Conformed or Transformed?

The following is a post from my former Pastor and friend. It touched my heart and I wanted to share it with you and pray it speaks to you as well. I went to my cousin's memorial service this week. You would've loved Ed, he was a great pastor and a fun guy. I find myself sitting next to some of you in the stadium of questions. You know the place - it's the crowded arena that holds all of us who have had an experience that doesn't seem to fit in the game of life. I hugged Ed's wife, who now is without a husband, a father for their kids, a pastor, and even a church. I stood in the stadium next to her and felt a fraction of her pain. We cried. I walked and talked with my other cousin who is now without his younger brother and himself racked with pain from cancer - we talked about God, about questions, about hanging on. The stadium is often quite full. As I work my way out of the stadium I'm looking back making some observations. 1. The stadium of questions rarely h

I have found myself saying "That's just not fair!" this week. I have experienced frustrating situations that I would allow to consume me. I have let my mind wander and have experience a cluster of destructive emotions. I had valid reasons to be angry; valid reasons to fight; valid reasons to quit. So, if that is the case, why would I say "it's not fair" and out of the same mouth "God is up to something great"? Perspective. It comes down to perspective. In all of our situations, whether or not we can see it, God is up to something great! Through our situations, we may find ourselves saying: • How could God let this happen? • This isn't fair! • If God cares about me, why is he allowing ____________ to happen? Our life is a short little speck in light of eternity. God has seen all of the past thousands of years and he already sees the next thousand years. He knows everything we have ever done and will ever do. He knows what will happe

A friend asked me the origin of the term "Easter" this week. I looked it up on Christiananswers.net (http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t020.html) and here's what I found: Where did “Easter” get its name? Where did the concept of an Easter egg and bunny originate? The name “Easter” has its roots in ancient polytheistic religions (paganism). On this, all scholars agree. This name is never used in the original Scriptures, nor is it ever associated biblically with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For these reasons, we prefer to use the term “Resurrection Sunday” rather than “Easter” when referring to the annual Christian remembrance of Christ's resurrection. Ancient origin Most reference books say that the name “Easter” derived from the Eastre, the Teutonic goddess of Spring. Although this relationship exists, in reality, the origin of the name and the goddess are far more ancient - going all the way back to the Tower of Babel. The origin begins not

It has been a long while since I have posted. So what have I been doing? Church. Fresh Start Community Church is a new church in Interlochen, Michigan, just outside of Traverse City. It has been an amazing journey! We started services in December and held our official launch on March 7th. It has been a whirlwind of a trip but I am so excited to see what God has in store for this new church. We held a carnival on Saturday, March 6th and we had over 400 people in attendance. It was well received and we pray to see some of those people walk through our church doors in the coming weeks. Thank You, Lord for allowing me to be a part of this awesome opportunity that is so much bigger than I am. You know the plans you have for Interlochen. Plans to prosper and not to harm. Plans to give a hope and a future. Guide us and direct us in Your way. I want to see YOU!!! Fresh Start meets on Sunday mornings at 11am in the Interlochen Library's Fellowship Hall.