Consider this

                When my mom used to make cookies, my brother, sister and I often helped by putting icing and sprinkles on them.   Along the way, one of us would always end up challenging the others to pour a bunch of sprinkles into their mouth and eat them straight up.                   Have you ever tried a mouth full of cookie sprinkles?    They are terrible!    They have no real taste or consistency.   They look nice, but without the cookie they are not worth eating.                 Over the years, I have come to believe that many people see church as being the sprinkles on their cookie.                     In other words, we like to think that we are basically good people who just need to clean up a few bad habits and we will be fine!   Church, then, becomes the place to find some sprinkles of goodness so that your normal life looks just a little be

                I have an answer for the question above.   It may not be the answer you expect, but it is true.   Consider Matthew 14.                   The chapter begins with John the Baptist’s beheading.   Verse 13 notes that “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place”.   However, the crowds followed, and he spent the day teaching and healing (verse 14).   As evening approached, Jesus miraculously fed the crowd of 5000 plus, and then told the disciples to get back in the boat while he spent some time praying (verses 15-22).                   During a stormy night, Jesus came to them, walking on the water.   Peter decided that he would like to try that too.   You likely know how that turned out (verses 28-31).                 After Peter’s rescue, we are told that, “When they climbed into the boat, the

                  I feel lonely.   Not all the time, but I feel it now more than I ever have in my life.   I felt it when our girls grew up and left home.   I felt it when close friends moved away.   I feel it when the house is empty, and I am wondering what to do with my day.                 I wonder if you feel it too.                 Actually, I know you are lonely.   I know it because you are constantly on your phone.   Every time it rings or dings, you pick it up.   You cannot wait or even stop yourself.   I know it because some of you spend hours on Facebook.   Whether you admit it or not, you are longing for connection.                   Some fill the gap by watching so much TV that the people on the shows become their vicarious friends.   Listen and you will hear them refer to reality stars, talk show hosts or news anchors

                  When doing up a dress shirt, if you do not get the first button in the right place, every other button will be wrong.                 I think the church has missed the first button.                 As groups and individuals, we do a lot of good.   We have good intentions.   We love God and we want to make disciples, but most of us are not seeing a lot of fruit.   What are we missing?                 Hospitality.                 When you read that word, you probably think about having someone over for supper.   That could be part of it, but Biblical hospitality starts with something much simpler.   It starts with an attitude.                 “I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the