ReCAST Church has been talking about building a building since we started to outgrow our previous facility over fours years ago.  I have written blogs sporadically, we purchased 12 acres on McGillen Ave on the eastern edge of the village of Mattawan, and we opened up an expansion fund. I decided early on that…

  There is truly nothing new under the sun. Teens these days are confronted with drugs, with social pressure (usually online now), academic pressure, sports performance pressure and everything else that goes along with the struggles on the road to adulthood. The beauty in life, however, is that despite the problems being recycled in various…

  Nobody ever refers to the children of an engineer as EKs.  Or the children of a Doctor as DKs.  But I have often heard children of Pastor’s called PKs. And I have the privilege of raising up three of them.  My church has been a blessing to me on this front and I would…

What would you do with the money!?  Quick math (you can check on me) indicates that you would need to spend $136,986 per day in order to spend 1.5 billion dollars in 30 years!  I know the pay out wasn’t a full 1.5 billion dollars but little math games like this put big numbers into…

  This past year was a good year for reading for me. I enjoy reading and have started listening to audio books while I run or work out. For those of you familiar with strengths finder I have input, ideation and learner in my top five strengths meaning that I spend a lot of time…

Don originally posted this in 2015 – his 20th wedding anniversary.  This year, 2018, he and his wife are still living the symbol.  23 years and counting… In desperation and youth Linda and I chose to get married 2 days before Christmas in 1995.  We were so very young.  I finished my final, final exam…

  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…

I am back after a month long sabbatical.  I have been to the mountain top, and I have returned with many words of wisdom.  Or put in a less dramatic way, I am back after a refreshing break. God did impress upon me several things while I was away.  Some of them more personal in…

  Through the various stages of church planting, I have often had to dig deep and ask some tough questions.  Why start another church . . . in West Michigan of all places?  Where is this thing going?  Now that we have some stability, have we arrived?  Why isn’t there a good Mexican restaurant in…

Update January 2019:  This post was originally published in October 2015.  In 2018, God brought Sharron Sternbergh to ReCAST.  She has had an abortion herself and has been a certified counselor with Healing Hearts since 2006, a ministry originally started to minister to post-aboritve women.   She is passionate about helping other women experience true healing,…

  Every once in a while I get the chance to go to a professional conference or an afternoon lecture for pastors.  This past week Cornerstone University (where I completed my bachelor’s degree) had a conference for pastors on Mackinac Island at the Grand Hotel.  It was an amazing time away of reflection and networking…

  In light of entering my seventh year as the lead pastor, the board of ReCAST church decided to offer me a month long sabbatical and a bonus. I am so grateful for this opportunity to take the month of November to read, pray, and spend some time away in reflection. I do not know…