The Christmas season is an excellent opportunity for small groups to deepen connections, grow in Christlikeness, and show the love of Jesus to their communities. With the right focus and activities, your small groups can become a space for your church community to experience the true meaning of Christmas. Here are seven ways to make your small group memorable this season!
With today being Thanksgiving I am reflecting on some of the top things I am most thankful for. There are so many things that come to my mind when I think of being thankful. The definition of thankful is "expressing gratitude" but thankful can also mean "being conscience of benefits received."
I often think of things I wish I had done with my mom. (Trying not to cry as I write.) We had lots of plans – to do together. There wasn’t a plan for her not to be here.
We are about to enter the most wonderful time of the year. The combination of Thanksgiving and Christmas will have our hearts stirring and racing as we cook, shop, and celebrate.
A few weeks ago, our organization had its annual meeting in Statesboro Georgia. My friend and I traveled together to Statesboro. We used GPS for directions on the trip there. Needless to say, it took us on the expressway.
Apparently, it is very important to repent as part of being saved. But exactly what is repentance?
Apparently, our dog Dixie is afraid of the vacuum cleaner. I ran it before church last Sunday morning. Because she was scared, she had a conniption, barking loudly and lunging at it as it moved. Since she rarely barks, the sudden outburst was unexpected. I kept saying, “It’s OK. It’s OK,” but she refused to believe me.
My friend, the late Sam Orr, served as pastor of Hardwick Baptist Church near Milledgeville, Georgia. His parents, Sam and Doris, were members of our Fayetteville congregation. One week, Sam wrote in his church newsletter column an article about marveling.
Michael Myers really frightened me on Halloween night. If you aren’t a scary movie fan, Michael Myers was a terrible, awful character from the 1978 horror movie Halloween. He is not real. I know he is not real. But his mask and dark blue coveralls give me chills. Still.
God speaks. In the Bible, He spoke through angels, prophets, leaders, dreams, a burning bush, and even a donkey.
Wayne and I went to vote last Friday. We had our "I voted" stickers on when our granddaughters came in from school. Our 11-year-old immediately noticed and asked who we voted for. Of course, Wayne would not tell her because he said that it was private. She asked me and I said the same thing.
A well-known South Georgia pastor once shared about his spunky, senior adult sister who drove a sports car. She got pulled over for speeding. The officer walked up to the car and asked for her license.
Christian philosopher Dr. William Lane Craig, said, “Man cannot live consistently and happily as though life were ultimately without meaning, value, or purpose. If we try to live consistently within the framework of the atheistic worldview, we shall find ourselves profoundly unhappy.”
We’re gearing up for Trunk or Treat. This year, I will be a dog. Our team’s theme is D.O.G. - Depend on God. Last year, I was Shadrach – one of the Hebrew boys in the fire.
I must admit that I struggle with people-pleasing. I never want to hurt anyone's feelings, offend them, or devalue them. Honestly, I also don't want people to not like me or think bad of me.
I recently received my first Social Security check. Having served in interim pastorates and freelance research, writing, and speaking in recent years means there will be no “formal retirement” or closure to ministry. In fact, I hope to continue doing all these things as the opportunities avail themselves. Yet, a wave of nostalgia has swept over my soul during this transition.
The Georgia Baptist Mission Board is encouraging all of our churches to hold a Religious Freedom Sunday in their church. This initiative is for the purpose of emphasizing the importance of religious freedom.
A man with a nagging secret could keep it no longer. He confessed to his priest that for years he had been stealing building supplies from the lumberyard where he worked. “What did you take?” his priest asked.
Often I feel led to do or to write something that proves most appropriate and even fruitful. Recently, I came to realize how often I do things unaware that it is the result of the Holy Spirit’s leadership. I have even come to depend on His guidance in many of the things I do.
The struggle was real on Sunday morning. It was my turn to teach at the jail. We have been going to a prison or jail every week since 2006. It was not a new place or crowd. Teaching is one of my favorite things! Yet butterflies skittered in my stomach. I had read the Bible verses again and again. In truth I was ready, still I was uneasy.
This has been a tough week for several reasons. Unexpected change is hard for me. I like to know what to expect and when to expect it. I only wish life worked that way but sadly it doesn’t. I don’t mean any of this to sound trivial, but this has just been life lately.
J. Vernon McGee summarized philosophy well. He said, “All systems of philosophy lead up a blind alley.” I agree. You can spend your time and money studying this subject and find sooner or later that it is a mere waste of time.
We can’t trust Dixie out of our sight. (Dixie is the eight-month-old puppy my beloved rescued a month ago.) The first week she was with us, Dixie got out of her crate twice while we were gone and set off the security alarm.
I don't know about you, but I cannot get the storm from last week off my mind. It seems everywhere I look and turn I see the devastation and heart-breaking situations that people all around us are dealing with. I can only imagine how overwhelmed people are feeling.
Recently, we traveled to South Carolina’s Lowcountry to keep our grandsons while their parents attended an all-day workshop. We enjoyed our outing and were heading home after lunch. As I traveled north on US 17, I switched to the inside lane, anticipating our left turn up ahead.