Thom Rainer did a study a number of years ago asking formerly unchurched people the open-ended question, “What factors led you to choose this church?” A lot of surveys had been done asking the unchurched what they would like in a church. But this study asked the formerly unchurched why they actually were now in a church. The results were surprising: 11 percent said worship style led them to their church, 25 percent said children’s/youth ministry, and 37 percent said they sensed God’s presence at their church. For 41 percent, someone from the church had witnessed to them, and 49 percent mentioned friendliness as the reason for choosing their church. Can you guess the top two responses? Doctrine and preaching – 88 percent said the doctrine led them to their church, and 90 percent said the preaching led them there, in particular, a pastor who preached with certitude and conviction… When it comes to reaching outsiders, bold, deep, biblical preaching is not the problem. It’s part of the solution.

Kevin DeYoung

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Eggs, Grains, Dairy			1	Servings

INGREDIENTS

1/2	c	Butter
2	oz	Unsweetened chocolate
1	c	Sugar
1/4	ts	Peppermint extract
2	lg	Eggs
1/2	c	Unsifted all-purpose flour
1	pn	Salt
1/2	c	Coarsely chopped toasted nuts; (optional)
2	tb	Butter; room temperature
3/4	ts	Peppermint extract
1	c	Sifted confectioners sugar
1	tb	Cream
1		Tablspoon butter
1	oz	Unsweetened chocolate

INSTRUCTIONS

ICING
GLAZE
Line an 8-inch square pan with foil; lightly butter bottom and sides. In a
double boiler or in a microwave, melt butter and chocolate. Stir in sugar
and peppermint extract. Add beaten eggs, stirring until smooth. Add flour
and salt; sitr in nuts. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for
20-25 minutes. Cool. Lift brownies from pan by foil edges and frost.
Icing: Beat butter, peppermint, sugar and cream in a small bowl. Spread on
brownies.
Glaze: In a double boiler or in a microwave, melt together the chocolate
and butter. Drizzle this over the icing. Refrigerate till well-chilled. Cut
into
3/4    inch x 2 inch sticks.
The Acworth Inn Cummaquid, Massachusetts
Posted to recipelu-digest Volume 01 Number 474 by "bunny"
<layla696@ix.netcom.com> on Jan 7, 1998

A Message from our Provider:

“There’s hope. There’s God.”

Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:3 that “this is the will of God, your sanctification.” Parenting is profoundly sanctifying. When we were first married, the new relationship revealed rooms of selfishness in our lives – and within those rooms doors to other rooms, and in those rooms yet other doors and closets. The revelation was the beginning of an ongoing, lifelong housecleaning and the addition of children truly deepened the process. The inconvenience of parenting – the self-giving, the prayer, the dependence upon God, the growth – can be an experience of sanctification like no other… The discipline of parenting can be the road to an enlarged soul and the path to unimagined heights of spiritual development. That’s the way God planned it (Kent and Barbara Hughes).

Other Authors