Thoughts from our team...

Waiting

3 days ago

1 min read

October 27, 2026

From Jeff Freeman

November 4 is just around the corner. That is the due date for my son and his wife's baby to be born. There is much buzz in the air with setting up the nursery, getting baby clothes ready, and baby car seats installed. It is fun to talk and anticipate this new bundle of joy. We still don't know whether it is a boy or a girl but what we know is we are ready to love him/her.

We have gotten FaceTime calls from the new parents and we get to watch the baby moving all around. Again, the excitement is in the air. We can't wait to give this little one a big squeeze and kisses.

Whether it is with the future parents or the future grandparents, we can't wait! We are really EXCITED!

The waiting isn't taking away from the excitement but rather increasing it. The more we wait the more we look forward to it.

In the times in which we live, are you ready for Jesus to come? The signs of the times are showing more the imminent return of Christ, but we still need to wait. What is the waiting doing for you. Is your excitement increasing or decreasing? Is the buzz still in the air, do you talk about His coming?

Do you dream about being with Jesus throughout eternity? Are you getting ready for His arrival?

In times like these, may the waiting for Christ's return be full of excitement and action so we and others can anticipate and be ready for the big hugs Jesus has for us! Come sweet Jesus!

Comments

Waiting

October 27, 2026 From Jeff Freeman November 4 is just around the corner. That is the due date for my son and his wife's baby to be born. There is much buzz in the air with setting up the nursery, getting baby clothes ready, and baby car seats installed. It is fun to talk and anticipate this new bundle of joy. We still don't know whether it is a boy or a girl but what we know is we are ready to love him/her. We have gotten FaceTime calls from the new parents and we get

3 days ago

Be the Miracle

October 21, 2026 From Pastor Joseph Wamack A photographer was invited as a guest to a dinner party, and so he decided to take along a few of his favorite pictures to show to the hostess and other guests. He was quite good as a photographer and that evening took along with him pictures of birds in flight, mountains with mist on them, and children with faces full of joy. As the hostess looked at the pictures, she commented “These are very good! You must have a very nice camera!

Oct 21

God Was Raising Me, Too

October 12, 2026 From Pastor Eileen States Twenty-two years ago today, my twin daughters were born. I already had two little boys at home. So in less than four years, we went from a family of two to a family of six, and I'll be honest, a lot of it was a blur. Somebody was always hungry. Somebody was always crying, and every so often it was me. Sleep was something I'd heard rumors about. Looking back, those years were shaping a lot more than our family. They were shaping me. I

Oct 12

New Again

October 7, 2026 From Joseph Wamack Hello MAC Family, I have been thinking about my own personal conversion story-how I experienced the love of God revealed to me, how it felt in my heart, and how I opened my mind to the possibility that God was real and I could have a relationship with Him. The reason I have been thinking about this is that we began a series of meetings at our church, in conjunction with It Is Written. It Is Written is an Adventist ministry which has been in

Oct 7

Control

October 1, 2026 From Jackie Payne I’m totally fine with being flexible as long as things go my way. Kidding aside…I recognize that my tendency to want control and know just how things are going to turn out regularly causes me issues. Life is sticky and messy and things just show up out of the blue to deter my perfectly planned days. The question I have to continually ask myself (and you should ask yourself as well) is whether I live as if Jesus is the Lord of my life or if I

Oct 1

Still Standing

September 23, 2026 From Pastor Eileen “Rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith” (Colossians 2:6 & 7). Two weeks ago, my husband and I visited Bryce Canyon. Everywhere we looked there were incredible views, towering cliffs, deep canyons, and thousands of hoodoos carved into the red rock. But one particular tree caught my attention. It was growing right on the edge of the canyon. Its trunk was twisted and weathered. Several of its roots were completely exposed,

Sep 23

With the Love of God

September 16, 2026 From Pastor Joseph Wamack Hello MAC Family, Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord and the second is to love your neighbor like yourself. In other words, love God and then His love will fill us up, so we are able to love others in the same way and with the same love as God loves us. Sounds true but does it sound easy? When I think of letting God’s love fill us, I think of this incredible story I read in Corrie Ten Boom’s book-The Hiding Pla

