Posts with the category “pastors-blog”

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

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

In Genesis 32, Jacob is stressed. For most of his life, he’s fled from his brother Esau who, after Jacob stole the firstborn’s blessing, has wanted to kill him. This has haunted Jacob (even his name means “supplanter”), but in chapter 32, he and God have had enough. The Lord told him to “return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good” (Gen. 32:9), and now, after sending his fam...  Read More

“On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ’If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.” (John 7:37-39 NIV). Jesus interrupted this ceremony at the pinnacle of the cel...  Read More

I spent a glorious week with my three-year-old grandson, Max. Three-year-olds are so interesting. They are little mimics and repeat back to you things you say and even things you wished they hadn’t heard. I had to be careful of what I said even when he wasn’t listening to me. He looks up to me and allows my words to influence him. Numbers 11:4 says, “The rabble with them began to crave other food,...  Read More

"No, I can't think of anything, but thank you," is the most common response I get whenever I directly ask someone, "is there anything you need prayer for?" While it often comes up during street ministry, I actually hear it most from people in church, especially when there's no immediate health or relationship crisis.Why is that? Why is it that those who complain about their jobs on Monday, or thei...  Read More

Forty-four years ago, I stepped into a small church on Locust Street. I’d become a Christian that summer, and when I returned to WMU, finding a church was a top priority. I visited several churches but had yet to find one as passionately alive as the Mexican church I attended in Lansing. While at a church on campus, I expressed to another student how I found the service lacking passion and intensi...  Read More

Our hearts reveal how much the ailments of the age affect us. We want a fulfilling life—but many of us are surviving, not thriving. We want a strong sense of purpose—but many of us feel confused, not clear. We want to engage with something of lasting meaning—but many of us feel insignificant, not important. We want to feel a deep sense of belonging–but many of us feel lonely, not loved.Our culture...  Read More

(originally posted in 2023)I don’t know about you, but I find that in my day-to-day life, I struggle to make space to just sit and linger. For instance, if I’m going on a hike on a beautiful day, I often find myself not thinking about the nature at all but rather the work I need to do after that hike, or if I’m eating dinner I’m not actually focusing on enjoying the food, but rather paying attenti...  Read More

“Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, ‘It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much ...  Read More

Have you seen the wonder in a child's eyes as they behold the Christmas tree light up a dark room? Or when they see all the houses lit up at night? Do you have things that fill you with wonder?It seems that as we grow older, we lose some of our wonder. We learn more about the world and our surroundings, and things that once amazed us become commonplace. The things that caused our awe and wonder as...  Read More

Each year we seek the Lord to highlight the theme that He would have our church focus on for the next year. Bill and I, along with other New Day leaders, spent focused time praying into God’s direction and heart for our church. I am excited to share with you the theme God revealed to us for 2025 through that prayer time. Drum roll please…..It’s….. ABIDEThis theme perfectly follows our year on bein...  Read More

Companies appeal to identity to sell you stuff. Candidates tailor messaging based on their notion of who you are. People don’t call it a “sex life” anymore, they call it “sexual identity.” Being L, G, B, T, Q, or + in our culture functions as an identity marker, not just an expression of gender or sexuality. Identity is woven into nearly every part of our society today.Carl Trueman calls our colle...  Read More

Life is chaotic. Not only in the sense that things get hectic at times, but more so that sometimes circumstances are just plain difficult. When we try our best but hardships get the better of us, what are we meant to do? When chaos raises its head, what can we do?Joseph was a man who battled against the tides of chaos his whole life. Many of you are likely familiar with his story, but here’s a qui...  Read More

Isaiah 26:1-21: “In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts. Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith. You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.”In this...  Read More

You know that moment when someone says something crazy and time freezes while you figure out how to respond?Once upon a time, I missed a phone call. It buzzed in my pocket while I was at work, I wasn’t able to pick up, and I forgot to return the call that afternoon. Thankfully it wasn’t an emergency, but it was an honest little blunder on my part. These things happen, right?They followed up with m...  Read More

In our culture it is normal to complain. How many times a day do you complain? One might think that they don’t complain at all. That’s what I thought. Then I decided to count my complaints:“Ugh, it’s so cold in the morning; I have to wear a sweatshirt.” “Drat, there’s not enough wind to sail.” “The service here is so slow.” “That person is driving so slow. They’re going to make me late.” “The doct...  Read More

