Reading and writing have been staples of basic communication for thousands of years. One might wonder what kind of effect the written word had on the Church over the centuries. But perhaps a better-crafted question might be what happened to Christianity when words became “printed and replicable” on a large scale.
If asked to name the top selling girls children’s toy from the past year, what would you guess? One might reasonably (but incorrectly) assume Barbie , Goldiblox , or the continued onslaught of Frozen-themed merchandise. But, if you have young daughters or grandchildren, you won’t be surprised when I say Shopkins .
There are many forgotten or little known heroes in American history, men and women who gave of themselves so that others could enjoy freedom. We all have heard of such people as Nathan Hale and Jim Bowie who paid the ultimate price for freedom, but few know the story of The Four Military Chaplains and their last heroic acts on the U.S.A.T. Dorchester.
I’ve taught criminal justice, at the college level for many years now. I was recently asked to teach some of the same criminal justice concepts I normally teach at the college level to a younger group of learners. One topic I was required to instruct was “The Criminal Justice System.” I had a two-hour time block for the instruction.
All of us tend to use the most significant dates in our lives as reference points for all the others. For example, we think of our age in reference to the year we were born, and while we may give names to wedding anniversaries (silver, gold, etc.), we determine them by counting from the year of the marriage. Indeed, the root of the word anniversary is the Latin for “year.”
Many, if not most, churches have at least attempted small group ministries at one time or another, some finding them to be the catalyst for church growth, relational connections, and effective discipleship. Of course, others have struggled and some even failed in the effort, leaving numerous questions in the wake of their efforts.
