Pastor’s Ponderings—April 2026

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To the church of God as found at Marion Salem Church, called to be saints together with those in every place who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ: You are miracles of God’s grace and mercy!

I pray that I do not confuse anyone with the following thoughts. So as to be clear, I am directing them to certain groups as a means of challenge, because I believe that there are ways that each of us can improve as followers of Jesus Christ.

To those who for any reason, typically watch service on Facebook: Easter Sunday is coming. We revere it as a particularly special and Holy day among the various Sundays of the year. For various reasons, many of them legitimate health issues, there are folks who cannot make it to worship each week. I want to challenge you to please go above and beyond to make the effort this year. If you must, call your doctor’s office as soon as you read this, leave them a message about how you can adjust medications or whatever routine you need so that you can be in-person for Easter Sunday worship.

To those trying to pick which service, I love Sonrise Service, especially as we can support our youth by attending, and I greatly enjoy the tradition of Easter Breakfast with my church family. That said, if you are deciding between Sonrise and Breakfast or the 10am Service—-please come to the 10am service. I want you to come to all our activities, yet if there must be a choice, come to the 10am Service.

To those who have family that stay home, this is the week. This is the important one. This is the week to pick the battle with your teenager. This is the week to put your foot down and say, “Come be with me in worship on Easter Sunday!” You do not have to be rude about it, but do be passionate about it! It’s important, it matters.

To those who have family, friends, coworkers, & neighbors that are not in worship, this is the day! Easter and Christmas are the “expected to be in Church” times. Those who watch you drive to church every week and see how important it is to you, they are kind of expecting you to make an invitation. They might say no. It’s really possible for them to say yes – yet you have to ask first. The de facto answer is no if you never ask so make the ask this year.

To those who believe Easter is the goal, or that the Resurrection is the end of the story, hang on to your bonnets—you might get blown away. The Resurrection was only the beginning of the story and the work that is ahead of the Church grows larger each and every year that has followed. When Easter comes this April 5th, it is not a moment of arrival for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ. Easter is only the starting point for the plans God has in store for those who love Him.

Blessings

Jason

Lenten Series: The Cure

Based off a book by the same name, we will explore the paths of Pleasing God and Trusting God, learning that one is built on self-effort and the other on humility. This series is for those seeking a deeper relationship with Christ no matter where they are starting on the journey.

3/1: “Two Solutions” 2 Corinthians 5 — 3/8: “Two Healings” 1 John 4:7-21

3/15: “Two Friends” John 3:16-21 — 3/22: “Two Destinies” John 12:12-16

Pastor’s Ponderings—March 2026

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To the church of God as found at Marion Salem Church, called to be saints together with those in every place who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ: You are miracles of God’s grace and mercy!

For centuries Christians have yearned to walk closer with the Lord. The question of how has often led to dangerous thinking that we are saved by our works—that it is the things we do that enable us to be Christians. The results are disappointing. Either we will feel like failures because works religion only makes us realize how fallen we are, or it will lead to a prideful heart that falls further and further from the Lord. This thinking boils down to: We do so we can become.

So how can we walk closer to the Lord? Well, the first step is to realize that we are already close to the Lord. That’s what salvation has done for us. We can be Christians because the Lord has made us into Christians. Jesus empowers us for actions we take; whether works of piety those acts of devotion to the Lord, or works of mercy that are acts done in the name of the Lord for others. We do neither of these with the mindset that doing them makes Christians. It is because of who we are (our being), we do certain things, we act. This flips the previous way of thinking around, our actions do not make us, they flow from what Christ has remade us to be.

Thus the season of Lent and all the spiritual disciplines we might undertake or explore are not so that we become, we do them because they flow from who we are. The spiritual practices of the early Methodists were known as the means of grace, in other words, the acts by which God imparts His grace to us. The instituted means of grace are better known; Communion, prayer, Scripture reading, fasting, giving, and joining together with other believers in worship and accountability (called “Christian conferencing” back then). These are instituted because they are clearly instructed in Scripture and they have reference to God’s promised work in our lives. There are also prudential means of grace; that is those things in which God decides of His own goodness to bless us at that time and in those circumstances. God is not required to communicate His grace to us at every opportunity of a prudential means of grace, like a walk in nature.

