John Piper wrote, “Marriage. The roots are deep. The covenant solid. Love is sweet, life is hard. And God is good.” Today is Susan and my 45th wedding anniversary. Doesn’t seem possible. Our marriage has uniquely been tied to ministry. I am humbled how she has served at my side faithfully over the years. I’ve met […]
Happy Father’s Day. It has been my joy to be the father of four children – one of my great delights. I continue to be delighted now by being a grandfather to nine. I want to challenge our dads and grandads. Psalm 1 speaks of the blessed man. The Hebrew conveys a state of happiness […]
Emmeline, my granddaughter, has just learned to walk – at first there were some wobbly legs, several steps and falls. She would get back up, only to fall again. Her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends – all responded with delight, excitement and cheers. No one condemned or ridiculed her for not taking more steps […]
Our strategic plan emphasizes outreach. Part of the rationale for our series in Acts has been to remind us of our mission – not just globally but here in the greater Lansing area. Reach-ing out looks nice on paper but it’s time we flesh it out. One way will be an outreach event on Sunday […]
Memorial Day is a time where we commemorate those who died in defending our nation. We owe them our deepest gratitude. I am thankful to be an American. As a history buff I appreciate the Judeo-Christian ethic upon which our country was founded. We often hear folks say things like “we need to take America […]
What is the over-arching narrative of the Bible? It’s good for us to be able to recite the biblical narrative in a simple manner. “What’s the Bible all about?” someone might ask. Or maybe someone asks, “Why is there so much suffering in the world?” Here is a way in which we can answer such – especially […]
Happy Mother’s Day. Observed in 40 countries, our tradition goes back over 100 years. Not only is Susan the mother of our four children – now our three daughters are mothers themselves and my daughter-in-law a mother too. I know the holiday can be difficult for several reasons – we always seek to be sensitive […]
I love Sunday School. I love our Adult Bible Fellowship hour. It’s convenient to have extra Bible training an hour before church. Sue and I are thankful for the Sunday School teachers we had and the ones our children had too. Young Timothy was grateful for such, 2 Tim 3:15, “and how from childhood you have […]
“We feel the way we feel for we feel the way we think.” Biblical counselor Jared Baergen has wonderfully listed some truths we must remind ourselves of during difficult times. Here’s what we must think about. Remember: The unchanging character of God towards me, Ps 77:8-13. God has not abandoned me, Ps 37:28. God is […]
I am always pleased hearing how friendly Holt Baptist Church is. It is sad when one visits a church and no one speaks to you. While we’ve been commended for our friendliness we can always improve. We don’t ever want to be guilty of becoming complacent. A friend posted five steps to a friendlier church. […]