'kccwired' Tagged Posts
The Gift of Christmas: Jesus
Charlie Brown cried in desperation, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about!?!” The Grinch, after stealing all of the Who’s presents from Whoville, thought to himself, “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas… perhaps…means a little bit more.” Our church has been in a sermon series this month of December called “The _____ that stole Christmas.” The series pointed to four prime culprits in the theft of Christmas: stress, grief, schedule, and commercialism. Each in their own way 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
Good Grief
Winter finally settled in over Kalkaska this week—the kind that slows life down whether we like it or not. And honestly, maybe that’s a gift. Last Sunday we talked about how Christmas can pile on the stress, and I think that stress has a way of pulling back the curtain on the deeper stuff we’re carrying: the weariness, the memories, the grief that sneaks up when the world gets quiet. Winter has a way of exposing what we’ve tried to How COVID has affected us
Obedience When It Doesn’t Make Sense
This week in our kids’ ministry, we’re walking through one of the most sobering moments in the book of Exodus—the death of the firstborn and God’s command for the Israelites to put the blood of a lamb over their doorposts. When we read it now, it’s easy to think, “Of course they obeyed! That was obviously important.” But imagine being there in real time. You’re standing outside your home, brush in hand, painting your doorposts with lamb’s blood… probably thinking, “My 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
Snakes, Staffs and Staying Steady
If you’ve been following along with what our kids are learning, you know things have been getting wild in Children’s Ministry lately! Between staffs turning into snakes and rivers turning into blood, Moses’ story has been full of big moments — but underneath all the drama, there’s a powerful lesson about bravery and trust. When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, it wasn’t a small task. Pharaoh wasn’t exactly the “sure, whatever you say!” kind of How COVID has affected us
Forever Changed
Following Jesus is not merely adopting a new set of beliefs; it is a journey of spiritual rebirth that results in an everlasting change. This transformation is rooted in the promise that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The old self, governed by sin and worldly desires, gives way to a new life with an altered nature and renewed desires. This change is How COVID has affected us
The Wind Blows
“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.” My wife and I were recently on vacation in Estes Park, Colorado. We had a beautiful cabin located within the YMCA of the Rockies at the mouth of Rocky Mountain National Park. Each morning I sat outside on the porch with an amazing view of the Rocky Mountains. Most mornings were still, with practically not a sound except for an occasional 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