Focusing on the instituted means of grace, I would like to challenge you during Lent to make a special effort at giving yourself to these acts. Do not do them so that you can become more like Christ. Do them because you are a follower of Christ. Let them flow out of who you are, not to make or change who you are. We have just received Communion on Ash Wednesday. We will once again on March 1st and 15th during Sunday worship, as well as on Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday. I would encourage your daily prayers be not solely about food, health, and temporal concerns—the Lord’s heart aches for the lost. May we pour out petitions for those who have lost their way that through our prayers and through us the Lord might reach them. Be in Scripture. If you have never done the 30 Days with Jesus reading plan, now would be a good time. If you’ve done that one, I would highly recommend you go deeper in a theological study traveling 60 Days with Paul and the rest of the New Testament. Of course, many think of fasting in connection with Lent; yet it is truer still that we replace a bad habit with a good one. So if you fast, replace that with giving, study, or service and make your fast complete. Giving should come from a place of sacrifice, not spare change. Finally, joining with others to encourage and be encouraged makes growth fuller. Be this Lent, don’t do it.

Blessings

Jason

Lenten Series: The Cure

Based off a book by the same name, we will explore the paths of Pleasing God and Trusting God, learning that one is built on self-effort and the other on humility. This series is for those seeking a deeper relationship with Christ no matter where they are starting on the journey.

3/1: “Two Solutions” 2 Corinthians 5 — 3/8: “Two Healings” 1 John 4:7-21

3/15: “Two Friends” John 3:16-21 — 3/22: “Two Destinies” John 12:12-16

Pastor’s Ponderings—February 2026

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To the church of God as found at Marion Salem Church, called to be saints together with those in every place who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ: You are miracles of God’s grace and mercy!

I think these newsletter thoughts are going to address the elephant in the room and that’s the recent progressive provocation during a worship service in a congregation in Minnesota. It was wrong, disgusting, and thankfully it’s being dealt with. Contrary to popular belief, this was not the first instance of such an incident. I recall seeing video of a progressive “pastor” interrupting a sermon of a friend of mine several years ago. It didn’t get nearly as much attention within the church or nationwide. What seems to be different this time is that there was a flood of media attention (thanks to the self-serving and self-incriminating individuals there) and those in government positions are finally holding wrongdoers accountable.

Should we be worried? No. Violent disturbances in churches are rare. They get outsized media attention. When they occur, the vast majority are caused by people who know someone in the church or they are targeted incidents like Minnesota’s City Church.

Should we be prepared? That depends on what you mean. Do we need to hire security guards? Absolutely not, that would be over doing it. As a security measure, after worship starts all doors but the sanctuary entrance are locked and that door is monitored every Sunday by several members during worship for trouble.

But it could still happen… A great many things could happen, and yet we are called to live not with a spirit of fear, but with power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). If there are ever disturbances in worship the following would happen: “You are invited to calm down and take a seat and worship. If you continue, you’ll be asked to leave. If you do not, we will press charges for disturbance and trespassing at a minimum.” If the situation escalates law enforcement will already be on their way—and in Ohio, Marion County… I am reasonably assured of that outcome, and you can be too. Rest easy.

We do not live in town. While not impossible, the kind of trouble January 18th makes us afraid of is highly unlikely out here. The most common kind of trouble we aren’t likely to have either. We won’t have drunks stumbling in to the front row to join us for worship and ask for money afterwards (had that happen elsewhere to me, fun times). Even the out-of-town travelers looking for gas money aren’t likely. Of course, when folks like that regularly come in we definitely know who we’re trying to reach for Christ and what kind of ministry we can offer to change lives. Our work as a congregation to reach the lost is different and perhaps a little harder. We’ve got to go find those who are suffering in and from sin. When we find them, we’ve got to reach them for Christ where they are as we minister to their need. Only after we’ve built a relationship with them can we invite them to Salem to grow in Christ.

So no, I’m not worried about the incident in Minnesota happening at Salem. My bigger concern is finding more lost souls to reach for Christ so that we can grow.

Blessings

Jason

Pastor’s Ponderings—January 2026

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To the church of God as found at Marion Salem Church, called to be saints together with those in every place who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ: You are miracles of God’s grace and mercy!

