Church Life
-
I Pledge Allegiance…
I like to think of myself as an American patriot. Obviously, I don’t agree with every decision that is made by our country’s leaders, but I do still take a great deal of pride in the nation I call home. The fact that 3 of my great-grandparents served directly in the Second World War has given me a lot to be proud of, especially in light of this week’s holiday. I am thankful for the nation that God chose to place me within and for the Christian principles that it was founded upon. Despite all this, I also realize that this country has flaws. Being a member of the post-millennial…
-
Little League Soccer and Leadership
I played soccer for a couple of years growing up. Considering I said I only played a couple of years, you can guess how successful I was. (I was terrrrrrrrrible). To this day, I don’t enjoy watching soccer very much. Whether or not you like soccer, though, I think you can pick up on this analogy. Picture in your mind very little kids on their first soccer team. The coach–who is exhausted from just trying to get the kids gathered up to start the game–is trying to yell out instructions and encouragement, but it’s useless. And you likely know why. If you have seen little kids play soccer at all,…
-
Ten Minutes
She is lonely. She has no family in our area. She is, in fact, estranged from her family who all live in another state. She is in a nursing home. She can be demanding. She has/is a soul. I was visiting with her recently. I was being reminded (again) that, at least as far as she is concerned, I do not visit her nearly often enough. During our conversation, she said something that I find difficult to get off my mind. She asked if I could encourage others from our congregation to visit with her. That’s not the part of the conversation that has stayed with me. In fact, in some ways I dismissed it fairly quickly…
-
44, That’s Me!
I had a birthday this week! I have no qualms (at least yet in life) about telling my age but Jeremiah took care of it for me this year. For those who didn’t see the video my husband used the other day to announce my new age to the world, you can find it here. The irony is, I had already planned to write this article based on that commercial! I was a fan of Icky back when he was performing his famous “Icky Shuffle” for touchdowns instead of cold cuts, so I love that commercial. But that is not why I wanted to write an article that mentioned it.…
-
The Next Step in Using Technology to Spread the Gospel
No, this article is not trying to predict the future. While I enjoy trying new things with technology, that’s not the point of this article. I have no way of knowing what the next big thing is when it comes to the online and digital world. Instead, what I want to think about is why we use technology, especially as it pertains to spreading the Gospel. Through the last several decades, technology has changed and, thankfully, many have been ready to use those new technologies to share the saving message of Jesus Christ. From radio to television to the exploding world of digital technologies, people have leveraged these to share sermons, lessons,…
-
Can You Go the Extra Mile?
At the heart of the Sermon on the Mount, while Jesus was talking about Old Testament laws and sins and the taking and performing of oaths, he submitted this challenge – “If anyone wants to sue you, and take away your shirt, give him your coat also. If someone compels you to go one mile with him, go with him two” (Matthew 5:40-41). We are familiar with this passage because it is the classic “turn the other cheek” text. It is obvious that our Lord was advising against retaliation and, instead, insisting on a kind heart and an attitude of sacrifice. But what did Jesus really mean by going the…
-
Where is the Bottleneck?
A “bottleneck” is defined on thefreedictionary.com as: 1. a. A narrow or obstructed section, as of a highway or a pipeline. b. A point or an area of traffic congestion. 2. A hindrance to progress or production. 3. The narrow part of a bottle near the top. 4. Music A style of guitar playing in which an object, such as a piece of glass or metal, is passed across the strings to achieve a gliding sound. 5. Biology An abrupt and severe reduction in the number of individuals during the history of a species of a population, often resulting in the loss of diversity from the gene pool. For our…
-
Concrete for Kids
Don’t worry: I’m not advocating crazy levels of labor for children, and I’m not giving you some idea for how to keep your kids in one place! Instead, this post is actually about teaching children the Bible, both in our homes and in the Bible class program in local congregations. We must be concrete. Here is what I mean: as adults, we know a great deal about the Bible and about how to apply it to various aspects of our lives. We can often think on a very philosophical level and deal in matters that are more abstract. And that is a good thing, because it means that we are…
-
It’s As Simple As Doing What You Say
We are all promise breakers. No matter how true to your promises you may be, we are all guilty of not always keeping our word. Why is this case? One reason is that we may tell people what they want to hear in the moment. It may be an innocent misstep, completely free of the purpose of being dismissive or intentions of not doing what we say. Another reason we break promises is that we over obligate ourselves and, even with planning and organization, there just may not be enough time to do everything we have committed ourselves to doing. Still another reason is that we may make promises that…
-
A Broken Engagement
On our recent trip to Boston, I heard something that gave me a new thought on a well-known scripture. It happened at one of the two highlights of the trip every year for me. One highlight is, obviously, the race itself (i.e., The Boston Marathon). There is no way to describe the energy and feeling of marathon day in Boston unless you experience it. Not only are you awed by the determination and grit of the 30,000+ runners themselves, you find yourself surrounded by literally tens of thousands of strangers all rooting for each other and each other’s loved ones, all helping you look for your runner, and all united…
