Articles/Bulletins
Start Strong
Often, how you start has a lot to do with how you will finish. Many sport teams have started out so poorly at the beginning of the season, that they lost any chances of being in the playoffs. Runners who start poorly, often, cannot finish well. We are at the beginning of the new year and each of us wants to finish well-not just at the end of the year, but at the end of life. But how we start often sets patterns and habits for how we will finish. This is a GREAT time to start the year strong spiritually. Starting some great spiritual habits today can carry you through this year and the rest of your life. It has been said that the Bible that is falling apart, most likely belongs to a person whose life is not falling apart. Consider these few suggestions on Starting Strong:
Attend As Much As You Can. Church services are valuable for helping us keep the right perspective in life. They offer a wonderful occasion to praise God. We connect with out church family the more we are around each other. How’s you attendance? Could it be better? Try starting stronger this year. Having two Sunday services a week, and one Wednesday evening service, there are 156 opportunities to worship God and be with your brethren this coming year. That means over 100 opportunities to pray and sing with your church family. What a wonderful blessing and privilege! Of these 156 services, how many do you plan on attending this year? How many did you attend last year? Once a week? (52 out of 156 – that’s only a third). Ten percent is only 15 services. Do you know? Would you like to know?
Make Some Definite Spiritual Goals. Often the only way we can really bring about change is by setting some specific goals and then keep up with them. Would you like to learn how to lead singing? There are wonderful folds here who will teach you. Would you like to teach a class or give a sermon? How about teaching a home Bible study? How about memorizing a verse a week? How about reading some helpful spiritual books? There are a number of great things that can be goals for you this year. “If you always do what you have done, then you will get what you always have gotten.” Do more. Push yourself. Get out of your comfort zone. Pray “big prayers.” Expect big results. Make this year “the year of the Lord.”
~ Roger Shouse - New Albany, IN
- Bulletin 1-27-13.pdf.zip (1.33 MB)
