The Giant 'M' in the Sky

It was late. The road was dark. We still had many miles to go. Suddenly, I spotted what we had been searching for- the luminous giant 'M' in the sky...the golden arches of McDonald's. We pulled off the highway and headed for that bright welcoming sign where we knew we could get a great cup of coffee. When I consider the astonishing fact that there are more United Methodist churches then there are McDonald's restaurants, it makes me wonder....what could we do to attract families toward the bright M of the United Methodist church? Could we:

• be just as effective in our advertising as McDonald's are?
• make our children's ministry spaces as welcoming, colorful and fun as their PlayPlaces are?
• change our 'menu' frequently, to keep interest high?
• offer fun 'freebies' like kids get in their Happy Meals?
• make Sunday school a place that kids want to come to more then once a week?

Maybe then we could advertise, along with McDonald's, 'Billions and billions served' -except that we might be able to say 'Billions and billions saved'....
I'm lovin' it.
Read the Expanded Article Here

Reigning on High

My sisters & I,
ready to spot the eagles

My two sisters were visiting from England and had never seen a bald eagle before. We set out on the two hour journey to a small lake in Northern Michigan, hoping to spot the eagles that my husband and I had seen just a few weeks before. We were not disappointed. Not only did we see these beautiful birds soaring high above our heads, but we also watched as the male eagle came in to land in its huge platform nest. There he sat, supreme and proud, looking out over his kingdom, his huge beady eyes surveying everything in sight. Several hundred feet below the nest, a kayaker drifted lazily by, totally unaware of the majestic being above.
Friends, so many children are drifting by, totally unaware of the One who reigns on high from above. This is our calling. How can we make them aware of Him this week?
You are the God who sees. Genesis 16:13

Hand Sanitizer

It is estimated that in the USA alone, we spend a whopping $80 million every year on hand sanitizer. It is probably money well spent. No one can argue with the fact that hand sanitizer is a necessary product...it protects us from disease, it cleans up our messy hands, it prevents germs from spreading. Hand sanitizer is indispensable in hospitals, clinics, schools, churches, and restaurants- wherever crowds gather, there we will find hand sanitizer. 
But in our 'sanitized' and clinical world, it is easy to forget that sometimes, ministry might require us to get our hands messy, or hold the hand of a dirty child, or reach out and touch something we would rather not hold. We are here to represent Jesus- and without our hands He cannot reach out and touch the lives of others. Are you ready to be vunerable? Whose hand will you hold this week?
Josh Wilson: I Refuse