"I tell new members at our church that I want music that helps them worship God if they got engaged the previous evening, and I want music that helps them worship God if they broke up the previous evening. When you select music with a variety of emotional starting points, you teach your congregation that God's promises hold true no matter our emotional condition." (143) T...
Keep Reading"Our greatest confirmation of the gospel is the community of the local church. Therefore, our best strategy for reaching the world is to fan that community into a raging inferno of supernatural witness that will be far more attractive than any adjustment to our music, small groups, or sermons could ever be." (194) The Compelling Community: Where God's Power Makes a Church...
Keep ReadingThom Rainer has written an excellent article about how we could more effectively interact with guests that visit Bethel each week! Here's a summary, but be sure to check out the entire article HERE. He recommends seven things we should say to guests. "Thank you for being here.""Let me help you with that.""Please take my seat.""Here is my email address. Please let me kno...
Keep Reading"Sometimes when my church is celebrating the Lord's Supper, I let my gaze drift from person to person, imagining what they will be like in heaven. There's Margaret over there who sends me all those discouraging e-mailsyet who loves her Lord and our church. Squinting into the future, I can almost see her now, shining with the wise love and compassion of her Lord. Joe, who's...
Keep ReadingWith great jobs, a beautiful daughter and a dream house, the Jordans seem to have it all. Appearances can be deceiving, however, as husband Tony flirts with temptation and wife Elizabeth becomes increasingly bitter, crumbling under the strain of a failing marriage. Their lives take an unexpected turn for the better when Elizabeth meets her newest client, Miss Clara, who en...
Keep Reading"To follow Christ is to love other Christians. . . . Love between believers isn't a sign of maturity; it's a sign of saving faith." (52) The Compelling Community: Where God's Power Makes a Church Attractive (Crossway, 2015)...
Keep ReadingBruce Ware's article, Advice for Another Year of Bible Reading,over at Desiring God is a wonderful, balanced approach to Bible reading in 2016. He has provided us with five guidelines that have helped him over many years of reading Scripture. 1. Commit yourself to consistent Bible reading. 2. Engage in both fast-paced and slow-paced reading. 3. Notice the who as much, ...
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