God initiates worship. It is His action, His work. He invites us to join the continuous fellowship and outpouring of joy that is occurring all the time around us and in the Heavens. All creations is constantly adoring and constantly exalting in perfect unity the creative power and majesty of God (see Psalm 9). Who [...]
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Baptism is the initial step of a faithful heart. Max Lucado A Jailer becomes a Disciple (Paul and Silas in Prison) Acts 16:25-34 The Story of the Jailer and his family has always fascinated me. The jailer’s experience and his amazing conversion from being a hard-nosed, control oriented, government official, to a joy-filled host who washes, feeds [...]
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“I close my eyes, only for a moment and the moment’s gone. All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity. Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind.” [Dust in the Wind” by Kansas, 1978] As a Christian I don’t share the hollow despair of “Dust in the Wind,” yet [...]
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There was an interesting experiment done in the 1920 that examined our inability to walk in a straight line while blindfolded. It seems that we all are curiously unable to walk in a straight line without some sort of external reference to know when we’re off course. As a result, we continue to walk [...]
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I had a conversation this week about the purpose of the church, it’s mission and even about its ability to help us make sense of our lives in the confusing, chaotic world in which we live. It seems that we’re all a bit confused, perhaps even conflicted, by the relevance of our faith [...]
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Have you ever thought of your life as a miracle? No? Why not? You should you know. Have you ever thought of your daily routine as a gift, a privileged, or as a journey worth sharing? No? Why not? Have you bought into Solomon’s curse “and there’s nothing new under the sun”? Over the past 100 [...]
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What could be more valuable than gathering and passing along all of the knowledge and wisdom you’ve acquired over your lifetime? Imagine how powerful it would be for every coming generation to learn from each impactful thought and critical decision you’ve made in your lifetime. Imagine how redeeming it would be to transform each stumble and [...]
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Sometimes storms simply come out of nowhere. No matter how much we plan, prepare or protect what we love, storms are unpredictable and sometimes devastating. They clear away all the false beliefs we cling to, useless possessions that define us, or priorities that are powerless to give life real meaning or significance. Storms reveal that life [...]
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Summer offers us something no other season can: Perspective. During the summer months we plan for family vacations, reunions, outdoor activities and a chance to look back at all we’ve done and ask if it was all worth it. Each month we celebrate Holy communion for the same reasons: Perspective. Through the Lord’s Supper we [...]
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Mandane E. “Mandie” Johnson, 81, of Williamstown, W.Va., passed away at her residence on May, 17, 2012. She was born June 7, 1930, in Shinnston, W.Va., a daughter of the late Roy and Sylvia Lyons. She worked as an administrative assistant for over 40-plus years for Ray and Audra Fuentes and previously had been employed [...]
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“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” Marshal Foch Have you ever felt like you’re stuck, trapped or so far in a rut you don’t know the path you’re on? Some times you wonder whether there even is a path and in moments of desperation give up believing life is more [...]
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Priorities reflect our Values Passion reflects our Vision Persistence reflects View “The More choices you have, the more your values matter.” Michael Schrage This week we’ve been celebrating our graduates and their future. We’ve watched them grow, we taught them God’s plan, and we’ve offered them the love and security of a church family. But at this [...]
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Today we celebrated the Baptism of Ashlee Mullinex Audio of Baptism Service Baptism of Ashlee Mullinex Related posts: Remember Your Baptism Remember Your Baptism Transformed by Baptism Baptism: Beyond Words
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A Gift from God an Affirmation of Faith A Promise Forever! “People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.” ~ C.S. Lewis Life is a series of Remembrances (1) What you’ve learned – know to be true (tests & trials) “I once was lost, but now I found, was blind but [...]
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For the most part we already know the basics of the Easter story. What I mean is we know the timeline. Palm Sunday is followed by the Lord’s Supper (although we may not call it Maundy Thursday or know that it is derived from the Latin “mandatum” for command. Check out John 13:34 to see [...]
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Based on Matthew 21:1-4 Sermon Notes 04.01.12 Staying Power Announcement Slides 4.01.12 Worship 04.01.12 Palm Sunday Late Service Early Service Related posts: Footprints: Staying Power Beyond the Walls What is Heaven? part 1 The Pursuit of Heaven part 4
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His Italian mother named him after the gospel writer, Mark in the hopes that he too would tell the gospel truth. It is ironic that, later when he wrote a bestselling book on his world travels, cynics nicknamed it Il Milione: .The Book of a Million Lies.. And Mark, whose mother hoped would grow up [...]
