Category: Christian Living

#37- Transformations

52 Reasons to Love the Church

By Kathy Pollard

What’s more inspiring than seeing someone turn their life around? The greatest novels and movies are built around that very theme. Think of the crotchety, stingy Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, for example. His joy and benevolence at the end is so satisfying!

Perhaps the most remarkable transformation story is of the apostle Paul. He went from church persecutor to church preacher (Gal. 1:13). How? He encountered Christ. Notice the progression in Acts chapter nine:

  • “But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord”- v. 1
  • “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”- v. 4
  • “Who are you, Lord?”- v. 5
  • “Then he arose and was baptized”- v. 18
  • “And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues”- v. 20
  • “At Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus”- v. 27
  • “He went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord”- v. 28

Amazing! After experiencing the power of Christ, Paul would spend the rest of his life telling others about it (Eph. 3:20; 6:10; Phil. 4:13; Col. 2:12).

If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, you’ve probably witnessed some beautiful transformations. You’ve seen the gospel of grace soften hard hearts. You’ve shed tears of joy over a spiritual wanderer’s homecoming.

Maybe you have a loved one who is still resistant to the Truth or is living in sin. I’ve been there. I know the angst and heartache over their choices and the worry over their soul.

Or maybe you were the one who was transformed. You stepped away from a worldly lifestyle to embrace the way of life. Or you got entangled in a sin you never thought you’d touch with a ten-foot pole but finally and humbly walked the path of repentance. I’ve been there, too, friend.

I’ve heard all my life that “God is in the transforming business,” but it took some years and maturity for me to really appreciate what that means. God has done and is doing His part (2 Cor. 5:21). It’s up to us to do ours (Rom. 12:1-2; Col. 2:6). How wonderful to be part of a church family that helps us do that through their love, grace, patience, guidance, and compassion!

Don’t give up. Don’t give in. God is still at work and victory is still possible through the power of Christ.

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(1 Cor. 15:57)

I found this on the back of a church sign in Beaufort, SC

#36- Older Women

52 Reasons to Love the Church

By Kathy Pollard

I can think of many older women (aside from my own family members) who made an impact on me. One of the most interesting was a woman named Eloise Ousley in Manchester, GA. When her husband would leave town, she’d invite my sister and me for a sleepover. Her kitchen table would be piled high with lots of wonderful treats for the three of us to enjoy during movie marathons. I didn’t think much of it at the time (except that it was fun), but now I realize how remarkable that was. We weren’t related, we hadn’t known each other long, and we weren’t peers. She was probably 50 or more years older than us. She just took an interest and wanted to do something special.

There’ve been women who made the Bible come alive in Bible classes. Women who took an interest in mentoring teen girls. Women who weren’t afraid to share their knowledge and skills with me when I was a newlywed. And women who’ve shown me living pictures of contentment, a quiet spirit, joyful service, and a Christ-centered marriage. And you know what? I’m STILL learning from them and I’m so thankful!

God designed it that way. He instructed the older women to teach the younger (Titus 2:3-5). He wants us to view older women as a valuable resource for wisdom, guidance, and encouragement. They are a precious, essential element for a healthy, growing church!

I know what you’re thinking. You ain’t no spring chicken. You’re right. I’m more of an autumn chicken. I’m not sure what season of chicken you’re supposed to be before you officially become the “older woman,” but I acknowledge I probably hit that category years ago. That means it’s my turn. And maybe it’s your turn, too. Now we get to create special memories for young people. And we get to try our best to be examples of light and faith and womanhood. Let’s prayerfully and humbly take up the torch!

“Older women…are to teach what is good, and so train the younger women…”

(Titus 2:3-4)

Sweet letter I received from Eloise Ousley a few years after I got married

#35- Being Filled

52 Reasons to Love the Church

By Kathy Pollard

Have you ever felt empty? Or have you ever felt like something was missing?

Several years ago I wrote a Bible-marking article on the idea of “being filled.” It was an encouraging study because it was a reminder of the good things our hearts can be filled with as we seek the Lord and live for Him.