Sep 16

My Call, My Quest

September 10, 2026 From Jeff Freeman A quest is a long, hard search or journey to find or do something important. When you say "my quest," you mean your own personal goal, mission, or search that you are trying to finish. Over the last few months, my mom has come out of the fog from my dad's death 3 years ago. Recently, she decided to move to Missouri, where she resides now. In her new town, Moberly, she is coming alive. It is amazing to watch her live out her God-given life.

Sep 10

Better than new furniture

September 3, 2026 From Pastor Joseph Wamack I got some new furniture in my office at the church! I got some new furniture! I am so excited! (Can you tell?) One of our generous members (who shall remain nameless) was emptying out a storage unit and had some lovely office furniture they didn’t need. I had been saying to Jackie and Pastor Eileen in the office that I wanted to get a new desk, since the desk I was using was about 25 years old and beat up. I felt guilty that I was

Sep 3

One Team

August 27, 2026 From Jackie Payne I am currently listening to the sounds of the Carman Adventist School band warming up down the hall from the church office. (Bless Jessica Tirado for having a heart for music and the children learning how to play.) Each person plays their instrument, and together (hopefully), something beautiful emerges. Yes, you can play a beautiful flute piece or saxophone piece or xylophone piece, but together you have something special, you have a team wo

Aug 27

New Mercies for a New Morning

August 20, 2026 From Pastor Eileen States “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22–23 I love mornings. There is something about waking up to a new day that feels like a fresh start. (Yes, I am a morning person) Whatever happened yesterday is behind us, and we have another opportunity to begin again. Of course, not every morning feels like a fresh start. So

Aug 20

Jesus Is...

August 13, 2026 From Jeff Freeman I am positive that you have seen the picture. Two sets of footprints walking side by side in the sand. The symbolism of the picture is you and Jesus walking together. Maybe you have seen the same type of picture, but this one has one set of footprints in the sand. The symbolism is Jesus carrying you. The third same type of picture is where there are 2 sets of footprints, but sometimes one set disappears and the footprints are never side by si

Aug 13

Sweet Words

August 3, 2026 From Pastor Joseph Wamack Hello MAC Family! I hope you are well this week. I pray your words have not gotten you into any trouble, but that your words have been sweet, clear and expressed love to others. Many times it is not the message we are wanting to share that gets us in trouble, but the way we convey the message that leads to a misunderstanding. After being married for many years and seeing the way my wife responds-positive or negative-to my words, I real

Aug 3

Yes, He Is!

July 23, 2026 From Jeff Freeman In the middle of June 2026, my mother who is 80 years old, announced that she wanted to move from Georgia to Missouri. She explained that it has been 3 years since my father’s passing and she wanted a new start. This announcement started the wheels in motion to find a house for her, figure out a moving schedule, and implement the move. God certainly seemed to have approved because literally within 1 month it all happened. Friday, July 17, I

Jul 23

Through Good Times and Bad

July 15, 2026 From Pastor Joseph Wamack Hello MAC Family, I hope you are doing well this summer. Summertime is an interesting mixture of heat, vacations, no school, good times and daily routines. Usually for me, before I am aware of it, the school year is ready to begin again. I am actually looking at the preaching calendar for 2027 this week. How can that be!? Things just have a way of creeping up on us! Vonnie and I will have a wedding anniversary soon. Where have all those

Jul 15

Loved First

July 9, 2026 From Eileen States My son Tyler spoke for a family vespers this past Friday evening, two days before his brother’s wedding. These were his thoughts on the topic of love that set the tone for the whole weekend as we recognized the kind of love our God has for each of us. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. s It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs

Jul 9

Our Lighthouse

July 2, 2026 From Joseph Wamack Hello MAC Family. I pray you have been well this week, through the ups and downs of life. Jesus is a Constant Companion if we invite Him to travel along with us on our journey, if we ask Him to lead us. Maybe you are like me. There are times I want to do what I want to do, whether it is right, whether it is wrong, whether it is selfish or mean and even when it goes against the Biblical truths I say I believe. It is as if I will trust God; I wil

Jul 1

Don't Miss Jesus!

