Podcasts about okemos

Today, we had a special musical performance of Seek Ye First with Megan Nyquist and Addie Thompson, on handbells at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Third Sunday after Pentecost June 29, 2025 Faith, Okemos I Kings 19:15-16, 19-21. Psalm 16, Galatians 5:1, 13-25[26], Luke 9:52-62   The apostle Paul wrote, I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  Galatians 2:20   …it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me…   [And these words from Paul's letter to the church in Rome: Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  Therefore, we have been buried with him by baptism into death. So that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life…So you must also consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.  Romans 6:3-4, 11]     As I was preparing this week for a small group study of the life and writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I thought a lot about his vocation as a pastor in Germany in the 1930's and 40's, about his participation in the escalating resistance to Hitler's Nazi regime.  Dietrich came to believe that Christ truly lived in him and that Christ Jesus living in him did battle with the forces of darkness within his own soul and within the soul of the nation he deeply loved.   My brothers and sisters, I believe that Jesus living in Dietrich also lives in now each of us.  Know that in our restlessness and fear in this troubling time, Jesus is doing battle in and with us against our leanings toward despair and  anxiety and cynicism, against our leanings toward disgust and hatred of other sisters and brothers perhaps in all three branches of our government with whom we may have come to increasingly distrust and despise.    I think of the huge budget reconciliation bill now before Congress, a bill affecting countless of the poorest, the most vulnerable among us, a bill negatively affecting our efforts to conserve and preserve the Earth.  Members of Congress and we whom they represent could easily give way to what St. Paul includes in what he calls “the works of the flesh”:  heightened strife, anger, quarrels, dissensions, and factions.   But if it is really true that “it is no longer [we] who live, but rather Christ Jesus who lives in [us]”, then our hearts, our words, and our behaviors radically change.  Then these beautiful words increasingly become who we are:  people of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.       But let us make no mistake: as long as we live in a fallen world, we remain vulnerable to speaking and acting badly, even in a congregation so full of love as this one we so cherish.  In uncertain, stressful times we could can be nasty or at least indifferent to each other.  We could hurt one another even if unintentionally, whether we are young or old, whether new or long-time members.    That was certainly true in the little church in Galatia.  Harsh, ill-considered, judgmental words and behaviors toward one another threatened to irreparably break the bonds of love and kindness that held them together, wounds that effectively muted their witness to God's mercy and grace.    The little church in Galatia and our congregation in Okemos, Michigan did have this in common:  the same crucified and risen and healing Jesus Christ who lived in the Galatian congregation 2000 years later also lives in us.  They were then and we are now the very presence of Christ!  Individually and collectively, we are called to be the very presence of Jesus in this time and in this community whenever our love for one another and for our neighbors especially in Meridian Township is clearly expressed.   But when these Galatian sisters and brothers sinned against each other, and if and when we sin against one another, this same indwelling God who spoke plainly and firmly in their hearts through this little letter to them from Paul, now speaks words of judgment plainly and firmly in our hearts.  Christ Jesus dwelling in their hearts, this Jesus, through the Holy Spirit who convicted them of their sins, now truly dwelling in our hearts, will convict us of our sins against each other.  But Jesus, the Son of God, gave them, and now will give us both the courage and the humility to repent, to put to death our pride and stubbornness, and to ask for forgiveness from those we have hurt.   It has been and it will be a wonderful thing to be part of a congregation where members can courageously acknowledge to one another their lack of kindness or patience or gentleness or self-control.  It has been and it will be a wonderful thing when we can say to one another, “Please forgive me” and to hear back, “I forgive you.” It is a wonderful thing when we regularly practice confession and forgiveness with one another!  This practice may be the most primary, most powerful, deepest witness we can give to our own families, to our neighbors, to a country, to a world so divided, so full of hate.      Confession and forgiveness “levels the playing field.”  In it no one of us is either higher or lower than any of our siblings.  Before God we are all sinners.  And in Christ Jesus, we are all saints, truly cleansed and forgiven through Jesus' death on the cross for us.  Until we reach our heavenly home heaven, we will always be both sinners who need to repent and saints who have been forgiven.   There is great freedom is this dual reality.  We are set free from having to prove how good we are, how much better or better behaved we are than others, how surely “we are right” and “they are wrong.”   At the same time, we no longer need to wallow in guilt or remorse for how awful we are, for how badly and stubbornly wrong-headedly we've lived.  Christ in our hearts continually sets us free!  Jesus through the Holy Spirit struggles in us and with us and for us to name and dethrone the false gods that deceitfully promise a better, happier, safer life if we only we isolate ourselves, cut ourselves off from people with whom we disagree or whom we regard as beneath us.    I want to witness to our life in following Jesus, who is our Life, who day after day resides in our hearts, a life that keeps getting richer and richer.  I want to share a little of what that was like in my own life this past week.  Just days ago Janet Boyer was on my mind.  I called her and rejoiced with her in her gratitude to God for still having her voice after major thyroid surgery performed dangerously close to her vocal cords.  Then I think the same day, I was asked to see Jane and her daughter and some close friends. Jane, a member of Immanuel, Grand Ledge, was in hospice care, just hours away from her death.  Together we prayed and hugged and commended Jane into God's eternal embrace.  Then I privileged to be with a developmentally disabled young man in jail who as I was leaving promised to pray for me as I for him.  Then on Thursday evening Phylis and I were with a very crowded church in Grand Rapids, blessed by the presence of Nadia Bolz-Weber, a very down-to-earth, unpretentious ELCA pastor, who testified of the unending grace of God even in and from her mother's womb, the grace of God through years of drug addiction, and to this day sharing the beautiful fruits of the Holy Spirit with countless people who were lost… Nadia sensing even in her darkest hours that Jesus was not far from her.  She could echo the words of St. Paul: “It is no longer I who live but it is Christ who lives in me.”  With her we sang many songs that evening, songs including these two verses of Amazing Grace…   I believe that experiences like those given to in these last few days…expressions of love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, given and received, are meant to be experienced by all of us, all of us in whom Jesus dwells, all of us whom Jesus calls to courageously follow him for the rest of our lives.     Please sing with me “Lord Jesus, You Shall Be My Song” [ELW 808]   Amen.                                                                                          JDS  

