A lady went to her pastor and said, “I won’t be attending church anymore.” “May I ask why?” the pastor inquired. She said, “I see people on their cell phones during the service, some are gossiping, some just ain’t living right, they are all just hypocrites.”

The pastor got silent and said, “Ok. But can I ask you to do something for me before you make your final decision?” She said, “What’s that?” He said, “Take a glass of water and walk around the church two times and don’t let any water fall out of the glass.”

She said, “Yes, I can do that.”

She came back and said, “It’s done.”

He asked her three questions:

1. Did you see anyone on their phone?
2. Did you see anyone gossiping?
3. Was anyone living wrong?

She said, “I didn’t see anything because I was so focused on this glass so the water wouldn’t fall.”

He told her, “When you come to church, you should be just that focused on God so that you don’t fall. That’s why Jesus said, “Follow me.” He did not say follow Christians. Don’t let your relationship with God be determined by how others relate with God. Let it be determined by how focused you are on God.”

Author Unknown

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

“The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Christ’ and he brought him to Jesus” (John 1:41-42).

We don’t know much about Andrew besides that he is Peter’s brother. Simon Peter is a giant of a figure. He was the outspoken leader of the twelve disciples of Jesus. We know quite a bit about Peter because all four gospels are full of stories of Peter. And, Simon Peter went on to become one of the most influential leaders of the New Testament church.

How did Peter come to know Christ? Because of Andrew. Andrew met Jesus, and the first thing that Andrew did after finding the Christ was to bring Peter to Christ.

There is no greater service you can offer another than to bring them to Jesus. It is a matter of eternal significance.

God’s doing great things at the Little Church on the Prairie and Lakewood Grace. But how are people to know that unless you tell them?

The only way the Little Church continues to have a future in God’s kingdom plan for the city of Lakewood is for us to bring people to Jesus. That’s the way it’s always been.

Little Church and Lakewood Grace friends, would you pray about inviting at least one person to Jesus through the ministry of the Little Church?

God’s doing great things at the Little Church and Lakewood Grace. People ought to know. Will you tell them? Will you invite them?