Last Sunday Chris shared the story of his life before and after he became a christian. And although his transformation over the years is dramatic, the pictures don't do it justice.

The Chris we know and love is still the punk rocker from OC, but his heart and soul is barely recognizable.

He is a new creation.

This is a powerful reminder of how unhelpful it is to size up your friends and family and try to guess who would be more receptive to the message of forgiveness through Jesus. You just can do it. Try and you may overlook guys like Chris.

As J.I. Packer has written, "You and I will never write off anyone as hopeless and beyond the reach of God if we believe in the sovereignty of his grace."

A friend of sinners.

Chris said that it was a friend who shared the gospel with him over the years. He was faithful to speak and God was powerful to save.

May God rid us of our prejudices and give us the courage to speak. May God fill our church with the unlikely ones.

This year we're challenging our members and regular attenders to attend a church service every week in 2014. You can read more about the 52 SUNDAYS challenge here. This article is part of a series of articles about 52 SUNDAYS.

Amnesty Sunday.

Big thanks to all of you who have taken this challenge to heart. It's really been encouraging to see you make efforts to be with the church on Sundays and I've especially loved the emails asking for advice while on vacation. No surprise...I think the fruit of you making "us" a priority is paying off. Enjoy the surprise gift copy of Bible Answers: To Questions about the Christian Faith and Life. Thanks!

Do over.

For the rest of us, this past Sunday was declared Amnesty Sunday. If you've missed a Sunday or two and are looking for a do over, you got it. Last chance to officially get in on the challenge and potentially enjoy some fabulous prizes in the months to come.

Hit the link at the top for more information.

Hit the links below for discussion on why we think church on Sundays is a good idea.

• Why Sundays?
• Do We Need Sundays?
• What If I Work On Sundays?
• What About Vacations?
• What About Sports?
• What About The Superbowl?
• What If I Don't Like The Liturgy?
• What If I Don't Sing?
• What If I Feel Unworthy?
• What If I Have Young Children?
• What If I Have A Conflict With Someone?
• What If I Am A Single Parent?
• What About Serving Our City?

This year we're challenging our members and regular attenders to attend a church service every week in 2014. You can read more about the 52 SUNDAYS challenge here. This article is part of a series of articles about 52 SUNDAYS.

What about serving our city?

Have you heard about the churches who cancel Sunday services to go out and serve their cities? It's a popular strategy right now. Call it "Good Neighbor Weekend", or "Operation Get Out and Serve", or "My kids Will Scratch Your Lexus For Free Car Wash". Seriously. That's what I'm thinking when I see a free car wash.

Good intentions.

Nobody is going to argue about mobilizing the church to love their city. Let's shower them with compassion, kindness, and love...and not do it as a cheesy bait and switch routine! You don't need to follow up every nice thing you do with an invitation to "accept Jesus into your heart." You can just help the old lady across the street.

The same thing goes for individuals. You loving your neighbors. You volunteering at a local program. You doing what you can to relieve some of the pain, poverty, and injustice in our community. These are good works. Please do them. Find your place to be an agent of God's benevolence in this world. It glorifies God.

Bad choices.

That said, we won't be planning any "Good Neighbor Sundays." This isn't a mandate to shut down churches that do, but I want to offer 4 reasons why I believe the impulse to serve has led to the poor choice of skipping corporate worship.

1. We have low expectations. If you knew (really knew!) God was going to show up at church, would you lock the doors and send everyone out to pick up litter instead? Of course not.
2. We are consumers. Sundays are about being served rather than serving and this misses the point all together. Our corporate worship is a "service" for God. Yes, we need Him. Yes, we serve one another. But yes, we also serve God. He is the main consumer of our Sunday service.
3. We don't expect guests. It's easy to cancel a meeting when you know who's coming. Even easier when you haven't invited any guests. And even easier when you think the only way you are going to reach your neighbors is by leaving church and painting their fence.
4. We are busy. If the only time you have to serve others is Sunday mornings, you might need to make some hard choices. Take inventory and set priorities. Loving our neighbors and church on Sundays aren't competing interests.

Best scenario.

Here's a goal worth aiming for. Let's be such good neighbors all week long that our city shows up on Sundays to find out why.

The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God by D.A. Carson is a recent addition to our Sunday Bookstore.

This book provides an easy-to-read introduction into the one thing everyone still believes about God.

God is love.

The author critiques common misconceptions such as "God hates sin but loves the sinner." and reconciles the presence of evil in the world with God's sovereignty and holiness.

According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible by Graeme Goldsworthy is a recent addition to our Sunday Bookstore.

This book is highly recommended for any student of Scriptures hoping to grow in his ability to connect the Old and New Testaments together.

Whereas systematic theology focus on individual doctrines, biblical theology aims to provide a broader 'big picture' view. It follows the development of theology progressively.

