UPDATE: I have just discovered, quite by accident, that the snowflakes are responsive! They are most visible on the banner image so read these directions and scroll back up. Hold your mouse directly in the center of the screen and the snow will fall straight down. Move your mouse to the left or right and see if the direction of the falling snow doesn’t change.
We now return to your regularly scheduled Monday. Continue reading
With Christmas Day behind us (and Thanksgiving, and Halloween) many people are getting their New Year’s resolutions together. The guilt of too much festivity is usually the first thing on our minds as we contemplate turning over a new leaf or two in the coming year. Will 2015 be your year to a) loose the weight b) quit smoking c) read the Bible d) ____________? What usually happens is that thousands of Americans buy gym memberships the first week of January and then go once or twice. The read the Bible in one year people often make it to the middle of February; Genesis is pretty exciting, the Levitical priesthood ordinances not so much.
Praying for a politician running for re-election. Celebrating with a brother whose son finally came to Christ. Receiving a praise report from a member who had surgery. Hearing how the Lord used a particular sermon I preached to change a life. Meeting a little girl who begged her parents to talk to the pastor. Receiving an update on a sick member. Ministering to a new resident of the city who is looking for a church. Thanking a faithful volunteer for his faithful but often unnoticed service.
These encounters were not part of my office schedule from last week. They were opportunities I had by shaking hands after church this past Sunday.
Please continue reading The Pastoral Ministry of Shaking Hands by H.B. Charles via Church Leaders .com
I have read a couple of articles at churchleaders.com and browsed seveal others and decided to add that site to the list of Useful Links in the right-hand sidebar. The site is for any person in a church leadership role. Under the Find Your Ministry tab you can choose from senior pastor, worship leader, youth leader, small group leader and outreach.
Clark Bunch here, stepping out of character for just a moment and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Van Til is a fictitious character and The Master’s Table is merely the title of this website. So from our real family to yours, have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and may God richly bless.
With books of the Bible on the y axis and the calendar year along the x axis, this graph plots which verses of the Bible were read on Bible Gateway throughout the year. A couple of things should jump out at you. There are times of the year that the Bible site gets more traffic, probably indicating more Bible reading in general, such as the month of Easter. You can also clearly see paths readers took through the Bible, such as the various reading programs noted on the cluster map.
Check out the Bible Gateway Year in Review 2014 for other charts and metrics. This was the year of a major overhaul of Bible Gateway’s design and the introduction of many new features, such as the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid (of which The Master’s Table is a partner). You may have noticed the Verse of the Day in the left-hand sidebar; you can get Verse of the Day sent to your email daily. Visit Bible Gateway for this and many new features.
We’re going to begin and end with a video this week. Be sure to catch Amy Grant’s I Need a Silent Night at the bottom of the page. Now let’s have a very merry Happy Monday! Continue reading
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
–Isaiah 9:6-7
One of the many titles the Son is known by is Prince of Peace, peace being the focus of the fourth Sunday of Advent. Isaiah 9:7 specifically says Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end and it goes to describe him sitting on the throne of David. Part of the Isaiah prophesy has been fulfilled in the first Advent of Jesus Christ; the child was born, the son was given. He was born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) to a virgin mother (Isaiah 7:14). But he has not yet sat on the throne of David, and during his earthly ministry he even said “I have not come to bring peace but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34) There is prophecy yet to be fulfilled in the second appearing (advent) of Jesus as the King of kings and Lord of Lords. Continue reading
If Christ ain’t the center of your preaching, then it ain’t preaching! H.B. Charles
Anyone can make a mistake so I try not to be pedantic or act like the grammar police when people express themselves less than perfectly when speaking or writing. But sometimes a comma in the wrong place or a single misplaced article can make a big difference in the message. So please take with a grain of salt the following examples of little things that could make a difference in our perception of the Christmas story. Continue reading
Today is Monday, this is The Master’s Table, I think we all know what happens next. Continue reading
