Ready for the Road Ahead
March 20, 2011, was the beginning of Purim. The Book of Esther explains the origins of Purim and why it is celebrated. Esther's story begins with Queen Vashti's fall from grace. Persia was known for its opulent and excessive wealth. The royal city of Susa was often host to endless banquets and celebrations. Many times the entertainment at these affairs was "R" rated. Vashti's refusal to take part in this debauchery seems…
Ready for the Road Ahead
I was in one of the moods- bored, tired, and not in the mood to do anything. Exasperated with myself for not wanting to do something healthy or good for my soul, I turned on the television, flip-flopped around a few stations and landed on "The Amazing Race". I'm not really into "reality" TV, but I was curious to see where they would be going, so I stayed with it. On this particular episode, the convoluted goal was to…
Ready for the Road Ahead
Our tour group walked into the ancient city of Philippi on a beautiful day. The sky was a pleasant blue filled with puffy white clouds. But we recognized it only as a good back drop for the pictures we were taking. Underneath our feet was the weathered Roman road, the Via Egnatia (Vee-ah Egg-nay-she-uh), one of the key elements in the spread of the Gospel. It was especially moving for me. Not only did Paul, Silas, Timothy…
Ready for the Road Ahead
Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink! That little ditty ran through my head several times during the first full week of March 2011. Not only did we see record rainfall here in the Northeast, but an earthquake in Japan set off a tsunami which destroyed property and beaches in the Northwest. The rainfall coupled with melting snow caused rivers and creeks to overflow their banks and commuters to detour around the…
Ready For the Road Ahead
No matter how long you stare at the picture below, your brain will tell you that the smaller circle pattern has a larger center and the larger circle pattern has a smaller center. In reality, it's an optical illusion. Both centers are the same size. Optical illusions are brain teasers. Some are geometric, like the one below. Others are illustrations which have hidden objects, or subjects that change…
Ready For the Road Ahead
Outside my kitchen window there hangs a small birdfeeder filled with a homemade suet mixture. A number of birds like to visit this feeder throughout the day, but, the most consistent patrons are a pair of Downy Woodpeckers. It's always fun to watch them maneuver their way across the feeder. As the suet gets lower, they must find some pretty acrobatic poses in order to keep their balance while feeding. Many…
Ready For the Road Ahead
One time while visiting Cape May, Jeff and I saw a print in a gallery that we just had to have. It was a photograph of a lighthouse off the coast of France, well known for the stormy waves that crash upon it each day. A photographer in a helicopter had captured one of those waves as it smashed around the base of the lighthouse while the lighthouse keeper blithely looked skyward to see what the noise was all about. One glance at…
Ready for the Road Ahead
I came across a sad confession the other day as I read through the postings of my friends on Facebook. A young father wrote of his feelings of failure in this life. I sensed his feelings were due to that measuring stick we call "The American Dream". A man is supposed to find himself a good job that pays well and allows him to acquire all the material pleasures of the good life- a home, a car, and of course,…
Our church lists daily Bible readings on the back of our bulletin for those who want to read the Bible through the year. The pastor also preaches from one of these passages. This month we have begun Lamentations, which for many in our congregation, will be the first time they've read it. The following insert is designed to help them understand Hebrew poetry and to gain some insight on the background of this beautiful book.
If you've been following the Daily Bible…
Ready For the Road Ahead
My sister Diana and I took great delight in designing games for my youngest sister, Kim, when she was little. One of our favorites was a birthday scavenger hunt where Kim had to figure out clues in order to discover the whereabouts of her presents. Kim had a great deal of fun searching for those gifts and Diana and I took delight in watching her eyes light up when she figured out a clue and was rewarded with another colorful…
Just thought I'd post an update on our church's progress toward higher disciple participation. We are moving in a positive direction. We've been incorporating the Jesus Christ Disciplemaker model into several places in our ministry. We led workshops for the elders and deacons to encourage them as they work with their care groups. We've incorpoarted the principles into our new members class and search committee criteria. And we're putting the principles forth each week in the sermon and…
Read more…I'm looking for feedback from my fellow Discipleship Network friends on how you have encouraged, challenged and spurred others on to a more pro-active form of discipelship. So many people are content to sit in the pew and observe their faith rather than rolling up their sleeves and serving. What are some of the obstacles you've faced and how have you tackled them? What has worked, and what hasn't?
Read more…c. 1984/2004 (20th Anniversary Edition with Leader's Guide, Baker Books.Bill Hull writes with years of experience under his belt. He has lived out his mission to return the church to its discipleship roots as a pastor and as a leader of an independent parachurch organization, T-Net International. He is both a writer and speaker. Jesus Christ Disciple Maker is perhaps his best known work on the subject of discipleship. The 20th Anniversary edition, not only offers his insights on building…
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