“Christianity is dying. At least that’s what some major newspapers have been reporting lately. Research from a new Pew Center study seems to reinforce what almost all sociologists are observing these days— “the number of Americans who identify as Christians has reached an all-time low, and is falling.” The lead editor of the report told The New York Times that secularization—mainly in terms of those who identify as “nones” or with no specific religious affiliation—isn’t isolated to the progressive Northeast and Pacific Northwest, traditional “dead zones” for Christian activity, but “the change is taking place all over, including the Bible Belt.”
Sow What?
Mark 4:1-34
May 31, 2015 • Gary Brandenburg
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The Lost Art of Following Jesus
“This Is Greatness”
August 16, 2015 • Gary Brandenburg
Several years ago I was talking with a missionary who told me how hard it was to communicate with people from a vastly different culture. The example he used was unforgettable. He was working with a primitive tribe that knew very little about hygiene. In fact, they knew nothing about the concept of a toilet. This posed an obvious danger to the health of the tribe so he tried to explain to them their need for a latrine. They listened through translation as he tried to explain how to build one. He sketched out a rudimentary drawing that looked something like this…The men of the tribe studied it and said they could get it done. The missionary left the village and promised to come back in a couple of weeks to check their work. When he got back they proudly showed him their new outhouse. To his great surprise, something had been lost in translation and the outhouse looked like this…Instead of digging underground they had simply built it 16 feet above the ground! “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” Needless to say this design posed new dangers and would not lead to a healthier village.
“Divorced”
August 2, 2015 • Gary Brandenburg
Mk. 10:1-12…I doubt there is anyone here who has not been directly affected by divorce. This subject stirs up a lot of feelings. If you are divorced you may live with a low-grade guilt about this subject. Whenever you hear the “D” word they get a sinking feeling. You may even feel judged because no one understands your situation. Those who have never been through a divorce can become judgmental. “How could anyone break their wedding vows? We’ve managed to be miserable all these years and stay married why can’t they?” The truth is marriage is a testing ground. The Pharisees asked Jesus about divorce, “in order to test Him…” Few things test our discipleship like marriage and divorce.