The Promise of Faith

“I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”

― C. S. Lewis

Christianity is hailed and even sold as a way of life that will bring you comfort and consolation.  Our favorite psalms speak of God as a caring shepherd, a protecting divinity, a provider, and a compassionate friend.  Our most beloved hymns remind us that Jesus is our friend, that God is our faithful provider, and that he watches over us along with the sparrows.  Some preachers present Christianity as a path to prosperity while evangelists promise us paradise on the other side of death.

And of course, all of that is true (except maybe the prosperity part).  God and Jesus and Christianity bring us unspeakable blessings.  But God and Jesus and Christianity will also call us to suffer, to die to ourselves, and to patient endurance.  It is a gauntlet we must run if we want to follow Jesus.  But it is a gauntlet we will never run alone.  God is with us.  And on the other end of that gauntlet is more joy than we can imagine.  Christianity may augment the happiness that comes your way.   But it won’t make you happy.  If you find yourself comfortable for too long, you probably aren’t fully following Jesus.  The promise of faith is that it will connect you to the Creator of the universe and offer you life in his name - a life that is true life.

Our Hearts' Desire

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

Almost since the start of Christianity, there has been a “prosperity gospel.”  This is the idea that God will give us material blessings and make everything go smoothly for us if we have enough faith.  I heard it expressed this way once: “If a drug dealer is driving a nice car, God’s children should be driving even nicer cars.”  This view is supported by Bible passages like Psalm 37:4: “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

But God would be doing us a disservice if he aimed at meeting our material desires.  A nice car and a big house and a successful career would be monopoly money if he didn’t give us the real currency of peace, wisdom, love, and a place in his family.  We get mesmerized with the rings on God’s finger when God is offering us himself - hands and heart.  There is no guarantee that we will get the lesser things we long for.  But when we desire God, that is a desire God never fails to fulfill.

Best Interest

“We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.”

― C.S. Lewis

My prayer life is a real tug o’ war with God.  At this stage of my life, I am operating under the assumption that God is sovereign and good.  I’ve had plenty of doubts over my life, but for the most part I take this as a given: God is working toward my best interest and greatest good (see Romans 8:28).  And this is where the tug o’ war really gets tense.  

I have lived long enough to know that what I want and my greatest good are not the same thing.  I have reluctantly accepted the fact that what is in my best interest is often not the thing or things that I am praying for.  I tug on the rope, trying to pull God my way, asking him to do things my way.  I ask him to resolve situations in a certain manner.  But God pulls back on the rope and resolves them in a way that strengthens my faith and triggers growth in my life.  I wait in discomfort while God does beautiful things in me and those I love.  We endure seasons of suffering while God is producing a bumper crop of growth and goodness.  It would probably behoove me to let go of the rope and surrender to God’s best for me.  But, man, it hurts!

Edification

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

This analogy speaks for itself.  There are a lot of great truths in this quote from CS Lewis that don’t require me to point them out or expand on them.  I want to highlight one truth, however, that may be a bit more implicit: the glory of the palace we are becoming is much greater than the pain of the rebuilding process.  This is the difference between suffering and Christian suffering.  General suffering must simply be endured like a stubbed toe or a headache.  Christian suffering is productive suffering, like giving birth or healing from a joint replacement.  I suppose there is nothing wrong with being a cottage unless you were meant to be a palace.  Becoming like Jesus means that God is rebuilding us.  The rebuilding process is not always comfortable.  But it is infinitely productive.

At a Minimum

I’ve spent a lot of time over the years thinking about what makes a follower of Jesus different from everyone else.  In the early days of Christianity, when most people worshiped pagan gods in a local temple, it was pretty easy to suss out who the Christians were.  They were the ones NOT going into pagan temples.  These days, church attendance isn’t always so obvious.  We’ve resorted to things like putting bumper stickers on our cars or wearing t-shirts that make it clear: I am a Christian.  But if these external symbols weren’t available, what would be the evidence from my life that would make my faith clear?

There is one thing that should identify us as followers of Jesus from the start: kindness.  Not only is it one of the fruit of the Spirit, it is basic to being a Christian.  And a lack of kindness can very quickly destroy our Christian witness.  At a minimum, we should be holding doors, wishing people a good day, tipping servers well, smiling, helping, and keeping an open posture to people.  If kindness is not a part of our lives, nothing else we do to identify ourselves with Jesus will have much value.  Kindness is our baseline.  It’s the bare minimum.

