Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 407

Do We Really Pray in Our Churches?

I sometimes wish I could have been there.The new church at Jerusalem was in its infancy. There was an unmistakable excitement and anticipation among the believers. They began to gather together as a body shortly after Peter preached his message at Pentecost. Luke describes their actions in succinct phrases: "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers" (Acts 2:42, HCSB). I wish I could have been there to see it. A Desire to Know You see, I have this curiosity about how they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching,...

HindSight (April 15, 2011)

Grace Church HendersonvilleI'm pleased to mention the launch this weekend of a new church here in the Nashville area called Grace Church. Ed Stetzer, the lead pastor, shares why he's "excited about Sunday" here. 200 Christian worshipers taken into custody by Beijing police. A reminder to pray for Chinese Christians and churches under the dark cloud of communism. Free mortgage if you make your house a painted ad. CNN reports on this bizarre phenomenon in a tough economy. Why Friday is great for social media engagement. Activity is up on Fridays by 18% over the rest of the week. How...

The Numbing of a Nation

My relatives have told me that the Rainer family was a slave-owning family going into the Civil War. I have no reason to doubt that sobering reality, though I have not verified it myself. I do know that I am among several generations of Rainers who grew up in south Alabama, just 45 miles south of Montgomery, the capital of the Confederacy.I have little doubt that my heritage includes that awful marker of slavery. How Could They Do It? I have trouble understanding how one set of people could see any rightness in the owning of another group of people....

Top Ten Church Bulletin Bloopers

I like to laugh. In fact, I sometimes think some of us Christians take life with such a somber attitude that we forget how to smile. Most everyone has seen church bulletin bloopers. They are typically corny, but my sons tell me that corniness is one of my spiritual gifts. I have saved dozens of them over the years. They simply make me laugh. I thought it might be good to take a brief break from the seriousness of life and share with you my top ten favorite bloopers. Enjoy! 10. At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be...

HindSight (April 8, 2011)

How Baby Boomers are embracing digital media. I talk a lot about Millennials, but this is a great insight for another important generation. Are you an introverted boss? Am I? Census info for population of American children, by race. Telling stats about population changes that has enormous missiological implications. Twitter reports 155 million tweets a day from users. The number of tweets per day is up almost three times as much as last year. And finally, here's a convicting word from Dr. David Platt on religion versus devotion. His question pierces the heart: "Are we going to retreat or risk...

What Churches Can Learn from Southwest Airlines

The news reports were disturbing to me. Passengers of a Southwest flight from Phoenix to Sacramento heard a loud noise. They looked up to find a large hole above them. The five-foot-long hole tore open Friday in the passenger cabin roof shortly after the plane carrying 118 people left Phoenix. It made a rapid descent, landing at a military base in Yuma, 150 miles southwest of Phoenix. No one was seriously hurt. I fly Southwest frequently since it is one of the major airlines at Nashville International Airport. And I have no desire to have a scenic sky view above...

The Gifts of Daughters-in-law

A few years ago, I stood next to my middle son, Art, and his wife-to-be, Sarah. Within a few minutes, they would say their vows and become husband and wife. With my hand upon my son's shoulder, I said a prayer for the new couple and for the family that would form. It was an emotional moment for me. But it was a good moment. It was a moment for which Nellie Jo and I had prepared for years.Within eleven months, the other two sons had married: Sam to Erin and Jess to Rachel. My wife and I were blessed...

HindSight (April 1, 2011)

I hope you're enjoying this new blog addition called "HindSight." Here are a few recent articles and a video that I found interesting. 1. Five ways to make your kids hate church. Convicting! 2. Hootsuite's "high profile protection" for Twitter. (HT: Mashable) 3. The art of admitting failure. Good thoughts from the Harvard Business Review. 4. Why Dan Cathy (of Chick-fil-A) hasn't owned a TV in 30 years. Unfortunately, I can't say the same thing. Alabama football beckons! 5. Both abstinence and promiscuity are on the rise. Interesting story in The Tennessean news. Finally, here's a thought-provoking video clip of...

A Case for Church Membership

In some segments of American Christianity, there is a clearly expressed concern about the concept of church membership. It is perceived to be more of a cultural influence than a biblical expression of local congregations. "Church membership is an idea we copied from secular organizations like country clubs and civic organizations," a pastor recently insisted. "It has no place in the life of local churches." Admittedly, one will not find the phrase "church membership" in the Bible. But is there a case to be made that the concept of church membership has biblical foundations? I think there is. Some Points...

A Time to Tear Down . . . A Time to Build

I have some of my best theological discussions in the barber chair. I had the opportunity to share the gospel with a barber and watch him become a follower of Christ. Three years ago I preached his funeral and shared with his family and friends what Christ did in his life. My current barber is a former Muslim. He became a Christian less by my witness, but more by the persistent love of some Christians in a home Bible study he attends. He has a voracious appetite for all things biblical and theological. As a consequence, he spends a lot...