Last night (or early this morning) the first thunderstorm of the season rolled through west Michigan. I woke up to the frequent thunder and lightning. One particularly close blast shook our whole house and within a minute, frightened kids were in my bed. Thank goodness for a King size bed! The storm grabbed my…
I think my wife grows more stunning with the passing of time! The other day I was almost overwhelmed by her beauty as she shuffled down the hallway grabbed a cup of coffee and plopped down on the sofa next to me at 6 in the morning to read her Bible and start her…
It seems like a few weeks ago that Linda and I were closing on our home in Mattawan and we were just days away from having our first services for ReCAST church. But that was 6 years ago today! April 19th marks the 6th birthday of ReCAST church and April 1st marks my 10th…
March Madness is an excellent title for the entire complex phenomenon of brackets, pools, conversations, enthusiasm and dejection that will occur over the course of the next few weeks. This “madness” is expressed in part in the way that many people watch basketball. I may watch a game here or there if I stumble…
This Sunday will be Kyle’s last week as the associate pastor of ReCAST Church. He came to ReCAST at a time in our history when we were pushing the 150 mark and I was swamped. Kyle brought with him a lot of heart, a lot of passion, love for people, and a genuine quest for…
I never wanted to be a public speaker. My Junior year of high school I had to take a speech class and I refused to give an impromptu speech earning for myself the lowest grade I received in a class in my four years of high school. I was not a rebellious kid, enjoyed academics,…
I was raised to value God’s Word. This was not a consistent message in my home. I do not know how I caught this, except to say that God worked through a preacher who seemed so far removed from daily life, a youth pastor who invested in me, and a bible college that taught me…
My life is entangled with technology. I wish I had a clear solution for those of you who are like me, and find yourself in an increasing fog of technology. I have apps that need to be updated. I have texts to write, blogs to read, shows to watch on Netflix, pictures of my breakfast…
People have been squeezing Jesus into their mold and using him for their purposes for centuries. Everyone with an opinion about anything, is pretty sure that Jesus supports them. In the realm of theology and politics, both the liberal and the conservative persuasions have adopted a Jesus that fits their mold. It is as if…
A lot of time has gone into preparing for a few short hours next Thursday! How many bazillions of dollars have been spent? How many bazillions of miles of wrapping paper have been used? How many pigs gave their all for Christmas hams? I imagine that this must be disappointing to those who practice this…
I have now been attending churches for over 40 years. And I have picked up a few things about church culture that I do not particularly appreciate. And most of the things that trouble me about church culture revolve around the subject of conformity to non-Biblical standards. As a child I picked up on these…
It is scary how quickly the things of life are taken for granted. I was in college when I recieved my first email. Prior to that day, every correspondence I had with a person was via a corded telephone or a mailbox! I am thankful for the ease of communication of our current age. When…
