Christianity

  • Most Topular Stories

  • No Girls Wanted

    Global Church
    Eric
    15 May 2012 | 5:07 am
    In India, discrimination against women is a fact, as is the killing of female fetuses and babies. But facts can be cold. The story of these four sisters pictured is not. It’s heartbreaking. But please don’t stop reading. These sisters are also living examples of God’s grace. Ages 7 to 11, these girls are fatherless, even though their father, Raju, is alive. When the youngest girl, Krupapriya, was born, instead of celebrating the family mourned.  Raju refused to see the baby. He walked out that day and never returned. They now live with their elderly grandparents because their mother is…

  • Andy Stanley, Al Mohler, and Homosexuality

    Out of Ur
    8 May 2012 | 1:00 am
    Stanley gives a sermon about tension, and Mohler refuses to live in it.

  • Missing Sunday School.

    Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff
    jon acuff
    15 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    Dear Sunday School, Wow, where do I even begin? It’s been so long since we last talked. Fifteen years at least. I used to go see you in college on the Sundays I would go to church. There you were, faithful and true. No jumping around during the week for you. Like an old friend, you were always waiting for me in the same spot each week. At church, spooning right up against the service. I could double dip. I could knock out both at once. Church and Sunday School were the perfect team, like chocolate and peanut butter, frog and toad, Kim Kardashian and a professional athlete/Kanye. Ahh, see…

  • Two articles on (theological) education ...

    Brian McLaren EMC
    plushy55@yahoo.com
    15 May 2012 | 1:23 pm
    As a believer in seminaries, as a frequent guest lecturer at seminaries, as a past-and-current board member of seminaries, as a believer that more and better theological education is better (!) than less and worse, and as someone who didn't attend seminary myself but has two honorary doctorates and who has a pro-seminary bias, I found these two articles fascinating - both in their similarities and differences. This one on seminaries: http://chronicle.com/article/For-Schools-of-Theology-Its/131851/ This one on do-it-yourself learning:…

  • Biblical Illiteracy and Bible Babel

    EPPC Publications
    11 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    One of the disappointments of the post-Vatican II period has been the glacial pace of the growth in Catholic biblical literacy the Council hoped to inspire.
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    WORLDMag.com

  • Evolved

    Emily Belz
    9 May 2012 | 3:54 pm
    Citing his faith, Obama announces his support of same-sex marriage

  • Still brewin'

    Edward Lee Pitts
    9 May 2012 | 12:42 pm
    With Richard Mourdock's win, talk of the Tea Party's demise seems premature

  • Battle for France

    Paul Glader
    5 May 2012 | 3:51 pm
    A Hollande victory could reverse EU integration and foreign relations

  • Defend the persecuted

    Emily Belz
    4 May 2012 | 12:35 pm
    Canada to establish an international religious freedom office

  • Looking Ahead

    The Editors
    3 May 2012 | 9:28 pm
 
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    A Holy Experience

  • Links for 2012-05-15 [del.icio.us]

    16 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    Top 10 Most Read Books in the World ... @ Galley Cat ...thought-provoking. Hard work on the right things @ Seth Godin.... "The secret, I think, is in understanding what matters." And it comes back to priorities unseen.... priorities unseen like love and relationship and souls... yes. Just Guide Gently @ Mom Heart Online... and I'm posting over here today with Sally Clarkson and community --- and how to really manage the day. If Life is an Adventure… @ "So if life is an adventure... Why aren’t we out there loving bigger and bleeding grace? Why aren’t we seeking out the hurt and the…

  • The Purpose of Pain: When Life Hurts

    Ann Voskamp
    15 May 2012 | 9:39 am
    She stood under all that blue sky and watched the windmill spin round and was it the all the world turning that she could feel? How it spun and hurt and unfurled. Dandelions unfolded at her feet — suns, risings everywhere. The rooster turned. Laundry slapped on the line. Something in her, the hurting places, stirred awake right there. That’s what she could feel: The surrendered accept that pain is always but growing pains. And growth is always a gift —  even when trials are the tutor. One of the ducks duck settled down by the barbed wire fence. Out in the far field, a horse…

  • The Happy Mom Manifesto

    Ann Voskamp
    14 May 2012 | 12:23 pm
    The Happy Mom Manifesto 1. The only thing that has to be written in stone is when to pray. Because it’s not schedules, busyness, or deadlines that keep one from prayer. The only thing stopping one from praying is self. {Excuse-making can be a cheap cover for idolatry.} If one’s not praying regularly, it’s only because something else is regularly loved more than God. 2. Even if everything goes wrong, love is always right. There is ridiculous hope in this. 3. Whenever you want to throw your hands up, throw them around someone instead. Holding someone always helps holds…

  • Links for 2012-05-13 [del.icio.us]

    14 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    Out of the Mouth of Babes by Rebekah Lyons.... An esteemed and dear friend, Rebekah's raw and honest and exquisite post speaks of the hardest and the hope on Mother's Day.... Beautiful.

  • A Perfect DIY Mother’s Day …………… {or “How to make Your Own R&R Day”}

    Ann Voskamp
    12 May 2012 | 8:40 am
    Because there are days when every mother – every woman – just needs to have her own perfect little DIY project: 1.  Go for walk just anywhere quiet, just for a moment — somewhere this weekend, go for a walk?   2.Turn on the music: Fill the house and your heart and mind and bones with Praise to God music (Play it loud and let the whole house dance in praise! Really — just for  a moment: dance in praise!)   3. Make a tasty little treat – just because. Nibble on this sweet  with with a cup of your favorite tea. Use your best china! {It’s like…
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    Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff

  • Missing Sunday School.

    jon acuff
    15 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    Dear Sunday School, Wow, where do I even begin? It’s been so long since we last talked. Fifteen years at least. I used to go see you in college on the Sundays I would go to church. There you were, faithful and true. No jumping around during the week for you. Like an old friend, you were always waiting for me in the same spot each week. At church, spooning right up against the service. I could double dip. I could knock out both at once. Church and Sunday School were the perfect team, like chocolate and peanut butter, frog and toad, Kim Kardashian and a professional athlete/Kanye. Ahh, see…

  • The Assumed Hug.

    jon acuff
    14 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    I am more awkward than you. You probably feel like you are awkward, but you don’t have 5,000 witnesses to something awkward you did two weeks ago. I do. I was speaking at the Orange Conference in Atlanta. A guy named Reggie Joiner puts it on with his team at Rethink. They’re a bunch of geniuses, and you should check out what they do. Reggie interviewed me from stage which was awesome because Andy Stanley spoke right before me. And one of the first rules of public speaking is “never follow Andy Stanley.” The interview was a blast. We talked about the role leaders need to play with…

  • Doing the Holy Shuffle

    jon acuff
    11 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    (It’s guest post Friday!  Here’s one from Claire Stevens… If you want to write a guest post for SCL, here’s how!) Doing the Holy Shuffle No, I’m not referring to Saturday Night Fever moves that have been subtly modified to be church-disco-appropriate. As a Christian who doesn’t drive and who takes a lot of buses, I have plenty of opportunities for time with God, listening to worship on my iPod. I’m worshipping, just with my mostly-inside-my-head worship voice. Sometimes muted sounds escape from the back of my throat. It’s like Crash Test Dummies’ Mmm mmm mmm…

  • Breaking up with your small group.

    jon acuff
    10 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    Many Christians reach a point in their small group relationship where they realize, “This isn’t working anymore. I need to see other small groups.” It’s a tricky situation, fraught with unique challenges. Do you take the passive-aggressive route: Just stop showing up? Make excuses until eventually they stop calling? Can you skip group without looking like you’re skipping God, because you still love him, right? Do you organize a mutiny and try to take other couples with you? “I can’t keep studying the book of Job. I’m making a break for it; we’re starting a new group and…

  • Looking through the telescope.

    jon acuff
    9 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    I’m doing more public speaking right now than I have ever done. And usually, before I step on stage to share an idea with a crowd, I have a conversation with God in my head. It goes something like this: Me: God, are you sure you want me up there on that stage? God: I do. Me: Are you sure? I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. Do you know what I’ve done? God: I do. Me: It was pretty big. God: Was it? Everything looks small in the shadow of the cross. And then I walk on stage. But at the heart of that conversation is a problem. A trick the devil loves to play on us. A trick so…
 
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    Acton Institute - Acton promotes sound economic thinking and an awareness of the moral underpinnings necessary for a free society.

  • Lecture and Book Signing with Rev. Robert Sirico

    Acton Web
    9 May 2012 | 5:34 pm
    Event Date:  June 14, 2012 - 7:30am9:00am Location:   University Club of Grand Rapids 111 Lyon St. NW Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Register Now Join us as Rev. Robert Sirico discusses his new book Defending the Free Market: The Moral Case for a Free Economy. There will be a book signing following the lecture and books will be available for purchase or order your copy now on Amazon. Contact Teresa at tbailey@acton.org or call (616) 454-3080 for more information. Schedule 7:30am Registration 8:00am Breakfast lecture and Q&A followed by book signingread more

  • March/April 2012 Notes

    Acton Web
    9 May 2012 | 12:53 pm
    Acton Purchases Grand Rapids Building The Acton Institute has purchased a building at 98 E. Fulton Street in downtown Grand Rapids to serve as the future headquarters for the institute. A new building was needed because of current expansion in programs, staff, outreach, and operations. Because of the vast amount of space the new headquarters provides, it will also sustain many years of growth. A generous local supporter purchased the building for Acton. We now have a task to go to the broader community to raise support for the necessary renovations. Article read more

  • President's Message

    Acton Web
    9 May 2012 | 12:52 pm
    There is a passage from the sixth chapter of St. Matthew in which Jesus says: "And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these." President's Message read more

  • Europe's Right in Disarray

    Acton Web
    9 May 2012 | 10:53 am
    by Samuel Gregg Much can change in five years. In 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy, a man who forged his reputation as a dynamic no-nonsense Interior Minister, was viewed by many as France's best chance in a generation to break away from the country's hyper-interventionist economic policies and the left's suffocating monopoly of French cultural life. Now, however, Sarkozy has been discarded by France's electorate in favor of one of the driest socialist career-politician apparatchiks ever to ascend to high office in Europe. You might also like... Economic Thinking for the Theologically…

  • Dwight Gibson

    enohr
    9 May 2012 | 10:29 am
    Register Now Event Date:  July 24, 2012 - 12:00pm1:30pm Location:   Cassard Conference Room at the Waters Building 161 Ottawa Ave. Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Lecture Description: Description forthcomingread more
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    Baptist Standard

  • Baylor research shows benefit of Eagle Scouts on society

    15 May 2012 | 4:48 am
    The Boys Scouts of America long have noted the conspicuous presence of Eagle Scouts among astronauts, military officers, top athletes and high-ranking elected officials. But a nationwide scientific survey involving researchers from Baylor University provides the first empirical evidence that shows the positive impact Eagle Scouts have on society.

  • Road to Monterrey perilous, promising for BUA graduates

    15 May 2012 | 12:21 am
    Motorists entering Monterrey drive past mountainsides painted with massive Z's, a territorial claim by the infamous Zetas drug cartel and a mute testimony to the constant threat of violence and lawlessness in the region. But Nancy Kuk and her husband, Francisco, have chosen to invest their lives in her hometown.

  • Baylor regents approve 10-year strategic vision

    14 May 2012 | 5:36 am
    After nearly two years of planning and input, Baylor University regents unanimously approved a new strategic vision for the next ten years, Pro Futuris, that will go into effect June 1 and passed a $444.3 million operating budget.

  • Americans divided on viewing homosexual behavior as sin

    13 May 2012 | 11:26 pm
    Americans are split on whether homosexual behavior is a sin, and many do not appreciate if a church teaches it is sinful, according to a recent survey conducted by LifeWay Research.

  • Baylor sports ministry sends 45 to Kenya

    11 May 2012 | 6:32 am
    Everywhere Baylor University Sports Ministry Chaplain Wes Yeary looks, there are needs stacked upon needs -- an endless supply of people and places in Kenya that need something.
 
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    Menlo Park Presbyterian Church Sermon-Cast

  • Enuf: The Divine Dare

    7 May 2012 | 12:12 pm
    The Bible has much to say about money and of tithing. What is a tithe and how it be integrated into our daily lives? Is money functioning as a tool or a drug in our lives?Check out our weekly audio podcast HERE.This message features scripture from Luke 19:13, 1 Timothy 6:9, Numbers 18:21, Deuteronomy 14:23, Deuteronomy 14:26, 2 Corinthians 9:7, Deuteronomy 14:28-29, Exodus 23:19, Deuteronomy 26:5-7, 1 Corinthians 15:20, Leviticus 19:9-10, Mark 2:23, 2 Corinthians 8:9, Deuteronomy 24:19, Ruth 2:2, Leviticus 7:37.You can follow us on Twitter: @MPPC_ODC or on Facebook or…

  • Enuf: 10 Financial Commandments

    22 Apr 2012 | 3:19 pm
    The Bible has more to say about money than almost any other single subject. So how are people in our culture generally doing when it comes to living with financial wisdom from God's perspective?Check out our weekly audio podcast HERE.This message features scripture from  Psalm 24:1, Deuteronomy 8:17-18, Colossians 3:22-25, Porverbs 22:29, Proverbs 22:7, Deuteronomy 24:6, Psalm 34:11, 1 Corinthians 16:2, Proverbs 21:20, Proverbs 30:15, Proverbs 19:17, James 2:1,5, Proverbs 11:14, Luke 12:48 .You can follow us on Twitter: @MPPC_ODC or on Facebook or…

  • ENUF: When is Enough, Enough?

    15 Apr 2012 | 4:37 pm
    Why do we struggle and work for more? Why is it so hard to stop eating our favorite dessert? Nancy Ortberg initiates our new series with a teaching about when is enough, enough.Check out our weekly audio podcast HERE. This message features scripture from Exodus 16:4, Leviticus 19:9-10, Exodus 36:7, Deuteronomy 15:7,8,10, Luke 21:1-4, 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Acts 2:45, 1 Chronicles 29:14,16,17,18.You can follow us on Twitter: @MPPC_ODC or on Facebook or on Google+.

  • Hope

    9 Apr 2012 | 4:52 pm
    Sometimes hope comes early; sometimes hope comes late. In this Easter message, John Ortberg encourages us with a story of a couple that has something to say about hope and Jesus and you.Check out our weekly audio podcast HERE. This message features scripture from Luke 24:13-33 and is the culmination of a series entitled, "The Great Experiment". You can listen to and watch all of the messages in this recent series here.You can follow us on Twitter: @MPPC_ODC or on Facebook or on Google+.

  • The Great Experiment: Anatomy of a "With God" Life

    3 Apr 2012 | 12:13 am
    If you're a doctor trying to dianose a problem or a mechanic trying to fix a vehicle, you have to know the elements and structure of what you're working on. If we want to look at living life "with God" then we need to understand ourselves better. John Ortberg will teach on what it looks like to live life with God.Check out our weekly audio podcast HERE. In this series, we've referenced the book, "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence. You can obtain the book from Amazon here or the free Kindle version here. You're invited to participate in the "experiment" and record your…
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    Brian McLaren EMC

  • Two articles on (theological) education ...

    plushy55@yahoo.com
    15 May 2012 | 1:23 pm
    As a believer in seminaries, as a frequent guest lecturer at seminaries, as a past-and-current board member of seminaries, as a believer that more and better theological education is better (!) than less and worse, and as someone who didn't attend seminary myself but has two honorary doctorates and who has a pro-seminary bias, I found these two articles fascinating - both in their similarities and differences. This one on seminaries: http://chronicle.com/article/For-Schools-of-Theology-Its/131851/ This one on do-it-yourself learning:…

  • Some recent thoughts on "emerging church"

    plushy55@yahoo.com
    15 May 2012 | 9:04 am
    A lot of people, when they hear that term “emerging church,” think it means a particular style of church – distorted electric guitars, subdued lighting, lots of tattoos and piercings, anti-liturgical, extremely hip. Or they think it’s about structure – dismantling denominations or something similar. Those folks don’t get it. Focusing on “style” is part of what the emerging church is emerging from. The emerging church represents a turn from preoccupation with structure and style towards content, towards the primary and primal meaning of the gospel in our world today. If we…

  • Dave Andrews is coming!

    plushy55@yahoo.com
    15 May 2012 | 8:57 am
    The first time I heard Dave Andrews speak, I was deeply moved. Then I started reading his books - even more deeply moved. If you want to be exposed to this Christian thinker/activist/poet/musician/community-organizer/writer/agitator, he'll be in the US soon (including at Wild Goose). Here are the details ... Continue reading Dave Andrews is coming!...

  • Torture. Is. Not. Right.

    plushy55@yahoo.com
    14 May 2012 | 3:38 pm
    Because of my confidence in Jesus and his gospel, I am confident that it is wrong to do to another human being what I would not want to be done to me. As a follower of an innocent man who was brutally tortured -- and who showed mercy to a guilty criminal who was tortured beside him -- I am convinced that imitating immoral techniques will always fray our moral fiber. Associated Baptist Press recently carried a column I wrote on the subject: http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/7366/9/ It's also included here (after the jump): Continue reading Torture. Is. Not. Right....

  • Jimmy Spencer gets it right

    plushy55@yahoo.com
    14 May 2012 | 3:01 pm
    Here: http://www.redletterchristians.org/let-them-eat-cake/#more-6317 Quotable: ... current “rights” issues are not about gay people. Just like its wasn’t about black folks, or women years ago. This is about us and our entitlement. The conversation surrounding gay marriage is exposing the issues barnacled onto our hearts…
 
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    Heather A Goodman

  • On Reading

    heather
    15 May 2012 | 12:06 pm
    I’ve always loved books. I fell in love with books before I could read, when my parents would read story after story to me, and I’d memorize the stories, and my mom would tell her friends that I could read before I could because I not only knew the books word-for-word, but I knew when to turn the pages and where to look at which words. (Don’t worry–she always revealed her joke before they called the nightly news.) Year after year, I handed my parents my Christmas list–a list of books. Then I’d spend Christmas day and the rest of the week finishing those…

  • Belonging: Finding a Home in Church

    heather
    10 May 2012 | 11:07 am
    Ed Cyzewski has been doing a series on Belonging (I highly recommend following both that series as well as his Women in Ministry series). Inspired by his words (as I often am), I decided to give you a snippet of my story and how I’ve learned that I can belong in a church that hurt me. A few years ago, our church canceled the service my husband and I attended. A word about this service: it was more than a place that played the kind of music with which we connected, that worshiped the way we wanted to worship, that included people who looked and thought and felt like we do. It was a place…

  • Going Small

    heather
    2 May 2012 | 11:11 am
    There’s that commercial that begins with a montage of people, in corporate meetings, on the news, on stage, on talk shows: “big, big, big, big” when one guy says, “small.” I feel like that one guy. We like things big: bigger houses, bigger ideas, bigger audience, congregation, or reach. The smallest coffee we can buy is “tall.” We shop at Costco to buy big quantities and swear to big resolutions for big weight-loss. We want the biggest opportunity, biggest impact, biggest legacy. God works in the big: mass exodus from Egypt, the 3000 added to the 150…

  • The Road Trips and the Book Crates

    heather
    26 Apr 2012 | 3:33 pm
    The unspoken rules of packing for the car trip: one suitcase max per person. Unlimited books allowed. We packed the minivan with cooler and blue and red crates of books, removed the middle seats and spread out the sleeping bags (this was before all the crazy seat-belt and car-seat laws–anyone else feel nostalgic for those days?), cued the tapes (nobody knew his secret ambition), and settled in for 26 hours of reading. Of course, after the 26-hour marathon, we had several weeks ahead of us–time spent at grandparents’ homes, time spent in Ocean City, time spent at family…

  • Magic and Craft: Calvin Festival of Faith and Writing 2012

    heather
    24 Apr 2012 | 11:46 am
    Chimamanda Adichie said fiction is magic and craft. This sums up not only fiction (and indeed all of art) but also the Festival of Faith and Writing. I attended because I think Jonathan Safran Foer takes risks with the form of fiction that few take and because I’m slightly in love with Chimamanda Adichie. I couldn’t wait to hear them speak about their writing and, specifically, their writing process. I was not disappointed. They challenged me and encouraged me to play, experiment, take risks, and yes, fail. Art reflects life, and since life changes, so should art. We have freedom…
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    CatalystSpace | Catablog

  • Catalyst Dallas 2012 // Speaker Recaps

    info@catalystspace.com
    14 May 2012 | 4:23 pm
    Catalyst Dallas was an amazing event. In case you didn't take awesome notes, we had a blogger taking notes for you! Kent Shaffer did a PHENOMENAL job summarizing the speaker's talks. Here are a few of the highlights from some of the speakers at Catalyst Dallas. If you'd like to listen to all of the message, you can get all the audio from Catalyst Dallas here. Andy Stanley on Being Accessible While Successful 3 Ways to Do for One What You Wish for Everyone Go deep, rather than wide. Go long-term, rather than short-term. Go time, not just money. Jon Acuff on Finding Your Identity If you…

  • Catalyst Dallas 2012 Photoblog: Part 2

    info@catalystspace.com
    12 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    Photos by @scottawade @karicrowe & @sunnythomas, check them out!

  • I’m fighting for my life with my art.

    info@catalystspace.com
    11 May 2012 | 3:14 pm
    This piece was created on Thursday, May 10th 2012 at Catalyst Dallas. Photographer Jeremy Cowart met houseless artist Donald Collins the day before after he saw Donald drawing people. They decided to collaborate and create this piece together the next day. All proceeds of this print will go to buy Donald new art supplies, including a new scanner to scan his drawings. Don says "My art is what keeps me alive. I'm fighting for my life with my art."

  • Catalyst Dallas 2012 Photoblog: Part 1

    info@catalystspace.com
    10 May 2012 | 6:59 am
    Photos by @scottawade @karicrowe & @sunnythomas, check them out!

  • A Few Tips For Catalyst Dallas Week

    info@catalystspace.com
    9 May 2012 | 7:25 am
    Catalyst Dallas is here! Starting today (Wednesday) through Friday. We’re excited to be in Dallas for the 2nd year! A few tips for those of you attending Catalyst Dallas for the first time this year, or maybe it’s your 2nd time. Hopefully these are helpful and allow your Catalyst Dallas experience to be the best ever! 1. Arrive early. Especially on Thursday morning. The pre-show starts up at 7 am, so we’ll try our best to entertain you while you wait for the doors to open around 8 am. 2. Attend LABS. LAB sessions occur on Wednesday, May 9, and are a great…
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    CatalystSpace | Articles

  • Master or Messenger?, By Aaron Fortner

    info@catalystspace.com
    4 May 2012 | 12:45 pm
    Posture We all have an innate and intuitive Leadership Posture. It's our "go-to" move in the moments of an endeavor that defines us as leaders. From what I can tell, there are really only 2 basic Leadership Postures: we are either Masters or we are Messengers. The Merriam-Webster definition of posture is "state or condition at a given time especially with respect to capability in particular circumstances". Every leader has an internal computer in their brain that is constantly assessing every situation, development, schedule, scope, assignment, task, project, team, endeavor and initiative and…

  • Special Guests Added to Catalyst Dallas, By Catalyst

    info@catalystspace.com
    16 Apr 2012 | 5:25 pm
    We are so excited about Catalyst Dallas coming up May 9-11, 2012 in north Dallas. If you are considering attending, you’ll want to go ahead and REGISTER TODAY to get the BEST POSSIBLE RATES on tickets.  Tomorrow, Thursday April 12th is the final registration deadline for discounts on ticket prices, so go ahead and get your team or staff signed up at the lower prices.  Here are 11 reasons why we are excited about Catalyst Dallas, and why you should attend: 1. The speaker lineup- Andy Stanley, John Maxwell,…

  • 10 Tried-And-True Techniques to Prevent Bottoming Out in Ministry , By Margaret Feinberg

    info@catalystspace.com
    16 Apr 2012 | 3:14 pm
      No. 1: Make time for a personal spiritual retreat. Get away to a nearby place for 48 hours to recharge your energy, pray, study Scripture, and practice the spiritual disciplines most meaningful to your own growth in God. You may have a great retreat center nearby. Or simply jump on a website like www.priceline.com (use www.biddingfortravel.com) to find out what to bid and grab a place where you can get quiet and seek God.    No. 2: Develop a mentoring relationship. Sometimes dips in our own ministry are a result of pouring out into a meaningful relationship.

  • The Cross in Culture, Q IDEAS | Jon Tyson

    info@catalystspace.com
    16 Apr 2012 | 2:56 pm
      The cross is one of our most robust, timeless, cultural symbols. No matter how dark our culture may grow, it just won't go away. Artists mock the cross, Christians boast in it, others ignore it. But after 2000 years, it continues to define our faith. Is it a sign of offense, grace, or a window into a whole new order of things? Jon Tyson, author of Rumors of God and Pastor of Trinity Grace Church NYC, helps us see the counter-cultural message of the cross in a new way.   How do you view the cross? Can we allow the message of the cross be offensive without being offensive in our…

  • Great leaders sleep in parking lots., By Jon Acuff

    info@catalystspace.com
    16 Apr 2012 | 10:43 am
    "Jon, do you want to camp out in a Chick-fil-A parking lot in Pennsylvania this week?" That was a question Dan Cathy, the President of Chick-fil-A, asked me on the phone one night. We were working on a few ideas together and, as he headed out the door for the trip, he thought he'd see if I wanted to tag along. Why was Dan Cathy, one of the leaders of a multibillion dollar company, flying north from his home in Atlanta? Because great leaders sleep in parking lots. Chick-fil-A was opening a new store and, over the years, they have turned this experience into a celebration. There give prizes to…
 
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    From the CCblogs Network

  • Salt, light and introverted congregations

    James Sledge
    4 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    For a variety of reasons, Christian faith in America tends to be a private and personal thing.  Faith is what we believe, and that can be safely tucked away in our brain somewhere.  In the faith understanding I grew up with, you can be a faithful Christian if you go to church on Sunday and abide by societal norms for morality.  So, in essence, if people don't check the church par read more

  • Closed

    Gail Irwin
    3 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    It happened again today.  I drove up to one of my favorite cafes in a nearby town and was shocked to find it closed.  I don’t mean closed today.  I mean closed forever.  But they knew me there!  They knew I liked those vanilla creamers and my eggs poached hard!  I sat with the engine running, hungry and caffeine-deprived, wondering where I would go for breakfast.  Why didn’t they warn me?  I would have come by to say good-bye. read more

  • Nothing in my hands I bring

    Diane Roth
    2 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    I went to the hospital the other day. For some reason, I like to have a prayer book with me when I go to the hospital, even though I rarely use it. It's not that I don't pray; I always pray. I just don't use the prayer book. But, it's sort of a security blanket for me. I got used to bringing it long ago, when I was in seminary. read more

  • It's good enough

    Theresa Cho
    1 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    I always wanted to be a mother. But becoming a mother was not an easy road for me. Although I was healthy and young, it took a good three years to get pregnant with my first son. After months and months of testing, praying and wasted pregnancy tests, I had to ask myself, how bad do I want to be a mother? How many dollars am I willing to spend? How much am I willing to put my body through? read more

  • Other sheep

    Steve Pankey
    27 Apr 2012 | 12:00 am
    Although only the most daring (read stupid) among us preachers will take on the task, one has the opportunity to preach the scandal-of-the-particular-versus-universalist controversy this Sunday. I say daring (stupid) because it will invariably get you in hot water, but you could, the texts are there, the opportunity is available, but the nuance is tough. read more
 
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    Prodigal Magazine

  • Telling the Dead Man’s Story

    Matt Appling
    16 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    Editor’s Note: This story is written by staff writer Matt Appling, who blogs about church (and other things) several times a week over HERE. Do you “like” Prodigal on Facebook yet? What are you waiting for?? This room is full of complete strangers. And most of these strangers are much older than I am.  They are wearing their best suits and dresses.  I’ve done my best to blend in. The air is permeated with a somber feeling as many of them wipe tears from their eyes.  Except for me.  I am the only person in the room who has not shed one tear.  In fact, my emotions at…

  • I’m Not Fine, But I Will Be

    Tony J. Alicea
    15 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    Editor’s Note: Today’s post is by staff writer Tony Alicea who blogs over HERE. If you don’t already subscribe to Prodigal Magazine to get posts in your inbox or reader, what are you waiting for??? Click HERE now. “What’s wrong?” she asked. Immediately I responded with my typical answer, “Nothing.” But she knew it was something. Her calm, hazel eyes pierced through my disingenuous reply. We were going to have to talk about it and I wasn’t ready to go there. Six months of marriage and she could already read me like a book. The problem was…

  • Five Ways To Be A Better Character In Your Story

    Darrell Vesterfelt
    14 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    Editor’s Note: Today’s post is by Prodigal President Darrell Vesterfelt who is committed to helping people tell and live good stories. If you don’t already follow him on Twitter, you can do so by clicking HERE. Speaking of which, you should also follow Prodigal on Twitter. If you read Prodigal every day, you know that we are committed to telling stories. In fact, you probably know that we believe good stories have the ability to change the world. Here’s the thing. In order to tell a good story, first you have to be living one. How do you do that? Good question. The…

  • Motherhood: The Power of A Kitchen Table

    Krisi Johnson
    11 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    Editor’s Note: Today’s post is from staff writer, Krisi Johnson. If you don’t already, make sure you follow Krisi on Twitter. Also, are you already a Prodigal subscriber? If not, make sure you become one by clicking here. My mom is not from Norway. She just married into the clan of mid-west Lutheran farmers, and out of love and commitment to my Dad, she was determined to become an expert Lefsa maker. So we spent hours watching the VHS “How to make Lefsa” and giggled over the plump farm wife’s little phrases and northern accent. I can remember delicately rolling out…

  • Motherhood: Word From A New Mother

    Kelsey Williams
    10 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in our series called “Motherhood” which we are featuring in honor of Mother’s Day this week. Today’s post is from writer, blogger and new mother Kelsey Williams. Do you follow us on Facebook? Come like our page to stay up to date with all of our posts. I gave birth to my first child, a girl named Rooney Jane, two and a half months ago. And nothing–from the delivery to seeing her for the first time to breastfeeding to how it has affected our marriage–has gone as I expected. We found out pretty quickly that my husband,…
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    Commonweal Magazine

  • Greeneland

    7 May 2012 | 10:16 am
    Librarians may have problems deciding where to shelve Pico Iyer’s book.

  • Wasps

    7 May 2012 | 10:13 am
    Ripe plums and the hibiscusare their swag and nothingcan withstand their slash and wheel.Like the machine gun and the spiteful neighborthey repeat and repeat again—no fist or curse can quell them.

  • Altitude Sickness

    7 May 2012 | 10:10 am
    In The Poetry of Thought, George Steiner announces his theme variously as “the dialogue I am trying to listen in on as between metaphysics and literature,” “the quarrel at once bitter and fraternal between philosophers and poets,” “the commerce between poetics and philosophy,” and the fusion of “the poetry of thought and the thought of poetry.” He also q

  • ‘Mommy Wars’ & Money Worries

    7 May 2012 | 10:04 am
    Last month, Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen claimed stay-at-home-mom Ann Romney “never worked a day in her life.” Controversy ensued. But instead of fighting a phony mommy war, we should face the fact that most families these days cannot afford to have one parent stay home with the kids.

  • A Naïve Science

    7 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    I often hear a fellow senior citizen declare, “I wish I’d spent more time with my family.” In fact he easily could have, but preferred golf, or working overtime, or whatnot. In any case, his behavior belied his self-report.
 
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    Compassion International - Blog on Child Poverty

  • What’s a Little Chaos on a Compassion Sunday?

    Web Team
    16 May 2012 | 4:50 am
    I recently gave my first presentation as an Advocate for Compassion International. The church I was visiting had the sermon based upon Compassion’s ministry and allowed me a 20-minute presentation. I was so excited for this opportunity that I could hardly sleep the night before. The morning of my presentation, I woke to overflowing toilets. I decided this would not slow me down, so I hopped into the shower. Just as I lathered shampoo into my hair, sewage started bubbling up from the drain. I had to get out mid-bath, covered in soap. I made the best of it, styling my soapy hair. My husband…

  • Honor Children

    Web Team
    16 May 2012 | 1:12 am
    Children are perceived as powerless. But Jesus’ childhood incident gives us a new way to look at children. Jesus stayed behind in the temple. Though He was only a child, Jesus listened and even questioned the religious teachers in the temple. While His parents searched for their lost son, He searched His heart’s desire, which was to get busy in His Father’s business. The parents showed unawareness about their child, for they traveled almost a day before realizing that their son was not with them. Parents should be aware of their children’s interests instead of being too busy and…

  • Cook with Compassion: Beijinho de Coco (Coconut Kisses)

    Amber Van Schooneveld
    15 May 2012 | 4:09 am
    The second I read the title of this dessert, I was in — coconut kisses. Mmm! I also liked it because it used so few ingredients, things that I often have on hand in the pantry—butter, coconut flakes and sweetened condensed milk. So, despite my tumultuous history with candy-making — I have cried over many a pan of ruined fudge — I decided to give these little Brazilian kisses a try. View a larger image of the ingredient list First, I put the butter and condensed milk into a small saucepan and brought it to a simmer over medium low heat. It took maybe 10 minutes to reach a simmer, and…

  • A Child’s Act of Love

    Web Team
    15 May 2012 | 1:11 am
    Several years ago I taught preschool. All my students were wonderful children, with poverty in their lives but not in their hearts. In the group was a very special boy; his name was Nicholas. He was restless, did not like to perform his duties, and was mischievous with his classmates. For a long time, I couldn’t understand him. Then one day when I yawned, Nicholas asked me, “Teacher, did you have breakfast today?” I said, “No, not today,” and continued with my work. The next day Nicholas came earlier than normal. He invited me to sit down and then opened his lunch box, taking out a…

  • Tanzania: A Picture of Hope

    Jacquie Parella
    14 May 2012 | 4:05 am
    Following the blogger trip to Tanzania I noticed a theme of hope repeated throughout the week. This got me to thinking and I wondered, “What if each nation in this world was meant to reflect one particular attribute of God?” Like Tanzania. What if God wanted the people of Tanzania to reflect His hope? What if, woven into the story of the people of Tanzania, was a Father’s calling to show the hope of His son to the rest of the world? What would that look like? Personally, I think it would look a little like this… May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in…
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    Big Is The New Small

  • How To Achieve Greatness

    Scott Williams
    15 May 2012 | 9:42 pm
    There always seem to be discussions surrounding the word greatness and how one can become great. Questions like: How does an organization become great? How do athletes become great? How do you achieve greatness? The simple answer is: Hard work, pushing through, breaking through, trusting in others and believing in yourself. Greatness is always possible, it begins with your inner dialogue, your thought process and is followed up by your actions. Most people miss greatness because it’s camouflaged in hard-work, effort and a desire to be great. Do you want to be great? Go ahead, you have…

  • 6 Universal Leadership Principles

    Scott Williams
    15 May 2012 | 7:12 am
    Last week my wife and I had the opportunity to spend some time in Tanzania. Our experience was amazing and the opportunities to make a difference in the lives of children in this area of the world were everywhere. We traveled with Compassion International and were able to see the impact of a nominal investment of $38 a month. One of our visits included stopping by the Country Office in Arusha, Tanzania. We had a great time of worship, learning about the program and heard from the Country Director Joseph Maila. It was great to hear his story prior to ministry and learn how he worked his way up…

  • Thunder vs Lakers :: My 5 Predictions (Round 2 NBA Playoffs)

    Scott Williams
    14 May 2012 | 7:06 am
    It’s a huge night in my city as The Oklahoma City Thunder host the Los Angeles Lakers for Game 1 of round 2 of the 2012 NBA Playoffs. This game is going to be huge, extra physical and the winner could actually find themselves in the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. That’s considering the Clippers can handle the Spurs and the Heat don’t fold to the Pacers. This game is going to be intense, especially since the last time the Thunder faced the Lakers Ron Artest gave the cheap shot elbow to 6th man of the year James Harden. Artest was recently quoted as saying he’s not…

  • The Ripple Effect

    Scott Williams
    11 May 2012 | 3:11 pm
    I remember when I was a young child I used to enjoy throwing rocks in a pond near my home and I was always amazed at how that one little rock could send ripples throughout this huge body of water. As I’ve gotten older I’ve seen the ripple effect of good/bad decisions, good/bad coaches, good/bad investments, good/bad leaders and the list goes on and on. The ripple effect is all around us and some ripples are larger than others. Let’s take a look at a ripple. The Setting: The middle of the vast open-land in Tanzania where the Maasai Tribe resides. Small home/hut made of mud,…

  • Then God Showed Up…

    Scott Williams
    9 May 2012 | 4:11 pm
    Day Four, Day 4, Fourth Day, The Day After Three… Compassion Bloggers Tanzania If you are wondering why I’m using all of these different variations of Day 4, it’s for no other reason than I’ve started most of my posts with something like “Day 2 in Tanzania.” I actually like change; change is good, so change often. Now back to the Day after the 3rd day in Tanzania. We kicked off the day a little early because we had a lot to do prior to catching an early afternoon flight from Mwanza to Arusha. We started off by visiting the African Church Ilemela (AICT) TZ 955. The AICT Project has…
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    Desiring God Blog

  • God Made the Maternal Instinct to Magnify Himself

    15 May 2012 | 11:30 am
    “She’s eating her baby!” my 5-year-old shrieked as we were watching an episode on Animal Planet. The narrator coolly explained that when threatened, the mothers in this species of the animal kingdom eat their young. I comforted my daughter. “Don’t worry, Sweet Pea. I would never eat you. If I felt threatened then I would turn to Jesus instead of chewing on you. Even though your little toes look just so tasty . . .” More shrieking ensued as I pretended to eat her toes. You may have felt like a “mother bear” at times when protecting or defending your children, but your…

  • The Book of 1 Corinthians in 40 Tweets

    15 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    Crosses were dark in First Century Rome. Crucifixion was a horrific execution method reserved for the lowliest criminals. And yet, Paul writes his letter to the church in Corinth and organizes his theology and entire ministry around this object of shame. In God's wisdom the cross has become the place, as D. A. Carson explains, where "God has supremely destroyed all human arrogance and pretension." (The Cross and Christian Ministry, 15). Indeed, this message is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who believe, the cross is the power of God. 1 Corinthians is a book about…

  • The Gospel Is Big Enough to Fight for Itself

    14 May 2012 | 7:00 pm
    Russell Moore: Sometimes believers will throw up their hands in frustration with non-Christian people they know. “I have said everything I know to say to her about the gospel,” one might say. “She already knows it all and doesn’t believe.” Often what we seek is another argument, a hidden angle that our interlocutor hasn’t thought through before. But that’s rarely how the gospel is heard and received. Think about it in your own case. Did you believe the gospel the first time you ever heard it? Perhaps you did, but if so, you’re quite unusual.

