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Freedom misunderstood: The perils in our county elections
Below is my column in today's issue of the Grand Haven Tribune. One of the wise points in our local election system here in Grand Haven is that the elections to City Council and for mayor are...
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Listening to the Unchurched & Dechurched
One of the central aspects of our congregation's Mission, Vision, and Plan for the Future is to try and be more intentional (and curious!) about questions related to evangelism, welcome, and...
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Christianity, the Gun Lobby, and Peacemakers
Below is my column in this week's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.We’ve all had around a week to process it, but I know many of you are still reeling from the horror of the school shooting in...
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How a Book is a Book (and Why it Still Matters)
[Edited after the HoB Vote on July 9 at 7:50pm].I've been spending the past couple of days in Baltimore as an Alternate Clergy Deputy from the Diocese of Western Michigan at the 80th General Convention...
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Proudly Free – A Sermon for Pride
Below is the transcription of my sermon from our parish's 2022 Community PRIDE Worship on the Waterfront in Grand Haven, MI, on Sunday, June 26, 2022. The sermon may also be viewed on YouTube here. Our...
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Let's look at abortion from a position of all faiths
Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.I read with interest the column from my colleague, Pastor John Koedyker, on “Looking at abortion from a position of faith” (July 13). I...
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Giving thanks for the history and service of the Coast Guard
Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.Growing up in Grand Haven, I remember regularly hearing complaints about the crowds of people descending upon our city for the Coast...
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The Call of Labor Day for the Christian
Below is my column from the September 7 edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. I know many of you, similar to me, likely enjoyed the traditional three-day weekend which ends summer each year. I’m always...
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Vote for the Interest of All Kids and Against Censorship
Below is my column in this week's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. It’s been around two years since I first wrote in this newspaper, expressing concerns of the efforts of some individuals in our...
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Impact versus Integrity: A Correction
The following is a column I have submitted to the Grand Haven Tribune to correct a very unfortunate typo in the first paragraph of my column published yesterday. Yesterday, in my column on the attempts...
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Not all boys are boys; not all girls are girls
My column in today’s edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.Last week, one of my fellow community columnists asked a question. On Oct. 25, Geri McCaleb wrote, “What’s extreme about recognizing that boys...
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Combatting the corrosive power of Christian nationalism
Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. A few years ago, before the current debates and arguments about the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners, I attended a meeting where...
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More Pride Needed in Grand Haven
Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. Two years ago, in the summer, I stood on the stage at Waterfront Stadium and looked out over a crowd filled with rainbows.When my...
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A Queer Place on Holy Week
Below is my column in today’s edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.Last year, when our church started hosting the Lakeshore GSA – Gender, Sexuality, and Allies – Youth Group (find out more at...
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Lives are at stake in Ottawa County
Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.Like many Ottawa County residents, I looked with trepidation to the swearing in of the new Ottawa Impact majority board of...
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The Virtue of Pride
Below is the cover article in the June 2023 edition of our congregation's monthly Parish Page. In the weekly E-Newsletter for June 1, I wrote about the history and meaning of Pride Month for the LGBTQ...
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The importance of drag to the Pride movement (and the health of kids)
Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.As so many are working hard to prepare for Grand Haven’s first Pride Festival, I have been struck by the outpouring of support and...
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Independence Day: Time to set the planet free from our destruction
Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. The weather certainly made for a less-than-perfect weekend in the lead-up to the Fourth of July.When the smoke from the Canadian...
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Outside smear attacks beneath our city politics
Below is my column in today’s edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.Residents of the Grand Haven area received an unexpected surprise over the Coast Guard weekend. As we were focused on celebrating those...
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The BLP governance structure is broken; let’s fix it
Below is my article in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. Last month I joined a secret cabal.Well, I would guess some of you are sure I’m already a member of several – and it’s true, I am one...
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City Council, the BLP, and an investigation
Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. This has been quite a few weeks for Grand Haven, our City Council, and the Board of Light & Power (BLP). As what happened over the...
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Venn diagrams of right-wing belief (or, Ottawa Impact is not the only problem)
Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. There is much happening in our society right now, much of it interrelated. And it is essential for us to be clear about connections...
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Competing celebrations of January 6: Insurrection or Epiphany
Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.The other day, I read somewhere in social media that January 6 has become a “high holy day” for those on the far-right of our country...
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The stretching experience of Lent
Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.Linguistics and the development of languages are subjects that have long interested me. As I studied Biblical Greek and Biblical Hebrew...
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Support for Israel’s war must end: Terrorism does not excuse genocide
Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.One of the great blessings of my life has been the opportunity to make a few different visits to the Holy Land, both to study and...
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