WRITTEN BY Luke Suciu
A couple weeks ago in lieu of a sermon I gave what I called a “family discussion.” The church that I pastor (Hope) is very closely connected to our planting church (Wallen) and, based on conversations and meetings I felt like the substance of that discussion would be helpful to both congregations as well as many—possibly most—churches, so I am repackaging it in blog form.
The content of the that morning was built on two particular problems: Continue reading
WRITTEN BY Chase Ringler
We won’t spend eternity talking about politics. Actually, I’m not even sure if we will give a nanosecond to what so many in evangelical churches idolize. Yes, I said it, “idolize.” My scope of evangelicalism is limited to the United States, though I have come in contact with a few brothers and sisters in Christ from around the globe. These dear family members have repeatedly echoed the same thing, “American Christians talk about politics way more than we [fill in country of origin] do.” One German brother even went as far to say that what he saw in the United States was “concerning.” Continue reading
WRITTEN BY Jon Dammeyer
HCD Mission Statement: to meet the individual needs of each child in a safe and adaptive learning atmosphere where they can grow and learn about Christ.
I am excited to introduce to you a new ministry at Wallen! Over the past year we have been taking baby steps trying to develop a way to minister to our special needs children and families. Wallen has always been involved in trying to meet every need of all children in our church family. However, we have realized that there is not only an obvious growing need in our community but an incredible opportunity to give kids with unique needs the opportunity to experience the love of Jesus and understand who He is no matter what their cognitive abilities are.
WRITTEN BY Luke Suciu
Tim Kurkjian is a baseball writer who tells one of my favorite sports stories.
Ed Farmer was a relief pitcher who was facing Wayne Gross in an at bat that ended with Gross hitting a home run off of Farmer. That should be where the story ends, as an altogether uninteresting moment that happens hundreds of times during a baseball season . . . but baseball players are weird. Farmer thought Gross took too much time rounding the bases and he took offense. As a good baseball player who lives in a game of unwritten rules, he knew that the next time he faced Gross he was getting hit with a fastball.
WRITTEN BY Chase Ringler
We all have heard it. It usually starts, “Why can’t millennials…” or “Why are millennials so…” These phrases indicate there are cultural growing pains taking place in the United States right now and a number of these pains can be attributed to the millennial generation growing up (or as some would say, not growing up). The cultural upheavals that millennials are at the center of are not simply limited to secular society, but we see that the church is dealing with a millennial crisis as well. The main problem the church has with my generation is, “Millennials are not going to church!” Continue reading
WRITTEN BY Luke Suciu
It goes like this.
A Scottish man is traveling in Ireland and gets lost so he walks into a pub at 10 am looking for directions. As he walks up to the bartender the guy sitting closest to him, an Irish man, falls off his stool because he is too drunk to sit at 10 am. Continue reading
WRITTEN BY Jim Glover
I see it all the time. It annoys me. It frustrates me. It saddens me. It scares me.
I see it when I’m counseling a couple whose marriage is hanging by a thread. In a pivotal moment—when they’re finally listening to each other, his cell phone goes off. I’m shouting to myself, “Don’t answer it! Just ignore it! You’re in the middle of something far more important!” But he picks up his phone and starts reading his text messages. He doesn’t seem to care that at this critical moment, he’s distracted and his response to his wife will be diminished. Continue reading
WRITTEN BY Jon Dammeyer
What are we teaching our kids?
The other day the Lord put on my heart an interesting thought. Is the phrase “be more like Jesus” misleading our children into a legalistic work-based salvation? This phrase “be more like Jesus” is a common phrase used within Christian circles to encourage a lifestyle of avoiding sin and loving others and I would like to suggest that this is important to strive for but can be very confusing and can even be a huge detriment to your child’s faith. Continue reading
WRITTEN BY Christine Overholt
In an effort to keep the staff blog page alive and well, we have come up with a schedule. Without a schedule, while good intentions exist, the blog page may very well become irrelevant or obsolete as those posting, well…cease to post. It is now my turn. While I enjoy an opportunity to ponder a topic, I feel a great deal of thought is required before presenting said topic to the masses. This great deal of thought requires a great deal of time, which is where I find myself in a deficit. I am immediately overwhelmed with all the other irons I have placed in the fire and feel that I am obligated a “pass.” I have Bible studies to prepare, groups to lead, events to plan and a retreat around the corner. Surely I have a right not to fulfill my current obligation. And just like that, the bane of my existence appears once again, “my rights.”
In order to make this one syllable word seem more palatable, I prefer the more impressive four syllable word, “entitlement.” Continue reading
WRITTEN BY Luke Suciu
I pastor a small church, in a small urban neighborhood that no one would drive through unless you were trying to go there. There are times when it can feel like what is done simply doesn’t matter in the big scheme of things.
I don’t think this is a unique feeling to pastoral work, as many Christians feel that their lives of faith never really extend to national movements or are documented in videos that receive thousands of views. Their lives are full of just little faith with little moments and nothing that really warrants the type of attention that our culture seems to be fueled by. Continue reading
HEADWATERS CHURCH 