Contributed by Stephen Evoy on May 11, 2008
In the hands of ordinary Christians, small social groups are a big spiritual deal. This is because "ordinary Christians" have more credibility than the ordained clergy. A guy named Herb Miller did some great research:
* When first-time visitors to a local church receive a "glad you came" visit
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Free Methodist
Contributed by Stephen Evoy on May 11, 2008
GROWTH TYPES
George G. Hunter III has a shrewd mind after God's heart, and he has identified several areas of growth that must all occur in a working church:
- Internal Growth: this kind of growth takes place
in the lives of people who are already coming to
the church. When
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Free Methodist
Contributed by Stephen Evoy on May 11, 2008
Let’s take a closer look at the dishonest manager (Luke 16:1-9). At the beginning of the story, he is stealing from people. At the end of the story, he is no longer stealing from people. He repented--“accidentally.”
Obviously, he didn’t repent because he felt that stealing was wrong; he
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Free Methodist
Contributed by Stephen Evoy on Jan 4, 2008
based on 3 ratings
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“Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’ As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake—for they
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Free Methodist
Contributed by Stephen Evoy on Jan 4, 2008
based on 3 ratings
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Simon was a loyal disciple; he followed his rabbi closely, observing and learning. One day, Simon realized that his rabbi was actually the Messiah. He didn’t figure that out by himself. Jesus said: “Simon, son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this
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Free Methodist
Contributed by Stephen Evoy on Jan 4, 2008
based on 1 rating
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When it came to fishing, Simon, son of Jonah, appears to have been an angler of dubious ability. There is no record that he ever caught a fish without divine intervention. Most likely, the accounts of those miraculous catches were included in the gospels to assure readers that there was a similar
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Denomination:
Free Methodist
Contributed by Stephen Evoy on Jan 4, 2008
Dallas Willard writes: “I do not know of a denomination or local church in existence that has as its goal to teach its people to do everything Jesus said. I’m not talking about a whim or a wish, but a plan.” Willard’s book, The Great Omission (Willard, 2006), is his personal take on the popular
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Free Methodist
Contributed by Stephen Evoy on Jan 4, 2008
based on 1 rating
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This past Christmas, Jade did something that re-awakened a part of my heart that should never have been allowed to doze off.
It was late in the evening; my parents had dropped by for a short visit. Jade was overly tired and out of sorts. Looking for some trouble, she wadded up a piece of
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Denomination:
Free Methodist
Contributed by Stephen Evoy on Jan 4, 2008
One of the ways that children change a marriage is easy to identify: they require us husbands to grow up and become their daddies. Unfortunately, some husbands are not willing to pursue this change. Many children grow up in homes where daddy often acts like a big baby. I know a guy who accuses
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Denomination:
Free Methodist
Contributed by Stephen Evoy on Jan 4, 2008
On July 1, 1935, a man actually wrote these words in his will: “Unto my two daughters, Francis Marie and Denise Victoria; by reason of their unfilial attitude toward a doting father…I leave the sum of $1 to each and a father’s curse. May their respective lives be fraught with misery, unhappiness
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Free Methodist
Contributed by Stephen Evoy on Jan 4, 2008
Once upon a time, a congregation outgrew their church building. Everyone agreed that they needed to build a new church; but they couldn’t agree on a blueprint, a budget or a building site. In desperation, the pastor invited everyone to join him for an evening of special prayer. One woman came,
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Denomination:
Free Methodist
Contributed by Stephen Evoy on Jan 4, 2008
based on 2 ratings
| 2,183 views
I heard a story about a woman who spent all day in a hot kitchen preparing a five course meal for some out of town guests. It was summer, it was 100 degrees outside; it was probably 120 in that kitchen. She worked hard, and everything turned out great.
When everybody sat down to eat, this woman
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Denomination:
Free Methodist
Contributed by Stephen Evoy on Jan 4, 2008
It’s one thing to talk to our kids about Jesus; it’s another thing to talk like Jesus in front of our kids. The fact of the matter is: our kids might stop
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Denomination:
Free Methodist
Contributed by Stephen Evoy on Dec 14, 2007
In 1996, more people died on Mount Everest than any year before or since. It could have been a lot worse. A Russian climber named Anatoli Boukereev was working as a guide on a commercial expedition. On May 10th, he helped prepare the final stretch of trail to the summit. He reached the top
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Denomination:
Free Methodist
Contributed by Stephen Evoy on Dec 14, 2007
based on 1 rating
| 2,778 views
The first year I was a pastor, I didn’t take any vacation. Early in my second year, I heard a story about two lumberjacks. One lumberjack worked so hard that he refused to take any breaks—even to sharpen his chainsaw. The other lumberjack took fairly frequent breaks, and he spent a lot of time
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Free Methodist
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