God invites us into relationship with Him.
Key to any relationship is communication and for that we have prayer. It is through prayer that we come before God and place our needs, our joys, our concerns, our burdens, our questions and our challenges. And it is also through prayer that we have the opportunity to hear God talking to us. Read more »
What is happening with our music? It is a good question right now as we head into the fall. Let me answer it in relation to each of our worship services. Read more »
Today is a day of great joy for me. My eldest daughter Hilary turns twenty-two. She was born 9/11/87. My nephew Jack turns fourteen today. He was also born on September 11th. He almost died his first year of life. This day, for me, is always a precious reminder of the gift of life. Both were born before 9/11 became a day of infamy, associated with terror and a fault line of history that we will always remember. Read more »
Odyssey: An extended adventurous voyage or trip. An intellectual or spiritual quest: an odyssey of discovery.
HRC Odyssey began in the mind of God long before the first service of worship this year in Tymor Park. It was in the mind of Chris Snider long before her son Jamie came with joy to sing songs of praise and share worship with his girlfriend. It was in the mind of Mark Mast long before he was called to Hopewell and ever knew there was a place called Unionvale, New York. Read more »
“For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.” (Acts 13:36)
This week the news has been filled with the Legacy of Ted Kennedy. A flawed hero of our time. The tribute that I have heard most in memorializing Kennedy has been: “he stood up for the poor and the little guy.” Not a bad way to be remembered. Read more »
“4 AM with Abraham Lincoln”
At four in the morning I was awake with Abraham Lincoln, reading about Salmon Chase going to Ohio and starting his campaign to challenge Lincoln for the presidency in 1864. Why do I give you this little picture of my study last night? It is not the content of my reading, but the reason for my reading that I share with you this morning. Read more »
“Facing the Giants”
“Every generation gets a chance to change the world
Pity the nation that won’t listen to your boys and girls
‘Cause the sweetest melody is the one we haven’t heard” (Bono)
Bono, the lead singer from U2, spoke to the Leadership Summit and presented the challenge that within the grasp of our generation is the ability to end extreme poverty in our time. The benefits of a global economy come with the challenge to address global poverty. Read more »
This Sunday our Gatherings service will meet under the tent at 8:45. We join the kids out there as our VBS is held this week and the kids begin and end each day in the tent. We first worshipped in the tent for fourteen weeks in the summer of 2001, when our sanctuary was going through a renovation. We had fourteen weeks of beautiful weather and many enjoyed the outdoor worship in spite of the Harleys roaring by as some motorcycle club headed out for a journey on the Taconic. Read more »
“Preach, Pray or Die”
Cathy’s grandfather, Henry Bast, taught preaching at Western Seminary. One of his famous lines was: “A pastor always needs to be ready at a moment’s notice to preach, pray or die.” I don’t know what Henry would think of my summer slogan: “Preach, Play and Pray,” but that is my anticipation of what my summer moments will be like. Read more »
“Happy 500th John Calvin”
Today is the 500th birthday of John Calvin. On Sunday a Calvin College graduate accused me of not mentioning this significant day because of my loyalties to Hope College. (The definition of an atheist in West Michigan is someone who does not care who wins the Hope/Calvin game.) But far be it from me to let collegiate rivalries cloud a celebration of one of my heroes of faith and a day to remember one who has shaped our world and our church in such significant ways. Last week The New York Times stated: “Calvin’s legacy has been traced in everything from modern marriage and modern science to modern liberal government and of course modern capitalism. By many accounts, he is a major source of modernity’s very understanding of the self.” Read more »
