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 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…
ReCAST is sending a team of ten people to Uganda over Spring Break in 2017. We will be there for two weeks and the majority of our work will be leading two conferences for pastor’s, two children’s bible schools, and other various training. I am super excited that God has brought together a cross generational…
My Facebook wall is so blown up with political comments that I recommend that they start calling it “Politicbook”. Not a lot of faces, just a lot of opinions. And so I will weigh in on one brief spiritual observation that I take as fact and consider to be worth sharing. If you vote in…
We are really close to building a church building. Everything seems to be moving toward a vote from the congregation of ReCAST Church within the next month and breaking ground within the next two. I have a reasonable and measured excitement that is akin to getting a new iPhone. At the end of the day…
There seems to be some controversy over some professional football player who is refusing to stand for the playing of the nation anthem at the start of his games. I’ve read a couple of articles about it, and from what I understand, Colin Kaepernick is refusing to stand in protest against racism. I will not…
My kids have collected Pokemon cards for years. They have played the Nintendo games and we have watched the movies on Netflix. So when Pokemon GO came out, they were certainly going to be interested in this new way to play. A week in and we have had some fun times together as a family…
I have been out on vacation for the past couple of weeks and in that time chaos broke out around the country. I am not suggesting that I was somehow holding things together, but it seems like quirky timing. So while I have been gone I had plenty of chances to read, pray, and contemplate…
There was a ? when I never used emojis. Then my oldest son saved up enough ? to get his own ☎️ And soon I was trying to figure out the meaning of all the little pictures. I have now worked on a personal level to improve my use of emojis for the sake of…
Wouldn’t it be great to get a text from God letting you know he wants you to hang in there? I have lived in many places and I have worked a lot of different jobs. Some of my work and some of those places have felt like callings, others seemed to be a bridge, and…
Hey remember, when social media was fun!? I remember back when I used to post inane things about my food and fun little things going on in my daily life. It was kinda fun, and I assumed that there were only a few people who really cared and anybody who thought I over-posted could just…
I do not know why I have a Master’s Degree in Muslim Studies. Let me be clear. It wasn’t an accident, like I woke up one morning with a headache and a fuzzy recollection of taking a bunch of classes in Muslim Theology. What I mean is that I haven’t figured out God’s plan for…
