E-News Article
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
Tug of War
Are you a do-er? A person who jumps right in to solve a problem? While there are many times in the Bible that we are prompted to be men and women of action, there are plenty that say the opposite. So how do we determine when we should act and when we should be patient? Recently I was talking to someone about how I am a natural fixer. If there is a problem or some distress I feel compelled to How COVID has affected us
Prayer Acronym for Today
It seems daily there is a steady stream of people requesting prayer, and for good reason, our world needs it! Your channels of prayer requests may include Facebook, prayer chains, emails, the Bible app, etc. Those requests each represent a life that is important to God. Be sure to pause whatever you are doing to pray for those you agree to pray for. How is your prayer life overall? Do you have a set time each day when you stop How COVID has affected us
Light It Up
Driving into my neighborhood recently I noticed that some of my neighbors still have their Christmas lights up and some of them still turn them on at night even though we are now into March. I chalk it up to the fact that there is snow on the ground and getting to the decorations is probably challenging. It doesn’t bother me. It’s just an observation. I bring it up because of a story I read online. It’s a story of How COVID has affected us
Pure Peace
When is the last time you were in absolute silence? The world today is full of noise. From 24 hour news, to internet at our fingertips, it is hard to find a moment of pure, unpolluted silence. I’m going to challenge all of you to spend an hour in silence with God this week. Thursday at Octane I will be doing that with our 4th and 5th graders. Imagine how much easier this exercise will be for you! I am How COVID has affected us
Tough Messages
Difficult messages are difficult to deliver. Whether you have to call someone to give them news you are sure will disappoint them or you have to call someone to tell them you were hurt by words they said or if you have to meet with someone to tell them they were just outright wrong in the information they shared. Difficult messages are difficult to deliver. From a minister’s standpoint, difficult messages become difficult to deliver when you think some may How COVID has affected us
Frozen Pipes
With the cold weather in the winter months, comes many challenges for us northern Michigan dwellers….icy roads, lack of sunshine, and freezing temperatures. One of the side effects of these freezing temperatures is frozen pipes. Pipes freeze when the temperature is too cold, and if you’ve ever had it happen to you, you know the signs. You turn on your faucet expecting to see the water pour out as usual, and it starts to hesitate and then you get a How COVID has affected us
Dream Big
If there was one thing I could erase about our nation’s history it would be the slave years. It is hard to believe that once upon a time there were people in our world that looked at another person’s skin and considered that person to be something other than human. Once the Emancipation Proclamation was passed, you would have thought that things would change. Not overnight, but you thought gradually race relations would improve. However, definitely into the ’60s and How COVID has affected us