Dr. Brandon Pardekooper

Good morning, Reader, I am so excited about some things I am working on for you and the rest of our community. It is a bit of a passion project for me that has been brewing for a couple of years, but I felt very strongly it was time to focus in and make it available to you this year. God started stirring me in November, I think. One of the roles I fill in the church where I am on staff is overseeing discipleship and development. It is my true passion. I love teaching and coaching people into...

From the Desk of Pastor Brandon Good morning, Reader, Summer’s here—and if your house is like mine, that means kids at home, trips on the calendar, and ministry still marching on. As Andy Stanley wisely said, this isn’t a problem to solve, but a tension to manage. Balancing family time and church responsibilities isn’t just a summer thing—it’s an all-year tension. The stakes feel higher now because our families are more present, but the truth is, the demand never really disappears. When I...

From the Desk of Pastor Brandon Good morning, Reader, What are you called by God to do in life? This is a question most of us wrestle with at some point in our lives, and for some of us, we wrestle with it throughout our lives. Is this a question you wrestle with? Do you have clarity on your God given mission and purpose in life, Reader? Over the years, I have met many amazing people of various ages and stages in life who have asked me, "How do I know God's calling on my life?" In my 4 Levers...

From the Desk of Pastor Brandon Good morning, Reader, I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend this past weekend. That means summer is peaking at us from around the corner and ready to come out and play! My schedule is about to change significantly once my boys are done with school, and I will have them with me two days a week. This means wonderful memories, relaxing days, and finding time to work at odd hours, during quiet time, and between the games of wiffle ball and wrestling...

From the Desk of Pastor Brandon Good morning, Reader, Recently, I had a conversation with a friend about calling. He is at a point in his life where he is trying to figure out what's next, and he is struggling with what he is called to do. This is a question I have had to wrestle with a lot over the years because I have spent so much time training and developing students for ministry and training pastors in their leadership effectiveness. What inevitably comes up in those conversations is the...

From the Desk of Pastor Brandon Good morning, Reader, Our world can be very relentless these days. There are high demands on everything we do, and it feels like the margin for error is so narrow. We often translate that into our relationship with God and how we interact daily with Jesus. The pressures of this life, and sometimes our experiences in church, can make us feel as though we aren't doing enough, sacrificing enough, serving enough, being good enough, or anything else enough. After...

From the Desk of Pastor Brandon Good morning, Reader, In a quiet English countryside in 1783, Reginald Heber was born into a life of privilege and promise, but he did not take hold of these privileges selfishly. He saw his blessings as gifts from God, and to waste them would be a rejection of God Himself. So, he applies himself to study, hard work, and prayer. Over time, he becomes a scholar and a minister who is recognized as a man after God's own heart. Rather than seeking fame and prestige...

From the Desk of Pastor Brandon Good morning, Reader, As we approach Easter, I want to encourage you to imagine Jesus' approach to the cross. 24 hours from right now Jesus would be on the cross besides two thieves taking the weight of sin upon himself for us. But, today, would be his day to spend with his friends. Most of the day was a day of preperation for the evening meal. The room was prepared and the lamb was sacrificed at the temple. (Luke 22:8) After the preperations, at sundown, Jesus...

From the Desk of Pastor Brandon Good morning, Reader, Anyone else feeling overwhelmed? In our house, we have three boys, and they are all in sports, which started about three weeks ago. So, every week we have 4 games and 3 practices, usually within a 3-day period (Thurs-Sat). On top of that, I am an assistant coach on two of them, and am stepping in with my youngest's soccer team since the coach is stepping away. That's just the boys' sports schedule, not to mention pastoring a revitalizing...