Reaching out from Grand Lake Community Chapel

Wednesday, January 10, 2024


Greetings in Christ!

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!  Let us rejoice in the arrival of winter (??) and let us be glad for the men and women who go out in the teeth of the storm to clear away the snow so that we can travel in safety.  Or if you prefer, let us rejoice in the arrival of winter, and let us be glad for the warmth of hearth and home, good books, and classic movies on TV.  Either way, those of us who have been hoping for snow so that we can get our winter toys out of storage are happy indeed; and those of us who prefer warmer weather can curl up next to the fire with a warm beverage and sneer at the snow blanketing the earth.

Days like this remind us of the sometimes-unpredictable trajectory of life.  True enough, the weather forecasters gave us something of a head’s up earlier in the week; but with the usual caveats about when and how much and how long, we’re conditioned to take their prognostications with a grain of salt. And so today’s snowfall was heavier than some had predicted, less than some had feared, and generally disruptive to our plans.  How marvelous!  Our carefully laid out plans probably won’t come to fruition today, because we’ve had to clear our driveways, or schools are closed and so the kids are at home, or an anticipated delivery didn’t happen.  But consider the possibilities that are now available; there’s that book we’ve wanted to finish since before Christmas, a project or two that we haven’t been able to find the time to address, or maybe there’s a devotion or Bible study that we’ve wanted to pick up; now that would be a great use of a snowy January day, wouldn’t it?  As we read in Ecclesiastes, “There is a time for every matter under Heaven,” and many of us have been presented with some unplanned time today.  So how about picking up that devotion, or Bible, or prayer guide, and spend some of this day communing with your Lord and Savior, your indwelling Holy Spirit, and your Heavenly Father?  They’d love to spend the day with you!!

Blessings to you!

Karen and Greg

Home: (989) 474-9116, Cell:  (734) 502-5969
revgregrc@yahoo.com  /  revgreggl@yahoo.com 
revkarenrc@yahoo.com / revkarengl@yahoo.com

There is a time for everything, and a season for
every activity under the heavens Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)

Reaching out from Grand Lake Community Chapel

Wednesday, January 3, 2024


Greetings in Christ!

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!  Let us rejoice in this 9th Day of Christmas, and let us be glad for three more days to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child!  And let us rejoice in the nine ladies dancing with joy as the Season of Christmas continues, and let us be glad that no more wildlife is expected to arrive in our homes – partridges, turtledoves, French hens, geese, and swans are quite enough!

  A new year has dawned, and the news from around the world is pretty much bad; ongoing wars, earthquakes, aviation accidents, and unrest in cities.  Not much reason to be dancing with joy, is there?  Except there is.  There always is.  For winter sports enthusiasts, the weather is finally coming around to a more seasonable pattern; for non-winter sports enthusiasts, there are fireplaces and hot cocoa and good books to enjoy.  For all of us, there are the unlimited possibilities of a new year, and there are the unlimited possibilities of our lives with Christ.  Remember that in his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes (4:13) “I can do all things through him who strengthens me,” and that throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, dancing is embraced as a means of honoring God, so does it not follow that since we can do all things through Christ, we shouldn’t refrain from dancing with joy as a way of expressing our gratitude?  Now, we understand that not everybody is a gifted dancer, and that a lot of us are entirely uncomfortable with the idea of dancing in public, but maybe every now and again over the course of the year to come, we can overcome our fears and engage in an impromptu moment of unbridled joyful dancing.  What can it hurt, and what benefits might it bring?  Happy New Year!! Blessings to you!

Karen and Greg

Home: (989) 474-9116, Cell:  (734) 502-5969
revgregrc@yahoo.com  /  revgreggl@yahoo.com 
revkarenrc@yahoo.com / revkarengl@yahoo.com

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13

Reaching out from Grand Lake Community Chapel

Wednesday, December 27, 2023


Greetings in Christ!

        This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!  Let us rejoice in this Season of Christmas, and let us be glad for the ongoing celebration of the birth of the Christ Child that is ours to claim!  We hope the three French hens that your true love gave to you today aren’t making too much noise, and that the two turtledoves that you received yesterday aren’t being too messy…  Bet you just can’t wait for the pipers and drummers to show up just before Epiphany rolls around on January 6^th!