June 25, 2026 From Jackie Payne I grew up with Net 98 and all the satellite evangelism series at my church. As I was thinking about it today, I don’t know if it was the nature of the series or my immaturity as a Christian, but I never got the Jesus part. I never saw how Jesus fit into the scary prophecy stuff…it just always left me discouraged, not seeking to know Jesus better, just terrified that I couldn’t possibly be ready for heaven. I missed Jesus. Fast forward to today

Jun 25

The Hope of Glory

June 16, 2026 From Pastor Joseph Wamack Hello MAC Family, I hope and pray you are well today. I know of some struggles and concerns that some of you are having this week. Some have concerns for family and housing, some have concerns that are life and death. Some have health concerns, children concerns, school concerns, employment concerns. It always reminds me-we really don’t know what is going on with someone when we see them at church. We can see their appearance or their e

Jun 16

Living the Mission

June 11, 2026 From Pastor Eileen States Summer SALT A small group of our church family, along with several visitors, recently spent some quality time together during our Soul Winning and Leadership Training (SALT). This experience provided an opportunity for us to refocus on the mission Jesus gave His church to “go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19). Together, we explored what it means to awaken spirituality in our own hearts and inspire others to seek a dee

Jun 11

A Message of Love and Redemption

May 28, 2026 From Jackie Payne School is out. It’s humid. We are at Camp Meeting in Collegedale. Yep, our summer is right on schedule. This morning I attended a seminar on Adventist Community Services and how you/me/we can implement more outreach in our community, which makes my heart happy. I am certainly not the person out there talking to strangers and learning life stories right away. I am an introvert and generally uncomfortable talking to people I don’t know. Being a s

May 28

Pray Anytime

May 20, 2026 From Pastor Joseph Wamack Hello, MAC Family! This week we are concluding our preaching series about prayer. We began the series, looking at The Lord’s Prayer, then prayers Jesus prayed and finally prayers other Biblical characters prayed. It has been inspiring to me personally, and I hope to you also. I have realized prayer is a very intimate connection between an individual, their community and God. We conclude this week with a parable about prayer, “The Tax Col

May 20

The God Who Calls Also Sustains

May 12, 2026 From Pastor Eileen States A pastor once told the story of hiking up a steep mountain trail with his young son. Halfway up the climb, the boy stopped, exhausted and frustrated. “I don’t think I can keep going,” he said. The father looked ahead at the difficult trail still in front of them and then quietly replied, “You don’t need strength for the whole mountain right now. You just need strength for the next few steps.” That story reminds me how God often works i

May 12

God-shaped Antenna

May 6, 2026 From Joseph Wamack An old man, a young boy and a donkey were walking along a dirt road, on their way to town. The boy was riding on the donkey while the old man walked. As they walked, some people they passed remarked "What a shame the old man has to walk while the young boy is riding." The old man and the boy thought-maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions. Now the old man was on the donkey and the young boy walked, as they continued to town. Soo

May 6

God's Refuge

April 30, 2026 From Jeff Freeman If you haven’t heard the news, Jeff Freeman is going to be a Grandpa! Early in the month of November, my son and his wife will be having their first child. We are really excited about it. Annemarie and I have always looked forward to the day, and now it is in the near future. With this new adventure right around the corner, I feel so unprepared. Many questions come in to my mind like: What should Grandpas do or not do? What is the best way to

Apr 30

Reach Out and Connect in Love

April 21, 2026 From Pastor Joseph Wamack Many years ago during a time of war, a young fugitive, running to escape from the enemy, entered a small village and asked for sanctuary. The people were kind to him and offered a place to hide. But when the enemy soldiers who were after him came and asked where he was hiding, everyone became afraid. The soldiers threatened to burn the village and kill every man in it unless the fugitive was handed over to them before dawn of the next

