As the weather chills and our evenings grow darker, it’s a good season to cultivate new habits. Recently we provided a few creative ways to read Scripture. One of the side benefits of reading more Scripture is that you also tend to read more other books … and...
I noticed something as I watched the MLB All-Star Game last week on TV from Dodger Stadium, where fans sit super-close behind home plate. On most pitches, about 80 percent of those front-row fans were not watching the game, but looking down at their phones. I turned...
The Jesus Music chronicles the history of contemporary Christian music, starting with the early-’70s Jesus Movement in California and extending almost to present day. Because the film features dozens of musicians who have performed either in First Free’s sanctuary or...
Veterans Day makes me think about my grandpa’s faded bald eagle tattoo on his shoulder and the crisp flag waving in his front yard. I picture the antique uniforms, helmets and sepia-toned photos of his father and his father’s father that decorate his house. I think...
Any opinions expressed here are mine, and do not necessarily reflect those of First Free Rockford or its leadership. I didn’t want to read Jesus and John Wayne last year. I knew it might take me to a dark place, and 2020 was already dark enough. Here’s why I chose to...
As First Free’s Classic Worship Director, Renee Cooper also has directed the choir and orchestra for our annual summer concerts. 2019’s concerts were our 50th year. They’ve been directed by Bruce Erickson, Otis Skillings, Doug Thiesen, Kristyn Thor, Eric Walker and...
