Thoughts from Pastor Don Filcek.
The shift has been subtle. Like the proverbial frog getting cooked in the pot as the heat is turned up in slow increments, it feels like we got here over years. In the 90’s Bill Clinton gave the entire country a framework of discussion surrounding the killing of babies in their mother’s womb. He declared…
Everything we see going on around us is merely the tip of the iceberg. You never really know another person. That waitress that brings you your coffee and your eggs and bacon is a person with a deep history, and deep internal thoughts and struggles. You see her smile. She is more than what you…
I’ve been back from an 8 week sabbatical for a few weeks and I’ve had a lot of opportunities to interact with a variety of people. I am grateful for the many who have asked how it went and what I’ve learned. But I still have a few people each week who ask and I…
I have had two recent meetings and a couple of passing conversations at the coffee shop about the nation of Israel. It also came up at our Saturday morning men’s group. The two sit-down meetings were from visitors feeling out what kind of church we are. They were coming from two different churches who have…
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…