Blog: September 2016

In 1977 the Steve Miller Band sang, “Time keeps on slippin’ slippin’ slippin’ into the future.” Huh?  I didn’t know what they meant then, and I don’t now.  For me, time keeps on rushing into the past.  I look up at the clock, it’s supposed to be lunch time but it’s 4:00 p.m.!  I look at our kids and marvel that they’re all grown up—how did that happen! And I’m not alone in this.  If we pause to think (can you pause?), we’re unsettled by the seemingly swift passing of time.  Another 1970s pop music voice had a different angle:  James Taylor ...

Summer is over.  Fall has officially arrived.  And all those funny first-day-of-school feelings are now slipping into the past.  Our Goshen ministries that parallel the school year are now running full-speed. But as we turn this corner in our church life, let me encourage you not to forget how God met us in the Book of Revelation earlier this year.  We con­cluded a seven-month sermon series in early August. I don’t know about you, but for me it was both exhilarating and sobering to explore the visions and warnings and promises of the ...

Who has first place in your heart?  What is priority one in your life?  Last Sunday we received Jesus’ command to “Seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).  By contrast, Revelation 2:4 paints the sad picture of a church that had lost its first love.  Secondary matters can be important, of course—such as working to put food on the table and clothes on our backs.  But they come second.  And when we treat secondary issues like primary concerns, it’s a catastrophe. Jesus is teaching that to make material security our ...

A couple weeks ago Dave Thomas shared his story of faith and renewed life in Jesus Christ (thanks, Dave—so encouraging!).  He mentioned the Bible Project, which is a terrific free resource for learning God’s Word.  Check it out on YouTube—they currently have 100 videos on their channel. Bible Project founders Tim Mackie and Jon Collins are eager to help people get past that sense of being overwhelmed or even discouraged by Scripture:  “We believe the Bible is a profound and very beautiful book that’s telling one complete story from ...