One of my favorite Johnny Cash songs is “I walk the Line.” The song is about fidelity. Granted, the context is different, but the intent and meaning are the same: to be true, don’t falter. Verse 6 paints a picture of what James is addressing in his letter, and that is obedience.One of the things I love about living in Michigan is “Michigan summers.” Even though we never lived in the state while I ...  Read More

Let’s do a mental picture—after I give you the prompt, close your eyes and imagine what I am about to describe to you. Imagine that you are an elder, by elder I mean you are the oldest living person, in a village thousands of years ago. There are people who are in charge of running the village and dealing with all sorts of conflicts. However, they never ask you for your wisdom that you have accumu...  Read More

At first glance, this passage may sound misleading. The duty of every Christian is not to have a smile upon their face at all times and pretend that everything in life is always hunky-dory. If we acted that way, being a Christian would seem unattainable, contradictory, and we would be disingenuous to the world around us. As James talks about trials here, he is most likely referring to external aff...  Read More

Moments of happiness...a wedding, a game-winning-shot, an ice cream sundae, a warm beach in January, your kids coming home from college, a pay raise, seeing a high school friend, an intriguing book, your first home, your first baby, your first job...have a way of defining our lives. The problem is what happens in the opposite experiences of life...those experiences that are filled with pain and st...  Read More

Main Point and Overview:   The American church has mis-defined Christianity into a “life gets better” experience that is simply not true. As you journey through the New Testament, you find a universal theme of perseverance in the face of challenges. Our time on this earth as Jesus’ disciples guarantees us that we will face “pushback” from those who do not want their selfish ideals attacked or remo...  Read More

What an exciting and interesting week of planting ourselves in Luke 19 and hovering the magnifying glass over the life of Zaccheus. Beginning on Easter Sunday, the greatest day of the year, Resurrection Sunday, Pastor John shared about Zacchaeus, a man who was so hated, a money loving tax collecting robber who was despised. And, just curious, how many of you have been singing the “wee little man” ...  Read More