I was born on 6 August 1956 in San Francisco, California to Janet and (the late) Richard Hovis.
I grew up in Santa Monica, California where I attended elementary, junior high school, and high school (graduating in 1974), in addition to involvement in sports and recreation (Little League +, the Boy’s Club ++). Further, it was in elementary school – St. Augustine’s By-the -Sea Parish School that I found, and made the choice to truly journey with God.
I attended Arizona State University from 1974 to 1977 – seeking to become an architect, however, I was not accepted, and, as such, I graduated with a Liberal Arts degree.
Upon graduation from Arizona State University, I attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and studied City and Regional Planning at the Master’s level. I successfully completed one (1) year in a two (2) year program – I did not complete the Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning – due to personal reasons.
I returned to Santa Monica where I started (October 1979) my career as graphic designer with Exxon Company, USA. I spent five years with Exxon Company, USA.
While working with Exxon Company, USA I was accepted into architectural school – Sci-Arc in Southern California, however, I did not attend preferring to stay with Exxon..
In 1982 I married Laura Flosi and in April 1983 we had our one and only child – Lauren Alain Hovis – a gift from God.
We moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1984 from Los Angeles, where I went to work as a graphic designer with Kitchell CEM (from 1985 -1987).
From 1987 – 1995 I was an independent contractor, and a registered representative in mortgage finance, financial management, graphic design, and drafting.
Further, I attended the University of Phoenix and successfully obtained a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in 1982.
I was also a member of the Scottsdale Jaycees, where I became very involved in community events and projects.
In 1994, I accepted a cartography position with the Defense Mapping Agency in Reston, Virginia. As such, I relocated from Phoenix to Reston.
In 1998, I was accepted and worked as a Visual Information Officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. In 2002, I worked as a Support Officer until my retirement (due to a need for shoulder surgery) in September 2018.
Away from my Federal Government service, I have been involved in various organizations and activities in Northern Virginia.
In November of 2011, I married Rebecca Ouellette in Santa Monica, California. I reside in San Tan Valley, AZ with my two hamster - Jess and Timothy, our fish, our lizard - RJ Lizard., and our cats - Pearl and Grey.
As to hobbies, I enjoy playing sports, attending sporting events, mentoring individuals from financial management to hamsters, building models, photography, travel, multimedia design, managing partner for RJ Hamster, and jazz – smooth jazz to a samba or a bossa nova.
Love and God Bless,
Peter – aka RJ Hamster Jo hi
Join us for donuts and Dad’s Root Beer for Father’s Day!
WEDNESDAY, June 23
Women of Grace Quilting Group–contact Jan for summer details
FOR PASTORAL CARE NEEDS OR EMERGENCIES:
Contact Pastor Ryan at:
206-356-7976
ryan@iamcrossroads.org
SUNDAY, June 14 RECAP
Attendance for June 14: 24
Giving for week of 6/7: $3,473.09
SAVE THE DATE:
Sabbath Sunday–Sunday, July 5. A day of rest for all of our wonderful volunteers. No church service this Sunday
Compassion Connect Service Project–Friday, July 17. More info to follow!
Potluck Celebration–Sunday, July 26following service. Twelve year anniversary of Crossroads and 1 year anniversary of Pastor Ryan joining us!
Faith and Family Night–Friday, August 21
Donate Now!MEET GODJOIN US ON YOUTUBE LIVE FOR SUNDAY SERVICEJoin us through June 21 as our sermon series focuses on the Book of James-“Living Faith When Life Gets Tough”. The Book of James (Jacob), Jesus’ half brother and pillar of the Jerusalem church under persecution combines Jesus’ teaching from the Sermon on the Mount with the Proverbs to give the early church needed instruction on how to have a Living Faith during trials. Welcome to Ernesto and his family! Ernesto has accepted the position of 3-5 hours per week as the Executive Administrator. He will be taking over the newsletter, calendar, and social media posting for now! Ernesto and his family are currently on vacation in California and Mexico visiting family. He will start mid-July!PRAYER CONCERNS: ———————————————————— *Ray who is battling cancer *For Dave’s family at his passing *For Simone and Bob and their family at the passing of Simone’s mother *For Elton *Bonnie’s mother for the loss of her husband *Healing for the following: Kayden, Lynette, Sharon, Vickie, Nicole, Evie, Barbara, Bob and Andy
PRAYER JOYS ———————————————————— * The generous hearts of our congregation * All those celebrating June birthdays, anniversaries and baptisms *Virginia’s granddaughters new baby *Mike and Darlene’s new grandson
CONTINUED PRAYERS: ———————————————————— * Pray for world peace and wisdom for our leaders *For those who feel undervalued at work
Jesus Christ, my God, I adore You and thank You for all the graces You have given me this day. I offer You my sleep and all the moments of this night. I place myself and all my loved ones, wherever they may be, in Your sacred side and under the mantle of Our Blessed Mother. Let Your holy angels stand watch and keep us in peace. Amen.