Here are just a few examples:

  • Joy-Acts 13:52; 2 Tim. 1:4
  • The Holy Spirit- Acts 13:52; Eph. 5:18
  • Peace and goodness and knowledge- Rom. 15:13-14
  • Comfort- 2 Cor. 7:4
  • The fullness of God- Eph. 3:19
  • The fruit of righteousness- Phil. 1:11
  • Spiritual wisdom and understanding- Col. 1:9

We can still sometimes struggle, though, even as children of God. That’s why it’s so important to spend time with God’s people. Being with brothers and sisters in Christ helps us fill our spiritual tanks back up when we’re feeling empty. When I’m with God’s people, I can SEE joy and goodness and righteousness. When I’m low on peace or comfort or understanding, I can lean into theirs for awhile. And I know others will need the same from me from time to time, too.

“And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

(Acts 13:52)

“My cup overflows” (Psa. 23:5)

#34- Confidence in My Salvation

52 Reasons to Love the Church

By Kathy Pollard

“The Bible doesn’t teach ‘once saved, always saved,’ but neither does it teach ‘once saved, never sure.'”

Neal made this statement last Sunday when teaching a Bible class on Hebrews chapter ten. He pointed out the three “let us” statements in the text that show us how to have this confidence: draw near (v. 22), hold fast (v. 23), and encourage others (v. 24). Neal summed it up with this statement:

“To keep from falling away, stay close to God and to one another.”

It was such a beautiful study. I noticed a great contrast in verses 38 and 39. There are those who “shrink back” and those who “live by faith.” Starting at verse 22, we can see the difference between the two.

Shrinking back involves:

  • “sinning deliberately”- v. 26
  • “fearful expectation”- v. 27
  • “punishment”- v. 29
  • “outraged the Spirit”- v. 29
  • “trampled underfoot the Son of God”- v. 29
  • “vengeance/ judgment”- v. 30
  • “fearful”- v. 31

Living by faith involves:

  • “full assurance”- v. 22
  • “clean and pure”- v. 22
  • “without wavering”- v. 23
  • “compassion/ joy in struggles”- v. 32-34
  • “confidence”- v. 35
  • “great reward”- v. 35
  • “endurance”- v. 36
  • “preserve our souls”- v. 39

The “living by faith” life is the one I want! But sometimes I get caught up in my own sinful struggles or fears or doubts. I’m thankful that God knows His creation and put something in place for that. He gave me you. You play a role in the confidence of my salvation. You encourage me.

Perhaps you wrestle with never feeling good enough. You’d love to say with confidence, “I’m saved!,” but niggling doubts hold you back. You have drawn near to God. You are staying faithful, even through trials. But the ever-present fear is still there, keeping you from fully embracing hope. Well, remember the the third “let us” because it’s just as essential as the first two. “Consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” The surest way to get over being unsure is to encourage others. The Hebrews writer said that’s one of the reasons we meet together (v. 25). Before you show up for worship, think about specific ways you can “stir up” other Christians. Anytime you’re with your church family, be eager to greet them, listen to them, shoulder their burdens, praise their efforts, and rejoice in their presence. You’ll be contributing to their confidence in their salvation and, in turn, strengthening your own.

“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.”

(Hebrews 10:35)

#33- Because the Church Loved Me

52 Reasons to Love the Church

By Kathy Pollard

The title of this week’s reason to love the church comes straight from Tim Lewis, a gospel preacher in Oklahoma City. He gave me permission to share what he posted:

“I’m sitting at a coffee shop reviewing my lesson, ‘You Can Love the Church,’ and I thought of something that isn’t in my notes. I love the church because the church loved me. There are many people who have been hurt by the church, but I’m not one of those people. My life in the church has been one blessing after another. As I write these words, I am reminded of all the people who have contributed to my faith, invested in me, mentored me, forgave me, accepted me, and believed in me. Some of my greatest mentors have already finished the race. I miss them. I look forward to seeing them again, in eternity. But for the rest of my life, I want to do my best to love and accept others, the way so many people have loved, accepted, and encouraged me.”

I love that!

