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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Johnny One Note
I’m probably going to embarrass one recipient of this post, but I guess I’ll take that chance. On second thought, since our son is the one who actually decides when and if these are posted, this may not even make the cut. I’m thinking back to when he was in grade school in Dexter, Missouri. Donna and I tried to attend every activity connected with the school that involved either him or his sister. Like almost every other parent or grandparent who has ever lived, we thought each choral or band performance, athletic event, etc. was very special. I’m not sure what grade our son was in when he had a solo…
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Cousins’ Camp (CC) 2022 Is In The Books
Year number 10 for Cousins’ Camp for the Faughn clan is over. It was marked with the theme “Decade of Memories,” and we had a blast! Turner designed our T-shirts this year and did a great job. To mark this being our tenth year, each of the grandchildren (minus Luke who is interning this summer with the Westside church of Christ in Salem, Virginia) made a collage of pictures of CC throughout the last nine years. I spent hours with the picture albums and books making color copies of all of their activities. I laughed a lot and I cried sometimes as I went through and selected the pictures. Those memories are priceless.…
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The Most-Forgotten Important Part of VBS
As this is being released, we are right in the middle of VBS week at Central. Our Vacation Bible School runs from Monday evening through Thursday evening and is a true highlight on our church calendar. After 2020, when we couldn’t have VBS and after 2021, where we had it, but tried to “cap” the numbers a bit, it is a joy to see young people everywhere in our building for this special week again! I have “directed” VBS approximately 16 times over the years. I will admit that my job is basically getting amazing people to lead various departments and letting them shine. It always makes me cringe a…
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A Life Lesson From The Beatles’ First Drummer
The Beatles came to the United States when I was a few months shy of my sixteenth birthday. Like many people of my generation (as well as other generations), I became a fan. While I was not as consumed as some people seemed to be about The Beatles, I am aware of some things about The Beatles that might not be of any interest to anybody but me. What I have known for quite some time, for example, is that Ringo Starr’s “given name” is Richard Starkey. I also knew that there was a drummer before him. He was/is known professionally as Pete Best. What I did not know until just recently was that…
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One Two-Step to Being a Better Dad
Father’s Day is coming up Sunday. For a long time now, it has (thankfully) been noted that, far too often, we celebrate mom on Mother’s Day and then blast dads on Father’s Day. It seems to be that the tide has finally turned, though, as more people are seeking to truly honor dads on this special day. Any dad who is striving to do things right knows that he falls short. He understands that he cannot do everything and that there are shortcomings that must be worked on. A real man is willing to work on those things. But where does a dad start? Thankfully, if he is a Christian…
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CrazySpeak
Many of us are somewhat familiar with the term “doublespeak.” Some, like me, may assume that we read that word in George Orwell’s book 1984, but, according to some material I recently read, we did not. According to that material, the following words are in 1984: ”doublethink,” “newspeak,” and “oldspeak.” (I’m relying on the material I consulted. I did not take the time to reread 1984!) Somehow, over the years, all of that has sort of morphed into the term “doublespeak.” According to Miriam-Webster.com, doublespeak is defined as, “language used to deceive usually through concealment or misrepresentation of truth.” On a related subject, another website had the following information that I thought was interesting: Terminology…
