Way back in early 2020 we began a movement to institute a more routine opportunity for people to come forward at the end of the church services at ReCAST for prayer. It may be that there is a unique difficulty, a particular struggle, a poignant movement of conviction, or even a unique praise that needs…
DetailsI am a reluctant follower. My past experience and upbringing without a father, quite distant mother, and way too much freedom has made it hard for me to overcome a radical independence. And I have a nearly lethal measure of confidence. (Remember that pride is a sin and sin leads to death…) Eugene Peterson has…
DetailsAt some point between the idea of planting ReCAST and the actual first church service in that basement over 13 years ago, I attended a conference called Sticky Church. Another church planter had an extra ticket and I was available that day, so I went along. The gist of the conference was well intentioned, if…
DetailsI think I have noticed a trend. Maybe it’s just in my local context, which I can speak to quite well. But I imagine that what I am experiencing is likely happening in the broader context of other churches as well. First of all, I think many people cannot define what a pastor exists to…
DetailsCan we assume that Eve was the first woman? She was certainly the first female. But is the word “woman” merely reserved for a gendered cultural expression that can only be defined based on social constructs? I assume that cultural expressions were quite limited being that just her and Adam existed AND that the fashion…
DetailsI am preaching the very difficult passage of 2 Samuel 11 this week. David and Bathsheba is a super shocking passage in context. Everything is going great in David’s life and then *WHAM* he’s raping one of his soldier’s wives and murdering her husband as a cover up! And the text is starkly unemotional about…
DetailsI have never been a huge fan of a major distinction between clergy and laity, pastor and parishioner, shepherd and sheep. There are certainly responsibilities I have by virtue of my occupation. And I certainly believe that I will give a certain type of higher accounting for my calling before God as a teacher and…
DetailsI have baptism on my mind, because we will be having a baptism service on Sunday immediately following our 10:30 service. I love baptisms! I love what they mean for the body of believers. We get the privilege of hearing about the way that God brought a person to faith and trust in Jesus Christ.…
DetailsI wrote a sermon this week on 2 Samuel 6:16-23. In this passage, King David of Israel is bringing the ark of the covenant up into Jerusalem effectively moving the center of Jewish worship to that city for the first time. And he is dancing and leaping and shouting praises to God while dressed down…
DetailsI was told by someone that the most important thing about me is what I think about when I think about God. Since I am a man with the convictions that there is indeed an Almighty Creator, this rings true to me. Anyone who claims to a be a person of faith in God is…
DetailsAs I went to bed last night I was picking up on the nightly news that invasion was underway in Ukraine. When I woke up I watched a segment on CNN that troubled my heart. The newscaster stood at the side of a large screen map of Ukraine. It was a high tech affair. He…
DetailsI was working my way through the World Magazine as our flight descended into Grand Rapids from Florida. The magazine was the end of the year edition that hit the highlights of 2021 which proved to have its share of low points. And then I saw her . . . And I keep seeing her.…
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