Needed: Administrative Assistant

At FCC, we’ve been blessed with a number of long-term staff members. Some of us have served on staff for over a decade. One area where we’ve struggled in the last few years is our administrative assistant. We’ve come to see just how important this position is in representing the church, supporting staff, and keeping things moving forward. Our staff is hardworking and dedicated, and that has gotten us through all the transition. However, to be at our best, a gifted administrative assistant is required.

We are once again looking for a new administrative assistant. In the meantime, Eve Geschiere is helping us out on a temporary basis (Thanks, Eve!) before she begins a job in Austin, TX in September. This is a part-time position that offers competitive pay, a great staff team, and some flexibility. It also serves a wonderful community of people! Here’s how you can help. First, spread the word. If you’re seeing this on Facebook or Instagram, share it. If you’re getting this in our Connections email, forward it to anyone who might be interested. Second, the most important thing you can do is pray. Pray that God brings us the right person at the right time. Click here to see the complete job description, qualifications, and expectations.

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity is a Christ-centered nonprofit organization dedicated to putting God’s love into action by helping families build strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter. Rooted in the belief that everyone deserves a decent place to live, Habitat partners with families in need, volunteers, and donors to construct and repair homes in communities around the world. Families who partner with Habitat contribute “sweat equity” by helping build their own homes alongside volunteers, and they are given the opportunity to purchase their homes with affordable mortgages. It’s a powerful expression of faith in action, offering hope, dignity, and a tangible demonstration of God’s love. Habitat for Humanity invites the church to live out the call in James 2:17: “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

We get the chance to partner with Habitat this summer to build a home here in Ferrysburg. Although I don't have an exact start date, construction is rarely on time, so I want to give all of you a chance to sign up to volunteer. Habitat will not make you do anything you are uncomfortable with and will do its best to find something for everyone to do. If you want to help us serve our community and help with Habitat to build this home, please use this link https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1N8RfIFqKWrp37wo2FZBkKGxX3PluTHhOZYLxcdVQCU4/edit

Or scan the QR code to fill out the form, so we can provide you with the information as soon as it becomes available to us.

The Best Country

[Some patriotism] is not a sentiment but a belief: a firm, even prosaic belief that our own nation, in sober fact, has long been, and still is markedly superior to all others. I once ventured to say to an old clergyman who was voicing this sort of patriotism, “But, sir, aren’t we told that every people thinks its own men the bravest and its own women the fairest in the world?” He replied with total gravity—he could not have been graver if he had been saying the Creed at the altar—“Yes, but in England it’s true.”

-CS Lewis, The Four Loves

I’ve had the opportunity to travel to three different countries in the past few months.  What I saw and realized is that people in the Czech Republic and Scotland and England love their country just as much as we love America.  They love their country with all its quirks and imperfections, perhaps even for all its quirks and imperfections.  As we wrap up celebrations of our nation’s birthday, it’s good for us to remember that our country isn’t perfect, nor has it ever been.  No matter who is president or which party is in control, America will always have flaws.  We can love our country even when it disappoints us, fails us, or gets it wrong.  And we can do this for two reasons.  First, because America is our country.  She may not be perfect, but she’s ours.  Second, because we already belong to a perfect kingdom, one that cannot fail, we don’t need our country to be perfect or even the best.  Our hope is firmly set on the kingdom of God, a kingdom that will prevail above all earthly powers and nations.

On Being Good

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” - C.S. Lewis

There are many things about Christianity that get misunderstood. I’ve encountered all kinds of misperceptions about angels, what happens after we die, God’s involvement (or lack thereof) in our world, and especially in biblical interpretation. All of these things are important and ought to be set straight. But the most serious and deadly misunderstanding of Christianity is this: the belief that we need to be good enough for God to love us, bless us, and rescue us.

Ask a random person about the core of Christian belief, and they will likely tell you that it’s about living a good life so that you can go to heaven. Or that Christianity is essentially a level of moral achievement. Nothing could be farther from the truth! Christian belief always begins with God’s love and his desire to redeem and rescue us. We can never be good enough for God to love us. But God loves us so much that he will transform us and make us good.

