Since the first Great Awakening in the mid 18th century, American revivalists have followed a preaching technique to stir up emotions of guilt and judgment.
At the end of the sermon…
The preacher offers an emotional release to listeners through the repentance of sins and the acceptance of Jesus Christ as their Savior.
That being said, has this approach created (perhaps accidentally) a perpetual fear of God in the hearts of millions of believers?
![Boy and dog praying [NOT my picture - read description please]](http://fulltimechristianity.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/2884214563_f4531d276e_z-150x150.jpg)
I assume you have a morning routine too. Probably one that is a lot more challenging than mine.
If it involves getting kids started in the morning, you deserve a daily award.
Whatever the drill, you’ve made it a habit. And that’s a good thing.
What was missing in my quick morning routine was prayer.
I’ve gone through various criteria to select a church home over the years.
Typically, I would frame the criteria in the form of a question. You may have as well.
In the spirit of absolute honesty, here are ten of my most common questions:
1. Is the weekly sermon inspiring (or does it put me to sleep)?
2. How close is the church to home (so we’re not late)?
Last April, I shared a blog post titled Why I Stopped Going to Church.
In the post, I made the argument that Sunday morning was the most stressful morning of the week.
The problem wasn’t simply religion, it was us. If anything goes wrong (and it always did), the stress level exploded at everyone.
We placed so much emphasis about going to church at a set day and time, we stopped being the church.
I am currently launching a new site called Stand & Inspire.
New Blog URL: http://standandinspire.com
(The Full Time Christianity blog is on break as I launch this new site)
The purpose of this new blog is to promote communication habits that help you inspire others every day.
