Evergreen Connection
National Day of Prayer: A Declaration of Dependence
For nearly seventy years, America has observed a National Day of Prayer. It is a day for the nation that 245 years ago declared its independence from Great Britain to declare its dependence on God. The increasingly traumatic and complex problems afflicting our country make it clear that our need for God has only increased […]
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Rebuilding After Hurricane Covid
One of my monthly routines as a pastor is to look through the church directory to figure out who is still connected in the family and who may be drifting away. This has always been a challenging task for many reasons. The most obvious difficulty is the sheer number of people. Around five or six hundred people […]
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Blood Brotherhood
It just dawned on me church family: We’re blood brothers (or brother and sister)! When we’re washed in the shed blood of Jesus, we’re brought into God’s family. We’re siblings and there’s not a thing that can change that! Not distance, not change in ministry, not lack of communication, nothing! Similar to how nothing can […]
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Launching a Lead Pastor
I am looking at one the green response cards we have in the sanctuary chair pockets and it is dated May 24, 2015. It was the first time Matt Daniells had ever been in Evergreen’s building. He, Annette and their four kids (at the time) were here on their first candidating visit and he left […]
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Children’s Ministry Co-op
I got to have my 4-year-old niece sit with me a few weeks ago during the church service. I loved watching her listen to Pastor Toby, and field the questions that his sermon created in her. I love getting to answer her questions, and help her make sense of God. I love the conversations with her as […]
Continue ReadingSharing Christ’s Passion
The week leading up to Easter is traditionally called Passion Week and I hope to share a word that will sharpen your readiness to meet the living Christ during this greatest of all holy days. As I began to write, I realized that I did not know with certainty how and why this title came […]
Continue ReadingIncreasing Our Seating AND Our Sending Capacity
“We shouldn’t measure a church by its seating capacity, but by its sending capacity.” I’m not sure who came up with that statement, but I’ve heard it many times and I largely agree with it. The point is that the important measure of a church is their level of engagement in the mission Jesus gave us, […]
Continue ReadingNot the WiFi. The Enemy.
If you’re a part of the congregation that has been fellowshipping with the church family as a part of the livestream these past couple of weeks, then you know firsthand that it’s been a rough go. We had issues two weeks ago that caused the stream to go down completely. After thinking that we knew […]
Continue ReadingA Thanksgiving Dinner in March
I am not a picky eater. Whenever Kristin asks me if I’d rather have quesadillas for lunch or leftover lasagna, my standard reply is “food’s my favorite.” It’s my way of saying that I would be truly happy with either option and don’t have a preference. I am privileged to live in a land where […]
Continue ReadingMission Means Action
When Jesus said “you shall be my witnesses” it was clear his commission would lead his followers to take action. Not just a moment of action, or a season of action, but an entire life spent asking, “Alright Jesus, what next? How can I serve you?” Today I will highlight three notable action items that […]
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