Church is important. Gathering for worship is an anchor for anyone who follows Jesus. But when it comes to building faith in your kids, Christian parents can’t rely on the church alone. It’s a mathematical situation: the church has maybe two or three hours with your kids a week and the home has the other … Read more
You don’t want to be a passive parent. You don’t want to be a possessive parent. You want to be a participative parent. I love that image – a participative parent. Engaged, involved, invested. Ready to do whatever it takes to not only enjoy kids while they are kids but help them gain a good … Read more
Several years back, I attended a worship leaders conference and one of speakers, Steve Reynolds, had written a book called, Get Off the Couch: 6 Motivators to Help You Lose Weight and Start Living: A Man’s A.C.T.I.O.N. Plan. I skimmed the book in 2012 and am now re-reading it. After a year and a half … Read more
There was a man driving down the road behind an 18 wheeler, at every stoplight the trucker would get out of the cab, run back and bang on the trailer door. After seeing this at several intersections in a row the motorist followed him until he pulled into a parking lot. When they both had … Read more
A tour guide was showing a tourist around Washington, D.C. The guide pointed out the place where George Washington supposedly threw a dollar across the Potomac River. “That’s impossible,” said the tourist. “No one could throw a coin that far!” “You have to remember,” answered the guide. “A dollar went a lot farther in those … Read more
An elderly lady was stopped to pull into a parking space when a young man in his new red Mercedes went around her and parked in the space she was waiting for. The little old lady was so upset that she went up to the man and said, “I was going to park there!” The … Read more
The shopkeeper was dismayed when a brand-new business much like his own opened up next door to his left and erected a huge sign which read … BEST DEALS. He was horrified when another competitor opened up on his right and announced its arrival with an even larger sign, reading … LOWEST PRICES. The shopkeeper … Read more
It looks like the current average tenure of pastors in local churches is about 3.5 years. That may not be long enough to really bring about a change. Longevity in a ministry role isn’t a silver bullet, but it does offer some really good things both to the pastor and the church. Before we get … Read more
Faith in Christ goes beyond high school. The transition from high school to college is a monumental time in life – the first real opportunity to live out one’s faith. Here’s a bit of practical advice to share with college students in your life. Find a campus group that focuses on Jesus and his word. … Read more
If your community isn’t talking about your church – then do something to get the conversation going. We’re not going for things like, “What’s going on down there anyway?” We don’t want bad publicity. We want things like, “I think the church is hosting that” or “Have you see what First Church did?! Wow!” Every … Read more