Children have a way of asking the most interesting questions. Many years ago, I was busy studying when my then eleven-year-old son, Stephen, walked into the office and asked: “Dad, how did you ever become a minister?” “I received a ‘call’ from God, son.” He Read more…
It’s been a difficult week for me personally and for many of the clergy and churches on our district. Several of our clergy and their families face or have recently faced surgery and severe illness. There seems to have been more funerals within our churches recently. Several churches are sincerely Read more…
Top 10 Learnings about Welcoming Newcomers — By Keith Anderson – From Leading Ideas Churches often define their success in welcoming newcomers by the number of people who become members of their church. At Redeemer we have shifted our focus to improving the quality of our welcome, and it Read more…
Worry is like a rocking chair…”It will give you something to do, but won’t get you anywhere.” Worry is like a disease that infects everyone yet no one seeks a cure. Worry is considered a legitimate past time, almost an honor, but worry is still a sin: a Read more…
September 11 – What do you remember? An elementary school student wrote shortly after the terrorist attack: “Dear God: We hope there will be no war and no more plane crashes because we don’t want anybody to get hurt again!” Encouragement: Following September 11, I remember the continual Read more…
September 11, 2001: If you ask any American, they can tell you where they were and what they were doing on that fateful day. Ten years have gone by… How will you remember? What have we learned? Wayne Pratt: “I was on my way home after spending an overnight Read more…
Words can hurt! Our family moved to a new area as I entered the seventh grade. During the first week of school, I decided to try out for the chorus. Since I already participated in our church choir singing sounded like a great way to make friends and have Read more…
Here is a challenging prayer used in a collection by Kenneth Osborne. “Set us afire, Lord, stir us, we pray — while the world perishes, we go our way Purposeless, passionless, day after day; set us afire, Lord, stir us, we pray!” — Unknown Kenneth then wrote: “Vitality is essential Read more…
Excellent article on Grants and Measurable Outcomes for Non-Profits by Steve Jennings “Measurable Outcomes” has become a buzzword in the world of grant writing and securing support from major donors and corporations. They rightly want to know that their donations and grants are making a difference. So if you can Read more…
Three Stories of Courage and Faith “It’s been a rough week! An earthquake and a Hurricane! Could you use a story of inspiration in the midst of struggle? Me too. Here are the stories of brave souls who demonstrated extraordinary courage in the face of difficulty.” For Read more…