A few weeks ago I started creating discussion guides that Faith Church’s small group leaders could use if they wanted to guide their group through a further consideration of a recent sermon. Last week I introduced the sermon saying that the concept of “majority rules” could be good, but also really bad. Faith Church isContinue reading “A Discussion Guide for Church Leaders and Followers!”
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How “majority rules” can be so good and so bad
Do you believe that “majority rules?” I am reminded of the game show, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, and their “Ask The Audience” tool. If a contestant doesn’t know the answer to a trivia question, they have the option, one-time only, to ask the audience which answer the audience would choose. Audience members thenContinue reading “How “majority rules” can be so good and so bad”
When Christians should stop inviting people to church
I appreciate a good provocative title. My wife says if I use them too much, people will become callous to them. She’s right. But I really am serious about the title of this blog post. At first I titled it “WHY Christians should stop inviting people to church.” But that was a smidge misleading, andContinue reading “When Christians should stop inviting people to church”
What in the world is Christian “outreach”?
It has been a few years, but for a long time every fall Faith Church held a Harvest Bazaar. Before that it was called a Christmas Bazaar. Many people in our congregation would cook up a storm in their kitchens, creating delicacies for the bake shop. Others would staff the snack shop, making amazing chickenContinue reading “What in the world is Christian “outreach”?”
The extremely important teaching of Jesus that Google (and maybe your church) is missing
Today while writing this post, I googled “the one thing Jesus taught us to do.” I was looking for an image to illustrate the reflection that I usually write about the previous Sunday’s sermon. The results of my image search were very interesting. Can you predict which result was the most frequent? Prayer. I guessContinue reading “The extremely important teaching of Jesus that Google (and maybe your church) is missing”
Two things Jesus did not tell us to do (but we do), and one he did tell us to do (but we don’t)
I’m super excited that the Olympics start today. Soccer is my favorite sport, so while I’m disappointed the US men’s team didn’t qualify, the women’s team looks to make a gold medal run, and I’ll be cheering them on! In honor of that quest, I thought I’d show you this picture of a Jesus figurineContinue reading “Two things Jesus did not tell us to do (but we do), and one he did tell us to do (but we don’t)”
How to rehab a relationship
Do you have relationships that need rehab? There is help! Fellowship! In the very first account of how the earliest Christians interacted with one another, Acts 2:42-47, we read that they devoted themselves to the fellowship? What is fellowship? That word “fellowship” in verse 42 is defined by Louw & Nida as “an association involvingContinue reading “How to rehab a relationship”
Do you have relationships that need rehab?
Do you have any people in your life that you feel are just hard to get along with? Think about the people in your family. Any family members rub you the wrong way? What about school? Is there a person that you really struggle with? Maybe that classmate, when you see that they are inContinue reading “Do you have relationships that need rehab?”
Why our worship services are not good enough (and God might even hate them)
Worship services could actually be keeping us from worship. Sound impossible? Peter Rollins, in his book Insurrection, suggests that it’s actually very possible. In the Old Testament, God pointed out to the nation of Israel that their worship was not acceptable to him. They were going through the motions of worship, but they weren’t actuallyContinue reading “Why our worship services are not good enough (and God might even hate them)”
Could a church worship service be a bad thing?
Did you have a security blanket as a kid? Maybe it was a special stuffed animal or a pacifier. Or did you suck your thumb? I had a blanket as a child. My own kids had a variety of security items, which got progressively bizarre. Child #1 carried around a blanket, which we had snuglyContinue reading “Could a church worship service be a bad thing?”
Engaging Scripture 