“Christians are to be the good news before they share the good news,” opined Jospeh Aldrich in his book Lifestyle Evangelism.
Aldrich’s observation reminds me of a quote credited to Francis of Assisi who said, “Always preach the Gospel, and when necessary, use words.”
Both ideas suggest that evangelism is more than just a Monday night event. More than joining an outreach group. More than giving away free Bibles at Starbucks. More than going door to door to find prospects. Continue reading
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Andy Stanley says guardrails are, “a system designed to keep us from straying into dangerous or off-limit areas.”
Stanley reminds us that guardrails are beneficial when driving across a bridge, or on a curvy mountain road. The guardrails are constructed to keep us from getting too close to the edge. They both warn and protect.
My wife always feels a little safer when we’re driving up a mountain road and there are guardrails. If there aren’t any guardrails she gets a bit nervous. And suggests maybe we ought to take a different route. Continue reading
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“The hardest thing about milking cows,” once quipped a farmer, “is that they never stay milked.”
Isn’t this true of so many areas of our lives? Doing something once is not enough. It must be repeated over and over again. Like… Continue reading
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Wemmicks were a community of painted wooden people in the children’s book You Are Special by Max Lucado.
Some of the Wemmicks were new and shiny. Others were chipped and peeling. Every day in Wemmicksville, they all received stickers. Some got gold stars, while others were given gray dots.
Punchinello, the main character, suddenly realized that only the pretty, shiny Wemmicks received the gold stars. He, and the others, got gray dots. So he decided he must not be worth very much. Continue reading
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There’s an old story about a well-known, international preacher who was visiting some residents in a local nursing home in a city where he was conducting an evangelistic meeting.
As we went around greeting each one, they were all glad to meet him, expressing both surprise and appreciation for taking his time to visit them. At one point, he spoke to a lady, who didn’t seem to know who he was.
“Do you know who I am?” the preacher asked. Continue reading
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In the comic strip BC, the caveman is having a crisis of faith. He cries out, “God, just show me YOU exist, and I’ll believe.”
Suddenly there’s an earthquake. A volcano erupts. Lightning strikes. Finally, a rainbow appears.
In the last frame the caveman is still pleading, “Please, God, just show me a sign!” Continue reading
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Warren Wiersbe relates a story about a reporter who was interviewing a successful job counselor. He had helped hundreds of workers find happiness and fulfillment in their vocations. When asked the secret of his success the man offered this insight.
“If you want to find out what a worker is really like, don’t give him responsibilities give him privileges. Most people can handle responsibilities if you pay them enough, but it takes a real leader to handle privileges. A leader will use his privileges to help others and build the organization; a lesser man will use privileges to promote himself.” Continue reading
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Bob & Rosalie Thomasmeyer.
Gerry Sandusky.
Ken Green.
Gene Samford.
Bart Campbell.
Scott Thornton.
Bill Hood.
The aforementioned share one thing in common in the past few days. They have all passed from this life into eternity. Continue reading
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A Bible class teacher was explaining to the class that we really don’t know what Jesus looked like.
To illustrate, she showed a painting of Jesus, illustrating it was the painter’s rendition. “It’s not really Jesus. It’s just the artist’s conception of Him.”
One little fellow, looking long and hard at the painting finally said, “Well, it sure looks like him.” Continue reading
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In his book, Uncommon Decency: Christian Civility in an Uncivil World, Richard J. Mouw, relates this account among a gathering of seminary professors.
One professor reported that at his school the most damaging charge one student can lodge against another is that the person is being “judgmental.” He found this pattern very upsetting. “You can’t get a good argument going in class anymore,” he said. “As soon as somebody takes a stand on any important issue, someone else says that the person is being judgmental. And that’s it. End of discussion. Everyone is intimidated!” Continue reading
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