With the media coverage and various slants to what is happening and what needs to be done with our job economy and the job market . . . Read More...

Some years back Bill Cosby wrote a book simply entitled, Fatherhood. In it, Cosby shares the following story relating to the relationship of fathers and grandfathers with children. He writes: “Now that my father is a grandfather, he just can’t wait to give money to my kids. But when I was his kid and I asked him for fifty cents, he would tell me the story of his life . . . how he got up at 4 AM when he was seven years old and walked twenty-three miles to milk ninety cows. And the farmer for whom he worked had no bucket, so he had to squirt the milk into his little hand and then walk eight miles to the nearest can. All for 5 cents a month. The result was that I never got my 50 cents! But now he tells my children every time he comes into the house, ‘Well, let’s see how much money old Granddad has got for his wonderful grandkids.’ I tell my kids what he is really doing is giving them my money he should have given to me all those years!” On this day when we celebrate fathers, let us also remember grandfathers . . . many of whom have been called upon to give “fatherly input” into their grandchildren’s lives and to bless children in ways that maybe the parents can’t. We celebrate the men of First Assembly today and thank God for your loving leadership in our homes and in our church.

People have questions. Read More...

Gene A. Getz, in his book, The Measure of a Church, asks the question, “What is the measure of maturity in the local church?” And he lists what many people believe are the indicators of maturity . . . 1. Activity 2. Gving 3. Growing 4. Soul-Winning 5. Smooth-Running 6. Missional 7. Spirit-Filled 8. Big. God used Paul to give us a different measure for the maturity of the church. Paul says that the church is mature when it functions like one body, and Jesus Christ is the Head. In the first few months of a baby’s life, you can see their eyes wanting to reach for a toy or something, but their hands and arms are not yet able to cooperate with what their brain wants them to do. As the baby becomes more mature, their body parts began to obey what their “head” says to do. Likewise, when we mature as the church, we individually obey what our “head”, Jesus Christ, wants us to do. The Church is not obedient to a set of rules. We are obedient to the Person of Jesus Christ through a trusting relationship and to the truths He has spoken. And our obedience is not just our head, but in the way we live and serve one another. May we all strive to be a part of the Body of Christ that responds to His leading and calling.