Ephesians 5:16
Not only is the Church incurably congregational, it is also incurably “synodical.” Okay, that sounds odd. Synodical? That sounds like a made up word. Actually, it is an ancient word, at least the root word is: synod. Synod means walking on the same (syn—think symphony, lots of sounds at the same time) road (od—think Odyseus and his travels). The word […]
The Church is incurably congregational. Where ever God calls people to faith in Jesus, he calls them into congregations. The idea that “I can follow Jesus all by myself and worship him all by myself in a field” may represent rugged American individualism, but it does not reflect either Biblical teaching or historical Christian living. Christians gather together in congregations. […]
Read through your Bible every year. All of it. This is a drum I bang every chance I get. The point is to capture your imagination not burden your conscience. We meet Jesus in the word for he is the word. How would that change you? How would that change us? When I practice what I preach by reading the […]
How do you describe your congregation? Small, medium, large, mega? What about conservative, liberal, confessional, liturgical, contemporary? Is it dying, surviving, thriving? Would you describe it as a community of health? Whether you are a lay person or a pastor, let me encourage you to consider your congregation as a community of health. Is it one? What would it take […]
280 characters and you are done. This necessitates crisp, clear, concise writing. While I never got into the habit of tweeting, the concept appeals to me. Twitter makes you point not paint. This can’t help but sharpen your thoughts and enhance your communication. Of course, like everything else, it is nothing new. Long before social media of any kind existed, […]
Of course, just recently the world witnessed the coronation of King Charles III. Maybe you watched some of it? There is nothing like a little pomp and circumstance. As you know, and this is no disrespect, the new King is largely a figurehead. It is comforting to know he is around. It is nice to have him show up at […]
Even if you have a rug by the door. Even if you take your shoes off. Even if you are very careful. No matter how hard you try, you are bound to track dirt from outside inside your house. The truth is in the vacuum cleaner. It does not lie. Sure, especially if your dog is as hairy as ours, […]
Your answer might be minus eight, but this is not a math problem. From two different sources this week I learned about ten things that might be particularly significant for a well lived life. From the first source there was a discussion about five habits. James Clear wrote that your five strongest habits are a great indicator of your life’s […]
Don’t take offense. It is not name calling. But as Christians you and I should be like a donkey. Of course not just any donkey, but the Palm Sunday donkey as he carried Jesus into the city. That’s us; we bear Christ (Christopher) to the cities, towns and villages in which we live. We are not culture warriors. Ours is […]
Does your car have a function that warns you about a “speed check ahead”? Somehow there is technology available to identify when a police car is in the area with a radar speed gun. That same technology can warn you when there is a red-light photo sensor at an intersection. Such warnings serve as helpful reminders to slow down and […]