“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. Luke 1:38 Christmas is humility. I know. Probably not your first choice of descriptions for the holiday season. But it was certainly God’s starting point. We need to remember that our Lord was not […]
The story of Jesus healing the paralytic in Mark 2:1-14 is more than just another example of Jesus’ power of healing and restoration, it is also the dedication and compassion of a group that brought this paralytic to Jesus. It is not enough to know the truth if you never do anything with it. It […]
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build […]
In their book A Faith of Their Own: Stability and Change in the Religiosity of America’s Adolescents (Oxford University Press, 2011), the authors follow up with 2,530 young people, age 16 to 21, surveyed about their faith and religious practices at two points in time. The authors identified five types of religious identity among these […]
This is one of the best descriptions of Christian Discipleship I’ve ever read! Be Inspired! Discipleship—being willing to move on every level, leaving the old life behind, following Jesus wherever he may lead, sitting at his feet so to speak, taking in not only what he says but who he is on the deepest level […]
I had to take my car into the garage last week for a tune-up. It was running very rough and wouldn’t even idle when in gear, which meant I had to put it in neutral every time I came to a stoplight or traffic slowed down. What a pain! I think it was actually misfiring […]
“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 […]
This rendition of the Letter to Diognetus is in my own words, taken from the Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. I. I haven’t left anything out, and where any important issue comes up, I’ve leaned towards not changing the wording of the Edinburgh translators. Their work, however, is over a century old, so you’ll find this […]
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arxfLK_sd68&feature=player_embedded] I hope you enjoy this video; I found it helpful and challenging. The purpose of the Missional church is to equip those who attend on Sunday morning to take the church to the community. Instead of having altar calls and invitations giving by professional clergy, the church experience is to engage, equipp and encourage […]
This is a copy of an invitation sent out to people who have visited our church in the last 9 months but who for reasons unknown have drifted away. It is a simple way to invite a dialog if they so choose. During summer most people like to slow down and relax a bit. Me, […]
For Them – Every Child deserves a chance to experience, explore and embrace God’s love in and among God’s people. When children see real life men and women living as disciples, they are encouraged to learn about God’s dream for their lives too. They deserve to have a place where people give generously of the time, talents and […]
I hear it all the time “people just aren’t interested in church like they use to.” Translation: “people aren’t interested in the product we’re offering the way we’re offering it.” True enough. There is an undeniable decline in church attendance across America, but we must balance this criticism with another reality, the global explosion of […]
THE POWER OF C-H-A-N-G-E Part 1 – Connect I’ve always heard that religion is about reformation. But Christianity is about transformation. Those two things are not the same. The former is about what a person can do to make self-improvements – Ladder People. The latter is about a person totally yielding to the Person of […]
The Story (Extravagant Grace!). The Story of God calls to us every moment of our lives. It whispers to us on the wind, invites us through the laughter of good friends, reaches out to us through the touch of someone we love. We’ve heard it in our favorite music, sensed it at the birth of […]
We reach out to people and welcome them into the church We have a direct responsibility for people of the “world” around our church, the community in which we study, work, shop, play, and so forth. In this world are people with many hurts, doubts, and questions. There are some who are new in the […]
Evangelism, Missions, and the Internet Information – The Internet is bringing an enormous amount of timely strategic information into the hands of even the smallest church or mission agency. Ratiocination – People “think aloud” in cyberspace. The theology and practice (including ecclesiology and missiology) of most Christians is now primarily formed as a peer-to-peer online […]
In one of his books Paul Tripp and Tim Lane, How People Change, identify seven counterfeit gospels—-“religious” ways we try and “justify” or “save” ourselves apart from the gospel of grace. I found these unbelievably helpful. Which one (or two, or three) of these do you tend to gravitate towards? o Formalism. “I participate in […]
In the recent aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, many people have begun to ask why such things can happen. How should a Christian respond? If God is good, righteous and loving then why is there such devastation, death, and destruction through “natural disasters” like earthquakes and tsunamis Of course some people have been quick to […]
I’ve always wanted to try this, but I finally got the motivation to finally finish this project. I really wanted FUMC to have a foot print on YouTube and here it is. Let me know what you think. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2EBmKonimY] Related posts: Master Greeter Video Haiti Mission Society Video Should Churches do Commercials? That’s My King
I’ve had this thought rolling around in my head lately and I thought I would share it with my friends in the hopes that you could help me work through the details. In the story of the Prodigal Son which I’m sure you know very well as found in Luke 15, we follow the experiences of […]
Life is a story, not a task, not a script, not a competition, but a love story GOD God is the author of life’s story. The greatest commandment of all is to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. The best, most enduring joy is found in Him. He is our greatest […]
In his new book, “What is Your Church’s Personality? Discovering and Developing the Ministry Style of Your Church”, Philip D. Douglass defines eight different types of church personalities. Here they are: Fellowship Churches are conscientious, hard-working, orderly, and sensitive to the needs of the people in general, but especially those who are members of their […]
#15 – No one is ever challenged to radically rearrange their lives to be a part of what God is doing. #14 – God hasn’t asked you to give something up. #13 – Everyone in your church is perfect. (If you are truly reaching lost people then you will discover that ministry is messy.) #12 […]
Isn’t it amazing how different words take on different meanings to different people? I suppose that’s because our different backgrounds and experiences color our point of view and we just “see” different means. The problem arises when we assume our interpretation is the only one there is and that others should see the world as we do […]
Reason #2 “I don’t need to be a part of a church to be a Christian” “I don’t need to be a part of a church to be a Christian.” This was my favorite reason for skipping church as a high school student. Thankfully, my parents never bought it. This remains a popular excuse today. […]
If we are to engage aworld that seems so bent on its own destruction, then we must also take an honest look at ourselved and the reasons why people shy away from becoming involved in the local church. I suppose there are countless reasons why people become disconnected from the church they once attended or […]
In discussions of the mission of the church, Emil Brunner is often quoted: “The church exists for mission, as fire exists for burning.” What did Brunner mean? I doubt he meant what some who use his quote mean. For many, “mission” is the central activity of the church (good, perhaps), without which the church […]
What does Extravagant Grace mean to you? We’ve been planning a Thanksgiving dinner for some of the international students at the local college. I was talking with a family that is very connected with this group about possible menu options. We started with the traditional Thanksgiving feast: stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and of course Turkey. But […]
Do you think it is possible to accurately share your faith with nonbelievers by doing good deeds and letting others see Jesus in your life without actually explaining the gospel? Saint Francis is quoted by many saying, “Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary use words.” Can we share our faith biblically by […]
“Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony of God in them.” (1 John 5:10a GW) “Your lives are echoing the Master’s Word …. The news of your faith in God is out. We don’t even have to say anything anymore – you’re the message!” (1 Thessalonians 1:8 MSG) God’s MessengerWhen you […]
“Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony of God in them.” (1 John 5:10a GW) “Your lives are echoing the Master’s Word …. The news of your faith in God is out. We don’t even have to say anything anymore — you’re the message!” (1 Thessalonians 1:8 MSG) God has given […]