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…
DetailsI think all of us have had a fairly common experience in the past several months. We all certainly face our own unique mix of troubles, but one thing is common. It has been a hard time. There was the early stress of quarantine and learning new habits of working from home. There has been…
DetailsFall 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…
DetailsDoldrums 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…
DetailsDads and husbands, this blog is for you. Wives, moms, and singles are encouraged to listen in. This is a season for men to step up! This is not a time to “support” your wife in all of her hard work trying to figure out what SHE is going to do with your kids for…
DetailsJesus 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.
DetailsNothing seems stable. How can a person plan in times like these? Our governor may open things wide open based on the data or she may close everything back down next week based on the same data. There are charts and graphs that support every opinion and course of action. And I don’t know if…
DetailsLinda and I have had the joy of hosting a friend for the week. We have known Ben Glupker as long as we have known each other. All three of us counseled at Camp Barakel back in the mid-90’s. He is that kind of friend that has kept in touch over the years. He visited…
DetailsAs I sit here at the local coffee shop, I have the privilege of having my daughter sitting beside me. She is listening to music on her phone and texting friends while I have been studying and writing this blog. She is now in high school. She is a freshman. Every glance in the proverbial,…
DetailsI could never imagine when I became a pastor, that I would be called upon to declare my personal stance on murder. Nor could I conceive of a cultural climate in which I would be pressed to verbalize my opposition to racism. These are two things that have felt so self-evident to me that I…
DetailsI must confess that I keep up with social media. And over the course of this lock-down I have observed phases of online content. There was the initial light-hearted phase where every other post had something to do with Corona Beer. Staying humorous, but getting more serious we went through the shopping and acquiring toilet…
DetailsIt didn’t take long to figure out that Mattawan Consolidated School is the heartbeat of this small community. Back in 2009 I moved my family here from Portage with the goal of planting a new church that would be centered in the Bible as the Word of God, and motivated to give love and blessing…
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