A Daily Dose of Godly Encouragment: Medicine for Tough Days Book 4: Fall

I read about a helicopter ride offered for pastors. The concept is to fly over the community and gain a new and larger perspective while praying for the area you serve. What a great idea! We tend to be wrapped up in our local environment where our perspective is limited to family, community, or our church. But there is a much larger world, and our mission is to impact that world for Christ.

The daily stories and lessons you will read for the next three months are designed to encourage a new perspective. You will experience stories of encouragement to face those tough days. You will also read about people and churches accomplishing remarkable ministry. For example:

• Three Stories of Courage and Faith

• Fly the Plane

• Abortion: From Debate to Ministry

• Church? Why?

• The Power of One

• Change is Necessary

• Suffering

Jesus said: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. (Matthew 16:24) Three huge challenges: 1. Give up our way. 2. Take up a cross. 3. Follow Jesus.

This goes beyond joining a church, attending worship, serving on a committee, singing in the choir, or participating in a small group. We all too often define the church as a building where church happens. We participate by attending, giving, and serving. If the overall church experience is good, then you come back. If the experience is not good, you may seek another church or find something else to do. This consumer mentality is ingrained in our culture.

But that is not how Christ defines the church. If there is one thing the COVID-19 pandemic taught me… is not to be too dependent upon a building. There is so much more to consider. Scripture describes the church as a body of believers who choose to 1. Give up their way. 2. Pick Up a Cross and 3. Follow Jesus. No building is ever mentioned.

When you take that helicopter ride you see everything from a different perspective: Give up your way, take up a cross and follow Jesus trusting Christ to give you a path to follow and a guide to walk alongside you every step of the journey of life.

“A Daily Dose of Godly Encouragement: Medicine for Tough Days” represents a summation of my attempts over the past thirty years to plant God’s seeds of encouragement and hope within you. This book, “Fall” represents October through December of a year-long opportunity to provide meaningful and transforming daily medicine.