Other Opinions

An old Sunday School register hangs on the wall in my church office. As much nostalgia as that register generates, many of us are beginning to ask if we need some new metrics to measure congregational life and health in the 21st century.

One of my favorite scenes from the movie “Christmas Vacation” has Clark Griswold standing in his front yard with wife, children, parents and in-laws. They are shivering in the December cold, admiring the gaudy but brilliant Christmas lights that Clark has just strung all over the house.

Let’s face it. For most of us, beauty has never been at the top of our “most important doctrines” list. Perhaps we should reconsider. But let’s remember that our Maker probably sees spatial beauty and facial beauty differently.

[caption id="attachment_51574" align="alignleft" width="68"]Doyle Sager[/caption]Springtime —- a season of hope, right? Not for everyone. According to studies, more suicides occur in the warm, sunny days of spring and early summer than any other time of year. In the northern hemisphere, suicides reach their highest numbers in the months of May and June.

Jesus identified mourning as a blessing because when we mourn the death of our loved one, God will make sure we are comforted. God uses fellow believers as comforters to those who are mourning.

We have all had, or need to have, difficult conversations. An email that offended or troubled us, a blow-up at a family dinner, a situation at work that is unbearable, a church feud that is spilling out into the community or friction within a house between spouses or siblings — the examples are endless.