We live in a day and age of unparalleled intellectual sharing. There is this amazing thing I have been using called the internet. I can find the weather forecast, pictures of my friend’s cat, and what someone I barely know ate for dinner yesterday. All of this is just a couple of clicks away! And…
I have been seeking to be more attentive to the joys of life all around me. There is good. There is beauty. There is awe and wonder. And if you are anything like me, you need to fight for it! As we get older, the things that produced awe and wonder in us when we…
What does it feel like to age? I have heard it said that the days are long and the years are short and that has made more and more sense to me. I feel like I can look back on the past three decades and see how small decisions have created a life that defines…
Although many will recognize the acronym in the title as standing for Vacation Bible School anyone who has actually worked a VBS knows it could very well stand for Very Busy Schedule. Last week we wrapped up our annual VBS. We combine forces with another Mattawan Church. They have a facility and we have a…
We have a saying around my house that is often said and little applied, “if you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything.” We say that a lot. My family is verbal and loud and I’m not sure where they got it because my wife wasn’t raised that way . . . After…
Prayer can be tough. I have not yet met a person who would tell me that they are totally nailing prayer, have it all figured out, and are on top of their prayer game. So I set out to make this year a personal journey into prayer and it has been challenging. Several years ago…
I have been away this week in Chicago at a Pastor’s Conference. There is something refreshing about getting away and hearing from speakers instead of being the speaker. It is doubly encouraging to hear from men who understand the office, understand the stresses, and understand the temptations that come with the territory of leading a…
There was a time when I had not lived long enough to know that life is not a straight line. A younger me, assumed that life was defined by setting a dream and then striving for it. I really believed that things pretty much progressed in that direction with some hurdles to overcome and a…
Have you ever noticed how quickly we give God credit for the timing of something that works out to our advantage? Don’t get me wrong, I would always encourage giving God credit for good things in our lives, but over and opposed to ONLY ever giving him credit when it goes well is something I…
Baby dedication. Parent dedication. Words matter. Even if the difference in wording only subtly changes the perspective it can signal a significant difference in intentions. At ReCAST we prefer to have a parent dedication service rather than baby or infant dedication services. When parents come to this service in two weeks, it is important to…
I was not made for rhythm. I can’t clap and sing at the same time. I have never played a musical instrument. For a very brief time in college I tried to teach myself guitar, but I quit when I realized that you need to have rhythm in order to strum. And apparently dancing requires…
I have this sneaking suspicion that I will not be the same person in two weeks. I do not know what I will be, but I will have experienced some unique experiences that I am praying will be formative in my life. On Monday, I will depart from Chicago O’Hare Airport and about 24 hours…