  • Workloads, Busyness, and Time-Hoarding

    14 May 2012 | 12:15 pm
    From Lydia Brownback's new book, A Woman’s Wisdom: How the Book of Proverbs Speaks to Everything (Crossway, 2012), pages 170–171: The way we use our time is always going to be shaped by how we view our time. Do we see it as a gift or as a right? Those who view time as a gift can echo the psalmist who said, “Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12). They realize that their time is actually a God-given asset that they are to invest for God’s glory. They are cognizant of the fact that an hour gone by can never be relived. Conversely, those who view…

  • Resources for Upcoming Graduates

    14 May 2012 | 10:41 am
    With the graduation season quickly approaching, you might consider purchasing a case of Don't Waste Your Life (52 copies) for a graduating class. Available for a donation of $150. Shipping is free within the Continental United States. To order, please call 888.346.4700. A few other graduation resources... 1. Pastor John's 2006 graduation address to The Bethlehem Institute, How a Dead Dog Loves a King. 2. Pastor John's 2007 graduation address to The Bethlehem Institute, Four Mistakes I Hope You Don't Make. 3. Pastor John's 2009 graduation address to The Bethlehem Institute, Remember the Rich…
 
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    Episcopal News Service

  • Rosa Parks and Mother Teresa: Justice vs. Charity

    By Peter Dreier
    15 May 2012 | 4:12 pm
    [Huffington Post] On May 10 the Washington National Cathedral dedicated a new stone carving of Rosa Parks. It will be displayed in the cathedral’s Human Rights Porch. The area already includes likenesses of Oscar Romero, the brave Catholic Archbishop of El Salvador, who spoke out against the U.S. for giving military aid to his country’s military junta and was killed in 1980 for his activism with workers and peasants fighting the regime; Eleanor Roosevelt, who came from a privileged background but used her position as first lady to be an ally with unions, civil rights groups,…

  • Communion resolutions open the table for discussion

    By Mary Frances Schjonberg
    15 May 2012 | 3:37 pm
    The Episcopal Church's General Convention faces questions about who may receive communion. Photo/Mary Frances Schjonberg [Episcopal News Service] The young woman who called St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Hood River, Oregon, was upset and asked if the church offered communion. “I really need some support right now and I feel like it starts there,” she told the Rev. Anna Carmichael, the parish’s rector. The wrinkle was that while the woman had attended various churches she had “never formally been baptized and yet somehow this needing to be in community and…

  • Anglicans, Sexuality and Scripture: An African Consultation

    14 May 2012 | 3:38 pm
    [Chicago Consultation] In October, some 25 Anglican leaders from across Africa gathered with more than a dozen Episcopalians from the United States for a consultation on issues of justice and human sexuality. For three days the group prayed, studied the Bible, listened to presentations and talked about issues of theology, sexuality and culture. When formal sessions ended, they talked into the night, all in an attempt to better understand one another and the unique context in which each participant lived and ministered. The Chicago Consultation was proud to sponsor this event at the Salt Rock…

  • Burgess Carr, former All Africa Council leader, dies at 76

    By ENS staff
    14 May 2012 | 3:24 pm
    [Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Burgess Carr, a Liberian-born priest who in the late 1980s served as the Episcopal Church’s partnership officer for Africa and who for seven years in the 1970s headed the All Africa Council of Churches (AACC), died May 14 in his sleep, according to an announcement from St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Snellville, Georgia. “During his tenure as General Secretary of AACC, he brought a new energy to the work of the Anglican Church in Africa and made a few enemies, including Idi Amin. May his soul rest in peace,” said the Rev. Canon Petero…

  • General Seminary to graduate 54 students, confer 4 honorary degrees

    14 May 2012 | 2:37 pm
    [General Theological Seminary] The Chapel of the Good Shepherd and the beautiful garden-like campus of General Theological Seminary will be the scene of the Seminary’s 190th Commencement Exercises beginning at 11 a.m. on May 16. Faculty members in colorful academic regalia will be joined by friends, trustees, and students of the historic institution for the majestic ceremonies, which are preceded by joyous pealing of chimes from the Chapel’s bell tower. Fifty-four women and men will receive degrees, diplomas, or certificates conferred by the Seminary’s Associate Dean, the…
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    EPPC Publications

  • Defending Religious Freedom in Full: A Generation’s Challenge

    14 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    The following address was given on May 12, 2012 during at commencement ceremonies are Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.

  • Catholic Social Teaching and the Ryan Budget

    11 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    Catholic social teaching doesn't provide cookie-cutter solutions. Applying the principles of that teaching to the social reality of the day is the proper role of Catholic laymen, as exemplified by Congressman Paul Ryan.

  • Biblical Illiteracy and Bible Babel

    11 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    One of the disappointments of the post-Vatican II period has been the glacial pace of the growth in Catholic biblical literacy the Council hoped to inspire.

  • The President Comes Out

    10 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    On marriage as on so many other matters, President Obama has failed to recognize what is needed to sustain the American experiment.

  • Obamacare Hurts Seniors

    10 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    The Fidelity study omits Obamacare's deep cuts in payments to Medicare Advantage plans. Those cuts will drive costs up for millions of seniors and dwarf the supposed savings from other Obamacare provisions.
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    First Things | On the Square

  • Charles W. Colson, R.I.P.

    16 May 2012 | 1:04 am
    Back in the days when Chuck Colson was willing to run over his grandmother for Richard Nixon, I would have happily done the same to Mr. Colson. Well, that was then, and this is now. And over the past 20 years, I never met a more thoroughly converted Christian, a more ecumenically serious Christian, or a more tenacious Christian than Chuck Colson, who died on April 21. He was a man whom I came, not just to respect, but to love. Our friendship and collaboration began in the early 1990s, when Herb Schlossberg, the evangelical author, buttonholed me at a Washington reception and expressed concern…

  • A Strong Note of Caution on Reproductive Health and Family Planning

    15 May 2012 | 11:30 pm
    In two recent papers, Meghan Grizzle argues that the phrases reproductive health" and family planning" are perfectly acceptable and that pro-lifers should fight for them. She argues that abortion is not a part of reproductive health in international law and contraceptives are not a part of family planning. Grizzle is right, in part. There is no hard law international treaty defining reproductive health as including abortion. In fact, abortion is not mentioned in any treaties at all. Reproductive health is mentioned in one, the treaty on disabilities, and when it was adopted 15 nations…

  • Reproductive Health, Reasserted

    15 May 2012 | 11:01 pm
    Reproductive health" and family planning" are not poisonous terms. As the World Youth Alliances white paper on reproductive health demonstrates, international law is clear. No international human rights treaty includes abortion as a component of reproductive health. The first and primary international consensus document to define reproductive health, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), does not include abortion in the definition. As a document of political will, rather than a legally binding treaty, it reflects the commitments of…

  • The June/July Issue Has Arrived

    15 May 2012 | 1:35 am
    The 2012 June/July issue is now available online. What does this beige issue contain? R. R. Reno opens the magazine by reflecting on psychologist Jonathan Haidts new book The Righteous Mind and what it tells us about the limitations of contemporary liberalism: Liberalism is blind in one eye-yet it insists on the superiority of its vision and its supreme right to rule. It cannot see half of the things a governing philosophy must see, and claims that those who see both halves are thereby unqualified to govern. It is conservatives, he points out, who see both halves. He also notes the shocking…

  • Marriage: Not a Right, but an Office

    14 May 2012 | 11:01 pm
    Speaking as they do to equal access to a sacrament, last Sundays verses from Acts 10 might have seemed, to those fixating on the question of same-sex marriage, like something of a rebuke to the Catholic church and her bishops: Then Peter proceeded to speak and said,In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightlyis acceptable to him. . . Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people,who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?" Here we see Peter endorsing inclusivity; following the example of the Christ who interacted…
 
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    Godspace

  • 10 Steps Towards Transformation by Brittian Bullock

    Christine Sine
    15 May 2012 | 10:16 am
    Does Your faith have practical impact?  Today’s post comes from Brittian Bullock and was first posted on his blog. ——————————————————————————————————— A skydiver drifted over a hundred miles off course and landed in a dense forest. Strung up in the tree, tangled, and terrified that the night was fast approaching he began to yell out for help. After a few minutes, a man out for a…

  • Ascension Day is Coming – Do You Know What it Means?

    Christine Sine
    14 May 2012 | 11:06 am
    Christ Ascended into Heaven – Dome of Monastery in Mirozh Russia, Public Domain Thursday is Ascension Day the day on which we remember Jesus ascension into heaven 40 days after he rose from the dead.  What I did not realize until recently is that for many this is also a celebration of the new creation that God brought into being by the ascension of Jesus.  What beautiful imagery to carry with us for the rest of the season until Pentecost. This is not a celebration that I grew up with, nor is it one that I have taken much notice of in the last few years.   I was amazed this morning…

  • Prayers for the Journey

    Christine Sine
    12 May 2012 | 11:33 am
    Earth touches heaven – photo by Coe Hutchison Here is my weekly round up of prayers that I have posted on facebook. If you want to read these as they are posted each morning you can like the Light for the Journey page May all things today draw us closer to Christ May the love of God bubble up from within us And overflow in acts of kindness, generosity and peace ————————- Lord Jesus Christ you are faithful and true You are righteous and holy You are loving and merciful May we join ourselves to you today and follow the paths of life…

  • The Labyrinth, The Emotion and Music – by Gil George.

    Christine Sine
    11 May 2012 | 6:12 am
    At the centre of the labyrinth This morning’s post is contributed by our good friend Gil George, whose pregnant wife recently had emergency surgery. It moved me to tears especially when I clicked the link and listened to Gil recite his poem with music in the background. —————————————————————————— This poem has been stirring in me since my wife had to have emergency surgery last week. At the hospital that my wife had her surgery in…

  • Creating Sacred Spaces – Do We Really Need Churches?

    Christine Sine
    10 May 2012 | 6:52 am
    The created world is God’s sanctuary Our annual Celtic retreat is coming. We hold it in August on a beautiful parcel of undeveloped land on Camano Island north of Seattle. There are no buildings. Our sanctuary is a cathedral of trees – cedar and maple and alder that rise above is in a breathtaking green canopy. I particularly love to sit in the early mornings before anyone else is awake, drinking in the beauty of God’s awe inspiring creation. This is a sacred space for me, what is often called a thin space where the veil between heaven and earth seems to be translucent and the…
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    thehighcalling.org

  • A Lawyer Finds Ways to Honor God at Work

    David Rupert
    15 May 2012 | 3:32 pm
    Josh is a High Calling network blogger who writes regularly over at Quieted Waters. His public legal work keeps his identity hidden, but his heart is fully exposed in his thoughtful posts. He is young in age, but wise in his words as he writes about what it means for young professionals to be faithful Christians. He recently posted a series called, Nine Ways to Honor God at Work. There are excellent posts including the admonition to work diligently, to stop workplace theft of time and resources, and to serve your coworkers. Read the whole series here and cheer on this young lawyer in a…

  • Two Easy Ways a Pastor Can Encourage People That All Work Matters

    Marcus Goodyear
    11 May 2012 | 8:46 am
    Two weeks ago, I went running with my pastor during lunch. You can do that in a small town. Somewhere around our second mile, we got to talking about Facebook and marketing segmentation and some of the boring details of my job that get me excited and make other people fall asleep. My pastor listened attentively and encouraged me in my work. He asked questions. He offered some thoughts about his experiences with social media and what they might mean for the church. It was a good conversation because we both valued each other's knowledge. Not once did my pastor imply that my life would have…

  • Community Post: Friends in the Workplace

    mderusha
    10 May 2012 | 10:52 am
    Do you have a best friend at work? Michelle DeRusha, a member of The High Calling community, tells us how having a close friend at work helped her productivity. She writes: "I swear we raised our kids together in those ten-minute bursts of conversation a day. All the joys and frustrations and fears, the euphoric highs and the cataclysmic lows that go hand-in-hand with parenting, and life, really, were exchanged within a 12-foot-by-12-foot office. ... I see now how we grounded each other; how we were each other’s life preserver in a wildly tossing sea." Read more here ...

  • Naked Tennis Ball Follow-Up

    Laity Lodge Pilgrim
    7 May 2012 | 1:18 pm
    The Laity Lodge Pilgrim is going back to Laity Lodge to find the naked tennis ball he wrote about a few weeks ago. He has asked us for suggestions about what to do with it if he finds it again. Image by Grant Harder. Used with permission. Sourced via Flickr. http://www.laitylodge.org/pilgrim-posts/naked-tennis-ball-follow-up-8012/ Author Name:  Laity Lodge Pilgrim

  • What Do People Value in a Career? Love or Money?

    David Rupert
    6 May 2012 | 1:00 am
    The New York Times studied key words in commencement speeches last year and found the words "love" and "world" showed up far more often than "money" and "success." Does this mean there's a shift in what people value most in their careers? Read the article here. Image by Emilie Eagan, Used with permission. Sourced via Flickr. Newsletter Editor David Rupert http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/us/12intro.html Author Name:  David Rupert
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    Good Letters: The Image Blog

  • Whispering Along a Thin Trembling Thread

    15 May 2012 | 11:46 pm
    Most of us are vulnerable to the solipsistic notion that our sufferings and joys are exquisite. My ex-wife once attended a seminar, a Christian women’s retreat, in which the keynote speaker opined about the peace of God. “Most of you have never truly known the peace of God,” the speaker told her audience. “You may think you’ve known the peace of God, but you haven’t.” The speaker had ....

  • Charming Demoiselles

    15 May 2012 | 12:55 am
    It’s good to see the return of writer/director Whit Stillman. I missed his refreshing take on the world, peopled with earnest, decent, often forlorn characters who parody the culture by way of urbane, stylized discussions. In Damsels in Distress, Stillman again features the upper classes, those most maligned by the yawn-inducing “independent” film establishment that applauds its own supposed bravery by....

  • Beads of Memory

    14 May 2012 | 4:34 am
    The hairbrush is cheap black plastic, and vented at the back. It is the humblest kind of quintessentially American consumer item, though today it was doubtlessly made in China. It’s so basic, so echt, that it’s not hard for me, looking at it, to imagine it blown up to giant size in an Andy Warhol painting, or radiating flames in a Keith Haring. I bought the hairbrush in the gift shop of Inova Fairfax Hospital....

  • Finding Something to Worship

    11 May 2012 | 12:03 am
    The New York Times obituaries from Sunday, March 11, 2012 include an article about William Hamilton, the man at the center of the “Death of God” controversy in April of 1966. The controversy was sparked when Time published a cover article about his ideas, with the famous cover: on a simple black background, the question, “Is God Dead?” The Times had already run a headline in January....

  • Late Bloomers

    10 May 2012 | 4:11 am
    My husband and I are going through a time of marital restlessness. Not with each other, but with our life together of twenty-two years––the midlife of our marriage, maybe. The last time we felt this way was at the ten-year point. The result of that restlessness, in combination with opportunity and, we felt, calling, was a move from San Francisco to Salt Lake City. Two years, we thought. A whim, an experiment, a chance to....
 
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    Mere Orthodoxy | Christianity, Politics, and Culture

  • Culture Wars and the Future of the Evangelical Political Witness

    Matthew Lee Anderson
    15 May 2012 | 7:40 am
    Rachel Held Evans struck a chord with her breathless reminder that when it comes to the culture wars, young evangelicals are just so over that.  There’s a lot to agree with in her post and it’s hard to not wonder how pyrrhic the marriage “victories” ultimately will prove.  The best way to ensure that the principles beneath the marriage amendment in North Carolina grows in more fertile soil is to hold it with something of an open hand steel.  Even if it is never overturned, no one likes a boastful winner.What’s more, the categories of “winning” and…

  • What’s a Homemaker Really Worth?

    Matthew Lee Anderson
    14 May 2012 | 9:39 am
    Editor’s note:  This is a guest post by Chris Marlink, Social Media Director for the Family Research Council.  Remember the media prattle about a conservative “war on women?” It would seem that meme has come to an abrupt end thanks largely to DNC strategist and frequent White House visitor, Hilary Rosen, and her less than charitable view of homemakers.Rosen infamously opined that Ann Romney (a homemaker) “has never worked a day in her life. She’s never really dealt with the kinds of economic issues that a majority of women in this country are facing.”…

  • Julia’s Monochromatic Life: A Guest post by Ryan Messmore

    Matthew Lee Anderson
    10 May 2012 | 6:11 am
    Editor’s note:  Ryan is a good friend of mine and a fellow Oliver O’Donovan aficionado.  He was kind enough to take on the now infamous “Life of Julia” from President Obama. Last week President Obama’s campaign website premiered “The Life of Julia,” a slideshow in which a fictional everywoman character benefits from a government program at every stage of life.Each slide contains a retro-chic illustration of Julia against a pastel-hued background, but the slideshow lacks the full color of a human life.Julia’s story focuses almost entirely on government…

  • The Marriage Plot and the Rise of Memoir

    Matthew Lee Anderson
    7 May 2012 | 5:59 am
    Mark Bauerlein has some penetrating thoughts about how individualism has corroded the novel:A good plot needs conflict, an unsettled situation whose outcome we care about. For more than two centuries, the theme of “individual vs. society” provided a ready tension for it, as in Huck Finn’s personal feelings for Jim clashing with the norms of slave society, or Edna in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening rebelling against patriarchal demands in turn-of-the-century Louisiana. The conflict worked precisely because the social side isn’t powerless and on occasion voices a legitimate criticism of…

  • Essay Prizes, the Problem of Evil, and Philosophy of Religion: An Interview with Michael Rea

    Matthew Lee Anderson
    2 May 2012 | 6:13 am
    Notre Dame’s Center for the Philosophy of Religion has just announced a unique opportunity for an academic community:  they are offering 10 $3000 prizes to people who publish essays in non-academic publications that expound upon the philosophical work that’s been done on the problem of evil.One need not be an academic to apply, though familiarity with the academic literature (and an ability to responsibly rearticulate it) is clearly a must.  But the deadline is far enough out that some more enterprising and energetic Mere-O readers may want to do some reading and give it a shot.
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    novus•lumen

  • REIMAGINING THE KINGDOM: Conservative, Fundamentalist Propaganda

    Jeremy
    14 May 2012 | 12:09 pm
    This blog series is based on the research, findings, and arguments that went into my ThM (Historical Theology) thesis and new book, Reimagining the Kingdom: The Generational Development of Liberal Kingdom Grammar from Schleiermacher to McLaren.  Yesterday, someone (and I do know who you are!) posted a 1-star, 147 word review of Reimagining the Kingdom on Amazon. Aside from the fact he didn’t engage a single idea or argument in the book—which makes me question whether he even read it to begin with—he labeled it conservative propaganda, suggesting that I am “simply trying to…

  • “Reimagining the Kingdom” NOW IN PRINT and Foreword

    Jeremy
    14 May 2012 | 8:08 am
    I’m pleased to announce my new book, Reimagining the Kingdom: The Generational Development of Liberal Kingdom Grammar from Schleiermacher to McLaren, is now available in print. There are a few ways to order it: •From me directly for $12 ($6 off this week) with free shipping •From Barnes and Noble for $10.94 (39% discount) plus shipping •From Amazon (eventually, though currently it’s out of stock) •It is also available as an ebook for NOOK and Kindle. And all this week if you order a print version, I will email you an ebook version for NOOK or Kindle for free. Just…

  • Gay Marriage is Not a Justice Issue: Rawlsian vs. Christian Justice

    Jeremy
    13 May 2012 | 9:11 am
    Over the past several years, several pro-gay Christians have sounded the drum beat, along with the rest of culture, that gay marriage is an issue of justice. Particularly over the past few months as things have heated up in North Carolina and now in the White House, liberal Christians who advocate for same-sex marriage say it is an issue of social justice. They lump this issue in with a whole host of other social justice issues, claiming, for instance, that the right for gay and lesbians to marry is as much an issue of justice as the right for black people and white people to marry each…

  • Saturday Book Review: “The Last Enemy: Preparing to Win the Fight of Your Life” by Michael Wittmer

    Jeremy
    12 May 2012 | 7:46 am
    I’ve been contemplating death a lot, lately. Maybe it’s because I just turned 32, and I see my young adult life quickly passing by. Maybe it’s because I’m just coming out of “the land between,” that murky, vacuous space where you’re confused as heck about your purpose in life. Maybe it’s because a childhood neighbor friend dropped dead of a heart attack a few months ago at the age of 29 on an afternoon jog in preparation for a police officer certification program—unlike your stereotypical donut-eating cop, he was in tip-top shape. Perhaps it…

  • EBOOK NOW AVAILABLE—Reimagining the Kingdom: The Generational Development of Liberal Kingdom Grammar from Schleiermacher to McLaren

    Jeremy
    7 May 2012 | 11:28 am
    I’m pleased to announce my new book, Reimagining the Kingdom: The Generational Development of Liberal Kingdom Grammar from Schleiermacher to McLaren, is now available as an ebook for NOOK and Kindle. A print version will be available to purchase within a week or so from most online retailers. You can also pre-order it HERE. This book traces the generational development of liberal Kingdom grammar from Schleiermacher to Ritschl, Rauschenbusch, and Tillich, in order to see how that grammar is affecting contemporary articulations of Kingdom in evangelicalism, particularly progressive…
 
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    Let My People Think (RZIM)

  • Uncovering the New Spirituality (Part 2 of 2)

    Ravi Zacharias
    12 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    When people like Deepak Chopra and Eckhart Tolle become best sellers, there is obviously a market for the ideas they promote. So what ARE those ideas? Is there any truth to them? Find out this week on Let My People Think with Ravi Zacharias.

  • Uncovering the New Spirituality (Part 1 of 2)

    Ravi Zacharias
    5 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    When people like Deepak Chopra and Eckhart Tolle become best sellers, there is obviously a market for the ideas they promote. So what ARE those ideas? Is there any truth to them? Find out this week on Let My People Think with Ravi Zacharias.

  • Effective Apologetics in the 21st Century (Part 2 of 2)

    Ravi Zacharias
    28 Apr 2012 | 12:00 am
    Has the skill of Christian apologetics become outdated in the 21st Century or can we still answer the questions of a modern day culture? That’s our topic this week on Let My People Think.

  • Effective Apologetics in the 21st Century (Part 1 of 2)

    Ravi Zacharias
    21 Apr 2012 | 12:00 am
    Has the skill of Christian apologetics become outdated in the 21st Century or can we still answer the questions of a modern day culture? That’s our topic this week on Let My People Think.

  • Engaging the Happy Thinking Pagan

    Ravi Zacharias
    14 Apr 2012 | 12:00 am
    It’s one thing to dialogue on matters of faith with a person who feels like the things of this world are ultimately unfulfilling. But how do we engage those who are content with a life that is absent of a relationship with God? Ravi Zacharias and Danielle DuRant discuss that this week on Let My People Think.
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    RedBlueChristian

  • Predictions for 2012 US Presidential Elections

    5 May 2012 | 2:02 am
    The 2012 US Presidential Elections will be held on November 6. This is the 57th time American residents will elect their President and Vice President. In December of the same year, the candidates with the highest number of votes will be proclaimed. As stated by the rules of constitution, the 2012 elections will coincide with the senatorial elections wherein one-third of the senators are subject to run for the second term and the house of representative elections (held every two years) to elect 11 new members of the 113th congress. Eleven state legislature and gubernatorial elections will also…

  • FORGETTING 9/11

    29 Apr 2012 | 2:47 pm
    “She would have been a good woman,” the Misfit said, “if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.” The line occurs near the end of Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “A Good Man Is Hard To Find.” It refers to a self-absorbed grandmother who had just been murdered (along with her son and his family) by a religiously reflective killer. Sadly, the poignant observation seems to fit many Americans’ relationship to the events of 9/11/2001. For some weeks following that infamous date, Americans focused intently on things that matter: courage, honor,…

  • A BLUE CHRISTIAN’S SHALLOW CRITIQUE OF “THE PATH OF 9/11″

    29 Apr 2012 | 2:47 pm
    I appreciate Blue Christian Deborah White, she is usually a good thinker and writer at About’s Liberal Politics. I truly appreciate her voice as a RedBlueChristian blogger. However, her critique of ABC’s “The Path to 9/11″ reveals why the Democratic boat always sinks when addressing today’s global Jihadist War. Instead of crying for censorship and threatening ABC like many prominent Democratic politicians, she simply dismissed it as racist (white people verses dark-skinned people), stupid, boring, dull, silly, and containing a downright bigoted betrayal of Middle East neighborhoods…

  • WISDOM FROM ROSIE O’DONNELL

    29 Apr 2012 | 2:46 pm
    Radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America. That was Rosie O’Donnell on ABC’s “The View” just this morning. According to Mary Katherine Ham, who watched the show, this line received applause from the studio audience. [HT: Hot Air] Granted, I don’t expect much from the audience for “The View”, but WOW! One day after the anniversary of 9/11. Just wow. These people are clueless. Update: Here’s a rundown that includes video of Rosie’s statement. Her full comment seems to be making an equivalence between Christians in this country and…

  • CONSPIRACY CRANKS: CREATING CRAZED ‘9/11 TRUTH’

    29 Apr 2012 | 2:45 pm
    I have been trying to figure out why so many people have fallen for conspiracy theories about 9-11. There seems to be an inherent distrust in anything American and a deep antipathy towards Bush. Why? I am not sure, it is possible in our relativistic society, that conservatives are mistrusted because they actually do believe in a yes or no, especially the issues on abortion, homosexual rights, war etc. (not that consevatives have a lock on truth). It is easy to turn someone who believes there is an absolute standard for right and wrong into the “bad guy” who desires to ruin our fun or…
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    Red Letter Believers

  • Going back to the rubble

    14 May 2012 | 7:29 am
    (Photo credit: OldOnliner) Have you ever opened up a desk drawer and promptly closed it because it was just too messy to deal with. Some of us have chapters of our lives that we wish weren't part of our history. There is abundant counsel and books that go to great lengths to help us “deal with it.” The problem is that there seems to be so little to deal with.  For me, when I look back at those years, when I survey the landscape, all I see is rubble. It’s a tangled, twisted mess . Worse of all, I can’t change history, especially the actions of others. I'm not alone…

  • One Brilliant Show

    12 May 2012 | 10:32 pm
    (This is a repost from last year's Mother's Day article. When I printed it off and showed it to her, she cried. I didn't know it would be her last Mother's Day) She was always a good sport. Amazing sense of humor. "Mom, hold this broom and smile" Mom has always had a passion for flowers. She believed they could brighten any drab room, liven any conversation, and change any dour mood. For 20 years, she took this vision earnestly each Sunday at the First Baptist Church. As the flower coordinator, she turned the plain wood altar at the front of the church into a dazzling display of God’s…

  • Brain Freeze

    11 May 2012 | 4:32 pm
    "Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind." -- Leonardo da Vinci, The Notebooks     What do you do to keep fresh? Photo by Justified Sinner Please, share with a friend if you feel moved. Read all past issues at http://www.redletterbelievers.com

  • I should have seen it coming

    9 May 2012 | 6:07 am
    Photo by Andy Arthur When personal tragedy hits, we often are shocked to the core. Where did that come from?When we are hit with a failed relationship or a big bill or the loss of a job, we go into a nerve-rattling state of unbelief. Who could have seen that one coming?But the truth of the matter is that there really is no such thing as “all of sudden" When we objectively look back at our past, we can see the missteps, the disobedience and the bad choices that led to the current predicament.There things in my life that need to be fixed – right now before they get to crisis. And…

  • The F Word

    7 May 2012 | 6:02 am
    I'll never forget the first cuss word my son brought home from school. It was the first grade and this mild, quiet blonde-haired blue- eyed little boy uttered a word that had never been spoken in our home. The shocking thing was how easy it rolled of his tongue, a parrot simply mocking the words of another. He was surprised at our reaction, his innocent and ignorance in play.We quickly scrubbed the offending word out of his vocabulary. Other words would find their way from the world and each time, we had to nudge the language back to wholesome. However, there was one particular word that,…
 
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    Reformissionary

  • American Gospel: Tall Tales Vol. 1

    Steve McCoy
    14 May 2012 | 12:05 pm
    I made a discovery today. Streaming free today is an album by a band (dude) I've never heard of. Gregg DellaRocca is American Gospel. Tomorrow American Gospel's album, Tall Tales Volume 1, is out. I'm guessing very few of my readers have heard of this album and I hope you'll check it out. Gregg is the vocalist/singer for The Republic of Wolves. The album is DellaRocca on nearly every instrument and vocals. Gregg writes... Tall Tales Vol.1 combines story telling and personal experiences to deliver a fun, compelling, and sometimes dark, multi-genre musical experience. From…

  • Music Monday 5.14.12

    Steve McCoy
    14 May 2012 | 11:36 am
    STREAMING FREE Mount Eerie: Clear Moon Beach House: Bloom Best Coast: The Only Place CHEAP Tuneyards: W H O K I L L ($4.99) Damien Jurado: Maraqopa ($4.99) Patrick Watson: Adventures In Your Own Backyard ($5) Of Monsters And Men: My Head Is An Animal ($4.99) Alabama Shakes: Boys & Girls ($5) Spiritualized: Sweet Heart Sweet Light ($4.99) May $5 Albums BURNING UP MY iPOD Silversun Pickups: Neck of the Woods ($4.99!) Jack White: Blunderbuss

  • Music Monday 5.7.12

    Steve McCoy
    7 May 2012 | 3:30 pm
    STREAMING FREE Best Coast: The Only Place Beach House: Bloom Silversun Pickups: Neck of the Woods CHEAP Damien Jurado: Maraqopa ($4.99) Patrick Watson: Adventures In Your Own Backyard ($5) Of Monsters And Men: My Head Is An Animal ($5) Alabama Shakes: Boys & Girls ($5) Spiritualized: Sweet Heart Sweet Light ($5) M. Ward: A Wasteland Companion ($5) Coldplay: Live 2003 ($3.99) The Followers: Wounded Healer (donation or free) May $5 Albums (Shearwater, Dawes, Caribout & many more) BURNING UP MY iPOD Jack…

  • Kindle | Note to Self & Gospel Wakefulness

    Steve McCoy
    1 May 2012 | 12:57 pm
    I often list cheap Kindle books for you. Today I want to add two you need to own: Note To Self by Joe Thorn & Gospel Wakefulness by Jared Wilson.

  • $5 Albums | May 2012

    Steve McCoy
    1 May 2012 | 12:28 pm
    Enjoy a new list of $5 albums from Amazon! Here are ones I recommend you check out... Anais Mitchell: Young Man In America  Shearwater: Animal Joy  The Lumineers: The Lumineers Dawes: Nothing Is Wrong Trampled By Turtles: Stars & Satellites Caribou: Swim Plants and Animals: The End Of That Beach House: Teen Dream Kurt Vile: Smoke Ring For My Halo Amos Lee: Last Days At The Lodge Lambchop: Mr. M Horse Feathers: Thistled Spring The Tallest Man On Earth: Shallow Grave Dr. Dog: We All Belong My Morning Jacket: Circuital The Black Angels: Phosphene Dream M. Ward: Tranfiguration of Vincent…
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    The Scriptorium

  • Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz (1943-2012)

    fredsanders
    16 May 2012 | 4:09 am
    This past weekend (on May 13), the hispanic feminist liberation theologian Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz died. Is “hispanic feminist liberation theologian” too much of a mouthful? She thought so, too. Each of those adjectives is accurate as a description of her work, but all strung together like that, they sounded like a tangle of disparate threads.… [Continue Reading]

  • Imitating Jesus’ Dependence on the Father and the Spirit

    fredsanders
    16 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    Klaus Issler‘s new book Living into the Life of Jesus: The Formation of Christian Character (IVP, 2012) is a  unique product. It looks like a spiritual formation book, and it is. From its green cover with a picture of a lone figure walking down a path into a gauzy landscape, you can tell it’s going… [Continue Reading]

  • The Ascension: Christ Among Us, Christ Above Us

    Peter David Gross
    14 May 2012 | 7:54 pm
    My awesome little Baptist church follows the church calendar (Yes, that’s right.), and this Thursday is Ascension Day. After preaching at our midweek service last year, I became the church’s unofficial Ascension nut, and I’m getting ready to preach again. It’ll be our third sermon on the Ascension, each with a different approach, and between the… [Continue Reading]

  • How to Teach Salvation: Three Mysteries

    fredsanders
    14 May 2012 | 2:44 pm
    There are three great mysteries in Christian theology: the Trinity, the incarnation, and the atonement. These three mysteries are all mysteries of unity: The mystery of the Trinity is how the three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are the one, only God. The mystery of the incarnation is how the divine nature is united to… [Continue Reading]

  • Metathon 2012 – Dante’s Inferno Dr. Geier: “It’s interesting that Satan’s uninteresting.”

    Peter David Gross
    11 May 2012 | 3:42 pm
    The Metathon ended Sunday night, complete with its traditional climactic cake. Lots of us stayed up an hour or two after eating to follow loose conversational threads from the last few days (“So what did you mean that knowledge is an image?”) or to play with our newly-minted inside jokes. It’s amazing the sort of work… [Continue Reading]
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    Seedlings in Stone

  • On, In, and Around Mondays: The Questionable School Choice

    L.L. Barkat
    12 May 2012 | 2:57 pm
    "Sometime I want to hear how distance-learning has gone for your daughter this year," she wrote.I am not sure what to say.On the floor are three copies of Machiavelli's The Prince. Different versions, for comparison. My girl ordered them from the library after reading an excerpt in her history text.We never really used texts before this year, but the distance-learning school uses them. So here we are. With the exception of Biology, it seems to me that the real learning still seems to be happening on my girl's own terms. Machiavelli, times three.The distance-learning school assigns essays. She…

  • On, In and Around Mondays: Focusing on the Wild

    L.L. Barkat
    5 May 2012 | 10:16 am
    Every year, this lawn gets wilder. I have been letting it happen, even making it happen by spreading dandelion seeds to the wind, by refusing to mow the leopard-faced flowers that look something like violets but smaller and more elongated. This morning, I was greeted by more buttercups, more purple spike flowers, more wild mustard than I was last year in May.I love this wildness, this lack of landscaping focus—in a county that prizes the pristine, the trimmed, the perfectly edged.Suddenly, the thought rises in me—a thought I've been toying with in conversations and private musings…

  • Rumors Writes on the Ether

    L.L. Barkat
    3 May 2012 | 7:50 pm
    Delighted to be at Jane Friedman's place for the month of May. She's got some of the best advice on writing and publishing you'll find anywhere.

  • On, In, and Around Mondays: Eating the Simple

    L.L. Barkat
    28 Apr 2012 | 7:49 am
    They got a $157,000 grant to study dandelions.But long before this, my mother taught us to eat the greens.Sometimes we eat the flowers too, tickly as they are, because there's a lovely sweetness inside the tickle. Cut open the stems or leaves, and you've got a free remedy for skin conditions. The roots are said to taste like coffee, and that's where the $157,000 tea is being brewed... from knobbly-looking roots.How many times have you dug those roots up and tossed them in the compost pile? Every root an astonishing elixir against cancer.I am reminded again of the power of simple things.

  • On, In, and Around Mondays: Listen to the Small

    L.L. Barkat
    21 Apr 2012 | 8:49 am
    Looking out over the lawn, its uneven terrain of purple spikey wild flowers and white violets, I perceive within myself a small ache.Maybe a loneliness.I sit very still and listen to it, until it grows large enough to ask for expression. Then I pick up my business journal and begin to write.The loneliness translates itself, articulates. What I am really wanting is more face-to-face time with my colleagues. But my work doesn't work that way. It's all conducted through keyboard characters and finger taps, just as I am communicating with you now.I daydream about working in an entrepreneurial…
 
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    Simply Missional

  • Chaos and Mission

    admin
    15 May 2012 | 9:50 am
    Photo Credit: Scott Wade It’s early Sunday morning. The past few weeks have been furious. Travel, speaking, fundraising and trying my best to prepare for our summer trips to Haiti and Africa. Then I get the “oh snap, that just happened,” phone call. Our Haiti plan literally just blew up in our face. What do we do now? The good news, I know God is always taking care of me, even when I don’t “get it.” So, I lean into that place of understanding. That said, life is crazy busy… it’s like the universe jumps into a car, pushes down the gas-pedal and…

  • Mission Trips, t-shirts, shoes and toothbrushes.

    admin
    27 Mar 2012 | 5:04 am
      Mission trips, shoes, toothbrushes and t-shirts. It’s getting close to “that” time of the year… Mission trip season is right around the corner. Lots of folks will leave the comforts of America (and other places) and travel to some far off land in hopes of loving and serving the “poor.” Mission trips seem so right, so good, so noble, so missional. Unfortunately, they can also be so wrong, so thoughtless and terribly damaging. Not to mention expensive, really really expensive. Over and over again these past few weeks, I’ve heard folks proclaim…

  • Haiti Journal

    admin
    20 Feb 2012 | 1:58 pm
    I spent the last week in Haiti. My friend Dan King joined us on this trip to tell stories. Below are the stories that he wrote while in Haiti. Some good stuff here, enjoy! 1) Building a Playground. It’s more than just a playground!  2) How to change a life: The power of micro-loans. 3) More Than Just a House. The 100 homes campaign.  4) When Your Sponsored Kid Doesn’t Show Up. 

  • Book Review: 7

    admin
    6 Jan 2012 | 11:44 am
    Jen Hatmaker’s latest book “7″ is a quick hitting book, filled with lots of real life stories that so many of her readers can connect with immediately.  Humbly, and yet with a sense of boldness, Jen tackles some real life issues, that for the most part, we would all like to ignore. Why? How many of us really want to deal with the fact that we possibly spend too much, have too much, eat too much and spend too much time on technology.  No thank you… We all desire our sin to stay in the dark… to be ignored, or justified. Yet, deep in our hearts we know we need change.

  • Monday Morning Breakdown

    admin
    12 Dec 2011 | 8:49 am
      It’s Monday morning. As I stare at the calendar, it seems crazy that 2011 is almost gone. Needless to say, November and December have been crazy busy with travel, events, and  the holidays. H.E.L.P. launched our Christmas campaign last week. So excited to see this project come alive. We’ve also launched our new bloggers initiative. It’s still in beta, but I LOVE the potential. Here’s an example from Seth Haines. Bloggers can help get kids sponsored. So much potential. Had a great time in NYC last week.  Always enjoy hanging out with Matthew and Sarah…
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    Strangely Dim

  • What I'm Editing: A Deeper Look at James, by Andrew and Phyllis Le Peau

    Lisa Rieck
    9 May 2012 | 4:49 pm
    This past Sunday I was in Charlotte, North Carolina, visiting college friends and tagged along to a pre-church ministry team meeting. Before singing and praying, we spent a little time discussing Matthew 17:14-21, where Jesus returns from his transfiguration to...

  • Quick Thoughts: These Are the Rebeccas We Know

    Dave Zimmerman
    9 May 2012 | 3:00 pm
    If you believe Wikipedia, then you'll believe--despite no external corroborating evidence--that May is "National Rebecca Appreciation Month." The whole notion of it seems pretty contrived; my best guess is that some hormone-and-moxie-charged high school senior (probably in band or AP...

  • True Love Makes You Beautiful: #letters2afuturechurch from Lisa

    Lisa Rieck
    27 Apr 2012 | 10:57 am
    I've got brides on my mind. Three in particular.

  • An Act of Consideration: #letters2afuturechurch from Suanne

    Suanne Camfield
    18 Apr 2012 | 11:53 am
    We've decided to celebrate April Fool's Month by trying our hand at writing Scripture, in the spirit of John's letters to seven churches in the book of Revelation and the recently released Letters to a Future Church. Feel free to...