Today, we had a special musical performance of Holy Manna by the Summer Singers at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Today, we had a special musical performance from Calvin Kadrofske on Marimba, as he played the song Restless written by Rich O'Meara at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Today we had a special musical performance from members of the Faith Bell Choir, Brenda Kopf,  Elaine Harrison, Ann Mayer, and Addie Thompson as they played How Firm A Foundation at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Healthcare is a hotly discussed topic. There's a new practice in mid-Michigan whose tagline is “Supporting Health, Not Just Treating Disease”. Joining Chris to discuss the techniques and their refreshing attitude is the Founder of Wellness Alternatives in Okemos, Dr. Janet Eng!

This is a special musical performance of True Light by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir with a solo  by Chris Lewis at Faith Lutheran Church of Okemos, Michigan.

Today we had a special musical performance from the Faith Bell Choir as they played Let us Talents and Tongues Employ at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical performance of All My Days by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir with a duet by Ryan and Addie Thompson of Faith Lutheran Church of Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical performance of River in Judea by the Faith Bells of Faith Lutheran Church of Okemos, Michigan.

Today at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan Nancy by Emmanuel Sejourne was performed by Calvin Kadrofske

Chris Holman welcomes back Scott Weaver, President, and Co-Owner of Douglas J Companies, Okemos, East Lansing, across Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, Nebraska. There were several things Chris wanted to find out in this conversation; Scott, welcome back briefly review the array of services and products with Douglas J. Companies? Med Spa has been important among your services in recent years, how is that going? On the Institute/school side; how are the schools? and have Promise Scholarships for students in Michigan made a difference? Any highlights for 2025? Tell us more about services in Nebraska, any other targeted states? » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Watch MBN's YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN » Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/

