At the end of the day, the church needs no defense. We are not a self-justifying institution like a bowling alley, a shopping center, or a restaurant. Commercial institutions must justify themselves with sales. If they do not sell stuff (goods or services) then they have no reason to exist. But the church exists because…
I believe that American culture has become increasingly negative and fearful. Attempts to peer out into the future often result in prognostications of doom and gloom. And this blog is not meant to skip over the reality that bad things have happened and that bad things will happen. There is a type of sappy (nearly…
I subscribed to the RZIM podcast. I had the app on my phone. I have read a few books by Ravi Zacharias over the years. As a person who grew up with a significant bent toward “defending the faith,” Ravi was a large influence in my life. The findings of a recent report about the…
I absolutely loved the sciences when I was growing up. Whenever we went to the local library, I would head straight for the 500’s and always take home a stash of astronomy and biology books. I wasn’t so much interested in fiction. I loved learning about how things work. So it has taken quite a…
The church has been a stable influence on culture down through the ages. To be clear, the church has changed in traditions and in externals, but her mission has remained the same! We still proclaim a risen Lord. We still proclaim love for God and love for our neighbors as ourselves. We still gather together…
My blog is an intentional look at the world around me. My sermons are an intentional look at God’s Word. There is not a lot of exposition of daily life in my sermons. Instead, on Sunday we look at what it means that God breaks into our world with communication. He speaks and we seek…
If I had a dollar for every time I read or heard the phrase, “I just don’t know how a Christians could vote for _________” I would be able to go to Disney and maybe even take my family with me. But at the risk of entering into a political discussion as a pastor, I…
I keep hearing comments and seeing memes that act like 2020 is a curse word. And although most of those things are just meant to be jokes, I think it is clear that people are tired of everything we have faced since January 1, 2020. But there are still good things. And I realize that…
There is a phrase from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech that has resonated deeply in my soul. As a person that grew up in a very homogenous white farming community in Michigan, I only had the thing I read to go on. I read the speech in high school. And this…
Fall is my favorite season except for every four years. There are some political seasons that I wish we could just skip and go straight to winter. But this morning, God met me in a quiet moment as I was reading an obscure corner of the book of Daniel. Daniel is offering a confession to…
Doldrums is a word that is used to describe a strip of ocean about 300 miles wide to the north of the equator where there is little to no wind. Sailors in more wind dependent times knew to avoid navigating into this area of the globe. Ships that wandered into the doldrums ran the risk…
Jesus will win. His love will triumph over hate. His healing will triumph over the Rona. His kingdom will not be shaken. His throne will not be challenged. His Father will make his enemies His footstool. His justice will prevail. His bride will flourish for eternity. Jesus will win.