Apr 21

The Power of Summer Camp

April 16, 2026 From Pastor Eileen States My first experience with summer camp came at the tender age of eight—and I could hardly contain my excitement. I arrived on a Sunday afternoon, met my counselor and cabinmates, and eagerly chose my bunk for the week ahead. The next morning, after breakfast and worship, our cabin headed out for our first activity: horseback riding. I felt right at home—I had grown up with my own pony and knew how to saddle a horse. But before we even le

Apr 16

For Who He Is

April 9, 2026 From Jackie Payne I just finished reading the book of Hebrews, and I was again in awe of how awesome Jesus is. I think what I love most about Hebrews is there isn’t a lot of prescriptive info for us as believers…it’s all about Jesus! We often read the Bible trying to find something for our lives, some way to live, some piece of advice or wisdom to hold onto (or to cram down other people’s throats), and we completely miss the most important theme – Jesus! What if

Apr 9

Thirst

April 3, 2026 From Pastor Joseph Wamack Hello Church Family! Today is what is traditionally called “Good Friday.” It is a day to remember the death of Jesus on the cross. Certainly not a “good” day in a traditional understanding of something “good.” Not “good” like a satisfying meal, not “good” like a lovely song sung or “good” like a relaxing vacation, but “good” for us in the redeeming value and revelation of the goodness of God. Good for us-not good for Him. Our Jesus suff

Mar 31

Marketing 101

March 26, 2026 From Jeff Freeman This time in history, we all take in many different advertising messages daily. When you drive onto MAC property after driving on Cobb Parkway, you will see Carman signs & flags marketing the school. Marketing, “the activity or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising”, is a big business in the world in which we live. Billions of dollars are spent around the globe to promote or sell som

Mar 26

Called to Work

March 20, 2026 From Pastor Joseph Wamack A farmer, who owned a large farm with large, healthy crops of corn, soybeans and strawberries, received a visit from his pastor one day. The farmer came in from the fields to sit with the pastor on the porch and enjoy a glass of lemonade. As they sat and looked over the lush green fields and the barn full of goods, the pastor commented on how beautiful and bountiful the farmer’s fields were. The pastor concluded his compliment with “ G

Mar 20

Seeing People the Way Jesus Does

March 12, 2026 From Pastor Eileen States Years ago I saw a short video clip about a person who was given a special pair of glasses to wear. When they put the glasses on, they could suddenly see the hidden stories behind the people around them. Many of those stories revealed struggles, pain, and difficult situations others were carrying. Seeing this caused the person wearing the glasses to pause and think more carefully about how they interacted with those around them. Matthew

Mar 12

Opportunities for God to Be God

March 5, 2026 From Pastor Joseph Wamack One day a farmer's donkey fell into an old, dry well. The animal cried and brayed for hours as the farmer tried to figure a way to lift him out. Finally the farmer concluded it was impossible to save the donkey and the animal would only suffer, so they needed to put the donkey out of his misery. The farmer, with merciful intentions, asked his neighbors to come help him fill up the well with dirt, which would put the donkey out of his su

Mar 5

Our Community

February 26, 2026 From Jackie Payne This has been a particularly hard week. Not only have there been extra struggles this week in our family, but I have heard of so many of you who are struggling, dealing with pain, grief and the unknown. It is a test in my prayer life to have so much to pray for. It occurred to me this week, that yes, there is a lot happening right now in the lives of the people I care for, BUT I have people I care for…I have a beautiful church and school co

Feb 26

Do You Want to Shine?

