Church Life

  • Church Leadership,  Church Life

    It’s Not about the Pizza

    Recently, I was listening to a discussion among some men on the radio about a pizza restaurant they had visited. During the discussion they mentioned the fact that, when they walked into the restaurant, there was a sign that welcomed them (and others) to the restaurant that had been recognized for ten years in a row as the cleanest restaurant in that particular chain of restaurants. The curiosity of one of those men caused him to ask an employee what they did in order to earn that distinction. That, in turn, led to the young lady giving him and his friends a tour and discussing the procedures they had in place to…

  • Church Life

    God’s People are a Wonder

    Last week, I was blessed to be part of Horizons at Freed-Hardeman University. If you know me well at all, you know that FHU is one of my happiest places on earth (along with anywhere my family is and the beach). Horizons is built to be similar to a summer camp, but allows teens to pick elective classes as well as attend theme classes, devotionals, evening worship, singings, and help with service projects, all while getting a small taste of what it’s like to live in a dorm room and eat at a dining hall. This year’s theme for Horizons was “Wonder.” We spent the week challenged to wonder and…

  • Church Life,  Family,  Parenting

    “We are a _________ Family”

    I’ve read it on social media more times than I can count. I have had people introduce themselves to me using it. It’s when they try to describe their family and they fill in the blank with something of this world, and it is typically an activity of their children. “We are a softball family.” “We are a theater family.” “We are a soccer family.” “We are an academic family.” “We are a football family.” “We are a band family.” And, yes, I have had people who were followers of Jesus introduce themselves to me that way. Before I even knew the names of all the family members, they had…

  • Church Life,  Tech

    A Timely (and Much Needed) Reminder

    I am not sure when this will be posted, but I believe that it will be relevant regardless of when that happens. At least I hope that is the case. I am typing these words on the day after many in our nation were shocked for the second time about the same subject. Some of us, including me, are old enough to have experienced both shocks.   The first shock happened on January 22, 1973 when the U. S. Supreme Court decision known as Row v. Wade sort of “came out of the blue.” As I remember it, prior to 1973, it was almost unthinkable that there would be such a thing as…

  • Church Life,  Legacy of Faith Podcast

    Episode 160: Lessons Learned from Coordinating VBS [Podcast]

    https://media.blubrry.com/faughnfamily/content.blubrry.com/faughnfamily/Legacy_Podcast_160.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS (Player not displaying or working? Click here to listen.) Vacation Bible School is in the books at Central. Adam and Leah take this week’s episode to share some tips for coordinating a VBS. Even if your congregation is already done with VBS this year, these are tips you will want to file away for future years. Find our podcast on… Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Stitcher TuneIn Radio RSS

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  • Church Life,  Family

    June 24th Was a Victory, But the Battle Has Not Been Won

    June 24, 2022 will go down in history as the day that the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the Roe v Wade decision concerning abortion. The rights were turned back over to the individual states to make their own laws concerning this heinous act of abortion. It was a victory for those of us who are pro-life and believe in the sanctity of life which begins at conception. I was overjoyed with the decision, as were so many other people who live in states that had “trigger” laws already in place. Abortion became illegal in the state of Kentucky, but just 7 miles from our hometown on the…

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  • Bible study,  Church Life

    A Random Thought about VBS vs. Bible School

    At Central, VBS is in the books, but we are right in the middle of VBS season. I know a lot of congregations that have their Vacation Bible School in July, and some even have it in early August. With all these going on, I wanted to share something that has been on my mind for many years about VBS and how it compares with our “regular” Bible school programs. Now, before I share it, let me say this: I am not “anti-VBS.” I love VBS! It is a lot of work, but, when done well, can be a tremendous tool to teach children, to encourage members, to involve members,…

  • Church Life

    Date or Direction

    On July 2, 1776, a motion passed in The Second Continental Congress. That vote meant that the thirteen American colonies were officially declaring that they were independent from England.  John Adams was excited about the vote and wrote the following to his wife: The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.—I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires…

  • Church Life

    No Tired Like Camp Tired

    For those of you reading this who have been to a Bible camp as adults there is no explanation for the title needed. For those of you who have not had that experience, you are just going to have to trust me: 4-5 days attempting to sleep on thin, sometimes plastic covered, twin-size bunk beds in a space shared with 10-20 campers, some of whom sleepwalk, sleeptalk, snore, or just plain old stay up talking, does not make for a restful week. It does make for a week of tremendous spiritual growth, relationship building, and lots of fun stories and memories! This year at our camp, the Wednesday night speaker…

  • Church Life,  Evangelism

    What Never Works in Personal Evangelism

    “We’ve used ‘House to House,’ and never really got any contacts.” “Door knocking just doesn’t work in our area.” “We had a huge Fall festival and almost no one came.” “We tried Facebook ads, and it just flamed out with no real response.” Do any of these sound vaguely familiar? Oh, the specifics might be different, but I have heard similar things said nearly countless times. And, to be honest, I have said similar things more times than I care to admit. I’m spending quite a lot of time currently preparing for a class that is coming up quickly. The elders at Central asked me to teach a Bible class…