Hello Folks,
     Do any of you ever wonder if your decisions and actions are making any difference in the lives of people you come into contact with in life?  Well, as a pastor sometimes I wonder if I am doing the things that God desires so that men and women will be changed for Him.  I am so thankful for people who seem to grow up in Christ--it is watching people like that that enables me to realize that my time is not wasted. 
     The older I get it seems that I think more about the things that are of importance.  We pastors deal with the matter of numbers--numbers where attendance and dollars are concerned.  As a matter of fact most congregations measure their pastors using those statistics and I would think that it is a part of what is important.  If congregations do not grow numerically it is obvious that they will cease to exist in time.  But if those things are the only things that really matter then we have failed to grasp the really important issues.  It seems to me that Jesus is more concerned with the question of whether we are making disciples than anything else.  Remember that at the death of Jesus very few people were holding on to Him--they really wanted to keep some distance due to his situation. 
     So as I watch people in the church I often wonder if they are being changed by the message of Christ.  Are they really growing in Him?  Do they live in a manner that is markedly different than anyone and everyone else in this world?  Is that not the real question for all of us?

HGRudd