Growing Together Blog

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Written by Sparky Pritchard Friday, 15 January 2010 13:12

During the Christmas season John Corcoran, the Chaplain at the Chesterfield County Jail, asked us to bake cookies for the inmates he serves.  Many of you had volunteered to be involved.  Then came the snow … on the very weekend that the project was to be done!  With church closings and side roads treacherous, it appeared that the inmates would not enjoy the Christmas treats.  But that didn’t stop you and other Christians who were determined to share in John and Naomi’s ministry.  People started networking … phoning each other … figuring out what to do.  Some chose a central location where cookies could be conveniently brought so that John could pick up dozens in a single trip.  Cookies were popping up everywhere!

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Written by Sparky Pritchard Friday, 08 January 2010 13:02

The apostle Paul was blessed with many friends – people who loved God and encouraged him in the ministry.  In so many of his letters his heart overflows with gratitude for them.

• “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you” (Romans 1:8)
• “I give thanks to my God always for you” (1 Corinthians 1:4)
• “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:16)
• “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you … because of your partnership in the gospel” (Philippians 1:3, 5)
• “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you” (Colossians 1:3)
• “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers” (1 Thessalonians 1:2)
• “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing” (2 Thessalonians 1:3)

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Written by Sparky Pritchard Thursday, 31 December 2009 23:25

New beginnings – fresh starts … I love them!  It gives us the opportunity of setting the course for the journey before us in the new year.  Though some people don’t embrace the idea of resolutions, all of us can benefit by evaluating who we are, what we are doing, and where we should be going.

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Written by Sparky Pritchard Friday, 18 December 2009 14:06

It was evening.  All was still in the countryside as the shepherds bedded their flocks down for the night as was the routine in those fields of Bethlehem.  The stars sparkled and the air was crisp.  Around the fire huddled several rugged figures sharing stories and discussing plans for the next day.  It was life as usual.  But all of that was about to change.

Suddenly a bright light flashed before their eyes, a million times brighter than the flames of their camp, far brighter even than the Palestinian sun at midday.

And out of that explosion of brilliance appeared a creature that defied description or imagination.  So stunned and shaken were those seasoned shepherds that they cringed in terror.

Just then a reassuring voice eased their fears and announced the unthinkable that God Himself had entered time and history in the form of … a child!  This was incredible news.