On this episode of Today's Your Day Podcast, Tedi welcomes special guest Cheryl Thacker, a Master Board Certified Coach and the Founder of Successful Coaches.  Tedi and Cheryl talk about what a Certified Coach is and is not.  Cheryl provides us with her many years of wisdom when it comes to what it takes to be a successful coach and how you can help others with your own coaching business.  Tedi and Cheryl discuss the importance of receiving your coaching certification from a reputable organization and why joining the International Coaching Federation (ICF) is vital to bringing credibility to you and your professional coaching career.  Learn what it takes to become a Certified Coach and how you can grow your own successful business.  This is a great conversation, one you do not want to miss.Contact Information for Cheryl Thacker, PCC, BCC:Website: https://successfulcoaches.com/ Email: coachcheryl@successfulcoaches.comEpisode Sponsor: Graze Craze, Okemos, MIhttps://www.grazecraze.com/okemos-miArticle on Coaching Statisticshttps://luisazhou.com/blog/life-coaching-statistics/# International Coaching Federation (ICF)https://coachingfederation.org/The opinions and statements made on the Today's Your Day Podcast are/or do not necessarily reflect those of the Today's Your Podcast Podcast or Tedi Parsons. To learn more, please visit: https://owningtheday.comThe music used for this podcast was provided by: total-happy-up-and-sunny by sascha-ende-from-filmmusic-io. https://filmmusic.io/standard-license. License (CC BY 4.0):

This is a special musical presentation of Hosanna to the King by the Chancel Choir with special percussionists, Rich Weingartner, Matt Schnizlein, Nick Hirschenberger and a solo by Chris Lewis at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical performance of Triumphal Entry by the Faith Bells of Faith Lutheran Church of Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Sing Out To God, sung by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan

This is a special musical presentation of Lonesome Valley, sung by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan

This is a special musical presentation of Come to the River, sung by the Chancel Choir and Andy Boyan on Guitar at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan

This is a special musical presentation of Once Upon A Tree, sung by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan

Send us a textLIVE from St Martha's in Okemos in the Diocese of Lansing, Michigan for Q&A with Fr Joe Krupp, who answers your questions about faith and history with humor and humility.Check out the  JIBM Web site at:  https://www.joeinblackministries.com/Please use the following link if you would like to financially support Church of the Holy Family: https://pushpay.com/g/hfgrandblanc?sr...

On this episode of Today's Your Day Podcast, Tedi welcomes special guest Cathy Blatnik, who serves on the Mid-Michigan Autism Association's Board of Directors as its Treasurer and co-owns a business with her son Dominic called Baked Goods by Dominic.  Cathy shares with us how she and her husband Larry persevered when learning their 20-year-old son, Dominic, was diagnosed with Autism, ADHD, Anxiety Disorder, Epilepsy along with an Intellectual Disability.  Cathy tells Tedi it was a lot of trial and error, as 20-years ago there was not much information available about Autism and ADHD.  Cathy shares with us why her role as a board member and community activist are so important to her and how it can help make a difference for so many. This is a great conversation, one you def do not want to miss. Contact Information for Cathy Blatnik:Website: Mid-Michigan Autism Association Baked Goods by Dominic (Facebook Page)Email: BakedGoodsByDominic@mail.comEpisode Sponsor: Graze Craze, Okemos, MIhttps://www.grazecraze.com/okemos-miThe opinions and statements made on the Today's Your Day Podcast are/or do not necessarily reflect those of the Today's Your Podcast Podcast or Tedi Parsons. To learn more, please visit: https://owningtheday.comThe music used for this podcast was provided by: total-happy-up-and-sunny by sascha-ende-from-filmmusic-io. https://filmmusic.io/standard-license. License (CC BY 4.0):

This is a special musical presentation of My Jesus Walked, sung by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of We Will Glorify, sung by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Chuch in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Mercy sung by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Chuch in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Above All sung by Christopher Lewis at Faith Lutheran Chuch in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Deep Water by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of One Step He Leads by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. 

This is a special musical presentation of Total Praise by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of The Heavens Declare the Glory of God by the Faith Bells at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Good and Simple Gifts by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of the Wade In The Living Water at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Almost a year ago, I interviewed Jose Aste - the CEO and Founder of the Peruvian restaurant Tantay, who has evolved from test kitchen, to food truck, to its first brick-and-mortar location in Okemos. A medical emergency slowed their progress and has only recently opened to the public. Please enjoy this encore presentation of Chris's interview with Jose where they discuss his new, permanent location for Tantay.

