PASTOR'S BLOG

This is the fish God showed me in the car, which is a crazy way to start a story, so let me back up. In 2012, shortly after Jesus re-captured my heart, I was obsessed with signs, miracles, and wonders. I'd grown up in a charismatic environment where weird things like healing, being "slain in the spirit" (code for falling over), and miraculous laughter were normal, even expected, as part of "Holy S...

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...

“…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....

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 ...

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 ...

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...

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 ...

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 ...

“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...

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...

"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...

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...

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...

“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...

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,...

"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...

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...

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...

(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...

“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 ...