Pastor Briefing: Semper Reformanda
With Reformation Sunday coming at the end of the month, I thought it timely to discuss a valuable principle from church history......
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Pastor Briefing: Semper Reformanda
With Reformation Sunday coming at the end of the month, I thought it timely to discuss a valuable principle from church history......
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A Review from Sing! Conference 2019
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending the Sing! Conference in Nashville, hosted by Getty Music....
Pray for Hong Kong
We should be praying for our brothers and sisters in Hong Kong right now......
Guard Your Heart
On Sunday, Rick Schatz shared at the end of his sermon various ways that will help us finish the Christian life well. Here is a recap of that list:...
Pastor Briefing: Joshua Harris’ Announcement
How do we respond to Joshua Harris's announcement that he is getting divorced from both his wife and Christian faith? ...
Haunted
Middle Eastern women interviewed on a recent podcast have left me humbled and inspired by their devotion and confidence in God's Word....
Inviting Children to Encounter Jesus
Family ministry summer intern, Kate Cupp, reflects on VBS....
A Word to Anyone Helping in Children’s Ministry (or the boring and inappropriate title)
God uses ordinary people in his redemptive story...
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The Storm-Tossed Family
Last week I posted about some of the books I've been reading of late; now I want to dive into one in particular....
On My Reading Shelf
Here's a look at what I've recently read or am reading right now...
A Tragedy for Western Civilization
The burning of Notre Dame is a tragedy for all Western Civilization......
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God & Post-it Notes
I have a student - let’s call him Karl - who’s a bit fidgety in choir class......
God's Immutability in Resurrection Glory
the message of Easter flows from the attributes of God...
A Biblical Love Poem
The Bible celebrates love between a husband and a wife, sometimes in the most shocking ways....
What the Elders are Reading
Do you want to know what the elders are reading right now?...
Book Review: resource to help parents (and others) lead children to clarity about gender identity
New book helps parents, mentors, pastors, youth ministers, children’s ministry volunteers, or simply friends "bring clarity to young minds in a world that is spinning in confusion" ...
Catch Up on Summer Books
Did you miss out on seeing what books we were recommending and selling this summer? Catch up now with a complete list of what we had at the book table....
Resolved: Not to make resolutions
Resolutions are easily forgotten in the shuffle of the new year. Instead of a list of resolutions, perhaps one word to guide my thoughts and intentions will keep me focused on how God wants to grow me this year....
Book Recommendations for Christmas Gifts
Here's some help for finding books to give away as Christmas gifts this year. ...
Responding to Texas
How do we respond to the events in Texas that happened on Sunday? ...
Worship at Joyful Noise
Have you ever wondered why we have a kids’ music program at ECC? Of all the things we could have offered for kids to do while their siblings are at youth group, why music? ...
Submission to Jesus: Where Real Change Takes Place
Discipleship is about change. Everyone wants to change......
Discipleship at our Church
At ECC, we are committed to at least 10 core values that guide us in our discipleship practice. ...
Pastor Briefing: Perspective from the Paralytic
Recently, I was thinking about the paralytic described in Mark's gospel and how Jesus' interaction with the paralytic illustrates the priority of our spiritual needs. The paralytic was the man made famous when he was lowered through the rooftop of a crowded home into the presence of Jesus (Mark 2:1-12). The paralytic's friends had faith that Jesus could heal him. Hence, I ...
Keep ReadingPastor Briefing: Joshua Harris’ Announcement
How do we respond to Joshua Harris's announcement that he is getting divorced from both his wife and Christian faith? ...
Keep ReadingPastor Briefing: The EPC General Assembly
This year, the EPC General Assembly (GA) met in Denver, CO at the Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church. The GA is an annual gathering of ministers and ruling elders representing the 600 local churches across the country that make up the EPC. It is a time of ministry workshops, keynote addresses, worship services, commissioning of new missionaries, denominational reports, stand...
Keep ReadingPastor Briefing: Time in Red River Gorge
It has become an annual event for me to take some time off during the last full week of May leading up to Memorial Day weekend for a little rest and renewal. Over the last couple of years, my family and I have trekked down to the beautiful Red River Gorge, Kentucky for camping and hiking. This year we camped at the Koomer Ridge Campground, which is part of the Daniel Boon...
