"Shoots 'n Roots"...What's in a Name?

The first post in this blog is dedicated to the "why" behind adding yet another blog to a virtual world that is replete with more postings that you can count. I check out a lot of these blogs, articles, websites, and so on, but I have yet to find one that is dedicated to the average-sized church called to reach the people in rural areas of the United States and Canada. So here we go!  My goal with this blog is to chronicle some of the ways that we "do church" and disciple the next generation in a small northern Maine town of about 6,000 people.

Why "Shoots 'n Roots"? I'm glad you asked! Check out Jeremiah 17:7-8...

"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit." 

In the many years that I have been involved working with children, youth, and their parents, I continue to see that parents who are intentional about discipleship in their homes raise children who have an authentic relationship with the Lord...their "roots" have grown deep into fertile soil, and their "shoots" have been nourished with God's word and the living water of Jesus. They have grown into these "trees" that Jeremiah talks about...producing fruit and able to weather whatever conditions life throws at them.

I look forward to this journey and to meeting many along the way!