Pair this book with Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology (also at our Bookstore) and you have the start of a strong layman's reference library.

This year we're challenging our members and regular attenders to attend a church service every week in 2014. You can read more about the 52 SUNDAYS challenge here. This article is part of a series of articles about 52 SUNDAYS.

What if I'm a single parent?

We've already talked about the challenges of Sundays and young children, but what about the double-whammy? You're the single parent of a young child or children.

This scenario concerns us as church leaders. If you're single with young children, please know we care about you. We are striving to create a culture that serves you and honors you in your role as a parent. We want you to feel more than welcome on Sundays, we want you to feel like we are your family. Because we are.

You are not alone.

I'd imagine a single parent can feel pretty alone on Sundays, even if they've been attending the same church for years. Every conversation gets interrupted, you have twice the work of a two-parent household, and when you finally get a free moment to have an adult conversation you still have to ask "Which group do I fit into? Where do I belong?"

I don't want to trivialize your situation. Like I said, you are a priority and I am sympathetic. I wish I fix it...and I don't even know what the "fix" would be. So let me just say that you do fit in. More than we know.

You belong with your church and where you don't "fit in", please tell us. It's our bad. We'll adjust.

We can help.

One of the great strengths of a church that promotes strong community life is that we do more than attend events together. We actually know each other.

So if you're a single parent, it's safe to assume we know you're a single parent. And we won't be surprised when you ask us to help. I wish I could say we'll always be proactive, but parenting is intense and nobody feels the pressure like you. We're pretty clueless.

I know you'd probably rather do it all on your own, but don't. You can't. And we want to help. You'd be surprised how helpful we can be if you ask.

Don't be embarrassed.

My bet is this is the hardest part. I know there are many routes to becoming a single parent. Some of them are honorable or have nothing to do with anything you've done. While other routes are heartbreaking.

It frightens me to think about how many times you face the same question. "Where is your husband/wife?"

If the answer to that question leaves you feeling vulnerable or ashamed, I'm so sorry. Really truly sorry. I'd like to say we'll stop asking but that's probably unrealistic. It's a fair question. However, my prayer is that our questions lead to deeper fellowship...and our fellowship leads to comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-7).

If there is anywhere a single parent can go to find comfort and encouragement and acceptance, may it be church on Sundays.

If everything goes as planned, we will wrap up our year-long sermon series through the Book of Revelation this month. Here are 3 things you can do to help:

1. Read. Take time to familiarize yourself with the text (Chapters 21 and 22). This would even be a great time to read the entire book in one sitting.
2. Pray. Ask God to transform us as we hear His word. Ask Him to save people. Ask Him to revive us as we gaze into our future.

3. Share. Let everyone know how God is meeting you through Revelation. Tell others. Don't keep it to yourself. Glorify God by testifying to His grace. Write your pastors an email about it...they'd love to hear.

This year we're challenging our members and regular attenders to attend a church service every week in 2014. You can read more about the 52 SUNDAYS challenge here. This article is part of a series of articles about 52 SUNDAYS.

What if I have a conflict with someone?

Ever hear the joke about the guy stranded on a desert island?

"He spent years alone on the island before they finally found him. And upon coming ashore, his rescuers were invited on a tour. The man wanted to show them around. So he took them to his hut and said "This is the home I built with my own 2 hands." Then he showed them to another building and he said "This is the church I built with my own 2 hands." Then someone in the group said "Hey, what's that building over there?" And the man replied "That's where I used to go to church.""

We're not afraid of conflict.

The church is on a mission to restore broken relationships. It's the power of the gospel...we are made right with God and each other (Titus 3:1-11, Ephesians 2:11-22). If there is any place where conflicts have any hope of being resolved, surely it's in the church!

Yet this doesn't mean every conflict ends with an exchange of a BFF necklace. Sometimes the offenses are forgiven and differences of opinion are left unresolved. Sometimes previously close friends agree to forgive one another but move on. Things are never the same. The consequences of the conflict to painful, even after reconciliation. Still we have hope for forgiveness and healing.

Don't run away.

I know it's easier to stay home and that occasionally the wisest thing to do is part ways and find a new church. But don't just run away. Ask for help. Attempt to overlook, pursue peace, and forgive even when the other party isn't playing nice. If Jesus can be patient with us, we can be patient with each other. This is the counsel of the Scriptures.

We really do live in odd times, where Christians can simply decide to move on to the next church and hit restart. Or as Carl Trueman has said, "the church has never really come to terms with the invention of the internal combustion engine." So think about it...what would you do differently if there were no other church options?

The Kiss of Peace.

Before you decide to stay at home because so-and-so is going to be at church, read Moving from the “Holy Howdy” to the “Kiss of Peace”. We won't be doing the kissing thing, but take a moment to consider how good God has been to the church. Even the first century. Your conflicts might not be as irreconcilable as you imagine.