Something radical has seeped into the church in the last fifty years. The American meritocracy has reshaped pastors and churches, and a new culture has taken root, based on achievement and accomplishment rather than holiness and Christlikeness. Scot and Laura McKnight

2 Be joyful and sing as you come in to worship the Lord! Psalms 100:2 CEV https://bible.com/bible/392/psa.100.2.CEV

As cyclists, we all enjoy the sun on our face and wind in our hair (albeit through our vents). Now, according to recent research published in The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, we can add an increase in grey matter to the benefits of a ride outside, because a spin in the fresh air literally remodels your brain.

That’s right, being outside actually increases the grey matter volume in the right dorsolateral–prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which is a part of the brain associated with executive functions like working memory, planning, and selective attention.

Read the rest here: https://flip.it/I2k2Sr

Pastors who are too busy to pastor the people in their church, who are too detached to be spoken to, who are too inaccessible to receive emails and text messages, are too big for their britches. What does it mean to be a pastor if one has no connection to the people? Scot and Laura McKnight

17 No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ. Romans 10:17 CEV https://bible.com/bible/392/rom.10.17.CEV

Those who might otherwise be seen as high-status people in the church—pastors, ministry leaders, prominent parishioners—should turn service into a spiritual discipline.  Scot and Laura McKnight

35 But love your enemies and be good to them. Lend without expecting to be paid back. Then you will get a great reward, and you will be the true children of God in heaven. He is good even to people who are unthankful and cruel. Luke 6:35 CEV https://bible.com/bible/392/luk.6.35.CEV

6 But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and rewards everyone who searches for him. Hebrews 11:6 CEV https://bible.com/bible/392/heb.11.6.CEV