Problems leading to churches becoming unhealthy

My best selling book continues to be The Healthy Small Church. Published in 2005 it continues to outsell all my other books and the seminar I lead from this book is the one still most requested. Although the principles and concepts found in the book relates to all churches, the focus throughout the book is on the smaller church.

Every church leader wants his or her church to be healthy. Unfortunately, not every church is healthy, and many leaders do not know how to turn that around. After serving as a bivocational pastor for twenty years in one small, rural church and later serving as a Resource Minister in our region with immediate responsibility for over 130 churches, I've seen more than my share of unhealthy churches and the frustrations of those trying to change them.

It's important to note that there is no quick fix for an unhealthy church. Your church did not get in its current condition yesterday, and you're not going to change it tomorrow. It can take years to help an unhealthy church regain its health. Even though you cannot change your church tomorrow, you can start the process tomorrow.

That process begins by identifying what has led to the church's poor health. As I mention in my book, there are several possibilities.

1. Unresolved conflict will always lead to a church becoming unhealthy. Conflict cannot be avoided in churches, but it does not have to lead to a lack of health.
2. Many smaller churches are focused more on themselves that on the needs of others. Such inward focus will lead to poor health.
3. Some smaller churches struggle with cultural indifference. They don't understand today's culture, and may not even want to, so they are unable to minister to it. This causes them to become even more ingrown and unhealthy.
4. Poor leadership is almost a given. This may be pastoral or lay leadership, but a church will never be any healthier than its leadership.
5. A lack of vision and purpose will always cause a church to become unhealthy.
6. Many smaller churches struggle with poor self-esteem which leads to poor health.

I address each of these issues, and more, in the book with suggestions on how to best address them. In the final chapter I include diagnostic questions I encourage church leaders to use each year to determine the health of their church. The start of a new year is a good time to give your church a check-up to see if there are potential problems that can be addressed early. Just like in our personal health, an early diagnosis can lead to a quicker cure.

I am also available to lead my seminar based on this book for your denomination,your district or your individual church. I do limit the number of these I do each year so I encourage you to contact me soon if you are interested in scheduling a seminar.

I pray that 2018 is a great year for your church!

Preparing for 2018

As we near the end of 2017 and prepare to welcome 2018 it's important to make sure we do certain things. If you are a pastor I hope you have already begun sermon planning for the new year. When I was a bivocational pastor I tried to have my sermons planned out three months in advance. It's much easier to prepare sermons if, on Saturday night, you're not still trying to figure out what you are going to preach the next morning!

New Year's resolutions seldom accomplish much past January 3rd. Setting goals is far more helpful if you are serious about enjoying success in any area of your life. When you have written goals you have direction in your life. Like the old saying goes, if you aim at nothing you'll hit it every time. Productive, successful people have goals they work on every day.

In yesterday's post I mentioned one goal I have every year: to read 50 books that year. This year part of that goal includes re-reading some of the books that have had the greatest impact on my life. I have a bad habit of reading a book and never taking it back out of the shelf unless I'm using it for research for a sermon or a book I'm writing. If a book impacted my life once chances are it will again, so I plan to re-read some of them this year.

One other goal I encourage you to set is to schedule time with your family. If you are in a leadership position, or just busy like most people, it's very easy to try to work in some family time. That seldom happens. Set a goal for how many vacations you are going to take, how long each of them will be, and when you are taking them. Write those in your calendar now so those times are already scheduled.

I also want to encourage you to be intentional about your own spiritual growth in 2018. Persons in ministry often seem to think that their work will automatically cause them to grow spiritually, but that is not always the case. If you want a congregation of people growing in their faith, you also need to be growing in your own faith. Set aside time for regular devotions. Study material that will stretch your faith and increase your knowledge of God.

Some other practical things you should do includes checking your driver's license for the expiration date. In November of this year I began wondering when my license expired. It expired in August. The next day I made a quick trip to the license branch to get that little problem corrected.

The start of the new year is also a good time to clean up old records. Even though many of our records are now on computer, chances are you have some paper ones as well. Pitch the ones you do not need to keep and file the others. If you'll do that early in the new year it will make filing your taxes much easier later.