  • Neither I Nor You Are Its: #letters2afuturechurch from Dave

    Dave Zimmerman
    9 Apr 2012 | 8:22 am
    We've decided to celebrate April Fool's Month by trying our hand at writing Scripture, in the spirit of John's letters to seven churches in the book of Revelation and the recently released Letters to a Future Church. Feel free to...
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    Tall Skinny Kiwi

  • Blog banter on church leadership and fresh expressions

    Andrew
    15 May 2012 | 12:58 pm
    Up at 4am this morning. Interesting blog banter going on from 3 Brits: 1. Richard Passmore on Fresh Expressions "I think FE may actually hinder change in the longer term because of the gravitational pull of the institution and accompanying orthodoxy. I think we are already seeing dissenting voices being marginalised as FE spreads and the orthodox centre gathers pace. I was talking the other day to someone about how some of the most pioneering imaginative work (both inside the Church of England and outside) i see are not part of FE. Is Fresh Expressions a Movement? 2. Mike Breen on church…

  • Video: Our family at PassionFest2012

    Andrew
    14 May 2012 | 4:50 pm
    So PassionFest blew us away again this year and it was so good to be here. Its a festival for justice-minded Christians hosted at the Ngatiawa contemporary monastery here in New Zealand. I managed to put a short video together to give you a taste of the festival. Our kids appear constantly and my wife Debbie is teaching spinning and asking young people what they think PassionFest is all about. Hope you like it. 

  • Baptist monks and couch-surfing apostles: 10 Signs that the future church is here already.

    Andrew
    13 May 2012 | 4:13 pm
    10 years ago today I published an article on Soularize that suggested the church still had a long way to go before it was hitting its target but that there were early signs that prove hopeful and promising. Reading the article [Postmodern Church: Are We There Yet?] again today, it seems a lot of those first-fruits are more visible and integral to how we do church today. 10 Years! This was a long time before CouchSurfing.org appeared and became a vehicle for young pilgrims to cruise the planet, and before my term "deep ecclesiology " found its way into books, and before the new monastic…

  • Global emerging church gathering in Brazil

    Andrew
    8 May 2012 | 4:23 pm
    Update: I am reposting this because Encontro Global Tribal Generation 2012 happens next month. They had over 4000 in attendance when they did this event 2 years ago. A teaser for this year: Olgalvaro Bastos Jr who is hosting the gathering is the guy who kicked off our "new wineskins for new wine" discussion on the video in the previous post. Olgalvaro is the author of A Revolução do Pensamento, a book that describes the emerging church movement in Latin America, which, as everyone knows, started in Chile in the 90's. Hope you can read Portuguese. Original Post: A global gathering of…

  • Videos from Underground Ministries Roundtable

    Andrew
    7 May 2012 | 9:32 pm
    I just uploaded some videos I took at the Global Roundtable of Underground Ministries which we held at Cornerstone Festival in Illinois last year. Sorry it took so long to get the videos up. Hope you enjoy them. Attendance was a little spotty in places because most of us were also involved in Cornerstone Festival [I taught 3 seminars] but we managed to have some really good discussions about what God was doing in our countries and what new movements were springing up. Here is a taste of our morning worship, this time led by an American, a Romanian and a Portuguese. And a Canadian on his big…
 
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    The Lutheran

  • Question for the ELCA

    1 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    Does my beloved church believe evangelism is our first business? Of course, evangelism is not the only business of the church. But if the church follows our Lord's last command (Matthew 28:18-20), a bundle of adult baptisms should occur, as at Pentecost.I did some checking. There are some 9,800 ELCA congregations and last year there were 4,978 adult baptisms. That must mean almost half of our congregations didn't have one adult baptism and the other half spent an entire year converting one person. If Pentecost had a similar track record, it would have been a colossal flop. Instead, a church…

  • Giving money away

    1 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    Young people from Trinity Lutheran Church, Boulder, Colo., are covered with paint since they've just returned from a rousing session of paintball. But all they want to talk about is the Trinity Youth Community Fund because they know it's a ministry that changes lives — and that the church exists for the sake of the world.Mara Erhardt, 17, is quick to tell about a 2009 grant recipient: "We gave funds to a program to train medical professionals to recognize signs of child sex trafficking. When we heard about the amount of sex trafficking in Denver, we were shocked. Our eyes were opened.

  • Graduation refreshments

    1 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    For the past five years Sally Johnson, Nadine Lafuze and Barbara Bell, members of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Dalton, Ga., have provided a behind-the-scenes ministry to a specific community population. Four or five times each year they serve refreshments after graduation ceremonies from Conasauga Drug Court, a program for first-time offenders.The drug court is dedicated to reducing drug-related criminal offenses. Its outcomes are in the 99th percentile, with other counties using it as a model for their programs.

  • Every piece is essential

    1 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    Essential Pieces, a Lutheran Family Services of Virginia program, opened a "huge window" for Shelley Drago and her son, Camdyn, 4, diagnosed with autism last September.Named for the pieces of a puzzle, it "[puts] the pieces together for the sake of our children," said James H. Utt, a pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Winchester, Va., where the program began in 2008. Today, Essential Pieces offers eight-week evening sessions that connect parents of autistic children with community resources and professionals. It helps parents become proactive in accessing occupational and physical therapy,…

  • Paper pantry

    1 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    Tissues and paper towels may not be luxury items in your home, but folks who visit the Paper Pantry at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church in Petoskey, Mich., tell the volunteers that those items certainly are.Two years ago, member Vicki Morgan realized that people aren't allowed to purchase basic paper and personal products with state food assistance. They were going without these items in order to put gas in their cars or fill prescriptions. So the church opened a pantry that twice a month provides families with toilet paper, laundry detergent, dish soap, hand soap, paper towels, feminine…
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    Century Blog

  • Some marriage equality links

    Steve Thorngate
    15 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    Last week I joined the chorus of those who wished for a bit more from the president's endorsement of same-sex marriage. Among those who were more unambiguously enthusiastic, I found E. J. Graff's later post pretty compelling. read more

  • Tuesday digest

    Steve Thorngate
    15 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    New today from the Century: Will Willimon on being bishop, John Buchanan on baseball, more. read more

  • Apostolic fate

    Katherine Willis Pershey
    15 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    I was drying dishes and absentmindedly singing the song that had been stuck in my head for days when my husband suddenly came barreling down the staircase and into the kitchen. Looking frantic, he asked me what had happened. We were both confused; he was convinced that I had cried out in pain, and he fully expected to walk in on a grisly cooking incident.We quickly realized the source of the miscommunication. The song I’d been singing was Lady Gaga’s “Judas,” and I sounded like a lady in distress as I belted out, “Judas, Juda-a-a.” read more

  • The gay-rights week that was

    Richard A. Kauffman
    14 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    Last week was a momentous one for gay and lesbian issues. On Sunday Vice President Biden said on NBC’s Meet the Press that he is “absolutely comfortable with the fact that men [are] marrying men, women marrying women,” and he thinks they “are entitled to … all the civil rights” of heterosexual couples.On Tuesday the electorate in North Carolina voted overwhelmingly for a constitutional amendment that proscribes same-sex marriage and civil unions, despite the fact that the state already has a law against it.Most momentous of all, President Obama told ABC’s Robin Roberts on…

  • Monday digest

    Steve Thorngate
    14 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    New today from the Century: Evangelicals and birth control, post-Mother's Day murmurings, more. read more
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    theologer

  • Best Books Ever

    Roger Mugs
    11 May 2012 | 2:24 am
    I moved my sidebar around a little bit, so the following will be a permanent feature. But I wanted to include a post about this. The following are the books I wish I had written, they're are not just brilliant, but incredibly pointed, bold, and God honoring. They are all available free (except their Amazon Links), I've gotten them off of Google Books, or Archive.org or elsewhere. The best I can tell they are all public domain books (if for some reason you think otherwise let me know, I'll just remove the link), and therefore you are also free to distribute them. I'm a huge fan in a big way of…

  • Vain Discussion. Theological Crusaders. Morons Like Us. (1 Tim 1:5-7)

    Roger Mugs
    10 May 2012 | 6:14 pm
    "The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions." - 1 Timothy 1:5-7 The point of Paul's teaching is love. Love. And yet there are those who study the word so that they can teach the word, and they don't realize the whole point is love. Love. There are more than a few people who have wandered away from good teaching…

  • Who Killed Men's Hats ➙

    Roger Mugs
    5 May 2012 | 7:46 pm
    A hundred years ago — and that's when this picture was taken, in 1912 — men didn't leave home without a hat. Boys wore caps. A subject closer and closer to my heart, as I quickly grow more and more bald.

  • On Methodology

    Roger Mugs
    2 May 2012 | 3:57 am
    1) If you have to pick a method, pick one which enables you to leave at any time without adverse effects. The best model I know of for this leans heavily on the side of support. Support what already exists and focus immediately on raising up leaders under the leaders you're supporting. The next generation of leaders is of utmost importance, and calling people to focus on reproduction is never a bad call. Lead leaders. Bless pastors. Encourage those already in ministry. If you feel called to plant your own church submit yourself to the authority of another pastor, and call others to do the…

  • Leader vs. Elder or Overseer

    Roger Mugs
    30 Apr 2012 | 2:02 am
    My ESV only uses the English word "leader" twice in the New Testament. One is specifically in reference to Jesus: "God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins" - Acts 5:31 And the other is a warning to him who sees himself as a leader. That he should become as one who serves. "But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves." - Luke 22:26This is pertinent because when we read Titus, or the Timothys and read about the qualifications for elders and…
 
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    Think Christian Articles

  • What books should every Christian read?

    John Pattison
    16 May 2012 | 4:19 am
    Posted on 05/16/12 When I co-wrote Besides the Bible, a collection of essays about books my co-authors and I think every Christian should read, our hopes for the project were modest. We wanted to encourage followers of Jesus to talk about books, especially the really good books. “This is not a list of the most important books in Christendom,” we say in the introduction. “It is not a comprehensive catalog of the history of the Christian church. It is a list of 100 books, culled from the vast library of the written word, we believe our siblings in Christ will be stronger for…

  • Frank Langella and fame

    Vincent Bacote
    15 May 2012 | 1:44 am
    Posted on 05/15/12 I recently came across two interviews with Frank Langella discussing his memoir Dropped Names: Famous Men and Women as I Knew Them. I first saw Langella on the Tavis Smiley Show and then Charlie Rose the next night. Both times I watched with great fascination as Langella talked as much or more about what he learned as a result of writing the book as the famous figures (all deceased) in the text.  In the midst of discussing Rita Hayworth with Smiley, Langella stated that after writing the book he became aware of how many famous people weren’t well parented. By…

  • Journey and the value of companionship

    Drew Dixon
    13 May 2012 | 1:58 am
    Posted on 05/13/12 When I first saw a figure in the distance, I was unsure how I should react. I wanted to yell - I had been walking alone for what seemed like miles and I wasn’t entirely sure where I was. However, I didn’t know this person. How could I know that I could trust her? I didn’t speak. I simply walked toward her, she acknowledged me and turned and began walking toward the looming mountain in the horizon. I followed. We walked silently together. At first I followed, but we soon reversed roles and I began leading the way. At some point suspicion of my companion…

  • The missed opportunity of the Freedom Tower

    David Greusel
    11 May 2012 | 2:52 am
    Posted on 05/11/12 The Empire State Building has once again lost its claim to being New York City’s tallest tower (having been eclipsed several times in the “world’s tallest” category). With 100 floors complete and counting, the Freedom Tower, aka 1 World Trade Center, has passed the venerable Art Deco landmark recently and isn’t looking back. This event, though greeted with press releases and mild fanfare, left me more sad than satisfied. For one thing, the so-called Freedom Tower owes its very existence to the horrific attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, an event I…

  • What science cannot say about morality

    Jason E. Summers
    10 May 2012 | 1:29 am
    Posted on 05/10/12 Editor's note: Agendas Aside, a Think Christian series on homosexuality and the church, also includes pieces by Neil de Koning, Joshua Walters and Glenn Goodfellow. “Black people are worth less than white people,” my 11-year-old African-American mentee matter-of-factly informed me as we were working on his science-fair project. As we talked about this it became clear that he had somehow collapsed the value of human beings into a conflation of lifetime income and economic productivity such that he was certain the “worth” of an individual could be…
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    Bible Gateway's Verse of the Day

  • Zephaniah 3:17

    Bible Gateway
    15 May 2012 | 7:00 pm
    “The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.””
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    All Blogs - XXXchurch

  • A Question and a Challenge: Do You Have Sexually Healthy People Around You?

    16 May 2012 | 2:14 am
    So... Earlier today, I was blogging for another organization that I work for and a parallel came to mind that I wanted to transition over to this site as well. I was talking about the power of influence and how we can learn things *much quicker* when we're around individuals that are *skilled* in what we'd like to perfect. The example that I gave was going to a foreign language and being around people who only speak in that tongue; that it's far more effective to do that than to sit in a classroom trying to conjugate Spanish, French or Chinese verbs. To be around people who actually *live it*…

  • Should I Perform Like a Porn Star?

    15 May 2012 | 2:36 am
    At times in my marriage, I felt like my husband wanted me to perform like a porn star.  I felt pressured to act and be someone I was not.  I believed if I could perform like a porn star then maybe he would want me more… maybe our sex life would finally have that missing link and finally feel complete.  I knew something was missing, but what?  I couldn’t quite figure out what it was we both needed in the bedroom. Sadly, I could never fully meet my husband’s needs and desires because they were unrealistic.  They were based on the world’s view of…

  • Porn - Is It Impacting Your Reality?

    15 May 2012 | 2:34 am
    Pornography at its most fundamental level has no basis in reality. It is nothing more than a fantasy that, in one form or another, negatively affects the lives of men. Porn influences how men think about, value, and ultimately treat women. It should come as no surprise, then, that men experience difficulty in their relationships and ability to interact with real women due to pornography use. Real women have emotions and feelings. They enjoy the freedom to share those feelings and emotions in the context of loving relationships. Porn fails to acknowledge these simple facts. The actresses in…

  • South Park and Friend Zones: Competing for Attention

    14 May 2012 | 8:54 pm
    Competing for Attention You know the old (terrible) saying, “Nice guys finish last”? Well, when I was a teenager, I definitely played both sides of that phrase. From a young age, what I had witnessed about gaining the attention of girls was that you either had to be extremely loud and uninhibited, willing to make a total donkey of yourself, or you had to play the best friend who listens to every little problem and piece of drama while simultaneously being constantly on guard as to not enter into the dreaded “friend zone”.  Girls, no guy wants to hear…

  • Boys Will Be Boys: Part Two

    14 May 2012 | 2:09 pm
    Editor’s Note: On Friday, we began hearing the story of Charlie, an 11-year-old struggling with pornography addiction (Read Part One of this article here).  As his mother has shared, she, like so many parents, had no idea that the troubling transformation she observed in her son’s life was rooted in his access to pornography.  Rather than continuing to turn a blind eye and just saying “boys will be boys”, she decided to intervene.  Here is the rest of Charlie and his mother’s story (excerpted from the MailOnline): I was going to bed when I noticed…
 
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    [TerraceCrawford.com]

  • Free eBook: A Beautiful Mess

    15 May 2012 | 12:01 pm
      My friend, Mark Oestreicher, has a brand-new book out that is available for FREE for a limited time! Over 3,000 youth workers downloaded the book within the first 24 hours it was available!    You can download, "A Beautiful Mess: What's Right With Youth Ministry" by [clicking here] Here's a short description from the cover: 'Theologically and anecdotally, we can uncover plenty of encouraging signs in the realm of youth ministry, according to Oestreicher, whose youth ministry experience includes time as an in-the-trenches youth worker and as a publisher of youth ministry books…

  • #OC12 Notes: Doug Fields

    27 Apr 2012 | 3:50 pm
    Doug Fields Doug is doing a talk on what he's learned (and been healed from) since he left a paid church staff position. I've journaled my learnings over the last few years. I want to share 3 things that I've been healed from. One thing I realized is how much I (we) put the spotlight on numbers in the church. We had a little slogan in our church that "we count people because people count." A leader is to attendance what a crack addict is to a crack pipe. I realize now that from week-to-week all I was doing was feeding the beast (of my ego). I've read a great book recently called "Renovation…

  • #OC12 Notes: Kara Powell

    27 Apr 2012 | 3:23 pm
    Kara Powell Kara is doing a talk on "Sticky Faith" We do segregation well in the church.  You might be thinking of "race" right now... but I'm talking about "age." Luke 2:41 I'm not satisfied with the stat that 40-50% of students are drifting away from God and the church. Are you? The way that I parent is different because of research. The way that I lead is different because of research. We are asking "How do we win students back?" when really we could be asking "What if we never lost them?" Building deep faith in students has the potential to change this country! Kara gave a fantastic…

  • #OC12 Notes: Andy Stanley

    27 Apr 2012 | 11:11 am
    ANDY STANLEY Andy is doing a talk on "Healthy Staff Culture" I think the church should be the greatest place to work on the planet! Northpoint Community Church came in 3rd for the BEST place to work in the Atlanta area. I want to talk about something (one thing actually) that I've learned that drives healthy staff culture at churches more than anything else! I believe this is the most contagious thing! Mark 10:32-45 Whoever wants to be out front must serve. Mark 10:45 -- this is why Jesus came! Healthy and productive staff cultures are characterized by "mutual submission." This is a game…

  • #OC12 Notes: Craig Groeschel

    27 Apr 2012 | 10:46 am
    CRAIG GROESCHEL Craig is doing a talk on "Raising the Next Generation" What do you think success looks like for the next generation? Culture says success is raising well-rounded, well educated kids. When I'm hiring I want someone who is great at "one thing"... not someone who is average at many things. Jesus asks "What good would it be for a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" David in Psalm 71:18 "Do not forsake me... till I declare your power to the next generation." We are called to unleash single-minded, Christ-centered, Biblically-anchored world changers!   There are…
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    Deep Thoughts by Gman

  • Lord, Change my Attitude - Study on Wednesdays.

    15 May 2012 | 3:58 pm
    http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO

  • Winner vs. Loser

    15 May 2012 | 2:38 pm
    Winner vs Loser by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown The Winner is always part of the answer; The Loser is always part of the problem. The Winner is always has a program; The Loser always has an excuse. The Winner says,"Let me do it for you; The Loser says;" That is not my job." The Winner sees an answer for every problem; The Loser sees a problem for every answer. The Winner says," It may be difficult but it is possible"; The Loser says,"It may be possible but it is too difficult." When a Winner makes a mistake, he says," I was wrong"; When a Loser makes a mistake, he says," It wasn't my…

  • In a Second ....

    15 May 2012 | 2:30 pm
    A man goes to church and starts talking to God. He says: "God, what is a million dollars to you?" and God says: "A penny", then the man says: "God, what is a million years to you?" and God says: "a second". then the man says: "God, can I have a penny?" and God says "In a second."http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO

  • Why She gets a Day - Happy Mother's Day!

    13 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO

  • He Chose the Nails. - A Review.

    12 May 2012 | 3:49 pm
    I read "He Chose the Nails" a few years ago. I re-read it again this year - after being given a free copy to review. (I had regretfully given alot of my Lucado books away in a past ministry and wish to reclaim and rebuild my personal library for study.) Max Lucado makes it so clear and understandable for what God did to win our hearts. Christ did it for us. The tools of toture tell their own story. One of the biggest things to this book (and wasn't there when it first came out) includes now a study guide where you can use this book as a discussion guide for your small groups. (Well worth the…
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    Digging The Word

  • I Am Redeemed

    Rick Morgan
    12 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    I’ve got a new name, a new life and a hope that will carry me home! Seems like all I can see was the struggle Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past Bound up in shackles of all my failures Wondering how long is this gonna last Then You look at this prisoner and say to me “son stop fighting a fight that’s already been won” I am redeemed, You set me free So I’ll shake off theses heavy chains Wipe away every stain now I’m not who I used to be I am redeemed All my life I have been called unworthy Named by the voice of my shame and regret But when I hear You whisper, “Child lift up…

  • One With Christ

    Rick Morgan
    11 May 2012 | 9:44 am
    A series on Jesus final teachings before his betrayal. John 15:1-8  "I am the true grapevine, and My Father is the gardener.  2  He cuts off every branch of Mine that doesn't produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.  3  You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.  4  Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me." 5  "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.

  • God Plants A New Vine

    Rick Morgan
    9 May 2012 | 9:48 am
    A series on Jesus final teachings before his betrayal. John 15:1  "I am the true grapevine, and My Father is the gardener. Isaiah 5:4,7  What more could I have done for My vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did My vineyard give Me bitter grapes? The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the LORD of Heaven's Armies. The people of Judah are His pleasant garden. He expected a crop of justice, but instead He found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead He heard cries of violence. Psalms 80:8-12  You brought us from Egypt like…

  • Jesus Is An Awesome Gift Giver

    Rick Morgan
    7 May 2012 | 9:47 am
    A series on Jesus final teachings before his betrayal. John 14:1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me." John 14:27  “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 16:33  I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." The world that Jesus walked into was very troubled, there was always a lot of trouble in world history that had…

  • So Help Me God

    Rick Morgan
    2 May 2012 | 10:07 am
    A series on Jesus final teachings before his betrayal. John 14:15-21  "If you love Me, obey My commandments.  16  And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn't looking for Him and doesn't recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you. 18  No, I will not abandon you as orphans, I will come to you.  19  Soon the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me. Since I live,…
 
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    Human3rror

  • Good Morning

    admin
    11 May 2012 | 5:11 am
    You just finished reading Good Morning! and you survived!

  • Ja-va

    admin
    8 May 2012 | 2:28 pm
    You just finished reading Ja-va! and you survived!

  • Jesus Clears the Temple

    admin
    4 May 2012 | 5:40 am
    He’s so fly. You just finished reading Jesus Clears the Temple! and you survived!

  • If Jesus Were to Compete in a Swimming Race…

    admin
    2 May 2012 | 5:43 am
    Super powers. You just finished reading If Jesus Were to Compete in a Swimming Race…! and you survived!

  • Mac Classic Black

    admin
    1 May 2012 | 10:50 am
    Attractive. You just finished reading Mac Classic Black! and you survived!
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    Monica with mobile

  • Visiting Grounds for Sculpture

    monica
    8 May 2012 | 1:24 pm
    Last week we met up with other homeschoolers for a long-overdue visit to  Grounds for Sculpture. As a lover of art and long-time New Jersey resident, I’m embarrassed to admit this was my first visit to Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey – a mere 52 minutes from my house. Now I can’t wait to go back, because even though we spent a good portion of the day, we didn’t get a chance to see all of the sculptures. Here are a few of our favorites: This first sculpture is “Summer Thinking” by Seward Johnson and it was one of the many pieces that we…

  • 43

    monica
    28 Apr 2012 | 9:24 pm
    Today is my 43rd birthday. I’m too tired to write much about it. That’s aging, I guess. The tired trumps desire. The day in pictures: This is the card the 7-year-old girlie wrote for me. She’s subtle, this girl. “Mommy, how do you spell hope?” With a sly, backward glance she walks away. Moments later, the card. Lilacs from our yard, via 12-year-old son. They smell wonderful. Red velvet cupcakes. As for the mystery box which I told you about the other day – one final picture: My husband knows me well, what can I say? I adore my iPhone, but this iPad is a…

  • Anticipation

    monica
    25 Apr 2012 | 7:45 am
    What could it be? Books? Jewelry? A kitchen appliance? I always guess household items when it comes to presents and my husband. That vacuum cleaner was a Christmas present years ago, when our house was still new to us, and I needed a good vacuum. Last Christmas, a blender. I don’t mind practical gifts. I love getting gifts, love the anticipation and surprise. I think I typically get practical gifts because I’m a no-frills kind of person. Buying my own gifts for holidays and birthdays is usually how it works around here. Not the most romantic or exciting way to celebrate, but…

  • Lucy is learning : an Unschooling update

    monica
    23 Apr 2012 | 5:12 pm
    I played on my laptop this morning, drinking coffee, surfing the web, trying to wake up fully. Lucy, my youngest and newly 7-years-old, used my aerobic step as a desk on the floor next to me. I wasn’t paying too much attention to what she was doing. Like  I said, I was trying to wake up. “Mommy, I want to read my story to you, ” she said. Ok. And then she told me the story of the mermaid and the sea and “the girl cool and kind.” Cute, I thought to myself, still only vaguely paying attention. She’d been working in the purple notebook with her birthday…

  • Books-a-weekend

    monica
    21 Apr 2012 | 9:30 pm
    It’s been books, books, books since Friday. Here is the evidence in pictures. The above photo is from yesterday when I – along with other homeschooling moms – attempted to unload our unwanted curriculum on those in search of a good deal. I made $26, plus spent a few dollars on a few select teaching books. I’m a sucker for anything for teaching writing and literature. That was Friday night. Earlier in the day, I drove Susan to her book group which happens to meet at Princeton Public Library. Have I ever told you how much I adore that library? Such a gem. I think one of…
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    Thinking Out Loud

  • Wednesday Link List

    paulthinkingoutloud
    16 May 2012 | 5:17 am
    If you missed the bonus edition of the link list this week, be sure to click over to Monday. Quotation of the day, from Arminius, after whom Arminianism is named: ““Next to the study of the Scriptures which I earnestly inculcate, I exhort my pupils to peruse Calvin’s Commentaries…” (appropriately, as quoted on an Arminian blog.) Canadian author, apologist and television host Grant Jeffrey passed away on the weekend. His independent publishing catalog was purchased years ago by Random House subsidiary Waterbrook Press, with Wikipedia listing 34 titles including one…

  • Book Review: Love Works

    paulthinkingoutloud
    15 May 2012 | 5:47 am
    Love Wins. Love Does. Love Works.  Lots of books right now on the market with titles that will inevitably confuse some. I’m considering writing a set of four: Love Hurts. Love Scars. Love Wounds. Love Mars. But I am digressing big time. Love Works (subtitle: Seven Timeless Principles for Effective Leaders) is most appropriately titled however, because this is a book about going to work, or better yet, taking principles with you to work. The principles are based on the “Love Chapter” in the first few verses of I Corinthians 13. Author Joel Manby knows these principles can…

  • Monday Link List

    paulthinkingoutloud
    14 May 2012 | 5:30 am
    Rejected from the position of Wednesday List Lynx, this one wants to know if a mascot position for a Monday List Lynx is opening up. Monday? Because (a) there’s no law against it, and (b) some of these just couldn’t wait! That’s Dr. Gloria Gaither to you, as the southern gospel songstress receives an honorary doctorate in music from Nyack College, a Christian and Missionary Alliance school in New York. Okay, we just lost our younger demographic. So, in the interest of equal time, Hawk Nelson now has a new lead singer. In other music news, here’s 15 Tips for Bloggers…

  • Classic Christian Music Song

    paulthinkingoutloud
    13 May 2012 | 6:52 am
    While assembling things for my own little YouTube upload project, we discovered one of the songs I most wanted to include was already online, and we’d determined only to do songs that didn’t exist anywhere else.  I might still make an exception for this one, but I wanted to share it with you today in this tribute video form.  The band is Scarlet Red; the song is simply titled Why. It wasn’t long before I saw the painful truth before my eyes All my sin had brought a price to pay, and I knew it was for me that Jesus died. I truly love this song, and I hope you enjoy…

  • The Bible: Still Both the All-Time and Current Bestseller

    paulthinkingoutloud
    13 May 2012 | 6:49 am
    This is from Jared Fanning; found at Blogging Theologically and originally sourced at Justin Taylor whose version allows you to zoom in on the stats.
 
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    Just A Thought

  • Compassion in Tanzania

    5 May 2012 | 11:27 am
    From May 6-11, eight Compassion Bloggers will be in Tanzania!They will span Tanzania from coastal city to mountain village, exploring Compassion International's ministry to impoverished children and telling you all about it with words and pictures along the way.You can follow them on TwitterYou can follow their BlogsYou can pray for them and hopefully, you will want to sponsor a child!

  • Zacchaeus - Not Just a Wee Little Man

    30 Apr 2012 | 12:01 am
    My 2 year old has been running around the house singing the children's Bible song about Zacchaeus.  If you are unfamiliar with it, allow me to share the part my son is singing over and over:  Zacchaeus was a wee little man And a wee little man was he He climbed up in a sycamore tree For the Lord he wanted to see And as the Savior passed that way He looked up in that tree And He said, “Zacchaeus,

  • Who Said It? Does It Matter?

    11 Apr 2012 | 9:31 pm
    I wanted to wait a few days before posting this. Now that Easter is over, here is a statement that I hope will challenge and inspire you! This weekend is a time to celebrate redemption at God's hand. Tomorrow, my family will join Christians around the world as we thank God for the all-important gift of grace through the resurrection of His son, and experience the wonder of Easter morning. 

  • He Has Risen

    7 Apr 2012 | 10:03 am
    He Has Risen! He Has Risen Indeed! But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. (Matthew 28:5-6) Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great

  • I wonder if Jesus... - Just A Thought #52

    1 Apr 2012 | 12:02 am
    Spring is in the air and I am feeling a bit...restless.  Not in a, dissatisfied with life, type of way.  More like an, I need a new challenge, type of thing. I have been wondering and praying about what might be next.  Is this God stirring my pot in order to prepare me for something new or is God just stirring me to be ready for what He is doing right now?  I don't feel like it's time to change
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    Eric Bryant - Blog

  • M 2012 Conference (Sept. in Detroit)

    Eric Bryant
    15 May 2012 | 2:59 pm
    I will be joining a great lineup of speakers and leaders at M 2012 this fall in Detroit. From the website: “M is an annual experience created by the International Mentoring Network. The experience takes place over 2 days in Motown and serves as a positive and future-oriented rendezvous for Christ-following leaders. The words adventure, exploration, and voyages describe this year’s theme. M is designed to expand your iMagination, Mobilize your team for Mission, and Make our future More HuMan. Registration to M is open to all.” Some of the other speakers include: Erwin McManus-…

  • Interview with Kenny Conley (Wed., 5/23 at 2pm CST)!

    Eric Bryant
    15 May 2012 | 2:27 am
    Join us on Wednesday, May 23rd for an interview with Kenny Conley at 2:00pm CST! Kenny serves as the NextGen Pastor at Gateway Church in Austin, TX. He is the voice behind Childrens Ministry Online and helped launch the Illuminate Conference in 2011. He is one of the co-authors of The Eric Trap: 5 Things Every Leader Has To Get Right. Three options to participate include the following: 1. Sign up for a free Spreecast account and join us online here. You can chat and/or even join us on camera. 2. Watch the interview without joining Spreecast. Just email your questions to me at…

  • StrengthsFinder & Spiritual Gifts Workshops in Austin

    Eric Bryant
    14 May 2012 | 5:30 pm
    Join us for one or both of these great opportunities to connect and discover your uniqueness! The StrengthsFinder Workshop is for anyone – no matter where you are in their spiritual journey. The Spiritual Gifts Workshop is for those who want to deepen their faith. Both will have next steps which include ways to connect, grow, and serve. Click on either of the below links to find out more and for the link to RSVP. Be sure to email at the address above if you have any questions! Strengths Finder in SouthEast Austin (Acton Academy) May 19th 10-11:30am Spiritual Gifts at the McNeil campus…

  • Choose Your Own Adventure? by Debbie Bryant

    Eric Bryant
    13 May 2012 | 7:59 am
    My beautiful wife, Debbie, wrote a post for a mutual friend of ours. In honor of her on this Mother’s Day, I thought I would include her insights on my site today: “Following God is an adventure, to be sure. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on one’s perspective, it is not however a “choose your own adventure”. We often think we would like it to be such. If we had God’s power at our disposal along with our dreams ready to fashion into reality….oh the adventure we could imagine and create. Secretly, this is what we hope. Yes. This is just what…

  • Love Does by Bob Goff

    Eric Bryant
    9 May 2012 | 4:49 pm
    Bob Goff is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Restore International, a non-profit organization which was established to address the atrocities and injustices committed against children. With a passion and vision for finding audacious ways to restore justice to children and the poorest of the poor, Restore’s mission is to make a difference on behalf of those who do not otherwise have a voice. Check out his book – Love Does: Discover A Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World. Bob shared the following inspiring thoughts: “God doesn’t speak to me audibly.
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    Preacherboy

  • Suffering Outside the City Gates

    2 May 2012 | 4:36 pm
    Challenging and inspiring the way only Francis Chan can bring it! "If you're not suffering, you shouldn't be at peace." What? Yea, watch this video.

  • I Love the Missional Community!

    26 Apr 2012 | 2:51 pm
    Another great video shown at the Verge Conference. My dream is we (the Big C Church) would have thousands of baptisms happening daily my missional communities! Yes we are all called as belivers in Christ to GO and baptize.  Do you have a story like this? I would love to hear it!

  • Michael Frost on Loving Our Neighbors!

    24 Apr 2012 | 10:10 pm
    I Love THIS! Enough said, watch it HERE!  

  • Michael Frost on Loving Our Neighbors!

    24 Apr 2012 | 10:05 pm
    I Love THIS! Enough said, watch it HERE!

  • Battle Cry

    1 Apr 2012 | 7:42 pm
    p174.mov Watch on Posterous Today, a group of 20 of us made our way up to Larch Mountain to pray over our city & county. We had awesome time of worship and prayer. We ended our time by yelling the battle cry & blowing the shofar. It was awesome!
 
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    GetReligion

  • Ghost at Catholic girls school

    Bobby Ross Jr.
    15 May 2012 | 1:01 pm
    Since it’s Nuns Day at GetReligion … Seriously, one of my bookmarks for religion news is the New York Times’ Religion and Belief section. While browsing that section today, I came across a feature on “Sister Dolores,” the principal of an all-girls Catholic high school in Brooklyn, N.Y. I clicked the link and found myself enjoying the story of this strict but trusted nun: One of the first lessons a Fontbonne girl learns is that no good can come from crossing Sister Dolores. Sister Dolores, the principal of Fontbonne Hall Academy, an all-girls Catholic high school…

  • About that nuns on the Internet story

    tmatt
    15 May 2012 | 10:16 am
    Time to catch up with a recent story that got buried in all of the coverage of President Barack Obama’s evolution on the definition of marriage and Mitt Romney’s adventures in Moral Majority territory. When I started reading this Associated Press report, I found it rather liberating. It was nice to read a story about Catholic nuns that was unrelated to the whole uproar about the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the Vatican’s attempt to pull that organization’s leaders out of the world of beyond-Jesus experimentation. It was good to read another story about…

  • Hey media: people’s ‘pinterests’ are fading

    Sarah Pulliam Bailey
    15 May 2012 | 7:42 am
    If you take the future of journalism seriously, you might consider reading a new piece on how journalism isn’t just being overlooked, it’s being replaced. Follow the right people and organizations on Facebook and Twitter, and you’ll find out what’s happening close to you, straight from the source. LocalWiki, Pinwheel, Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare clearly do not replace a good local newspaper, but they offer a combo that is increasingly becoming good enough. We saw the trend back when Craigslist began killing newspaper’s classified ads, and now we’re seeing…

  • Mitt Romney addresses “people of different faiths”

    tmatt
    14 May 2012 | 5:08 pm
    Here we go again. If you are interested in religion news (as opposed to pure politics), and you are willing to look at Mitt Romney’s Liberty University commencement speech from the point of view of the audience, then it’s pretty clear which paragraph deserves the most attention. Here it is: People of different faiths, like yours and mine, sometimes wonder where we can meet in common purpose, when there are so many differences in creed and theology. Surely the answer is that we can meet in service, in shared moral convictions about our nation stemming from a common worldview. The…

  • Covering the same-sex marriage effect on voters

    Mollie
    14 May 2012 | 9:49 am
    Embedded here is a clip from CNN’s Reliable Sources, headlined “Media embrace same-sex marriage story,” where host Howard Kurtz discusses the media coverage of President Barack Obama’s announcement regarding same-sex marriage with Terence Smith, Nia-Malika Henderson and Lauren Ashburn. Are media rooting for Obama on same-sex marriage? Should ABC have agreed that the Obama administration could pick the host to do the big interview regarding this news? And should journalists have pressed Obama about his claim he didn’t support same-sex marriage when everyone…
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    Ragamuffin Soul

  • Where Do You Sit?

    loswhit
    15 May 2012 | 6:17 pm
    Where do you sit? Los

  • The Grace Sniper

    loswhit
    15 May 2012 | 10:28 am
    There comes a moment in your life when you learn how to give grace. This normally comes the moment you are given grace yourself. Crazy how that works. You can always tell the people who have been shown no grace in their life. They make your life hell when you are looking for it. Picking you off like a sniper. At this moment, you have a choice… A.  Pick up your sniper rifle and wait for them to turn around and pick them off… Or B. Keep walking towards Christ and away from their fire. This does not equate to not getting hit. It just equates to them having to shoot you from farther and…

  • 3 Thoughts On Breast Feeding And Magazine Covers

    loswhit
    14 May 2012 | 9:52 am
    Time Magazine has an article on breast feeding in their new issue. You can’t tell by the cover. I just want to say 3 things. 1. This kid. He’s gonna be 13 one day. Just sayin you may want to start practicing your parenting for that season when this is plastered all over his locker. 2. You are no more a mother because you produce breast milk than you are a father because you had a good time that night. 3. To all the mothers out there who didn’t breastfeed for medical reasons or personal choice, I’m a product of the powder…The kid will be ok. 4. We breastfed 1 out…

  • Where was your prom, who was your date, and where are they now?

    loswhit
    8 May 2012 | 1:24 pm
    Where was your prom, who was your date, and where are they now? Los

  • A Prayer For The Christian Creative

    loswhit
    7 May 2012 | 11:14 am
    Oh God. Hey. It’s me. Remember? I hit you up a few days ago when I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown because nobody retweeted my new book. Well You came through for me. Thanks. Hey listen. I’ve been working hard. Harder than I ever have before. And at the end of all my hard work it always happens. Nobody cares. Well, I take that back. The people who love me care, but that’s not who I want to care. It’s the people who don’t love me. Those idiots. I want them to care. And you know what? They still don’t. Maybe because I call them idiots. I don’t…
 
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    internetmonk.com

  • Made Known at the Table

    Chaplain Mike
    15 May 2012 | 11:01 pm
    The Emmaus Disciples, Bloemaert Journey into New Life, part six Made Known at the Table (Luke 24) Our Gospel text for this Easter season is Luke 24:13-35, the story of the risen Lord’s encounter with his disciples on the road to Emmaus. In this passage Luke tells us what it means to walk with the living Lord Jesus Christ. It is more than a story of something that happened back then. It represents what newness of life is all about, how it works, and what it is like to experience the new creation. We are the disciples on the road, and Jesus comes to walk with us. “He was known to them in…

  • Tom Wright Sings Genesis

    Chaplain Mike
    15 May 2012 | 11:49 am
    Several people have called my attention to this great video of N.T. Wright singing a song about Genesis to the tune of the Beatles’ “Yesterday.” Nice job, Tom. But I gotta get me one of those “double helix” guitars!  

  • The Torah of Jesus (Matthew)

    Chaplain Mike
    14 May 2012 | 11:05 pm
    First Things First Restoring the Gospel to Primacy in the Church Part Three: The Torah of Jesus — Matthew Jesus-shaped Christianity will grow out of the soil of a Story-shaped Gospel. The more we immerse ourselves in the Story and get to know the Gospels, the greater the impact the Gospel of King Jesus will have in and through us. That is the burden of this series, which encourages Christians and churches to make the Gospels (and Acts) the primary documents for forming our Christian identity, theology, and calling. For the next few weeks, we will give brief introductions to each Gospel…

  • “Normal” Is Not Enough?

