My wife, Heather, and I were just reflecting on all the changes we’ve seen in the congregations I’ve served for the past 28 years. One thing that struck us both is the number of people who have simply “dropped out” along the way. These are members of the faith family that haven’t moved away, joined another worshiping body or died. They’ve just fallen off the radar. Why? It’s a puzzle. Many were very...
Posts Tagged "joy"
Last week I wrote about a conversation my wife, Heather, and I were having while enjoying a soft pretzel at “Ben’s Soft Pretzels” in Shipshewana, IN. I said I would share more about that this week. While enjoying our pretzel, we also discussed the interesting story shared with us earlier in the day by the owner of “Cherry Pickers” in Shipshewana. This store features reclaimed items for sale: old barn wood, rusty...
Just after Christmas my family and I were able to get away together for a few days. We stayed in the charming little community of Shipshewana, IN. It has a large Amish population that still uses horse and buggy to get around town, even when the temperature is hovering around zero degrees…impressive. I very much enjoyed seeing the GLORY OF GOD in so many ways on this trip. A simple way I like to define “glory” is to say that it...
This past Tuesday I had the challenge and privilege of preaching and leading the funeral service for a dear friend, the wife of the previous senior pastor at the congregation I now serve. Lorna was a wonderfully faithful woman who lived for the Lord Jesus in all that she did. She truly exhibited a “Thumbs Up” attitude in all of life. Sadly, her faith and love could not stop the assault of sin on her body. A terrible blood disease and...
This week has been awesome! I’ve been able to celebrate the love of God, our Maker, along with nearly 400 children and staff members in Faith Lutheran, Grand Blanc’s Vacation Bible School (VBS) program. The excitement has been palpable as the Holy Spirit has filled this place to overflowing. It certainly wasn’t the numbers that made this week so powerful, but it was the unbridled faith that was so evident. The children were...