Pastor Dan (Page 4)

Scripture Psalms: 72 & 119:73-96 OT: Jer. 3:6-18 NT: Rom. 1:28––2:11 Gospel: John 5:1-18 Reflection Every year as we approach Easter there are television shows about Jesus. There are news interviews with experts about Jesus. The question on many people’s minds is, “Who was Jesus?” Jesus captures the imaginations of our world. He was so unique that 2,000 years later he still draws us in. Who was he? More to the point, who is he? There’s a great story in the Gospel of John, Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. InRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 61, 62 & 68:1-20 OT: Jer. 2:1-13 NT: Rom. 1:16-25 Gospel: John 4:43-54 Reflection What do you think of when you hear someone say, “The Gospel”? Some of us think about four point outlines or The Romans Road. Others think about service. Still others, think about the crucifixion and resurrection. Some people may think about Jesus being victorious over sin and death. You might think about how to get to heaven or how to avoid hell. Maybe you think about music. Do you think about power? Actually, do you think about an eternal power that undoes sin and death and ultimately overcomes theRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 56, 57, [58] & 64, 65 OT: Jer. 1:11-19 NT: Rom. 1:1-15 Gospel: John 4:27-42 Reflection Sometimes us pastors whine. We whine about how hard our calling is. “People are messy!” “We never get closure!” “I don’t feel like I make a difference!” Waaaa…waaa….waaa… I’m no stranger to this. Every once in a while a pity party feels just about right. Some times you get tired of the, “Hey you only work one day a week, right?” joke. As a pastor people tend to put me on a pedestal or try and pretend that I don’t exist. Either way, it can lend itselfRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 55 & 138, 139:1-17(18-23) OT: Deut. 11:18-28 NT: Heb. 5:1-10 Gospel: John 4:1-26 Reflection Do you have a group of people in your life that you just don’t like or trust? Maybe you don’t like black people. Maybe you don’t like white people. Maybe you don’t like brown people. Maybe you don’t like straight people. Maybe you don’t like gay people. Maybe you don’t like liberal people. Maybe you don’t like conservative people. Most of us have a “people” we just don’t like. This isn’t new. It’s pretty much the way people have been since, well, almost forever. People tend to not likeRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 95* & 40, 54 & 51 OT: Deut. 10:12-22 NT: Heb. 4:11-16 Gospel: John 3:22-36 Reflection Have you noticed when you’re around a University of Michigan grad you find that out in the first five minutes of the conversation? If you’ve ever been around a vegan, the same principle applies. The cross-fitter may be the best example of this! While these are all generalizations and are used as punch lines to jokes, there is some real truth to them. Why? Because these people have experienced significant life change through their experiences and these things have, in a sense, placed a song in their heart.Read More →

Scripture Psalms: 50 & 46 OT: Deut. 9:23––10:5 NT: Heb. 4:1-10 Gospel: John 3:16-21 Reflection There are times when we don’t think God cares about us. For some of us, we think that we are so good off compared to others that God doesn’t need to hear about our troubles. So, we hold them back from him. We think, “God has bigger things on his plate to worry about.” Our world seems to be coming apart at the seams and our little issues don’t appear to be that big. So, we hold them back from him.  We also want to please God. This desire toRead More →

Scripture: Psalms: 119:49-72, 49, [53] OT: Deut. 9:13-21 NT: Heb. 3:12-19 Gospel: John 2:23––3:15 Reflection: “Just me and Jesus.” Have you heard that before? It’s one of the single greatest lies that Christians have ever bought into. Before the printing press, the local church or the Synagogue had a copy of the Scriptures. For a person to hear them they had to go when the congregation was meeting. They would hear the Scripture read and expounded on. They would try and memorize it. There would be ongoing conversations between meeting times on the Scripture with one another to help one another remember. The people ofRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 45 & 47, 48 OT: Deut. 9:4-12 NT: Heb. 3:1-11 Gospel: John 2:13-22 Reflection One of my favorite authors is Eugene Peterson. He’s a pastor’s pastor. This man translated the Message while he was pastoring a local church. He has written extensively on what it means to be a pastor and what it means to be the church. One of my favorite quotes of his is this, The vocation of pastor has been replaced by the strategies of religious entrepreneurs with business plans. — Eugene Peterson (@PetersonDaily) February 16, 2017 The church has by and large lost its way. It has become aRead More →

The Scripture: Psalms: 41, 52, 44 OT: Deut. 8:11-20 NT: Heb. 2:11-18 Gospel: John 2:1-12 The Reflection: “Don’t forget where you’ve come from.” That’s something that a lot of athletes say. Have you noticed that? Many of our greatest athletes come from unbelievably difficult circumstances. After they hit it big, many give back to where they came from. They don’t want to forget their story and where they came from. My story is like many others. I grew up in a single mother home. Mom worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. There were a number of years after my parents divorce where finances wereRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 30, 32 & 42, 43 OT: Deut. 7:17-26 NT: Titus 3:1-15 Gospel: John 1:43-51 Reflection I will never forget the day. I was sixteen and had had my driver’s license for a few weeks. It was one of those fall days in Michigan where the leaves had fallen and there was a thick dew. My family lived in a small neighborhood shaped like a horseshoe. On my way to school I was changing CDs and not paying attention. I looked up to see I was running out of road. I slammed on the brakes and turned the car. I had hit the wetRead More →