The Simpleton Blog

Pastor’s Bookshelf - Welcome to my bookshelf! Each month I will discuss a recent book that I’ve finished. This month I’d like to talk about BELOVED By Francis Chan Long ago, I promoted an older book called “Crazy Love” by the same author. Crazy Love was written in the early days of his ministry and sort of launched him onto the national stage. Now, with Beloved, Francis is looking back on his decades of ministry in this extremely compelling work. It’s a beautiful reflecti

You can WATCH the full sermon HERE , otherwise keep reading! Boy, it is good to be back. You know we’ve been going through this series on the ten commandments - and this week we’re talking about sabbath. Now some of you might not know, i haven’t been here very much over the last few weeks. I was in Texas, and then I was in Chicago, then I was over in Waterford for my dad’s retirement and then I had a wedding out in Frankenmuth. Even last week - I was here, not preaching but

[You can WATCH the full message HERE, otherwise keep reading!] How do you get God to say “yes” to your prayers? Is there a negotiation tactic that works? Is there a posture, if you pray on your knees is it more likely he’ll say yes? If I dress nicer - does God lean in to hear me? Is there a certain amount of good deeds I need to do - how do I get God to say “yes”? What’s the formula I need to punch into the vending machine to get my blessing to drop? You know when I was a kid

Why would a slave go back to their abusive master? Why do women stay with husbands who treat them like dirt? Why do we stay in jobs where we are miserable and underappreciated? Why do people sometimes move backwards? When I think about the civil war, and the emancipation proclamation - all those slaves suddenly were free men. In my head they’re standing in a field, maybe they’ve got a hoe or a rake or something, and a man rides by calling out “you’re free!” and in a moment th