Recent Posts
Feeling Sad at Christmas
t’s the hap-, happiest season of all…
I’ve had those words and their jaunty melody earworming in my mind over the last few weeks. It’s a little ironic, because of all the Christmases in my life, I’m not particularly feeling it this year. Is it OK for pastors to be a little sad sometimes, even at Christmas?! It happens.
Don't Forget the Baby!
My family had a pretty cool nativity set when I was kid. It was made of wood and had some incredible synthetic moss hanging from it that stayed remarkably and alarmingly green, year after year. The little porcelain figures especially captured my attention: Mary and Joseph, the Magi, but the real stars of the shows in my childhood imagination – were the animals!
No One Left Behind
In the early morning hours on Black Friday, a bus carrying 16 passengers departed from Elmhurst CRC, bound for three maximum-security prisons in Mississippi and Louisiana.
No doubt, the “holidays” are the time of year when discouragement and loneliness have their strongest pull behind bars, but we were on a mission to share the good news that,
“No one is left behind.”
Hearts Ablaze - On the Water!
Pastor Gregg reflects on a long-forgotten verse from Ecclesiastes that resurfaced last year and reshaped our Hearts Ablaze journey, reminding us that trusting God often begins with a risky step of faith. As we look back one year later, we can already see God moving in powerful ways—growing our ministries, deepening our generosity, and weaving our commitments into something only He could orchestrate.
Keep the Fire Burning - The 10-10-80 Rule
Over the years, a number of well-intentioned parishioners have asked me some version of this question: “Does the Bible teach that I have to tithe?” This question is usually accompanied by wondering, “And does that mean tithing on my gross income or net?”
The Bible definitely talks quite a bit about the practice of tithing, which can be simply defined as offering “1/10th of one’s produce or earnings” back to God...
"Aim Small, Miss Small"
“Aim small, miss small.” That was one of the catchphrases of my high school golf coach who was obsessed with transforming his scatterbrained young charges into focused, intentional athletes who could ignore all external thoughts and concentrate solely on a small, precise target in order to execute a golf shot with maximum confidence...