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!
Last Sunday was our annual church picnic at the park. And the confluence of over a year of Covid and the reality that the church has grown in the past several months created a really exciting, joyful time. A couple of times during the afternoon, I stepped back and looked over the park and just…
ReCAST Church has grown and shifted and changed shape many times since we began in the Spring 12 years ago. When we had our first service with 14 adults and 21 children, there was no youth group in sight. We had two kids entering middle school that attended in those early days and I even…
I was not a summer camper as a kid. But I wish I was. I first heard about Camp Barakel when I was a student at Columbia Bible College in South Carolina. A friend and fellow Michigander invited me to come up and counsel there for the summer between my sophomore and junior year. Having…
I have been familiar with death my entire life. My formative years were spent watching my father battle and eventually succumb to cancer. He passed into the rest of it all three days after my 8th birthday. And so I have spent all of my days with a keen awareness of my own mortality. And…
Some can’t wait to ditch the masks, while others can’t imagine a future without them. Some were in line immediately to get a vaccine and post it quickly to the socials. Others are still weighing the risks to figure out what is best for them. Some are convinced that we have overreacted to this pandemic.…
God has blessed ReCAST Church with excellent staff over the years. David Schrock has been our youth director for a couple of years now. He has built up the programs for middle school (ReCAST 180) and high school (Gravity) to a place where we have a great volunteer base in both programs and a fun…
To my shame, I can let a day just happen. Some days are just overcast and glum. My ability to be overcast is just as fickle as the Michigan weather. But I preface that as being to my shame, because there are little graces in each and every day. I truly believe that the difference…
Sing is a frequent command in Scripture. And it is a command that hasn’t been particularly easy to assimilate into a year of pandemic with an airborne illness. To accommodate for the pandemic, our church has shortened the service, moved the singing to the end of the service, and removed a couple of songs to…
The judicial system of our nation is always in motion. But there are some days that it gets more attention than others. On any given day there are cases being tried, arrests being made, verdicts being issued, and sentences being handed down. But this past week we were all paying attention. And what did we…
Living in the midst of a pandemic has been difficult. Leading in the midst of a pandemic has been harder. Trying to stay on the focus of the mission God has for the church in the midst of a pandemic has been the hardest. The local church by definition is a gathering . . .…
At the end of the day, the church needs no defense. We are not a self-justifying institution like a bowling alley, a shopping center, or a restaurant. Commercial institutions must justify themselves with sales. If they do not sell stuff (goods or services) then they have no reason to exist. But the church exists because…
The title is meant for shock value. But as I consider the way that kids are more isolated now than ever, I am blogging about this list as a catharsis for some things I would do differently. I didn’t raise goblins. But I really think the following list would be a way to get there.…