One of my favorite holiday tunes is “Christmas in Killarney,” the Bing Crosby version of course. One of the verses goes, “The door is always open / The neighbors pay a call / And Father John, before he’s gone / Will bless the house and all.” It was not unusual in a bygone day for pastors to drop by unannounced (especially in Father John’s case, when parties were an opportunity for the parish pastor to make rounds and see the maximum number of people, whether or not he was actually invited!). Of course, the world has changed much in the intervening decades. I’ve actually been chased off of someone’s property while trying to visit them unannounced (not Salem). More times than not though, there have been those awkward conversations where I’ll call ahead and it’s obvious that now or soon is not really a good time for a visit, yet the person I am speaking with has wanted a visit. They feel caught. You can simply tell when that tension is there—it’s not good. Of course, just as bad is not visiting either.

I’ve been thinking a lot about visitations and how to increase them, both in the number of people I go to see and how often I go to see them. I was considering this when I was reminded of a teacher’s advice, “Clear boundaries and expectations are not rude, they are kind.” So with that in mind, I offer the following to help communicate with the congregation so we can improve the visitation ministry at Marion Salem Church:

1. I am busy— I am NOT too busy to visit. Like anyone, I have things that have a certain priority or steal my attention. However, if you want me to visit, I will make that a priority. I have plenty of time to work 1 or 2 visits with separate households in a week if needed.

2. Please call the church office or my cellphone. I may not be able to drop everything and come right away, however I also cannot read minds. If your need is a desire for the pastor to come see you, let me know. We’ll get it worked out within a week and likely sooner.

3. I find it rude to invite myself over to visit someone, even when that visit is the right thing to do. As I said above, there are times that I call and I know the visit is wanted, but even the timing of my call is bad to schedule it. It is far easier for you to invite me than for me to invite myself. Put me on the spot, instead of me putting you on the spot. Our culture’s expectations have changed radically in the past several decades. One of those changes has been when it is beneficial for the pastor to make a visit and when it is not.

4. Emily enjoys coming along for visits, yet her schedule is more limited than mine. When you communicate with me that you’d like Emily (or even the kids) to come along, we will make it happen – it just might require more calendar work.

During 2026, my hope is to make it around to many members’ homes, if only to join with your family in a short time of prayer consecrating your home and household to the Lord. I will leave with each family a small keepsake of the service as a reminder of your covenant with the Lord and His with you.

Blessings,

Jason

Pastor’s Ponderings—December 2025

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To the church of God as found at Marion Salem Church, called to be saints together with those in every place who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ: You are miracles of God’s grace and mercy!

I’ve been thinking a lot about Christmas. It’s not too far away now and it came to me that I need to manage my expectations for Christmas. I don’t think this is going to be the Greatest Christmas Ever. Don’t get me wrong. I think our family and our congregation are going to have a very good Advent and Christmas season—but the greatest? I mean, we live in a fallen world. Just so we’re on the same page:

The Top Ten Reasons This WON’T Be the Greatest Christmas Ever

#10: The Weather is not going to cooperate: For some it will be snowy and that will be bad, for others it will be green and that will be equally as bad.

#9: You will find stress or perhaps stress will find you. Let’s face it, there’s a reason why hustle and bustle makes us cranky.

#8: People will be people. Someone is going to say or do something (or not say or do something) and it’s going to be the source of stress, moodiness, and all sorts of unpleasantness. “Yeah, holidays!”

#7: Someone won’t be able to afford Christmas. Many families in our community and some in our congregation will experience a financial pinch that will put a damper on celebrations.

#6: Someone won’t be able to come home for Christmas. Certainly an experience that many families have experienced because of circumstances, yet there are also those who choose to be apart.

#5: Someone will be hungry for Christmas. For some families presents are the least of their concerns when it comes to Christmas. There will be a struggle to put food on the table.

#4: Someone will be sick for Christmas. We’ve had at least one Christmas where the flu’s timing couldn’t have been worse. Still, the flu is the least of concerns when it comes to health for some.

#3: We will miss someone at Christmas time. This one hits for me, those who made Christmas special and are no longer with us.

#2: It also won’t be the Second Best Christmas, because that’s the one where Jesus came to Earth as a little baby boy born in Bethlehem.

And finally, the number 1 reason why this won’t be the Greatest Christmas Ever: When Christ returns that will be a real Christmas and it will be the Greatest Christmas Ever… Well, so I guess there is a chance He could decide to come back this Christmas— so I’ll caveat with that.

