Scripture Reading — Exodus 13:3, 14-16“In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. . . .’”— Exodus 13:14My father-in-law tells a story about his grandfather returning from Norway with a
Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 3:18Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.— 2 Peter 3:18Megan, Kayla, and Kailyn Flowers grew up as the youngest children in a family of 13 siblings. They became involved in the church during their preteen years. Every day, they would walk a
Scripture Reading — Romans 12:3-8In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.— Romans 12:5DeWitt is a beloved part of our church family. He was the first neighborhood kid to meet Rev. Tony Van Zanten, who served at Roseland before me. Seeing nowhere for young
Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 3:8-11We are co-workers in God’s service. . . .— 1 Corinthians 3:9On Sundays as I stand in the pulpit at Roseland Christian Ministries, I see DeWitt Casey at the congas to my left, Ryan Krestel at the drums, and David Walker to my right at the keyboard. Ryan and I h
Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:8-11Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace. . . .— 1 Peter 4:10Jim and Mary live down the street from Roseland Christian Ministries (RCM). Retirees, they pour their heart and soul into our thrift store
Scripture Reading — Acts 2:42-47Every day they continued to meet together. . . . They broke bread . . . and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.— Acts 2:46For the first seven years of my life, we lived in a small town on the Mississippi Ri
Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:39-12:4Surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us . . . run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.— Hebrews 12:1-2Each year, our church community holds a solemn celebration. We set up table
Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 18:1-4The pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.— Jeremiah 18:4Donald sold drugs, and Felisha was one of his customers. When she was arrested, she was pressured to reveal his n
Scripture Reading — Ecclesiastes 4:9-10Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. . . .— Ecclesiastes 4:9-10When I was an intern at Roseland Christian Ministries, Phil Walker was one of the first people who befri
Scripture Reading — Ephesians 1:3-6In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ. . . .— Ephesians 1:4-5Jorie loved her daughter, Sarah, deeply, but amid the challenges of trauma and poverty she couldn’t care for Sarah in the way that was needed. Sarah’s father was in prison
Scripture Reading — Ephesians 2:19-22You are . . . fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household. . . .— Ephesians 2:19-20A special group of four or five misfits started coming to church. They were invited by Deacon Watts, who met them at Sunday breakfast and welcomed them into
Scripture Reading — Isaiah 1:17“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”— Isaiah 1:17On January 1, 2004, our neighbor Brenda Smith was shot four times while walking home at night, and I witnessed the aftermath. At that
