Disney World opened its doors on October 1,1972 in Orlando, FL. Walt Disney himself, died 6 years before the amusement park was finished. After its completion one official remarked, “It sure is sad that Mr. Disney never lived to see this.” Mark Vance, creative director of Disney studios at the time replied, “He did see it – that’s […]
At the end of the year I always challenge you to read God’s Word on a regular basis. Reading God’s Word consistently is essential for spiritual growth. I am thankful that habit was instilled in me as a young teen. Yes, I’ve had times when it was a struggle and there still are days when I miss, […]
I saw a recent poll: 51% of Americans are scared; 49% are angry. Now both emotions are not necessarily sinful but can be. “Watch out the stove is hot!” is a healthy fear but wringing your hands in anxious worry is wrong. Scripture tells us to be angry but not to sin. Unresolved anger will turn into […]
This fall several of our men read together the book by Kevin DeYoung, Taking God at His Word. I was particularly interested when he wrote, “When I speak at conferences and churches, I’m often surprised how few people bother to look at their Bibles when I’m speaking … It is not a good habit.” Folks, I have […]
What is your dream for Holt Baptist Church? As a pastoral candidate back in December 2006, I answered a question about the church’s future with proposing the idea of developing a strategic plan. It took a year of prayer and discussions but a three year plan was created and implemented. Now 14 years later we can look back […]
What a year this has been, eh? 2020. No one could have predicted this. It has been difficult. And yet I am reminded of the Apostle Paul in a Roman jail writing a book that mentions joy more than any other! Paul’s dream was to go to Rome to preach the gospel. Instead of going to Rome as a […]
It is appropriate with the holiday this week for me to say how thankful I am for the ministry of Jay Adams who passed away a week ago at the age of 91. Jay Adams was the father of the modern biblical counseling movement. As a pastor Adams was dissatisfied with the counseling training he had […]
Alex Trebek, host of Jeopardy died a week ago from a long-fought battle with pancreatic cancer. I’m sure you have seen the numerus tributes for him on TV, in print or on your phone/computer. In one of those tributes, Trebek said his favorite animal was the water buffalo. Why? He said, water buffalos work together to care for each […]
Ryan and Abigail de Roos were students at what was then, New Tribes Bible Institute in Jackson. For two years they drove here each Sunday to be a part of our church family. After graduation, Ryan was an aviation student over in Ionia, and a nursing job opened for Abigail out of a Grand Rapids hospital. It […]
Our nation is on the verge of another presidential election. Tensions are high. I have voted in 11 previous elections. Sometimes my guy won and other times he lost. Each party uses fear to motivate their base to turn out the vote. Impending doom is predicted if their opponent wins. One of my daughters just told me […]