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Heaven is not a place you go to, It is a place you grow to. Heaven is the gift of what you pursue in life. If your life is dominated by the pursuit of self-indulgent pleasure and privilege you will be rewarded by living in a world of hoarding and scarcity. If you live by giving and [...]
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“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” Colossians 3:1-2 Have you ever been invited to a wedding celebration? Often there is [...]
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Are you looking forward to heaven and what God has planned or is it all simply wishful thinking? Does Heaven fill you heart with wonder, excitement and enthusiasm or fear and loathing? In the midst of pain, trials and difficulties, why should we be talking about Heavent? When Jesus knew he was facing the cross and that [...]
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Why are we not satisfied with this world as it is? Why do we long for beauty, love and fulfillment? Why is pain, suffering and death so revolting and something we fight against? John Lennon in his song “Imagine” suggests we ignore the reality of Heaven and the after life in favor a more immediate [...]
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February 22, 1012 The season of Lent is a time when we prepare our hearts, minds and souls for the sacred observance of Christ’s death on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter. In Lent, we recognize we are simply dust and ashes without Christ, we confess our sins to God, and we [...]
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I’m always amazed at how little planning, thinking and preparing for the future we do these days. Infants tend to be short term thinkers, crying when their demands aren’t met, but as adults we’re to have a longer perspective on things that this. We tend to be short term thinkers, dealing with the Tyranny of [...]
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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 [...]
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Church means many different things to many people. To some it is an event, a building, an organization, a place on the map, a charity, and a group of people. When we actually consider getting involved in “a church” we are bombarded by all kinds of internal questions: What will I get out of this? [...]
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This past Sunday, February 5, 2012, was a gift of inspiration and Hope from Joe Webb. Related posts: Palm Sunday: Staying Power Beyond the Walls Centennial Moments – Centennial Sunday 8.12.12 What is Heaven? part 1
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Raymond R. Parrish, 77, of Vienna, WV died Sunday January 15, 2012 at Health South. He was born in Kenna, WV a son of the late Roscoe and Faye (Anderson) Parrish. He retired from Universal/Diamond Glass. When he was younger he served on the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department. He was a member of First [...]
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In the midst of hectic life, it’s easy to get lost. We rise to the top of our profession to realize we were climbing the wrong ladder. God, what happened? How did my life end up like this? Where is the peace that passes all understanding? Where am I, can someone help me, please? When [...]
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When we became Christians we entered a process in which the life of Christ became the air we breathe, the blood which courses through our veins and the wisdom that guides our thoughts and actions. To know what the next step is in our spiritual growth, we must first know where we are and where [...]
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“Herod was disturbed, and all of Jerusalem with him.” Matthew 2:1-12 When we stop to consider all the activities of Christmas we are left with two questions: “So What? Now What?” When Herod encounter the Magi, he was disturbed by their presence, their questions and their conviction to travel so far. The problem was that [...]
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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 [...]
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“At that time Jesus said, I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.” Matthew 11:25-26 When we get past all the frenzy of the Christmas experience, what’s left with the nagging [...]
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The Great Story of God This is a transcript of the service used on December 24, 2011. It is a closer look at the characters, circumstances and context that combine to make each piece part of the Greater Story of Christmas. No one character had all the pieces of the puzzle at the time, but [...]
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We all have them, family members that cling desperately to the family tree you’re just positive dropped from a high branch at one time or another. We all have those crazy uncles, aunts or cousins that we just don’t talk about much, but you know they’re part of your gene pool. And if you can’t [...]
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When a Christian sees prostitutes, alcoholics, prisoners, drug addicts, unwed mothers, the homeless, refugees, he knows that he is looking in a mirror. Perhaps the Christian spent all of his life as a respectable middle-class person. No matter. He thinks, “Spiritually I was just like these people, though physically and socially I never was where [...]
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We must never loose sight of the fact that God engaged Mary and Joseph in a life story they did not fully understand, after all who could understand what God was up to when He decides to use an unwed teenage girl to give birth out of wedlock. It is nothing less than… Scandalous! I’m [...]
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Our expectations are critical in giving us goals and standards for which to strive. Yet we can also be blinded by our expectations too! Each Year we prepare for Christmas with a flurry of activity, partly due to fear, guilt and competition to have the best dinner party, find the best gift or have the [...]
