Below is Pastor Don’s blog, where Pastor Don shares his thoughts on Scripture, current events, and more. Make sure to check back here frequently to read more about topics we may even discuss when we meet!
My youngest just turned 18 years old on January 7th! Suddenly my immediate family is full of adults. It has been a journey. At times slow and a slog, and other times racing by like sand between my fingers. It took Einstein to prove scientifically that time is relative, but it took me raising kids…
I read 50 books this year spanning from the weighty “Systematic Theology” by Wayne Grudem to the tiny and quick, “Policy Governance Model” by Carver. A few of the books were indulgent science fiction fantasy novels that are not really worth a mention. Several of them were commentaries on a specific book of the Bible…
My wife is one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. She gave birth to three quite sizable humans, without pain medication and barely a word of complaint. She is strong. I say that to set the stage for what comes next. Linda has been diagnosed with MS. She continues to be strong through this…
Every year, Merriam-Webster releases its word of the year. They take into account the usage of words in search engines coupled with correlating current events to select their word. In 2022 the word was ‘gaslighting’ but now in 2023, the word of the year is ‘authentic’. That sounds super close to a core value of…
I think it is impossible to fathom the level of evil that lies dormant in every single human heart. Hitler was made of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen . . . Blood, flesh and bone. And yet he stands as a man who converted a whole lot of potential evil into kinetic evil. The human heart…
I have recently dusted off the covers of a couple of Christian classics. When I do this, I never regret it. I am currently rereading “The Knowledge of the Holy” by A.W. Tozer and “Orthodoxy” by G.K.Chesterton. I read “Knowledge” back when I was in college and I found it very encouraging back then. But…
Preaching through books of the Bible lands me in some strange places. For example, this coming Sunday I will be speaking in 1 Corinthians 7:1-5 about sexual intimacy within marriage. Not only is this passage about a subject that is rarely spoken of in church, but it also is a subject I don’t think many…
I have found myself reflecting the last couple of weeks on the five solas of the reformation. The reason is because I attended a funeral and the church had some large banners hanging up front that declared in a flowing cursive script, “saved by grace ALONE through faith ALONE in Christ ALONE according to Scripture…
As a church planter, change has been a pretty constant part of my life. From meeting in a basement to meeting in store front and then going to two services and then moving to the Mattawan School center building cafeteria setting up and tearing down each week to then moving to our new building to…
The month of August marks 2 years of work on the part of a pastoral intern at ReCAST Church. Ben Wainwright came to us first as an attendee, then as a member, and now for two years as a youth pastor intern. Ben recently had a meeting with the elders to discuss next steps and…
I am still learning. But I am getting more set in my ways . . . Which is code for both knowing what I do and don’t like and knowing better the edge of my limitations. I am grateful for the ability to keep reading, keep observing, keep praying, and keep hearing from God through…
I am preaching a series on 1 Corinthians, and just a couple of chapters in, I am being reminded of the great glory and depths available to those who have His Spirit. And I am struck by a disparity that I have encountered over these past couple of decades of pastoral ministry. What accounts for…