The day after Christmas

I hope your Christmas was as good as the one my family enjoyed. Despite some colds we managed to have a very enjoyable Christmas holiday with family. We ate way too much good food, exchanged some great gifts, and shared some wonderful stories.

I also pray that you've enjoyed our church's Advent devotions that were posted on this site during the past three weeks. Since the church does not currently have a blog of its own we used this blog to post the devotionals. We then linked the post to our church's Facebook page and invited our congregation to follow them. You got the benefit of some thought-provoking devotionals, some written by me and others written by members of our church. With today's post we return to our normal posts written by me.

Let's not lose the theme of the previous devotionals now that Advent is past. That theme was reconciliation. It was our church's theme throughout the Advent season because this is why Christ was born. He came into the world to reconcile us with God, with one another, and with ourselves. Some who are reading this post need that reconciliation, and I urge you to not let this year end without seeking the reconciliation you need.

We all need to be reconciled to God. Scripture is clear that we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. It is equally clear that our sins have separated us from the relationship with God we each were created to enjoy. It is only through receiving Jesus Christ into our lives as our Lord and Savior can our sins be forgiven and we are able to be reconciled to God.

The second area of reconciliation is between us and our fellow human beings. Some of us carry bitterness and anger towards other people. Reconciliation does not ignore the pain they perhaps have caused us, but it does require that we forgive them and seek to enter into a healthy relationship with them. Perhaps such a relationship is not possible. In such cases we still need to forgive them and move on with our lives.

The third area of reconciliation that some of us need is with ourselves. Many people today struggle trying to forgive themselves for mistakes they've made in the past. Some carry tremendous amounts of guilt for the past, and that guilt makes it impossible for them to enjoy the present or plan for the future. The devil has deceived some into believing they cannot be forgiven and they must carry their burden of guilt forever.

The truth is God loves us and is willing to forgive us of any sins that might be in our past, and if He can forgive us we can also forgive ourselves. We do not have to carry that burden any longer. We can lay it at His feet when we invite Him into our lives. If you need help in knowing how to pray to do that, please send me a personal message, and I'll be glad to lead you through such a prayer.

Christmas is over, and we are fast approaching a new year. Do not begin 2018 without seeking the reconciliation you need. It is available to everyone reading this blog. Yes...it's even available to you.

Seeing through the eyes of another

We finished our Christmas shopping yesterday. We haven't been this late getting done in years. Since the stores were opening earlier we decided to leave home early, eat a nice breakfast out, and, hopefully, get done early.

In one store, while my wife was looking at some things nearby, I sat down in the Customer Service area. A lady came out of the back and asked if I needed anything. When I replied I didn't she let out a big sigh of relief. She explained it had really been hectic the past few days, and she couldn't wait until this shopping season was over. We talked for a few moments before I rejoined my wife.

My wife works retail as well so I knew what she was talking about. Shoppers can get a little out of sorts, especially when they can't find the right sizes or the color they want, and Christmas day is fast approaching. They can get rude and quite obnoxious. So can the salespeople waiting on them. There's been a couple of videos  posted on Facebook recently showing store employees going off on customers. Love - Hope - Joy - Peace...These can be a little hard to find sometimes when people are scrambling at the last minute to buy presents.

Perhaps you've heard the phrase: Hurt people hurt people. It's a good thing to remember during the holidays and other times as well. Sometimes people get out of sorts and say or do things that hurt other people. They don't necessarily mean to do harm, but they are reacting to their own hurt and think or speak before they think. I've done that, and chances are you have as well. I've also been hurt by hurt people and so have you.

When people act this way towards us let's try to stop and put ourselves in their shoes. Let's try to understand what might have prompted such a response, especially if it seems out of character for them.

During this Advent season our church has focused on reconciliation. We want to build healthier, positive relationships with one another, with ourselves, and with God. An important piece of reconciliation is being able to put ourselves in the shoes of the other person. Trying to understand their life and possible pain can go a long ways to building a positive relationship with that person.

A baby changes everything

"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.”  Luke 1:31

(Also, read Luke 2:1-40)

Have you ever fallen in love with a baby?  When was your first time?  I remember the first time I fell in love with a baby.  It was 2003 when my nephew made me an aunt for the first time.  I never thought you could feel that way over someone so tiny.  I was completely smitten.  Every time I thought of Nathan my face would light up with joy.  I had pictures of him everywhere, including my bathroom.  (Okay, I know that might be a little weird, but the cute little frame matched my bathroom decor.) 