February 17, 2026 From Pastor Joseph Wamack A young man, longing to serve God, decided to join a monastery and become a monk. When he joined the monastery, he had to take a vow of silence, where he could only speak once every ten years. During these ten years, he was supposed to focus on reading the Bible and praying. After the first ten years his superior called him in and asked, "Do you have anything to say?" The young monk replied, "Food bad." Another ten years passed and

Feb 17

Lessons From the Long Trail

February 11, 2026 From Pastor Eileen States Yesterday I registered with my husband for a 10-day hike around Mont Blanc, where we will be hiking close to 100 miles through France, Italy and Switzerland. Yes, we love to hike. Yes, we absolutely enjoy the beauty of the mountains. There is, however, some valid concern in my heart about whether I will be able to make it all the way around! Anyone getting ready for a multi-day trek knows you don’t just show up at the trailhead and

Feb 11

Are You an Influencer?

February 2, 2026 From Pastor Joseph Wamack When I was young, growing up in Ohio, I was a precocious little boy, getting into mischief, but smarter than I realized, because no one ever had challenged me to reach for my potential. That changed when I entered 4th grade. My teacher that year was Miss Linda Lucks. Of course I called her Miss Lucks, but I thought it was cool to find out what a teacher’s first name was, like I had discovered some hidden treasure. And I was doubly fo

Feb 2

Do Good Things

January 22, 2026 From Pastor Joseph Wamack A New Jersey restaurant server picked up the breakfast check for two firefighters after they had spent all night putting out a warehouse fire, and then the firefighters stepped up to return the favor to the server in a huge way. Server Liz Woodward was talking to the firefighters about the blaze they had spent their night putting out when she waited on their table early one Thursday morning. She told them she had seen the story about

Jan 22

If You're Brave Enough

January 14, 2026 From Jackie Payne I’m reading through the book of Ephesians right now, and what has me pondering is how hard it must have been to accept that Jesus took down the wall between Jew and Gentile. For hundreds of years, the Jewish people had been told they were the special ones, they were the apple of God’s eye. Jesus’ death and resurrection gave salvation for ALL. How hard must that have been to swallow that your identity wasn’t what was going to save you after a

Jan 14

Planted in 2026

January 5, 2026 From Pastor Eileen States Psalm 1:1–3 A new year invites us to think about beginnings. Fresh calendars. Fresh plans. Fresh hopes. We talk about what we want to change, improve, or leave behind. Psalm 1 does not begin with a list of resolutions, but with a picture - a tree planted by streams of water. “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.” The strength of this tree isn’t found i

Jan 5

Your Outlook

December 31, 2025 From Pastor Joseph Wamack A man, driving down the road sees a sign in front of a house: " Talking Dog for Sale-CHEAP!" He stops the car, gets out and rings the doorbell. A gentleman answers and says the dog for sale is in the backyard. The man goes into the backyard and there is a large black dog. He doesn’t look special or unusual. The man says, “Are you the talking dog?” "Why yes I am," the dog says in perfect English. The man is stunned but continues, "S

Dec 31, 2025

One Thing

December 24, 2025 From Pastor Joseph Wamack Hello MAC Family, I hope you had a good Christmas. Now we live in the mysterious week between Christmas and New Years where it is hard to remember what day it is or what we should be doing. It all seems like holiday time. Looking ahead to 2026-I am reminded of a Scripture which helps me to focus. It is from Psalm 27, written by King David. He was fully human in all his ways. But in this psalm, he seems to be able to voice the one th

Dec 24, 2025

The Perfect Gift

December 18, 2025 From Jeff Freeman How many packages have you had delivered to your home during the month of December? How many delivery trucks have you seen drive past you either at your home or while you are in your car? None of these trucks or deliveries could register as “The Perfect Gift”. Sometimes the packages are never delivered. Sometimes the packages get delivered to a wrong address. Sometimes the packages are delivered but without anything in the package. Dur

Dec 18, 2025

A Bethlehem Moment

December 10, 2025 From Pastor Eileen States There’s something quiet about the Christmas story that’s easy to overlook. Jesus didn’t arrive with fanfare. No trumpets. No crowds. No royal welcome. God chose a small, out-of-the-way spot - a stable hardly anyone noticed. The greatest miracle in history came wrapped in silence. We tend to picture God working in big, dramatic moments, but Luke reminds us that Jesus’ birth didn’t happen that way. There wasn’t even space for Him in t

Dec 10, 2025

How's your attitude?