For now, I’m placing my hope in a good Christmas, even very good—and looking forward to when Christ returns and makes it great!

Blessings,

Jason

Pastor’s Ponderings—November 2025

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To the church of God as found at Marion Salem Church, called to be saints together with those in every place who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ: You are miracles of God’s grace and mercy!

I ended last month’s newsletter article by saying we are going to be headed on the upward swing towards the end of the year and that it will likely be a busy season. Friends, that season is upon us! I was in my office speaking with Janet Strine today and the men are out in the field working as hard and fast as they can to get the corn off the field because tomorrow rain is coming. The Church is in much a similar state this week and month. We are working towards Sunday’s special commemoration of the fire 25 years ago. This Sunday’s message is not related to that, however it will be starting us in a series of messages that I hope we all pay special attention to (more later). We are trying to get this newsletter into your hands this weekend as well and that is a signification production. It is crazy busy at the church office!

Our new Family Life Pastor Heather McLeod (pronounced Mc-Cloud) is joining us this coming weekend! I say Pastor because Heather is ordained. So the Family Life position is a Youth Pastor and children’s and family ministry role. I’m sure many will shorten her title to Youth Pastor for convenience sake, just know there is more to her work than 6th-12th graders. Heather will be getting her feet wet over the next couple of months and as we prepare for the holiday season you’ll be hearing news about ministry opportunities that will start in the new year. There is a short letter of introduction from Heather on the youth page. Please take some time to read that and reach out to get to know her.

Among other events that are happening in November: Our Annual Church Thanksgiving Dinner is Sunday, Nov. 16th after worship. Our annual church business meeting, the Church Charge Conference, is Monday, Nov. 17th at 6pm (all members are encouraged to attend). We just came off of an extremely successful New Consecration Sunday campaign. Per the estimate of giving cards that came in on October 26th, we have a projected 16.29% increase in giving anticipated for 2026. This is an awesome response to the blessings that God has given each of us, so thank you for your generosity!

Now is certainly not the time to take it easy. There is a spiritual harvest of souls to win and looking out over the horizon many of us might perceive rain is on the way—we need to get to work Church! That’s why I am leaning into November’s sermon series with a strange title “When God Won’t Work.” Not to share too much, but from “When We Lack Faith”, consider how Nazareth responded to Jesus and because of their unbelief He could not work many miracles among them. In the same way, if we reject the empowering grace at the Lord’s Supper, we are unrepentant, or we neglect prayer— these are all circumstances that lead to a lack of God’s activity in our lives. It’s not necessarily that God can’t. He is sovereign and will work when and how He wishes. However, when we reject Him repeatedly in these ways, we might just find ourselves left without Him. Let’s not do that! Lean in and let’s open ourselves to the Lord’s work.

Blessings,

Jason

Pastor’s Ponderings—October 2025

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To the church of God as found at Marion Salem Church, called to be saints together with those in every place who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ: You are miracles of God’s grace and mercy!

October is such an incredibly busy month, I’m always impressed with how it sneaks up on me and can become so overwhelming. Our 19th anniversary is on the first, and we have plans as usual to go on a family vacation (though we’re going to the beach and not the mountains) over the second weekend in October. October 6th is World Communion Sunday, a day set aside by many Christians around the world to celebrate the Lord’s Supper in unity. Here at the church, we’re gearing up for Charge Conference season which means the Nominations Team has been very busy preparing the slate of officers for next year. We’re also entering budget planning for 2025 and your leadership is working diligently with a new process now that we have a year of actual expenses and receipts to plan from. A group of Sunday School leaders has joined together to bring back the Donuts and Devos time on the first Sunday of each month. I understand that on October 6th we’ll have a joint time of learning together at the 9am hour following fellowship at 8:30am. Our Outreach Team has taken on the task of supporting our local Gideon Camps and helping them to recruit more members to spread God’s Word. That event is on Saturday, October 19th. On the 20th we’ll have a Family Fall Party at Tony and Charisse Smith’s. And as I type this, the Conveying Conference is wrapping it’s penultimate day and heading for a finale tomorrow.