 

I can’t imagine what Mary first felt when she laid eyes on the newborn King.  Did she ever feel inadequate, as many moms sometimes do? It’s hard enough to parent each special creation of God (as every child is), but I can’t imagine trying to parent the Savior of the world!  I would have loved to have been one of the shepherds, Simeon or even Anna who got to lay eyes on Jesus when he was just a baby.  How there hearts must have been ready to burst with such love, joy, peace and hope!

This Christmas, I invite you to fall in love with Jesus all over again. Imagine being there in the manger and what you might have felt.  Imagine what it would have been like to have been Joseph, Mary, a humble shepherd, Anna or Simeon.

“Simeon took him [Jesus] in his arms and praised God, saying: ‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.  For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’”   Luke 2:28-32

Kelly Rector

Children's Minister

Madison FBC

Be reconciled to God

In 2 Corinthians 5:20 we are urged to "be reconciled to God." During this Advent season our church is focusing on reconciliation. That reconciliation may need to be between you and another person, it may be within yourself as you struggle with past mistakes, or the reconciliation you need might be between you and God. Let's look at the latter one in today's devotional.

Scripture is clear that each of us have sinned against God, and that sin has separated us from Him. Jesus Christ came into the world to make possible the reconciliation we all need to experience with God. His death on the cross paid the penalty for our sins. Those sins can now be forgiven, and we can enjoy the relationship with God we were intended to have.

Recently, I spoke with a young man who was somewhat regular in attending church about his relationship with God. As we talked it became clear he wasn't sure about that relationship. Like many of us he was trying to do the best he could to be right with God, but he wasn't sure if that was enough or not. When I asked if he had ever asked Jesus Christ to come into his life as his personal Lord and Savior, he responded he did not and did not know how to do so.

After we talked a little more, I led him in a prayer asking Christ to come into his life. What a joy and privilege it was to see the transformation begin to occur in his face! Through that simple prayer, prayed from the heart, he had been reconciled to God.

Because the Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, we all need to be reconciled to God. The only way is through a relationship with Jesus Christ such as that young man experienced. If you are uncertain if you have such a relationship or if you want to know more about how to have that relationship, please DM me. I would love to talk to you about that!

The gift of joy

Joy is a precious commodity these days. There is so much in our world today to rob us of our joy. We live in very troublesome, dark times, and it's often hard to find much joy in what we experience. But, part of the reason for that is we often seek joy in the wrong places.

It's important to understand the difference between joy and happiness. Happiness comes from the root word "hap" which refers to luck or chance. If things are going our way, we are happy. If things begin to go in a different direction, we become unhappy. Happiness is completely based upon circumstances.

True joy is not based on circumstances but upon a person, Jesus Christ. Our circumstances will often disappoint, but He never does. A relationship with Jesus Christ provides us with the solid foundation we need to experience joy in every circumstance.

Yes, Christians get discouraged. We can become frustrated. We can be deeply hurt. There are many things that can bring us unhappiness in our lives, but if we maintain our focus on our relationship with Jesus Christ we can remain joyful in every situation.

The gift of joy was given to us on that first Christmas morning when our Savior, Jesus Christ, was born. It is a gift given to anyone who will receive it. All we have to do to experience that joy is to invite Christ into our lives as our Lord and Savior. It is my prayer that you have done that and know the joy of which I write.

God's cake

God’s Cake

Sometimes we wonder why we are experiencing some tough life lessons, or why God is allowing unpleasant circumstances to enter our lives.  Here is a wonderful explanation!

A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong; she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her, and her best friend is moving away. Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."

"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers.

"Yuck" says her daughter as she rolls her eyes.

"How about a couple raw eggs?"

"Gross, Mom!"

"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"

"Mom, those are all yucky!  Why would you want me to have such gross things?!”

            The mother smiles and replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!"

            God works the same way. Sometimes we wonder why He would let us go through what appears to us to be unjust or difficult. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We must trust Him, and eventually, these life events and circumstances will all make a beautiful, delicious cake that we relish with deep appreciation.