This is a special musical presentation of the Away in a Manger at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of the Jesus, What a Wonderful Child with soloists Tammy Heilman and Chris Lewis at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of the People, Look East by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of the Angels Advent Carol by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.    

This is a special musical presentation of Will We Know Him by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Listen Here, Listen Here with a solo from Christopher Lewis at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of God Will Make a Way, a solo by Bob Nelson at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Leaning on the Everlasting Arms with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Will Give You Thanks with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Days of Elijah with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Vic Verchereau welcomes Adam Seyburn, who is the Co-owner of the Peanut Shop. Join us on a trip down memory lane! Show Host Vic Verchereau recounts his visit to an iconic Lansing, Michigan business, the Peanut Shop with Co-owner Adam Seyburn. The products are the finest on the market and turned out fresh daily; not much has changed for 87 years! Even the Mr. Peanut mascot is still there from the time when Planters Peanuts opened the shop. Today, entrepreneurs Adam Seyburn of East Lansing and Aaron Larvick of Okemos take up the challenge of keeping the traditions that began in 1937 and making new memories today. They say, "We recognize the tremendous affection our customers have for the Shop and the potential an iconic business with amazing products has to grow. Our entire staff puts lots of love and careful thought into all we do. We hope you enjoy all we have to offer and share the experience (and the treats!) with others." Come with us on the Leadership Lowdown show where history is honored and memories are made! » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Subscribe to MBN's YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN » Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/