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Generosity is a matter of Action, Intention and Heart. It is reorienting my perspective on what life is means and what God is doing through my life. Generosity is natural response to God’s Love in Christ. Scripture Verse: Mark 10:17-23 Download our 2011 FUMC Stewardship Pledge Form Sermon Notes “Satisfying Our Hunger for God” Lord, How [...]
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A great deal of our culture and lifestyle is driven by Greed. Greed in our world is a very strong desire and is changes who we are! And you know what? It’s always been like that, since the beginning of time. Nearly 2000 years ago Jesus was teaching to a crowd of people who were following [...]
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“God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will [...]
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Prayer of Confession: Merciful God, although You made all people in your image, we confess that we live with deep divisions. Although you sent Jesus to be savior of the world, we confess that we treat him as our own servant to meet our needs of purpose, power and pride. Although you are One and [...]
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Week of September 11, 2011 On September 11, 2001 we experienced evil on a scale never imagined. Thousands died, 10s of thousands more were left to grieve over the loss of a parent, child, spouse or friend. This Sunday we remember the 9/11 Tragedy and rededicate ourselves to confront evil in our world with truth, [...]
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To what extent are we a Christian community? According to William Willimon, Bishop of the Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church, We are Christian to the extent that we conform to and are confronted by the Word of God. In Romans 12, Paul advises his readers not to be conformed to the pattern of [...]
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Worship Gathering The Worship Ministry at First United Methodist Church fuels the mission of the church–to glorify God as we make disciples who are intentional about transformation, personal and global. When we come together in a worship setting, we praise God for what He has done and is doing in our lives, we share our [...]
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This Holy Mystery Book Related posts: Holy Communion Centered in Communion World Communion Prayer of Confession A Sacred Meal
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August 17, 2011 Full Service Text Mahlon Fauss Funeral Bulletin Bulletin for Mahlon Fauss Sermon Text Matthew 11:25-30 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your [...]
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Week of May 1, 2011 One of the first ways you can celebrate your new relationship with God is to be baptized in water because this act of faith is important to Him. There are four key reasons to be baptized in water after you have become rightly relationship to God through His gift [...]
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This message delivered on August 7, 2011 by Reverend Sandy Runnion at First United Methodist Church. A Walk on the Wild Side (Late service) A Walk on the Wild Side (early service) Related posts: Remember Your Baptism Shaped by God Centennial Moment VIII Podcast: Confronting Evil
READ MORE »Leadership Related posts: How do you handle Money? Leadership Development Team Self Esteem Leadership Values
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July 17, 2011 We drastically underestimate the power of sin. Sin, by its nature, hides itself. It crouches at your door; it always looks smaller than it is. Your sins are not done with you when you think you are done with them. But there is hope in the gospel. Why do we [...]
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Week of July 10, 2011 Sin is more than just an action to be avoided, it is a power that is released in our lives that continues to enslave and choke the life out of us. In this passage from Number, God’s people are addicted to the pleasures of Egypt even though they hate the [...]
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My Membership Covenant Today I am stepping across the line. I’m tired of waffling and I’m finished with wavering; I’ve made my choice, the verdict is in and my decision is irrevocable. I’m going God’s way. There’s no turning back now! I will live the rest of my life serving God’s will with God’s people [...]
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Celebrating Worship Imagine a young couple going to a 5-star restaurant. It is a restaurant without Styrofoam hamburger shells, chicken nuggets or soda fountains. This is a five star restaurant, the kind that makes a suit and tie for guys and dresses for ladies seem natural and appropriate. The couple enters and are greeted by [...]
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As early as the Emmaus experience on the day of Resurrection, recorded in Luke 24:13-35, Christians recognized the presence of Jesus Christ in the breaking of bread. The traditional Jewish practice of taking bread, blessing and thanking God, and breaking and sharing the bread took on new meaning for them. When followers of Christ [...]
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Week of July 3, 2011 As Christians we have an obligation to pass on those values and beliefs to the next generation. As a church I hope we can pass along to our children these key values Christ Centered / Kingdom Focused / Mission Minded. Scripture Verse Deuteronomy 6:20-25 Sermon Slides worship 07.03.11 Christian Independence [...]
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Our church has a large screen in the front of the santuary for visual support of the worship experience. Now I realize that for some the screen is a nuisance and for others a sign of the decline of true worship. But for a new generation, images are more apart of their vocabulary than the [...]