            God is crazy about you! He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.  Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart! Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance and enjoy the cake God is preparing for us!  Anonymous, as retold by 

Nita Scarff

Madison FBC

A precious letter to you

Precious Letter to You

            Imagine you receive today in the mail a letter from someone you deeply love, who has passed from this world to the next.  You look at the envelope in disbelief as you breathlessly tear into the precious letter to make sense of such a gift!  You read every word of love, and savor each  word!  Your dear friend loves and misses you!  You re-read and take to heart the future plans and promises the letter spells out!  You place the precious letter near you, so that when you feel tested and stressed you can remember that what is now, won’t be forever!  Your friend has lifted your spirits and you look forward to seeing them again!  You can’t wait!

            The Precious Letter is your Bible and your friend is the very one who took the nails for us on the cross so that we can again, be together, in eternity.  Your Bible is a specific affirmation and promise of Christ’s love for you, yes you!  It is a personal letter from God to inform you in a thousand different ways of his plans for you; his lessons to keep you from dangers and harm, and His future spelled out with a promise of the work He is now doing to plan for your arrival!  Our Bible is a love letter penned just for you, reaching out of the grave, to point to a risen Savior and his crazy love for you!  

Nita Scarff

Madison FBC

Forgiveness to reconciliation

 “If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done.”  Matthew 6:14-15

Forgiveness is not easy, especially when the other person isn’t sorry, doesn’t change or refuses to change.  My story of forgiveness was a long journey which took many years.  I had a rough relationship with my father growing up.  He was abused as a child and had a lot of wounds from that.  He never experienced unconditional love or grace and he is not a believer so he has never experienced the true love of Christ or true healing from Christ.  I had my feelings hurt a lot and even wrote letters to him trying to improve our relationship.  He never saw that there was a problem or that he needed to change in any way.  So, any change had to be on my end.  Unfortunately, I grew bitter and resentful.  I got to the point where complaints of him consumed my thoughts and I couldn’t think of anything good about him.  It was then that I was aware of the hate that was in my heart.  As a Christian, I knew I didn’t want hate.  I knew it was poison to my soul and would prevent me from growing closer in my walk with Christ.  

I knew I couldn’t remove the hate on my own.  My first step was asking people to pray for me.  Then, I prayed for myself.  I prayed that God would remove this hate from me and teach me how to love and forgive my father. I asked God to teach me to love him as He loves him.  Slowly, I could say that I loved him.  I didn’t like him, but I did love him.  Then, prayed that God would show me my father through His eyes and not mine.  Little by little, I could see Dad’s little quirks that made him who he is.  Those quirks were pretty funny, I thought.  I saw how generous he is and I saw that he loved me and cared for me, even though he might not have been able to show it how I would have liked.  (Gary Chapman’s book, The 5 Love Languages helped with this.)  I forgave him and I let go of the high expectations of a father that I placed upon him.  I grew to like my dad and love my dad.  It took many years and I can say that my heart is now free of the bitterness and resentment.  We talk about every day now too.

Forgiveness is a choice.  We forgive, not because the other person deserves it, but because our Heavenly Father forgave us when we didn’t deserve it.  Is there someone in your life that you need to forgive?  Ask God to search deep within your heart and show you where you need to reconcile.

“Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ.”  Ephesians 4:31-32

Anonymous
Madison FBC

The gift of forgiveness

It was much easier to buy gifts for our children when they were smaller. As adults, we often struggle to know what to get them, and they tell us it's even harder for them to know what to give us. Most of us have that one person that's hard to buy for at Christmas.

Perhaps for someone on our Christmas list the greatest gift we could give them is the gift of forgiveness. I wonder if you paused when you read that as someone's name went through your mind. Chances are the next thought that entered your mind was that they don't deserve forgiveness. You're probably right, but then again, we didn't deserve God's forgiveness, either.

One of the most challenging verses in the Bible is Matthew 6: 14-15: "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

The reason this passage is so hard for some people is that they have not come to grips with how much God loves them. We forget how much we have been forgiven. God sent His Son to earth to make it possible for our sins to be forgiven so we could be reconciled to Him. Now, He asks us to forgive others their sins against us so we can be reconciled to one another.

