Advent Conspiracy is a movement that was started over a decade ago by a couple of pastors that wanted to push back against the commercialism of Christmas. They had four goals: Worship Fully Spend Less Give more Love All The movement started small—just a handful of churches who would try this experiment and make the Advent story personal again. The news spread…

This is my favorite holiday of the year, Thanksgiving!  I dislike the fact that it seems to get squeezed out as it sits between Halloween and Christmas.  In an increasingly secular culture, the complicated dimensions of Halloween and the economic boom of Christmas overshadow the tiny observation of Thanksgiving.  Obviously, Thanksgiving is a beautiful part of our American heritage, but it is…

Christmas time is always a great time to make sure that the community knows our doors are open to them and they’re welcome. To help encourage folks to stop by, we’re doing a couple of things that we wanted to make sure you knew about. You’ve been hearing about The Grinch movie night that will be happening Friday, December 6th from 6-9pm.…

In Matthew 25 (v.31-46), Jesus is wrapping up His earthly ministry and approaching the time of His disciples betrayal, His arrest, His bogus criminal conviction, His cruxifixction, and eventually, His resurrection.  In the midst of those events, Jesus says some of the most incredible things.  One of those had to do with identifying His authentic followers and therefore those who will inherit…

Christmas is on it way.  It is in full bloom in all of the stores.  It is a beautiful time of the year.  It is full of so many traditions.  It is full of smells and sounds and sights that fill our senses. This year we will ‘unwrap’ it like the other gifts we will receive.  It is boxed and covered with…

Benevolence is defined as “a generous gift or act of kindness.”   Benevolence is rooted and founded in the nature and character of God Himself.  He is all about gifts offered freely to those who are willing to receive them.  The New Testament reveals that the predominant gift that God bestows on us is His grace… an undeserved kindness that we could never…

We want to make sure you’re aware of the BASH we’re throwing for Karen Woolsey in celebration of her retirement from her roll as Director of Quest Kids.  When Quest first planted back in 2013, Karen was gracious enough to volunteer a year of her time to build our kids program from the ground up. That gift of a year grew into six and…

This next Monday afternoon, Mike Rohman and I will leave St. Louis and head east to Sofia, Bulgaria.  Besides the missionary family we will be visiting there (Shawn, Natalie, and Chris Key), I don’t think I have ever known anybody who has gone to Bulgaria.  I personally have been very close during the summer of 1980 when I ended up in Bor,…

A lot of times I try to figure out how ‘all the stuff fits together’ in life.  I rather enjoy putting things together: legos, puzzles, furniture, systems, processes, etc.  Though I am very relational in nature, I still like know how things “fit together.”  One of the biggest challenges I have faced in my years of ministry is understanding how all the…

In I Corinthians chapter 16, the apostle Paul is wrapping up his letter to this rambunctious young church.  As he closes the letter, he is unfolding his customary goodbye with a warm and informative bucket of information.  One of the items he is closing with relates to his desire and plans to have an extended visit with them again in the near…