Blog Archives
Poll: Are You Attending Church More or Less These Days?
In a recent post, we discussed a study that concluded Christians and non-Christians are both attending church services much less today. If you missed that compelling post, you can read it here: Barna Study: Even Christians Are Leaving Our Churches.
Today we want to give you a chance to chime in on the topic, and we have two polls that allow you to do that. The first one asks if you are attending church more or less these days. There are several answers. Please don’t answer the way you would like to be able to answer or how you think you should answer. Just the way it really is in your life at this moment.
The second poll asks why you are attending church less. You have several option here as well, even an “other” where you can write in your answer. There is also an answer for “I am attending church MORE” and “I am attending about the same”
Thank you for voting and please feel free to share these polls with your readers or re-blog this post. If you look at the results so far, it seems to coincide with the study. The more answers the better, so share away!
My Authentic “On The Border” Salsa Recipe (Just like the Restaraunt)
This is my authentic “On The Border” restaurant Salsa recipe.
Disclaimer: (I did not break into official headquarters at night and “borrow” this recipe. I did it in broad daylight, because that is how I roll!)
It all started with Kolten, (thanks Kolten) one of my sons friends. While visiting our home one day, he made a great salsa. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make! I thought “with a little tinkering, this could taste like my favorite “On The Border” salsa recipe.” (Of course my favorite salsa recipe is El Tarasco’s in Manhattan Beach, California. Only the most blessed people on earth know what that tastes like!)
So the tinkering began. After months of trial and error, the following recipe is what I think comes closest. Everyone loves it. Try it, but beware, you never make enough!
This post is a very large departure from our typical posts, but I thought I would share something from my kitchen instead of my library today. Read the rest of this entry
A 300 Year Old Christian Prayer: “Lord, Help Me Follow You”
The following prayer was first offered back in the 1700′s. It is from the largely forgotten deposit of the Puritan Movement of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. These people knew God and they certainly knew how to pray. We can learn a lot from them. They are written in old english. I have updated a few outdated words and changed the Thee’s and Thou’s to make it more 2011. However, they still have the feel of that era. This prayer, titled ‘The Throne’, along with many others, can be found in a book titled “The Valley of Vision”, by Arthur Bennett. At the end of the prayer, I have also included a song called “Before The Throne of God Above”, written by Charitie Bancroft in 1863. The music was written by Steve and Vikki Cook just a few years ago. I think it goes perfectly with this prayer. Read the rest of this entry
George Barna: The Seeker-Sensitive Church Model: Dumbing Down Disciples
The Barna Group just came out with a new research report. In it, they describe six mega-themes relating to the state of the church in America. I want to discuss two of those themes here. I believe they have a cause and effect relationship. I also believe that the Seeker-Sensitive church model is directly responsible for the findings detailed in the Barna Report.
Barna says: “Change usually happens slowly in the Church. But a review of the past year’s research… provides a time-lapse portrayal of how the religious environment in the U.S. is morphing into something new.” Stop for a moment and think about what you just read: Christianity in America is morphing into something new.”
Is the American church morphing into something better and more God honoring? The findings in the Barna Report would argue in the negative. Here’s two of them: Read the rest of this entry
Not For Itching Ears 