But, Dennis, that's tough! Yes, it is. Some of us have deep wounds caused by other people, and it's hard to forgive those who have wounded us. However, this is exactly what we are called to do.

What a special gift it would be if you could honestly forgive someone who had deeply hurt you. Not only would it be a gift to the one you forgave, it would be a wonderful gift to give yourself. Just think how freeing it would be to not have to carry that anger and pain any longer. The gift of forgiveness to someone who has hurt you might be the best gift you will give this Christmas season.

Are we grateful for the gift?

(Read: Luke 7:36-50)

“We often find it hard to get what we want, because we do not want the best; God finds it hard to give, because He would give the best, and we will not take it.” (George MacDonald paraphrase)

Like many people during the Christmas Season, I love to participate in gift-giving. Whether it’s delighting family members or friends with that “special something”, or celebrating Christ’s birth by giving to those in need through “angel trees”,  special donations, or other opportunities, such as Operation Christmas Child, which shares the Gospel and gives shoeboxes full of small gift items to children around the world. It’s always heart-warming to hear stories about the joy impoverished children have when they open their boxes – of course they like the toys, but they also get excited over items like soap, toothpaste, or socks!  But then there are the other people on the gift-giving list. The ones who are hard to get for.  Mostly because they seem to already have everything they want.

During Christmas, we celebrate the Ultimate Gift –  Jesus Christ. Through Him, God gave the world forgiveness and reconciliation. In Luke 7:36-50 we see two different responses to that gift -  the critical indifference of “Hard-to-Get-For” Simon, and the lavish gratitude of a woman aware of her spiritual poverty. Jesus tells Simon those who are forgiven little, love little and those who are forgiven much, love much.  But a notable point about their conversation is that while Jesus agrees with Simon that the woman has many sins, he never says Simon has few.

Could it be the separation between Simon and the woman, was not the number of sins, but the awareness of them? That Simon loved little, not because he had little to be forgiven for, but because he was oblivious to how much he needed forgiveness and reconciliation with God?

In what ways are we like Simon? Have we allowed God to open our hearts and minds to be aware of our deep need for a Savior? Are we one who loves much? Are we grateful for the gift?

 As we go through the Advent season and reflect on and celebrate God’s Gift to us through Jesus, may we grow daily more aware of our deep need for Jesus, so we too can be one who loves much.

India Cable

Madison FBC

And God says yes

Recently my father underwent open heart surgery and had other health issues that resulted in a one-month hospital stay.  Following the hospital stay, in-patient cardiac rehab added 3 weeks to his recovery.

During each phase of his illnesses and recovery the next step in becoming well and self-sufficient was often unpredictable and unclear based on his health.  Initially there was the rush to the hospital to save his life; the question if heart surgery was an option; subsequent pneumonia following the surgery; and a consult with his pulmonologist where my sisters and I were told, “the next 24 hours will tell” in the midst of all medical measures to bring him back to wellness.

During all of this, there were four churches and a men’s small group praying for my father by name.  James 5:15 (NIV) states, “The prayers of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”  To this point in my dads’ recovery the answer has been “yes” to those prayers.  “Yes” to breath in his lungs, a beating heart, strength being recovered and “yes” to a sound mind.  “Yes” is such a powerful answer that is directly the result of prayer by God’s people!  Revelation 8:3-4 (NIV) tells us “Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar.  He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people on the golden altar in front of the throne.  The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.”  Our prayers are before God, are heard, and are in God’s almighty hands!  The unpredictable and unclear is best surrendered to our God who hears our concerns, petitions, and cries!  He is listening and in His perfect will, we may just hear “yes”.   

Nita Scarff

Madison FBC

Trusting is a Leap of Faith

Trusting is a Leap of Faith

One of my favorite stories (and favorite operetta) is Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables.  The main character, Jean Valjean served 19 years in a prison in France in the 1800’s for stealing a loaf of bread so that his sister’s son wouldn’t die of starvation.  Once he was on parole, he discovered the world to be as cold and dark as those prison walls.  Because he was an ex-convict, he wasn’t paid as much as the “honest” men who he worked beside.

