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!
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…
How would you save the world if you had limitless power? Would you eradicate all illness? Would you show up in intimidating power? Would you create educational programs? Eradicate poverty? Eradicate hunger? In First Corinthians chapter 1, the apostle Paul addresses the power of God expressed in providing salvation. And it is so radically different…
If you had told me all the treasure, all the blessings, all the growth that would come to me in the summer of 1993, I would not have walked but I would’ve SPRINTED into that summer. It began with a single conversation with a friend, Jeff Howe. We are both from Michigan but the conversation…
When my kids were younger I was looking for any rope to hold onto. Linda and I would read books about strong willed children, training children, shepherding their hearts, and any other thing that seemed to offer wisdom and action. Now that all of my children but one have moved on to adulthood, I know…