Keep ReadingPastor Briefing: The Basics Conference, May 2019
It is Monday, May 6 and I am with Michael Lyons and Isaac Gould. We are taking part in the Basics Pastors' Conference in Chagrin Falls, OH (near Cleveland) at Parkside Church hosted by pastor and author, Alistair Begg . The conference runs through Wednesday, May 8. The keynote speakers include Alistair Begg, Rico Tice, and Andy Gemmill. I would guess there are around 1000 ...
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The Importance of the Resurrection
And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain. ~Romans 15:14 It hasn't happened recently, but there have been occasions in my life when I have asked myself, "How do I really know that Christianity is true? How do I know that when I die, I won't wake up to some very different reality than the one described in the Bible?" W...
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Pastor Briefing: Presbytery
Three times a year the Presbytery of the Midwest meets over two days to conduct training, business, and worship. Our Presbytery includes more than 50 EPC churches located in Indiana, Michigan, and the western half of Ohio. Local EPC churches are expected to send their ministers (officially referred to as teaching elders) and ruling elders, as representatives. Our presbyter...
Keep ReadingThe 40 Day Prayer Covenant
For the greater part of my life, I have struggled to cultivate a disciplined private prayer life. One of the reasons I am a genuine cheerleader for the Prayer Covenant is it has been the tool that God has most used to genuinely improve my commitment to personal and intercessory prayer in recent years....
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Update on ECC’s Staff Transitions
Over the years, God has blessed this church with strong leaders and a great staff. I personally and looking forward to seeing what He has in store for us....
Keep ReadingGod’s Grace and Parenting
As a parent, how do I tap into God’s grace and connect my children to Him?...
Keep ReadingTransitions
By now, you have learned of Isaac Gould’s (ECC’s Director of Youth and Family Ministries) new call to serve as Pastor of Riverside Presbyterian Church in Sartelle, MN. This means that ECC will not be losing one, but two of our valued staff members....
Keep ReadingThe Purpose of ECC, part 4: Serving the World
This is the fourth and final part of a brief statement approved by the ECC Session to help further clarify what we mean by the ECC Purpose Statement. Our purpose statement reminds us that our primary God given calling is to be faithful followers of Jesus....
Keep ReadingThe Purpose of ECC, part 3: Loving One Another
Our purpose statement also provides a process for how we intend to grow and live as followers of Jesus. We follow Jesus faithfully by loving God, loving one another, and serving the world. Hence our purpose statement, what we are trying to accomplish, is also our process for getting there....
Keep ReadingThe Purpose of ECC, part 2: Loving God
Here is the second part of a brief statement approved by the ECC Session to help further clarify what we mean by the ECC Purpose Statement. The purpose statement is designed to remind us what it is that God requires of us as followers of Jesus....
Keep ReadingThe Purpose of ECC, part 1: Following Jesus
There is research that shows that the most effective churches doing ministry today are those that have a clear sense of purpose. With that in view, the Session has continued to think about what our church’s purpose statement means and how it can be used to bring clarity and focus to the ministries of ECC....
Keep ReadingSummer in the Burbs
Having lived in a suburb most of my life, I can both identify and enjoy the over-the-top depiction of middle-class suburban life. Unlike the movie depiction however, there are many people who can live in their suburban homes and even after 30 years, never really get to know those who live on the same street....
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Thoughts from the Book of Daniel
“How do we live faithful and effective lives in an increasingly secular world?”...
Keep ReadingThe Forty Day Prayer Covenant Follow-up
Pastor BriefingMay 6, 2015 By now, most of you have completed your 40 Day Prayer commitments. I, personally, felt very good about the 40 Day Prayer Covenant preaching series. Based on your feedback, I believe there has been more prayer among our congregation than ever before. I hope that you have experienced personal renewal through it. I know I have! I would encourage y...
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I Love Jesus but I Don’t Need the Church
If one takes a log out of a fire and throws it in the middle of a driveway, it will soon sputter and fizzle out. But if that log is cast into a hot fire with other logs, it will catch fire and burn brightly. Too many Christians are like a log trying hard to burn on its own in the middle of a driveway....
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The 40 Day Prayer Covenant
"...the ten lines of the prayer covenant comprise the critical contours of our Christian discipleship. They summarize what it means to follow Jesus."...
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