This week I will be preaching on 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8. In this text God calls his people to a theological sexual ethic that is meant to be a stable call to holiness for his church in a world with a sexual ethic that is always shifting. The apostle Paul is clear in this text that…
Prayer can be tough. I have not yet met a person who would tell me that they are totally nailing prayer, have it all figured out, and are on top of their prayer game. So I set out to make this year a personal journey into prayer and it has been challenging. Several years ago…
There was a time when I had not lived long enough to know that life is not a straight line. A younger me, assumed that life was defined by setting a dream and then striving for it. I really believed that things pretty much progressed in that direction with some hurdles to overcome and a…
Baby dedication. Parent dedication. Words matter. Even if the difference in wording only subtly changes the perspective it can signal a significant difference in intentions. At ReCAST we prefer to have a parent dedication service rather than baby or infant dedication services. When parents come to this service in two weeks, it is important to…
I was not made for rhythm. I can’t clap and sing at the same time. I have never played a musical instrument. For a very brief time in college I tried to teach myself guitar, but I quit when I realized that you need to have rhythm in order to strum. And apparently dancing requires…
Christian Chicken is what we call it around our house. And it tastes better than all other chicken sandwiches. Maybe it is the prayer, maybe it is some secret process, maybe it is the nostalgia of my few years living in the south where it was readily available. But now a Chick-Fil-A has opened in…
It is pretty rare for a Facebook post to turn into a blog for me, but after posting an article by Tim Challies regarding the upcoming movie that follows the best selling book, “The Shack” I determined a blog may be a good way to follow up. I wrote a review of this book way…
I have had people tell me what I am supposed to believe regarding immigration as a follower of Jesus Christ. I find that one of the most repugnant lines of religious abuse is found in the formula, “If you follow Jesus, then you will agree with (fill in the blank)!” I see no difference between…
I play video games. As a middle-aged man, north of forty, I feel like I just admitted to being immature, unproductive, and generally juvenile. I find that video games are a good way to unwind my mind. My StrengthsFinder profile reveals that I have input, learner, and ideation . . . Meaning that my mind…
I am preaching through the parables of Matthew 13, and in Matthew 13:45-46, Jesus explains the extreme value of his kingdom through a story about a pearl trader who discovers the greatest pearl. This man, who knows a lot about pearls, goes all in and sells all that he has to obtain this pearl. Jesus…
I try to wrap up the end of the year with a blog about books and resources I have read that have been beneficial for my walk with Jesus. I am not sharing these as wholesale endorsements. I am not paid to recommend anything. I find that reading and listening to good books is a…
I am writing from the warmth of a coffee shop, but outside the snow is gently falling. Forecasters are saying that it will stop gently falling and will begin ferociously falling in the next few hours resulting in a real winter for West Michigan. Some people will say “finally!” Others will say, “Go Away!” I…
