It’s time to hurtle headlong into a New Year. Ready or not, here it comes. The New Year is a time to look back and to look forward. Customarily, it’s a time to get discouraged about how little you’ve grown spiritually in the previous year. Traditionally, it’s a time to drum up some New Year’s resolutions and dig in with do-it-or-die determination. Whatever your perspective on the New Year, whatever your feelings on New Year’s resolutions, or whatever your situation in life, here are two thoughts to meditate upon as you enter the New Year.
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The most significant event in the life of a local church is the weekly worship service. Since it’s so important, don’t you think it’s worth giving it some attention? Improving it somehow? Donald Whitney, professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has contributed a guest article to the blog.

Continue reading “Guest Post from Don Whitney: Ten Ways to Improve Your Church’s Worship Service” »

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merry christmas

We’re coming down to the end of the year! Christmas is in two days. New Year’s Day is in a week. Sunday is coming. It’s all happening so fast. This post is meant to help you make some sense of the headlong rush to the end of the year, and give you some tips for your church Christmas media, New Year’s media, or whatever else you may need. First, you’ll need an account with Sharefaith (get it now for a major discount), then you’ll be able to use this media.

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For the New Year, we’ve put together “A New Beginning” mini movie. Click through the image above to watch it.

Get started with a Sharefaith membership to use this video.

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Do you ever feel like Christmas is getting old? Everything that could be said about Christmas has probably already been said about Christmas. From the cliche Hallmark slogans to the profound theological insights, it’s hard to say anything original or clever about Christmas. It’s probably already been said. You’ve probably heard people bemoan the commercialization of Christmas. You’ve heard “Jesus is the reason for the season!” You’ve heard it all. It’s familiar stuff by now. In fact, it’s just one of those expected things that rolls along every December. It’s old hat. And maybe that’s part of the problem.

Continue reading “Redeeming Christmas from Routine” »

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As a dad of two small children, I know that most young kids learn better if they can look at some sort of visual while they learn. Hey, it’s not just kids. I’m the same way, which is why Sharefaith focuses on helping churches with their media communication. We have a good collection of storybook Bibles, colorful Bible stories, and even a set of felt characters to put on a colorful felt backdrop.

The ESV Illustrated Family Bible is an excellent resource for an illustrated Bible. It’s a hybrid of a children’s Bible, a storybook condensed version of the Bible, and a Bible with pictures. It contains 270 stories from the Bible, using the actual text of the ESV. Each of the stories has a fresh, attractive, colorful illustrations.

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It used to annoy me–that Christmas song, the Twelve Days of Christmas. It was one of those interminable songs that made absolutely no sense. When I learned a little bit of the story behind the song, however, it changed things.
Continue reading “The Story and Meaning of the Christmas Carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”” »

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Randy has contributed the following article to the blog. I respect Randy Alcorn for his passionate focus on the Gospel. I am thankful for his courage to take unpopular yet biblical stands on important issues. I appreciate his writing. I think you’ll appreciate it, too. Here, he answers some questions he’s been asked about Christmas.

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christmas prayer · eternal perspective ministries · meaning of Christmas · randy alcorn

“Son, you need to carry a real Bible.”

It might have been funny if the eldery gentleman was joking. But he wasn’t. The man was serious, even forceful. The person listening to the rebuke was the church’s guest speaker for that Sunday. But the guest speaker was not holding a 900 page, gilt edge, leather bound book. He was holding a svelte, aluminum clad, glass front, 0.5 inch iPad. So, in genuine concern, the elderly saint took it upon himself to correct this oversight: “Son, you need to carry a real Bible.”

Continue reading “Is the Bible Old School?” »

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