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Week of June 26, 2011 We drastically underestimate the power of sin. Sin, by its nature, hides itself. It crouches at your door; it always looks smaller than it is. Your sins are not done with you when you think you are done with them. But there is hope in the gospel. Scripture Verse Genesis [...]
READ MORE »http://myemail.constantcontact.com/News-from-First-United-Methodist-Church.html?soid=1101570165871&aid=lB5_8rAdhdM. Related posts: Deeper Roots for October 10, 2011 Deep Roots: Spiritual Wisdom for Unquenchable Faith 5.22.11 Deep Roots for June 20, 2011 Deep Roots: Spiritual Wisdom for Unquenchable Faith
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see Luke 22:14-34 the Cross became for the early church a symbol of hope, life and transformation. Yet it was to those outside the church a symbol of death, humiliation, and condemnation, certainly nothing to rally behind. So what made the Cross so powerfula symbol that people would change their lives because of it. Will [...]
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Regardless of what anyone says, life is messy and we all have messes in our lives. Anyone that tells you otherwise is either in denial and/or a liar. Sometimes the mess is one of our own making through something we did or didn’t do, said or didn’t say. Other times we are thrust into the [...]
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Regardless of what anyone says, life is messy and we all have messes in our lives. Anyone that tells you otherwise is either in denial and/or a liar. Sometimes the mess is one of our own making through something we did or didn’t do, said or didn’t say. Other times we are thrust into the [...]
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Regardless of what anyone says, life is messy and we all have messes in our lives. Anyone that tells you otherwise is either in denial and/or a liar. Sometimes the mess is one of our own making through something we did or didn’t do, said or didn’t say. Other times we are thrust into the [...]
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Transformed by Baptism Sermon based on Acts 8:26-39 Audio Podcast and Sermon Notes available here Sermon Slides Worship 05.01.11 Baptism Baptism Liturgy Slides Remember Your Baptism Liturgy For many people Baptism was something that was done a long time ago and has since lost it’s meaning and significance for their lives. Our goal is to [...]
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Good News for Ladder People! Since we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always [...]
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Audio Podcast available here Based on Luke 16:19-31 Worship 04.17.11 Myths 6 Hell 2 Blessing of the Palms What is hell, then? It is God actively giving us up to what we have freely chosen-to go our own way, be our own “the master of our fate, the captain of our soul,” to get [...]
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READ MORE »Perhaps you’ve heard this challenging word about worship from author Annie Dillard (in Teaching a Stone to Talk), but hear it again: “Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on [...]
READ MORE »This is God’s Word for my life in this place and at this time. Today, I am a new creation in Christ, I am God’s very own, and I believe He has a purpose for my life. Matthew 7:24-29 (NIV) Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a [...]
READ MORE »I think we all love a good story about an underdog that has been discounted and ridculed, only to rise above and be far more than anyone ever thought. These are the stories that leave us speechless and crying out for more. They are little glimpses of light that not everthing is as it appears. [...]
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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 [...]
READ MORE »![Marriage and the 10 Commandments [part 1]](/http://steve4040.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/10-commandments.jpg)
I was thinking the other day about how incredibly important the Law is to Jewish identity and their relationship to God. Through the Law, God was calling to Himself a people He wanted as His very own. Since the Law is about defining a new kind of relationship with God perhaps we can think of it [...]
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The HOT topic among the Asbury students this January is PROSPERITY GOSPEL. If you aren’t familiar with Prosperity theology here it is in a nutshell: the Wikipedia definition. Prosperity theology, also known as prosperity doctrine or the Prosperity Gospel, is the doctrine that prosperity, particularly financial prosperity, and success in business or personal life is [...]
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When I look at the pews in the church, and then actually try to sit in a few, all these emotions come into my mind. These things are so small. You have to kind of shuffle sideways in to get into them and I’m not very good at shuffling. I talked to someone from this [...]
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Some suggest that the church is going through the third major reformation of communication. The first style of communication was certainly oral tradition handed down from the patriarchs to the children over generations. The beliefs and values of the previous generation were passed to the next by example and by stories. Johannes Gutenberg changed life [...]
READ MORE »We’ve all heard those grumblings in the pews about the use of technology and whether it is more of a distraction in the sanctuary of God or a welcomed aid to worshippers trying to communicate in a new language. Regardless of how you feel about technology in worship, the facts speak for themselves. Churches continue [...]
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Dr. Steve Gedon