God-Centered and Christ-Honoring

April 8, 2026

Leadership Notes

     Easter worship was God-centered and Christ-honoring. I love how we sing, pray, lift-up God’s Word, and love each other. Covenant Church worship isn’t about numbers or showiness. It’s about followers of Jesus Christ aligning hearts and minds with the gospel. Worship is a beautiful thing. And I love how many of you, on special days like Easter, invite your extended family and/or friends to join in worship. That is another beautiful thing.

     Speaking of beautiful things…two more need mentioning.

     First, there’s the trip around the moon and back. And I’m going to let a negative move us into the positive.

     The negative. Some idiot reporter {notice I’m practicing great restraint here} reminded viewers that, “Apollo was all white men.” Are you kidding me? Not to be outdone in the idiot department {again, such restraint your pastor is exercising}, ESPN reported, “Former Cal Poly dual-sport athlete Victor Glover is set to become the first black man to pilot a flight around the moon.” As I’ve been known to say, “Tutored idiots.”

     Glover responded, “It’s the story of humanity, not black history, not women’s history, but that it becomes human history. I also HOPE we are pushing the other direction that one day we don’t have to talk about these first. That one day, this is just…and listen to this…that this is the human history.”

     Amen and Amen.

     Glover also said:

“When I read the Bible and I look at all the amazing things that were done

for us…You’re on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a

place to live in the universe, in the cosmos. In all of this emptiness,

this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe, you have this

oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together…”

     From the vast expanse of God’s Creation, we now move on to a slightly smaller space. Specifically, the hardwood court.

     Two quotes. From UCONN and UofM basketball players:

> Michigan G Nimari Burnett – “I read the Bible every single day…{My faith}

leads me to walk a Christ-led life.”

> Connecticut C Terris Reed – “The resurrection is everything. That’s like the

staple of Christianity…Without the resurrection, there is no Christian…

Jesus changed everything about me…The way I talk, the way I treat other

people…I’m really here to serve others.”

     Across the board, it’s so encouraging to hear young men of faith live out the gospel. They know who their Lord and Savior is, they articulate what they believe, and they are seeking to live out of those beliefs. That is such a good thing to see and hear. After reading about these two young basketball players, I have to say, I would have been happy with whoever won the championship. Amen?

     And now, for something completely different. I close without a Spurgeon quote. Instead, two anonymous quotes that, while not directly Biblical or theological, carry a whole hunk of truthful insight.

1.  “IF AN INSULT SHATTERS YOU AND A COMPLIMENT INFLATES YOUR EGO, THEN

YOUR MIND ISN’T REALLY YOURS – YOU’VE BECOME A SLAVE TO ANYONE WHO

OPENS THEIR MOUTH.”

2.  “CRAZY HOW PEACEFUL LIFE BECOMES WHEN YOU CHOOSE BOUNDARIES OVER

PLEASING PEOPLE, CONNECTION OVER ATTACHMENTS AND SOLITUDE OVER

FAKE COMPANY.”

     Those are worth remembering.

     With Much Love and Affection,

                   Richard