I have felt very appreciated by ReCAST Church over the years. And I know it doesn’t always go this way. Occasionally I read about or speak with a pastor who has been run outta Dodge, or faces routine criticism, or just never receives any encouragement. But I am so grateful for the many encouragements…
ReCAST Church began over 9 years ago with a small group of eager Christ-followers who stepped out in faith to begin a new work. Everybody had a role to play and nobody could just sit by and observe. Further we knew that if this church was going to succeed we needed to get the word…
I have a strong sense of duty and obligation to my country. At times, it even feels like an inordinate pull on me. I have been moved by the singing of America the Beautiful. I am thoughtful when I have said the pledge of allegiance and quite often I truly contemplate the words when…
Peace to you. For anyone who is in Christ, peace is yours. For those who are not in Christ, peace is available to you. But a glance around at the wind and waves of culture would lead all hearts to another conclusion. If we listen, see, and feel with our emotions alone, cries of division…
The media makes money by reporting that which is sensational. I get that. But words I have heard from celebrities slung at each other in the past couple of weeks do not seem to go against trends I see in the broader culture. We are slouching toward division, lurching toward unkindness, and oozing away…
I like to blog about light and fluffy things. I tend to like to make people smile and laugh. But I take God and his Word seriously, even if I at times see humor there as well. This is not a light and fluffy blog. This is a painful blog. It is painful on many…
Mattawan, Michigan has now been my home for going on 10 years. Prior to moving here I had very little knowledge about the community other than some demographic study and a few people that I knew who lived here. God developed a church planting team back in 2008 and we began to pray for this…
If you were at the ReCAST volunteer luncheon a couple weeks ago, you heard us announce that Jackie Kline is going to work for Heartland Hospice full-time as their bereavement coordinator. If you were at our family meeting last Sunday, you heard Nathan announce that he’s going to air traffic control school in Oklahoma next fall. …
I attended a conference with more than 12,000 other pastors and lay-leaders in Louisville, KY earlier in the month and it was an amazing conference with hours of great preaching, amazing worship with thousands of voices lifted up in praise in the KFC Yum! Center. But out of all that experience one particular nugget…
9 years ago today I preached my first sermon as a lead pastor. Preached is a funny word, because it was 16 adults in the basement of a home in Mattawan, MI. We brought folding chairs from our card table sets, Dave Bunt brought his acoustic guitar and he sat on the hearth of…
If God told you to share your story with others, would you? If he asked you to air your past with the heartaches, the lies, the sins, and the brokenness in order to help others, would you do it? I am so thankful for one of our church members, Jacque Chislea, who has responded…
I am almost recovered from the jetlag. The trip to Indonesia was a grueling haze of airplanes, airports, waiting, and restless attempts to sleep in a smaller space than my body is made to occupy. The trip was worth it. I cannot speak to any eternal results. I do not know how heaven will be…
