THE PRETZEL DIET!

Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

“At the same time, I'm worried that many ministries are becoming like Pretzels. Everyone thinks pretzels are a "healthy, good for you" food. Pretzels aren't bad for you...and they taste good, but they don't provide any nutrients to your diet. If you eat them as a snack, to supplement meals, you'll be okay but not if you try to live on them alone. You also don't want to eat too many pretzels and not have any room left for the actual meal.” – Jessica Risinger

This is the response I received from a very astute college student during a conversation we have had about the current condition regarding outreach ministries today. Yes, I asked her if I could use her name before printing the comment. If you know Jessica the food analogy would not surprise you, but I think it makes a very clear and distinct point in regards to what our collegiate and younger generation are looking for and where we are failing them.

Take a hard look at many outreaches today and they are pretty much the same thing, done with a different name given to it, on a different night of the week. You come, sing, hear someone talk, chat with friends then leave, and many for the bars. The messages are just fluff so not to offend, and filled with stories and a few verses thrown in to fill the story instead of a story for the verse. It tastes good at first through the energy of something new, and it is temporarily filling, but over time you realize you are hearing the same thing. What happens? The student or congregant leaves and goes to the next place and hears the same thing, but maybe with some new songs, some new rituals, and maybe a different class or two, but mostly the same thing. They become weak and are easy targets, because there is no meat to the diet.

This is what attracted me to Graystone and Pastor Rick Hurley in Indiana, PA. He is bold in his messages, and wants, desires and does speak the hard truth. If I was not in India, I would still be there working under him. This is also what attracted me to Hudson Chapel and Pastor Jim Colledge & Joe Coffey in Hudson, Ohio when I first came to Christ. We need people like Pastors Hurley, Colledge, and Coffey who are strong in their faith and bold in their example, striving to live like Philippians 1:21. We need many more of these leaders! We need to encourage them, and equip them with what they need to make it through the emotional turmoil they go through when they make the hard decisions and the hard stances for Christ.

What are you filling yourself with? If you are a leader, then what are you filling those surrounding you with? Pretzels or nourishment? To live like Christ is to give those that God has put in our care the bread of life, true nourishment.

John 6:35, “And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger,”