Pastoral Ministry

How did we do today?

I tried to refuse the self-checkout.  I would like to say it was out of some sort of duty to those who will lose their jobs.  It’s not that I’m not sympathetic, that I’m not sad to see people replaced by machines, but if I’m honest with myself, I’m more upset at my loss.  I don’t always trust those machines.  It’s a lot of work for me to make sure that the price that comes up when I scan my item is the right price.  Besides, those machines have no personality.  You don’t get to chat about the weather or politics or any other meaningless topic that comes to mind.  I guess you could try but it would be a one way conversation.  The only thing the machine ever says to me is, “how did we do today?”

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Why Are Young People Leaving The Church?

We have changed the music. We have shortened the service length. We have stopped holding Sunday night services and Wednesday prayer. We have renamed, reinvented and rebuilt the way we do church. We have introduced technology as a way to interact. We have loosened our dress code, become more lax about showing up late, leaving early and missing a week or two here and there. So why are young people leaving the church?

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Be Real About Your Faith

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)

A Little Understanding – Landscape and Décor (part 2)

There are only two choices left once a person buys into a marketing strategy for faith in Christ.

One choice is to go for full disclosure after the person joins the collective of Christ followers and hope they will stay because it has become part of their lives…It is more likely that once a person finds out the actual teachings a Christ follower follows, trouble in the church is coming. Either they will speak out and try to change the beliefs of the Christ followers or leave the collective creating questions about the direction of the church and its effectiveness.

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Unnamed Source: Jesus To Be Replaced As Head Of Church

A spokesperson for the worldwide church would not confirm or deny that Jesus was being replaced but an individual close to the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on behalf of the worldwide church said: “The vote came out strongly in favour of retaining the name Jesus but removing both Him and those aligned with Him from positions of influence.”

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More Than Talents & Hard Work

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.  To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,  to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (NIV)