December 4, 2025 From Joseph Wamack Anne Frank was a Jewish girl born in 1929 in Frankfurt Germany. In 1933, her family immigrated to Amsterdam to escape the Nazis. She lived with her parents and sister and led a normal life, until the Netherlands were invaded by the Nazis. Then her family found themselves caught in the horror of the Holocaust. As persecutions against Jews increased, the family went into hiding in July 1942 in secret rooms above her father Otto’s office. They

Dec 4, 2025

Fresh Eyes

November 26, 2025 From Jackie Payne I just finished reading the book of John. So much of it is very familiar, verses that I’ve been reading and rereading most of my life. It’s hard sometimes to reread something with fresh eyes, to see what Jesus still has to teach me. And then something jumps off the page. The Holy Spirit has gone to work! Today it was in John 18. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be better for one man to die for the people. John 18:

Nov 26, 2025

By Their Fruit

November 21, 2025 From Pastor Joseph Wamack A slow driving man was being tailgated on a busy road by a fast driving, stressed out woman. She couldn’t get around him, so she was honking for him to speed up. And so when he stopped for a yellow light, rather than speed through the intersection, she lost her cool. The woman pounded on the horn, screaming inside her car, as she had missed her chance to get through the intersection. As she let loose a stream of profanities and hand

Nov 21, 2025

May All Who Come Behind Us Find Us Faithful

November 12, 2025 From Pastor Eileen States This past week, I asked my children to sing a song at church that has been very special to me: Find Us Faithful by Steve Green. I remember attending one of his concerts in the 1980s and hearing this song for the first time. Even as a young child, the lyrics left a lasting impression on my heart. I was blessed to grow up surrounded by people who guided me toward Jesus, helping me fall in love with Him and ultimately make the decisi

Nov 12, 2025

Bound for Glory

November 5, 2025 From Pastor Joseph Wamack A story is told about Albert Einstein, the great physicist who once was traveling by train from Princeton. The conductor was going up and down the aisle, punching the tickets of passengers. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets. It wasn't there, so he looked in his briefcase but couldn't find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still

Nov 5, 2025

Lifeblood of the Church

October 30, 2025 From Jeff Freeman I am preparing for the worship to kick off the MAC/Carman Fall Festival on November 1 (it all kicks off at 6:30 in the church sanctuary, don’t miss it), and I read an interesting statement in “Our History” that was written up for MAC’s 70 Year anniversary celebration. The statement reads, “The school (now called Carman) had always been the life-blood of the church”. What does that phrase mean to you? This is what I understand that statemen

Oct 30, 2025

Home page

Thoughts from our team...

Comments

Previous Posts

Waiting

Be the Miracle

God Was Raising Me, Too

New Again

Control

Still Standing

With the Love of God

My Call, My Quest

Better than new furniture

One Team

New Mercies for a New Morning

Jesus Is...

Sweet Words

Yes, He Is!

Through Good Times and Bad

Loved First

Our Lighthouse

Don't Miss Jesus!

The Hope of Glory

Living the Mission

A Message of Love and Redemption

Pray Anytime

The God Who Calls Also Sustains

God-shaped Antenna

God's Refuge

Reach Out and Connect in Love

The Power of Summer Camp

For Who He Is

Thirst

Marketing 101

Called to Work

Seeing People the Way Jesus Does

Opportunities for God to Be God

Our Community

Do You Want to Shine?

Lessons From the Long Trail

Are You an Influencer?

Do Good Things

If You're Brave Enough

Planted in 2026

Your Outlook

One Thing

The Perfect Gift

A Bethlehem Moment

How's your attitude?

Fresh Eyes

By Their Fruit

May All Who Come Behind Us Find Us Faithful

Bound for Glory

Lifeblood of the Church