Later, he stumbled upon a kind bishop’s house.  The bishop treated him like an honored guest, more than he deserved.  But when the bishop retired for the night, Jean Valjean grabbed some of the silver and fled into the night.  The police found him and dragged him back to the bishop’s home.  But instead of convicting him of his crime, the bishop kindly told him, “My friend you left so early.  Surely something left your mind.  You forgot I gave these [silver candlesticks] also; would you leave the best behind?”  He sent the police on their way and told Jean Valjean, “But remember this, my brother. See in this some higher plan.  You must use this precious silver to become an honest man. By the witness of the martyrs, by the passion and the blood, God has raised you out of darkness: I have bought your soul for God.”

Sometimes the world can be so cold and harsh that we may feel we have no options but to do all we can just to survive, as Jean Valjean did.  Consulting in God for direction and then trusting in his provisions may not seem practical for your life. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

I testify that God’s promises are true.  Trust God with everything.  Not only is it best, but life works a lot better when we get on God’s plan rather than our own.  What do you need to hand over to God?  What area in your life have you been holding onto? Perhaps it’s a relationship or the way you spend money. Perhaps it’s parenting, your social life or even what you watch, read, and listen to or how you speak.  Whatever it is, pray about it and hand it over to the Lord, for He will make your paths straight.

Kelly Rector

Children's Minister

Madison FBC

Be reconciled to God

Throughout Advent this year we want to look at the theme of reconciliation. Jesus Christ came into the world to reconcile the world to God. 2 Corinthians 5: 18 tells us “Now all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to use the word of reconciliation.”

The nation of Israel was chosen by God to be His special people. Unfortunately, there came a time when they turned away from God and began worshiping the false gods of the nations surrounding them. God sent prophets encouraging them to come back to Him, but they rejected the prophets and God’s warnings. Due to their disobedience God allowed invading armies to occupy the nation of Israel for 700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ.

Those were dark days for the people of Israel. They saw their beautiful Temple and the holy city of Jerusalem destroyed. The majority were led away to distant countries. All they had left were the memories of what used to be and a hope that one day things would change.

That hope was found in the words of the prophets. They had predicted that God would send a Messiah that would reconcile the nation of Israel to God. For seven centuries the people had looked for that Savior. One night, in a manger in Bethlehem, that promised Savior arrived.

There was a time many years ago I was going through a very dark time in my life. I kept telling my wife that I just felt if I had more faith that I might pull through that time. I began to read a Bible and talking to some Christian friends where I worked. One day, while alone in our home, I knelt down in our living room and prayed. I said, “Lord, I’ve made a mess of my life, but if there is anything you can do with it, I give it to you now. Would you please come into my life as my Lord and Savior?”

At that moment I was reconciled to God. My sins were forgiven, and my relationship with God was forever settled. No, all my problems didn’t immediately disappear, but in time God gave me the victory.

If you are going through a tough time right now, God will do for you what he did for me. All you have to do is invite Him into your life. If you would like to know more about that, please contact me. I would love to talk to you about this.

Book sale Day 2

Several of the books sold last week when I listed them in this blog, but a number of them are still available. Contact me if you are interested in any of them.

Today I will post more of my books for sale. Unlike the earlier post, I will not list the CBD price for these books. I'm not sure that's helpful, and some of these are out of print so CBD does not carry them. However, just because a book is out of print does not mean that it is not valuable.

 If I need to ship the book there will be additional charges in addition to the cost of the book. If you live near Madison, IN you may pick up your book(s) and avoid the shipping costs.

I do have a PayPal account and you may pay for your books through PayPal. Checks are fine and cash (if you are local) is even better!  I thought after the first sale it would get easier to let some of the books go, but it's not. I keep asking myself what I will do if I find need of the book again! Still, it's time to begin selling off my library, and I recognize that. Here's today's list.