Yet by the end of this month my attention will return to matters at home again. Emily is preparing for surgery on October 31st. Your prayers are certainly welcome as we begin that journey of recovery. Which brings me back to: October feels overwhelming. Yet as I was talking with Amy today in the office the phrase came up in conversation, “It all just feels… right.” We have a lot of good work going on right now. Christ is lifted up. Disciples are being encouraged in their walk. And not too long from now—I believe we will see new disciples coming to Christ in our midst.

So yes, it is busy. Yes, there is much going on to pay attention to and be involved with. There is much to celebrate and strive to achieve. At the end of the day, it is all about Jesus and making disciples.

Blessings,

Jason

Pastor’s Ponderings—September 2025

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To the church of God as found at Marion Salem Church, called to be saints together with those in every place who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ: You are miracles of God’s grace and mercy!

The month of September brings the return to school, cool fall temperatures and somewhat a return to normalcy when it comes to routines (though as I write this during the last week of August, school has started most places, today feels like crisp Fall weather, and just what is normal!?). All kidding aside, September has long been considered the return to weekly routine for families after the summer break. For the last 16 years, congregations around the country and now around the world, have utilized the 3rd Sunday of September as Back to Church Sunday. In the US, the first Sunday of September is often Labor Day weekend – an awful day to kickstart or prepare for something. The idea of using the third Sunday is to utilize the second Sunday as a preparation weekend.

When it comes to Back to Church Sunday there are two target audiences. Let’s talk about the first set of people. These are the family and friends of Marion Salem Church – the members and regular attenders whose attendance might have fallen off a little during the summer months. When we celebrate Back to Church Sunday, part of our intent is to invite those back to worship who have recently fallen out of the habit. Part of our vows of membership remind us that all members are responsible for caring for one another. Before someone is baptized we say: “We will surround these persons with a community of love and forgiveness, that they may grow in their trust of God, and be found faithful in their service to others. We will pray for them, that they may be true disciples who walk in the way that leads to life.” And when someone becomes a member, the pastor charges the congregation with: “Do all in your power to increase their faith, confirm their hope, and perfect them in love.” Brothers and sisters in Christ, no one in this congregation should be absent of tangible contact with the Body of Christ. We profess to care for one another, and part of that is checking in when people have missed worship. Sending them an invitation. They used to say that Back to Church Sunday was the “no excuse needed” weekend to come back for worship. Honestly, any weekend is good for that. Methodists have long said we will “watch over one another in love.” The book of Hebrews (3:12-14) tells us to care for each other like this.

The second audience for Back to Church Sunday are those who have long fallen away from the Church or never attended at all. These folks are categorized as the unchurched or dechurched. As Christians we are called to become like Christ, the One Who gave of Himself to reach the lost. The more Christ-like we become, the more we should have compassion and invite others to worship Christ. We should be making invitations to worship and meaningful connections to those who need Christ. It has been a growing number of people in the United States over the last several decades. Yet there is good news! We are making headway in reaching the lost. All research surveys are responding that people are more open to hearing about Jesus (71%). There has been a quadruple increase (4% to 16%) in young adults (18-24) attending worship. The trend in attendance has Millennials, yes Millennials, attending at higher rates than Gen-X and Baby Boomers according to Barna. And Millennials are looking for authentic Christian faith more than slick shows. This all means we have a great opportunity to reach those who have never been reached before!

So with Back to Church Sunday coming, I hope you join in making multiple invitations for people to join us at worship. It takes 6 consistent invitations before people come, so keep trying. If they come to Salem, awesome! If your invitation inspires them to attend a faithful congregation anywhere, it is still a joy to celebrate!

Blessings,

Jason

Pastor’s Ponderings—August 2025

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To the church of God as found at Marion Salem Church, called to be saints together with those in every place who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ: You are miracles of God’s grace and mercy!

Few of you may know that I enjoy classic rock (and while that seems to be an ever rolling description, I’m talking about stuff from the 70’s and 80’s that also is described as heavy metal, arena rock, big hair bands). So while the majority of the good stuff is older than I am, I do know that back in the day these bands were not without their controversy. I’ve seen clips of Tipper Gore testifying in congress about the explicit lyrics of some artists and later Dee Snider testified (frontman from Twisted Sister, without the costume and makeup— though with plenty of hair!). This is to say I haven’t listened to that music in a vacuum. However, I started paying way more attention to the lyrics about the time I was in my 20’s. Some of it was a shock when I actually listened to the songs!