Quote of the Day
“In him was life, and the life was the light of all people.” -John 1:4
Today’s Meditation
“One day at a time. This is very important. Very often we exhaust ourselves going over the past again and again and also our fears about the future. But when we live in the present moment, we mysteriously find strength. We have the grace to live through what we encounter today. If tomorrow we must face more difficult situations, God will increase his grace. God’s grace is given at the right time for it, day by day.” —Jacques Philippe, p. 104
This March 17th, discover charming apparel, beautiful jewelry, and inspiring décor to honor the courage of Saint Patrick and the time-honored faith of the Irish.
Celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day with gifts and keepsakes that proudly reflect the heart of Ireland and the richness of our Catholic tradition.See Them All
The daily examination of conscience is an ancient Catholic practice. It’s very simple, and it’s designed to help us identify our sins and weaknesses so that we can improve and grow stronger in the spiritual life, while providing an excellent ongoing preparation for regular Confession. It consists of taking a few minutes at the end of the day to prayerfully review our actions in the light of God’s commandments, followed by the Act of Contrition.
Reflect on the victories and losses
Actively reflecting on the high and low points of the day can help you live more intentionally and bring a renewed sense of resolve into the following day.
Review your actions, words, and thoughts today. Did you actively guard yourself against temptation? Where did sin creep in?
In what moments did you practice virtue and moral courage?
Were you attuned to the Holy Spirit’s promptings today? Where did you feel His inspiration?
Ask Him for the graces necessary to follow His Will more purposefully tomorrow.
Act of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.
Practice gratitude
It is God’s love that has brought you into existence and to this exact moment. Practice looking for His hand in your day.
Where did you feel His loving gaze upon you today?
What people or moments helped you see God in your life?
Thank God for all these moments!
Ask Him to help you recognize His blessings and providence tomorrow.
Renew your commitment to Christ
Remember: our Faith is founded upon a Person—Christ! Renew your personal love and devotion to Him.
Thank God for the gift of His Son Jesus and our call to be His disciples.
Tell the Lord of your desire to know Christ more personally.
If possible, set an intention for your day tomorrow. Ask Our Lord to guide you in this act.
Pray a Hail Mary, Our Father, or another beloved prayer.
Rest with God
By day the Lord commands His steadfast love; and at night His song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. — Psalm 42:8
Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Thanks for being here.
Alaska in summer is the Land of the Midnight Sun. In the northern city of Fairbanks, during the summer months, the sun basically never sets. And that makes for one of the most unique baseball games in existence.
Tomorrow is the 121st annual Midnight SunGame — a baseball game played at midnight in Alaska under only the natural light of the Midnight Sun, with no artificial stadium lights to be found.
The truly one-of-a-kind baseball game has been taking place in Fairbanks, Alaska, just south of the Arctic Circle, since 1906. That first Midnight Sun Game was played on the summer solstice, June 21, establishing what has become one of baseball’s longest-running and coolest traditions.
Today, the Midnight Sun Game is hosted every year by the Alaska Goldpanners, a collegiate summer team based in Fairbanks. They typically play local amateur teams or other summer college squads from around the country.
But back in 1906, the inaugural game was a contest between two local bar teams in the gold-rich town, who agreed to play each other in a baseball game that would run through midnight. Because, why not?
