Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

/1 Comment/in /by

 

Written by Mike Verkaik 

A few weeks ago, on a Saturday, I ran into a couple of my former students from Holland Christian while having lunch at Chick-Fil-A with two friends, Grant and Albert. As they came up to us they said to Grant, “Hey, I heard you went sledding. Josh told us that you were going with Mike, but the only Mike he could think of was Mr. Verkaik, but he thought that couldn’t be the case.” Surprise, surprise, it was! This sixty-four year old can still get up and down the hill and take a few bumps with my padded snow pants on.

For the past eight years I have had the privilege of building relationships, through events like sledding, with people both at the Wooden Shoe motel and traveling to South Africa for two weeks. This past summer the two separate ministries collided as Albert, a former resident at the motel, traveled with the Holland Christian summer team to South Africa. In South Africa is where Grant, Albert and Levi (not able to make it sledding) met and maintain a friendship since returning. Hence, I received the text strand that started that week with the statement, “Hey, let’s go sledding this Saturday!”

For some reason in our relationship, Grant and Albert don’t see my age, or think sledding might not be wise for me. Dawn on the other hand had a much more cautious viewpoint as I left the house with the words, “Mike, be careful and don’t do anything crazy” ringing in my ears. By the way those words of wisdom were adhered to as I chose carefully the places I where I would sled.

So, why would I go sledding? Well, I do enjoy being active and God created me with an adventurous, fun-loving spirit, for sure, but primarily it is because I have a deep desire to develop a Christian mentoring/discipleship relationship with people.

What God has taught me through my time of teaching, classroom management, and the last eight years of ministry is this; organic Christian mentorship can flow and grow naturally out of existing friendships and life-on-life relationships. It is through the natural rhythms of life, such as sledding, running errands, sharing meals, having a milkshake, or for that matter doing business where the Holy Spirit provides an opportunity for vulnerability and conversations to organically reveal our dependence, love and trust in our heavenly Father.

I have learned that as friendships are developed, people can be quite open and receptive to faith conversations when they occur in the context of those genuine relationships. Actually, many of those discussions begin with their questions for me, so, I continue to remind myself that I do not have to force the conversations, or will them to happen. Actually, our greatest need is prayer. With prayer as a key opening both of our hearts and minds, we have everything we need through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us to be ready to speak His truth when the time comes.

Pauls words to the Colossians continue to speak this truth to us today:

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. …
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.                                                                                                     Col. 4 : (2 and 6)

This morning my Bible reading was 1 John 1-4. As I read the introduction I was reminded again how God’s desire is for us to have intentional love relationships with others. Here are the words paraphrased from John’s letter: “God is love! Everyone needs assurance from God that they are loved and cherished. And when we receive His love, we are free to share it with others. As we love one another, we have the assurance that are are God’s true spiritual children.” (TPT)

Oh, the places we could go as God melds our personality, passions, and physical abilities together to bring us into His glorious Kingdom of people longing to experience His love through us. It is probably not sledding or South Africa for you, so what is it? Who is it? Remember, Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as a guide, so will we trust Him and let Him guide.

A Powerful Prayer for Peace in 2026

/0 Comments/in /by

Somedays it seems we live in a world that consistently attacks our souls with strife and division. Such intrusions or peace robbers bombard us externally bringing chaos and concern, and internally with spiritual battles within our heart and mind. How do we find peace in the midst of such uncontrollable storms?

The ancient prayer called “The Serenity Prayer”  recently was brought to mind.  Perhaps you’ve seen a shorter version of it on the wall in someone’s house or if you’ve ever been to a recovery meeting you would have heard it prayed by the group. The full version of this prayer is powerful, comforting, and flows from the heart of Scripture.

The focus of this prayer for peace is a call to give up control, and surrender your life to the One who rules over all with His sovereign power. The prayer is a challenge to live in Christ’s will and not our own will, which will bring forth both freedom and an inner peace which flows down from the Kingdom of Heaven.

In this New Year I have challenged myself to make the points of this prayer a daily practice. My hope is to overcome the chaos from within and without through this prayer of trust and surrender.

If you are struggling to find peace take a few minutes and slowly, meditatively, and maybe even on your knees bring these words to your Father and seek the peace only His Spirit can fill you with.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time,

enjoying one moment at a time,

accepting hardship as the pathway to peace, 

taking, as He did, the sinful world as it is, 

not as I would have it,

trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His will – that I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him forever.  Amen!

Living in His Slipstream

/0 Comments/in /by

On Christmas Eve my son TJ called to invite me on a bike ride, he promised we’d back before the church service.  It was a perfect day to ride except for the fact I hadn’t been on my bike in awhile, but how could I say no. The ride brought back memories of the days when the kids were younger and we would go riding together. If one of them got tired I would tell them to tuck in behind me and stay in my slipstream to block the wind.  Now many years I tuck in behind their slipstream and let them break the wind for their old man.

Over the last several weeks I’ve been pondering slipstream from a spiritual perspective. With a recent milestone birthday and a few more ailments I’m more aware of my physical and spiritual weakness.  In reality I have always been spiritually weak and powerless over my sin and brokenness. Over the years, I’ve tried in my own strength to ride into the wind, to handle whatever life throws along the way, and even convinced myself I could power through by pumping a little harder. The truth is the winds of adversity inevitably leave me depleted. I simply am unable to make the spiritual ride on my own.

But there is good news! The Gospel message from Christmas to the Cross is that Christ has come and He is the One to tuck us behind His slipstream. We need His help battling sin, Satan’s lies, and the seductions of the world.  And I am so thankful He provides a way to make it to the end of the race!

The author of Hebrews depicts life as an endurance race where we are called to throw off the heavy weight of our sin and take the next steps of the race in the slipstream of Jesus Christ by – “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

There have been plenty of times biking up a mountain and my legs grow weary and don’t think I can pedal anymore, but then I fix my eyes on my son’s back tire-not what is ahead-knowing if I can change my focus and hold on the climb will be easier. Praise God we have a Savior who holds on to us through His powerful work on the cross to destroy the weight of our sin and shame and calls us to focus on Him not our circumstances. When we maintain our focus on Him we realize our Savior is no longer on the cross but reigns victoriously at the right hand of the Father’s throne in Heaven.

What a life can be like when we decide to live in Jesus’ slipstream! Jesus blazed the road ahead of us so that we can live and be seated with Him in the heavenly realm with our loving Father (Ephesians 2:6).  As we start 2026 will you join me in making our focus on Jesus!  We can draft behind His perfection, protection, power, peace, pleasure and His loving presence!  Oh what a glorious ride to live in His slipstream!