In case you were wondering, we are not going to tell you who to vote for. New Day pastors are not going to do that, because we feel it would be a misuse of our position. We are called to teach the Word of God and guide this congregation in the direction God has called us to go. We will teach what the Bible says about the topics at hand in our country and culture. We will talk about how to be Chris...  Read More

The Greek word koinonia is often translated as "fellowship." It might bring to mind potlucks, wedding receptions, funerals, etc., but koinonia means so much more than a gathering of people. It also includes participation, contribution, and even partnership. Let's consider it as a progression for a moment. When someone hears the good news of salvation and decides to make Jesus their Lord, they  Read More

Over the past few months, God’s been challenging me. Throughout my life I’ve seen His Spirit move in miraculous ways—whether through physical healings, words of knowledge, or the outpouring of His Spirit—but over time, I’ve found myself occasionally questioning if He’s actually moving at any given moment. For instance, when a worship set would be powerful,  Read More

Reg Layzelle was a leader in The Latter Rain revival in the 1940s thru 1960s. This revival was a resurgence of the work, gifts, and fruit of the Holy Spirit. Another emphasis was evangelism and missions. As an old man, Reg visited our church in the early 1980s. He made a profound impact upon myself as a newly saved college student. Reg declared, “Mission is the primary purpose of the Church, and  Read More

A sheet of cool South Carolina winter rain painted the pavement about three feet behind me while we huddled in lawn chairs under the eaves of the church. It was the final evening session of the Harvest Alliance Leaders Conference, and I sat with Kathy, Bill and Marilee preparing to reflect on the week so far. Around this moment, after some banter and prayer, I was overcome by a vivid, weighty real...  Read More

Jesus prayed for you, "I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me— so that they may be brought to complete unity.  Read More

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays in on his shoulders, rejoicing." (Luke 15:4-5) This verse expresses God's zeal to seek out an individual who is lost or bound in some way. Pastor Bill, Kathy Spaulding, Lewis Wright, and I  Read More

My grandpa was that guy. Garden guy. He owned a house on a little city lot in Sturgis, Michigan, and for something like 40 or 50 years, he cultivated a garden. I loved picking fresh raspberries and strawberries when we went to visit. He also had grapevines, apple trees, and more. His garden was immaculate: carefully cultivated and bursting with fruit  Read More

When I was a student at the CTF School of Ministry in Toronto, Canada, I was really struggling to connect with God in a meaningful way. I would pray and jump into ministry times, but no matter what, I still felt like my relationship with God was ending up at the surface level. After a few weeks of this, I was journaling during a worship set and asked God to speak to me about what was happening. I ...  Read More

Years ago, a friend of mine was a successful pastor, well-known and respected around the world. He was a powerful speaker and his life and theology seemed solid. I didn’t know he was very good at hiding certain things. Our network emphasized heart-healing such as repentance, forgiveness, ungodly beliefs, judgements, and such matters, but this pastor didn’t believe it was necessary. Occasionally the...  Read More

Lightning lights up a dark night while the wind howls and the rain pelts the roof. The din of a springtime thunderstorm can cause fear for those caught unaware. Yet when I am safe and nestled in my bed at home, I can be at peace during a storm, since I know my house will protect me. I do not feel that same security when storms rage in my life. My trust in God wavers in the onslaught of illness, or...  Read More

Something goes wrong...something tough happens...the good thing we were expecting doesn’t work out. What then? Do we say, “God abandoned me.” “God didn’t answer my prayer.” “God must not be good.” If these are our responses to trouble, there’s a good chance we are lacking a theology for adversity. I can relate to these feelings of confusion and I believe every Christian needs to grapple with this ...  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 list a hundred more examples, but I’m sure you all know what I mean. Our lives are filled to ...  Read More

“If only he understood, he would see how beautiful it is,” my dad said about the man who had just verbally, and publicly, ripped him to shreds.   While I was in high school, my dad ran a mid-week course for the young adults at church called B.B.B., a silly but effective acronym that stood for “Basic Bible Beliefs.” We covered huge topics like Jesus’ Divinity, the Reliability of Scripture, and Spir...  Read More