        As we work our way through the twelve days of the Christmas Season, whether or not the animals, gold rings, and performers come to your house as the popular carol describes, we hope that you can take time each and every day to think and pray about the birth of Christ means to you.  As the excitement of Christmas Day begins to fade, as the wrapping paper is cleaned up and the cookies are slowly consumed; what does the birth of a baby boy in the ancient Middle East really mean?  We all know what we’re “supposed” to say; love came down at Christmas, light came into the world, the Prince of Peace has come to rule the nations.  But each of us receives the gift of Christ in ways that are unique to us, because we are all unique individuals, and this short season of the church year blesses us with a rare opportunity to think and pray about how we want to incorporate Christ into our lives.  Without a doubt, those descriptions of Jesus Christ that we’ve heard throughout our lives are absolutely true, but how do these descriptions fit into your relationship with the Son of God?  Do they fill you with wonder, or with fear?  Do they inspire you, or intimidate you?  Have you given yourself over entirely to him, or are you holding back a bit?  There are no right answers, but there is one wrong one– saying “no” to the gift that is Christ Jesus our Lord.

Blessings to you during this holy season!

Karen and Greg

Home: (989) 474-9116, Cell:  (734) 502-5969
revgregrc@yahoo.com  /  revgreggl@yahoo.com 
revkarenrc@yahoo.com / revkarengl@yahoo.com

You will have joy and gladness,

and many will rejoice at his birth. Luke 1:14

Reaching out from Grand Lake Community Chapel

Wednesday, December 20, 2023


Greetings in Christ!

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!  Let us rejoice in this last full day of autumn, and let us be glad for the winter solstice that arrives at 10:27 p.m. EST on Thursday!  The rather wild, unseasonable swings in the weather over the course of this fall has had us raking leaves on one day, shoveling snow the next, and hanging on for dear life in gale-force winds on the day that followed!  Here’s hoping that the arrival of winter, on the shortest day of the year, will lend a degree of predictability to our days!

Something else that will lend a degree of predictability is Christmas Day; most of us have well-defined, predictable routines for the great day on which we celebrate the birth of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, that have evolved over many years.  Of course, we hope that you will join us in worship on Christmas Eve, as we hold our traditional candlelight services; but the next morning when we awake, everything will have changed.  Certainly many of us will gather ’round the Christmas tree, some in our jammies, some in our holiday best, some with a steaming mug of coffee (or hot chocolate); many of us will exchange gifts with our loved ones, delight in watching our children or grandchildren tear open their packages, or sit quietly with our special love.  All of us, ALL of us, should remember what the day is really all about, and focus our attention on the only gift that really matters – the Christ Child.  It seems that often this little detail is overlooked in our celebrations, that the reason for the season is overshadowed by the tinsel glittering on the tree or the contents of the next package to be opened; don’t let that happen this year.  Enjoy your traditions, revel in your loved ones, but above all else, honor the Light of the World.  After all, it’s His big day!

Blessings to you during this holy season!

Karen and Greg

Home: (989) 474-9116, Cell:  (734) 502-5969
revgregrc@yahoo.com  /  revgreggl@yahoo.com 
revkarenrc@yahoo.com / revkarengl@yahoo.com

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Reaching out from Grand Lake Community Chapel

Wednesday, December 6, 2023


Greetings in Christ!

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!  Let us rejoice in this crisp late autumn day and let us be glad that we have twelve days left to take advantage of the gift of Advent to finalize our preparations for the arrival of the Christ Child!  Some among us are rejoicing at the lack of snow and are glad for clear roads, sidewalks, and driveways; some among us are sad about the lack of snow, because wintertime toys are sitting idle.  Rest assured that the snow will come, and that those who are sad today will be rejoicing when the ground is covered with a pristine white blanket.

In the meantime, we are reminded that this coming Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent, is “joy” Sunday; we will light the pink candle on the Advent wreath, and we will be called to rejoice at the approaching birth of Jesus.  Also known as Gaudete Sunday from the Latin word for rejoice, this day invites us to celebrate with joy all the gifts and blessings we enjoy as children of the Most High God, and to eagerly anticipate the joy of Christmas Day.  But how truly joyful can we be when the world around us seems bound and determined to tear itself apart?  How are we to rejoice when we hear of wars, crime, devastating storms and earthquakes, and economic distress?  We can rejoice because the promise made to us is that the days are surely coming when all things will be made right; truth and justice will prevail, light will overcome the darkness, and love will rule the Earth.  We aren’t told when these things will come to pass, but we know that they are coming; and we know that the process of fixing the challenges of the world will get an enormous boost on Christmas Day.  We have much to be thankful for, and therefore many reasons to rejoice.  We wish you all the very best as our Advent observations continue.

