Are you strong?

How would you answer that question (I’m thinking here about inner strength, not physical strength!)? My instinct is to answer: no way... Maybe it’s my Kiwi tendency to talk myself down. Or perhaps it’s from all the times I struggle to flee from sin and pursue godliness.

But since studying 1 John early this year, this simple verse in chapter 2 has challenged some of my thinking.

I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one (1 John 2:14).

What if being at church every Sunday was the default?

How often would you guess you make it to church? Go on, actually have a guess! Most of us have a rough sense: pretty often, most Sundays, unless something gets in the way.

Recently I looked through our attendance patterns, and it challenged that impression a little. Only about 30% of people who call City on a Hill home make it to church three out of four Sundays (this used to be the standard definition of regular attendance).