'Christian' Tagged Posts
Waiting Well
Waiting is rarely our favorite word. We live in a world of instant answers, fast decisions, and quick fixes. Yet so often, God invites us into seasons of waiting. Waiting for clarity. Waiting for direction. Waiting for the next step. The Bible reminds us that waiting is not wasted time when it’s placed in God’s hands. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will How COVID has affected us
READY FOR AN UPGRADE?!
My laptop has been trying to update for weeks now. Every morning, there is a notification that the update failed. I guess there are conditions I haven’t met yet to allow it to do so. It has to be plugged into AC power in order to update. Automatic updates have to be turned on. And now it tells me it can’t update because it needs more room. My hard drive is too full. I didn’t request an update; it just How COVID has affected us
Reels
I get sucked into watching these short “Reels” on Facebook when I am doing some mindless scrolling. Some of them are pretty funny. Some are a bit disturbing. Imagine the “Reels” that would have been made back in Biblical times. Adam and Eve working the garden. Noah doing a daily clip of building the ark for 100 years. Moses recording a daily clip of leading the Israelites across the wilderness to the promised land. Or how about Jonah in the belly of the fish? Daniel in the How COVID has affected us
Don’t Waste the Wilderness
“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness…” Deuteronomy 8:2 (NIV) Last year held a little bit of everything. There were moments of joy and moments of challenge, seasons of growth and seasons that stretched us. Some things moved forward, others didn’t move as quickly as we hoped. As we step into a new year together, many of us are still asking the same honest question: “God, what were You doing in all of How COVID has affected us
Going All Out at Christmas
It’s that time of year! The stores are packed, the trees are tied down on top of the cars, Jamie has his lights illuminating half of Kalkaska, and Santa is coming to town. At church, we pull out the stops with music and decorations and kids’ programs. Personally, I turn into a different person. I want to shop and buy gifts. I start to get giddy with excitement as though I were in elementary school again. The question, of course, is why don’t we How COVID has affected us
Got a Dongle for That?
Connecting People Like Jesus Did A co-worker called me recently, looking for a rare computer cord with special ends. In the tech world, we call them “dongles.” I didn’t have exactly what he needed, but I had two separate dongles that together created what he needed. I have drawers full of cords, connectors, dongles, and the like at work. I have a full tote of cables, wires, CAT5, telephone cables, and HDMI cables in my basement at home. I love How COVID has affected us
The weather Outside is…
After the winter we had last year, I have been dreading winter this year. The snow started at Thanksgiving and just never stopped until Spring. It didn’t seem like we had any breaks at all. However, after contemplating it, I can’t do anything about it, so why worry about what will come? I have had seasons in life where I dreaded each day or the next project because I wasn’t sure what I would face. In fact, I would start How COVID has affected us
Insert Law & Order Song Here
My wife and I are in the habit of ending our days watching an episode or two of Law and Order. The first half of the show is about a couple of detectives trying to solve a murder and find a suspect. My favorite is Lenny. The second half of the show is about the prosecutor building the legal case and presenting the evidence to a jury in hopes of getting a conviction. As I sit here watching an episode, How COVID has affected us
Same Ol’ Same Ol’
School is back in session, the sweet corn is being harvested, football season is upon us, and the temperature just shrunk from the 70s and 80s to the 60s in what seems like a breath. Life seems to be spinning by faster and faster. And things are changing that quickly as well. Artificial Intelligence, the influence of the internet and social media, and the immediacy of information make my head spin. Because life is fleeting and because change is happening How COVID has affected us
You Don’t Clean Up Before a Shower
We don’t wash our hands before washing our hands. We don’t scrub the dirt off before stepping into the shower. We bring the mess with us—that’s the point. Too often, people think baptism is for those who have “got it all together.” They feel they need to stop sinning, clean themselves up, prove they’re good enough, and then step into the water. But that’s not what Scripture teaches. Romans 6:4 says, “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into How COVID has affected us