Biblical Backgrounds    J. MacKee Adams    $3.00
The Bible Atlas    Charles F. Pfeiffer     $3.00
The Heart of the New Testament    H. I. Hester   $7.50
Talk Thru the Bible     Bruce Wilkerson & Kenneth Boa   $5.00
Foundations of the Christian Faith   James Montgomery Boice                       $7.50
Alive to God    J.I. Packer & Loren Wilkinson     $7.50
Eerdman's Handbook to the History of Christianity    $3.00
Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old Testament and New                Testament Words      $ 3.00
Archaeology and Biblical Interpretation      $5.00
Principle-Centered Leadership   Stephen Covey     $3.00
Platform     Michael Hyatt     $5.00
How to Manage Conflict    Peg Pickering         $2.00
Switch     Chip Heath & Dan Heath       $5.00
Team Leadership in Christian Ministry   Kenneth O. Gangel  $5.00
Pastoral Politics     John Gilmore      $3.00
Managing Church Conflict    Hugh F. Halverstadt    $5.00
Transforming Church Boards      Charles M. Olsen    $3.00
What Really Matters in Ministry    Darius Salter     $3.00
A Theology of Church and Ministry   Franklin Segler    $3.00
The Premarital Counseling Handbook   H. Norman Wright   $5.00

Let me know if you have any question regarding any of these books or if there is a particular book you are interested in buying but isn't listed. I just might have it!

Advent devotional

During this Advent season Madison FBC wants to bring you a series of devotions each weekday that focuses on the primary purpose for the birth of Jesus Christ. That purpose can be summed up in one word: reconciliation. The messages on Sunday morning will look at Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace and how reconciliation leads to each of these.

In 2 Corinthians 5: 18 the apostle Paul writes, “Now all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

The message of the Gospel is simple. Our sins separated us from God. Religion is sometimes described as man’s attempt to reach out to God, but religion will always come up short in that effort. The Gospel tells us how God reached out towards us through His Son, Jesus Christ, so that our sins could be forgiven and we could enjoy a relationship with Him. Because of Christ we can be reconciled to God and to one another.

Check back every day, Monday through Friday, during Advent to learn more about reconciliation.

Book Sale

A few days ago I mentioned in this blog that it was time for me to sell some of my library. Several responded they were interested in buying some books. I would have preferred that you had let me know what you were interested in, but I realize that isn't easily done. I've decided to list a few books that I would be willing to sell to see if there is any interest. These are a mere sample of what I have, so if there is a book you've been wanting, let me know. I might have it!

If you live near Madison, IN you are invited to pick up any books you want. If they need to be shipped I will have to add shipping costs to the order. Books will be mailed media rate to keep the cost of mailing as low as possible.

You will find the name of the book and author listed. I tried to see what these books sell for new at CBD, but some are out of print and not carried. If CBD does carry the book you'll find their price in parenthesis. Finally, you'll see the price I'm asking for the book.

Some of these books will have markings in them such as highlighting and, in some cases, possibly notes written in the margin. All of these are in good shape.

DM me if you have an interest in any of these books or if you have questions. Thank you for looking.

New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology 3 Volumes + Index     Colin Brown   Hard Cover and in like new condition     (35.00)   $15.00

The Word of Truth    Dale Moody    (46.35)    $15.00
The New Unger's Bible Handbook   revised Gary Larson  (26.99)            $5.00
The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah    Edersheim   (14.99)                $5.00
Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free    F.F. Bruce   (21.99)  $5.00
Foundations of the Christian Faith    James M. Boice   (28.99)                 $7.50
Jesus within Judaism    James H. Charlesworth    $2.00
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament   Harris, Archer                        Waltke    (32.49)     $10.00
Vines Complete Expository Dictionary    (11.99)    $3.00
An Introduction to the New Testament   Carson, Moo, Morris
             $10.00
Twentieth Century Theology    Grenz and Olson    $3.00
Theology of Word and Spirit   Donald Bloesch   (16.49)   $3.00
Success is not an Accident    Tommy Newberry  (10.99)   $3.00
Difficult Conversations    Stone, Patton, Heen   (15.30)   $3.00
Leadership and the New Science   Margaret Wheatley   (20.66)               $5.00
Raising the Bar: Integrity and Passion in Life and Business                      Gary Erickson      $5.00
The 10X Rule     Grant Cardone      $3.00
Creating Success from the Inside Out    Ephren Taylor     $3.00
Reinventing American Protestantism   Donald Miller  $5.00  (This         book is heavily marked which shows how helpful it was.)
Igniting Passion in your Church   Steve Ayers     $3.00
Journey in the Wilderness   Gil Rendle     $3.00