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