Thursday Three For All: The Cross, First Time Guests, and Kidney Beans
It’s Thursday, kiddies: the day when I roll out a few things I’ve been reading over the past week. Three of ‘em, to be exact. Enjoy. (Remember: click on the big bold print to read the entire article.)
3 Things the Cross Makes Clear
(via @_michaelkelley) According to the calendar, Good Friday and Easter Sunday 2018 have passed. But for Christ-followers, the message of the cross and the empty tomb is one we must celebrate all year long.
You don’t know how dirty your windows are until you clean them.
Or at least that’s how it always has been with me. Dirt and grime will pile up on the car windshield or the front door or even my sunglasses, but it happens little by little, slowly over time. Because it happens slowly, and not all at once, it’s almost imperceptible. But then you clean the window and look through. You can see with clarity, and you don’t realize just how much your vision had been obscured until you get a glimpse without the obstructions.
In a similar way, the cross of Jesus cleans the windows of our vision. In the competing messages of the world around us, that vision can easily be obscured, and we might not even realize how much so until we see through the lens of the cross. Jesus is the center of all creation, and it’s really only through the cross that we get a truly accurate presentation of reality. So what specifically does the cross make clear? At least three things:
Five Key Steps to Reach and Retain Guests
(via @thomrainer) Now that your big Easter attendance bump has passed, what will you do with those who came? You may have already violated #5, but you can redeem that today!
5. Contact guests within 24 hours. If you have their email address, send them a quick but personal email. If you have their mobile number, send them a text. These contacts can be brief, but they almost always increase the likelihood of a return visit. Your goal is not only to reach guests, but to retain them as well.
Time Lapse of a Kidney Bean Sprouting
(via @laughingsquid) I get it…this is the botanical version of watching paint dry. But it’s so fascinating.
photo credit: Jason Mathis
