Growing Together Blog

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Written by Sparky Pritchard Thursday, 24 June 2010 20:42

While the temperatures were hovering around the three digit mark this past week, it didn’t melt the enthusiasm or cause the blessings to wilt at our annual Vacation Bible School.  The theme this year was The Egypt File … (and the weather made it realistic as we felt we were in the Egyptian desert!) But the real thrust of the week was to help our kids decode the Mystery of Life!  And that was accomplished by the dedicated efforts of dozens of workers who invested their time and energies into our VBS.  As I met one leader in the hall, her response to my question, “How are things going?” was simply, “I am so excited!”  There was so much for which to be thankful in looking back over the week.

As I write this on Thursday (with the finale on Friday yet to come), I am thrilled to report that we had 182 children come (which is the biggest VBS we have had in years).  There were 90 workers who came to teach, help with crafts, provide the decorations, lead music, guide recreation time, care for refreshments and a variety of other needs.  What an amazing team!  More importantly, through Thursday, 11 children placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as personal Savior!  That, in itself, would make the entire week worth it.  But many other children were impacted by the in-depth teaching of our curriculum from Answers in Genesis.

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Written by Sparky Pritchard Friday, 18 June 2010 13:13

If you or I were asked to compose a list of “deplorable sins,” few of us would have any problem putting it together.  Certainly, the “biggies” would come to mind immediately – murder, adultery, lying, stealing, pride, anger, drunkenness, idolatry, etc.  Justification for any and all of those is grounded in the reading of the Ten Commandments (in Exodus 20), the seven things God hates (from Proverbs 6), and the list of the works of the flesh (in Galatians 5).  And we tend to be quick in condemning these and other “deplorable sins” while rarely acknowledging subtler sins that we ourselves tolerate or excuse.

Not long ago, Jerry Bridges forced us to open our eyes to our own blind spots with his book, Respectable Sins.  The subtitle was convicting in itself – “Confronting the Sins We Tolerate.”

Let me highlight one of our lowlights that Bridges talks about – the sin of UNTHANKFULNESS.

Consider the story of the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19) that Jesus met one day while traveling to Jerusalem.  Graciously, all were cleansed of this “horrible sin” of uncleanness, restored to health, and given a fresh start in life.  Yet, only one returned to give thanks for what Jesus had done.  You can hear the pain and disappointment in Jesus’ voice as He asked the one man, “Were not ten cleansed?  Where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17).

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Written by Sparky Pritchard Friday, 11 June 2010 14:19

The Road to Success … Those who are graduating hope to find it and follow it in the days that lie ahead.  Tragically, many will become sidetracked.  Some will chose an easier but less fulfilling path.  But, in reality, the road to success is not a path upon which we stumble by chance; it is a highway that must be built with care and commitment.  Here’s what it takes to construct it.

First, the road to success is paved with gratitude.  All of us are where we are and who we are because of the investment of others – a parent … a grandparent … a teacher … a friend.  Many individuals have helped to shape our lives and direct our paths.  Do you continually acknowledge your gratitude to others?

Second, the road to success is paved with vision.  Vision involves seeing our weaknesses and knowing our own strengths.  Vision means we see the obstacles and opportunities that lie before us.  And when our vision is clear, we will choose what is best.

Third, the road to success is paved with hard work.  You will cheat yourself in the short run and rob yourself in the long run if you look for the path of least resistance, if you always follow the easy road.  I agree with Colin Powell who says, “There are no secrets to success.  It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”

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Written by Sparky Pritchard Friday, 04 June 2010 13:00

Philip Yancey makes me think!  He makes me uncom-fortable!  He forces me to look at myself honestly.  Here is something I read during my devotional time while I was away.

“I resist the trend toward megachurches, preferring smaller places out of the spotlight.  I never fully understood why until I came across this paradoxical observation in G. K. Chesterton’s Heretics:

‘The man who lives in a small community lives in a much larger world…. The reason is obvious.  In a large community we can choose our companions.  In a small community our companions are chosen for us.’

“Precisely!  Given a choice, I tend to hang out with folks like me: people who have college degrees, drink only Starbucks dark roast coffee, listen to classical music, and buy their cars based on EPA mileage ratings.  Yet after a short while I get bored with people like me.  Smaller groups (and smaller churches) force me to rub shoulders with everybody else.

“Henri Nouwen defines ‘community” as the place where the person you least want to live with always lives.  Often we surround ourselves with the people we most want to live with, which forms a club or a clique, not a community.  Anyone can form a club; it takes grace, shared vision, and hard work to form a community. [Emphasis added]