One of my children's favorite questions is, "What is your favorite color?" For a long time, my daughter's answer was "black." But when I asked her today what her favorite color was, she said it had changed to white! I was taken aback just for a moment, because she had staunchly insisted for the longest time that black was her favorite color and nothing would change that. But lo and behold, now it's white!

This exchange reminded me that it's OK to prefer different things at different times, especially as we grow up, gain new experiences, and traverse different seasons of life. God has "... blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Eph. 1:3b). He is a God Who gives in abundance. Even in our fallen world, He chooses to bless us with custom-painted sunsets each evening, holiday treats, time with family and friends, and, above all, the ultimate gift of His Son, whose birthday we just commemorated. Thanks be to God for His indescribable Gift!

In the spirit of dwelling on “favorite things,” the VBC staff members have shared theirs with you below! We hope you are edified and discover something new to do with your family or implement in the new year!

Ben Orchard, Teaching Pastor

Spiritual disciplines - "For prayer, Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions. But my all-time favorite is Handbook to Prayer: Praying Scripture Back to God, by Ken Boa. For daily devotional thoughts, you can’t beat Morning and Evening by C.H. Spurgeon. I also recommend The Best of A.W. Tozer, Books  1 and 2."

Bible reading app - "I use The Reading Plan app. It allows you to choose from a variety of reading programs, track your daily progress, and link it to a Bible app on your tablet or phone."

Physical disciplines - "I like to run and swim. So my suggestion for you is: Do something. Don’t wait until you are too old to start to exercise. We were designed by God to work, and work hard physically. If you have a sedentary lifestyle and sit most of the time, this is especially important for you. Join a gym. Go for a walk daily if possible, swim, get a stationary bike, get some used hand weights at the thrift store, and run if you can. Do something."

Food tracking app - "I’m trying out a new food/calorie-tracking app that utilizes AI called Cal AI. What’s amazing about it is you can take a picture of your meal, and it calculates how many calories are in it. It’s not free, but the cost is worth it for many."

Leisure - "I love to fish. My preference is fly fishing. I love the solitude of being on the river, appreciating God’s creation—the mountains, trees, water, and His critters everywhere. I also enjoy catching fish once in a while."

Local restaurants - "Fish and chips at Dave’s Bar and Grill (everything in moderation). We also love going to Uno Más Taco Shop, where our son, Jesse, is the executive chef."

Date night - "One of our favorite things as a couple is sitting by the fireplace at the Coeur d’Alene Resort, sipping coffee and just talking about life."

Chris Martin, Pastor of Youth

Handel's Messiah - "There's a reason this work continues to endure. It succeeds with lyrics taken straight from Scripture, and powerful music to support its lofty themes. The ability to participate in a live performance annually at First Presbyterian Church downtown adds another layer to this blessing."

Spokane Symphony - "On a related note, another gem in our city is the local symphony. Tickets can be pricey, but there are often free tickets available through our library system. We were able to attend the Masterworks 1: The Turning World performance this year and enjoyed it greatly."

Obsidian note-taking app - "This one is for all the geeks out there. After trying many different note-taking and information-archiving options, I'm really enjoying using an open-source, free tool called Obsidian. It's a local-first, markdown-based tool with cross-platform apps, a great web clipper, a large plug-in ecosystem, and the ability to sync notes across devices in multiple ways. What's not to like?"

The Silent Watcher channel on YouTube - "The second-best use of a TV screen is to watch quality movies or TV programs. The best use of a TV screen, as everyone knows, is to put up long YouTube videos of beautiful scenery as a form of wall art. One place I have enjoyed finding such videos is a channel called The Silent Watcher."

Peanut butter pickle bacon burger at Killer Burger - "Just what it says on the tin. Don't knock it until you try it. Grab a few extra napkins, though."

Forbidden Child book - "As a dad with two daughters, I appreciate stories with a strong female protagonist and a thought-provoking Christian worldview. Forbidden Child is the debut work of promising new author Gwen Newell. The adventure was captivating, and the themes of human value, family, courage, freedom, tyranny, and more made for great conversations with our kids."

