Dear Rose Park,

Over the past few weeks, Simon has been swimming with the West Ottawa age group swim team. He’s been having so much fun not only because he gets to swim two to three times a week, but also because he gets to do it with some of his best friends (Emma Welsch and all the Taber kids just to name a few). While Simon is swimming, Sam and I will sit in the stands and chat with other parents and Winnie typically makes a friend and plays. On Monday night though, Winnie gave us a bit of a scare.

Dear Rose Park,

Have you seen or heard of those places where you can go axe-throwing? In previous generations you went to a bar or restaurant and played darts. Now you can go to a place where you can overhand throw an axe at a dart board. I’ve never been, but I have to admit it does sound a bit of fun. As I saw an advertisement one afternoon for one of these places, I thought of my devotional earlier in the day and then I thought of you all.

Dear Rose Park,

Have you ever attended to a theater production and actually felt like you were in the play itself? Ever been transfixed by a movie, television show, or even book that you felt immersed in the context, the struggle, the character development, and the resolution? In a sense, this is exactly what the season of Advent invites us into.

Dear Rose Park,

This past Thursday, Sam and I went to visit Jim and Vonnie Boeve over the noon hour. A day prior, Jim had called me to share they had received the heartbreaking news of the death of their eighteen-year-old great-grandson, Max, in a motorcycle accident. As Sam and I sat with Jim and Vonnie in their living room, we heard stories filled with joy and memories filled with tears. As we were leaving, Vonnie made sure to give us each a hug and tell us to, “count your many blessings.”

Dear Rose Park,

Thank you.  Thank you for being you.  Thank you for all that you do to bless not only Sam, Simon, Winn and I, but all that you do to bless Rose Park, the community of Holland, and the Kingdom of God. 

Dear Rose Park,

Last week, my family and I drove to Zeeland East High School to watch Ava Lemire play volleyball. On the way, my daughter Winnie asked me: Dad, how do you know the way to this place? My initial response was simply to say because I just know the way. As I’ve had some to think about that question, I’ve also thought of Jesus and you.

Dear Rose Park,

In Jesus’ most famous sermon, The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), He says these words: blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. It can be very tempting in our current cultural moment to either see that peace is a posture of weakness or that peace is such a lofty goal that it will never be achieved anyways. As people who love Jesus, we cannot call either of these postures home.

Dear Rose Park,

As I mentioned in last week’s letter, a small group from Rose Park was able to attend a Generation Spark conference last Friday in Grand Rapids (for a more detailed look at Generation Spark, click here). I can safely speak on behalf of the entire group, it was a wonderful time of worship, play, discernment, discussion, and imagination. God’s Holy Spirit is clearly alive and well in the life of the Church as faith is being sparked and fanned from one generation to another.

Dear Rose Park,

This coming Friday, a small group of us from Rose Park will be attending a Generation Spark conference in Grand Rapids (for more information on Generation Spark, click here). I anticipate this time to be filled with prayer, discernment, worship and Word. It will be a time of intergenerational listening and vision-casting as we hope for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and anticipate international ministry finding a home here at Rose Park.

Dear Rose Park,

According to a 2021 Pew Research Report, roughly a quarter of the American population hadn’t read a book (printed, audio, or electronic) in the past year. I imagine many of us recognize the importance of reading. We know it helps our minds, vocabularies, and worldviews to grow. We know how reading to children helps benefit the development of their brains and social skills. We also know, as Christians, that we should be reading our bibles more.