Why Something to Think About?

About a year after Coletta (my wife) and I and our youngest son, Aaron moved from Kansas to start our ministry here in Van Wert, Ohio, I had a vision to go on our local AM and FM Radio Station. I had been on the radio in Hutchinson, Kansas for 9 years, and I enjoy communicating with people through this medium. Having said that, our church's program in Kansas was 30 minutes long on Sunday mornings and one hour long on Sunday nights (once a week). I personally felt that the "unchurched" folks I wanted to reach out to would not sit by a radio for a half hour or an hour and listen to a radio preacher. We were able to be a blessing to a lot of shut ins, but, we could have taken them a cassette tape once a week and saved our church about $500.00 a month.

So, I presented to our church's budget committee here at Liberty Baptist the idea of a once a day 60 second spot devotional challenge for our local radio station. A friendly presentation with a short illustration, maybe one or two Bible verses with an application for a person's every day life. My thinking was, "Let's give the listeners something to think about in a short enough time frame so they won't turn us off before we are finished talking." was my thinking. Well, we've been on W.E.R.T. Radio here now for about ten years with these one minute broadcasts, once a day, seven days a week. Many people have heard these challenges, and thanked us for them. I have met several listeners through this ministry, and we have also had people visit our church from as far as 30 miles away who heard us on W.E.R.T. Radio. I end each broadcast saying, "This is Pastor Jim Burns of the Liberty Baptist Church in Van Wert, Ohio, and that's something to think about!" Thus the title and theme for our new blog. Email: jimmycburns@aol.com

Something to Think About!

Well, I never thought I'd do this, but, I am doing it. I don't like blogs, cos they often become gossip and gripe sessions. They can also waste a lot of your time. Having said that, I'm using a blog format linked to our new church web site with the following goals in mind:

1. To have a "weekly" newsletter from my heart to the heart of the Liberty Baptist Church family, friends of Liberty and friends of mine.

2. To keep people who love our church and our family informed of what's happening here.

3. To share my heart with you concerning biblical principals and promises that I (personally) believe are being either over looked or neglected.

4. To get "God's People" to think "OUTSIDE THE BOX," when the Bible is not "inside" the box.

5. To share with you and others my passion for what I believe is desperately missing in the church today.

WHAT IT WILL NOT BE:

1. It will not be a channel to create division over church leaders or different principles or practices in the church today.

2. It will not be an avenue to argue theology. Example: Calvinism, election, etc.

3. It will not be a means for me to criticize or "whip" people who disagree with me or with whom I disagree.

4. It will not be a place where you can publicly "comment" on my articles. I will list my personal Email address which you are welcome to use to share your thoughts about what I write. I will personally read your private comments, but I will not publicly post your comments. Why? It's a newsletter not a gossip session, remember?

So, please hold me accountable to the above goals for this "blog" newsletter. If it becomes more of a burden to the church and our friends (and me) than a blessing, we'll just delete it.

I'm Jim Burns and that's "Something to Think About!"

Email: jimmycburns@aol.com