E-News Article
Springtime Reminders
Springtime brings new growth including tree blossoms, flowers, and grass. God takes out his colored markers and daps color all over His creation. Greens and blues are prominent on the ground and sky. Oranges, yellows, and reds highlight the flowers while whites and pinks set the trees and bushes apart. Squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and butterflies seem to appear out of nowhere. The Robins are out early pecking in the yard for worms to feed their young ones. Grey and Fox How COVID has affected us
The Kids of Summer
Monday night before the Root Beer Bar Bible study at church (which was awesome by the way), I ventured over to the baseball fields to take in a little tee ball. I thought maybe I could do some scouting for the Tigers and discover the next Miggy. While there I walked up to the third base side fence and watched with some friends an inning or so. I don’t know if there is anything much cuter than a 4-5 year How COVID has affected us
Advice for Graduates and Ourselves
I found a verse a few years ago while looking for a good “graduation verse”. It is still my favorite piece of advice to give a graduate. It’s found in Matthew 10:16. It says, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent a doves.” What great advice to give a child that you love as they go out into the big bad world. We want them to be wise and on guard, like How COVID has affected us
Do vs. Done or Done now Do?
A church I once belonged to was doing some training on how to evangelize. And the material we were using used an illustration in trying to explain religion vs. Christianity. The book described religion as something people do. Most people think of religion as something you are supposed to be a part of and do in order to obtain salvation. They referred to it as a works based faith. Meaning, that you can’t get to Heaven without working to get How COVID has affected us
Influence
We are beginning a sermon series entitled influencers. When I hear the word influencers I think of trend setters, people that society looks at to know what is the latest and greatest gadget etc. If I find a product I love, I shout it’s praises to the rooftops. If I eat at a delicious restaurant I give them a great review. If you think about it, we are all influencers to those around us…but what are we telling them about? How COVID has affected us
God’s Justice
Our nation has watched the televised trial of Derek Chauvin vs. George Floyd over the past 2 weeks. As I write this, the verdict is about to be read. 12 jurors spent just over 10 hours deciding the outcome. The hope for many is that this will be a guilty verdict on all 3 counts and a step towards justice. Many have said not only is the police officer on trial here, but also the American justice system. Many fear How COVID has affected us
Reflections of a soon-to-be empty nester
My youngest son’s graduation from college is about two weeks away. Looking forward to that has given me time to reflect on raising our sons as one is in the workforce and the other is about to enter the workforce. I was reading a book recently a guy wrote about his 50 years in ministry. In the book, he identifies ten things he would have done differently and ten things he would have done the same. Given we are in How COVID has affected us
Easter – Resurrection Sunday
Easter is Sunday, April 4. This is the day we set aside to celebrate the resurrection of our leader, Jesus Christ. Why is this holiday important? Why is it significant? And what makes it different than other holidays? The resurrection of Jesus from the grave is the most important event in Christianity. In the garden of Eden man sinned and had been condemned to death. Death had the final say. Death put an end to any life, any goodness, any future How COVID has affected us
Lord Willing
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to take 16 of our 4th and 5th grade students on an overnight trip to Grand Rapids. Normally we go to Chicago for the CIY Superstart! Conference. We didn’t get to go last year because of Covid and they cancelled the in person conference this year. Thankfully they did a virtual conference so we were able to still have it with some improvisations. If anyone is wondering how this pandemic has changed How COVID has affected us
Baseball For Believers
Last fall I was able to attend a conference in southern Indiana for preachers. There were only nine of us. I have shared bits of the story on stage and probably in an Enews article in previous months. As part of the trip, they usually take the group to the Louisville Slugger Museum in downtown Louisville, KY. However, because of riots and protests taking place at the time, the museum was not open for visitors. Hearing from other guys that How COVID has affected us