Recent Posts
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...
Keep the Fire Burning
Every fire starts with a simple, small spark. Through last year’s Hearts Ablaze campaign, so many good, new sparks...
The Secret Lives of Salmon
Every autumn, as daylight diminishes and water temperatures in the Great Lakes start to sink, a switch goes off within countless thousands of salmon which shouts, “It’s time to go home.”
As a native Michigander, I have a much smaller switch that functions in a similar way. The arrival of autumn calls to me to return to places like the Sable river, the Platte, or Otter Creek where I’ve seen, admired, caught, and eaten so many of these beautiful fish as a result of their annual migration back to their natal waters...