    Chaplain Mike
    14 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    Update: several have noted  the plane crash last Friday, in which Ron Luce’s daughter was seriously injured. Out of respect for the Teen Mania family, please stick to the concept we’re discussing and do not direct your comments at this specific ministry. Note: This post is NOT a specific critique of the ministry cited. Please don’t focus comments on Teen Mania or Acquire the Fire. My point is that this slogan represents a fairly common (and in my opinion, misguided) mindset in the evangelical world. The 2012 Acquire the Fire tour has begun and the message being proclaimed…

  • Nick Lannon on Lessons from Jr. Seau

    Guest Author
    13 May 2012 | 11:01 pm
    From Derision to Compassion: The Death of Junior Seau by Nick Lannon Posted at Mockingbird on 5/9/12, and used by permission Nick’s blog: My Series of Tubes It was like a switch was thrown. I was at an open gym, shooting baskets with a bunch of guys, talking about the news of the day: the apparent suicide of former NFL great and presumptive Hall of Famer Junior Seau. Many of the guys couldn’t believe that a man who was so famous, so rich, who had so much, could be depressed. What could possibly be so bad about his life that it wasn’t worth living? The tone of the conversation…
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    Tall Skinny Kiwi

  • Blog banter on church leadership and fresh expressions

    Andrew
    15 May 2012 | 12:58 pm
    Up at 4am this morning. Interesting blog banter going on from 3 Brits: 1. Richard Passmore on Fresh Expressions "I think FE may actually hinder change in the longer term because of the gravitational pull of the institution and accompanying orthodoxy. I think we are already seeing dissenting voices being marginalised as FE spreads and the orthodox centre gathers pace. I was talking the other day to someone about how some of the most pioneering imaginative work (both inside the Church of England and outside) i see are not part of FE. Is Fresh Expressions a Movement? 2. Mike Breen on church…

  • Video: Our family at PassionFest2012

    Andrew
    14 May 2012 | 4:50 pm
    So PassionFest blew us away again this year and it was so good to be here. Its a festival for justice-minded Christians hosted at the Ngatiawa contemporary monastery here in New Zealand. I managed to put a short video together to give you a taste of the festival. Our kids appear constantly and my wife Debbie is teaching spinning and asking young people what they think PassionFest is all about. Hope you like it. 

  • Baptist monks and couch-surfing apostles: 10 Signs that the future church is here already.

    Andrew
    13 May 2012 | 4:13 pm
    10 years ago today I published an article on Soularize that suggested the church still had a long way to go before it was hitting its target but that there were early signs that prove hopeful and promising. Reading the article [Postmodern Church: Are We There Yet?] again today, it seems a lot of those first-fruits are more visible and integral to how we do church today. 10 Years! This was a long time before CouchSurfing.org appeared and became a vehicle for young pilgrims to cruise the planet, and before my term "deep ecclesiology " found its way into books, and before the new monastic…

  • Global emerging church gathering in Brazil

    Andrew
    8 May 2012 | 4:23 pm
    Update: I am reposting this because Encontro Global Tribal Generation 2012 happens next month. They had over 4000 in attendance when they did this event 2 years ago. A teaser for this year: Olgalvaro Bastos Jr who is hosting the gathering is the guy who kicked off our "new wineskins for new wine" discussion on the video in the previous post. Olgalvaro is the author of A Revolução do Pensamento, a book that describes the emerging church movement in Latin America, which, as everyone knows, started in Chile in the 90's. Hope you can read Portuguese. Original Post: A global gathering of…

  • Videos from Underground Ministries Roundtable

    Andrew
    7 May 2012 | 9:32 pm
    I just uploaded some videos I took at the Global Roundtable of Underground Ministries which we held at Cornerstone Festival in Illinois last year. Sorry it took so long to get the videos up. Hope you enjoy them. Attendance was a little spotty in places because most of us were also involved in Cornerstone Festival [I taught 3 seminars] but we managed to have some really good discussions about what God was doing in our countries and what new movements were springing up. Here is a taste of our morning worship, this time led by an American, a Romanian and a Portuguese. And a Canadian on his big…
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    AlbertMohler.com – Blog

  • Evolution’s End? President Obama Calls for Same-Sex Marriage

    Albert Mohler
    10 May 2012 | 1:47 am
    Is President Obama’s “evolution” on same sex marriage finally complete? His call for the legalization of same-sex marriage yesterday is an historic and tragic milestone. An incumbent President of the United States has now called for a transformation of civilization’s central institution. And yet, no observer of this President could be surprised. The arrival of this announcement was only a matter of time. The White House confirmed this within hours of the President’s announcement. As The New York Times reported on May 10, “Advisers say now that Mr. Obama had…

  • Bigotry on the Ballot? No, Dishonesty in the Editorial

    Albert Mohler
    3 May 2012 | 12:05 am
    Many of the nation’s leading newspapers serve as advocacy agents for the normalization of homosexuality and the legalization of same-sex marriage. Leading this charge for some time, The New York Times regularly promotes same-sex marriage in its editorials and news coverage. Even so, the paper’s latest editorial serves as a display of how the argument for homosexual marriage is often pressed with what can only be described as undisguised intellectual dishonesty. Keep Reading

  • Is the Megachurch the New Liberalism?

    Albert Mohler
    1 May 2012 | 4:14 am
    The emergence of the megachurch as a model of metropolitan ministry is one of the defining marks of evangelical Christianity in the United States. Megachurches — huge congregations that attract thousands of worshipers — arrived on the scene in the 1970s and quickly became engines of ministry development and energy. Over the last 40 years, the megachurch has made its presence known, often dominating the Christian landscape within the nation’s metropolitan regions. The megachurch came into dominance at the same time that massive shopping malls became the landmarks of suburban…

  • The Case of the Lesbian Den Mother: Moral Reasoning Exposed

    Albert Mohler
    30 Apr 2012 | 2:16 am
    By now, most Americans have probably heard of the lesbian mother forced out as a den mother for the Tiger Scouts, a program for first-graders offered by the Boy Scouts of America. For a few days, the story filtered through the Internet until it broke as an Associated Press article last week. Keep Reading

  • The Ugly American — Sex Trafficking and Our National Humiliation

    Albert Mohler
    24 Apr 2012 | 3:04 am
    The sexual revolution of the last several decades has transformed any public conversation about sex and sexuality. The revolutionaries directed their attention to the dismantling of an entire edifice of sexual morality that had been basically intact for well over 2,000 years. At one point in the sexual revolution, efforts were made to legalize prostitution as a “victimless crime,” a term that anyone could recognize as an oxymoron. Most of these efforts went nowhere in the United States and most of Europe, though “progressive” law enforcement officials often looked the…
 
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    WithoutWax.tv by Pete Wilson

  • Life Change

    Pete Wilson
    15 May 2012 | 9:44 pm
    I’m addicted to life change. There’s just a few things more incredible to me than watching Jesus transform the life of another human being. The following video got me so excited!! God is doing some pretty incredible things at Cross Point these days. Honored to be along for this ride.

  • To Tithe Or Not To Tithe?

    Pete Wilson
    15 May 2012 | 7:25 am
      There’s a lot of debate these days about whether the Old Testament tithe still applies today or not. People often want to argue that it was part of the “law” and therefore doesn’t apply to us since Jesus fulfilled the law. We are now under the New Covenant and free from the legalism that so dominated the Old Covenant. Much smarter people than me have spent their lives debating and researching whether that’s true or not. And quite frankly, I think it’s a mute argument. If you ask me if you should tithe I would say. Probably not. I think you should…

  • The Constant Evolving Face Of Social Media

    Pete Wilson
    14 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    As a pastor and author I freely admit I love social media. I love the immediate feedback it gives me on messages and books as well as the interaction it allows me to have. It’s amazing how quickly social media changes. There’s no taking naps in this arena in life because if you blink you’ll miss the next “big thing.” Something new that has come along which didn’t even exist when Plan B came out two years ago is Instagram. I’ve loved watching Instagram the past few weeks to see which quotes from Empty Promises have stood out to readers. Here’s a…

  • Record Breaking Grace

    Pete Wilson
    11 May 2012 | 7:21 am
    I just happened to be in Dallas on Tuesday night when Texas Rangers star, Josh Hamilton, hit his record breaking 4 homers in one game. Here’s a video of all four of his killer home runs. A-mazing!! Hamilton is only the 16th player in Major League history – and the only currently active player – to hit four homers in a game. I know Josh has had his ups and downs, but I’m cheering for him. Couldn’t be more proud of him. Not sure if you’ve ever seen his “I Am Second” video but if you haven’t seen it you’ve got to watch it. So powerful.

  • The identity lie – Podcast #4

    Pete Wilson
    11 May 2012 | 12:30 am
    In this podcast episode we talk about identity and the dangers of gathering our self worth externally from accomplishments and approval. Any questions or topics you would like to hear us talk about? Joins us for this conversation and for future podcasts, we would love to answer YOUR questions. If you have a question you can call us at 218-248-7383 or leave a comment on this post. Podcast: Subscribe | Download | Play on mobile
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    eugene cho

  • When girls bully girls and women bully women.

    Eugene Cho
    15 May 2012 | 2:01 am
    First of all, if it’s not clear by my name or by the facial hair on my face, I’m not a girl. Now that we’ve got that cleared up, you might be wondering why I’m writing a post entitled, “When girls bully girls and women bully women.” I’m doing so because it’s causing… great pain and damage. Bullying happens in many places and happens in both genders. By writing about girls and women, I’m not implying that it happens only among girls or women because that would simply not be true but what I’m discovered as a pastor is that more…

  • When a parent cries for their child and comes to the admission that they can’t fix everything.

    Eugene Cho
    11 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    It’s been couple weeks since my last post. I’ve been meaning to write numerous posts – all incredible and brilliant posts (in my mind at least). I start but can never finish. It’s just been that kind of time where my heart and mind has wandered to other places. Namely, they have wandered to health issues of one of my children. While I need to be careful what I share and how I share it (for the sake of honoring my child’s privacy), I thought it would be good – for my own sake – to share a bit of my heart and thoughts when a parent cries for their child…

  • Don’t escape. Sit in this pain. Recommit to the work of peacemaking. [Warning: Graphic Image]

    Eugene Cho
    18 Apr 2012 | 2:15 pm
    I’ve always wanted to be a photographer but doodling on my phone camera and my new Instagram account will have to suffice for now. But I’ve been particular intrigued by the role of photography in humanitarian and various aspects of global development. This is why I was intrigued by an article that came through my reader about an Afghani photographer named Massoud Hossaini who was awarded the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography. I clicked it and saw the image and in a split second, I wished I had NEVER clicked to read the article and of course, the accompanying…

  • What Blue Like Jazz teaches us about creating a better story.

    Eugene Cho
    13 Apr 2012 | 2:01 am
    Hello people. Eugene Cho the Reviewer is back. You hated my last review of Mark Driscoll’s book, Real Marriage, so I’m trying again with my endeavors to be a world class reviewer and thus, I am writing a review for the movie, Blue Like Jazz, based on Donald Miller‘s book…Blue Like Jazz. Love how those matching titles work. Let me first say that I have yet to see the film but since we’re living in a day and age where people are inclined to write reviews about books they have yet to read, I say what the heck. As much as I want to say I’ll see the film very…

  • Get outside. Be creative. Dream. Create something. The story of 9-year-old Caine Monroy and Caine’s Arcade.

    Eugene Cho
    11 Apr 2012 | 2:01 am
    Dear friends, readers, strangers, and blog stalkers: I try to be careful with overly extreme outrageous over-the-top superlatives but the story of Caine’s Arcade and its 9-year-old founder, Caine, might be one of the greatest things I’ve ever read or seen. This story of not judging a book by its cover was cool, too, but wow…this is amazing. No joke. First, do yourself a HUGE favor and watch the video. I guarantee it’ll be worth your 11 minutes or I will pay you $2 for your very own “Fun Pass” (this will make sense later). Money back guarantee. Who is Caine…
 
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    Quieted Waters

  • Happy First Anniversary

    Josh
    15 May 2012 | 12:01 am
    Dear Darling Wife, Today marks the beginning of our second year of married life, and I praise God that He has given us 365 days so far. Solomon was right: He who finds a wife finds a good thing. I am very blessed to have you as my wife. Thank you for adding joy to my life. Thank you for caring for me so well. Thank you for teaching me how to love selflessly. Thank you for so much more. We’ve gone through a lot of changes in this first year, living in two states already. I am about to graduate from school, and we’re moving in a few months. I look forward to seeing what this next…

  • God Will Feed You

    Josh
    14 May 2012 | 12:01 am
    You know those days where hope feels far away? The days where you’re just out of energy and out of joy? I love the Bible because God helps people with both: He helps them with spiritual despair, and He helps them with physical need. God cares about both. We see it in the Old Testament, when God provided manna for the Israelites and when He overlooked their sin by way of sacrifices. We see it in the New Testament, when Jesus fed the five thousand and when He forgave the sinner on the next cross over. God cares about both: He knows our physical and our spiritual needs, and He provides for…

  • Weekend Wind Down (5/12/12)

    Josh
    12 May 2012 | 12:01 am
    Have you entered this week’s book giveaway? A Wife’s Submission is Not – Some good reflections on what Paul did not mean by saying wives should submit to their husbands. Motherhood as a Vocation – Kim Shay from The Upward Call reflects on a full-time vocation as mother. How do I know what I think until I see what I say? 8 Reasons Why I Don’t Read Your Blog – Frank Viola offers eight helpful tips for bloggers looking for a wider audience.   You don't want to hear God speak these final words: "Fool, how did all that pointless play put my glory in…

  • Kim Shay’s Review of Friends and Lovers

    Josh
    10 May 2012 | 12:01 am
    From Josh: Kim blogs at The Upward Call. Her bio includes 25 years of marriage, 22 years as a stay at home mother, a love for writing, and the privilege of teaching the Bible to other women. Kim has a beautiful writing style, and her posts are a great encouragement. Kim can also be found on Twitter. She is reviewing Friends and Lovers: Cultivating Companionship and Intimacy in Marriage by Joel Beeke. (Keep reading to the bottom, where you can enter to win a free copy.) — Title: Friends and Lovers: Cultivating Companionship and Intimacy in Marriage Author: Joel Beeke Publisher: Cruciform…

  • Well Met

    Josh
    9 May 2012 | 12:01 am
    I knew my wife all through college — well, I should say that I knew this really fascinating young woman. I didn’t know she would be my wife. We worked alongside one another at church, teaching and mentoring in the youth group. For many months, she said no to my every advance. Board games with friends? No thanks. Go get coffee? Sorry, I’m busy. Country-western dance lessons? Sorry, I have other plans. After three years of ministering at that church, she and I both moved on. I traveled across the country and enrolled in law school. She moved to a different state and began grad…
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    Kary Oberbrunner

  • Soul on Fire, 60 Second Sparks – Happiness

    Kary Oberbrunner
    14 May 2012 | 6:30 am
    Click here to view the embedded video.   Welcome to a regular one minute teaching by Igniter, Author, Coach, Trainer and Speaker Kary Oberbrunner.  You may subscribe to these free messages here where you will also receive a free gift or via the Youtube channel. If these videos give your day a SPARK, then please share them on your Facebook, twitter, or other social media. Ignite a friend. (Click SHARE below) Kary’s books are available at most major book retailers including Amazon.

  • Soul on Fire, 60 Second Sparks – Mother’s Day

    Kary Oberbrunner
    11 May 2012 | 6:30 am
    Click here to view the embedded video.   Welcome to a regular one minute teaching by Igniter, Author, Coach, Trainer and Speaker Kary Oberbrunner.  You may subscribe to these free messages here where you will also receive a free gift or via the Youtube channel. If these videos give your day a SPARK, then please share them on your Facebook, twitter, or other social media. Ignite a friend. (Click SHARE below) Kary’s books are available at most major book retailers including Amazon.

  • Tell a teen. Free Youthmax online summit tomorrow night. Could save a life.

    Kary Oberbrunner
    9 May 2012 | 8:50 pm
    I will be joining 3 other experts tomorrow night (Lisa Schaefer, Trudy Menke, Holly Eisenhut), one a teenager herself. We will be leading a two hour online youth summit called YouthMax. On May 10th (Thursday) 8-10 PM Eastern jump over here and join the free webinar. The four lessons are below. Invite some friends (any age). It could save a life. (Thanks for setting this up Deb Ingino) Teens struggle with: self-image character handling failure anti-bullying Click on an image below to see the specs.

  • Soul on Fire, 60 Second Sparks – Inside

    Kary Oberbrunner
    7 May 2012 | 6:30 am
    Click here to view the embedded video.   Welcome to a regular one minute teaching by Igniter, Author, Coach, Trainer and Speaker Kary Oberbrunner.  You may subscribe to these free messages here where you will also receive a free gift or via the Youtube channel. If these videos give your day a SPARK, then please share them on your Facebook, twitter, or other social media. Ignite a friend. (Click SHARE below) Kary’s books are available at most major book retailers including Amazon.

  • Dear Pastor (my heartfelt letter to you)

    Kary Oberbrunner
    5 May 2012 | 7:22 am
    Dear Pastor/Ministry Leader,  First off, let me say, I am a fan of yours. You have a very significant calling and the stakes are incredibly high. We need you on fire and engaged. Unfortunately, the statistics tell a different story. I can relate. I’ve been a pastor since 2000. When I first started, because of the pressure of ministry and pain in relationships my past caught up with me. My toxic coping strategy of self-injury intensified. I’d preach sermons on Sunday and carve words into my body on Monday.  I believed lies about myself and lies about God. Thankfully, God wanted me free…
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    Ligonier Ministries Blog

  • Biblical Calvinism Should Evoke a Passion for Lost Souls

    Nathan W. Bingham
    16 May 2012 | 1:00 am
    In the following excerpt from Steven Lawson's, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon, we see in the life and ministry of Spurgeon the fruit biblical Calvinism should produce: a passion for lost souls. May this serve as a reminder and an encouragement to our evangelistic fervor. It is clear that Charles Spurgeon believed the gospel must not be calmly presented as a mere set of facts. To the contrary, it must come as a bold proclamation with open invitations, tender appeals, sound reasonings, and compelling persuasions. Such presentations should include even…

  • R.C. Sproul on the Other Comforter [VIDEO]

    Nathan W. Bingham
    15 May 2012 | 5:03 am
    In this excerpt from his teaching series, "What Did Jesus Do?", R.C. Sproul considers the meaning of the Greek word paraclete and the purpose of the Holy Spirit's coming at Pentecost.

  • Pray the Scriptures

    Nathan W. Bingham
    15 May 2012 | 1:00 am
    Here's an excerpt from Pray the Scriptures, Scotty Smith's contribution to the May issue of Tabletalk. I am a recovering self-centered pragmatic pray-er — a believer who spent many of my first years in Christ thinking of God more as a sugar daddy than the sovereign Father. Prayer, for me, had more in common with programming a heavenly computer than surrendering to a loving Master. I worked harder at claiming God's promises for my ease than being claimed by God's purposes for His kingdom. Instead of being still and knowing that God is God, my prayer life was that of an antsy man, trying…

  • Some Standing Here Will Not Taste Death — The Unfolding of Biblical Eschatology

    Keith Mathison
    14 May 2012 | 1:00 am
    From the point of Peter's confession onward, Jesus begins to teach his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed, and on the third day, be raised (16:21). Peter rebukes Jesus for saying this, but Jesus shows him that this is the only way (vv. 22–23). Jesus tells his disciples that they must take up their cross and follow him because it is foolish to gain the world and lose one's soul (vv. 24–26). Then Jesus says, "For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly,…

  • Twitter Highlights (5/13/12)

    Nathan W. Bingham
    13 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
    Here are highlights from our various Twitter accounts over the past week. Under the influence of an evil heart, every thing appears in false colors (Archibald Alexander). — Ligonier Academy (@LigonierAcademy) May 7, 2012 The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him (Nah. 1:7). — Tabletalk Magazine (@Tabletalk) May 7, 2012 Though sin often brings immediate pleasure, it gives no lasting joy. —R.C. Sproul bit.ly/qznEC2 — Reformation Trust (@RefTrust) May 7, 2012 God does not need me. —R.C. Sproul — Ligonier…
 
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    Geoffrey Janes

  • "The Walker"

    4 May 2012 | 1:45 pm
    Garren is continuously finding ways to make us laugh. And we need lots of reasons to laugh! So when I got home from work yesterday, he was dying to show me something that he had come up with. We gathered around the TV and this is what he showed us.

  • "I Work Out!"

    1 May 2012 | 6:58 am
    Garren is doing great since his fall last week. Nothing broken, hardly any bruising. He's one tough kid.Just before he fell, his PT had told him he could have a 10 minute rest, but only gave him 7 minutes. After Garren fell, he was sitting in his chair, and he looked up and said "I told you I was going to get my 10 minute break!"I've started taking Garren to the gym with me. He is amazing. He is able to move from his wheelchair onto the workout machines, adjust the weights, and do his own workout. We've had fun going together. I am going today to Race to Walk to learn more about what kind of…

  • Gravity Happens

    28 Apr 2012 | 7:51 am
    What a week. It all started out normal - school, therapy, work - everything seemed to be going along as usual. On Thursday Garren decided to spice things up!Thusrday morning we were scheduled for another swallow study. The last time we did this, several months ago, the results showed little or no progress from the previous study. The therapist wanted to get another look at what was going on inside his throat, so she scheduled another swallow study to help us determine how to go forward. Well, the results were disappointing to say the least. When Garren attempts to swallow,…

  • Impatience

    18 Apr 2012 | 10:46 am
    I recently read the book "The Strategy of Satan" by Warren Wiersby. Here are a couple of quotes from that book that struck me:"Satan seeks to make you impatient with God's will.""He will try to control your will through pride so that you will think and act independently of the holy will of God.""Whenever you an I act in direct disobedience to the will of God, we are displaying pride and independence.""One of the most important lessons the believer must learn is that he cannot be independent of God."I don't like to wait. I want what I want when I want it, which is usually now! Waiting is hard.

  • How's Garren?

    2 Apr 2012 | 2:00 pm
    How's Garren doing? That's the question. We hear it all the time. It is a constant reminder that there are people all around the world who continue to keep Garren lifted up in prayer. And we are so thankful for that.As you know, there are two areas that Garren is focusing on right now: walking and swallowing.Walking - Garren continues to impress his therapists with his hard work and determination. They love working with him because he loves working hard. A couple of weeks ago, they decided to speed up his walking on the Locomat, the fancy million dollar treadmill at the rehab center.
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    TimothyArcher.com/Kitchen

  • All that is necessary is God

    Tim Archer
    15 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    I’m wanting to spend some time this week with a much-repeated phrase: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” We hear that phrase time again, used to justify this action or that one. As I pointed out yesterday, everyone assumes that they are the “good men” and their rivals the “evil.” I don’t like the saying. I used to. But the more I hear it used and abused, the more I feel a need to analyze it. And under analysis, it just doesn’t hold up. Even though it probably wasn’t created by Edmund Burke,…

  • Good men, evil’s triumph, and a spurious quote

    Tim Archer
    14 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Edmund Burke There is a saying, usually attributed to Edmund Burke, that has been called “the commonest political quote you will find anywhere on the World Wide Web.”* It goes something like this: All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing It goes “something like this” because the statement exists in many different forms: All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do…

  • Barhopping in the Kitchen

    Tim Archer
    11 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    It’s Friday, and regular readers of the Kitchen know what that means. It’s time for a little humor! (emphasis on “little”) However instead of exploring the world of puns, I thought we’d hit the bars today, along with the Grammar nazis: Past, Present, and Future walked into a bar. It was tense. A comma splice walks into a bar, it has a drink and then leaves. An intransitive verb walk into a bar. He sits. He drinks. He leaves. A dangling modifier walks into a bar. After finishing a drink, the bartender asks it to leave. A question mark walks into a bar? The bar was…

  • Finding the Wisdom in Wisdom Literature

    Tim Archer
    10 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Having effectively quashed all discussion on this topic, I’ll move forward. In the general discussion of how to interpret the Bible, interpretation of wisdom literature warrants special attention. It’s just not as straightforward as some would make it out to be. When was the last time you heard a sermon on the evils of winking? (Prov 6:13; 10:10; 16:30) Read a tract on the dangers of sleep? (Prov 6:4-11; 20:13; 24:33-34) Posted on your Facebook wall the wonderful news that money is the answer to everything? (Eccl 10:19) Wisdom literature requires special handling. I shared a bit…

  • Working with wisdom literature

    Tim Archer
    9 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    We’re talking about wisdom literature this week. Some helpful discussion yesterday. Hopefully we can continue to thrash through some of this. Keith said in a comment: As I understand it, the Middle Easten (especially ancient) view sees scripture as a series of propositions to be discussed, negotiated, haggled over. The thinking is that iron sharpens iron, and by debating scripture’s meaning, we get closer to the truth about God and us — rather than completely comprehending it. It’s helpful to remember that the Jews had a very different opinion than ours as to the inspiration…
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    Godvertiser.com

  • I’m Getting a Chance to Meet Jack Dorsey of Twitter in NJ This Week

    Kenny Jahng
    15 May 2012 | 6:02 am
    Last week, I shared a video clip from an interview with @Jack, founder of Twitter — he shares an interesting perspective in that conversation that gives a clue to Twitter’s potential and original intention. Twitter has been a great platform for me over the last couple of years.  I’m getting a chance to see Jack Dorsey in person later this week and it got me thinking about some of the great things that have come out of my Twitter experience to date. Here’s just a few benefits of Twitter: Access to people & new relationships -- This is by far one of the biggest…

  • Read this Before You Send Another Email

    Kenny Jahng
    14 May 2012 | 4:02 am
    If you’re like most organizational leaders, a significant part of what you do on a daily basis is process emails. . . Responding to emails, initiating emails, filing, deleting and forward emails.  We all do it. The problem with the clear majority (95%+!!!) of email is that when you sit down to process your email inbox, you are deciding to let other people’s agendas dictate how you spend your time IMHO.  So figuring out how to tame that inbox is one of the most strategic things you can do for your own work. One of my colleagues is a master of killing that inbox every day.  So I…

  • Community Bible Experience // Books of the Bible NIV Book Clubs

    Kenny Jahng
    11 May 2012 | 6:14 am
    I was fortunate to connect with Paul Caminiti, vice-president of church & bible engagement at Biblica at the Q conference in Washington D.C. this April.  On a daily basis, 700 people quit reading the Bible.  And that means not just taking a break or putting the book down for a couple of months, we’re talking *quit*.  The latest project at Biblica (the copyright holders of the NIV), is an elegant approach to a seemingly ubiquitous circumstance. Distinctive features of Books of the Bible NIV – part of the Community Bible Experience They’ve taken the NIV bible and the…

  • Seth Godin in NYC May 16

    Kenny Jahng
    8 May 2012 | 8:01 pm
    This spring has been an amazing sequence of events for me. The next one on the docket?  Seth Godin Live in Tribeca, NYC on May 16 – yup an all day event with Seth Godin himself. So I’m ordering up a set of new custom business cards for the event and pulling out some of the good old Seth Godin books, etc. There’s a bunch of interesting people that are sure to be there, so it should be a great place to connect with some amazing new friends too — hopefully there will be some actual project collaboration, perhaps even before we leave the event.   If you’ve…

  • Social Media Looking Glass

    Kenny Jahng
    5 May 2012 | 10:19 pm
    Do you spend time thinking about what’s going on in your city? Do you pay attention to what’s happening beyond the streets you normally traverse in your commute or daily/weekly routines? Do you ever go off the beaten path?  Even within your own zip code? One of the interesting ways to look at social media is to see it as a listening post.  A way to observe and feel the pulse of the city you live in, no matter how big or small it may be. Before you start spewing a whole slew of social media content to gain the tons of followers you think you can amass, one of the most basic…
 
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    Orange County Pastor

  • Jeff Buckley and the Wickham Boys

    15 May 2012 | 1:40 am
    Long before the Shrek movies and American Idol grabbed it and made it mainstream, I remember being in my college dorm room as a Freshmen, laying on my twin bed with the lights turned off, listening to Jeff Buckley's amazing rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" turned as loud as my Costco stereo system could possibly handle!  Buckley, who drowned in Memphis, Tennessee, 15 years ago this month, had one of the most incredible and passionate voices I have ever heard. Last Thursday, Marie and I, had the honor of being part of Birth Choice Health Clinic's 31st anniversary celebration at…

  • Speaking To a Roomful of Powerful People

    27 Apr 2012 | 12:51 pm
    I was recently introduced to the work of Eric Metaxas.  Eric is a Yale educated author, who came to know Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord while in his 20's.  In the last couple of years he has grown in fame in both Christian and secular circles thru his biographies of William Wilberforce ("Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery") and Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy").  I am currently reading his Bonhoeffer Bio and really loving it.Metaxas also recently took over the radio ministry of  his friend Chuck…

  • Now It's My Turn To Get Baptized

    21 Apr 2012 | 3:10 pm
    I am sure police officer's children play "cops and robbers" and Doctor's kids play "hospital" and maybe school teachers sons and daughters play "school",  but what do Pastor's kids play in the backyard?  Baptism's of course, hahaha.  Here are my 2 oldest, pretending to baptize each other the other day...

  • Caine's Arcade

    13 Apr 2012 | 5:42 pm
    There is a wonderful grassroots story that has emerged out of Boyle Heights (East Los Angeles) over the past year.  It is about a 9 year old boy and his arcade. I dare you to watch this short film and not cry!To find out directions to the arcade or for more info: Caine's ArcadeTo give to Caine's college scholarship fund: Caine's College Scholarship FundWant to support and get involved in similar inspiring stories of inner city kids living right here in Orange County? Check out 2 organizations in Santa Ana that I have come to love and support:KidWorksSanta Ana Boxing Club

  • Attention All Hipster Pastor's

    11 Apr 2012 | 12:58 am
    I came across a great website for Church creative types today while looking over Ryan Roehl's shoulder at his laptop today in a meeting at Church...It called Church Stage Design Ideas..Also: My friend and co-worker, Victor Estrada showed up to lunch today with a thing called a "bookbook." It is basically a wallet and an iPhone holder/protector in one!It is amazing!  It is now on my wish list for Father's Day.
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    A Better Woman

  • Proverbs 16:32

    Marie Paredes
    4 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    Proverbs 16:32 is a post from: A Better Woman

  • Galatians 5:22

    Marie Paredes
    3 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    Galatians 5:22 is a post from: A Better Woman

  • Psalm 130:4

    Marie Paredes
    2 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    Psalm 130:4 is a post from: A Better Woman

  • Job 11:18

    Marie Paredes
    1 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    Job 11:18 is a post from: A Better Woman

  • Proverbs 15:1-5

    Marie Paredes
    29 Apr 2012 | 10:46 pm
    1A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. 2The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of the fool belches out foolishness. 3The Lord is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good. 4Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. 5Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise. Click Here to Download and Listen to Proverbs 15:1-5 Proverbs 15:1-5 is a post from: A Better Woman
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    Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Novato, Marin County » Podcast Feed

  • Glory, Honor, and Peace

    Pastor Reid Hankins
    7 May 2012 | 1:09 am
    Sermon preached on Romans 2:1-11 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 5/6/2012 in Novato, CA. Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. Romans 2:1-11 5/6/12 “Glory, Honor, and Peace” The last passage ended in chapter 1 with quite a list of man’s depravity. It especially highlighted the sin [...]

  • Biblical Perspective on Widows, Orphans, Poor, and Strangers

    Pastor Reid Hankins
    7 May 2012 | 1:05 am
    Adult Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 5/6/2012 in Novato, CA. This week we continued a series to consider the Bible’s perspective on differing relationships, institutions, and authorities that we are find ourselves in life, looking at the subject of widows, orphans, poor, and strangers.

  • Vile Passions and a Debased Mind

    Pastor Reid Hankins
    30 Apr 2012 | 12:57 am
    Sermon preached on Romans 1:26-32 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 4/29/2012 in Novato, CA. Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. Romans 1:26-32 4/29/12 Vile Passions and a Debased Mind We continue today this passage that showcases the depravity of man. Remember where we are at in [...]

  • Biblical Perspective on Civil Government Part II

    Pastor Reid Hankins
    30 Apr 2012 | 12:56 am
    Adult Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 4/29/2012 in Novato, CA. This week we continued a series to consider the Bible’s perspective on differing relationships, institutions, and authorities that we are find ourselves in life, looking at the subject of civil government.

  • Against All Ungodliness and Unrighteousness

    Pastor Reid Hankins
    22 Apr 2012 | 7:58 pm
    Sermon preached on Romans 1:18-25 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 4/22/2012 in Novato, CA. Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. Romans 1:18-25 4/22/12 “Against All Ungodliness and Unrighteousness” Back then and still today, there is a lot of wickedness going on. Today in our society, things [...]
 
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    Vision Baptist Church

  • Join us tonight for Kamp Kitchen!

    jasonrishel
    10 May 2012 | 9:32 am
    Camp time is nearly here!!!  From May 28th – June 1st, the annual Our Generation Camp will be held at Fort Bluff Camp in Dalton Tennessee.  This is a summer youth camp unlike anything you have ever been to before! We have missionaries from around the world coming in to spend time with teenagers and spread a passion for world evangelism.  Camp is always one of the highlights for the year! Many of the teens from our Church will be attending the camp and they are excited to see what God is going to be doing in their lives.  Already, they have been working hard on fundraiser projects to…

  • The Big 3–May 6, 2012

    tspaver
    6 May 2012 | 12:20 am

  • The Big 3–April 29, 2012

    tspaver
    29 Apr 2012 | 12:16 am

  • March Update from Miguel Murillo

    tspaver
    25 Apr 2012 | 6:36 am
    Dear Brethren, I thank God for another month full of blessings of which you are a part of  by way of your prayers and faithful support. From the 5th until the 12th of March, I was able to preach in the Mount Nebo Baptist Church in Maracay, Venezuela, where Pastor Gabriel Villahermosa, a former student from the Macedonia Baptist Seminary, works.  We spoke on the topic the Attributes of God as well as teaching the young people in his church that are preparing to serve the Lord in the ministry. Hunter Baptist Church This year there are ten brethren from our church that are preparing themselves…

  • The Big 3–April 22, 2012

    tspaver
    22 Apr 2012 | 12:21 am
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    Pilgrimage of the Heart - A Blog by Jeff Goins

  • How You Become a Writer (Or Anything)

    7 May 2012 | 7:00 pm
    I've undergone a lot of changes this past year: from leaving my position as a marketing director, to serving as the interim leader of a new ministry startup, to finally settling into my current position as the Communications Director of Adventures in Missions. On the personal side of things, I started a new blog, got a book deal, and found out I was going to be a dad (Ashley is due in late June). We also bought a house and celebrated the one-year as doggie parents. In the midst of all this change, I've learned a couple lessons: In anything worth pursuing, there is always fear. Fear of…

  • When Dreams Die in the Trash Heap

    22 Feb 2012 | 6:00 pm
    I just received this email from my coworker Seth, Jr., who's spending the next two weeks on a mission trip in Granada. It broke my heart. Here's the experience in Seth's own words:   I went to the dump in Granada, Nicaragua for the first time in two years today. As my team and I exited the vehicle, flies, stench, heat and smoke accosted us in ways they'd never experienced. I made it to the top of the hill before looking back and realizing the others hadn't left their place next to the truck. They hadn't ever seen anything like this before and immediately drew…

  • Become a Better Blogger in 12 Weeks

    16 Feb 2012 | 6:00 pm
    Want to get better at blogging, but not sure where to start? You should sign up for my free email course, called Intentional Blogging. It's twelve of the most important lessons on blogging that I've put together into an easy-to-read format, delivered to your inbox once a week. Since joining staff with Adventures in Missions five years ago, I've gotten a lot of questions about blogging. This is my attempt at answering them at once. This course will help you build a blog that makes a difference and allows you to connect with an audience in a more meaningful way. Intentional Blogging…

  • 2011 Year-End Ministry Update & Final Opportunity to Give a Year-End Gift

    30 Dec 2011 | 6:00 pm
    We moved into a new house in July. There are still boxes to be unpacked and Christmas decorations to be hung. But we have a home. Our dog Lyric has a yard in which to play, and we have a place to live out the life God has blessed us with. Transitions & Trips Abroad This past year has been a year of unimaginable blessings. In a lot of ways, we are living out our dreams. Last November, Ashley got to move out of accounting and started working directly with a record label. I started pursuing my writing more seriously, thanks to some friends and personal coaching I was receiving. Our old…

  • Get a FREE Copy of My New eBook When You Make a Year-End Donation

    21 Dec 2011 | 6:00 pm
    Want a free copy of my new eBook? All you have to do is support my mission work, and I'll send you one. The book is called Dirty Redemption: Stories of Unexpected Grace Found in Unlikely Places. It’s a collection of 10, short stories about faith, brokenness, and hope. The book is 10,000 words of my favorite tales I've experienced on the streets of Nashville and abroad. (If you've been reading this blog for the past four years, you may recognize some of them.) Here's What You Need to Do Make a donation to my ministry fund before December 31st, 20011 HERE (any amount you…
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    LifeVesting

  • Non-Servant Non-Leadership

    Andy Wood
    14 May 2012 | 12:47 am
    Friday I was on my way to Virginia to make a presentation at a Servant Leadership conference.  So I guess it was safe to say I had leading-by-serving on the brain… I walk up to the ticket counter of the Dallas-based airline that will remain nameless (though I will point out that they don’t advertise that bags fly free). Next to me is a fellow traveler who was trying to check her two bags.  Here is the gist of the conversation… Agent:  That’ll be $60.00 Customer:  Oh… Is there an ATM machine close by? Agent:  Hmmm.  There used to be one, but I think they moved it to…

  • Is There Not a Cause?

    Andy Wood
    11 May 2012 | 1:00 am
    Watch the video, then let’s talk (yeah, that’s me doing the voiceover).   Here’s a bit of thoughtful Bible trivia for you:  what was it that enabled David to kill the giant, Goliath? There are a number of possible answers, of course.  A rock in the middle of the forehead was certainly helpful.  David’s faith in God was essential.  His skill and courage were an asset. But I believe there was one catalyst that made David stand out among the armies of Israel.  In a badly-translated King James verse, David asked his brother, “Is there not a cause?” (1 Samuel 17:29). Okay, so…

  • When Napoleon Met Dynamite

    Andy Wood
    10 May 2012 | 10:32 am
    When the armies of Napoleon swept over Europe, one of his generals intended to make an attack on the little town of Feldrich on the Austrian border.  It was Easter, and as Napoleon’s great army maneuvered nearby, the citizens hurried together to decide whether to surrender or to attempt a defense, futile as it seemed the effort would be. The pastor of the church remarked, “We have been counting on our own strength, and that will fail.  This is the day of our Lord’s resurrection.  Let us ring the bells and have service as usual, and leave the matter in God’s hands.”  The council…

  • Leadership and Opportunity

    Andy Wood
    9 May 2012 | 11:56 am
    Pssst. Over here. I have something you need to see. I’m not showing it to anybody else yet because I wanted you to be the first to take advantage of it.  But next week it goes public.  And this won’t be a secret for very long.  This is a once-in-a lifetime… (wait for it…) …yeah, that. Opportunity.  It’s an often-used, sometimes over-used concept.  Americans throw it around as if we own the copyright to the term.  You can see and hear it everywhere… Opportunity meeting. Opportunities wasted. Opportunity of a lifetime (followed by another one next month). Land of…

  • A Song You Can Sing Forever

    Andy Wood
    4 May 2012 | 1:34 pm
    You don’t have to read through this site very long to figure out that music flavors a lot of my thinking.  I often tell people that I almost always have a song on my mind, and it’s often very random.   (I’d rather not tell you what song is there right now, but it does have the phrase “freakin weekend” in it). Hey, I never said they were all spiritual. Anyway… Like a lot of people, I love the idea of new ways of expressing things – of what the Bible calls “singing a new song to the Lord.”  And I get tired pretty quickly of rehashing the same-old same-old. That said, there…
 
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    Shawn Wood Writes...

