, or hopes for the future, my desire is that these stories point beyond me.
They should point people to their Creator—Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.
Jesus is the source of our identity, purpose, gifts, calling, strength, and eternal hope. We do not bloom merely through positive thinking, determination, or personal accomplishment. Lasting spiritual fruit grows as we remain rooted in Christ.
Jesus said:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.” —John 15:5
That is the foundation of Bloom Where You Are Planted.
Ten Years of Topics—and One Continuing Story
Looking back over the categories from my first ten years of writing is almost like opening a spiritual scrapbook.
The subjects include faith, Jesus, prayer, worship, church, forgiveness, providence, passion, vision, mission, work, career, volunteering, neighborhood, planning, decision-making, legacy, grief, and heaven.
There are also subjects connected to my personal history: Milwaukee, lettuce farming, family names, LinkedIn, websites, and the growing influence of our online world.
One category has become especially personal: Naomi.
Together, these words tell the story of a life journey. More importantly, they reveal some of the ways God works through ordinary people, places, experiences, relationships, and changing seasons.
An Easily Searchable Collection of Topics
One advantage of the blog is that readers do not have to search through ten years of posts chronologically.
The blog includes a visible Labels section containing all the categories and subjects I have written about. Readers can quickly see the variety of topics and click any label that interests them.
Clicking faith, for example, brings together posts related to faith. Selecting Naomi, grief, prayer, providence, vision, work, or volunteering opens the posts connected with that particular subject.
In that sense, the blog has become more than a record of when something was written. It is a growing collection of reflections organized around many of the questions and experiences that shape our lives.
Readers may arrive because they are:
- Grieving the loss of someone they love
- Reconsidering their purpose or calling
- Seeking God’s direction for an important decision
- Thinking about their work, service, or retirement
- Wondering how to use their gifts
- Reflecting on the legacy they will leave
- Looking for ways to serve within their neighborhood
- Seeking a deeper relationship with Jesus
They can choose the subject most relevant to them and explore those posts directly.
On a computer, the labels are displayed as part of the blog’s public layout. On a phone or smaller device, readers may need to scroll farther down the page to find them. Each label is a clickable doorway into the posts connected with that subject.
The First Season: Faith, Work, and Calling
Much of my earlier writing focused on helping people discover how their faith could influence their work, careers, neighborhoods, and volunteer service.
I have long believed that ministry is not confined to a church building or formal Christian organization. Our mission field may be an office, farm, school, neighborhood, business, senior community, volunteer organization, or conversation over coffee.
God can use our entire life story.
Our passions may reveal what deeply concerns us. Our abilities and strengths help us recognize what we can do well. Our spiritual gifts point toward the ways God may work through us. Even our disappointments, losses, and previous experiences can prepare us to encourage and serve someone else.
Nothing surrendered to God needs to be wasted.
A New Season: Naomi, Grief, and Legacy
My writing changed after my wife, Naomi, went to her eternal home with Christ on November 8, 2024.
After 45 years of marriage, her life and mine were deeply intertwined. We shared our family, faith, ministries, decisions, disappointments, joys, and daily routines. We also shared her long journey through polycystic kidney disease and dialysis.
Since her passing, grief, heaven, remembrance, and legacy have naturally become more prominent in my writing.
At times, I have wondered whether I have moved away from the original purpose of Bloom Where You Are Planted.
But perhaps the message has not changed. Perhaps I am simply learning to live it in a different season.
Blooming does not always mean beginning an exciting project or accomplishing something publicly visible. Sometimes blooming means remaining rooted in Christ when life has changed forever. Sometimes it means allowing grief to deepen our compassion. Sometimes it means remembering a loved one with gratitude while remaining open to the life God still places before us.
Naomi’s story is now inseparable from mine. Remembering her does not have to prevent me from moving forward, and moving forward does not mean leaving her behind.
Her faith, compassion, nursing career, ministry, and care for others remain part of the legacy God entrusted to our family. When I tell her story, I do not want the focus to remain only on Naomi or me. I want our shared story to point to the God who brought us together, sustained us through 45 years of marriage, and finally welcomed Naomi into His presence.
The Message Is Still the Same
Ten years later, I still believe we are called to bloom where God has planted us.
But I understand that message more deeply now.
Being planted does not necessarily mean remaining permanently in one place or continuing the same assignment forever. God may transplant us into unfamiliar circumstances. A career may end. Children may move away. Health may change. A spouse may enter heaven. A ministry opportunity may close while another slowly begins to appear.
The setting changes, but God remains faithful.
Our responsibility is not to force ourselves to bloom according to someone else’s timetable. It is to keep our roots in Christ, receive the nourishment He provides, and remain available for whatever growth He chooses to bring.
The words that describe my blog’s first ten years—faith, vision, service, work, neighborhood, Naomi, grief, providence, and legacy—are not merely separate subjects. They are interconnected chapters in one continuing journey.
That journey is about recognizing God’s presence and purpose in every season and pointing others toward Jesus.
Where Has God Planted You?
As I enter the next chapter, I continue to ask:
- Where has God planted me now?
- What has He already placed in my hands?
- Who is within the three feet around me whom I can encourage?
- How can my experiences—including grief and loss—become a source of compassion for someone else?
- What would it mean to bloom faithfully in this season without forcing the outcome?
- How can my life point someone toward Jesus?
Perhaps these are worthwhile questions for all of us.
Wherever you are planted today—in your family, career, church, neighborhood, retirement, grief, or an unexpected transition—remain rooted and grounded in Christ.
Keep growing.
Keep serving.
Keep trusting God with the season.
Keep pointing others toward Jesus.
And, in His time and for His glory, keep blooming.
Visit Bloom Where You Are Planted, look through the complete list of labels, and select any subject that speaks to where you are in your journey today.