“My life in the church has been one blessing after another.” Mine, too. Encouragement, comfort, fellowship, friendship, mentorship, family, spiritual growth, spiritual challenges and refinement, and lots of beautiful moments to carry me all the way to forever.

Next time you’re with a group of Christians, maybe out to eat or in your home or in a small Bible study setting, ask everyone to answer the question, “How has the church loved you?” It will surely be a heart-warming time of encouragement!

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

(John 13:34-35)

#32- It Will Stand Forever

52 Reasons to Love the Church

By Kathy Pollard

No matter how old you are, you’ve probably experienced a good bit of change. Leadership, lifestyle, law, and the latest thing seem to shift with the tides. Surely it affects our choices. Who can we trust? What should we invest in? Where do we stand? Perhaps our convictions become half-hearted as the skepticism creeps in. After all, what sounds good this year is often retracted next year.

Thank God for the kingdom He built and all the reasons we can put our complete faith in it!

  • The church cannot be overtaken or destroyed (Dan. 2:44).
  • The leadership hasn’t changed (Col. 1:18).
  • The foundation is sure (1 Cor. 3:11).
  • The church was planned by God (Eph. 3:8-11).

What a contrast to the fickle, transient empires of man! The Lord’s church was in the mind of God from the beginning and built by Christ on the foundation of Christ. We can invest our whole heart into the church because the church will last forever.

I can’t help but think that people all around us are craving that kind of surety and security. Let’s show them our confidence in Christ! Let’s tell them about the kingdom that invites them in as beloved citizens (Eph. 2:19).

“My kingdom is not of this world…”

(John 8:36)

Image credit: Bible Study Tools

#30-Learning from Each Other

52 Reasons to Love the Church

By Kathy Pollard

We just finished our week of VBS and I was struck by how much I learned during those few short evenings of togetherness. First, allow me to share some things that happened, and then I’ll get to what I learned.

My role was kitchen helper. Every night we ended up with more helpers than we expected. Sally Ware and Dana Simpson were there early every night, but soon sweet faces like Kim Eubanks, Joyce Johnson, Neata Wiley, Diane Boyles, Terrie Hudson, Alice Humphrey, Kelli Nicks, Heather Paschal, Rosa Raby, and more would jump in to help serve and clean.

One night I had a few responsibilities to take care of, but when I showed up, Russell and Dana Simpson were there and had already taken care of all of them.

Every time we were short something and mentioned it, someone nearby would volunteer to go get it. For example, I said I didn’t think we had enough bottled water to get through the next night. Stephen Pitcock heard and said, “I’ll pick some up!” The next night we saw that he not only picked them up, he went ahead and put them in the large cooler for us.

Greg Neville was the VBS coordinator. Every night he helped us by moving the heavy coolers, refilling any foods we were serving, clearing out trash, and basically just jumping in wherever there was a need (like assembling opened faced S’mores).

Diane Boyles brought some fresh cut fruit one night. I told her later that I didn’t get to try any of her sliced peaches but they looked good. The next evening she brought me two juicy, ripe peaches and said, “These are for you.”

Chris Young taught the adult class one night. His text was Acts 7 and he brought out points about Stephen’s sermon that I hadn’t considered. For instance, remember when God told Moses to deliver His people and one of excuses Moses gave was that he was “not eloquent of speech” but was “slow of speech and slow of tongue” (Exod. 4:10-12)? Well, in Stephen’s sermon he referred to Moses as “mighty in his words and deeds” (Ac. 7:22). I’d never noticed that before!

What did I learn?

  • Many hands make light work, yes, but they also make the work more fun!
  • I need to be better about looking for ways to help others instead of just focusing on my little role. Many of the thoughtful gestures made all week were by folks who had their own VBS responsibilities to take care of.
  • Good leadership looks like rolling your sleeves up and working alongside everyone else.
  • There are needs everywhere and everyone can fill those needs. People just saw a need and took care of it, instead of looking around to find someone else to take care of it.
  • Small gestures lead to big joy. When I thanked Diane for the peaches she said, “It’s not much.” I said, “Yes, it is!” And I meant it. Of course I love peaches, but the very fact that she thought of me warmed my heart and made me smile.
  • No matter how old you are, you can learn something new at VBS!