  • Are we asking our people to make out with God too soon?

    ShawnWood
    24 Apr 2012 | 9:40 am
    A friend of mine tweeted something the other day that caught my attention. “Anyone else concerned that congregations in Modern Worship have become observers instead of participants/singers? People just stand & stare” Then another friend who is a worship leader echoed with a Re-tweet and a “yes!”. I don’t have any issues with the question [...]

  • Life long Mission Trip

    ShawnWood
    6 Mar 2012 | 1:26 pm
    “Missional people see their whole life as a mission trip” Reggie McNeal. Sometimes we segregate our lives in such ways that I think we miss the big picture. We take mission trips. We have evangelistic events. We run community group for 9 weeks because the curriculum lasts that long. We build fences around our family [...]

  • Get rid of the red tape

    ShawnWood
    12 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am
    I have a theory.  It’s not a proven theory but it is one that I really believe in. I think that crowd dynamics have  a lot to do with how people feel when they are in a crowd. You have to have enough people in a room to feel cozy but not so many people that you [...]

  • You got a give it away.

    ShawnWood
    11 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am
    If you are thinking of planting a church there is a really important concept you need to ask yourself before you start building a core team.  Are you willing to give away the church? It seems like a weird question given that intelectually we would all quickly say, “the church belongs to God” and I [...]

  • God is Bigger Than Land Dad

    ShawnWood
    10 Jan 2012 | 9:29 am
    I have been praying a very bold prayer for our church concerning a permanent home recently. I have been asking God to provide generously, show us the right timing and make it just the right place. As we were driving past one piece of land that is in my “sights” I asked my 6-year old daughter to [...]
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    Worship.com » Worship.com

  • Children in Worship–Let’s Bring it Back

    Worship.com
    14 May 2012 | 6:13 am
    If attending church for... Please visit the original post if the links and video clips are not visible, or if the complete article does not appear.

  • Charles Spurgeon: The Movie

    Worship.com
    10 May 2012 | 11:12 am
    A docu-drama on the life... Please visit the original post if the links and video clips are not visible, or if the complete article does not appear.

  • Grace, Jesus and the Tired Heart

    Worship.com
    9 May 2012 | 3:18 pm
    Scotty Smith speaks on... Please visit the original post if the links and video clips are not visible, or if the complete article does not appear.

  • If Only One Thing

    Worship.com
    9 May 2012 | 2:16 pm
    Randy Pope, author and... Please visit the original post if the links and video clips are not visible, or if the complete article does not appear.

  • 10,000 Reasons

    Worship.com
    8 May 2012 | 5:59 pm
    At Saddleback Church,... Please visit the original post if the links and video clips are not visible, or if the complete article does not appear.
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    Reformation21

  • J.V. Fesko, Galatians

    7 May 2012 | 10:34 am
    J. V. Fesko, Galatians (Tolle Lege Press, 2012), xxvii + 180 pp.In the last few decades, there has been a revival of lectio continua preaching, which is beginning to produce a harvest of expository commentaries. This can only have the happy effect of encouraging the practice of systematic expository preaching in our pulpits. With the publication of Galatians, Tolle Lege Press introduces The Lectio Continua Expository Commentary on the New Testament, which aims to provide lectio continua sermons, originally delivered to Reformed congregations, which clearly and faithfully communicate the…

  • Can the New Testament Canon be Defended? Derek Thomas Interviews Michael Kruger

    7 May 2012 | 10:11 am
    Derek Thomas: I often tell my students when lecturing on the doctrine of Scripture that the toughest questions to answer relate to the canon. With recent criticisms of the canon by Bart Ehrman and others, what made you take on this task of defending it as vociferously as you do in this book?Michael Kruger: One of main reasons I have focused my research on the area of canon is because it is such a significant area of vulnerability for biblical Christianity.  That is not to say we lack reasons for believing in the canon (I think we have very good reasons), rather it is simply to say that…

  • "Rarely, Rarely Comest Thou Spirit of Delight"

    30 Apr 2012 | 2:08 pm
    Rarely, rarely comest thou,Spirit of Delight!Wherefore hast thou left me nowMany a day and night?Many a weary night and day'Tis since thou art fled away.P. B. ShelleySo wrote the poet, Shelley, suggesting that life had darker moments more than brighter ones. Though much modern Christianity tends to suggest otherwise, it is often the case of the spiritual experience of some Christians. There are the Eyeores and Puddleglums of the Christian community who tend to see the glass half-empty rather than half-full. One such is Thomas--Doubting Thomas as he is now been remembered by us all.The scene…

  • The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon

    23 Apr 2012 | 1:06 pm
    Steven J. Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2012). 127 pages. IntroductionSome years ago, Dr. Al Mohler observed that, "We read biographies because worthy portraits of our fellow human beings help us to make sense of the world. We are especially fascinated by the lives of those who have made a difference in the world--whose mark remains visible even now. The lives of the famous and the infamous make for compelling reading."Steve Lawson has written a compelling new biography of Charles Haddon Spurgeon where, in a short scope (127 pages), he…

  • Who Knows?

    23 Apr 2012 | 10:43 am
    We finished our previous discussion by noting that there were elements of formal truth that the Skepchick attributed to Richard Dawkins. Because the Skepchick was not able to account either for her own outrage, or Dawkins' near-apathy toward the same, she was forced to move outside of her basic principles and attribute Dawkins' assessment to his gender, race and age. The point that I concluded with was that there was a formal truth to what the Skepchick supposed. The formal truth was that she located Dawkins' dismissive diatribe in aspects of Dawkins' character that were and are beyond his…
 
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    Kingdom Calling

  • Willow is Born!

    Wes Bridel
    11 May 2012 | 8:47 am
    Our daughter finally arrived this week.  She checked in at 7 pounds 11 ounces and 20 1/2 inches.  Kara did an amazing job in the delivery and managed to bring her into the world about 45 minutes after showing up at the hospital!  How’s that for efficient?  It was alot more relaxing experience than when our son was born since it was an early morning delivery, and was so much shorter and less exhausting.  We’re home getting readjusted and recovering this week and next.  Here’s a short clip of our son meeting our new daughter…. If are not keeping up with our ongoing…

  • The US Will See Real Recession

    Wes Bridel
    27 Apr 2012 | 6:00 am
    Recession in the US?  According to the media, we’re far from this, right?  Well, maybe.  Right now, we’re seeing slow growth that doesn’t get anyone excited, but is actually positive.  Will we see slow growth like China, or full blown recession like Europe? What the media and government don’t like to mention is that the money printing they are doing (via the Fed) is highly inflationary.  Thus the cost of goods that you must buy throughout the year costs considerably more than they did the year before.  If the cost of goods rise by 4% across the country, and the economy grows by…

  • China’s Growth Slows

    Wes Bridel
    25 Apr 2012 | 6:00 am
    Moving from Europe to China, the story stays similar.  While Europe is in recession, China’s growth has slowed dramatically.  This is another prediction that has already begun to come true since we first made the prediction.  However, we see this trend continuing. China’s economy is largely based on sending cheap manufactured items to the US and Europe.  Both of these areas are not seeing the growth necessary to drive increased sales.  Thus, China’s suffering with the rest of the world. Because China’s still in the emerging part of it’s growth cycle and generally sees very…

  • Europe Will Experience a Sovereign Default (and Perhaps Multiple Defaults) in 2012

    Wes Bridel
    23 Apr 2012 | 6:00 am
    We spoke on Friday about the possibility of sovereign default in Europe.  There is the possibility that the European Central Bank (ECB) will print enough money to bail out all the problem countries.  However, this would surely lead to hyperinflation and since Germany is still the main power in Europe, this seems unlikely to us in the end.  (They have certainly started down this road, we’re just betting they pull up short). So we’re thinking that the problems of Europe will come to a head in 2012 and cause a country to default.  And it’s likely that once one of them defaults, several…

  • Europe Undergoing Severe Recession

    Wes Bridel
    20 Apr 2012 | 6:00 am
    It might be obvious to all now that Europe will not escape a severe recession.  At the time we first wrote this prediction, the media talk was about how the rest of Europe was pulling together and saving Greece. Well, they’ve “saved” Greece and now Greece is back in trouble.  They’ve “saved” the European banks with their LTRO bailout and now the banks are in severe trouble again. Spain is the headliner now because their problems are severe and unavoidable.  Also, Spain is much larger than Greece and not nearly so easy to “bail out”. But let’s be clear.  The bailout of…
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    Connecting to Impact

  • Promoting Inequality

    jason@church4allnations.com
    15 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    We take great measures in our society to make sure everyone is perceived and seen as exactly the same as any other person. At the fundamental human level, this is obviously true. There is value to every life and equality in that sense is compulsory. When you look at our societal and cultural institutions, however, this is not the case. People have different abilities and skills. Some have passions in music or sports. Others are drawn to science or working with their hands. There are times to see through the prism of community and times to see the individual for who God created them to be. For…

  • Warrior Poet Circle: Speak a Word

    jason@church4allnations.com
    14 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Speak a word, Living God Worlds will bow, time will stop Heaven and earth and all it contains Receive Your breath of life to sustain Speak a word, healing comes Light invades where darkness numbs Washed, cleansed in unheard of grace Mercy bright to lift the afflicted face Speak a word, motion stirs Momentum builds, alignments emerge Natural eyes may fail to recognize But truth eradicates the power of ancient lies Speak a word, the voice so clear I’ll stake my life on the promise near Bold, confident—steps toward glory Unmatched wisdom, exalted authority In solemn agreement with joyful…

  • Sanctuary: Honoring a Mother

    jason@church4allnations.com
    13 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    Sanctuary– 1 : a place (as a church or a temple) for worship 2 a place of refuge and protection Meditating on the beauty He’s created and the power of His words… Happy Mother’s Day I chose this picture because my wife is an amazing mother and she blesses me every single day. She just so happens to love the beach (this is from our family vacation last summer). Proverbs 31:25-29 25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future. 26 She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 27 She looks well to the ways of her…

  • Verse by Verse (#11)

    jason@church4allnations.com
    12 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    Another in a series of monthly posts where I go through Proverbs a verse or two at a time and share the whispers of the Holy Spirit to my heart (click here for more verse by verse posts). 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. –Proverbs 3:5 Have you ever leaned on something only to find that it couldn’t support your weight? I have plenty of times. Sometimes I’m able to catch myself while other times I fall out flat. Trusting in our God is a huge part of the equation in a life of faith, but the temptation will surely come to…

  • Light Friday Hit List: 5/11/12

    jason@church4allnations.com
    11 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Rounding up posts from around the web that challenged, inspired, encouraged, made me laugh, or all of the above. Be sure to check out these favorites and tell them I sent you! Here they are in the order I read them this week. And for even more great posts and favorites, be sure to visit Kevin Martineau’s blog as well. Approaching the Bible by Jonathan Welton (Rogue Theologian). Faithful til the end by Cris Ferreira (Just Cris). Birds by Bill Grandi (Cycleguy’s Spin). How to clarify expectations by Kevin Martineau (Shooting the Breeze). And your random pic for this week……
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    FRC Blog

  • A Response to Peter Wehner’s Column on Franklin Graham

    Rob Schwarzwalder
    15 May 2012 | 3:32 pm
    Recently Franklin Graham took a bold and prophetic stance against President Obama’s affirmation of same-sex “marriage.”  His full statement can be read here. Franklin Graham is the founder of Samaritan’s Purse, a ministry that provides life-saving food and medical care to the poorest of the poor, even in such generally closed countries as North Korea.  And Samaritan’s Purse does their good unabashedly as a witness to the love of Christ and the power of His Gospel. Rev. Graham is also unashamed to stand for biblical principles in the public square.  In his statement on marriage,…

  • Facebook Inc. valued above McDonald’s Corp.: What does that mean for your kid?

    Jessica Prol
    15 May 2012 | 11:27 am
    “Whether we like it or not, kids are now spending far more time with media and technology than they are with their families or in school“ — as much as eight hours a day on average in the United States alone. So wrote Jim Steyer, founder of Common Sense Media, a San Francisco think-tank focusing on media and families. Facebook Inc is now worth more than Citigroup Inc. and McDonald’s Corp. But even when parents keep their kids off of the social networking site, numerous other apps and social media start-ups are vying for their use. The Wall Street Journal reported that…

  • The New York Times Makes a Splash on College Loan Debt

    Chris Gacek
    14 May 2012 | 7:00 pm
    Andrew Martin and Andrew Lehren have written a major story on college loan debt for the New York Times (5/12/2012).  As the authors note: “…. growing student hangs over the economy like a dark cloud for a generation of college graduates and indebted dropouts.”  One interesting aspect of the article is its discussion of the less than honest campaigns that non-profit colleges use to entice students to attend them.  Another devastating insight: “Many students and parents don’t have a firm understanding of the cost of attending college, or the amount of debt they will incur.  And…

  • More from Glenn Reynolds on the Higher Education Bubble

    Chris Gacek
    11 May 2012 | 2:26 pm
    This past weekend Professor Glenn Reynolds, University of Tennessee Law School, published another newspaper article on the college debt bubble.  Reynolds is one of the best writers on the college debt “bubble” – as he calls it.  He believes that the market for exorbitantly priced higher education is getting soft as market forces and public awareness take hold. He also takes note of 21st Century alternatives to the old brick and mortar education model.  He mentions a number of high-tech ventures that are taking off: Harvard/MIT edX, Minerva University, “Stanford professor/Google…

  • They make Mother’s Day real…

    FRC Media Office
    11 May 2012 | 11:49 am
      This Mother’s Day week, FRC hosted a special news program to celebrate the work that over two thousands of Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRCs) do every day around the country.  Both those who serve and those served join us to highlight this positive, life-affirming work that benefit mothers, fathers, and children in need. Now you can watch on-demand this special Mother’s Day webcast highlighting the recently published ”A Passion to Serve: How Pregnancy Resource Centers Empower Women, Help Families and Strengthen Communities” and the good work of PRCs around the…
 
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    Blogging Theologically | Jesus, Books, Culture, & Theology

  • Book Review: The Intolerance of Tolerance by D.A. Carson

    Aaron Armstrong
    16 May 2012 | 5:30 am
    One doesn’t have to be a great student of culture to know that there’s been a shift in how we view the world. It’s a change that, D.A. Carson argues, is subtle in form, but massive in substance. What’s happened? We’ve changed our understanding of tolerance. We’ve moved from an understanding that accepts the existence of different views to one that presupposes the acceptance of those same views. “To accept that a different or opposing position exists and deserves the right to exist is one thing; to accept the position itself means that one is no longer…

  • Links I Like

    Aaron Armstrong
    16 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    How a Book is Born I’ve heard rumors that this is so: If We Believe All the Same Things, Why Do Our Churches Seem So Different? Kevin DeYoung: Have you ever been talking to a pastor or someone from another church and it seems like you should be kindred spirits. The person you meet is obviously a warm-hearted, sincere Christian. They don’t have a problem with any of the doctrines you mention as precious to you and your church. They don’t affirm liberal positions on major theological questions. They nod vigorously when you talk about the Bible and prayer and church planting and the…

  • That Which His Holiness Demanded, His Grace Has Provided

    Aaron Armstrong
    15 May 2012 | 5:30 am
    The “god” which the vast majority of professing Christians “love” is looked upon very much like an indulgent old man, who himself has no relish for folly, but leniently winks at the “indiscretions” of youth. But the Word says, “Thou hatest all workers of iniquity” (Psa 5:5). And again, “God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psa 7:11). But men refuse to believe in this God, and gnash their teeth when His hatred of sin is faithfully pressed upon their attention. No, sinful man was no more likely to devise a holy God than to create the Lake of Fire in which he will be…

  • Links I Like

    Aaron Armstrong
    15 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    Seven Marks of a Good Theologian C. Michael Patton: Are you willing to change your position? What if the evidence was not on your side? Are you lead purely by your emotional convictions? If you cannot change, what gives you the right to require it of others. Theologians will always be adapting because they know don’t have it all figured out. Michael Horton, Gender Stereotypes, and Me Douglas Wilson: There are certain creational differences between the sexes, which God intended to be operative from the begining of the world to the end of it. Women bearing and nurturing children would be…

  • 4 Functions of Sound Doctrine

    Aaron Armstrong
    14 May 2012 | 5:30 am
    Recently, I wrote that one of the key functions of doctrine is that it divides. Because Jesus himself is the most divisive person ever to live, all doctrine that aligns with him will necessarily cause division. But that’s not all that doctrine does. Consider Paul’s words to Timothy in 1 Tim. 4:6-16: If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily…
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    Bible Stories My Kids Love

  • The Oil Kept Pouring and Pouring

    10 May 2012 | 6:33 pm
    A woman can't pay her bills...and is desperate, and may lose her son to slavery. The a miracle happens! In this story, God teaches us about trusting him and obeying him and by doing so, he will work it out.Enjoy today's Bible Stories My Kids Love. MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast

  • The 40 Days After Easter

    17 Apr 2012 | 6:03 pm
    Ever wonder what happened for the forty days Jesus walked the earth after his resurrection?Listen and find out on today's Bible Stories My Kids Love. MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast

  • The Easter Story

    6 Apr 2012 | 6:01 pm
    This Bible Stories My Kids Love comes from John 20. It is the story of Jesus' resurrection on Easter Sunday.Have a wonderful Easter! MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast

  • Prayer Lessons from a Puppy

    8 Mar 2012 | 3:10 pm
    Have you ever noticed the persistence of a puppy that wants something? In today's Bible Stories My Kids Love hear about a woman's determination and an answer to prayer.Enjoy today's Bible story. MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast

  • Do Not Throw the First Stone

    28 Feb 2012 | 3:46 pm
    Jesus faces the crowd who wants to punish a woman and teaches us about forgiveness.Enjoy today's Bible Stories My Kids Love. MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast
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    Missionary Confidential

  • The Pastor Who Wouldn’t Go Away

    C. Holland
    2 May 2012 | 3:29 pm
    The Pastor Who Wouldn’t Go AwayNew Post from: Missionary Confidential Halfway through the furlough presentations, he showed up again. I thought we were done with all of this. About a year and a half into our mission in Western Europe, one of our supporting church pastors arrived in our country. Out of the blue. With three other people. In fairness, he had contacted us in an email a couple of months prior, simply stating that he thought he might come over to our mission field. That was it: no dates, no mention of whether it would be a “fun trip” to visit us or a “mission trip” to do…

  • From the Missionary Blogosphere

    C. Holland
    21 Feb 2012 | 9:02 am
    From the Missionary BlogosphereNew Post from: Missionary Confidential It’s back! After a year’s hiatus, “From the Missionary Blogosphere” re-emerges. An executive director of a missions agency reveals his five mistakes in sending missionaries. Are we “too dependent on the satisfaction of having done something for them over there?” Thoughts on why the Missional Movement will fail. A former MK reveals the lies that MKs believe. What are poor kids learning from the rich kids who go on short-term missions? This post means a lot to me at the moment, and I think…

  • Furlough: Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other

    C. Holland
    17 Feb 2012 | 11:59 am
    Furlough: Six of One, Half a Dozen of the OtherNew Post from: Missionary Confidential Furlough. Wow. Ugh. I had a lot of trepidation about the demands of furlough. Some of them proved to be correct, others must have been myths, or churches are changing how they treat missionaries. We learned a lot through the time, and for the few who seemed interested in what their church had been supporting for up to six years, I’m glad we got to speak. If you remember from the last post on this subject, “Yet Sometimes God Closes the Door”, we spent our first few months catching up with family and…

  • Question: What Book(s) Would You Recommend to People Who Want to be a Missionary?

    C. Holland
    25 Jan 2012 | 3:58 pm
    Question: What Book(s) Would You Recommend to People Who Want to be a Missionary?New Post from: Missionary Confidential I’d like to read more this year, and missiology/missions is definitely on the subject list. I’m thinking of possibly reviewing some of those books on this site so: What book(s) would you recommend to someone who says, “I’m thinking of becoming a missionary/going on a short-term mission trip” or asks the question, “What’s it like to be a missionary?” Hit the comments below! Related posts: Question Week: What Books Would You…

  • Do You Give Christmas Gifts to Your Supporters?

    C. Holland
    19 Dec 2011 | 7:27 pm
    Do You Give Christmas Gifts to Your Supporters?New Post from: Missionary Confidential The latest newsletter from The Body Builders talks about the importance of sending gifts to your supporters, not only to encourage better relationships with your financial partners but also to help maintain giving. I have to be honest; in our almost five years in the field, we never sent Christmas gifts. As much as we communicated and made sure to send letters, postcards and make phone calls to our supporters, we just couldn’t afford to buy and ship packages from our field. The cost was too high. But…
 
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    Ed Bahler's Blog...To Enhance Ministry

  • Living Well

    Ed Bahler
    30 Apr 2012 | 10:25 pm
    Thanks for your patience as I took a break from blogging after my cancer experience. There was a lot to catch up on and so many thoughts to sort through. One question I’ve been pondering is, “How do you live well?” After receiving my diagnosis, the question that I wrestled with was, “How do you die well?” If dying from cancer would be my last lesson for my family and friends, then that lesson needed to be a grace-filled one. I was recently sharing my cancer story with a large group of college students, and I asked them what attributes they thought were necessary…

  • I am Convinced

    Ed Bahler
    11 Jan 2012 | 9:02 pm
    Ten days ago I shared how God fulfills His promise to show up when we’re in big trouble. That was the first big lesson from my journey with cancer. The second lesson became clear when others showed up as well. The apostle Paul gave us this promise: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 I love how Paul says that God will surround us with His love…

  • Our Prince of Peace

    Ed Bahler
    30 Dec 2011 | 3:20 pm
    It’s rare to receive a death sentence. It’s even rarer to receive a death sentence and survive. With survival rates in the single digits, people considered my “Pancreatic Cancer” diagnosis last month as nothing less than a death sentence. And I did too. I’ll never forget that night, driving to each of my kid’s homes to drop that death sentence on them. I knew that as the leader of the family I had to be strong. I had to show faith, hope, love, and courage. But these Hold Me Jesus song lyrics from Rich Mullins express the real thoughts ricocheting off the walls of my heart that…

  • God Gives Back

    Ed Bahler
    5 Dec 2011 | 4:26 pm
    I’ll never forget that night, ten years ago, when a lifelong dream died. We had made our decision, and I was realizing that I would never have the chance to work alongside my oldest son, Clint. We hugged and cried as we both let go of a vision that we had nurtured together from the time Clint was a young boy. Clint had worked at our company after school since seventh grade. We loved to be together and to work together. But now Clint had finished his freshman year of engineering at Purdue, and he had to make the choice between Civil Engineering in order to come back to our company or…

  • Perfect Love

    Ed Bahler
    3 Dec 2011 | 9:28 pm
    “You have Pancreatic cancer.” They were the most devastating words a man could hear. My head dropped. I couldn’t look up. The world stopped. After conquering heart disease 30 months ago, I now have a new attacker. And this one is far more deadly. Don’t Google it and read the mortality rates, or you’ll have me buried before you finish this post. I had myself buried before I left the doctor’s office Wednesday evening. It seemed hopeless. It was heartbreaking traveling from house to house that night to tell my kids. We were all crying. My girls were cuddled…
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    Heart Choices

  • Still Counting My Blessings

    14 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    Life can become busy at times.  And no, I've not been hiding.  I've been moving ...still. There are only two weeks left in the school year so it's a very busy time.  I've missed blogging and visiting my blogging friends. But there have been many blessings to share. My niece Kristin and her husband had a baby girl named Kenzie.  She is my great niece and she's adorable. Have I mentioned that I love babies?  I can't wait to hold her.  These are the times when I wish I didn't live so far away. My Aunt Ruth celebrated her 75th birthday on Saturday.  My Uncle Bob…

  • Transformation Process

    29 Apr 2012 | 8:48 am
    The caterpillars arrived in our Pre-K 3 classroom.  It was so exciting!  The children had fun looking at them and hearing a story about "The Crawly Caterpillar". Each day the kids had the opportunity to observe.  Heidi and I reminded them that we see with our eyes and not our hands. They watched the caterpillars.  They began to form a chrysalis and the children learned all about this process.  It seemed like nothing was happening.  But all of the action was going on inside.  The old parts of the caterpillar were undergoing a transformation called…

  • TSMSS ~ I'm With You

    28 Apr 2012 | 2:30 am
    I'm With You.  This is a beautiful song sung by Nichole Nordeman & Amy Grant.  It was playing in the background during the (in)RL session entitled "Choose Joy: Sara's story". Sara was a blogger who died.  During her illness, she chose joy and reached out to community.  I'm sure it would be easy to isolate yourself given a life of suffering but Sara made the choice to reach out to others, even from the confines of her bedroom.  This is where she spent most of her time until her death.  And Sara is still impacting people with her love for others and her love…

  • Word-filled Wednesday ~ Encouragement

    25 Apr 2012 | 7:55 am
    This is a week of encouragement on Heart Choices. Even the children in our Pre-K 3 class had the opportunity to help one another this week.  They were counting their fingers and tracing their hands.  They were able to trace one hand.  But they needed a friend to trace their other hand.  It was such fun to watch them work together and help and encourage one another. We need each other.  There are times when we need a good dose of encouragement. Can you think of someone you can encourage today?   Don't just think it.  GO AND DO IT! I'm linking up with Internet…

  • Do You Open Your Heart to Others?

    24 Apr 2012 | 8:38 am
    Do you open your heart to others?  Or have you been hurt by others that you thought you could trust? How easy it can be to hide our hearts.  It seems safer and yet ...so lonely. We were not meant to live the Christian life alone. So often we look at other's lives and think that they have it all together. The perfect life The perfect family The perfect body The perfect home But let's get real. We all have our stuff that others don't get to see. Nobody's perfect! As I watched this promotional video, it reminded me of how much I've come to love my friends, including many blogging…
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    Captain’s Blog

  • Scar Stories - Telling and showing the reality of our lives

    Chad Estes
    14 May 2012 | 6:35 pm
    I mentioned in an earlier post that last November I stumbled upon a book titled, “The Scar Project” about 50 women under 35 years old who had suffered from breast cancer.  I didn’t really stumble upon the book; I was looking for it. What I actually had stumbled upon was a portrait on a professional photographers’ website that gave me pause. It was a portrait of a woman who had undergone a mastectomy of her right breast. I made this comment underneath the picture, “Very raw and vulnerable, and still very feminine and beautiful. Thank you for sharing this.” I think the woman is…

  • Holding out Hope - A teenage girl’s journey with the loss of her hair

    Chad Estes
    10 May 2012 | 2:06 pm
    She was sitting at a computer at school, working with her classmates on a project. One of her friends standing behind her gave her the startling news, “Hope, your hair…, its gone in the back…” It is one thing to be a mid-40’s male whose mop is gradually thinning into obscurity, it is quite another when you are a young lady in the 5th grade with gorgeous tresses of hair. Hope and her mother Kate went to their family doctor to find out about the hair loss, which is called alopecia. Alopecia areata is a common autoimmune skin disease resulting in the loss of hair on the scalp and…

  • The Legend of Jimmy Jive - And the difference between being right and good

    Chad Estes
    9 May 2012 | 5:55 pm
    I grew up in Idaho. Think of what you know of Idaho – potatoes, L shaped state, located somewhere in the Northwest, often mistaken for Iowa, western, white, Arian nations, and about as red politically as a state can be. Then consider that I grew up in a couple of conservative churches – one during my elementary years and one during my teenage years. Both of these churches had schools which I attended. The only time I ever ventured out into the wild world of public education was during my senior year when a friend invited me to attend high school with her for a day. Thankfully I…

  • Infusion 2 - The Mike Sessions

    Chad Estes
    8 May 2012 | 5:33 pm
    Cancers are not ever good, but I guess some can be better to have than others. Where Mike’s chemo treatment is more like an insurance policy to make sure all the margins around his removed tumor are healthy other people are taking chemo to shrink tumors that are still in their body. I looked around the waiting room of people wondering why everyone was there. Each of them has a unique story and is pursuing a journey of recovery as best as they and their doctors can figure out. Mike looks really good. His color is better; his blood count is better; his wavy hair will probably stay attached to…

  • Being Stretched over Stretch Marks - A Fine Art of Nakedness Story

    Chad Estes
    5 May 2012 | 9:15 pm
    “Don’t cover up my stretch marks,” the pregnant lady told me, “I’ve earned every one of them.” In a world of Photoshopped perfection I haven’t had that many people ask me not to touch up their images. Usually it is relief to the high school students that I am better at getting rid of pimples in the post processing of their senior portraits than Proactive is on their actual face. I don’t have any issue using software to smooth out some wrinkles or soften away some pores. I can add a touch of color to the lips and even make someone’s teeth a Pepsident white again. Of course…
 
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    Here I Blog

  • Sunday Considerations: Psalm 51

    Mark
    28 Apr 2012 | 9:13 am
    Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God [1] Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. [2] Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! [3] For I know my transgressions,  and my sin is ever before me. [4] Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. [5] Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. [6] Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you…

  • Book Review: Business for the Glory of God

    Mark
    24 Apr 2012 | 10:28 am
    Grudem, Wayne. Business for the Glory of God: The Bible’s Teaching On the Moral Goodness of Business. Wheaton, IL: Good News Publishers/Crossway Books, 2003.Guest review by Wayne Elliott.Why, we may wonder, wouldone of today’s most respected evangelical theologians care about the world of business, much less be moved to write a book analyzing the theological basis for business? After all, isn’t business far removed from the halls of the theological academy? Wayne Grudem is a graduate of Harvard University (BA), Westminster Seminary (MDiv), and the University of Cambridge, England…

  • Sunday Considerations: Abide in Love

    Mark
    21 Apr 2012 | 3:28 pm
    Christ underlines a further principle, “Abide in My love” (15:9), and states very clearly what this implies: the believer rests his or her life on the love of Christ (the love of the One who lays down His life for His friends, v. 13).This love has been proved to us in the cross of Christ. We must never allow ourselves to drift from daily contemplation of the cross as the irrefutable demonstration of that love, or from dependence on the Spirit who sheds it abroad in our hearts (Rom. 5:5). Furthermore, remaining in Christ’s love comes to very concrete expression: simple…

  • Christian Kindle Books Under $5

    Mark
    20 Apr 2012 | 9:02 am
    Amazon.com WidgetsRelated posts:Kindle My BlogCheap Kindle eBooks Under $5Good Books from Goodwill © Mark for Here I Blog - for the gospel of Jesus Christ., 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to Post tags: cheap ebooks, Christian, Christianity, ebooks, Kindle

  • Are SBC Resolutions Only Valid for One Year?

    Mark
    19 Apr 2012 | 10:33 am
    While citing the Southern Baptist Convention website on resolutions for yesterday’s applied ethics post1 I noticed a interesting statement about resolutions.Note the following from the SBC website [emphasis added].21. How do I find out the official SBC stance on various issues?The Southern Baptist Convention makes official statements regarding specific issues by means of resolutions passed at our annual gatherings each June.  Southern Baptist polity views these resolutions as expressions of opinions or concern which are representative of the messengers attending the meeting, but are…
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    PeterPollock.com

  • More – Blog Carnival

    PeterP
    15 May 2012 | 1:18 am
    Welcome to the One Word At A Time Blog Carnival – this week’s word is: More. Below this, you’ll find a little widget called Simply Linked. All the participants in the carnival add their links to the widget and that way we can all find and read everyone’s entries. You’re welcome to join us, the carnival is open to anyone. To see all of the upcoming words and their dates, visit http://peterpollock.com/category/faith/carnival/     I Want More!   I think it’s part of the human condition to want more. We yearn for it, we strive for it. We lust after it. It…

  • Much – Blog Carnival

    PeterP
    30 Apr 2012 | 7:30 pm
    Welcome to the One Word At A Time Blog Carnival – this week’s word is: Much. Below this, you’ll find a little widget called Simply Linked. All the participants in the carnival add their links to the widget and that way we can all find and read everyone’s entries. You’re welcome to join us, the carnival is open to anyone. To see all of the upcoming words and their dates, visit http://peterpollock.com/category/faith/carnival/ There is Much To Do At the risk of sounding rather controversial, I’d like to share the argument that being a Christian is MUCH more than saying a…

  • Approved – Blog Carnival

    PeterP
    17 Apr 2012 | 1:36 am
    Welcome to the One Word At A Time Blog Carnival – this week’s word is: Approved. Below this, you’ll find a little widget called Simply Linked. All the participants in the carnival add their links to the widget and that way we can all find and read everyone’s entries. You’re welcome to join us, the carnival is open to anyone. To see all of the upcoming words and their dates, visit http://peterpollock.com/category/faith/carnival/ This Message is NOT Approved by PeterPollock.com I was really excited about the word ‘approved’ and I’m sure we’re going to get…

  • He Heard Hannah by Lynnette Kraft – Book Review

    PeterP
    10 Apr 2012 | 2:55 am
    Lynnette Kraft and Courtney Becker have written a book. It’s a true story but like a good novel it has a mix of tragedy, suspense, love and redemption. The question is though… is it a GOOD mix of all of those things, or does the story fall short and fail to deliver on its potential? And the answer is…. You’ll have to head over to my review of the book on ThatEnglishGeek.com to find out See you there!

  • Easter Day Thoughts 2012 – Sunday April 8th

    PeterP
    8 Apr 2012 | 2:56 am
      I am involved with an organization here in town named Champions, which provides recovery services for people recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. The Champions name comes from the idea that we have to become champions over our sin and addictions – and we can only do that with the help of our Champion, Jesus Christ. This year, I wrote an Easter message to all of the champions who work for us and it was well received so I decided to share it with you: To all the Champions… I just wanted to write to wish you a very happy Champion’s day. OK, so most people call it…
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    Coffee Shop Journal

  • Run

    marla
    14 May 2012 | 2:12 pm
    My family is clamoring for attention. “Check this out for me, please?” “Before you go, can you just look at this…” “I need you for just a moment.” My mind can barely process the requests. They tumble one after the other in a hopeless pile of need. Somewhere in the middle of the tasks and to-do’s my brain finds a clear spot and time stands still: I need to go for a run. Fortunately, we’re staying at a large hotel that has a pre-defined running path, so I slip my sneakers on and head out the door, ignoring one last demand for attention. I’m focused, and I’m going to…

  • Inexplicable

    marla
    17 Feb 2012 | 11:27 am
    Inexplicable Inexplicable. One medium sized word that inspired the entire direction of the second half of our lives. It is a great word, if you think about it. Life is inexplicable. It is filled with inexplicable moments of beauty followed immediately by inexplicable moments of sorrow. There is inexplicable illness, inexplicabe death. We see inexplicable fame (especially on YouTube!) and inexplicable years spent in obscurity. Once in awhile we thrill to inexplicable healing, provision, or direction. We cry at inexplicable beauty in a baby, a puppy, a sunset. We laugh at the unexpected and…

  • God in a Brothel by Daniel Walker: Book Review

    marla
    5 Feb 2012 | 2:43 pm
    I’ve been drifting at the edges of the human trafficking issue for a year or two now, joining my church in the Hope for Freedom cause, reading, talking, networking. I have sat with prostitutes who were trafficked into the trade by relatives and “safe” friends. I’ve heard their stories and seen their redemption. I’ve seen homes for restoring the souls of young girls. And I’ve read. I’ve read news reports of raids, successful and not. I’ve read books that were released, both secular and Christian. I’ve done what I could, within the confines…

  • The Big Game: Superbowl 2012 and the Nuns

    marla
    4 Feb 2012 | 9:57 am
    I heard a great story on Fox News yesterday morning while I was getting ready for my day. Since the story involved human trafficking, an issue that I care about deeply, I stopped what I was doing and watched. I loved what I saw! It seems that a group of nuns in Indiana is (rightly) concerned about the increased potential and reality of trafficking surrounding the Superbowl tomorrow. But these nuns didn’t hold a prayer meeting or a candlelight vigil. Ok, they might have, but that wasn’t the point of the story. The point was that they chose to get smart and creative in fighting…

  • The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

    marla
    29 Jan 2012 | 10:54 am
    I just finished reading Mark Batterson’s latest book, The Circle Maker. If you have followed Coffee Shop Journal at all, you know that Batterson is one of my favorite authors in the current Christian landscape. So I have been slowly savoring The Circle Maker, letting its message sink deep rather than skimming the surface of my mind. The premise of The Circle Maker is simple: God honors the prayers we pray. Hardly ground-breaking! But Batterson frames The Circle Maker in an ancient Jewish tale that takes prayer to a new place. There was, once upon a time, a Jewish prophet named Honi.
 
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    Thank Christ

  • Dear God

    Give Thanks!
    11 May 2012 | 2:38 pm
    Jesus thank you for all that you have done in my life…giving me divorced parents, a very broken home, a satanic brother, an alcoholic brother, a disabled sister, a bipolar brother, a Godly brother, and a Godly father. You have used this to teach me to be entirely dependent on you to meet my needs everyday. Also you have taught me how to love people i normally would never even look at. Thank you for this website for encouraging me in a time of stress and being overwhelmed.

  • my family

    Give Thanks!
    7 May 2012 | 1:35 am
    dear god i want to thank u for givings us life and to deal with the challenges faced as they come by each day i want god to give me the strength and to remember the things that i have studied in order to pass my exams and get grade 1,s and 2′s god please thats all i am asking and to continue to protect us all thank you.

  • My Family

    Give Thanks!
    3 Apr 2012 | 11:32 am
    I am thankful for my family and the lord keeping them safe from harm and he is still blessing me even though I don’t do things right all the time i know he still loves me.

  • Provision

    Give Thanks!
    2 Apr 2012 | 11:48 am
    My parents owed an enormous tax bill of $1400, and because my father works for the IRS it has to be paid by 4/15/12 or he will be terminated from his job. My family is poor and no one has any money. However, God worked it out. Each of us kids, unbeknownst to them, donated $200 and then got a few family members to also contribute. God is good. They have all that they need.

  • My New Family!

    Give Thanks!
    2 Apr 2012 | 11:48 am
    I never thought I would marry. God blessed me with a husband and 3 beautiful children. Praise God. God does answer prayer. Don’t give up!
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    BibleDude.net

  • moving versus resting

    Mandy Thompson
    15 May 2012 | 5:30 am
    Photo by Roj Smith I’m frozen in time. Actually, frozen on my couch somewhere between working on a series of paintings and climbing on my elliptical. I was thinking about inertia—that stuff smart people say when they’re explaining that an object in motion stays in motion, and an object at rest stays at rest. All these Smart People Words started with the fact that I shouldn’t have plopped down on the couch if it was “exercise time.” Oh, but here I am. Sitting still. No longer moving away from the brushes and canvases. No longer moving towards the swish swish…

  • why do bad things happen to good people?