Blessings to you during this holy season.

Karen and Greg

Home: (989) 474-9116, Cell:  (734) 502-5969
revgregrc@yahoo.com  /  revgreggl@yahoo.com 
revkarenrc@yahoo.com / revkarengl@yahoo.com

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Reaching out from Grand Lake Community Chapel

Wednesday, December 6, 2023


Greetings in Christ!

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!  Let us rejoice in the joys of the season and let us be glad that we have more than two weeks left to finish preparing the way of the Lord in our hearts and souls!  We know that the last-minute shopping push is well underway, with stores and on-line retailers urging us to hurry up and buy, but there’s no last-minute push to get ready for that which truly matters; we will celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25th, and we’re confident that we will be ready to receive him.

   Have you ever wondered what Advent and Christmas would look like if the holidays hadn’t become so heavily commercialized?  If, in the words of Ebenezer Scrooge, Christmas hadn’t become a “humbug – a waste of time and money. A false and commercial festival, devoutly to be ignored.”  Even during the 19th Century, when Charles Dickens penned “A Christmas Carol,” there was some sentiment that the true meaning of Christmas, the reason for the season, if you will, had been lost to a flurry of buying and selling; it’s only been magnified in the centuries that have followed.  It would be an interesting exercise to try to identify just when it was that this profoundly religious festival began to turn into the “false and commercial festival” that old Ebenezer described, but that is a task for a different day.  Today, our task is to embrace Advent, to embrace the true meaning of the candles on the Advent wreath; to embrace the little child that is to be born to us; and to make hope, peace, joy, and love the touchstones of our lives from this day forward. 

Blessings to you during this holy season.

Karen and Greg

Home: (989) 474-9116, Cell:  (734) 502-5969
revgregrc@yahoo.com  /  revgreggl@yahoo.com 
revkarenrc@yahoo.com / revkarengl@yahoo.com

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
1 John 4:16b

Reaching out from Grand Lake Community Chapel

Wednesday, November 29, 2023


Greetings in Christ!

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!  Let us rejoice in the blanket of fresh snow on the ground, and let us be glad that the weather forecast is offering us a bit of a respite over the course of the next few days so that those of us who haven’t completed all of our change-of-season preparations can catch up!  And yes, that includes your pastors…

This week is kind of unique; we’re not yet into the Season of Advent, but we’re no longer in “Ordinary Time,” those days following Pentecost that make up most of the church year.  This week is very much an in-between time, that is best used to finalize our preparations for the season of preparation and waiting that we know as Advent.  Preparing to prepare might seem to be something of a head-scratcher, but bear with us for a moment– preparing to prepare involves clearing our decks of clutter and distraction, whether we’re talking about getting ready for a big project around the house or getting ready to observe a holy Advent, during which our entire focus is on preparing the way of the Lord in our hearts, minds, and souls.  We have been presented with a rare opportunity to tie up all the loose ends of our faith lives so that the incredible, amazing, wondrous, and glorious events leading up to the birth of our Savior can be celebrated without reservation.  So take advantage of this week to prepare for the season of preparation; it will be well worth the effort!!

God bless you!

Karen and Greg

Home: (989) 474-9116, Cell:  (734) 502-5969
revgregrc@yahoo.com  /  revgreggl@yahoo.com 
revkarenrc@yahoo.com / revkarengl@yahoo.com

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:42

Reaching out from Grand Lake Community Chapel

Wednesday, November 22, 2023


Greetings in Christ!

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!  Let us rejoice in the arrival of Thanksgiving Day, and let us be glad for family, friends, good food, and the blessings that God has showered upon us all!  Tomorrow marks the beginning of the holiday season in the United States, and it is beyond fitting that the first event of the season is a day of thanks.

Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One, give thanks because he’s given Jesus Christ, his Son; so go the lyrics to a much-loved hymn composed in 1978.  This hymn has been stuck in our heads for several days, as we started planning for the Presque Isle County Community Thanksgiving service that we celebrated this past Monday evening.  And it’s a perfect hymn to carry in our hearts today, and throughout the entire holiday season; we all have much to be thankful for, even if sometimes it feels as if the wheels are coming off the world.  Living Up North, we’re blessed with clean air and water, relative safety, and a lifestyle that can’t be beat.  We’re blessed with generous friends and neighbors, who give freely of their time, talent, and treasure to aid those in need.  At this time of the year, we’re blessed with gatherings of loved ones to share fellowship and favorite foods (and maybe celebrate the Detroit Lions getting to an 8-2 record!).  We may wish for a few more dollars in our bank accounts, we may be facing medical concerns, our families may be spread across the world and can’t come home for the holiday, but still we can be thankful.  We must be thankful, because we are children of God, brothers and sisters in Christ, and we know beyond any doubt that our lives are in good hands.  So give thanks with a grateful heart tomorrow, and every day that follows; because God is good, all the time.  And all the time, God is good.

