In January 2006, I officially left my position as a youth pastor and set off full-time as a church planter in Lansing, MI. I was 22 when I went to the assessment center in August 2005 and was ready to save the world a few months later at 23. I was naive, arrogant, insecure and […]
Interview with “Failed” Church Planter Jeremy Dowsett
The church Jeremy Dowsett started 10 years ago closed its doors in 2015. In this interview, Jeremy takes us behind the curtain of how he’s handled this emotionally and spiritually. Every church planter who has gone through this experience is going to be unique and Jeremy is no exception. The interview walks through the flaws […]
Being a Christian apart from the local church is much worse than it seems
There’s a lot of reasons Christians don’t go to church. Some seem legitimate on the surface, others don’t. The Church is not perfect by any means and you’ll never find a perfect local church, but is any one Christian perfect? Can an imperfect Christian exclude themselves from the local church based on its imperfection, when […]
Worshiping an Uncool God in a Cool Culture
The USA Today section of my Lansing State Journal has an article in it with the startling title “Multitasking teens pick texting over sleeping.” The article goes on to say how teens spend around 9 hours a day on “entertainment media” which includes social media, music, gaming or online videos, (i.e. time on their smart […]
How God Uses Failure to Protect Us, Mold Us & Mature Us
Look back on your life at the times you learned the deepest lessons. Look back on your life at the times you were most desperate for God. Look back on your life at the times you accused God of abandoning or neglecting you. There’s a good chance that the memories that come to mind here […]
Podcast Interview with Noel Heikkinen on Anxiety, Avoiding Burnout & Guarding Against Ego and Sexual Sin
Episode #10 of the “Behind the Curtain” Ministry Podcast is here! Noah Filipiak interviews Noel Heikkinen, one of the pastors at Riverview Church in Holt, Lansing and East Lansing, MI. Riverview is a church made up of around 3000 – 4000 people that has 4 venues in the Lansing area. Noel and Noah discuss the […]