Experience can be a cruel teacher. It must be balanced with loving instruction. A young man decided to take private boxing lessons. He found a boxing coach at a nearby gym who agreed to give him twenty-six weekly sessions. As part of his instruction, the young man was required to spar with other aspiring boxersContinue reading “Reaching and Retaining the Next Generation”
Category Archives: Church Health
A Common Element Among an Effective Church
Spring is coming, I’m convinced! And with it will be mild temperatures, green grass, beautiful flowers and the reminder that it is good to be alive. Growth will set in. The growth season in our area begins after the last frost, sometime usually after April 1 and ends at the last frost of the year,Continue reading “A Common Element Among an Effective Church”
One Church, One Family
Text: Romans 12:1-13 “An effective team is only as good as its members. No one holds the market on value. Sometimes we fail to see the value in each other. For instance, a sea captain and his chief engineer were arguing over who was most important to the ship. To prove their point to eachContinue reading “One Church, One Family”
Why Go to Church?
This is a very good question, especially when more and more people are choosing not to attend church. The statistics regarding church attendance are unfortunate. According to a Gallup poll, 32% of Pennsylvanians attend church services weekly. 20% attend monthly. 47% seldom or never. Could it be that we are transitioning from a time whenContinue reading “Why Go to Church?”
How to Show Love on a Sunday Morning
“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart… .” (1 Peter 1:22 ESV) “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.” (1 Peter 2:1 ESV) “But you are a chosen race, a royalContinue reading “How to Show Love on a Sunday Morning”
How to Prosper, Spirtually
I was recently confronted with the question: “How does one prosper spiritually?” Another way of putting it would be to ask: “What is the key to spiritual growth?” I believe the first Psalm has some insight into this question. The book of Psalms has often been referred to as Israel’s hymnbook. It contains songs- orContinue reading “How to Prosper, Spirtually”
Why Mission is Critical to a Local Church
The fourth century church father Augustine of Hippo said: “Whoever…thinks that he understands the divine Scriptures or any part of them so that it does not build the double love of God and of our neighbor does not understand it at all.”[1] There are two types of love. One is the love that appeals toContinue reading “Why Mission is Critical to a Local Church”
Crucial for a Healthy Church
The following message is taken from Philippians 4:1-7 and addresses compromise and unity. In his book, The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer gives this interesting illustration: “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by beingContinue reading “Crucial for a Healthy Church”
Friends Are Like…
The following message is based on 1 Samuel 19:1-7 and addresses the value of friendship. To have a few close friends, even just one or two is a tremendous blessing in life. They help us through life’s challenges. They encourage us. Life comes easier with friends. Ecclesiastes 4:9 tells us: “Two are better than one, becauseContinue reading “Friends Are Like…”
Are You a Gracious Church Member?
We all have tendencies to see the negative in our circumstances. Usually it involves inconveniences; never when life is at risk. When Robinson Crusoe was wrecked on his lonely isle he drew up in two columns what he called the evil and the good. He was cast on a desolate island, but still alive—not drowned,Continue reading “Are You a Gracious Church Member?”
Central to Life 