Where You’re Planted

“I have received no assurance that anything we can do will eradicate suffering. I think the best results are obtained by people who work quietly away at limited objectives, such as the abolition of the slave trade, or prison reform, or factory acts, or tuberculosis, not by those who think they can achieve universal justice, or health, or peace. I think the art of life consists in tackling each immediate evil as well as we can.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

Those who want to change the world never will.  Those who want to make a simple difference rarely fail.  We have seen the most powerful people in the world try and fail to effect global change.  For our own good and protection, God does not give mere humans the power to change the world.  But we are given the power to make a difference.  We can leave every situation better than we found it.  We can invest in a specific person, place, or issue consistently over time.  We can bloom where we are planted.  Perhaps that’s how God changes the world - all of his children making a difference right where they are.  Each of us is a candle burning in this world of darkness, bringing light - you in your small corner and I in mine.

A Prayer for True North VBS

Lori Houskamp

Dear Lord,

We pray for all the participants who will be coming to True North. You know the names and the needs of the 115 kids we are expecting, and the names and needs of any additional kids who come. We pray for those who are anxious or apprehensive, for those who have allergies or ADHD, for those who have diagnoses of diabetes or Down syndrome, for those with physical disabilities and for those dealing with disabilities that are not seen, for those dealing with language barriers and for those experiencing other barriers to living in a relationship with you, for those coming from fragmented families and for those coming from a healthy home life, for those who are coming with friends and for those who are coming in need of a friend, for those coming for the first time and for those coming who have been coming for more than five years, for those who have never heard about Jesus and for those who hear regularly about God. We pray you will work through True North to touch kids' lives with your truth and love. Please help them to trust you and live in a relationship with you.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

VBS and Vision

Our vision at FCC is to become more like Jesus by growing closer to God, deeper in his family, and louder in his world.  Everything we do is aimed at that.  So how does True North VBS fit in with our vision?

Closer to God - our kids and volunteers hear the stories from God’s word, worship, and reflect on God’s work in their lives throughout the week.  

Deeper in God’s Family - relationships are formed among kids, student volunteers, and adults.  This week especially prioritizes intergenerational relationships.

Louder in God’s World - many of the kids who come to VBS don’t have a church family.  Every day they hear the Good News and have opportunities to respond to God’s love in Christ.

True North VBS isn’t just a one-off, unrelated event that we do each summer.  It is powerfully pursuant to our goal of helping people become more like Jesus.  One week from today, True North VBS begins.  Please pray that we can live out our vision next week!

To Love Is to Be Vulnerable

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Abiding in Christ

Drew DeVries

Maybe I'm the only one, but this winter seemed to hit me harder than others. As much as I love the snow, going through the grey days can be difficult. As summer starts and the weather turns warmer and brighter, with our routines shifting, it's easy to become busy with travel, rest, and recreation—things that are good and needed. But even in the change of pace, we should be reminded of Jesus’ words in John 15: “Abide in me, and I in you.” Abiding in Christ isn’t seasonal—it’s a daily invitation to remain close to Him, to stay rooted in His Word, and to draw strength from His presence no matter where we are or what we’re doing. Summer can be a time of refreshing not just physically, but spiritually, as we intentionally slow down and reconnect with the Lord.

Let’s use this season to seek God in new ways—whether that’s through quiet mornings in His Word, worship under open skies, or moments of prayer during our travels. As we abide in Him, He promises that we will bear fruit, even in seasons of rest. Let’s not lose sight of the one who made us, but instead deepen our walk with Jesus, carrying His peace, joy, and love into all that summer holds.

Something Spectacular

Lori Houskamp

Last year was the first time I ever observed the Northern Lights. How stunning to see purple, teal, electric green, and fuchsia streaks and pillars of light dramatically punctuate the sky. It is both exciting and rare to witness something as spectacular as the Northern Lights. This summer, we hope to provide an opportunity for kids and volunteers to experience something truly spectacular at our True North Adventure. One of our rooms will have the Northern Lights on display, and our crew leader’s shirts will reflect the vibrant kaleidoscope of this celestial phenomenon. But beyond the exciting decor, it is truly spectacular to see our church family come together for an amazing week. What a joy to see people of all ages unite for this adventure. What a blessing to have gifted leaders, assistants, administrators, childcare providers, snack providers, and more serve together so we can all experience a mountaintop week!

Our True North Adventure is five weeks away. Please pray. Pray that God’s glory will be on display and He will be worshiped and honored throughout our week. Pray we will notice God Sightings at every turn. Pray that our participants and volunteers will be drawn into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with Jesus. Pray we will be drawn closer as a church family as around 70 volunteers team up for this adventure. Pray for kids from our community to come so we can announce God’s love and truth to close to 100 kids. Pray we will all learn more about how to trust God in this wild world.

