Recently I was honored to sit down with a pastor and church board and one of the topics of conversation had to do with taking a look at the community around the church. Something that jumped out at the men around the table was that the number of single moms was higher than the national average. The board rightly asked, “What is being done for them? What can we do to minister to these single moms?”
Miriam and I had a gift card to one of our favorite breakfast spots and our foreign exchange student was on a math field trip so we took off for an early morning date. The restaurant was already taking names for a 15 minute wait. Shortly after we sat down I saw a single, elderly woman sit down near us. At first I thought she was waiting on someone to join her but when her food arrived, my heart ached. In a room filled with laughter and noise, she quietly ate her breakfast alone.
I remember the first time I tried on a robe. Miriam and I were staying in a cabin in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for our anniversary and there were two robes on the bed for our comfort. I tried that big, white, fluffy robe on and it felt like I had put on a heavy weight. It wouldn’t be the last time that a robe would feel heavy to me.
The last post about church vibrancy dealt with a consideration of the roadblocks that can get in the way of a church experiencing vibrancy. We now need to begin to take a careful look at those standing to our right and left inside the walls of the congregation to take an inventory of our gifts, strengths and talents. God believes in your congregation and has placed within you all that is needed to make a difference in your community.
In 1773 Colonists boarded a ship of the East India Company (British owned) and dumped all the tea on that ship overboard as a protest over taxation without representation. That act let Great Britain know they had a problem brewing in Colonial America and was a significant event that led to the Revolutionary War.
Rarely a day goes by when I don't see a pastor post why it is spiritually better to vote for Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Trump. Recently I saw a new post on why Mr. Johnson would be the better choice for Christians. I usually am heartbroken at what I read.
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