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Rick's church

Meridian Christian Church
Okemos, Michigan 48805-0655
517-332-8044

About Rick
  • Education: After High School in Escanaba, MI I graduated with a bachelors in Religious Education from Great Lakes Christian College in Lansing, MI in 1973. I have since then obtained a Masters in Practical Ministries from Kentucky Christian College.
  • Experience: While in Great Lakes Christian College I helped to establish a new church (Youth) and then served for two years as the Youth Minister in Bangor, MI. I served as the minister of the Lakeshore Church of Christ in St. Joseph, MI from 1973-1977. In 1977 my wife, Donna, and I helped start the Lake Superior Christian Church in Marquette, MI. In 1986 I was called to start the Beavercreek Christian Church in Beavercreek, OH. I have served as Senior Pastor of the Meridian Christian Church in Okemos, MI since 1998.
  • Comment to those looking at my sermons: I hope that they help you preach in season and out. Take what is good, cull out what is not, add it to your own experience and knowledge, soak it in God’s word and heart - then preach it!
  • Sermon or series that made a difference: A tape on 1 Corinthians 4:1-4 by D. Stewart Briscoe changed my attitude toward preaching, ministry, and the church radically. It freed me from being a "people pleasing preacher" to working at becoming a "God fearing servant".
  • One of my favorite illustrations: It’s really a cartoon of a preacher sitting behind a dest with a huge pile of money from the Sunday’s offering sitting n it. Two deacons are counting the money and the preacher says in the caption, "Let’s go over the sermon again. It’s gotta be something I said!"
  • Family: I have three daughters. Shannon and Sandi are both well grounded believers and are married to good Christian men and have children of their own. My third daughter Susan is both adopted and deeply loved by everyone in our family. She is developmentally disabled and also has schizophrenia. Susan lives in a Christian Adult Foster Care home is in school learning to become as self sufficient as she can.
  • What my parents think of my sermons: My dad is a preacher. Both my grandfather’s were preachers. My mom and dad are pleased and proud that I have followed in their path.
  • What my spouse (really) thinks of my sermons: You really must ask her. I’ve learned to never, never, never speak for her. (We’ve been married since 1971.
  • Best advice given to me about preaching: I’m not sure who told me this but it stuck. "You don’t have to hit a home run every time you are at bat. But you had better have a good solid hit!"
  • Books that have had an impact: "Disciple" by Juan Carlos Ortiz "Where do we go from here?" by Ralph Neighbor "Secrets of the Vine" by Bruce H. Wilkinson "Becoming a Contageous Christian" by Bill Hybells and Mark Mittleberg "The Connecting Church" by Randy Frazee
  • Hobbies: I enjoy working on computers - both rebuilding them and working on software applications. I enjoy reading and golf (although I’m a much better reader than golfer!)
  • If I could Preach one more time, I would say...: We win. I read the last chapter.
  • Something funny that happened while preaching: In my first church the rail road ran next to the building. Every Sunday at 11:30 AM the train went through and the whole congregation amd I would simply stop and wait for the train to rumble by. It became so customary that I could not remember if the train went through or not on any given Sunday. Strange how we can adapt when we have to.
  • What I want on my tombstone: I am His and I am Home
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Newest Sermons

  • Prosperous

    Contributed on Dec 2, 2014
     | 10,666 views

    That’s the world view of the good life… but it is as empty and unsatisfying as that huge chocolate bunny you get your kids at Easter. I mean it looks fabulous… but it’s hollow and it tastes like flavored wax.

    The Unsatisfying Easter Bunny For most of people the word “prosperity” connects with the idea of being successful financially and living the “good” life. But in God’s economy prosperity is so much more than a thick roll of money in your pocket, two SUV’s in the ...read more

  • Obedient

    Contributed on Dec 2, 2014
     | 16,959 views

    Obedience is like being pregnant. In the same way that it is impossible to be kind of pregnant, it is impossible to be kind of obedient.

    Fan… or Follower? A fan likes God when life is good. A follower obeys God when life is hard. We’ve been talking about what it takes to have a satisfied life. In week one I talked about how important it was to be a giver if you want to experience a satisfied life. Spending, ...read more

  • Submissive

    Contributed on Dec 2, 2014
     | 6,940 views

    Two weeks ago I taught that the core principle of satisfaction was rooted in giving. Not spending, not getting, not working, not saving, not investing, not begging, and not gambling. The only way to achieve a satisfied life is by giving.

    Why? There are a lot of things in the world that just don’t make sense. They are mysteries to me. Here are a few of the things I wonder about: As we get older in school why do the desks get smaller? This is the desk I had in elementary school. Here is the desk I had in Junior HI. Here ...read more

  • Discontented

    Contributed on Dec 2, 2014
     | 4,581 views

    Most people will agree in principle that the one who gives is more blessed than the one who receives. But they still struggle with giving – often because they can’t give. They have too many bills and are struggling to get by.

    Satisfied. Last Sunday I began a series of messages called “Satisfied.” that is about money – except it’s not really about money. It’s about life. In that message I pointed out three lies that sounded like truths and three truths that sounded like lies. Three ...read more

  • Satisfried

    Contributed on Dec 2, 2014
     | 6,074 views

    At the end of the day we want to be satisfied and most of have been convinced that somehow money is the answer. Today I will expose three lies that sound true and three truths that sound false.

    Satisfried. Hi, My name is Rick and I’m addicted to money. [This is where you say, “Hi Rick” thus acknowledging that you are part of the same American consumer culture that I am.] We live in a world that is designed by people who want you and me to spend money in the vain ...read more

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  • I Want To Tell You A Story About A Man In Whom ...

    Contributed on Sep 17, 2007
    based on 1 rating
     | 1,697 views

    I want to tell you a story about a man in whom God has moved so miraculously, I’ve just got to walk you through it. Mel Pellinen was a big strapping guy. I met him when I lived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Mel lived in Ishpeming and for years as a butcher he had carried whole sides of ...read more

  • Mike Freeman, An Elder Here At Mcc, Shared This ...

    Contributed on Sep 17, 2007
    based on 3 ratings
     | 2,477 views

    Mike Freeman, an Elder here at MCC, shared this with me this past week. When he was finishing up his college he had an opportunity to do his internship at a really swanky resort in Missouri or to do it a children’s camp called Spring Hill in upper Michigan. The resort was one of these all ...read more

  • June 30 To July 4, 1870 Natchez Vs Robert E. Lee ...

    Contributed on Jun 11, 2007
     | 2,355 views

    June 30 to July 4, 1870 Natchez vs Robert E. Lee Steamboat Race Two different captains raced from Natchez, Mississippi to St. Louis, MO. On the boat called the Natchez they carried cargo and passengers. It was actually the faster of the two steamboats. On the other boat, called the Robert E. ...read more

  • Let Me Read To Something Written By Oscar Wilde. ...

    Contributed on Apr 10, 2006
     | 1,891 views

    Let me read to something written by Oscar Wilde. Oscar Wilde was a playwrite in the 19th century who was one of the leaders of the Decadence Movement of his era. In modern use, decadence is often defined as a decline in or loss of excellence, obstructing the pursuit of ideals. It is typified by ...read more

  • The Rich Family In Church

    Contributed on Jan 29, 2006
    based on 28 ratings
     | 6,109 views

    The Rich Family in Church by Eddie Ogan I’ll never forget Easter 1946. I was 14, my little sister Ocy was 12 and my older sister Darlene was 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without many things. My dad had died five years before, leaving Mom with ...read more