After the first Midnight Sun Game, the story in the local newspaper, the Fairbanks Daily Times, read: “Tell this to your friends when you go outside. Say to them that on June 21, while you were in Fairbanks you attended a game of baseball that started at 11 o’clock at night and ended at 12:30 the morning after.”
Over the years, many baseball legends have passed through Alaska, playing in the Alaskan Baseball League summer circuit. Aaron Judge played for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots. So did Mark McGwire and Randy Johnson. Paul Goldschmidt and Jeff Kent played for the Anchorage Bucs. No less than Barry Bonds once played for the Goldpanners. So did Jason Giambi, Dave Winfield and Tom Seaver, who was even the starting pitcher for the Midnight Sun Game.
A couple of years ago, we sent Matt Monagan to Alaska to chronicle the Midnight Sun Game and its history.
You can usually count on the Angels to stick with the status quo, but this is about to be their 12th straight season without a playoff berth. It’s probably time to change up the approach.
Mike Trout likely isn’t going anywhere, but the Halos have a chance to land one of the biggest prospect hauls of any team this summer if they put starters Reid Detmers and José Soriano on the table.
Both are controllable through 2028, so this technically isn’t an urgent “must-trade” situation for the Angels, but it’s hard to believe either pitcher is ever going to have more trade value than he will this summer.
Detmers has been quite inconsistent during his career and even spent all of 2025 in the bullpen, but the former top prospect is having a breakout campaign in ’26. He’s recorded a 1.36 ERA with 39 K’s over his past five starts and owns the fourth-lowest expected ERA(2.75) among pitchers who have faced at least 250 batters. The only pitchers ahead of him? Jacob Misiorowski, Paul Skenes and Shohei Ohtani.
Soriano has faded after a historic start to the year and tends to get wild at times, but a hard-throwing 27-year-old who misses bats and racks up grounders should generate plenty of trade interest nonetheless. We’ll see if the Angels look to capitalize.
— Thomas Harrigan
HOW SWEET IT IS TO BE A GREAT DAD
One of the things that we dads are most proud of is putting our kids’ needs before our own. Perhaps there is no better gift on Father’s Day than being told that those efforts were not only noticed, but appreciated.
Jim King, the father of Padres pitcher Michael King, made a huge professional sacrifice for his kids, which very well might have made all of the difference in Michael ultimately becoming a big leaguer. And it was made all the more sweet by … ice cream.
King was a nighttime news anchor throughout the Northeast who was making his way up the professional ladder — which included near-constant moving from city to city — when he and his wife decided it was time for them put down roots for Michael and his sister. This was all made possible by an old family recipe that was so good that the Kings were able to sell their ice cream in local stores, right alongside the national brands.
The career switch — plus Jim’s connections in the broadcast industry — enabled him to spend more time with his kids and led to meetings with big leaguers who helped young Michael develop into the star pitcher that he is today.
“I don’t know if he would have had enough time to find the connections that were able to help my career,” Michael said of his dad’s previous job as a newscaster. “I think of it all the time. I want to be a huge part of my daughter’s life.”
Here’s to Jim King and all of the other dads out there who continue to put their kids first. Put your feet up Sunday and enjoy a big bowl of ice cream!
– Ed Eagle
SERIES TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND
We’re getting an early start on this, since the Pregame Lineup will receive an off-day tomorrow. (We’ll be back on Monday.)
Tigers ace Tarik Skubal made a successful return from left elbow surgery on Saturday, touching 99 mph while allowing two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings in a 3-1 loss to the Guardians. The electric left-hander will now make his first start at Comerica Park since April 23, facing a White Sox team that has been around the top of the standings all season. Skubal, of course, will attract plenty of attention from contenders who could be interested in adding the two-time defending AL Cy Young Award winner to the front of their rotations.
Brewers at Braves (Friday, 7:15 p.m. ET on MLB.TV) At this point, every Jacob Misiorowski start constitutes must-see viewing. The Brewers fireballer leads the league in virtually everything, and his most recent start was particularly absurd: He tossed a “Maddux” in which he fanned 15 batters and threw 31 pitches at 102+ mph in a win over the Phillies. The Braves will try to break through against the Miz, but the NL East leaders are a bit banged up, most notably having lost Ronald Acuña Jr. to the IL with a left hamstring injury for the second time.
