Blog - Great Lakes Regional Conference

Soaring: With the Future

How about this? A Brethren in Christ bishop finding words from the U.S. Army that align with his thinking about a similar necessity in the Church. The article I read spoke of a new major command structure, called, simply enough: “The Futures Command.” Said the army secretary, “The present has consumed the future.” Another spokesperson… Read On

Published July 12, 2018

Soaring: With Lessons Learned in Malawi, Africa

Soaring: With Lessons Learned in Malawi, Africa

In late October I had the privilege of traveling to Malawi; I saw the Church serving the forgotten people: widows, child-led households, and children with special needs. I saw models for growing crops that yielded four times more than the… Read On

Published February 21, 2018

Soaring: The Glory of Story

Soaring: The Glory of Story

I have known the power of story in a sermon — persons almost yanking their head up to hear. Over Christmas I read Donald Miller’s Building a Story Brand. Here he connects storytelling to growing a business. Intuitively I believe that story has… Read On

Published February 20, 2018

Soaring: With the Gospel Amidst Contentious National Conversations

Constantly you are in the work of linking the purposes of God to persons living out their lives. You declare the story of God as the true story. You lift up Jesus as the Messiah of God, declaring that there is salvation in his name. You describe the… Read On

Published August 31, 2017

Soaring: With Camp Meetings

Soaring: With Camp Meetings

Roxbury Holiness Camp, in Roxbury, Pa., began in the mid-1930s; Memorial Holiness Camp (MHC) began in West Milton, Ohio, in the mid-1940s. I grew up attending Roxbury Camp; I just finished attending my first MHC. Camp meetings provide extended time… Read On

Published August 3, 2017

Soaring: With a Denomination

Soaring: With a Denomination

The name “denomination,” as referring to a family of churches, has had a rough time of it over the last 40 years, but I think its stock may be rising. I met with a church-planting leadership team recently, and I said, “Denominations are very… Read On

Published June 28, 2017

Soaring: Big Peace

Soaring: Big Peace

I was touring Wright Patterson Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. I saw massive equipment; I also saw a display describing the Berlin airlift during the year spanning June 1948 to May 1949. Via powerful airplanes 1.5 million tons of coal and 500,000… Read On

Published June 20, 2017

Soaring: When Your Day Is Full

Soaring: When Your Day Is Full

When the day is full, when the week is full, when the assignments are many, when your feelings aren’t so confident — hear this: (reflections from Colossians 2:9-10). In Jesus the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. That’s good. Now note:… Read On

Published June 1, 2017

Soaring: Imagination

Soaring: Imagination

My friend, Dr. Terry Brensinger, seminary president and vice president of Fresno Pacific University has this quote from Thomas Moore in his email signature: “It’s my conviction that slight shifts in imagination have more impact on living than… Read On

Published May 8, 2017