Jesus actively calls disciples. He says, “Come, be my follower and proclaim the Gospel.” Each disciple of Jesus is called to proclaim the Gospel in some way. (See Matthew 4:18–22; 28:19–20.) We do that by listening to what God wants us to do, readying ourselves for the mission, then acting on it when his timing comes.New Day has been facilitating great kingdom work in our Ministry Center in the Vi...  Read More

“…a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).At a missions conference months after my salvation, I heard God declare, “You are not called to go, but to send.” Since then I, and our church, have sent many individuals, teams, church plants, missionaries, and a large amount of money to world missions. I obeyed my call “to send” for 20 years before visiting a foreign ministry at age 40....  Read More

The book of James makes me feel like John McEnroe at Wimbledon in 1981. Check out the clip here to see what I’m talking about: http://bit.ly/46FWpQI. If I’m honest with myself, I just want to say: “James…YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!” “Count it pure joy … whenever you face trials of many kinds…” (James 1:2, NIV). ?!? And also: “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not ...  Read More

When I was a little girl, my family would go and visit my grandparents in South Haven. My grandparents would take us to their favorite beach on occasion to look for rocks and beach glass. This particular beach was all rocks and no sand; you had to wear shoes to walk on the large rocks. My grandmother was really good at finding beach glass. She took her time and combed the shore and always managed ...  Read More

In today’s world, we have no shortage of interesting things to give our attention to. Eating breakfast too boring? Watch a video while you’re at it! The drive to work too quiet? Listen to a podcast! Need to go to the bathroom? Why don’t you scroll on Instagram or TikTok while you do your business? I could continue, but I’m sure you know what I mean. Our lives are filled with distractions, headline...  Read More

Summer is here, and so are the flowers on New Day Nature Trails! Black-Eyed Susan and Daisy Fleabane blanket the prairie. Native grasses are thriving. New trees are growing (pine, oak, redbud, dogwood, and more). And targeted invasive species treatments continue. This land shouts the glory and goodness of God! Please take some time to connect with God on the trails. Greet any neighbors you meet an...  Read More

Pathways matter! But the destination matters most! What’s more important at Van Buren State Park? Climbing over the dune on the pavilion path or getting to the beach? Is it more important to take the paved sidewalk or to reach those Lake Michigan waves? I’ve never met anyone at Van Buren who said they came for the path. No! They take the path that suits them best to reach the destination.The same ...  Read More

As we wind down our ABIDE sermon series, John’s purpose for writing his book (to inspire belief in his readers – John 20:31) is standing out to me. Particularly the raw reality that as Jesus hung on the cross, he hung between belief and unbelief. He had a thief on either side of him: one believed, one ridiculed. I feel John’s intent surge to the forefront as he poses what continues to hang in the ...  Read More

“What are you up to? Do you want spaghetti?” It was a gloomy day after a prayer meeting at the Vine Building downtown, where Chloe invited me upstairs. Since I was new to the young adult community, I sensed this was her way of being intentional about including the outsider. And being a young guy in college, I obviously didn’t turn down free food. From across the island in the middle of the teal ki...  Read More

Our world is full of competition. We compete in sports to see who is the reigning champion. There’s competition in schools for all kinds of things, including grades. In the workplace, people compete for jobs. Restaurants compete for customers. Let’s not talk about competitiveness in politics. It seems like it’s all around us, and it’s easy to get caught up in it. When does healthy competition beco...  Read More

"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations …” (Matt. 28:18). Jesus commissioned not only the eleven disciples, but all disciples over time. Additionally, he was commissioning the Church, as those eleven represented the whole of the Church.The Great Commission isn’t an individual endeavor, it requires a team. The local church is ea...  Read More

We worship a creative and surprising God! His love for unexpected beauty shows up throughout creation. We see it in the strange and beautiful animals, birds, and fish. We see it through his choice to use the ignored and unexpected for his purposes (Moses, David, Ruth, and Rahab come to mind). In retrospect, it’s no wonder that when he chose to clothe himself in humanity, he became the son of a car...  Read More