In my previous blog entry, I started a conversation about how to grow our church. I brought up two very common points that seem to be jumping off places for many Christians.

How can our church grow? What’s the key? What do we need to do to grow our church? Well, first let’s define what we mean by church growth. Actually, what we don’t mean. Church growth is not recruiting Christians from other churches. If we take 25 people from Cherry Hills, our church has not grown. We’ve gained nothing for the Kingdom. Church growth is reaching the lost. As Jesus said, “making disciples” from those who were not.

We’re singing a hymn this Sunday. What?!? Why is a contemporary service singing anything older than 3 years? Don’t get me started . . .

David said in Psalm 14,

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”

When a guy and girl fall in love, get married, and go on their honeymoon, they are riding on cloud nine. Their hearts are exploding with feelings of love and they think, “This will never end; I’ll feel this way forever!” I know because I felt that when I got married. But at some point, the honeymoon does end. (Corinne, sweetheart, if you’re reading this, we haven’t reached that point, yet . . .) There comes a point in time when being “in love” must be supplanted by love.

iTunes is one of my favorite toys. It’s easy to use, fast, and offers so many different things - music, movies, podcasts, to name a few. One other really cool feature iTunes has to offer is something called iTunes U. Basically, a bunch of colleges, universities, and seminaries have been recording class lectures and posting entire classes on iTunes . . . free of charge!

I had a conversation recently with a friend about the Bible. My friend’s question was, “How can I understand what the Bible says?” What an excellent question . . . I ask that all the time! From the perspective of an amateur Bible reader, that is, I’m not professionally trained to interpret Scripture, I’ve compiled a short list of the things I do as I approach the Word of God.

1.        Decide in your heart and mind that the Bible is absolutely true.

Today we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ by worshiping together as one church family in a service that culminated with a stirring chorus proclaiming, “He’s alive forever, amen!” For me, this Easter service was a lot of fun, almost like a worship party more than a service. I think sometimes it’s okay to get a little excited when we think of our Lord and what He has done for us.

Last Sunday, Wade preached about the miracles of Jesus. He brought a different perspective than most of us are used to, and challenged us by asking, “Do you just want God so He can meet your needs?” A few days ago, I was reading My Utmost for His Highest, a daily devotional by Oswald Chambers, a Scottish preacher from around the late 1800s through the early 1900s.

What is the most important thing the church does? What is the most important reason you, as a Christian, exist?