Volume 1 | Issue 4 – April 23, 2015

Pastor Steve shares these links to stimulate some Thursday Thoughts…

The Rare Jewel of Christian Commitment – How committed are you as a Christian; to your faith, to your church, to your fellow believers? Nick Batzig at “The Christward Collective” blog writes: “Scripture and experience teach us that commitment to the Lord and to His people in the church is one of the rarest and yet most precious graces. 80% of the work in the church is done by 20% of the people because 20% of the people are fully committed to the Lord and to His church. So important is the rare jewel of Christian commitment among the members of a local church that it is right to say that the health and the mission of the church depends upon it.” You can read the rest HERE.

So Much Stuff, So Little Time – The folks at CAPC (Christ and Pop Culture) blog have an excellent consideration that tracks with our Adult Second Hour Study, “Mammon”. SD Kelly writes: “Lots of Americans are buying lots of things, and retail sales figures don’t even factor in all of the stuff already in circulation, cycling somewhere out there between the factory and the landfill. Of course, the fact that Americans are acquisitive doesn’t mean we are suffering from a collective pathology. Unless we are. What gets confusing is knowing the difference between the things we need and the things we don’t need. The basics are shelter, food, and clothing. But what happens after I have the things I absolutely need? What should I be acquiring? As a culture, we seem to be incapable of answering those questions. Actually, we don’t even try to answer them. We’re too busy shopping.” You can read the rest HERE.

Happy Fear – David Murray at “HeadHeartHand” blog writes: “I cannot understand those who pay to watch movies that scare the wits out of them. For most of us, fear is an emotion we want to avoid, and that we will even pay to avoid. It’s a negative, painful, distressing feeling. And yet, the wisest man in the world, Solomon, said: “Happy is the man who fears always” (Proverbs 28:14). What kind of fear is this that makes a person happy?” You can read the rest HERE.