The quote from former president Jimmy Carter that Suzy read during our offering sounds like something said a long time ago by John Wesley: Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To…
Okay, so now what? Is it safe to say this is the $65,000 question? “What are we going to do now?” If you know me well enough, and I think many of you do, then you know what my answer will be: Go to God. Whenever I need an answer or have a problem that needs fixing, God is my go to…
(Open with some Olympic jokes and banter…) Speaking of the Olympics…have any of you wondered what kind of attention Ryan Lochte was seeking when he went out partying in Rio? If you haven’t heard, the 12-time Olympic medalist has had a tremendous downfall lately. You could say his “Tayna Harding” moment began after he and three teammates hit the town to celebrate.…
If you’ve been watching the Olympics, you know there have been some unbelievable stories unfolding. Records broken, bones broken, spirits both lifted and crushed. The stands have been packed with fans cheering for their country’s pride… as well as proud parents watching all those early morning drop offs and late night pick-ups finally paying off. Our own Michael Phelps continues to add…
Two weeks ago, we were called to be the hands of Jesus, to bear the fruit of our faith. Last week, we discovered that God pushes our faith to the edge to prepare us to do the things we never imagined doing. Today we discover if we trust God and take him at his word, then we will be able to handle…
Two weeks ago, Kathleen got a deal on GroupOn to a place in Grand Rapids called Treetop Adventures; a rope and zip-line obstacle course that’s supposed to be fun for the entire family. It didn’t take me long to discover this is a gross misrepresentation. It’d be more accurate if they renamed the place Phobia Forrest. Imagine an intricate web of ropes…
(Read: 1 Kings 18:20-39) Well, it’s Memorial Weekend. The unofficial kick off of summer. School is almost over, vacation plans are about to begin, and our new worship time is underway. While we still have to wait three more weeks for summer to officially begin, Hollywood is already out in full-force, unleashing the new line up of summer blockbuster movies. Whether you are a fan of…
In her book Learning to Walk in the Dark, Barbara Brown Taylor recalls the story of a man by the name of Jacques Lusseyran, a famous resistance leader in the French underground during the 2nd World War. As an ordinary boy, Lusseyran did all the things that boys like to do, including getting into fights at school. During one such scuffle, he…
It’s hard to imagine that Advent is upon us. It seems to have come upon us quickly this year. I don’t know why. It’s not like the stores have had Christmas decorations up since October. While culture is ready for the sentimentality of Christmas, perhaps you are not. For many of us, this time of year is cause for great concern. Presents under…
Have you all seen the movie “Forrest Gump?” It’s a wonderful story of a simple man whose good intentions bless him with many great rewards. As the movie moves through these historical moments of life, Forrest unintentionally finds himself in some difficult and crazy situations. But through them all, he always seems to manage with great success. As a result our hero constantly…