God bless you!

Karen and Greg

Home: (989) 474-9116, Cell:  (734) 502-5969
revgregrc@yahoo.com  /  revgreggl@yahoo.com 
revkarenrc@yahoo.com / revkarengl@yahoo.com

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Reaching out from Grand Lake Community Chapel

Wednesday, November 15, 2023


Greetings in Christ!

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!  Let us rejoice in a truly lovely mid-autumn day, and let us be glad for those partaking of the opening day of firearms deer season that it’s not raining and bitterly cold (although we understand that a bit of tracking snow might be welcome)!  Our prayers are with those out in the field for a safe and successful hunt.

Opening day of deer season marks something of a “hinge” in the year; a week ahead of Thanksgiving in the United States, today could be thought of as the calm before the storm of the holidays.  While our mailboxes and email inboxes are stuffed with catalogs and sales flyers, and store shelves are loaded with potential gifts, for many of us the craziness of the end of the year celebrations hasn’t quite hit home yet.  Come Monday, meal planning for Thanksgiving gatherings will begin in earnest, then next Friday (Black Friday for those in the retail world) unleashes a buying frenzy both in stores and on-line.  After these two big events, the next five weeks will be packed with special worship services, parties, travel, treats, and last-minute shopping.  For some, the holidays are exhilarating, for others they’re depressing; for all of us, they should be a time for reflection.  Reflection, because the modern word “holiday” derives from the Old English word halidaeg, or “holy day.”  While it may not feel like it at times, the upcoming holiday season is supposed to be a holy season; one in which we acknowledge the One who has given us everything we need, and one in which we celebrate those gifts and blessings.  These next several weeks are not supposed to be all about food, football, and overspending; they are supposed to be holy days on which we give thanks and praise.  Truthfully, they can be about both, if we’ll just make a slight adjustment in our points of view.  Today is the calm before the storm.  Today can also be the beginning of a truly holy time in our lives.

God bless you!
Karen and Greg

Home: (989) 474-9116, Cell:  (734) 502-5969
revgregrc@yahoo.com  /  revgreggl@yahoo.com 
revkarenrc@yahoo.com / revkarengl@yahoo.com

“Be still, and know that I am God.  Psalm 46:10a

Reaching out from Grand Lake Community Chapel

Wednesday, November 8, 2023


Greetings in Christ!

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!  Let us rejoice in the “calm before the storm” of firearms deer season’s upcoming opening on November 15th, and let us be glad for the camaraderie and fun of deer camp for those who partake of this culturally and ecologically important season.  Deer season is such a big part of our Up North way of life, even if we aren’t hunters or members of a hunter’s family, so let us all celebrate with the hunters and wish them safety and success!

With all that’s going on in the world, so much of it less than good and joyful, traditions like going to deer camp take on a new level of significance; at camp, the outside world and its problems can seem very far away, and therefore less troubling.  As we approach the holidays, traditions like gathering for Thanksgiving meals or decorating our homes or putting together Christmas wish lists serve the same purpose; they shift our focus away from worry and fear, towards hope and joy.  There may not be a lot we can do to solve the problems of the world other than fervent prayer, but there is a lot we can do to brighten our days and those of our family and friends.  We can spend time together, enjoying cherished traditions; we can break bread together, tell stories and laugh and sing.  We can pool our resources, and bring relief to the hungry in our communities, and provide for a bit of holiday cheer in the lives of those who are struggling.  We can be our best selves, honoring the One in whom we place our trust, and radiate peace and love on all those we love (and those we are called to love).  We can rejoice and be glad that we are children of the Most High God, for that is indeed who we are.

God bless you!
Karen and Greg

Home: (989) 474-9116, Cell:  (734) 502-5969
revgregrc@yahoo.com  /  revgreggl@yahoo.com 
revkarenrc@yahoo.com / revkarengl@yahoo.com

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Psalm 19:1–5