Creation April 26, 2004
Mike is a good guide and a fine companion for an adventure. He had been on North Manitou Island before and knew his way around. He once canoed from South Manitou to North Manitou Island in choppy waters. This was a distance of seven miles through a graveyard of ships and he lived to tell about it. He told us that story after hiking miles in the sun around the west side of the Island one morning. It was getting warm in the sun. We climbed up to the top of the bluff to discover a breeze as refreshing as the view. Kyle, Chuck and I stood looking out over the Manitou passage and persuaded Mike to tell his heroic tale again. He was eager to oblige. He is so outgoing he makes me look like an introvert. We stood looking out toward South Manitou and savored the cool breeze and the stunning view. It was about that time I gave Mike a trail name that he kept with him when he section-hiked the Appalachian Trail. He still calls himself Manitou Mike.
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Jesus Is Worthy – Sermon Audio April 22, 2004
I spoke at Five Points Community Church of Auburn Hills, Michigan this past Sunday. You can listen the sermon I preached, Jesus Is Worthy, from their website.
Swift-Growing Trees April 20, 2004
One evening I was reading on the porch enjoying the cool of the evening. The sun set and the light faded. I put my book away and enjoyed the cool evening and the lights blinking on in the darkening night. The moon rose into the eastern sky. It looked big as it always does when it is near the horizon. For a moment the moon hovered between two Blue Spruce trees at the corner the neighbor’s house. Beyond was the spire of Trinity Church. For the first time it occurred to me how much and how quickly the trees had grown. We had lived in the house about six years. In that time the trees had grown from below the roofline to three feet above. I hadn’t taken time before to notice that they were growing but they were.
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Fasting April 9, 2004
If you are interested in weight management you should consider the historic Christian discipline of fasting for reasons different than you probably think. Fasting should not be seen as a weight-loss method. Fasting is focusing our attention and affection on God. Fasting is delighting in God over food.
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Zeal… and Planning April 5, 2004
Sometimes zeal can get you into trouble. I once organized a project to replace the roof on the home of our beloved visitation pastor, Clyde Afman. I knew the skilled men would need to be there to build the new roof. I recruited young men and older boys to do the work of tearing off the old roof.
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