The Cost of a Very Good Thing

Dear New Hope, What would you be willing to pay for a haircut?  Or a steak sandwich from Manhattan?  Or a knee surgery? A July 2018 Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article on men’s haircuts explored the wide variety of price tags associated with a hair trim. While most...

Short But Sweet

Dear New Hope, The last 4 weeks of ministry have been exceptionally busy. Preparations for fall ministry have been taking place at rapid succession. Long hours have been the norm as we have been recruiting, developing, and deploying leadership teams to commit to a...

People Need People

  Dear New Hope, I recently sat in a group with 7 parents who each shared their story about how opioid abuse has affected their families. It was emotional, tearful, painful, and yet mysteriously encouraging as people identified with the journey of other families. The...

A Bad (and Voluntarily Sinful) Habit

The Deliberate Sin of Irregular Church Attendance Dear New Hope, A 2017 study by George Barna revealed the top de-churched cities in America. Surprisingly, in the top 20 de-churched regions, the Traverse City/Cadillac area is #14 on the national list. This means that,...

Life is Easier in a Peloton

The Importance of Life in Small Group Community Dear New Hope, I am an avid road cyclist. No other exercise can trump the joy of cycling in the early morning hours with a cool Northern Michigan breeze, surrounded by the beauty of water and orchard vistas. After I’ve...

Do Not Disturb

What would a day look like if we could hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign up on life? How would our week change if we weren’t always at the beck and call of people’s expectations? Would chaos actually erupt in the world if we turned our cell phones off for an entire day?...