    Nikole Hahn
    11 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    The rain splashes against the window like tears. The past creeps in like flickering shadows and I am thinking of it again. I no longer ask why bad things happen. In retrospect, I can see how God turned what others meant for evil to good and my sin into something else. If things had happened the way I wanted them to, I wouldn’t have grown and become who I am today. I would not have been a Christian. There’s no simple, crowd-pleasing answer to why bad things happen. Just ask Randy Alcorn who wrote, If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil. He said… “Human freedom is…

  • giving away mother’s day

    Crystal Rowe
    10 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    This year, I will celebrate my first Mother’s Day as a Mom. As the day approaches, I can’t help but think about how lucky I am. I am healthy, loved, and my every need is provided for. But not all mothers can say the same thing. There’s the young mom and her small child who sit outside the post office asking for help because they have no place to live. She doesn’t have a car, speaks very little English, and has no idea how she’ll feed her daughter dinner tonight. The young woman who takes care of her younger siblings. They will celebrate their first Mother’s…

  • words that bring division

    Mark Lafler
    9 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    We use words to compartmentalize, categorize, and define. For example, I would define my Christian theology (or spirituality) as a Protestant Evangelical Reformed Charismatic Episcopal/Anglican Christian.  Each of these words brings a certain characteristic or understanding to what kind of Christian I am. Historians and sociologists use stereotypes to categorize groups of people together in order to make sense of the world.  For the good or the bad some people are similar to other people and are placed in a category. Of course, in our day and age of post-modern individualism the current…

  • the artist’s rule

    Mandy Thompson
    8 May 2012 | 5:30 am
    “As you make art or write, the process is a container for awareness. Everything that rises up—judgments, blocks, insights—is a reflection of the whole of your life.” Christine Valters Paintner in The Artist’s Rule I sat in the corner of my kitchen yesterday morning and spent the early hour reading, meditating, and responding. I was asked, by the written words found in The Artist’s Rule, to consider what it is that even draws me to this book—this twelve-week journey of “nurturing your creative soul with monastic wisdom.” My answer came easily:…
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    Biblical Preaching

  • Insightful Incidentals – part 2

    Peter Mead
    16 May 2012 | 12:23 am
    Yesterday I suggested that some preaching points pursued from minor details in a text can be well off-target.  But does this mean we are constrained to a rigid main point only approach?  Generally this wouldn’t hurt most preachers, but let’s say for argument’s sake that you are very conscientious on preaching the main idea in a text . . . are there some guidelines for commenting on the less central details? 1. Make sure you’ve understood how the detail relates to the whole before you say anything else about it.   Biblical narrative tends to be sparse in nature.

  • Insightful Incidentals?

    Peter Mead
    15 May 2012 | 12:23 am
    Whatever passage you are preaching, there will be opportunity to make passing comments about relatively minor details.  Of course, all Scripture is God-breathed and there is no such thing as a non-essential word in the Bible.  But a high commitment to verbal plenary inspiration (i.e. the words are inspired, all of them), does not mean every word can become a preaching point on a whim. So what sort of insightful incidental comments are best left unsaid altogether?  Tomorrow I’ll address the potentially appropriate ones, but for now, just the baddies: 1. Distracting moralisms –…

  • Saturday Short Thought: Seeker Sensitive Preaching

    Peter Mead
    12 May 2012 | 1:28 am
    For the past two weeks I have been blogging my way through what I think might be the ten biggest big ideas in the Bible.  I’m sure there are others that should be included. And I’m sure there are some that shouldn’t.  I’ve watched a discussion on a forum where people have been posting their own lists in response to my suggesting there might be eight to ten such macro thoughts.  One or two suggestions have seemed to be off-track.  My concern is not to wrangle over debates between one theological camp versus another.  My concern is that the God of the Bible be…

  • Biggest Big Ideas – 10. Christ

    Peter Mead
    11 May 2012 | 12:14 am
    We’ve covered a lot of ground in nine posts.  A lot of threads weave through the canon.  The resulting tapestry is stunning and breathtaking, but we can’t help ourselves, our gaze goes from the whole to the who…the one who reveals God to us, the Son. 10. The centerpiece of God’s great Word is His Word, His Son, our Lord, the Christ, the deliverer called Jesus, from Nazareth. The epic adventures of God’s chosen people take more than a few posts to tell.  In various times, in different ways, God spoke to them.  But in these last days He has spoken to us in a son!  Can we ever get…

  • Biggest Big Ideas – 9. Hope

    Peter Mead
    10 May 2012 | 12:43 am
    I started this series last week with the note that Haddon Robinson had suggested that the Bible weaves together about ten bigger big ideas.  I’m offering my list, feel encouraged to read the Scriptures and write your own.  We’ve pondered our triune God, His creation, our fall into sin, His grace, our faith, His great work of redemption, resulting in our unity, the spreading giving goodness of God’s plan and now we have two left.  The Bible is saturated with this theme: 9.  A fallen world is a place of despair, yet sin cannot win against our great God, so His people always have hope.
 
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    maxgrace.com

  • Free Book Today

    maxgrace
    26 Apr 2012 | 9:28 am
    My apologetics book, Four Letter Words: Conversations on Faith’s Beauty and Logic, is FREE for download today and Friday (Apr 26, 27) on Amazon.com. Please spread the word. Here’s the link: http://amzn.to/AolTXe Here’s the books website: http://www.fourletterwords.org There’s never been a culture more desperate for answers to life’s big questions; and never a culture more convinced no answers exist. As a Christian, I believe answers do exist. God has spoken in his Word. He has lifted the veil, and offered a glimpse into the deepest truths of life, love, and…

  • Remember the Cross of Christ

    maxgrace
    6 Apr 2012 | 6:48 am
    There has never been a message so amazing as the gospel. No religion offers anything like it. Its astonishing gift of grace sets the gospel of Jesus Christ in a class by itself. Paul summarized the gospel in one sentence, so simple we easily overlook its riches: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4, NAS95. This gospel ranks highest on our list of biblical truths; it is “of first…

  • Happy St Patrick’s Day

    maxgrace
    17 Mar 2012 | 12:41 pm
    In the year AD 389, a boy was born in Britain; they named him Patick. His father and grandfather were both active in the Celtic church… It might surprise you to know that St Patrick was not Irish and he was not Catholic. When he was a teenager, a band of pirates plundered his village and took Patrick and many other young men captives. They traveled to Ireland and were sold into slavery. For the next six years, Patrick herded swine as a slave. Although he was reared in a Christian home, he had never embraced Jesus for himself. But during those years of captivity, he realized that he was a…

  • Eternal Security #2

    maxgrace
    14 Feb 2012 | 10:49 pm
    A continuation… Objections Not all Christians agree on the doctrine of Eternal Security. This is one of those areas where reasonable Christians disagree. A good number of godly, scholarly, biblical evangelical, born-again Christians would deny Eternal Security. They offer two main objections: 1) that the Bible doesn’t teach it; 2) that it leads to spiritual laziness. 1) The Bible doesn’t teach it. Opponents to the doctrine say the Bible teaches just the opposite, that you can, in fact lose your salvation. They have a whole list of verses that they claim teach this. However,…

  • Secure Forever, part 1

    maxgrace
    10 Feb 2012 | 8:28 am
    Can a Christian lost his/her salvation? I’ve had a lot of questions about this topic lately, so here goes. I’m reposting these on my Facebook Author page too, and I’d love for you to go there and click the like button. Thanks. Sooner or later, every believer in Jesus Christ must come to grips with one all important question: Who will bear the burden of my eternal life? Or we might ask, On whose shoulders will rest the weight of bringing me to God and ultimately getting me into heaven? Scripture supplies a most magnificent answer: Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall…
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    Dad in the Middle

  • RAIN FOR ROOTS (A Dad in the Middle Review)

    Wayne
    15 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    Background There is a great new album coming out today for younger kids called Rain for Roots.  All of the songs on the album were written by Sally Lloyd-Jones  the author behind one of my favorite books ever – The Jesus Storybook Bible.  The music is performed by Sandra McCracken, Ellie Holcomb, Flo Paris and Katy Bowser.  You can buy the album starting today at RainforRoots.com or http://www.bandcamp.com/rainforroots.  If you use the special code “inthemiddle” when you place your order, you can save 10%.  The digital release also includes a pdf file of a…

  • Monday Morning Prophecy #68 – The Messiah Would Be Called a Man of Sorrows

    Wayne
    14 May 2012 | 6:55 am
    Introduction Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords, but the Old Testament also prophesies that the Messiah would be called a Man of Sorrows. Old Testament Prophecy He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. [Isaiah 53:3 NIV] New Testament Fulfillment He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with…

  • Why I Believe the Bible #21A (The Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament)

    Wayne
    11 May 2012 | 6:55 am
    In the last installment of this series, we looked at just a few of the non-Messianic prophecies contained in the Old Testament.  Today, we want to look at some of the Old Testament Prophecies specifically about the coming Messiah.  These prophecies, of course, are perfectly fulfilled in the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Indeed, the evidence of these specific prophecies are so strong that they were fundamental in my own journey in coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  I was so taken and persuaded by these prophecies, that I have been publishing a…

  • Good Works (Fruit or Root of Salvation)

    Wayne
    9 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    There is much discussion in the world of children’s ministry these days over the issue of values based curriculum.  I believe that discussion is an important one to have, and in the end it comes down to how values are taught rather than if they are taught which will determine whether or not a curriculum has the right focus.  The whole argument though, is much older than just the current discussion.  The argument stems from a misunderstanding of good works that dates back to the time of the New Testament writers (and frankly, well back into Old Testament times). Ephesians…

  • Monday Morning Prophecy #67 – The Messiah Would Be Compassionate and Gentle

    Wayne
    7 May 2012 | 6:55 am
    Introduction The Old Testament gives plenty of information regarding the nature of the coming Messiah. For examples, the Bible says that the Messiah would be compassionate and gentle. The life of Jesus fulfills these prophecies. Old Testament Prophecy A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; [Isaiah 42:3 NIV] Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey [Zechariah 9:9…
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    Crossway Blog

  • Video: Justin Taylor interviews Lydia Brownback on “A Woman’s Wisdom”

    Lindsay Tully
    14 May 2012 | 4:06 pm
    Advice books are no short-lived trend, even though much of the advice parading as “wisdom” proves shallow in the long run. What we need is biblical wisdom, and even more than that we need hearts set on the One who governs all our practicalities. Join Justin Taylor and Lydia Brownback as they discuss her new book A Woman’s Wisdom: How the Book of Proverbs Speaks to Everything. 0:01 – You’ve written books for women on being single, on devotions—why did you want to dedicate an entire book to exploring the book of Proverbs? 1:17 – Is this book for all kinds of women?

  • One of the Hardest Days of the Year

    Lindsay Tully
    12 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Mother’s Day is a wonderful time of celebration and thanksgiving, a day on which we express our gratitude to God for children, motherhood, and the grace that enables them both. However, for others it is also one of the most painful days of the year, reminding couples of loss, pain, and unfulfilled dreams. Regardless of whether this Mother’s Day is one of celebration or grieving, and especially if you are a pastor, this post by Russell Moore may be helpful to you. From Mother’s Day and Infertility: Mother’s Day is a particularly sensitive time in many congregations, and pastors and…

  • A Mother’s Identity

    Angie Cheatham
    11 May 2012 | 3:50 pm
    Guest Post by Jessica Thompson, co-author of Give Them Grace So… it’s almost Mother’s Day. In a recent survey, a majority of mothers confessed that they felt burdened in their parenting. Many felt that no matter how they tried they weren’t making the grade. They felt like failures. I know in my own life I often give in to feelings of inadequacy, feeling like I have absolutely no idea what I am doing, feeling like the majority of what I do with my kids is detrimental. Is it the same for you? How can we fight this? How can I get up in the morning and try again? How can I have peace…

  • 5 New ESV Editions Available Before Fall 2012

    Andrew Tebbe
    11 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    We have lot of exciting Bible editions in store for the ESV in 2012. We’ve listed below five of the new editions, each available for order from Crossway.org or your favorite retailer by the end of the listed month (the Large Print Compact isalready available). We have even more in store for 2012, so keep an eye out in the coming months. April Large Print Compact Bible – The goal for the Large Print Compact Bible was to combine the convenience of a smaller trim size with the readability that comes with larger type. It features line-matching, a production process that aligns ink on both…

  • Wise Women Know How to Think, Feel, and Want (Part 3)

    Lindsay Tully
    9 May 2012 | 8:19 am
    The last two days, we’ve looked at what Proverbs has to say about thinking and feeling. Today, Lydia walks us through what Proverbs has to say about what we want. (Read part one and part two). Adapted from A Woman’s Wisdom: How the Book of Proverbs Speaks to Everything by Lydia Brownback Desires Our desires—the things we want—tend to govern our lives and our choices. For that reason, it is important that our desires get formed in a biblical mold. Right now, today, we all desire something. It might be a desire we’ve carried in our heart for years, or perhaps it’s more…
 
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    WordPress.com News

  • Stay In The Conversation

    Beau Lebens
    15 May 2012 | 6:01 pm
    It’s now much easier for you and your commenters to keep track of the conversations you’re involved in across WordPress.com. Some recent tests have shown that by subscribing commenters to new comments by default, they are more likely to stay engaged and come back and comment more on your blog. With that knowledge, we’ve changed the default comment following behavior to help you get more conversations going on your blog. We made the initial changes last week and after great feedback from you we just launched an update. Here’s how it works: By default, posting a comment…

  • Look at These Gorgeous Blogs

    Sheri
    15 May 2012 | 1:05 pm
    We’ve added a user showcase where you can view stunning customizations made by people just like you. From complete redesigns with CSS to adding pizzazz with Custom Fonts to clever use of options like background and header, this showcase will spark your imagination and inspire creativity. Discover details about what each showcase blog is doing with WordPress.com themes and customizations by clicking a thumbnail to see a colophon-style list of credits on the left. We’ve also updated footer links so blog owners can show off the types of customizations they’ve made and visitors can…

  • Photo Blogging 101, Part 1

    Erica V.
    14 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    Spring is in the air. With the weather warming up, now is a great time to get started on a photo blog. Creating a photo blog is a wonderful introduction to blogging on WordPress.com or an opportunity to refresh your current site. Ready to get started? You can sign up for a new blog right over here. Getting started Photo blogs, sometimes called phlogs, use pictures instead of words. While many photo bloggers choose a type of photo that they want to focus on, such as portraits, others use their photo blog to document their life’s events. Photo blogs come in a variety of styles, including…

  • New Themes: Just Desserts and Oxygen

    Michelle Langston
    10 May 2012 | 8:11 am
    Happy Thursday! We’ve added some exciting new themes to our ever-growing collection, and we’re happy to tell you all about them. First out of the oven is…Just Desserts. Yep, that’s a theme! Designed by Andy Rutledge, Just Desserts is a deliciously stylish premium theme that’s perfect for blogs centered on food. With its responsive, single-column layout and unique presentation of images and posts on the front page, Just Desserts gives you a delectable canvas on which your mouthwatering photos and text can really shine — even when viewed on smaller mobile devices…

  • Find Friends Who Use WordPress

    Nick Momrik
    1 May 2012 | 2:32 pm
    Are you curious to see how your friends are using WordPress? Give the new and improved Friend Finder a try to connect with your Twitter, Facebook, and Google contacts who have WordPress sites! After authorizing WordPress.com to use your Twitter, Facebook, or Google account to find your friends (don’t worry — none of this account information is saved!) you’ll see a list of people you know who have WordPress sites. Click Follow and each time your friend publishes a new post it will show up in your Reader under Blogs I Follow. If you have multiple blogs, make sure to set the…
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    jonathancliff.com : Life, Ministry, and Life Again

  • Make your Time Count

    Jonathan Cliff
    16 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    We all want parents to be on time.  It’s hard on leaders everywhere to stop mid-way through a teaching segment to stand up and let the kid into your class for the last 20 minutes of your time together.  It’s hard in the middle of a fantastic storytelling moment in large group, and somebody has to get up and help the latecomer find his place.  Maybe your church has time cut-off limits, and good for you; but most of us don’t have the luxury.  To overcome this, you must begin to ask yourselves if you have done your very best to give them something to arrive on time for?  Does it…

  • Help Parents Be at Church

    Jonathan Cliff
    15 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    We Wish Parents Would __________.   We all want parents to bring their kids to church, but have you done your very best to make your areas easy to find?  Would a kid really want to come to your Children’s ministries?  Is it easy for parents to get involved with your children’s ministries?  Physical location matters in your areas, as well as how easy it is to get into the area.  Is your visitor check-in quick, or is it a slow crawl? We want parents to bring their kids to church, and we can communicate this value by creating spaces and environments that are both attractive to the…

  • Wishing Parents Would

    Jonathan Cliff
    14 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    Every time I attend a conference there are some guarantees that I know will happen.  First, I will probably run into someone I know at the airport, but can’t remember his or her name.  Second, I will eat more food in that one-week conference than I have in the month prior.  Lastly, and almost assured to happen is that I will commiserate on some level with people that share my burden for children and their families.  It’s not all bad, it’s just refreshing to be in a room with people that dread the Saturday night phone calls as much as I do! Over their years, I’ve collected my long…

  • Free Stuff Monday

    Jonathan Cliff
    14 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    This weeks giveaway is a great book by Brian Haynes. A few months back, I actually did a small interview with Brian; and you can really hear in this how his heart and burden are for the family and the parents that lead it! Every path has a destination. Brian Haynes wants to take parents down the path of intentional spiritual parenting. The destination is a new generation of children emerging as adults who know how to love God and love people. This new generation will also know how to equip their own children to do the same. The Legacy Path is a book meant to change the culture by moving our…

  • The Gathering 2012 Recap

    Jonathan Cliff
    11 May 2012 | 2:03 pm
    . I had a blast this week hanging out with my friends from David C. Cook and churches all around the country. Some using the TRU Curriculum and some that aren’t; but all of us dedicated to finding Holy Spirit led ways of reaching a new generation of kids and families. Here is a general list of takeaways from this unique and intimate Gathering of Family Ministry leaders: I’ve been challenged like never before to build sacred spaces into our worship experiences. Creating spaces for families and children to worship together. Too often I’ve been guilty of “teaching kids…
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    Shooting the Breeze

  • Stop mind reading!

    Kevin Martineau
    15 May 2012 | 11:35 am
    What is mind reading?  Mind reading is simply making an assumption about someone who has hurt or disappointed us without confirming it. When we do this we believe a lie about this person in our heads. This assumption is a misrepresentation of reality because we have not checked it out with the other person. It is very possible that we are believing something untrue. It is also likely that we will pass our false assumptions around to others. Acting on assumptions, without checking them out, is a common source of confusion and conflict in relationships.  Often we are unaware of the havoc it…

  • 4 qualities of effective prayer

    Kevin Martineau
    14 May 2012 | 11:37 am
    I recognize that my prayer life is not what I would like it to be. This is something that God is working on me right now. I want to continue to grow in my prayer life. I know that God answers prayer and I know that prayer really works but what makes up an effective prayer? 4 qualities of effective prayer 1. Effective prayers are humble prayers. “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble … Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will life you up.” James 4:6b, 10 We are given a promise in this verse. Our God, who is the…

  • Favourite Links Friday: 8 awesome posts worth checking out!

    Kevin Martineau
    11 May 2012 | 11:02 am
    Welcome to Favourite Links Friday! This is my way of saying “Thank-you” to all my fellow bloggers by sharing some of their wonderful posts that I have read during the week. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did! 8 of my favourite posts from the past week: 1. Exploitation versus Exaltation by Dusty Rayburn 2. WHEN IT’S ALL SAID AND DONE by POTSC 3. How to Live Your Dream When You’re Scared to Death by Jeff Goins 4. Self Esteem vs. Self Worth by Justin and Trisha 5. Following Precedes Leading by Pete Wilson 6. Lie Down or Fall Down…But Your’e Going Down! by artie 7. Real…

  • How to clarify expectations

    Kevin Martineau
    10 May 2012 | 11:32 am
    Unmet and fuzzy expectations create chaos in relationships.  They lead to frustration, disappointment and hurt. Here are a few examples of unmet and fuzzy expectations: If my pastor really cared about me he would call me when I am not at church. I shouldn’t have to tell my husband to help me with the dishes. He should just know. My children will come for Christmas this year because they didn’t come last year. What happens is that we expect other people to know what we are thinking and what we want without us ever having to tell them. Unfortunately, these types of expectations are…

  • Do you live your life with intentionality?

    Kevin Martineau
    9 May 2012 | 11:35 am
    When we were young, life happened as a matter of course. When we were hungry, food appeared by a parent or sibling. School was just out there – ready for us to plug-in and participate. Making friends was basically a slam dunk; all we needed was another recess and we returned with an arm load of new buds. And for the most part, our weight remained stable. We could eat whatever we wanted and yet stay fit and slim. Boy, I miss those days! Life is not like that anymore! Somewhere along the line, things moved from automatic to manual, from natural to deliberate and from involuntary to…
 
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    i believe in miracles

  • Woman Drowning in her SUV is Miraculously Saved

    japanjeff
    18 Apr 2012 | 1:46 pm
    Woman Drowning in her SUV is Miraculously Saved. This one reported by NBC.

  • Argentine ‘miracle’ baby found alive after death declaration – CNN.com

    japanjeff
    18 Apr 2012 | 1:39 pm
    Argentine ‘miracle’ baby found alive after death declaration – CNN.com. This is the first of a new category I am going to call Miracles Mentioned by Secular Media. I love that the media is not shying away from these strange stories and not trying to explain them away in some way that negates the possibility of Divine intervention.

  • I Will Not Be Overcome by Evil Circumstances

    japanjeff
    10 Jul 2011 | 8:20 pm
    The title of this blog is a personalization of a verse from Psalms 112, Living Bible, which says, “…all goes well for the generous man who conducts his business fairly. Such a man will not be overthrown by evil circumstances.” Psalms 112 is a favorite of mine and I used this portion of scripture as a mantra during a recent opportunity for God to show “His constant care for me” (Psalm 112:7, LB). Just about the time we started wondering when our $1395 tax refund might show up in our bank account, we got a letter from the IRS saying that they had some concerns about our tax return,…

  • Living the Dream!

    japanjeff
    3 Dec 2010 | 1:26 pm
    It’s been so long since I updated my blog that I feel it really is a discredit to the glory of God, because the fact is that He has been working in my family’s lives – a lot – and I simply have not taken time to sit down and praise His work in my blog. So, this is going to be a too-little, too-late testimony, with sketchy details because some of His marvelous blessings have already slipped through the sieve of my memory. I am writing from the comfort of spacious environs in Joaçaba, Brazil. Just a couple of months ago, I was in rural Arkansas, stressing about meeting magazine…

  • Magic Carpet

    japanjeff
    10 Jul 2010 | 12:45 pm
    For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. Matthew 6:32 In preparation to sell our house, we recently redecorated my daughter’s bathroom – taking it from preteen flowers and butterflies to a more sophisticated powder-room effect, in shades of brown and teal. The project was accomplished in short order, with one holdout – bathroom rugs. The whole project cost more than it was supposed to (gasp!) and I was now determined not to pay any more for rugs than was absolutely necessary. Thus began a fruitless search through garage sales, resale…
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    The Seminary Years

  • Excited to Crack the LXX

    Demetrius Rogers
    4 May 2012 | 12:45 pm
    My nose has been buried in end-of-semester projects for my Genesis class and now I'm all done. It was a good class, but I'm a little conflicted about exegesis courses. I loathe them and I love them. I loathe them because language courses boil down to be just 'push-ups and sit-ups'. They're flat out work... nothing particularly stimulating about them. I have to make myself pick up the work and do it. Then I love them cause I love the results of push-ups and sit-ups. I love knowing that I have taken another step in grasping the language the Bible was written in. Very valuable stuff even if…

  • 3 Schools of Preaching

    Demetrius Rogers
    20 Apr 2012 | 5:58 pm
    Growing up I was really only aware of one kind of preaching and that was pentecostal preaching. This was how I thought preaching ought to be done. It was my only model. My childhood pastor's name was Brother J.D. Hurt and for the most part he was spontaneous and at times electrifying. Then I would listen to the likes of Kenneth Hagin, T.L. Osborn, Kathryn Kuhlman, and copious amounts of Kenneth Copeland. I went to Casey Treat's church for a stint. I enjoyed the preaching of men like Dutch Sheets and Carlton Pearson. And I salivated over the bombastic fare of T.D.

  • Learning the Biblical Languages

    Demetrius Rogers
    19 Apr 2012 | 3:00 pm
    I've been off line for awhile as I've tried to finish up some end of the semester projects. I'm currently taking an exegesis course on the book of Genesis. And let me tell ya, Hebrew exegesis is a painstaking process. I will probably never drill this deep on a regular basis, but, hey, at least I'm leaning how to do it well! I've decided that learning biblical languages is like eating vegetables. Veggies never call out your name. When I open the fridge and have that choice between a frosted cupcake and a bag of carrots, I'm never reaching for the carrots, unless that…

  • Some Thoughts on Spiritual Disciplines

    Demetrius Rogers
    12 Apr 2012 | 6:04 pm
    This is my last installment of thoughts from Hansen's book on The Art of Pastoring. On pages 104-7, he addresses what we typically call the spiritual disciplines. In this section, he specifically handles prayer and our approach to it. I find it helpful because I think it's very easy to fall into prayer as duty and Bible reading as obligation. We call them the 'disciplines' and to some extent they are. But if it only amounts to discipline, then I think the focus can quickly skew into the ugly beast of human performance. And that beast can either suck the life right out of it and/or puff…

  • How Calvinism can lead to Universalism

    Demetrius Rogers
    10 Apr 2012 | 2:50 pm
    First of all, what is Universalism? Basically, it's the belief that all sinful humanity will be accepted and forgiven by God in the end and go to heaven. Universalism is the denial of hell for mankind, a denial of a conscious eternal torment. All people, either in this life or the next, in this system of belief will eventually be reconciled to God. And David Hansen in his book, The Art of Pastoring, shares his intriguing journey into and out of the belief of Universalism (while pastoring a church, no less!). This section (pp. 84-89) is a great read, chock full of insights.
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    RELEVANT Magazine

  • Jesus Is Not an Online Boyfriend

    14 May 2012 | 1:53 pm
    Over the past few years, I’ve become a social media guy. I’m on Facebook, Twitter and websites almost every day. At times, I spend hours interacting with others and producing web content about Jesus. This sort of engagement stimulates my mind and pushes me to explore the intricacies of Christianity within Western culture. The Internet is a gift to my faith. However, I’ve noticed a subtle and dangerous tendency with all this online activity. To explain, maybe an analogy will help. In both my high school and college friendship groups, love boats often tossed and turned in the turbulent…

  • Prayer Isn't Telling God What to Do

    7 May 2012 | 8:42 am
    Are you talking at God ... or with Him? Have you noticed those really long commercials for medicines and drugs that keep finding their way to our televisions? You’ve seen them: hurting and ailing people surrounded by dark clouds and lightning who, after a dose of Fixitall, are perfect happy people running on the beach with their dog on a beautiful sunny day. (Warning: Fixitall is not recommended for those with genital herpes, diabetes, heart conditions or a clear conscience. Please consult with your doctor before using.) Glued to the TV, we are left believing all of this is possible if we…

  • (Don't) Grow Up

    2 May 2012 | 8:23 am
    Why childlike imagination is the key to mature faith. I have a friend named Lillian. Even though sheʼs in her seventies, sheʼs younger than me. She is so alive, and she always seems to be laughing out loud. Every time I talk with her, sheʼs brightly attentive and exudes this wonderfully genuine sense of joie de vivre. She refuses to act her age. When I see her this way, she reminds me of God. Writer G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “It may be that [God] has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” Our capacity to be amazed and to…

  • "Do You Want to Be Healed?"

    19 Apr 2012 | 3:37 pm
    We've all heard it said, "There's no such thing as a dumb question." I'm not so sure that's really the case. I have heard some dumb questions in my 28 years so far. (For example, "Do you know you're short?" I can't begin to tell you how many times I heard that one growing up.) And then I grab my Bible and read through the stories of Jesus' life. To be honest, there are times I read the accounts of His curious interactions with people and wonder what was going through His mind when He posed questions to people. One such story is found in the fifth chapter of John. You may…

  • God’s Plan Isn’t a Roadmap

    17 Apr 2012 | 9:23 am
    His will for your life may not be as specific as you hope—but that’s OK. One of my mentors once said to me, “God doesn’t give us clarity, son.” It may have been said first by Mother Teresa—I can’t remember. But this insight has stuck with me and has been on my mind over the past few weeks. My wife and I just moved from our home, our church community and our friends all the way across the continent. We felt called by God to plant a church in Vancouver and are working on doing so. As Julia and I have been walking faithfully in response to where Jesus is leading us, I can’t help…
 
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    (re)made

  • Proof That Social Media Matters

    Adam Smith
    3 May 2012 | 3:38 pm
    “Springtime” on instagram Social media started to matter when people started using it. Facebook and twitter were around for awhile before most of us started using it. Five or ten years ago it didn’t matter as much, but now social media is in some way a part of everyone’s daily life. This is especially true if you use a smartphone. Access to social media is just easier now. Take instagram for example. It is something easy to access, a great social way to share photos quickly and they are doing something that nobody else is doing. With doing these things, they are able…

  • Don’t Give Up On Your Dreams

    Adam Smith
    24 Apr 2012 | 7:27 pm
    “Calm” on Instagram The number one reason that people give up on their dreams is fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of rejection, fear of what others will think and the list goes on. So, what should we do when we have fear? 1. Know what you believe. I can’t help but tie my faith into my beliefs on this topic. It is only in God that I have found any sort of confidence. I am still afraid of certain things, of course, but I am able to find confidence through Him. I really don’t know ho people do it without God. We were never meant to be content in just ourselves, but content…

  • Two Letters

    Adam Smith
    22 Apr 2012 | 10:57 pm
    Creative Commons Photo Credit by mrlomo Doing something doesn’t always equal being productive. Ever had one of those days where you are really busy and at the end of the day you can’t really say what you accomplished? But, if you stay focused and are working towards going the direction that you want to go, it’s the process that will get you there. It doesn’t just happen. In the process of achieving your goals, make sure that you are doing something instead of just trying to be someone. There’s a big difference between doing something for the actual good of doing…

  • Doing What God Tells You To Do

    Adam Smith
    22 Apr 2012 | 7:06 pm
    Creative Commons Photo Credit by highersights Sometimes the voice of God can be so obvious. And then sometimes, God has to jump in your way to get your attention. Maybe you know what I’m talking about… If you want an example of this, then read the story of Jonah. Talk about getting Jonah’s attention… Anyways, God seems to talk to us in the way that we will allow Him to. A lot of it has to do with if we will even stop long enough to listen to what He’s saying. Listening becomes easier when we turn to God first instead of turning to Google. I know at least for me,…

  • Don’t Forget

    Adam Smith
    11 Apr 2012 | 5:51 pm
    Creative Commons Photo Credit by AaronPhelps Things that seem so easy to comprehend are usually not believable or they are easy to forget. Here are some reminders to take with you. Don’t forget that you are beautifully and wonderfully made. Don’t forget that people love you, no matter the mistakes that you make. Don’t forget that you are here for a reason. Don’t forget that your journey has made you who you are. Don’t forget about the goals that you really want and have been working towards for years. Don’t forget that nothing worth having ever came easy.
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    Travel Deals Blog BestTravelDeals.net

  • San Francisco Travel Deals

    kirsten
    14 May 2012 | 9:42 am
    $149 — San Francisco: Iconic Sir Francis Drake Hotel, Up to 25% Off Experience luxury for less at Sir Francis Drake Hotel, centrally located downtown in Union Square, save up to 25% on regular rates. Valid thru August 20, 2012. $39 — SF Area: Waterfront Dinner for 2 w/Wine, Reg. $78 Savor a seafood dinner for 2 on [...]

  • Las Vegas Travel Deals

    kirsten
    11 May 2012 | 8:13 am
    $53 & up — 4-Star Palms Casino Resort (Reg. $240) Save 40% Off! Trendy Celebrity Hot Spot Palms Casino Resort w/ 4 Hot Nightclubs + 24/7 Gaming. Valid Through September 30, 2012. $79-$99 — Vegas: 4-Star Hotel on The Strip, incl. Buffets Best Rates at The Mirage Las Vegas, Plus Complimentary Buffets. Valid May 28, 2012 [...]

  • European River Cruise Deals

    kirsten
    9 May 2012 | 10:44 am
    $3,599 & up – 9-Night Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, River Ambassador Cruise for 2 Includes: 7-Nts Aboard River Ambassador, 2-Nts Post-Cruise Acc. at Art Deco Imperial Hotel, All Meals, 10 Excursions & Onboard Entertainment. Travel Oct. 28, – Nov. 06, 2012. $3,365 — Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, 7 Nts Aboard River Baroness, 41% Off Cruise for [...]

  • Deals for The Outer Banks, North Carolina

    kirsten
    7 May 2012 | 10:58 am
    Enjoy a laid-back retreat as you explore the captivating coast of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This seaside wonderland boasts a variety of activities for anyone; beaches ideal for long walks or off-road adventure, 16th-century American island lore and fresh seafood. Save up to 40% on deals for early and late summer travel including: $69 [...]

  • Orlando Summer Travel Deals

    kirsten
    4 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    $84-$132 – FREE Shuttle to Disney + Kids Eat Dinner FREE at Royal Plaza Hotel deal Royal Plaza Hotel in Lake Buena Vista offers: Free Upgrade, Breakfast, Disney Shuttle + Kids Eat Dinner Free. Valid through September 30, 2012. $89 — Orlando: Top-Rated Official Disney Resort, 35% Off Snag a room at the Holiday Inn in the Walt [...]
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    Chilly Chilton

  • Valiant

    Chilly
    15 May 2012 | 11:32 pm
     With God’s help we will do mighty things,  for he will trample down our foes. Psalm 108:13 BOOM! I have always LOVED this verse! There used to be an old song that we sang from this passage (it was taken, of course, from the King James Version). Check out the verse the way we sang it: Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies. VALIANT! What a word!! I love it! Try to use it in a sentence maybe as an adverb:  ”valiantly” — No, no, no! You’ve got to do it with an English accent – try again! Brilliant! Ok, back to…

  • Rescued.

    Chilly
    15 May 2012 | 1:41 am
    Rescue me from my rebellion, for even fools mock me when I rebel. Psalm 39:8 Now read that verse outloud a few more times… ha! Can you relate or what? Ever wonder why God puts up with us? Here we find David asking God to rescue him from his own rebellion. It’s like saying, “Hey God, I’m an idiot – make me stop! … cause even bigger morons than me are hatin’ & mockin’ my stupidity!”  AHHHH! This is painfully ironic… I have said & done equally stupid things (or worse). Then, I make a feeble attempt to pardon myself by…

  • Report Card

    Chilly
    13 May 2012 | 5:34 pm
    Today, at Real Church (both campuses), I shared a message entitled “Righteous Top Ten”. During the message, I shared a ‘report card’ that David submitted to God for His evaluation and ‘grade’… So, as promised, here is that report card! I encourage you to take this card & your Bible (opened to Psalm 26) and spend time with God — allow Him to grade each category and then write the grade in the box next to each subject. Yes, it may be a bit painful — take a deep breath — this is NOT the FINAL GRADE! You can bring those grades UP by…

  • Can You Hear It?

    Chilly
    12 May 2012 | 9:32 pm
    When I was a child, I grew up in a neighborhood (and time) where kids just played outside all day long in the summer or evenings after school. The only time I returned home was when my mom called me home for dinner. So, I KNEW her voice and hustled home (fearing the wrath of mom … or NO dinner). I listened for her CALL! That’s how we should listen for God. Seems like today, however, we hear what we want to hear and ONLY when we want to hear. But, friend, that’s not how it works. God’s our Father – He speaks when He chooses – we must simply LISTEN and OBEY.

  • Words & Phrases

    Chilly
    10 May 2012 | 3:35 pm
    Today has been one of those days where I had the time to round-up all the wild thoughts & ideas that have been running through my heart & head; and try to make some sense of them! So, I simply wrote down words & phrases, in no particular order, and added a little commentary. It’s GOOD to know why you do what you do or believe what you believe. So, here’s a sneak peek into my personal journal as I write out a few words or phrases that define (or, at least, should define) my life & mission: Love – this is a verb. let God’s love explode inside & out…
 
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    The Underground

  • London law society bans ‘marriage’ conference because it contradicts its ‘diversity’ policy

    Assist News Service
    15 May 2012 | 5:11 pm
    By Peter Wooding Europe Bureau Chief for ASSIST News Service (ANS) LONDON– The Law Society in London has banned a Christian organisation (which forms part of a Family Values Coalition, World Congress of Families) from hosting an informal discussion at its headquarters on the issue of Marriage entitled “One man. One woman. Making the case for marriage for the good of society.” The London Law Society According to a Christian Concern press release, in an email to Christian Concern the Law Society stated that the event “does not fit within the company’s diversity policy’.

  • Egypt’s lost daughters; the abduction of Christian girls

    Assist News Service
    15 May 2012 | 5:11 pm
    By Aidan Clay of International Christian Concern (ICC) Special to ASSIST News Service (ANS) EGYPT– “We don’t know if our daughter is still alive,” Magda told ICC during a recent visit to Egypt. “We haven’t seen or heard from her in five years… Her kidnapper called us and said she was dead and buried.” Mary, kidnapped in June 2007 Mary disappeared in June 2007, but to her mother, Magda, it feels like only yesterday that she was sleeping peacefully in her own bed under the loving care of her parents. For those who lose a child, as Magda had, the pain never goes away.

  • Iranian officials heighten control on Farsi-speaking church

    Compass News Direct
    14 May 2012 | 6:36 pm
    (CDN) ISTANBUL — Leaders of the Assemblies of God’s (AOG) Central Church of Tehran told their congregation on Sunday that authorities have demanded a list of names and identification numbers of church members, a major risk to converts from Islam. Church leaders then asked members in attendance to volunteer their information. The AOG church holds two Sunday services, both conducted in Farsi. It is the only church remaining in Tehran that offers Farsi-language worship on Sundays. “This [government move] is basically to make sure the church is not taking in new members and to make it…

  • Black churches conflicted on Obama’s gay marriage decision

    Religion News Service
    14 May 2012 | 6:32 pm
    (RNS) The pulpits of the nation’s black churches took measure Sunday of President Obama’s decision to support gay marriage, and the result was conflicted. Some churches were silent on the issue. At others, pastors spoke against the president’s decision Wednesday — but kindly of the man himself. A few blasted the president and his decision. A minority spoke in favor of the decision and expressed understanding of the president’s change of heart. Bishop Timothy Clarke, head of the First Church of God, a large African-American church with a television ministry in…

  • Hollywood stars find faith during tour of Israel

    Assist News Service
    14 May 2012 | 6:31 pm
    By Elisa Moed and Gil Zohar Special to ASSIST News Serice (ANS) JERUSALEM– A group of eight Hollywood TV and film stars completed a week-long tour of Israel on Sunday (May 13, 2012) as guests of Israel’s Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs. America’s Voices tour participants in Jerusalem (Photo courtesy Steve Waltz The star-studded group included AnnaLynne McCord (“90210” , “Nip & Tuck”), Omar Epps (“House”), Paul Johansson (“One Tree Hill”), Holly Robinson Peete (“21 Jump St.”, “Hanging With Mr.
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    Faith Barista

  • Walking Through The Doorway of Known

    Bonnie Gray
    26 Apr 2012 | 2:05 am
    I don’t know them. I’ve said hi a few times. I’ve stood in the quad after church with coffee in hand, trying to politely tell my kids “just one blueberry muffin!” I met Julie the first Sunday I visited at the church’s welcome table. Lynn, I met at a newcomer’s dinner last month. She smiled, asked me where I’m from, whether I was new in town. The third girl Nicole sat in the row behind me before worship service. I turned to notice she and her husband were flanked by two girls, one around TJ’s age. A mommy-comrade-in-arms, I noted to self.