Some of the revelations of paying attention to classic rock have been more of a blessing than not though. Learning about the background of Alice Cooper as a preacher’s kid, his run from the Lord, then his eventual surrender to Christ as well as sharing his faith during shows. Another interesting tidbit is that Led Zepplin was often inspired by the Christian writer J.R.R. Tolkien’s work The Lord of the Rings. Looking at the lyrics for some of these songs is a real window into what the writers believed about the world. We just often did not take it seriously enough.

Why talk about this? Well, as was reported in the news in July Ozzy Osbourne passed away. I was not really hopeful for the man known as “the Prince of Darkness.” Honestly, did we have much of an idea of his spiritual status? I certainly knew he was not like Alice Cooper. Then I caught a few Facebook videos that blew me away. Several years ago Ozzy said he felt he was a Christian and confessed a huge struggle reading Scripture. Step in the video I want to share with you, scan the QR code to watch. Dylan Novak (the video is titled incorrectly) shared how he had an opportunity to talk with Ozzy after a show in Philadelphia just a few weeks before his death. Dylan gave Ozzy a new believer’s New Living Translation (excellent for easy reading) and showed Ozzy how to read it. Midsentence, Ozzy flipped to the gospels and exclaimed that he actually could understand it! (Makes me wonder if Ozzy was trying to read a King James version.) A few weeks later, Dylan saw Ozzy’s son Jack at another show. Jack related how Ozzy made the convention center reopen after the Bible was accidently left behind. Jack said his father treasured that personalized Bible and it truly impacted his spiritual journey.

So, was Ozzy Osbourne saved? That’s not my place to judge. What I want to point out is how he, the supposed “Prince of Darkness,” responded eagerly and with joy to the Gospel message. Not everyone is going to be like that, yet the most unlikeliest person on the planet was thrilled that someone took the time to share God’s Word with him. “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do,” Matthew 21:31b… don’t discount who you reach out to on outer appearances. You might change their life.

Blessings,

Jason

Pastor’s Ponderings—July 2025

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To the church of God as found at Marion Salem Church, called to be saints together with those in every place who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ: You are miracles of God’s grace and mercy!

I am in my office on Tuesday the 24th of June. I have been out of routine for the entire month of June, first from vacation and then Annual Conference. So I sit here in a moment of thought just taking in the last month. It has flown by and there is so much that has occurred. It was a great trip out west and I look forward to visiting some of those places for longer periods again. I will certainly share nuggets from this trip for a very long time. Yet what comes to my mind right now that I want to share is something that came up at conference more than once. To start it’s an application of a passage of Scripture. From Isaiah 2:4:

“they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.”

This passage is about the return of Christ and the state of the world – that state of peace that world events leaves us longing for. The end of the passage says “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” Yet the personal application of the passage struck home as Bishop Greenway spoke on it. I’ll do my best to paraphrase it. He spoke about how for the past 30 years of his life, he and many others in the room were used to wielding ecclesiastical (church) weapons in the fight for scriptural holiness and Biblical orthodoxy. Yet, the time had come for us to turn away from the fight that marked much of our previous connection’s life and turn our swords into plowshares— “It’s time to start planting.”

For the better part of the last decade, we’ve been in an internal war that has taken much of our drive and energy. Those battles are over. We are now a part of a movement of God that focuses on Scripture, seeks after Christ, and… what? You see the point of disaffiliation was not to get out of the United Methodist Church. That was a small thing and first step. Now we’re turning to the main thing. What is that? Our mission| The Global Methodist Church exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ and spread scriptural holiness across the globe. The theme of annual conference was Start Planting… which is where Isaiah 2:4 comes in. All that energy and resources, the drive and passion, the focus and attention that was placed on disaffiliation needs to be put into actual ministry. It is time to beat the swords into plowshares and disciple people. What does that mean?

We need to be hyper focused on reaching the lost and growing as disciples.

We need to read Scripture like we’re drinking water in this heatwave.

We need to be connected with other Christians that support our discipleship growth through small groups.

We need to support the establishment of new congregations that will reach people we cannot.

One of the things that keeps popping up on my Facebook feed lately is the phrase “Church should be your excuse for missing everything else.” Whatever it is that is holding you back or away, it isn’t more important. It’s time to start doing the work of ministry again. It is time to start planting.

Blessings,

Jason