Mom vs. the Dot: Making it COUNT!

In high school, I had a friend who was a foreign exchange student from Germany.  She told me that church in Germany was only for the very young or the very old.  Many churches were empty, abandoned.  She even told me of a church that had been turned into a climbing center for fitness enthusiasts.  I couldn't believe it!  That sounded so unreal, and that was in the 1990's.  Sadly, this is becoming the norm for many churches in our part of the country.  So many churches are dying and closing their doors. During the summer just before our move, we visited one of the churches my husband went to ask a boy.  It was a tiny country church that his dad pastored when he was young.  Counting our family, I think there were 9 people in attendance.  I had never been to a church that had so few in the pews! After the service, we visited with my husband's old friends, and the wife of the couple pulled us aside.  Tearfully, she explained how...

In the past year, I have learned many things.  About church.  About people. About myself. The most mind-blowing conversation I had about church, and why I go, was with someone who doesn't go to church. Not that anything we discussed was particularly profound. Not that I witnessed to her in a way that brought her to her knees in repentance and lead her to the Lord (although that would've been great.) No - we talked about our kids.  About life as moms. We shared about our roles as a small business owner and as a pastor's wife of a small town church. And our conversation ended with this question: " How do you bring people in?  That was the mind-blowing part. See?  Not earth-shattering. But I've been thinking about it ever since. I've gone to church my entire life.  Went to church camp when I was less than a year old, and every year after until my teen years.  My dad has either been a youth pastor or the head pastor pretty...

 Earlier this month, I came across a story I knew I had to share with you:  "There is a church in England that has no lights.  Many people who visit the church are shocked that the architect left out something as important as overhead lighting.  But the architect had a plan.  The various families who regularly attend the church are given their own pew, as well as a lamp and a book.  When a family comes to church, their lamp is lit.  If they are not in church, the pew is dark. (Here are a few pics of St. Peter's Chapel in Bradwell, England, to give you an idea of what the church might look like.  I researched online and could not find the specific church mentioned in the article.) What difference can one darkened pew make?  Not much, you might think.  But what if several pews were lacking lamps?  Then the whole church would be affected.  It's obvious.  If all are present and in their pews, the church is al...