So youâre moving house. Off to college or uni. The time has come to join a new church family. Youâve been on the ânet and printed out a list of congregations and got some recommendations from trusted friends. But what next? Once youâre in a strange church building how do you discern whether it will be a good place to settle?
Here are eight quick questions to help:
Of course, thereâs no such thing as a perfect local church and it is unrealistic to expect that every congregation will do everything well. But if you answer most of the above with a âyesâ then the church is definitely one to visit again!
My church is small. In our under-18s work we have 6 children aged 1 to 14. One has special needs. And with our current resources we have no choice but to teach them together. Itâs not an uncommon scenario. Many churches do it. And if youâre in one of them youâll know how frustrating it is not to be able to teach in age-specific groups and how hard it is to help groups like this grow.
We tend to fall into some common traps:
But on our good days, we remember that there are better ways to teach multi-age groups. And here are 4 tips to help us:
You who bring good tidings to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
âHere is your God!â
See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and his arm rules for him.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
(Isaiah 40 v 9â11)
The good news must be shouted out! The Lord Jesus will come with the power of a mighty warrior and with the care of a shepherd looking after his sheep. Just as God would rescue the people of Jerusalem from exile in foreign countries â Jesus rescues His people from Godâs punishment and brings them home to Himself. Amazing.
We all want our churches to be places where people feel at home. But in the busy-ness of the average Sunday morning itâs all too easy to let newcomers wander in and out without any meaningful interaction taking place. So here are our top 5 tips to help you welcome visitors to your congregation:
As the summer camp season draws to a close for another year, I imagine there's a number of people out there who might be suffering from the return to normality after serving on a camp.
A number of us here at The Good Book Company are involved in a variety of camps across the country and it's always exciting to see people come back from camp fired up and really excited, but then that rapidly gives way to a slight sadness and despondency as the normal routine of life replaces the constant, dizzying thrills of camp.
Here's a very helpful article to guide us through the Post-Camp Blues and to focus on how great God has been to us.
Irrational bosses can be the bane of our lives: Their demands, unrealistic and their attitudes, abhorrent. Those of us who have to endure them all too often go home from work seething or depressed and, to our shame, end up indulging in a spot of revenge-fantasy. So itâs no surprise that the latest Hollywood offering, Horrible Bosses has found a certain resonance with many. Extreme it may be but thereâs something deeply appealing about its basic plot: wreaking revenge on those who make 9-6 an utter nightmare!
Now, before I go on, it would be wise to emphasise that my current bosses are absolutely wonderful! But many of us donât have that privilege. So how should Christians respond when we find ourselves working for horrible bosses?
According to 1 Peter 2:13-25, by respecting them!
Peter wasnât being a first century sadist. Rather he was someone who saw beyond the daily grind of the working week to the most important calling of any believer â the calling to be like Christ.
He reasons that suffering for doing wrong is getting what we deserve. Suffering at work when we donât deserve it â and enduring that suffering in ways that are mindful of Jesus, with no hint of retaliation â is something that both displays and develops godliness.
That is not to say that we should be doormats. We have more freedom than many 1st century servants and so if something in our workplace is seriously awry then it is right we use that freedom help solve those problems. But always in a framework of respect ⌠never out of a desire to see our boss âget what they deserveâ.
Respecting an unreasonable boss is not an easy path. There will certainly be days when we need the prayerful support and encouragement of wise friends ⌠But we are followers of a saviour who took the most difficult path. Becoming like him was never going to be easy!
Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people
both now and forevermore.
(Psalm 125 v 1â2)
A great, biblical response to the looting from Mike Ovey of Oak Hill College.
But the liberal and the diehard both seem to see the looters as profoundly other, patronisingly in the one case, demonisingly in the other. The thought is that the looters are not like us.
http://oakhill.ac.uk/commentary/11_summer/looters_them_or_us.html
