T. David Beck: The Simple Way of Jesus

How often do you experience God at a church service? Have you ever? Would you like to do so more often? A few days ago on the Out of Ur blog, Skye Jethani wrote a post that pointed to a study done by the Barna Group about what people experience at church services. 66% of people report having experienced "a real and personal connection with God" at least once in their lives while attending a church service. That means 34% of people have never had what they would identify as a connection with God in a church service. Never. The Barna Group also reports, "Also, when asked about frequency, most of those who have attended church describe these encounters as rare." Percentages are better for people who actively attend church. "Among those who attend church every week, 44% said  they experience God's presence every week and 18% do on a monthly basis." One moral of this story is: go to church regularly, and you are more likely to connect with God. Sporadic...

Talking with people about Haiti can be a very sensitive subject. This morning I addressed the students at our local elementary school about Haiti. I managed to offend one gentleman who was listening. When I present Haiti, I try to be as fair as I can. I deeply care about the future of the country. I love and appreciate the people. I respect their tenacity and resiliency. And yet, especially when speaking to an audience of children, I can't help but talk about how different life is there than it is here. A lot of families are not intact. Kids don't have toys like they do here. Food is not plentiful, other than maybe beans and rice. There is no widespread public education system, so a lot of poor kids don't go to school. There are tall walls around most houses in the city. Life in the streets is really rough, and I know a lot of kids who run in the streets way too much. A lot of kids are destined to repeat entrenched cycles of poverty. Those are the facts as I know them and...