church growth
Define Church
I know that there are hundreds of different ways to describe the church as it exists today, some good, some not so good. This ambiguity leaves many confused and struggling to create a definition all their own, often with disastrous consequences. I though I would give several definitions a try. See which one describes you best and then take a stab [...]
Who Needs Church? part 2
There seems to be a movement these days to separate spirituality from community. As if a personal, private encounter Christ is better than dealing with others at church. Nothing could be further from the truth. We were made to live in community, to practice the skills of forgiveness, grace and love and in the process [...]
Who Needs Church? part 1
Church is born out of forgiveness, grace and love. Not just flowing from Jesus to you, but from you into others! The Church then is a conduit, an overlap of Heaven and Earth in which the prayer “Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven” is fulfilled, at least temporarily. Is this conduit [...]
2012 New Year Blessings
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson As we step into the flow of God’s story, I feel there is a growing excitement that God is moving us, shaping and equipping us to live beyond the ordinary. We are, after [...]
A Year for Reconciliation
What is our task in this world as children of God and brothers and sisters of Jesus? Our task is reconciliation. Wherever we go we see divisions among people – in families, communities, cities, countries, and continents. All these divisions are tragic reflections of our separation from God. The truth that all people belong together [...]
Is Your Church Dangerous?
“Nothing dangerous is happening here.” Those who hold this belief about God and church have made themselves irrelevant to all things spiritual because they’ve swallowed the Enemy’s first line of attack: “I don’t exist.” You can’t and won’t fight a battle you don’t think exists. This is right out of The Screwtape Letters, where Lewis [...]
Does Sin Still Matter
“We fear the search for who we are. Perhaps because we’re afraid that having located our true souls, we might not like ourselves that much. So, we shrink to step across the threshold to our inner selves and invite God in. … But no matter how we love the busy world of our relationships, the [...]
How Relevant is Stewardship?
Isaiah 56:9-12 (9) All you beasts of the field, come to devour, All you beasts in the forest. (10) His watchmen are blind, They are all ignorant; They are all dumb dogs, They cannot bark; Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. (11) Yes, they are greedy dogs Which never have enough. And they are shepherds [...]
Is the Website a Means of Grace?
The means of grace are the “outward signs, words, and actions” given by God to open our hearts to God’s presence and power. They lead to new ways of thinking and behaving by engaging the senses, challenging the mind, and stirring the heart. When we receive the means of grace as a gift from God, we [...]