Jerod Jarvis, Ministry Director

Favorite book - "Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands by Paul Tripp is a book that every Christian should make time to read! Tripp highlights the Bible's call for us to be ministering to one another in the midst of life's difficulties, and gives an effective framework for how to use Scripture and life experience in that effort."

Biblical counseling podcast - "The Transformed Podcast is a program by Dr. Greg Gifford of Master's Seminary. I recently discovered this one, but it's become a favorite. Dr. Gifford is a professor of Biblical counseling, and has significant experience in that field. He connects the dots between Scriptural truths and the challenges of life in a clear, entertaining, and yet Biblically robust format."

Stories are Soul Food podcast  - "If you're raising kids in today's world, this is a good one to give a listen to. Author N.D. Wilson co-hosts this one, and it offers tons of food for thought and practical advice on how we can use stories (in movies, games, books, etc.) to help shape our kids (and ourselves!) into the kind of characters God is calling us to be."

Star Wars TV show - "The Skeleton Crew on Disney+ has been a pleasant surprise - it's Star Wars meets Treasure Island in the best way possible. The content concerns have been pretty minimal thus far (we're about five episodes in), and our family has enjoyed the ride!"

Youth group hangouts - "Since we apparently can't get enough youth group, we invite the high school youth over to our house on Wednesdays after youth group. Gotta keep the youth off the streets and out of the Taco Bells, you know how it is. It's a ton of fun, and a blessing to interact with these students as they build friendships and noodle through the challenges of pursuing Christ while growing up."

Ben Doehle, Ministry Director

Biking - “We like to ride bikes throughout the year. Kelli and I both enjoy riding the Centennial Trail, and my brother and I like to do some mountain biking.  Two great apps to help get you started finding trails: All Trails and the MTB Project."

A new way to interact with Scripture - “If you like to journal alongside your Bible reading, the ESV came out with an Illuminated Scripture Journal so you can read and journal alongside each book of the Bible."

GF-friendly restaurants - “If you are gluten-free and looking for a fancy restaurant, we enjoy Mizuna Restaurant in downtown Spokane. We will be going to Wild Sage this month and have heard great reviews about it, as well.”

Cozy coffee shop - "A new favorite place for Kelli and me is Kindred and Co. in Post Falls.  Great coffee, tea, and and bookstore all in one!"

Stephanie Painter, Office Administrator

Stephanie loves her family and friends, working at VBC, traveling, jigsaw puzzles, games, Asian dramas, and making homemade caramels!

Jennifer Dokken, Admin. Assistant and VBC Kids Coordinator

YouTube channel - “My favorite YouTube channel right now is Walking the Text. I just started it, but it seems to give a lot of visuals and helps with a deeper understanding of the original context of the Bible with historical background included."

Local restaurants - “La Plaza de Mexico, Sushi House, Crimson Door, and probably many more! I love eating out to fellowship with my loved ones and stay a part of their lives. Food seems to bring us together.”

Favorite getaway - “I love discovering new hot springs, whether it's a developed pool or going on an adventure down a back road and hiking in to find undeveloped hot springs in the woods. I think I enjoy the adventure with my kids and other family members, usually as time with them and time to get away and be rejuvenated away from the busyness of life.”

Amanda Jarvis, Communications Coordinator

Nat Theo podcast - “Eryn Lynum is a Christian master naturalist who hosts a podcast for kids about discovering God's wonderful creation rooted in the truth of His Word. It's a podcast for kids that also keeps me engaged, and we always learn something new! Each episode also comes with a free coloring sheet, so we can color while we listen.”

Bible study resources - “I recently finished the Abigail Bible study from Revive Our Hearts. I also enjoy the resources from Daily Grace Co. They have everything from necklaces to Bible studies to cute coffee mugs! I just started their Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt study on 1-3 John.”

My Dear Hemlock - “If you have read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, you will enjoy this modern take on the demon mentor/mentee relationship as they seek to trip up a Christian woman. The chapters address specific things Christian women encounter in different phases of life. It's been a challenging and enlightening read so far!"