Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. - Matthew 5:16

Good Monday Morning!

Hope this email finds you doing great and enjoying life. I am changing over to a new email service provider and this is my test run, so hit reply and let me know if you got this email. I would really appreciate it.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to talk to you about something that's been on my heart lately. You know how the Church has been great at building its own schools, clubs, and organizations to keep us away from the "world"? Well, to me it seems, we've done a bit too good of a job at it. We've effectively removed the salt and light out of the very places we're supposed to be taking it! That's not the kind of "Well done!" we're looking for.

We've become too institutionalized, with highly formalized systems and rituals. It's like we're washing and polishing the firetruck while the house across the street burns to the ground. But how do we fix it?

We need to step out of our comfort zone and get in front of real people with real problems and real needs. It's not going to be easy, and we might face some resistance from the pious in our congregation. But we need to resist their demands and focus on what we're called to do.

Australian missiologist Alan Hirsch has talked about the 60-40 problem. He believes that 60 percent of the American population is out of reach of the local church. That's a daunting task, but we can start small. If we help just one person, we can have an exponential impact on thousands.

By helping one kid learn to read, we may break the chain of poverty for that kid. By teaching one person a valuable job or life skill, we increase their life possibilities. By reaching just one, we can reduce the prison population by one, take one person off food stamps, or help one person become employable.

It's time for the Introverted Church to come out of its shell and make a real difference in the world. Are you with me? Let's step out of our comfort zone and show the world what we're made of!

Thanks for your continued support of the ministry. We couldn't do it without you.

Blessings,

Preacher Shane

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