  • Torn Between My Heart and My Head

    Bonnie Gray
    29 Mar 2012 | 2:05 am
    Have you ever stayed up late, conflicted between your head and your heart? Sometimes the only way out of a dilemma is seeing God take you through the storm. I love hiking.  Even when it rains. Lightly. It was my first visit out to Georgia, before the days of iPhones and instant weather reports. Earlier in the morning, I watched the local news and had been warned there’d be showers on and off. I’d been out in the rain before and wasn’t worried too much about it. I drove out to a state park.  But, as I parked my car, I realized I forgot my rain gear. There I sat, trying to…

  • Break Out Of The Shell Of Rejection: Four Golden Rules of Fearless Living

    Bonnie Gray
    15 Mar 2012 | 2:05 am
    “The choices are never easy. We can nurse wounds of having been cheated in life, or we can be grateful and joyful, even though there seems to be little reason for it. It is this power to choose that adds dignity to our humanity.” ~ Gerald Sittser, Professor of Christian Spirituality The other day, someone asked me whether I was a Glass-Half-Full or Glass-Half-Empty type of person. I hadn’t been asked that in a while and stopped to think about it. “Well… I used to totally see the glass half full when I was younger. Until I got burned living that way. I became the…

  • Why You Are Already Amazing – A Book Shower Gift for Holley Gerth

    Bonnie Gray
    12 Mar 2012 | 2:05 am
    “Why is it hard to receive what we need?… In order to receive, we have to open our hearts, hands and lives.  We put ourselves in a position that’s vulnerable.”  ~ Holley Gerth Psst… I’m going to a surprise book shower today. Yep, that’s right. My dear friend of mine — Holley Gerth — just released a beautiful book into the world this month, touching the hearts of women everywhere called:   “You’re Already Amazing: Embracing Who You Are, Becoming All God Created You To Be”. As I turned each page, my heart opened up to…

  • The Day God Took My Picture

    Bonnie Gray
    8 Mar 2012 | 2:05 am
    Photo courtesy of Dawn Camp I’m all grown up now, learning to put the past behind me and leave it there. But, one day when I wasn’t suspecting, God took me back in time. It happened one weekend I flew to South Carolina to meet up with the beautiful women I’d been writing alongside at (in)courage.  Since becoming a new mom of two, I never had the chance to make trips outside of the home. Up until that point, I wrote from the privacy of my desk. But when baby CJ turned two years old, I felt God was telling me it was time. Take the next step, Bonnie. Go. So, when DaySpring…
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    THE CHRISTIAN WATCHMAN©

  • Movie Review: Touchback

    The Christian Watchman
    2 May 2012 | 6:00 pm
    Injuries and shattered dreams! The very thought of these obvious spoilers are enough to send shivers down the spine of even the gutsiest of sportsmen. While many athletes have been fortunate enough to recover from their nemesis however long, a lot others have had to call it a day abruptly in surrender! Such is the poignant reminder the sports-themed movie “Touchback”, attempts to reiterate. Touchback chronicles the rough part of life erstwhile high school football star - turned farmer and frustrated family man- Scott Murphy (Brian Presley) had to come to terms with. Ever since the Pyrrhic…

  • Movie Review: A young girl called Trinity Goodheart .

    The Christian Watchman
    1 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    Wisdom doesn't necessarily allude to age or a wealth of experience. In fact, running a successful business empire or choosing to isolate ourselves from external influences; rarely guarantees that one is wise! Meanwhile scripture drops another "invaluable manna" in 1 Corinthians 1:27. It says: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; In this case,Wisdom finds itself a true ally in young children! All these could be said of young Trinity Goodheart, if you'd…

  • Book Review: Why He Chose The Nails by Max Lucado

    The Christian Watchman
    20 Apr 2012 | 5:34 pm
    A recent survey revealed that there exists a good many clergies out there today, who are yet to encounter but, in fact daily struggle with the concept of the Resurrection of Jesus! These "theological scholars" either barely believe in the possibility of its reality or have lost faith in who they believe! But would you dare to upbraid their ignorance or be wary of the subtle encroachment of pseudo-Christian doctrines on the prowl? One can only try to imagine how Mary-the mother of Jesus- would have felt as well? She's had to daily bear the heavy burden, knowing fully well that her Son the…

  • Movie Review: JESUS :The simplicity of His Humanity & Divinity.

    The Christian Watchman
    16 Apr 2012 | 11:00 pm
    I have been privileged to see a variety of the biblical-drama adaption of the life of Christ over the years. With exceptional mention of "The Passion Of Christ" movie; JESUS -The mini series is another inspirational remake of the biblical story of the Messiah. Unlike previous editions, this GMC TV World premiere attempts to depict the messiah's ordinary life (finally a flick that shows Jesus actually using an hammer), his intimate relationships [both with Joseph his father, and a female companion], his pure humanity, humor, selflessness [why his betrayer needed to identify him with a kiss],…

  • Book Review: Restoring Faith, Family & Finances with Henry Fernandez.

    The Christian Watchman
    12 Apr 2012 | 11:00 pm
    Simply because you're a person of Faith doesn't validate your view about being affluent! Or else this promise to Abraham would be self-contradictory in every sense of it: "That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;". Nonetheless the definition of success has nothing to do with financial wealth or a secure retirement package. The topsy-turvy worldwide economic cyclone is a testament to this fact that; even the rich also cry! With the…
 
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    Sustainable Traditions

  • Michah Bournes: Acts 17 and Turning the World Upside Down (Video)

    Jason Fowler
    5 May 2012 | 5:52 am
    The massively talented, poetry slammin' Micah Bournes hits on a glaring discrepancy: "If the Gospel of Jesus is so revolutionary...why aren't we turning the places where we live upside down like the early Christians in Acts 17?" {This is a content summary only. Visit the Sustainable Traditions blogazine for full links, videos, and more! Shalom! }

  • The Prayer Movement and the Renewal of All Things

    Jason Fowler
    4 May 2012 | 8:38 am
    Today the decentralized prayer movement, with it's many points of origin, is a global phenomena. Houses of prayer with a vision for laus perennis or continual prayer have sprung up all over the world... {This is a content summary only. Visit the Sustainable Traditions blogazine for full links, videos, and more! Shalom! }

  • Paul Sparks: Salvation In The Neighborhood and the Great Reversal (Videos)

    Jason Fowler
    29 Apr 2012 | 6:20 am
    In these videos Alter Video Magazine and The Work of the People interviews Paul Sparks as he talks about how local living and learning to do life together is intimately related to spreading the Gospel of GOD's upside down kingdom... {This is a content summary only. Visit the Sustainable Traditions blogazine for full links, videos, and more! Shalom! }

  • A Cure For Nature Deficit Disorder

    Kim Dulaney
    20 Apr 2012 | 9:29 am
    I see it sometimes in my own children...or even in myself...When I feel it coming on me: I know that it is time for my medicine. I take a short walk down to the edge of our woods and river and stand for a few moments in complete silence... {This is a content summary only. Visit the Sustainable Traditions blogazine for full links, videos, and more! Shalom! }

  • N.T. Wright: Mending Furniture and The New Creation [Video]

    Jason Fowler
    19 Apr 2012 | 7:30 am
    Another brilliant video from The Work of the People's Alter Video Magazine, featuring N.T. Wright talking about mending furniture and how it relates to "ministry, justice, justification and new creation" {This is a content summary only. Visit the Sustainable Traditions blogazine for full links, videos, and more! Shalom! }
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    Mr. Garner Goes To Washington

  • May The Crunch Be With You!

    Rick Garner
    18 Apr 2012 | 2:24 pm
    Bacon + Popcorn = Winning! Hello, my name is Rick, and I'm a popcornaholic. Popcorn and I go way back. Way, way back. While I don't recall when I first tried some, I do remember it being my afternoon snack all through elementary & middle school. Maybe even into high school. Most weekday afternoons, I enjoyed relaxing with some popcorn and afternoon cartoons before doing my homework. Popcorn pot similar to the kind I used growing up Mom would use a popcorn pan on the gas stove to cook the kernels in butter or canola oil with some salt. Before long, I popped my own. It was a sad day if no…

  • Tales From An Unexpected Gym Rat

    Rick Garner
    13 Apr 2012 | 10:47 am
    On February 29, I started going to Lifetime Fitness. Me? A gym? And after the last couple of posts I wrote about getting into the neighborhood and out of gyms? Does this make me a hypocrite? Wish-washy? No, I'm optimistic that it makes me healthier. A year ago, I began walking in our neighborhood. Hard to believe it's been a year. Back then, I came to the conclusion that was absolutely no reason - no excuse - for not being walking since I worked from home. The routine grew gradually from one mile to four miles with the fourth mile consisting of walking the dog. Last month, I came to the…

  • I Don't Get Lent

    Rick Garner
    23 Feb 2012 | 10:22 am
    At the risk of offending or disappointing some people...I just don't get Ash Wednesday or Lent. Every year, nearly a week before Ash Wednesday, the posts start coming in about what people are considering giving up for Lent. The list is rather diverse. From coffee, sodas, and candy to social media, TV, and video games. I often wonder if people are just trying to outdo their friends. "Hey, look at what I'm giving up for 40 days! Bet you couldn't do that! But I can cuz I'm doing it for..." And that's when I my mind ponders...why are these people giving up stuff for 40 days? Is it for themselves?

  • Thrilled For Tebow

    Rick Garner
    27 Jan 2012 | 2:29 am
    Anyone who knows me well enough knows I'm not much of a sports fan. I never played high school or college ball. I couldn't explain a single play or strategy in any sport. Never shot hoops after school or played football in the yard with friends. Golf's the only game I tried to play - emphasis on tried. Rarely is a game on the TV in our house. No team would I really consider "my team." I've never worn or owned a jersey. The only sports logo in my closet is that of Southern Miss on a nice gold polo shirt given to me by a friend. I'm pretty much as unathletic a guy as they come. So, for me to…

  • Leaving The Church Is Not The Answer

    Rick Garner
    19 Jan 2012 | 12:38 am
    In 2011, did you stop attending church? Or was it just another year that you didn't darken such doors? Over the years, both Believers and non-Believers have shared with me their absence was due to hypocrites being in the church. So, what they're revealing is that something another person said or did became a great excuse for them to not go to church. Fact is, we're all hypocrites. We all say one thing and do another. At least occasionally. And some of us are bonified experts. We're all human. We're all flawed. However, are people being flawed the reason others are absent from churches?
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    Soulfari

  • Validation

    Jay Cookingham
    7 May 2012 | 1:26 pm
        I was thinking... At the core of a human being is something remarkably complex. We want...no, NEED, our views, our opinions, plans, ideas, dreams, and accomplishments validated. We want them to matter to other people, other human beings. Why? I think the answer is in the middle of the word validation...it's the word ID. We want to matter because it's part of our identity, our value and our worth.The invisible identity card we carry cries out for validation, for approval and acceptance. Yet, it is constantly being questioned by the cruel border patrols of doubt, fear and…

  • Nobel No-bility

    Jay Cookingham
    3 May 2012 | 8:10 am
     It seems I needed a dose of my own medicine today. I woke up feeling sorry for myself (the story of why is not important). Early today I read some of my manuscript for RETOOLED (you can read a free chapter here) which is in the hands of another publisher bent on torturing me with a response. Anyway, I was reading a section on losing heart and felt strongly that I should share this with you all today...I hope it encourages you. – Jay "True nobility is exempt from fear." - (King Henry the Sixth, Part II Act IV, Scene I) I love the movie Braveheart and it once spoke to me about…

  • Themes of Life - Poetry

    Jay Cookingham
    30 Apr 2012 | 12:57 pm
        Themes of Life The tone The rhythm The pace A life story measured in heartbeats Proclamations of intent Visions seen and unseen For I am a teller of tales and a collector of songs Compositions for the Themes of Life Focused realities quietly test the blur of dreams But themes of life are loud They dance with words They shout for attention and sing with wonder Embracing a purer will than their own In the whisper of moments you can hear their melodies Even in the shadows of memories you can see them Outlasting failure's gripe and plead for clemency Father's verdict of truth power…

  • Choosing the Path – Guest Blogging

    Jay Cookingham
    26 Apr 2012 | 7:22 am
      I'm honored to guest blog over at my new friend and fellow blogger Thomas Mason's site, Living the Story. I ask that you head on over to read the rest of my story and get to know Thomas through his musings. I know you'll be blessed! You can go there by clicking NOW! Choosing the Path of Forgiveness I know all too well the effects of Arrested Development.  I grew up in an abusive home.  My dad’s cruelty was part of everyday life.  His words spewed unkindness and his voice always carried vile threats towards me.  His words and name-calling crushed my spirit. …

  • My Birthday Gift

    Jay Cookingham
    25 Apr 2012 | 8:46 am
            It's hard work to be a good dad. It's a hard core dedicated, extreme makeover type of a adventure. I'm stretched daily, sometimes hourly and I'm never the same man I was when I woke up that particular morning. The seven talented, unique individuals that God has loaned me have forever changed the man I thought I was going to be. I remember a line from a song Franky sang...mistakes, I made a few...I cringe when I think of them. Yet, they gave opportunity for me to become humbler, less hard in my approach...as I asked for forgiveness from my children. We spend a lot…
 
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    eBROUSSARD

  • a year ago…

    Eddie Broussard
    10 May 2012 | 4:19 pm
    So it’s be over a year since I have posted anything new here. Where have you been…what you been up to, you ask? As some of you know I work with a couple of non-profits and about a year and … Continue reading → Related posts: Hello world! Transformist=blending of life kayaking fear

  • RESTORATION LIVE april 2

    Eddie Broussard
    9 Mar 2011 | 2:49 pm
    Don’t miss this…let me know in the comments if you want to get your tickets before the event. watch this if you need to be sold… Related posts: Texting while… MERCY vintage…Rich Mullins Related posts: Texting while… MERCY vintage…Rich Mullins

  • Texting while…

    Eddie Broussard
    28 Dec 2010 | 11:48 am
    AT&T recently released this powerful, emotive PSA on the subject of texting while driving. It features a compilation of stories from people whose lives have been altered as a result of a single text typed while operating a motor vehicle. … Continue reading → Related posts: RESTORATION LIVE april 2 Weak Men Living Lies vintage…Rich Mullins

  • Be the bank…

    Eddie Broussard
    30 Nov 2010 | 4:32 pm
    Having been a banker for about 14 years of my career, I have found my new favorite dot org. THEIR MISSION: Kiva’s mission is to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty. THEIR BELIEFS: People are by … Continue reading → Related posts: Hello world! Mothers and Daughters Who Need Hope Weapons of Choice
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    ginamcclain.com

  • The Eric Trap – Book Review

    Gina
    25 Apr 2012 | 6:17 am
    This past week I’ve been reading The Eric Trap.  A kidmin fable written by a few of my favorite people in Children’s ministry. The book is fun, easy read that taps into some common pitfalls in kids ministry.  Here are a few quotes I enjoyed.. “We have a tendency to isolate ourselves in our own world and ministry, and we forget our place.  We’re oon a team.  We’re working together.  We are working for our senior pastor.” “Passion is a powerful force, one that we should ahve.  Without passion, we’re punching clocks until our ttime is up.

  • Help or Hinder – Your Child, Their Faith

    Gina
    19 Apr 2012 | 8:13 am
    Our oldest son is in the 6th grade.  He’s close to exiting his pre-teen season and fully embrace the realm of teen-hood.  (This is a great opportunity for you to pray for me.) Over the past year he’s grown into a young man that loves his hair, girls and his own opinion.  In fact, he’s grown increasingly bold about sharing his opinion.  A once relatively passive young boy that rolled with the punches, today he’s more apt to let us know when he disagrees and why.  It’s a new world for us. The most important opinion he will exercise over the next few years is…

  • Volunteers: Needed & Known

    Gina
    12 Apr 2012 | 11:23 am
    “We’re thinking of leaving the church,” says the mom on the other end of the phone. “Tell me why?” I reply. “Because we just haven’t been able to connect.  The church is so big.” I can’t argue with that point.  Churches can get big.  And I believe there truly are times when someone is called out to serve in a different capacity within the community.  I’m not one to suggest that there is one church that can meet the needs of an entire community.  In fact, I truly believe that it’s The Church (all church organizations…

  • Archives: Volunteers – Are We Asking Too Much? (1 of 2)

    Gina
    28 Mar 2012 | 11:48 am
    I could write a book. But I won’t. If you’ve been in kids ministry for any amount of time, you’ve visited this topic. What level of commitment do we ask from a volunteer? How much is too much? Is a weekly commitment too much to ask? In kids ministry, I’ve swung both ways. once a month every other week whenever you can The manner in which we attempt to work around everyone’s schedule in order to make sure that their volunteer role is in no way a burden to them is comical. Borders on desperate. Don’t misunderstand. I have no issue with making sure that a…

  • The Art of Discipline: Making It Helpful

    Gina
    27 Mar 2012 | 10:44 am
    Shepherding the hearts of our kids is one of those daily behaviors that does more to refine and challenge me than anything else in my life.  In my interactions with my kids, God reveals more to me about my own humanity than I care to know.  Particularly in disciplinary situations.   One thing I’ve learned about kids is that I cannot control their actions.  There are times when I try.  There are times I guide, nudge, remind, even harass… yet, in the end, they decide what action they will take.  Not me.   I don’t know about you, but that really gets under my skin.
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    Mommy On Fire

  • A Must Read: A Prayer For Mothers

    mommyonfire
    12 May 2012 | 12:14 pm
    These words are not authored by me.  I would count them as words I wish I had written but alas, they are not and I don’t know who did. This prayers was given to me by a MOPS mom at our last meeting.  She received it in preparation for her child’s first communion. Five lines [...]

  • When I Humbly Ask For Prayer

    mommyonfire
    10 May 2012 | 9:17 pm
    A bit presumptuous?  Yes but I couldn’t find a button that just said “She Speaks”…HA! It is now the third consecutive summer I have registered for “She Speaks” which is a very well-respected conference for speakers and writers put on by Proverbs 31 Ministries. I have yet to attend. Two years ago, fear got the [...]

  • Removing The “Have To”…

    mommyonfire
    6 May 2012 | 9:42 pm
    Apparently, this was the best Easter photo we could muster.  We tried. It’s amazing how much I have been looking forward to getting back to this place now that I don’t view it as a job. Suddenly, I began to feel like I HAD to write and not that I WANTED to write. Have-to’s are [...]
 
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    Grace Guy - www.graceguy.org - GraceGuy's BLOG

  • Grace and Maslow's hierarchy of needs

    15 May 2012 | 6:06 pm
    Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology, proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation." Maslow's hierarchy of needs is often portrayed in the shape of a pyramid, with the largest and most fundamental levels of needs at the bottom, and the need for self-actualization at the top. Maslow's theory suggests that the most basic level of needs must be met before the individual will strongly desire (or focus motivation upon) the secondary or higher level needs.This theory has become pervasive in our culture and society, being the basis of thought-processes…

  • My first Easter (bis)

    5 Apr 2012 | 9:36 am
    This is a repost of last year's 'My first Easter' composition. This remains what I have in my heart in contemplating the amazing Grace during this Easter season.May it bless you.---"Before we see the cross as something done for us, we need to see the cross as something done by us" - John StottI asked him to heal me and feed me without any intention to follow himI tested his teachings and refused to let go of my beliefsI expected him to liberate us from the RomansI betrayed him for 30 pieces of silverI broke bread with him at his last supperI fled when the soldiers came to take himI…

  • What if God based His Grace on my doings ?

    19 Mar 2012 | 9:10 am
    I recently read a profound reflection that begged the scary question: What if God based His love and His blessings for us solely based on our deeds and not His Grace?The following sends me on my knees in thanks. Thankful that Grace is unmerited favor, that God's love is not a natural reaction to my relationship with Him, that God does not treat me the way I tend to treat others, that Grace is ultimately not a 'deal' I have with the Almighty.It also springs me back on my feet to serve Him more, obey Him more, love Him more. This is not a checklist of things I should do to merit…

  • Grace: My Daily Manna

    29 Feb 2012 | 11:14 am
    On this extra day in the year, I am reminded of the graces I recieve every single day, without really thinking about them. In the Old Testament, during the desert crossing, the Israelites had daily provisions from God on the ground every morning. (WP) In the description in the Book of Exodus chapter 16, manna is described as being "a fine, flake-like thing" like the frost on the ground. (v14) It is also described in the Book of Numbers as arriving with the dew during the night. The Israelites were instructed to eat only the manna they had gathered for each day. Leftovers or manna…

  • Jesus Christ's relationship model

    24 Jan 2012 | 8:00 pm
    Ever since I started the journey of studying the infinitely profound concept of Grace, I was burdened with the desire to understand Christ's relationship model. How did Christ show Grace in his contact with others?MY QUESTIONSI knew Love was the primary motivation (John 3:16), but how did he do it in the everyday situations? How did He demonstrate that Love with the people around Him? Was there a pattern in His interactions that I could learn from? Were there constant character traits that were shown? Was there someting that attracted them to Him and, conversly, was there something that…
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    Living in Love with Jesus

  • Change is easy. Change is Hard. Part 2

    Kim Avery
    1 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    In Part I of Change is Easy. Change is Hard. you were introduced to the Four Phases of Learning model which helps explain why change so difficult. Moving from unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence, or using our metaphor, going from not even knowing that Europeans drive differently than we do to learning how to drive on the left-hand side of the road without conscious thought, takes longer and is more uncomfortable than one would wish. The Emotional You Let’s zoom in to see what exactly is going on in our brains as we move through these phases of change. To begin, let me…

  • A Sacred Stain

    Kim Avery
    6 Apr 2012 | 4:25 am
    by Kim Avery A favorite author of mine, Brennan Manning, has the incredible gift of describing Jesus in raw, unexpected, and totally heart captivating ways. On this Good Friday of Holy Week, I would like to share with you, in Brennan’s own words, his experience of the incomparable Christ. “In the winter of 1968, I lived in a cave in the mountains of the Zaragosta Desert in Spain. For seven months I saw no one, never heard the sound of a human voice…” “On the night of December 13th, during what began as a long and lonely hour of prayer, I heard in faith Jesus Christ say, “For…

  • Change is Easy. Change is Hard. Part I

    Kim Avery
    3 Apr 2012 | 5:00 am
    Let’s start with the bad news. Change is hard. Whether it’s change you have initiated yourself or a change that has been thrust upon you, it’s still hard. Perhaps you, like so many others, have set various New Year’s resolutions over the years that have never made it past January 15th.  You picked an area of your life where you wanted to see real change, prepared yourself and your environment, enlisted your friend’s help and enthusiastically jumped into your new routine. But somewhere between January 1st and January 16th something happened. You got distracted by other things,…

  • Live Out Your Strengths

    Kim Avery
    5 Mar 2012 | 4:00 am
    How many times have you thrown up your hands in frustration saying, “I can’t do it!  I just can’t do it all! You’re right. You can’t do it all!  You weren’t meant to. Romans 12:6 says that, In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well (NLT). Play to Your Strengths Over a decade ago, Gallup unveiled the results of a landmark 30-year research project that has since ignited a global conversation on the topic of strengths. The first discovery they made was that every person has been born with a cluster of signature strengths that endure over time and…

  • Envision the Future

    Kim Avery
    14 Feb 2012 | 1:26 pm
    How would you like to improve your life without moving a muscle? It sounds like the latest productivity scam, but it’s true. You can dramatically reduce your anxiety, increase your performance and blaze a path to success all while sitting in your favorite LazyBoy Recliner. How? The same way that Olympic athletes, race car drivers, jet pilots, and parachutists do – envisioning the future. Visioning God’s Way Proverbs 29:18 says, Where there is no vision, the people perish. And it just makes sense. Andy Stanley put it this way: “A clear vision, along with the courage to follow through,…
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    Dale Tedder's Journal

  • Making Disciples Like Jesus Did, Part 1 (with Greg Ogden)

    daletedder
    15 May 2012 | 11:59 am
    from the good folks at C.S. Lewis Institute This video is the first of three videos featuring Greg Ogden. Ogden also wrote this great book entitled, Discipleship Essentials, on growing as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Tagged: C.S. Lewis Institute, … Continue reading →

  • Mother’s Day Prayer

    daletedder
    13 May 2012 | 5:13 am
    “Blessed God of all grace, God of salvation, God of comfort and the essence of a thousand other descriptions -      we cannot adequately nor fully describe you. From hearts softened and awakened to the gospel,      liberated from the … Continue reading →

  • This Week’s Bible Study (Philippians, Part 2)

    daletedder
    13 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    There were some great responses via email, comments, etc., for last week’s lesson. I hope this lesson, which will move deeper into Chapter 1 of Philippians will bless you as well. Grace and Truth, Dale Philippians 1:1-11 1 Paul and Timothy,servants … Continue reading →

  • Are Corporations People?

    daletedder
    12 May 2012 | 8:40 am
    <—- Playing to a stereotype. I’m not sure how Saturdays became my “economics” posting day… but that seems to be the case. My reason for including these posts on economics is to add some balance to much of the discussion in … Continue reading →

  • EVERY Sphere of A Man’s Life

    daletedder
    12 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    For over two decades I’ve been using some version of the phrase, “faith for every sphere of life.” I first started thinking about this obvious nature of our faith (that it’s for every sphere of life) as I began a … Continue reading →
 
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    Dwelling With God

  • About your protection

    Joshua
    11 May 2012 | 1:03 pm
    If you want to find the best surveillance equipment you should look for surveillance cameras vancouver. They are having the great equipments for home and for big companies too. It is very important to find experts when it comes for this because everything needs to be perfect done. We are speaking about your protection and security so; it is not that important how much you are going to pay. Of course if you cannot spend a lot of money, look for the offers.

  • Easy to use

    Joshua
    3 May 2012 | 8:14 am
    I can’t believe that my best friend said that using instagram is hard. I tried to explain to her that all the Iphone applications are easy to use because not all the people who buy an Iphone needs to be smart, and many of them actually aren’t. She just doesn’t understand that the only reason why she doesn’t know how to use all those application is because she doesn’t have an Iphone. I am planning to buy her one for her birthday.

  • Cheap Vietnam Travel Packages for Travelers

    Joshua
    30 Apr 2012 | 9:34 pm
    In our society today, many people who are living from all around the globe want to travel and to explore new communities. Vietnam has been considered by many tourists as the best travel destination in Asia. This country has numerous tourist spots such as the Ha Long Bay, Ho Chi Minh, Saigon, Hanoi, Mekong Delta and many more. There are also travel agencies today that are now offering cheap Vietnam travel packages for travelers.   These travel packages vary from one travel agency to another. Gia Linh Travel is an online travel agency in the internet that is offering cheap and affordable…

  • Going to a party

    Joshua
    29 Apr 2012 | 9:33 pm
    I wasn’t in the mood to go to the party that the patent lawyers were having but my husband insisted. I was so not in the mood but I went because he always does things that he doesn’t want to do only because they make me happy. I have to say that the party wasn’t as bad as I imagined. I actually danced and had some fun. Unfortunately, because I was very tired, we couldn’t stay until very late. I told my husband to stay but he came home with me.

  • About domestic accidents

    Joshua
    24 Apr 2012 | 12:31 pm
    There are three major problems you need to take care of at least once every two years: check the gas pipes, the water pipes and the electric wires. If you see the slightest problem in one of these systems, don’t waste another minute and call for an  emergency plumber or electrician and fix it. This check up will save your life sometimes. Get some information from the internet about domestic accidents and you will see what I am talking about here!
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    Thoughts of Len M. Allen

  • Why do The Avengers appeal to our human nature?

    14 May 2012 | 12:09 pm
    I’ve been thinking… Why do The Avengers appeal to our human nature? Like countless others, my wife and I went to see the movie “The Avengers.”  We enjoyed the banter between the characters and, of course, the action was amazing in digital 3D.    After the movie I began to think about the main characters and why millions of us are attracted by them (the movie has already grossed over 1

  • 7 May 2012 | 12:38 pm

    7 May 2012 | 12:38 pm
    I’ve been thinking… Why Does God Make Us Wait? In my first book I said that the word “wait” was the worst four-letter word in the entire Bible.  I still think it is the hardest word to put into practice.  Isaiah 30:18 tells us that God waits to be gracious to us and shows mercy to us in the meantime.  The verse then ends with the fact that those who wait for Him are indeed blessed.   [

  • Being a Christian is Counter Intuitive

    5 May 2012 | 3:36 pm
    I’ve been thinking… Being a Christian is counter intuitive! First a definition of what I mean when I say counter intuitive.  Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines “intuitive” as, “quick and ready insight.”  And I’ve been thinking that, after all these years of being a Christian, there is nothing intuitive about living the life of a believer in Jesus. Take for example the fact

  • Failing the Job Interview Before You Even Start

    8 Jul 2010 | 10:13 pm
    The job seeker can find and even be overwhelmed with lots of resources to help build a good resume, how to write a great cover letter, how to dress for success, even how to present yourself in networks and interviews. But, there are very few resources to help us correctly deal with our attitude issues and be ready to successfully interview for our next career opportunity. This is precisely why I

  • Doesn’t God Care?

    26 May 2010 | 11:21 pm
    Being unemployed is scary! Things are happening over which we have no control. We can feel helpless and worthless as more and more employers decide we're not right for their job openings. This desperate fear can even occur to those of us who consider ourselves Christians. We go to church, we pray, we try to live a God-pleasing life, we may even read our Bibles. But here we are - unemployed.
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    Christianity 201

  • Sometimes Spirituality is Messy

    paulthinkingoutloud
    15 May 2012 | 4:22 pm
    NIV Luke 18:35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” from Messy Spirituality by Michael Yaconelli (bio): …Religious institutions do not like surprises and especially dislike a spirituality which threatens the status quo. Threaten…

  • Seeking Earnestly

    paulthinkingoutloud
    14 May 2012 | 4:34 pm
    Today’s devotional find is Carl Gobelman’s blog, A New Creation, where these thoughts appeared today under the title, Truly Seeking Jesus. Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” (John 6:26-27) Some of the more potent sayings from Jesus of Nazareth come from the closing words of the famous Sermon on the…

  • Leading With Power vs. Leading With Love

    paulthinkingoutloud
    13 May 2012 | 4:26 pm
    This is an excerpt from the currently releasing business leadership book, Love Works: Seven Timeless Principles for Effective Leaders by Joel Manby (Zondervan). If you have people who work “under” you, this is a great read for heading into a new week on Monday morning. Two millennia ago an itinerant Jewish preacher named Jesus of Nazareth called his friends together for a dinner. This wasn’t like the normal meals that group enjoyed, however — Jesus knew it was his last meal. The next day he would be executed by the Roman government. So on that final night, Jesus had to…

  • Encouragement from a Shipwreck

    paulthinkingoutloud
    12 May 2012 | 4:16 pm
    Today’s devotional is from the blog of a North Carolina Sunday School class of mostly young married couples, called The Purpose Class.  This blog post, about Paul and his companions being shipwrecked in Acts 27, appeared under the title, Land Hooooo.  (I hope I typed the right number of oo’s!) Acts: 27: 32: So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let if fall away.  Today’s devotional is about a shipwreck.  Have you felt like you have shipwrecked some aspect of your life before?  I think to some degree we all have…either by a poor choice, unfortunate…

  • Praying the Scriptures

    paulthinkingoutloud
    11 May 2012 | 2:31 pm
    We hear this term mentioned frequently, but to actually engage in this practice takes time and discipline.  We begin first with a short introduction to this topic from Michael at In-Formatio and then continue with a link to something exceptionally detailed for those of you who want to go deep on this. Seventeenth-century French mystic Madame Guyon said, “Praying scripture is not judged by how much you read but by the way in which you read. If you read quickly, it will benefit you little. You will be like a bee that merely skims the surface of a flower. Instead, in this new way of reading…
 
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    Worthy Christian News

  • China: Church in Zou Gang illegally demolished

    George Whitten
    16 May 2012 | 2:19 am
    By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Coorespondent BEIJING, CHINA (Worthy News)– A church in Zou Gang, Feixi county, was illegally demolished last month by government-backed real estate developers, according to ChinaAid. The congregation called for prayer following the sudden destruction of their 800 square-meter building. As a result of economic expansion, the Zou Gang church site had been marked for demolition, so the church's board of deacons decided to cooperate with the Communist Party committee and the Xingang Industrial Park concerning their resettlement. However, last August, the…

  • Iran House Church Pastor Still Beaten In Prison

    George Whitten
    15 May 2012 | 1:13 am
    By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Coorespondent TEHRAN, IRAN (Worthy News)– Prominent Iranian house church pastor Behnam Irani is still beaten in his prison but less frequently, an official assisting him with advocacy said Monday, just weeks after his family expressed concerns he may die. "We have learned that the beatings are still happening, however they no longer happen on a daily basis, but periodically," Jason DeMars, director of the Present Truth Ministries rights group told Worthy News. He said however that Behnam has had intestinal bleeding, or bloody stool, for roughly…

  • Crackdown on Churches "Spreading" in Southern Laos

    George Whitten
    15 May 2012 | 1:10 am
    by Stefan Bos, Worthy News Correspondent VIENTIANE, LAOS (Worthy News)– A government crackdown on churches in southern Laos is spreading to a new district with the brief detention of two "prominent pastors" for alleged unauthorized worship and their involvement in evangelism and an order take down crosses, representatives told Worthy News. Authorities summoned Pastors Bounlerd and Adang to the police headquarters in Phin District of Savannakhet province on Friday, May 11, said the Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF), which has close contacts with local…

  • Indonesia: Aceh Shuts own 16 Places of Worship

    George Whitten
    12 May 2012 | 1:22 am
    By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent JAKARTA, INDONESIA (Worthy News)– Since May, the Aceh administration has shut down 16 Christian places of worship in Singkil, claiming they were operating without permits and causing complaints. Called "undung-undung," the buildings are smaller than churches and have no visible crosses. "It's not churches, but undung-undungs that we've sealed," Aceh Singkil district head Razali Abdul Rahman told the Jakarta Globe. "It’s because they don’t have any permits and because they've breached a previously…

  • Fines for "Unsanctioned Meeting in Private Home"

    George Whitten
    12 May 2012 | 1:18 am
    By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN (Worthy News)– The Baptist Council of Churches refuses to register their churches with Uzbekistan; the Council views registration as a precondition for exercising freedom of religion to be against the binding international human rights agreements Uzbekistan formally promised to implement. Last month, Baptists in Uzbekistan were fined for the unregistered exercise of freedom of religion. Judge Ilhom Rahmankulov of Kashkadarya Region's Mubarek District Criminal Court fined four local Baptists under Administrative Code…
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    Worthy Christian Devotional - Daily Devotion

  • You can't escape it!

    George Whitten
    15 May 2012 | 4:06 am
    by George Whitten, Editor of Worthy Devotions 1 Corinthians 15:55-58 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Every day roughly 150,000 around the world die. Death has a way of raising our spiritual temperature and quickening us to re-evaluate life…especially…

  • You never know how your prayers can change the world!

    George Whitten
    14 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    by George Whitten, Editor of Worthy Devotions 1 Corinthians 2:4-5  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.  Most people have never heard of "Auntie Cooke", but I guarantee you that you'll get to know her in glory! She arrived in Chicago in 1868 as a perfect stranger, but she immediately became involved in D.L. Moody's church when he was just thirty-one years old. She described him years later, as a…

  • The Volcano Waiting to Erupt!

    George Whitten
    11 May 2012 | 7:17 am
    by George Whitten, Editor of Worthy Devotions 1 Timothy 6:6-10 But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. As I write, it seems the prevailing…

  • In Times of Intense Drought — Find Your Treasure!

    George Whitten
    10 May 2012 | 4:37 am
    by George Whitten, Editor of Worthy Devotions Isaiah 33:6 Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, And the strength of salvation; The fear of the Lord is His treasure. It was 1986, in the midst of a three year drought, when two brothers who lived in a kibbutz near the Sea of Galilee made an incredible discovery. As these two fisherman monitored their equipment on the lake, they noticed something glistening in the sun covered in mud. It was a fishing boat. Upon deeper examination, archaeologists determined that these two brothers had discovered an ancient boat from the time of…

  • Do you want to be made well?

    George Whitten
    9 May 2012 | 6:18 am
    by George Whitten, Editor of Worthy Devotions James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. John 5:6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? Yeshua (Jesus) asked this man "Do you want to be made well?" Of course he did! Wouldn't you? Why did Jesus ask a question like this when its answer was so clearly obvious? It seems the Lord wanted to hear him verbalize his need. In the biography of George Mueller, a strong man of God who established…
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    Rey(es) of Light

  • Mother’s Day

    Patrick Reyes
    9 May 2012 | 9:47 pm
    As another Mother’s Day approaches I wanted to take a moment and honor the women that play such a huge role in the lives of our families today.  As many of you know, my mom passed away in 1990 and as I now go into my 22nd year without her, I know her spirit lives on through me and my kids.  I’m also lucky enough to be married to a woman that also shares a lot of the same qualities my mom had growing up. For Julianne, you are totally appreciated and at least I know I don’t tell you that enough.  You are loved by me and your kids even though at times it may not feel like…

  • Don’t Be A Dinosaur

    Patrick Reyes
    7 May 2012 | 9:04 am
    If you saw Moneyball, you’ll know the scene.  It’s the scene that summarizes why I am the way that I am.  It’s the scene that explains why I want to challenge the “way things have always been done” because when it gets to that point, it’s time to do something new.  It’s the scene that explains why I challenge those that ask what the ROI of social is when the only measurement I can get from a large TV media buy is impressions (bold statement to make but certainly appropriate). Marketing is different.  I subscribe to the notion that “social…

  • Reverse The Irreversible

    Patrick Reyes
    10 Apr 2012 | 7:47 pm
    Ever wonder how lives can be transformed? Hear 3 stories of change and how the transformative power of the Holy Spirit can inspire and give hope.