Jesus Cries with Us, Jesus Cries Out for Us Last Sunday afternoon Jamie, Laurie, Phylis and I sitting at a large round table visited with Anna, Ashley, Alison (from Panama), Fatima (from Venezuela), three little people, and a faithful member of St. Christopher Episcopal Church.   St. Christopher is a sanctuary church in El Paso, Texas, a safe place for migrant people to live until they can travel on to a more permanent safe and caring community in which they could live and work and thrive.  Many take dangerous and often illegal risks.  Many are filled with great anxiety and uncertainty, exacerbated by antiquated immigration laws and processes that can mean months and even many years of waiting.  Many are filled with fear both of countries they have fled and of our country because they know we are a deeply divided nation given to fear and even hatred of these aliens, these sojourners, these strangers. But Sunday we all were in this safe and sacred place.  Except for the little ones we introduced ourselves, shared little bits of our life stories, either in Spanish or English or both.  All of us children of God, all of us on a journey, though for Alison and Fatima, a much more dangerous and harrowing one.  We talked together, prayed together, sang a little together, ate a meal together, held babies (the best part!) and hugged one another… A couple thousand years ago, Jesus too was on a dangerous journey.  In John 11 we read of his crossing the Jordan River, going to Judea where he knowingly faced threats of stoning, persecution, and death.  On the way there he received a message from beloved friends, Mary and Martha, that their brother Lazarus was ill.  Jesus, the Son of God, knew that Lazarus' illness was terminal.  In fact, Jesus knew, he had already died.  Yet Jesus stayed where he was for two more days… And then came the account from the Gospel of John for this All Saints Sunday.  In it we learn what God is like when we suffer, when we die.  We know what God, is like, revealed most fully to us in Jesus, when Bob and Joy and Walter and Dale and Chip and David, whom we remember this morning, died during this past year.  Jesus, the Son of God, wept with and for their families and friends. Jesus cried with them. Jamie and Laurie and Phylis and I spent five days with Border Servant Corps guides, mostly with Ashley, a young woman about to graduate from college and then after a gap year on to law school.  With her we visited border patrol folk, spent time with “guests,” always these migrant people were called guests, in processing centers and shelters on both sides of the Rio Grande River, talked with criminal court Judge Ritter presiding over cases against those crossing the border between legal points of entry.  Perhaps most moving for us was our visit with Amanda, a federal public defender.  With all of them we could see Jesus.  We could see Jesus “greatly disturbed' and crying with these guests and with those so committed to accompanying them on their journeys toward some semblance of mercy and justice.      We saw Jesus in Gracias, a feisty, self-proclaimed activist who is the shepherd of the shelter we visited in Juarez, Mexico.  In, I think, more than a coincidence for us sojourners from Faith, Okemos, her call to this ministry came years agowhen she mourned the killing of two LGBT people at the border.  At times Gracias has provided a safe haven for as many as 370 guests in a clean but very dilapidated five-story building.  Last Monday we prepared and served a meal for 60 men, women, and children currently living there.  We saw Jesus in Gracias and in Cesi with us that day, who translated my mini-sermon proclaiming God's watchful care for these his beloved children.  Cesi walks step by step with guests when they are able to fly or take a bus from El Paso to a new home somewhere in our country.   We saw Jesus in the guarded but gently smiling faces of these guests, perhaps especially in the faces of the children. But the gospel for today is not only about people for whom and with whom Jesus wept, for Martha and Mary and their friends.  It is that, Jesus, the Son of God, the incarnation of God, was also for them the resurrection and the life.  Jesus was and is God making of death only a transitory experience.  Jesus, the resurrection and the life, cried out, now not with tears, but with a loud voice, to a man dead for four stinky days, “Lazarus, come out!” To Walter and Dale and Bob and Chip and Joy and David, Jesus said, perhaps more gently, “Come, dwell with me now in my Father's house.  There you be forever safe, forever free, forever whole, forever loved and in love with all the children of God from Michigan and Texas and Mexico and Panama and Venezuela, from Sudan and Ghana and Mauritania, from Palestine and Lebanon and Israel, from Ukraine and Russia…” On this All Saints Sunday remember.  Remember that Jesus cries with you and Jesus cries out for you.  Remember that Jesus cried with the family and friends of Joy, Chip, Dale, Walt, David, and Dale.  Remember he wept for the LGBT people killed at the border.  Remember he wept for those who bodies were and are still to this day found in the deserts of Mexico, bodies of souls striving in desperate, vain attempts to find a better life in our country.    But remember too and above all that Jesus cried out for Lazarus to come out, to rise from death.  Remember, as you come at his invitation to dine with him at the communion table this morning, that he suffered and died for you and that he rose again for you and for all whom we remember this day. I think of these beautiful words from Romans 6:  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  Therefore, we have been buried with him by baptism into death so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. Phylis and I, Laurie and Jamie, we did see Jesus at the border.  With the eyes of faith, we see him here too, with our congregation in our worries, with us in our pain, with us in our losses.  We see him here in the hearts of so many here who care deeply about each other and about strangers, about people on difficult journeys, people God has called us to walk with in love, to “walk in newness of life.”  We see Jesus speaking through the work of the call committee, “crying out” to us to come out of any dark tombs of worry, of any paralyzing fears about the future well-being of our congregation. And, especially this week, may all of us see Jesus crying with us and crying out to us, “Come out of your dark tomb!”, no matter the outcome of the election on Tuesday.        

This is a special musical presentation of Hine Ma Tov with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Originally uploaded October 1st, re-edited October 23rd. Chris Holman welcomes back Scott Weaver, President, and Co-Owner of Douglas J Companies, Okemos, East Lansing, across Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, and more. Scott, welcome back briefly review the array of services and products with Douglas J. Companies? Med Spa has been important among your services in recent years, how is that going? On the Institute/school side; how are the schools? and have Promise Scholarships for students in Michigan made a difference? Any highlights for 2024? Tell us more about services in Nebraska? Over the years we've known your corporate culture to be about philanthropy remind us about those efforts? » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Subscribe to MBN's YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCqNX… » Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/

On a special FutureSox Interview series episode Elijah Evans is joined by the head coach of Okemos High School, Raul Presas, to talk all about White Sox second round pick Caleb Bonemer. Presas shares stories of coaching Bonemer since he was 12 years old and how he has progressed over the years. He provides insight about Bonemer's offensive and defense skills as well as his mentality on and off the field. Learn about the White Sox top prep draft pick directly from his longtime coach!