Celebration and Sorrow

Lori Houskamp

Yesterday we had a church-wide celebration service followed by a celebration luncheon. We are currently in the fifty days of Eastertide, which should rightly be marked by celebration. But then, I think of Mary crying outside of Jesus’ tomb, and conclude that tears can be appropriate during this season, too. I think of the women and Jesus’ disciples sitting in sadness. It hurt to no longer have Jesus with them. It hurts when we have loved ones who are no longer physically present. We know loved ones who have died now experience joy in God’s presence. Yes, joy wins. Yet, sometimes our sorrows like sea billows roll. As we learn to live without a sister or spouse, parent or child, family member or friend, we ache. In our sadness, we can turn to the God of all comfort. Psalm 56:8 (The Message) says, “You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book.” We can take comfort in knowing that God is present in our pain. We have a shepherd who is with us when we walk through the darkest valley. And, at the end of the dark valley, we find hope. Hope finds a way to affirm the victory of Christ’s resurrection. We can profess with David the final words of Psalm 23 (NIV), “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” As Easter people, we can concurrently experience sorrow and proclaim celebration.

Looking For Resurrection

Nate Visker

Typically, we think of the resurrection as an event that happened 2,000 years ago.  It was a one-time occurrence that we can look back on and celebrate.  It does some very wonderful things for us, but it is a moment in history.  In Matthew’s account of the resurrection, he describes it as an earthquake.  And the truth is that it has never stopped quaking.  Since that day in Jerusalem, the tremors have been going on.  If we pay attention, we can still feel them.

We experience the rumble of resurrection when God answers a prayer.  We feel it when we forgive or are forgiven.  The tremors can be felt when we worship or take delight in the work of our hands.  Any time we experience joy or hope or sacrificial love, the earthquake is still happening.  All of these things have their roots in the resurrection of Jesus.  Yes, Jesus was raised to new life at a moment in history.  But the resurrection continues on in all of these ways.  If you keep your eyes and heart open, you will see and feel it all around you today.

The Next Six Weeks

Nate Visker

By the time you read this, I will be on my way to the monastery to begin my sabbatical.  I’ll be away for six weeks for a time of spiritual restoration and continuing education.  There is one thing I’m quite certain of.  These six weeks will fly by.  The next thing I know May will be gone and I will be getting ready to return.  This time will pass quickly for you too.  These six weeks include soccer games, Mothers’ Day, graduations, and Memorial Day.  By the time you hear someone say that Pastor Nate will be back next Sunday, you’ll think, “Wow. That went by fast!”

My next six weeks are designed to be a time of rest and growth.  It’s a time focused on renewal and learning.  Your next six weeks can be a time of growth and learning too.  You might not go to a prayer cabin or a monastery.  But God is present in your life.  He is always inviting you deeper into a relationship with him.  He’s in the business of changing lives like yours and mine, and he doesn’t need a spiritual retreat to do it.  So what do you say?  Let’s meet up in six weeks and see what God has done in our lives.  See you then!

The Whole Week

The Whole Week

Holy Week is bookended by two remarkable Sundays.  Yesterday was Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem to great fanfare.  Yesterday, it was a day of victory.  Palm Sunday was Jesus’ out-and-out claim to be the promised Messiah.  Next Sunday we will celebrate the greatest victory ever - Jesus’ resurrection from the grave.  The temptation is that we can simply hop from one joyous Sunday to the next.  It’s a temptation we must avoid.

The space in between these two Sundays is what makes them so joyous and great.  Jesus didn’t just conquer death.  He first bore the sins and sorrow of the whole world.  We can’t get to Easter without Good Friday.  Without death there is no resurrection.  So as we go through Holy Week, make sure you stay connected to the whole week, not just the Sundays on either end.  A great way to do this is at our Maundy Thursday service.  Another is to spend some time reflecting on Christ’s love and passion on your own.  Having connected to Jesus’ death makes Easter even sweeter. 

Our World (Still) Belongs to God

This powerful reminder is brought to us by the opening paragraphs of Our World Belongs to God, a contemporary testimony of what we believe.

As followers of Jesus Christ,

living in this world—

which some seek to control,

and others view with despair—

we declare with joy and trust:

Our world belongs to God!

From the beginning,

through all the crises of our times,

until the kingdom fully comes,

God keeps covenant forever:

Our world belongs to God!

God is King: Let the earth be glad!

Christ is victor: his rule has begun!

The Spirit is at work: creation is renewed!

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!