I know many of you won’t know any of the names that I mentioned, but I do. They’re real people making a real difference. They’re my Family and I thank God for the blessing of learning from them!

The amazing thing to me is that this is just a small glimpse of VBS from MY perspective. Who knows what all was collectively shared and learned this week from everyone else’s?

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.”

(Ecc. 4:9)

#29- God’s Rich Blessings

52 Reasons to Love the Church

By Kathy Pollard

Neal preached a lesson recently called “Seeing God’s Rich Blessings in the Church I Love.” It was beautiful, and I’m going to share his points here for this week’s reason to love the church. He shared one major theme blessing from each epistle in the New Testament, for a total of 21 blessings! If you like to write in your Bible, you could list each of these blessings under the epistle titles.

  • Romans- being right with God (1:14-17)
  • 1 Corinthians- unity (1:10-13)
  • 2 Corinthians- comfort (1:3-7)
  • Galatians- freedom (5:1-13)
  • Ephesians- the love of God (3:14-21)
  • Philippians- joy (2:1-4)
  • Colossians- hope (1:25-27)
  • 1 Thessalonians- prayer (3:9-13)
  • 2 Thessalonians- endurance (1:1-2)
  • 1 Timothy- pattern (3:15)
  • 2 Timothy- boldness (1:7-18)
  • Titus- grace (2:11-14)
  • Philemon- providence (v. 15)
  • Hebrews- covenant (8:6-7)
  • James- wisdom (3:17)
  • 1 Peter- resurrection (4:1)
  • 2 Peter- knowledge (1:1-8)
  • 1 John- brotherly love (4:7-21)
  • 2 John- truth, as a command (v. 1-4)
  • 3 John- truth, the examples (v. 1-15)
  • Jude- divine power (v. 24-25)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”

(Eph. 1:3)

Image cred: Carl Pollard




#28- Large Gravy Bowls

52 Reasons to Love the Church

By Kathy Pollard

My husband and I recently attended the memorial service of a beloved Christian woman named Ruth Waddell. It was obvious by the attendance and by the words spoken that she touched the lives of many, many people. One of her sons brought a large stoneware bowl and explained that his mother served gravy in that bowl every single morning. And sometimes she filled that bowl with pinto beans for lunch or dinner. We heard wonderful stories of how Ruth fed, nourished, and loved countless people with her home and her heart during her 83 years of life. It was so inspiring, and it was a reminder of how much of an impact can be made through the simple, consistent act of hospitality.

I ran across a verse that sounds like it was written about Ruth:

“…and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work” (1 Tim. 5:10).

Something special happens when we’re in each other’s homes. Relationships are built, souls are strengthened, friendships are forged, and yes, bellies are fed. Ruth probably had no idea that her daily offerings were making such a difference, first for her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, but also for her church family and her community. I’m sure I’m not the only one in attendance who was touched by her example and convicted to follow it!

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.”

(Matthew 25:35)

Ruth’s large gravy bowl!

#27- Gospel Preachers

52 Reasons to Love the Church

By Kathy Pollard

I’ve always had a soft spot for gospel preachers. I grew up watching my dad preach and saw that he loved (most) every minute of it. My family met, worked with, and loved many wonderful people because of his efforts. I married a preacher who immensely enjoys what he does, and I hope our now-grown sons look back with the same positive impressions.

As it is with any profession, there are preachers who don’t represent the job well. Their motives can be less than pure, or their messages can come across as self-righteous or arrogant or showy or apathetic. However, I truly believe that most gospel preachers simply love the Lord and desire share His Word to the best of their ability and with all their heart!

Every time we gather as a church for worship, we hear the saving Truth because of someone’s diligent study and courage. I’m thankful for that!

My wise sister, Kristy Woodall (also married to a preacher), said:

“If you love your preacher: pray for him, encourage him, be his friend. But if you don’t like your preacher: pray for him, encourage him, be his friend.”

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

(Romans 10:14-15)

My favorite preacher