Revitalize Your Church

Here we stand at the threshold of the New Year. 2019 will soon be passed and packed away, living only in the attic of memories.   Looking ahead to 2020, I can guarantee one thing: a lot of living will go into it. How will it turn out? Only God knows. This chapter may be drama. Perhaps it will be romance. Action adventure. Comedy. Tragedy. Mystery. Next December, upon reflection, you will be able to describe the events of 2020 – but not now. The best you can do is take a deep breath, throw your shoulders back, trust God, and march right in.  Although you can't predict the happenings of the upcoming months, God can – and He will be with you as you travel from mountaintop to valley.   Nobody knows what tomorrow holds, but we do know Who holds tomorrow. Sometimes, in lonely moments, it feels as if we are alone, but God has promised never to leave you or forsake you – even in the darkest hours. An anonymous writer captured this idea with these inspiring words: I...

Season’s Greetings to all of our special loved ones. We are grateful for God’s many blessings throughout 2019, which was quite an eventful year for our family: Adam and Alexandra were married, Andy was born, Lily came through a health scare, Luke was ordained, Luke & Emily moved, and Cathy’s parents (Phil & Madelyn Crail) celebrated 60 years of marriage. Mark continues to teach at Southern Wesleyan University, and served the last part of the year as interim pastor of Welcome Wesleyan Church. He is continuing to work on his doctorate in Tranformational Preaching at Wesley Seminary.  Cathy is involved in many projects at home and in the community. She and Hannah continue to play (viola and violin) for University Strings. Hannah lives at home and is currently a sophomore at Southern Wesleyan University, majoring in Early Childhood and Family Studies. She is doing an excellent job with her studies, and also works at The Growing Place Daycare Center. She was privi...

29 years ago today, God did a beautiful work in my heart that changed my life.  I call this turning point my "Sanctuary Experience".  Allow me to share a chapter from my book, Purple Fish, which tells the story: Something was missing. I was a professional Christian, raised in a parsonage, went to church three times a week, spent summers at camp, attended a Christian college, married a Christian girl, graduated from seminary, and landed a youth pastor job; but my spiritual life fell woefully short. There’s a big difference between serving God and loving him. I was dry and lukewarm with exterior religion: self-serving at the core with an outer glaze of holiness. Though attempting to cover my soul anemia through busy church activity, Isaiah’s lament echoed in my honest moments. “My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me!” (Isa. 24:16 kjv). I was one of those rule-bound Christians who had just enough religion to make myself respectable and miserable. I actually got away with h...