The Mets traded for Freddy Peralta last winter to slot at the top of their rotation and pitch against the other team’s best. He’ll have his work cut out for him when he faces the Phillies, who counter with left-hander Cristopher Sánchez, who enters 8-3 with a 1.82 ERA in 15 starts this season. If New York can take solace in anything, it’s that Sánchez was relatively mortal in his last start, allowing four earned runs vs. the Brewers — four more than he allowed in the entire month of May.
Chase Burns was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 Draft for a reason, and opposing hitters have seen what it is all season long. Burns is 8-1 with a 2.01 ERA in his second campaign for the Reds, though he’ll face a stern test from the AL-best Yankees, who lead MLB in homers and have been scoring in bunches even without franchise player Aaron Judge.
FROM LUPUS TO THE PROS
In sports, we often forget that the athlete on the field is someone who is human — someone who is working through issues in their lives outside of their career, just like everyone else. Some of them have to overcome more adversity than others can even comprehend. Maya Johnson — a rookie left-handed pitcher who was drafted third overall by the Oklahoma City Spark in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League entering this season — is someone who falls into that category.
At the age of 15, she was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack healthy tissues and organs. She redshirted her freshman year at the University of Pittsburgh due to concerns with lupus. Since she wasn’t medically cleared, she entered the transfer portal and ended up with Belmont University in 2023.
But a severe kidney flare-up during last year’s offseason forced a more aggressive treatment plan, including 10 rounds of low-dose chemotherapy infusions to prevent kidney failure. She recovered and flourished on the field as she led NCAA Division I softball in ERA (0.78), strikeouts (397), strikeout-to-walk ratio (11.03) and complete games (31) this past season.
“I’m grateful to even be stepping on the field, given my personal adversity with my health circumstances,” Johnson said. “I had so much personal adversity in my life that the adversity on the softball field doesn’t seem that hard.”
She graduated with a bachelor’s degree (with honors) in nursing. And now, she hopes athletes with chronic illnesses can find what she never had — high-level examples of athletes who openly balance illness with elite competition, a mission that shapes her advocacy work with the Lupus Foundation of America.
“[I am] being vocal about that, so that other kids that are diagnosed with chronic health conditions can still see someone perform within their sport at a high level,” Johnson said. “[So] they know that their diagnosis, a lot of times, is not going to impede them if they have the right physicians and the right support system.”
— Noah Yingling
VOTE NOW FOR THE ALL-STAR GAME
Phase 1 of All-Star voting is open until Thursday, June 25, at noon ET.
IMSA’s Summer Stretch Features A Quartet Of Hot Tickets
Rounding Up A Flurry Of Watkins Glen Lineup Tweaks
IMSA Full-Timers Deliver Strong 24 Hours Of Le Mans Results
Episode 33: Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber & Luca Mars | IMSA Endurance Hour Podcast
Airbnb Endurance Challenge Field Set For VIR Two-Hour Race
Ferrari Challenge Races Back To California
Sunday’s HSR Watkins Glen Historics Concludes Action-Packed Four-Day Weekend At The Glen
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Across tropical forests, desert isles and polar shores, extraordinary bird encounters await on our small-ship expeditions—whether you’re a seasoned birder or simply delight in discovery. Travel with expert naturalists and, on select voyages, National Geographic Photographers, to witness and document remarkable avian species, from Costa Rica’s kaleidoscopic scarlet macaws to Baja California’s endemic Xantus’s hummingbird and vast flocks of fulmars soaring above Bear Island in the Arctic.
Tati Besada, co-founder of Unplastify and a National Geographic Explorer, believes that “each of us can create change” through the choices we make every day. Learn how her work in the Galápagos—supported by the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic Fund—is helping communities, educators and businesses reduce plastic waste before it reaches the ocean.
*Terms and Conditions: Book between June 10 and August 18, 2026 and receive 50% off deposit at the time of booking on voyages departing October 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027 if booked outside of final payment. Remaining deposit balance is due at the time of final payment. Standard cancellation policy applies. Additional restrictions may apply. Offer valid for new bookings, subject to availability and offer may be withdrawn at any time without prior notice, not applicable on airfare or extensions, and may not be combined with other offers. Call for details.
Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I can’t believe the photos coming out of the Knicks’ parade in lower Manhattan. The parade route is just a few blocks from the old SI office and I’ve never seen the streets look anything like that. We’re tracking every update from the parade in a live blog.
Portugal opened its World Cup campaign on Wednesday in Houston with a 1–1 draw against DR Congo. The Portuguese scored just six minutes into the game on a header by João Neves but never really threatened again. DR Congo got an equalizer just before halftime and clamped down in the second half to earn a valuable point.
Ronaldo contributed little to the game. He didn’t record his first shot attempt until the 67th minute, and all three of his attempts were off target. Or maybe it’s better to say that Ronaldo’s most significant contributions were negative ones. Throughout the game, he appeared to be more focused on scoring a goal than helping his team to score a goal. He seemed to believe the entire offense should run through him.
On the Fox postgame show, Thierry Henry gave a detailed explanation of how Ronaldo’s selfishness was harming the team. Henry pointed to one moment in the second half where Portugal was threatening in the final third. Portugal had three players in the 18-yard box and three Congolese players marking them. If Ronaldo had made a run toward the goal, it would have freed up Bruno Fernandes to receive a pass with time and room to shoot. Instead, Ronaldo ran toward the ball, into the path of a pass apparently intended for Fernandes, and shot the ball wide. CONTINUE DAN’S COLUMN ON SI
After ending a 53-year title drought, the Knicks are on top of the NBA world. To celebrate, Sports Illustratedis producing a commemorative championship issue that you can purchase now and will be on newsstands in New York.PURCHASE THE COMMEMORATIVE NOW
Get the print edition of Sports Illustrateddelivered to your door.
4. Everson Pereira’s catch in center field as he crashed into the wall. Pereira’s White Sox were losing to the Yankees, 10–3, at the time. Give him credit for putting in maximum effort even with the game out of reach. “That’s what we are here for,” Pereira said of his play, speaking through an interpreter. “Even though we were down seven runs, we have a pitcher on the mound. The runs count for him, too. We want to do our best to help each other.”
2. Caleb Yirenkyi’s winning goal for Ghana against Panama late in stoppage time. Yirenkyi got the goal, but it was Antoine Semenyo’s through ball and Brandon Thomas-Asante’s dead sprint to retrieve it that made the play possible.
With NFL mandatory minicamps wrapping up today, Albert Breer and Conor Orr make their early 2026 NFL award picks in the latest episode of The MMQB NFL Podcast.
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Jacob Misiorowski tops our latest poll, and after a historic outing last week, it’s easy to see why. That wasn’t the only shakeup, either: Four new names joined the rankings thanks to strong performances all season.
Lupus, an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack healthy tissues and organs, has been part of Maya Johnson’s life since she was 15, and so has learning to keep playing the sport she loves anyway.
Juan Soto and the Mets open a series in the City of Brotherly Love against Bryce Harper and the Phillies in an MLB Network Showcase presented by Goodyear at 6:30 p.m. ET (or Giants vs. Braves at 7).
Join us through June 21 as our sermon series focuses on the Book of James-“Living Faith When Life Gets Tough”. The Book of James (Jacob), Jesus’ half brother and pillar of the Jerusalem church under persecution combines Jesus’ teaching from the Sermon on the Mount with the Proverbs to give the early church needed instruction on how to have a Living Faith during trials. 
Welcome to Ernesto and his family! Ernesto has accepted the position of 3-5 hours per week as the Executive Administrator. He will be taking over the newsletter, calendar, and social media posting for now! Ernesto and his family are currently on vacation in California and Mexico visiting family. He will start mid-July!PRAYER CONCERNS:
Save the Date! We need to pre-purchase tickets for this event. If you are interested in attending, please let Rondi know! Right now we are just gauging interest!MAKE LIFE BETTER
This Sunday, we recognized Heidi and her son Lyall for their generosity to others. They both grew their hair for over a year. This past week, they had it cut and donated for children’s cancer wigs. Thank you Heidi and Lyall for your commitment and generosity!Copyright © 2023 Crossroads Church, All rights reserved.
News for you, Peter
Today’s game
Trending now1. 
RJ Hamster 