Growing Together Blog

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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]

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Written by Sparky Pritchard Friday, 28 May 2010 13:27

When opportunities arise, you have to take advantage of them.  When times are tough, you have to make wise investments.

While those statements are sometimes used in the world of finance, they also apply in family life.  Outside of our relationship with and worship of God, our highest priority should be our families.  Each of us should be eager to take advantage of every opportunity to strengthen our families … and be ready to make wise investments in the spiritual, moral, and personal welfare of those God has entrusted to our care.

Those two ideas converge in June at Immanuel.  You have an opportunity to make a wise investment as a parent that will reap both present and eternal dividends.

Over the years, Jim and Betsy Bennett have poured their hearts and souls into the families of this church – first in serving our youth, then as Family Ministries Pastor, and then adding the Joint Heirs Class which has been uniquely blessed of God.  Jim and Betsy have made it possible for us to host the Growing Families International Eastern Regional Conference at Immanuel on June 4 and 5.  Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo, who have given their lives to the ministry of parenting, will lead this two-day event.  This conference is designed to equip you in guiding your family through the maze of our ever-changing culture by following the never-changing principles of God’s Truth.

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Written by Sparky Pritchard Friday, 21 May 2010 15:19

Our Director of Children’s Ministries, Becky Henry, and the VBS staff have planned something very special for our kids this summer!  Just four weeks from now we take them on an adventure to help us decode the greatest mystery of all.  Your children are invited to be part of The Egypt File: Decoding the Mystery of Life.