How smart do we need to be in order to understand the Bible? I ask this question because I am beginning to see a pattern of Biblical interpretation that is nothing new, but is being applied all of a sudden in many cultural contexts. From the egalitarian debate to the gay Christian debate, many are…
Last week I attended a conference called Together for the Gospel (T4G) in Louisville, Kentucky. This has become a biennial elders’ retreat of sorts and has become a great encouragement to my soul. I am so grateful for volunteer lay elders who take their role in the church seriously enough to take time off work…
Linda and I just returned late on Tuesday night from a seven night stay at an all inclusive resort in the Riviera Maya region of Mexico. I had saved up money to take Linda there for her birthday. (35th or something like that . . .) We were both very ready for a vacation from…
Last week I was out at a week long conference called The Journey. It is a program run by Open Hearts Ministry in Kalamazoo, Michigan and it is a counseling training/ group experience that started as help for those who have gone through abuse, and it has been opened up to all who want to…
Nikki (my amazing wife) is away for the week. She had the opportunity to attend The Journey in Muskegon. I had the privilege of attending the week long retreat last year and had a powerful experience so I’m happy that she could go. But of course, if she’s gone for a week, that leaves me…
Every season brings a certain amount of joy to me. I enjoy all four and that makes Michigan a great home for me. I talk with many people who complain about winter and I wonder to myself why anyone would live in Michigan that hates the winter. But I also have identified a selfish streak…
A few of the counseling relationships I’m privileged to be a part of here at ReCAST have come about due to the challenges of sin. Typically, a crisis drives these individuals to seek pastoral counsel and part of working with them involves confronting the dysfunctional or devious behavior that caused or helped cause the crisis.…
I like the light. I associate walking in the darkness with stepping on Legos with my bare feet and ramming my shin into the end table. The disciple John writes in 1 John 1 about walking in the darkness and walking in the light. And, in context, walking in the light is not merely doing…
Several weeks ago, a young man named Matt introduced himself to me at church. He had the look of someone who was trying to hold himself together, and he asked if we could set up a time to meet. Later in the week when we sat down to talk, he shared with me that his…
In the amount of time I would’ve spent on Facebook two weeks ago I memorized a verse. I downloaded an excellent app called “Fighter Verses”. It is put out by Desiring God ministries and makes it super easy to memorize Scripture! It is a bargain at $2.99 on the App Store. Each week has a…
I am going on a week and a half without Facebook. I deactivated my account last week after a run in with some very prurient content and that was the straw that pushed me over the edge. It is a decision that has been building up as I observed Facebook consuming more of my time,…
“Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her.” Genesis 20:6 I will leave it up to you to read and fill in…
