The preacher's gonna talk about money on Sunday. Why? Because money issues are heart issues. It's a rival god. And anything you can't talk about assumes even more controlling power in your life.
No matter how cool you are, your kids are going to think you're weird. Luckily, your job isn't to be the cool dad or the fun mom. Your job is to gradually transfer their dependence away from yourself, so they grow to depend solely upon God.
Heaven knows, our church has a 156-year history and many reasons to celebrate. And heaven knows, there is one single unchanging thing to celebrate most: when the lost gets found.
All of your questions won't be answered up front. Your life will still be messy, especially at first. Changes happen along the way. Following Jesus doesn't start with your perfection. It starts with his promise and a simple invitation. Follow him.
Say you came to faith as a child and your faith never grows. What happens when you take your itty-bitty God out into the great big world? Sooner or later your childish concept of God is going to get flattened. It's a necessary thing when your God is too small.
Some of us help the faith of others. Some of us hurt the faith of others. Some people who give up on Jesus never tried him in the first place. On their way to meeting him, they met us instead, and they turned away.
Sarah laughs at God. Moses says, " You've got the wrong guy." Gideon needs a sign. David cries and complains. Thomas doubts. And that's how you know that you 've found your people. Gods people. People of faith.
At church the unspoken rule is that you must keep doubts to yourself. Bury your questions. But when you bury questions and doubts alive, they haunt your faith forever.