Ways to Grow Your Group (Part 2): Six Ways to Reach out to Your Neighbors
- Get to Know Your Neighbors
- Reach out to each of them monthly
- Pray for your neighbors
- Invite your neighbors to your group
- Invite them to church
- Be Present in the neighborhood
- Be ready and willing to step out of your comfort zone in the more difficult moments
[Tim says: Yeah, I know… the title says six and there’s seven. I guess one is only a decoy.]
Are Our Church Expectations Realistic?
We should understand healthy expectations we can have of our local churches and pastors. And we need to do this. But before we begin with the church and with our pastors, let’s begin with ourselves.
I don’t know when you discovered shame. I don’t know when you discovered that there were people who might think you are silly or dumb or not a good writer or a husband or a friend. I don’t know what lies you’ve been told by other people or maybe even by yourself.
But in response to what you are hearing from everyone else, God is still asking the question, “Who told you that you were naked?”
Seven Reasons To Preach God-Centered Messages
- It glorifies God
- It is more accurate
- It tells a better story
- It prepares the congregation for faithful performance
- It frees preaching from “to do” lists
- It is expansive
- It is sustainable
And every day I’m thankful that I’ve been rescued and that my life has been redeemed by the God who can make beauty from a mess. And I’m thankful for a family who became His hands and feet to reach out with a love that heals—reached out to the likes of me. When I was just a little thing.
It matters because while God calls us toward Christlikeness, we prefer to call others toward us-likeness. God calls us to hold all things up to the light of his Word, while we prefer to hold all things up to the light of our own judgments and our own determinations. Ultimately, we all long for conformity to us rather than to Christ.
Americans turning to ancient music, practices to experience their faith
“It’s the recognition that Christianity didn’t start when someone got an electric guitar,” said Ed Stetzer, a pastor and church consultant who runs Lifeway Research, a Christian polling firm. “I think particularly among younger Christians, they’re drawn to smells and bells and history in a way that boomers weren’t on the same level.”
Hey Dreamers, Let’s Make These Three Backwards Resolutions in 2014
Resolution #1: Fail more
Resolution #2: Do less
Resolution #3: Quit