In 1952 Congress formalized into law that the first Thursday of the month of May should be set aside as a national day of prayer. I am thankful that we have a history as a nation that includes a decade like the 1950’s where there was a significant revival after the war and people indeed…
“This is the way God made me . . . ” seems to be the battle cry of our culture. It seems like his name is useful for something other than just cursing. But what I think most people mean when they say that this is the way God made me is something more…
This week is designated as Compassion Sunday for ReCAST Church. We will be watching a promotional video for Compassion International and there will be opportunities to sponsor a child in need. My family has sponsored Thong from Thailand for about 5 years now and it has been great for my children. They have written to…
Last night I attended a community forum to help a consulting firm determine the proper profile for our new superintendent in Mattawan. I was one of five people who showed up. The consultant wasn’t disappointed because he had actually received statistically significant data through an online survey, but I must confess that I was surprised…
Last night (or early this morning) the first thunderstorm of the season rolled through west Michigan. I woke up to the frequent thunder and lightning. One particularly close blast shook our whole house and within a minute, frightened kids were in my bed. Thank goodness for a King size bed! The storm grabbed my…
I think my wife grows more stunning with the passing of time! The other day I was almost overwhelmed by her beauty as she shuffled down the hallway grabbed a cup of coffee and plopped down on the sofa next to me at 6 in the morning to read her Bible and start her…
March Madness is an excellent title for the entire complex phenomenon of brackets, pools, conversations, enthusiasm and dejection that will occur over the course of the next few weeks. This “madness” is expressed in part in the way that many people watch basketball. I may watch a game here or there if I stumble…
I am preaching through the Psalms of Ascent, and contemplating that each Psalm was sung by pilgrims on the way to the City of God. I cannot help but draw parallels between that ancient pilgrimage and the pilgrimage of the Christian to that New Jerusalem that is to come. I believe that the Psalms…
I love charts and graphs. And so when I came across this chart from the Washington Post, and it was the breakdown of Christianity by state, I was hooked. There are a couple of observations that I found interesting, and many will draw even more insightful connections. I cannot help but notice the attempt in the data…
The church has been battered by waves of postmodern thoughts for a few decades. And I believe that the first thing to begin to crack as a church succumbs to the beating is a sense of the absolute knowledge of God! I have heard several things recently that have amounted to a calling into question…
I never wanted to be a public speaker. My Junior year of high school I had to take a speech class and I refused to give an impromptu speech earning for myself the lowest grade I received in a class in my four years of high school. I was not a rebellious kid, enjoyed academics,…
I find that being knowledgable about what goes on around the world makes me uncomfortable. I would be happy to stay in the realm of local news, where bad news amounts to the occasional car accident, the weather continue to calls for more snow . . . Again. And once in a while something crazy…
