My Online Faith Journal

    When I was a pastor in Hull, Texas we ran about 45 in Sunday School and a little more than that if it was a good day.  I think our high the whole time there was around 70 on a mother's day.  That was pretty good considering that there was about 200-300 people in the whole town.  I went to a church today that had about 80 in worship.  That would be fine except that it is in an area where there may be as many as 100,000 people within an easy driving distance from it.  When I see a church like that I wonder to myself what it in the world is the problem?  Why is it that either people are not coming or that the church is not attracting that many to its doors.  I find that there are several reasons for this.      The first reason is the mentality, "us four and no more".  This is similiar to a church that I attended recently that went from two services to one.  I seriously doubt the churches commitment to fulfill the great commission.  I feel like it is more interested in

    I was reading today in 1 Timothy 1:15-16 where Paul refers to himself as the "chief of sinners".  He did this because before he was saved he was very legalistic and he had persecuted and sentenced to death christians.  Paul tells the story in several parts of scripture where the Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus and stopped him in his tracks.  He was on his way to Damascus to persecute believers there.     Paul is not trying to show some false sense of piety by calling himself the worst of sinners.  I believe it was always a motivator of Paul, having learned the truth to do his best to make the most of his time for Christ with the rest of his life.  Paul says that Jesus saved him because he wanted to demonstrated his "unlimited patience" in saving Paul.  He wanted to show Paul and us that there is no one who is beyond the grasp of God's saving love.     Years ago, I was in Nevada doing a summer missionary trip.  I was in Lovelock, Nevada and th

     I mentioned earlier in a post on facebook, that I believe it is time for the church to repent and seek the Lord.  It appears to me that much of the church is weak and that many churches today are dying. In fact, many are dying in America today. Many of those that exist seem to have completely lost their importance in people's lives and power to change people's lives.  The New Testament church was not like that.  People's lives were changed and the power of God was demonstrated in people's lives.       I believe the church needs to get back to the basics .  I am speaking to myself here as well for I need repentance and renewal.   For too long the church has tried to make friends with the world instead of being sanctified or set apart.  In Romans 13:8 it says, "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfulled the law."  Later, in verse 10, the writer says, "Love is the fulfil