UnashamedSermons.com » News Items http://www.unashamedsermons.com Sermons preached by Darren Ethier. UnashamedSermons.com is a labor of love dedicated to all the pastors and Christian workers spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world! Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:29:10 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Church Shopping Online http://www.unashamedsermons.com/2007/church-shopping-online/ http://www.unashamedsermons.com/2007/church-shopping-online/#comments Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:11:47 +0000 Darren Ethier http://www.unashamedsermons.com/2007/church-shopping-online Continue reading →]]> Church consultant Tom Bandy says that as tools for reaching potential worshipers, church Web sites are growing in number and getting more sophisticated. One sign: 5 years ago, churches made up only 5% of clientele for StreamGuys, an Arcadia, CA-based provider of streaming audio and video services. Today, churches represent more than 20% of the company’s business. 82% of churches with more than 200 worship attendees have websites, vs. 29% of those with fewer than 100, found a 2006 Ellison Research survey. Efforts to leverage the Web for recruitment are paying off for congregations, says Hartford Seminary’s Scott Thumma, who says church shoppers increasingly make the process a largely online experience. “I hear from people in churches that they’re constantly running into folks who say,”I saw your website. Now I’m here.’”

USA Today 10/16/07

]]> http://www.unashamedsermons.com/2007/church-shopping-online/feed/ 0 When good news isn’t really good… http://www.unashamedsermons.com/2006/when-good-news-is-isnt-really-good/ http://www.unashamedsermons.com/2006/when-good-news-is-isnt-really-good/#comments Wed, 01 Nov 2006 03:25:37 +0000 Darren Ethier http://www.unashamedsermons.com/2006/when-good-news-is-isnt-really-good Continue reading →]]> In this article found in the Chicago Sun-Times a woman reports receiving a natural gas bill that contained the notice, “Good news. Natural gas prices are lower than last year …” – of course that welcome message was immediately forgotten when she read the rest of the bill and discovered that she owed them $27,933.55! Not only that, but in a separate envelope she received a final-notice indicating that if she didn’t pay the bill by November 11, 2006 her gas would be shut off!

Obviously there’s been some sort of mix-up at the gas company but this makes me wonder – How many things in this world are presented as “good news” and when that message is bought into it is discovered that it really isn’t good after all. Such is the deceiving nature of sin.

Or what about this? How many Christians go around sharing the “good news” of Christ but then through their actions and behavior make others seriously doubt that this good news they talk about is really what it’s all cracked up to be?

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