  • Lead Late

    Patrick Reyes
    30 Mar 2012 | 8:22 am
    Everyone is in such a hurry to be a leader, to get ahead, to be noticed.  I received a great piece of advice recently.  A man that I have a ton of respect for told me the best advice he was given was to not worry about recognition or being considered a leader to early in life.  He was told, “let God bring success and fame your way when you’re gray and can handle it.  Right now, grow, mature and raise your family to love and honor Him.” Some people are born to be leaders but I’m sure those leaders didn’t chase it.  They were naturally thought of that way and…

  • The New Has Come…

    Patrick Reyes
    29 Mar 2012 | 11:00 am
    Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV People change.  When someone says “that’s just the way that I am” or “I can’t change who I am” it frustrates me because you can change who you are and often for the better.  A while back, I shared with you an e-mail I sent to my friends and my family talking about my how my faith in God was growing.  There was a point in my e-mail that I said, “What I don’t want is for all of you to think I’m going to completely change who I am…
 
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    Bible Stories My Kids Love

  • The Oil Kept Pouring and Pouring

    10 May 2012 | 6:33 pm
    A woman can't pay her bills...and is desperate, and may lose her son to slavery. The a miracle happens! In this story, God teaches us about trusting him and obeying him and by doing so, he will work it out.Enjoy today's Bible Stories My Kids Love. MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast

  • The 40 Days After Easter

    17 Apr 2012 | 6:03 pm
    Ever wonder what happened for the forty days Jesus walked the earth after his resurrection?Listen and find out on today's Bible Stories My Kids Love. MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast

  • The Easter Story

    6 Apr 2012 | 6:01 pm
    This Bible Stories My Kids Love comes from John 20. It is the story of Jesus' resurrection on Easter Sunday.Have a wonderful Easter! MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast

  • Prayer Lessons from a Puppy

    8 Mar 2012 | 3:10 pm
    Have you ever noticed the persistence of a puppy that wants something? In today's Bible Stories My Kids Love hear about a woman's determination and an answer to prayer.Enjoy today's Bible story. MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast

  • Do Not Throw the First Stone

    28 Feb 2012 | 3:46 pm
    Jesus faces the crowd who wants to punish a woman and teaches us about forgiveness.Enjoy today's Bible Stories My Kids Love. MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast
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    (in)courage

  • Grandmothers, Gardenias and Goodness

    Robin Dance
    16 May 2012 | 1:20 am
    Have you given much thought to the strength of sense-memory?  How a particular smell can immediately bring to mind people, places or events in your life? Though I demanded very little in the planning of my wedding, I just had to have gardenias in my bridal bouquet. Out of season and costly, my florist allowed three. You can almost see little hearts in my eyes. This year we'll celebrate silver! To the sentimentalist in me, that delicately scrumptious flower paid homage to my childhood and celebrated my Southern roots. But mostly it honored my grandmother. Dambarr we called her, one of…

  • When There Are No Answers

    Angela
    16 May 2012 | 1:10 am
    Psalm 139:13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. On May 14, 2010 my baby, Charlotte, died shortly after birth.  A few hours after she died my husband and I left the hospital with empty arms and broken hearts. I let friends and family know Charlotte was gone via social networks, it was too difficult to call and tell them our baby died unexpectedly. I wrote that she was with Jesus, safe in the beauty of heaven for reasons unknown, but hopefully in time we would know why she couldn’t stay with us. As the days without her became weeks and then…

  • Is Radical Change Possible?

    Dawn Camp
    15 May 2012 | 1:20 am
    For the past few months I’ve intended to write a post with this title here at (in)courage, but other ideas kept pushing it aside. I’d planned to share testimonials from friends and family who’ve experienced real, long-term change in their lives, change that impressed and encouraged me. As it turns out, apparently I wasn’t supposed to write until I’d also experienced radical change firsthand. Major changes can be difficult to make and to maintain, just ask anyone who’s tried to lose weight, stop smoking, or quit a bad habit. We’ve all heard the…

  • (in)RL DVD & Booklet Set Now Available and We’re Giving 1 Away Today! {And 50% Off For Everyone!}

    Lisa-Jo
    14 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    {UPDATED: This Giveaway is now closed. But the 50% off coupon code INRL50 is good on all of the (in)RL products,through the end of May!} Hi there (in)RL community, We kind of miss you already. Oh let’s just be honest – we miss you loads! And we sure love listening & cheering as you keep on making all those special (in)RL connections in our #inRL Twitter stream. How you keep on building community wherever you go? It’s beautiful! And we’re delighted to help you keep those connections and conversations going  strong with …. The (in)RL DVD & Booklet Set, which is now available!

  • Don’t Despise the Small

    Lysa
    14 May 2012 | 1:20 am
    What seems small in your world?  That place where your vision is grand but your reality isn’t. Your influence?  Your opportunity?  Your business?  Your blog?  Your ministry? Look at that small place and tell me what you see. Now, might I be so bold as to slip a little note into your world to tell you what I see? I see the place from which humility is birthed.  That glorious rare quality that doesn’t take too much credit.  That knows real success is laced with upward glances, bent knees and whispered praises to the only One. The One. He who gives. And He who withholds.  Not out of…
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    Plough Publishing-Recent Articles

  • Warum Kinder wichtig sind: Achtung und Respekt

    14 May 2012 | 1:55 pm
    Die meisten von uns kennen das biblische Gebot, welches die Basis für jede Erziehung ist: Ehre Vater und Mutter. Aber was bedeutet das eigentlich?

  • All Things New

    14 May 2012 | 9:50 am
    Your life will have to go to the repair shop, so to speak, even if you are afraid that everything will have to be taken apart like an old machine.

  • Why Children Matter: Explaining Life, Death, and Suffering

    11 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    All life comes from God and goes back to God, and if we really believe this, our fears about death – and our children's fears – should be allayed.

  • Los niños son esenciales: Explicando la vida, la muerte y el sufrimiento

    11 May 2012 | 8:57 am
    Todo lo que tiene vida viene de Dios y vuelve a Dios, y si realmente creemos esto, nuestros temores acerca de la muerte - y los temores de nuestros hijos - deben ser disipados.

  • 삶, 죽음, 고통을 설명하기

    11 May 2012 | 8:55 am
    모든 생명은 하나님에게서 왔다가, 다시 하나님에게로 돌아간다. 우리가 진실로 이 사실을 믿으면 죽음을 향한 우리와 아이의 두려움은 사라지게 된다. 성경은 하나님이 죽음조차도 지배하시고, 예수님이 다시 돌아오실 때는 대단한 일이 벌어진다고 말한다.
 
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    Religion Dispatches - Stories

  • Eat, Pray, Kill: The Basic Brutality of Eating

    Beatrice Marovich
    15 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    When it comes to the consumption of meat, our human hands have long been dirty. This isn’t a discouragement to stop striving for the good. But a moral proposal that promises to wash our filthy fingers spotlessly clean—in seconds flat—is suspect. Because they will still be dirty. The pressing moral question, of meat, becomes: given that human hands are obviously soiled, what can be done with these polluted tools?

  • Obama’s Gay Marriage Support Shocks Black Church

    Anthea Butler
    14 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    It’s time to for the leaders of the Black Church to ‘put away childish things’ and to engage in a real conversation about sexuality in their communities.

  • Another “Hot Text” For the War on Women: Rosemary’s Baby

    Mary Valle
    13 May 2012 | 3:00 pm
    Roman Polanski’s 1968 horror flick—among others in the ’60s and ’70s—may provide some surprising insights into the GOP’s “War on Women.”

  • Coming Out As a Heretic

    Kate Blanchard
    10 May 2012 | 7:00 pm
    For folks who are unorthodox but aren’t atheists, who care about metaphysics but who aren’t mystics, perhaps the good old-fashioned term “heretic” will satisfy. 

  • Where the Wild Things Aren’t Just Jewish

    Jodi Eichler-Levine
    9 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
    Maurice Sendak lived in the shadow of the Holocaust, yet he refused to claim that identity and chosenness solely for the Jewish people. 
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    Truth Lighthouse

  • Homosexuality In America

    Philippians 3-14
    13 May 2012 | 6:04 pm
    Recently, Barack Obama became the first US President in history to outright support gay marriage.

  • Surrounded By That Which Is Right

    Philippians 3-14
    6 Sep 2011 | 12:18 am
    If we are surrounded by sinners, we are likely to become more like them. We must remove the temptation and be surrounded by that which is right.

  • Prosperity Gospel

    Philippians 3-14
    19 Aug 2011 | 3:10 am
    Does God want us to be rich? Some ministers think so. So do some Christians. In fact, a very similar topic arose when Jesus was with His disciples.

  • Before The Lord

    Philippians 3-14
    19 Aug 2011 | 3:07 am
    Have you ever wondered what that day will be like when we get to see the Lord? What an amazing experience it will be.

  • Debating Doctrine

    Philippians 3-14
    19 Aug 2011 | 3:04 am
    What if Christian believers of opposing doctrines could not debate doctrinal issues using anything but scripture?
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    Cheryl Cope |Christian Women's Life, Weight Loss and Creativity Coach

  • When Work and Family Collide by Andy Stanley

    cheryl
    14 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    When Work and Family Collide by Andy Stanley Keeping your job from cheating your family—this is the subtitle and it is very appropriate to the content. This is what the author meant by the term “cheating”: choosing to give up … Continue reading...

  • Stupendous Salads

    cheryl
    9 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    Stupendous Salads Salads don’t have to be boring or tasteless! Eating raw vegetables is sooo worth the effort because of how truly healthy they are! First check out my recipe for the perfect green salad. Next check out these other … Continue reading...

  • Do you have a relationship with God or something else?

    cheryl
    7 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    Do you have a relationship with God or something else? Are you following the map or are you following the guide? If you were caught in the wilderness somewhere unknown to you, which would you prefer to help you get … Continue reading...

  • From Fat to Fit!

    cheryl
    1 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    From Fat to Fit! Healthy Mind, Healthy Spirit, Healthy Body! Guest blog post by Mark Griffin   I struggled with writing this article because I did not want it to come across as a “look at me” reading, but I … Continue reading...

  • Honor Your Father and Mother

    cheryl
    23 Apr 2012 | 4:00 am
    Honor Your Father and Mother In a very small way I am choosing to honor my father and my mother by listing out some of the positive things that stood out to me growing up or that I took away … Continue reading...
 
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    Life & Theology

  • 10 Things You Forget About Pastors

    benlreed
    15 May 2012 | 5:04 am
    I had the chance to preach at Grace this past Sunday. What a gift it was. apparently, I said something I thought was funny And what a hard week it was. Every time I get the call to preach, I forget just how much work it is to prepare until the Wednesday before I preach on Sunday. It’s at that point, when I’m on my 5th rewrite, my 10th bottom line, and my 4th, “I have no idea what I’m going to say” thought for the week. In the process of preparing and delivering the sermon yesterday, I realized that there are a few things that people often forget about…

  • Quit planning. Start doing.

    benlreed
    14 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    Carrying around a megaphone doesn’t legitimize your message. image credit: Flickr user Hazzat It just makes your message louder. Just like talking about your dreams doesn’t mean you’ve taken any real action to accomplishing them. It just makes your dreams more widely distributed. We love to talk about our plans and goals and dreams. Sharing your dreams is a great way to keep a conversation going, and make us seem like we’re the forward-thinking, out-of-the-box type. But just like the guy who writes a blog about how to write a blog about blogging is great at spinning…

  • Big changes

    benlreed
    8 May 2012 | 6:55 am
    Any change takes is tough. Whether that change is at home, at work, or at the gym, change of any sort brings about a mixture of feelings, emotions, and, in the case of the gym, pain. Every time. There are big changes coming down the pike where I serve on staff at Grace Community Church. My pastor, Ron Edmondson, is leaving to pastor Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington, KY. Ron helped launch Grace over 6 years ago, and has served as co-pastor the whole time. Ron and his wife, Cheryl, are leaving a huge hole as they transition out. Ron is an unbelievably gifted leader and communicator.

  • Creating art with my son

    benlreed
    5 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    image credit: Creation Swap user http://creationswap.com/joshyates We created art today, my son & I crafting a masterpiece. Weaving figure 8s, sweeping our brushes across, we dominated the back yard.   We created art today. He used the green, I the orange. No blade stood a chance as we blanketed every square inch of our canvas.   We created art today amidst a stifling heat. We left, covered in green bits of canvas from which we had crafted.   We created art today, art of the best kind. Art that gives you hope and makes you laugh.   We created art today, art that…

  • This is awkward, but…can you help my marriage?

    benlreed
    4 May 2012 | 8:39 am
    Don’t miss out on my “This is awkward” series HERE. Creative Commons user Marc Wathieu, edits mine As a pastor, I’m supposed to have it all figured out. I have a degree in theology. I have been called to full-time vocational ministry. I help other people work on their marriages. I’ve even written blog posts about how to preach a marriage ceremony, for crying out loud. But I don’t have it figured out. My wife and I, in seasons of our marriage, have had to ask for help. Shore up some weaknesses. Make our marriage stronger. Get my wife to realize how awesome I…
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    Naty Matos's Blog

  • A story: Hope p.2

    Naty Matos
    9 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    Thanks for coming back. I hope you enjoy the end of this short story of hope… Paula slowly threw her leg over the rail. She looked at the water, it seemed so peaceful. All of the sudden she felt a tug on her other leg. Something was stuck to her pants, it was dark and she was not sure of what it was, but she just continued to feel the tug in the cuff or her pants. She returned the leg back inside. She couldn’t believe her eyes, it was a dog. Part of the reason why she couldn’t see it well it was because the dog was black. It was a dachshund. She couldn’t believe a dog that…

  • A Story: Hope p.1

    Naty Matos
    7 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    This week I decided to share with you a short story I wrote sometime ago. Hope is something that we all need in live… See how Hope changed someone’s life. HOPE  Paula left her apartment convinced that she was not going to return. She wasn’t sure of what she was going to do or where she was headed, but she knew that her chest was tight and she felt like she couldn’t breathe anymore. So many things had happened in the last year that she felt like she was at the end of her rope. She was walking down the street.  It was dark outside, but there were no clouds. All the stars were…

  • WF: East to West

    Naty Matos
    4 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    As Christian we have the crazy notion that we have to be perfect. We have the tendency to show very little grace with ourselves when we make a mistake. When we fall instead of quickly repenting and quickly returning to the path of righteousness we dwell in our mistake thinking that God can’t forgive “this” one…or “this again”. Like this song says, How many times have you felt like you are just one mistake away from God giving up on you. We are not perfect beloved, but it is perfect He who we love and serve. He who created us know that we are not perfect and has new mercies for…

  • Aficionada of the Written Word

    Naty Matos
    2 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    By Mary Anne Benedetto As someone who embarked on an unexpected journey of becoming a passionate memoir writing instructor and author at mid-life, I have noted that sometimes people begin backing away from me when they find out what I do. “Is it my breath?” I used to wonder. Perhaps I should carry mints. Then I discovered that there are more than just a few people in the world who despise having to sit down and write something of significance. Even more shocking to me was  realizing that there are people who hate to read. When I wrote my first novel, Eyelash, I hesitate to tell you how…

  • Be Bold

    Naty Matos
    30 Apr 2012 | 4:00 am
    By Valerie Comer “Be Bold!” Anyone out there struggle with boldness? Oh, I have no trouble telling either a total stranger or a close friend why they shouldn’t eat junk food or drink pop, but put me in a situation where I could share my faith, and I often freeze up. This is the polar opposite of how I was brought up. My parents were both born and raised in conservative Mennonite homes in southern Manitoba, Canada. In my dad’s case, in particular, “religious” things weren’t really spoken of. Faith was private. Even in the home, it was assumed that it…
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    Sincerely Christian

  • For peace and to build community

    Allen
    9 May 2012 | 6:22 pm
    Let’s talk about North Carolina, shall we? And the President? But let’s not talk about what everyone else is talking about, whether same-sex marriage should be legalized or not. Let’s talk about how to disagree. In Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians, they were having a heated disagreement about whether or not followers of Jesus [...]

  • Obligatory Avengers Post

    Allen
    8 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    Seems obligatory that, as a blogger, I should pen/type a few thoughts about the mega-popular (and rightly so) blockbuster of the first weekend of May – the one that kinda has a big name cast? big green guy? and the guy who should’ve won an Oscar for playing Charlie Chaplin? You’ve heard of this movie, [...]

  • Chilling with the enlightened

    Allen
    7 May 2012 | 3:11 pm
    I love watching interviews with the Dalai Llama because that guy is “chill.” Indeed, he is said to be enlightened, but I like how that comes across in him – he’s just … well … chill. The Buddhist highest goal in their faith is to attain enlightenment, and often it’s only the monks or adherents [...]

  • The importance of exit signs in church

    Allen
    6 May 2012 | 3:24 pm
    I recently read an article which described the church as being introverted, when Jesus had called it to be salt and light in the world – how having faith for most is such a personal matter, informing a person’s morality such that it can be neatly tucked in one’s pocket on the way out of [...]

  • Backyard Senate

    Allen
    30 Apr 2012 | 4:09 pm
    Wally:  I’d like your vote for backyard senate. Cat:  Will there be equal representation at the feeder? Wally:  I can’t believe you’d vote for a bird. Cat:  He’s a very convincing politician.
 
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    mnphysicists theological blog

  • 6th Sunday of Easter Good order???

    Ron Amundson
    6 May 2012 | 2:36 am
    The texts for this Sunday are fascinating. I see the reading from Acts as potentially an anti-Pelgianism text, a Charismatic wrench in the works, or in a related vein, an afront to “good order”. If one looks at the additional verses in the RCC Lectionary in comparison with the RCL, the afront to “good order” seems to stand out even more so. Folks figured that God worked in a consistent and orderly fashion, A, B, C, etc… and then these gentile folks ended up doing the tongue speaking deal and they hadn’t even been baptised yet. (Acts 10:44-48). The text uses…

  • The Problem of the Neon Cross

    Ron Amundson
    6 Apr 2012 | 12:13 pm
    The church building of my youth had this really nifty neon cross on the top of its steeple. While very cool from one perspective, from a maintenance point of view, it was a nightmare. Can anyone say lightning rod… yep, when storms would roll through, that neon cross attracted lightning like bugs to a flame. Sometimes lighting would destroy the tubes, sometimes the mounts, sometimes it would whack the wiring or control circuits. If it wasnt lightning, it was wind that would take it out. High winds up there can be pretty brutal on fragile glass tubes and mounting systems. Granted, like…

  • The Problems of Youth Ministry. Idealism, Reality, and Mixed Visions

    Ron Amundson
    9 Feb 2012 | 5:22 pm
    I’ve known a ton of youth ministers over the years, and a common headache that many experience is the search committee says one thing, but the church in actual practice wants something else. Its pretty easy to present the case of an optimistic church with a “run to win” focus on youth… but in practice, far too often the desired practice once a youth minister is on board, ends up being “fight not to loose”. I think the answer is brutal honesty upfront as to where one wants go, AND a commitment by the congregation to support steps to get there. Most folks are…

  • Slippery Slopes, and Plato’s Cave

    Ron Amundson
    3 Feb 2012 | 12:29 am
    RachelHeldEvans wrote this fascinating blog post called They Were Right (And Wrong) About the Slippery Slope. A selected bit follows: It was easier before, when the path was wide and straight. But, truth be told, I was faking it. I was pretending that things that didn’t make sense made sense, that things that didn’t feel right felt right. To others, I appeared confident and in control, but faith felt as far away as friend who has grown distant and cold. Now, every day is a risk. Now, I have no choice but to cling to faith and hope and love for dear life. Now, I have to keep a very close…

  • God told me to run… Discernment

    Ron Amundson
    19 Jan 2012 | 4:30 am
    Yep, even comedians like Jay Leno are having a bit of a field day over 3 republican candidates leaving the campaign trail being that all of them said God told them to run… Some atheist friends are having a field day with this as well. Likewise, some Christians are wiggling around a bit, and saying, “Well God just told them to run, not that they were going to win” I dont see a point in continuing to raise the noise floor with speculation, but I do think its worth discussing discernment a bit. God told me you need to do this or that! For years, I used to hear from folks that,…
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    Counterpoint Cafe

  • Pitfalls to gaining wisdom

    rushyama
    11 May 2012 | 1:47 am
    In his book Knowing God. J.I. Packer notes the following common behaviors that keep us from receiving wisdom: Unwillingness to think. It is false piety, super-supernaturalism of an unhealthy and pernicious sort, that demands impressions that have no rational base, and declines to heed the constant biblical summons to ‘consider’ . . . (Deut. 32:29) Unwillingness to think ahead, and weigh the long-term consequences of alternative courses of action . . . often we can only see what is wise and right (and what is foolish and wrong) as we dwell on its long-term issues. Unwillingness to…

  • The ordinary is not ordinary

    rushyama
    27 Apr 2012 | 3:04 pm
    I so needed this reminder today. “…the ordinary is not ordinary. Rather, it is in the ordinary that we are able to build people up and, yes, inspire the human spirit. When you clean house for your family, or pour a cup of coffee, or take your car to the wash, you aren’t just doing small, mundane things. You are building building people up. You are making things better, and making a statement that people matter. Or, that’s how you ought to see it. And the doctrine of vocation takes us further than this. For it means that, when we serve others in the everyday, it is actually God…

  • Happy birthday Shakespeare and Prokofiev!

    rushyama
    23 Apr 2012 | 3:56 pm
    In honor of the joint birthday festivities for The Bard (born April 23, 1564) and Prokofiev (born April 23, 1891), enjoy the In-Temporalis piano & percussion interpretation of Prokofiev’s Montagues & Capulets from Romeo & Juliet.

  • Patches of Godlight

    rushyama
    22 Apr 2012 | 2:00 am
    “We — or at least I — shall not be able to adore God on the highest occasions if we have learned no habit of doing so on the lowest. At best, our faith and reason will tell us that He is adorable, but we shall not have found Him so, not have ‘tasted and seen.’ Any patch of sunlight in a wood will show you something about the sun which you could never get from reading books on astronomy. These pure and spontaneous pleasures are ‘patches of Godlight’ in the woods of experience.” - C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm (Photo)

  • My God has broke the serpentʼs teeth

    rushyama
    8 Apr 2012 | 9:08 am
    My God, how many are my fears How fast my foes increase Conspiring my eternal death They break my fleeting peace The lying tempter would persuade My heart to doubt your aid And all my swelling sins appear Much greater than your grace Arise, Oh Lord, fulfill your grace While I your glory sing; My God has broke the serpentʼs teeth And death has lost his sting But you my glory and my strength Will on my tempter tread Will silence all my threatening guilt And raise my drooping head. And though the hosts of death and hell All armed against me stand No more will terrors shake my soul; Secure…
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    PRO WORSHIP TECHNICS

  • SongCat – An Amazing Chord Sheet Manager for Worship Musicians (iPad)

    12 May 2012 | 8:19 am
    If you are a worship leader using an iPad, there are loads of apps that can help on stage in terms of providing a tuner, displaying your lyrics, chords etc. Here’s a powerful app with an intuitive WYSIWYG-editing enabled interface that you might want to look at. SongCat facilitates creating/importing new songs with chords, make set-lists and access them on stage or during rehearsals. Here’s a run down of the feature list: • WYSIWYG Song Editor- simple drag and drop interface. • Built-in workflow maximizes your productivity. • Edit or Perform your songs/sets from multiple places: Top…

  • 42 Worship Songs for the Feast of Pentecost

    5 May 2012 | 11:10 am
    One of my favorite Christian feasts, Pentecost, is coming up giving us another season to seek the power of the Holy Spirit to take control of our lives, churches and ministries! It’s also a special time to pray for a desire and the ability to step out of our comfort zones and go wherever the Spirit leads us. Here are some songs that’d fit into our worship during this feast:   All Who Are Thirsty – Brenton Brown As Sure as God (Revival) – Robin Mark As we Gather in This Place Today – Don Moen Awakening – Christ Tomlin Breathe – Marie Barnett Breathe on us – Jeremy Horn…

  • How to Pray in Silence – II: 7 Steps to Effective Scripture Reflection

    28 Apr 2012 | 10:29 am
    Reading the Bible is one thing; it’s quite another to let it take deep and strong root in our hearts and allow it to shape our lives. In this second post in the “How to Pray in Silence” series, we look at a method of reflecting on what we read so that the reading does not end with…well…just reading! Just about any method of Christian prayer incorporates the scriptures in some manner – for it is God’s Word that teaches, corrects, consoles and helps us to grow in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). So here are some steps to effective reflection while we read: 1. Like the Psalmist, start…

  • Experiments in Giving Our Congregations Opportunities to Respond

    21 Apr 2012 | 1:08 am
    This is a guest post by Alastair Vance who leads worship for Story Church. Alastair is a stand-out worship blogger, musician and one of the kindest persons I’ve ever met online! His article has some great tips to creatively engage congregations during worship services, enjoy! It seems that lots of churches today are dealing with similar problems when it comes to congregational worship.  Our congregations are in danger of becoming more like spectators than actual participants. There are many reasons cited for this shift.  I read something once that indicated the more professional…

  • How to Pray in Silence – 1: Starting With Scripture

    14 Apr 2012 | 5:33 am
    We can do without ministry, music, songs, technology etc. but never without our personal time with God. I am talking dedicated silent time set apart every day minus all distractions. Though I’ve covered it in brief in previous posts like this one, I’m starting a new series of posts on silent prayer – specifically on what to do during this time of silence. This first post in the series is a guest article by my brother, Babu Victor. He’s a full-time missionary living in Bangalore who loves to preach the Word and belongs to the People of Praise Covenant Community:   “He went up…
 
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    Bible Prophecy Blog

  • Grant Jeffrey—Home with the Lord

    BibleProphecyBlog.com
    15 May 2012 | 1:35 pm
    By Duane Muir Signposts of the Times Well known Bible Prophecy scholar Grant Jeffrey passed away over the weekend and has gone on to be with the Lord:We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8 KJV).Grant had written several books, (Countdown to the Apocalypse, Shadow Government, The Global Warming Deception, and

  • Greece on Edge of Economic Collapse and Civil War—Will Contagion Spread to E.U. and U.S.?

    BibleProphecyBlog.com
    15 May 2012 | 11:50 am
    By Joel C. Rosenberg JoelRosenberg.com Greece is on the verge of economic collapse and civil war, according to top leaders inside Greece and the European Union. Decisions made by Greek leaders and the Greek public in the coming days and weeks could lead to catastrophic results. What’s more, experts are worried the economic and social contagion unleashed by a Greek implosion, should it

  • The Rapture (Part 4)

    BibleProphecyBlog.com
    15 May 2012 | 10:30 am
    By Dr. Andy Woods Sugar Land Bible Church My previous articles [1] commenced a series on the rapture of the church. We began with the question, "What is the Rapture?" This question can best be answered by noting ten truths about the rapture from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-58. In previous articles, we saw that the rapture is an important doctrine and not something that

  • Romney Hits Home Run at Liberty University

    BibleProphecyBlog.com
    14 May 2012 | 11:44 am
    By Bob Maginnis BobMaginnis.com LYNCHBURG, Va.—Presidential candidate Mitt Romney traveled to Liberty University’s commencement on Saturday to woo evangelicals offering hope under his leadership and addressed concerns about his Mormon faith. His overtly religious speech was a home run for values voters.Evangelicals are a significant percentage of the electorate and the most reliable

  • Palestinians Rebuff Netanyahu Peace Overture

    BibleProphecyBlog.com
    14 May 2012 | 10:45 am
    By Ryan Jones Israel Today The Palestinian Authority on Sunday dismissed a letter from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas suggesting that the two men return to the negotiating table.Netanyahu's letter was a response to a letter sent by Abbas to the Israeli leader last month in which Abbas insisted that since the peace process had already dragged
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    Relief: A Christian Literary Expression

  • More on Festival 2012: A Rookie’s Reflections

    Brad Fruhauff
    2 May 2012 | 8:56 am
    As I arrived at the Calvin College Festival of Faith and Writing, I expected the weekend to be filled with learning about reading and writing, and to leave the festival with more books than I knew what to do with. I hoped to learn about the Christian writing scene — something that was completely foreign to me until hours before I arrived in Grand Rapids — and what my role in that scene could possibly be in the future. While I did learn about some of these things, and I did return to Chicago with my pack heavier than when I left, I ended up learning more about the current atmosphere of…

  • A Recap of the Festival of Faith & Writing 2012

    Ian David Philpot
    28 Apr 2012 | 8:26 am
    Ian David Philpot Web Editor Ian David Philpot shares his experience at the Festival of Faith and Writing. Last weekend I attended Calvin College’s Festival of Faith and Writing in Grand Rapids, MI. This was my second time at the biannual conference. Both times I’ve attended I’ve been representing Relief, of which I am the web editor. This means that I spent a good amount of the conference at the Relief table in the exhibitor hall telling people about the journal and meeting people who we have published. The sessions I saw were incredible! This is in stark contrast to my…

  • Saying it New at the Festival: Art and the Christian

    Jake Slaughter
    26 Apr 2012 | 7:39 am
    Jake at the Rock & Sling Table Post-Festival Blog Post: In which Jake looks back on his experience, and likes what he sees. Artists should seek to have the “courage of risking respect for all those who they encounter.” – Marilynne Robinson Artists ought to “provoke the possibilities of how we live in the world.” – Shane Claiborne Artists create stories. “Stories make you more humane, and more human.” – Gary Schmidt “You will never love art well, until you love what it mirrors better” – Ruskin via Gary Schmidt Do you sense a theme there? Throughout my…

  • This Ragged Band: Post-Festival Thoughts

    Brad Fruhauff
    24 Apr 2012 | 11:03 am
    Tania Runyan I know many of our readers have faced this dilemma: In the writing world, no one understands my faith. In fact, they often look down on people like me. At church, no one understands my art. In fact, they often look down on people like me. Now, I am blessed to attend a church very supportive of my poetry career, a fellowship that buys my books and packs out local coffee houses at my readings. Also, other writers usually at least tolerate my faith. But not every artist is fortunate enough to feel accepted by both sides. And sometimes we need an experience much deeper than mere…

  • Too Busy Not to Attend Festival

    Brad Fruhauff
    18 Apr 2012 | 9:31 am
    If you’re going to Calvin’s Festival of Faith & Writing, you probably recognize this banner (which was the best I could do in a hurry from their site). We at Relief look forward to this event as one of the best times to be had in the world of Christian literary culture. We always hear from great favorite authors, discover new authors, and meet many of our own authors. Authors authors authors! We also enjoy meeting readers and introducing ourselves to new readers. In general, people at the Festival are pretty open to what we do, but it’s interesting how quickly you find…
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    JESUSCARITASEST.ORG

  • VATICAN : POPE : WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES AND OTHER NEWS

    JesusCaritasEst
    15 May 2012 | 8:26 pm
    POPE TO VISIT MILAN FOR WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES (IMAGE SOURCE: RADIO VATICANA|)Vatican City, 15 May 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father will visit the archdiocese of Milan on the occasion of the 7th World Meeting of Families to take place in that Italian city.Benedict XVI will depart from Rome's Ciampino Airport on 1 June at 4:00pm and will arrive an hour later in Milan. At 5:30pm he will address those gathered in the Piazza del Duomo and, at 7:30pm, will attend a concert in his honour and that of the official delegations to the World Meeting of Families at the Scala Theatre.On Saturday, 2 June,…

  • AUSTRALIA : PERSONAL ORDINARIATE FOR JUNE 15

    JesusCaritasEst
    15 May 2012 | 8:22 pm
    ARCHDIOCESE OF MELBOURNE RELEASEPersonal Ordinariate to be established in Australia on 15 June Monday 14 May 2012 The President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Denis Hart, announced on Friday 11 May that Pope Benedict XVI intends to announce the establishment in Australia of a Personal Ordinariate for Former Anglicans to commence on 15th June 2012. A Personal Ordinariate is a church structure for particular groups of people who wish to enter into communion with the Catholic Church. In 2009 Pope Benedict announced special arrangements to cater for groups of Anglicans…

  • AMERICA : CANADA BISHOPS RELEASE LETTER ON CONSCIENCE

    JesusCaritasEst
    15 May 2012 | 8:18 pm
    CCCB REPORT: (CCCB – Ottawa)… The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) today released a pastoral letter on freedom of conscience and religion. Issued by the CCCB Permanent Council, the letter expresses concern about an “aggressive relativism” in Canada that seeks to relegate religion to the private sphere.“Legitimate secularity draws a distinction between religion and politics, between Church and state,” the pastoral letter states, but is open to the engagement of religious beliefs and faith communities in public debate and civic life. “Radical secularism”, however,…

  • ASIA : CHINA : CHEN'S NEPHEW WRONGFULLY ACCUSED

    JesusCaritasEst
    15 May 2012 | 8:17 pm
    ASIA NEWS REPORT: He defended himself against agents who burst into his house after his uncle escaped. The charges are baseless because no one died. For this reason, the authorities are preventing lawyers from seeing him.Beijing (AsiaNews) - Chen Kegui, nephew of blind dissident Chen Guangcheng, was arbitrarily arrested by police in Shandong. He has been denied access to his family lawyer and his wife has been placed under house arrest. The nephew was taken into custody on 9 May for his role in Chen's escape on 26 April to the US Embassy in Beijing, the China Human Rights Defender (CHRD)…

  • EUROPE : BBC HEAD OF RELIGION GIVES LECTURE

    JesusCaritasEst
    15 May 2012 | 8:16 pm
    IND. CATH. NEWS REPORT: Aaqil Ahmed - image BBCAaqil Ahmed, the BBC's Head of Religion and Ethics, delivered this year's World Communications Day Lecture at the Mount Street Jesuit Centre in central London last night, 14 May, speaking on: 'The Future of Religious Broadcasting.'Ahmed, who began his career in Current Affairs, also worked on Religious programming at Channel Four - before the department was closed. Diversity of output is the future, he said. "Our audiences are very diverse and we can’t expect to service all of them with the same output. We need to make programmes that interest…
 
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    Christian Life Coach - Quentin McCall - Knowledge 4 Life

  • 10 Things My Grandmother Taught Me About Love

    Quentin McCall
    12 May 2012 | 4:44 am
    Many of you know I lost my grandmother on March 2, 2012. Some of you are aware of the closeness and love we shared. My grandmother was my mother and father. Like some of you reading this, I grew up without my mother and father. My granny filled in the gap and raised me. We had some very challenging times, but my granny sacrificed everything to make sure I was OK. She went without, so I could have. I can still recall all the beautiful things she did for me, but the greatest thing she showed me was unconditional love.     My grandmother was always meek, humble, gentle, loving, nurturing and…

  • 6 Reasons Selfishness Will Destroy Your Relationship

    Quentin McCall
    8 May 2012 | 6:30 am
    The relationship ended. No great reason, no explanation. Things just took a hard turn and fell apart. So, maybe looking back, there were some warning signs of problems. Communication was difficult (maybe non-existent, at times) or emotions would flare for no apparent reason. However, there was nothing significant enough to justify such a negative end to a relationship that started so well. Nothing justified actions that would cause so much hurt! This scenario is all too common. When it happens… we want answers. Why did they cheat? Why did they change? Why did we stop moving forward? Why did…

  • Why Can’t I Find Anyone To Love Me? A Story of Singleness

    Quentin McCall
    10 Apr 2012 | 6:30 am
    Guest Post: “I just don’t understand what’s wrong with me. Why can’t I find anyone to love me? I’m funny. I have hobbies and interests. I’m not ugly. I’m relatively intelligent. I’m a good mother. I have a job… So, why is it so hard to find someone to share my life with?!?!” This is just a small piece of a conversation I had with a friend regarding her state of singleness. Can you identify with anything she said? How many times have you quietly wondered to yourself, “What is wrong with me?”,” Am I going to be alone forever?”, “All of my friends are married and…

  • For the Ladies: Single, Content, and Courageous

    Quentin McCall
    22 Mar 2012 | 7:00 am
    Waiting for the man we believe God for can feel as if there is not much sand left in the hourglass. Getting older, all of one’s accomplishments and the personal dragons we have slain can falsely serve as a notice that it is time to get a husband, in order to complete “the dream.” Those lonely moments keep creeping in from time to time, and desire for companionship is only getting stronger. The fear of being single longer than planned can disrupt internal peace, unless we make a purposeful choice to, not only wait for God’s timing, but to wait with courage. Then we will not…

  • How to Date a Single Mother

    Quentin McCall
    20 Mar 2012 | 7:00 am
    Loving a woman can be a beautiful life experience for a man. A woman can be nurturing, loving, selfless, warm, friendly, uplifting, spiritual and virtuous. However, what happens when it is a woman along with her children? The stigma of being a single mother is powerful in society, but it is based in stereotypes. Many people have various assumptions, but how often do they seek to understand or learn the story of the single mother? Rarely does it happen; which is why I feel men have to approach dating single mothers differently.     Some men already know they will not marry a woman with…
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    SCOAN London

  • ANOINTING WATER PRAYER LINE JUNE 3RD

    SCOAN London
    14 May 2012 | 9:34 am
    The age of miracles has not past. The Miracle Worker is still alive; His name is Jesus Christ! – TB Joshua Emmanuel! By the grace of God, SCOAN London will be holding a Prayer Line service on Sunday 3rd June 2012, where we will be ministering the Anointing Water in Jesus’ name. For those who wish to attend the Prayer Line service, it is essential that you register your name and details by emailing us at uk@scoan.org to explain the situation you wish to receive prayer for. Please ensure you receive a confirmation before making travel arrangements. You can also call us on +44 (0) 2070…

  • TB JOSHUA IN THE TIMES NEWSPAPER – 09/04/2012

    SCOAN London
    10 Apr 2012 | 5:24 am
    The Times newspaper published an article on 09/04/2012 covering the prophecy Prophet TB Joshua gave regarding the death of a president. You can read the article below How prophet with direct line to God predicted President’s death – The Times When the President of Malawi died last week, the country rejoiced. Violently crushing peaceful protests, throwing donors out of the country and lining up his brother to succeed him, President Bingu wa Mutharika was beginning to resemble Robert Mugabe of neighbouring Zimbabwe. The President’s death last Thursday appeared to be a miraculous…

  • PROPHECY: TB Joshua predicts Malawi President’s death

    SCOAN London
    9 Apr 2012 | 7:00 am

  • Wise Man Harry: Revival Services In USA!

    SCOAN London
    26 Feb 2012 | 2:35 pm
    Emmanuel! We are excited to relay the wonderful news that Wise Man Harry will be in Washington State, USA for a series of revival services from Friday March 2nd to Sunday March 4th 2012! If you are in the USA or have the opportunity to travel there, we  really encourage you to get involved in this exciting revival. If you have any friends/ family in the USA, please send this message to them. Remember, God has no mouth but your mouth to encourage people. To register for this wonderful service and for full details and directions to the venue in Pasco, Washington, as well as additional…

  • How To Know Your Calling In Life…

    SCOAN London
    18 Feb 2012 | 7:22 pm
    Emmanuel! Prophet T.B. Joshua recently gave a very practical and powerful message titled ‘The Call Of God’ in which he addressed an important question that is often asked yet seldom answered: ‘How do I know my calling in life?’ Here is a summary of some of the key points of the message, as can be seen showing on Emmanuel TV. Remember, when you step out in the direction of God’s calling for your life, you will astonish yourself and make a difference in your world! How do I know what my calling from God is? The first step in knowing your calling is to get to know…
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    Kristine Remixed

  • What Hides Behind the Pendulum?

    kristinemac
    15 May 2012 | 1:56 pm
    In 1999, when I first began exploring witchcraft, I worked at learning many forms of divination including tarot, runes, scrying, and dowsing. From the glossary I created for Escaping the Cauldron): Divination – The process of using tools, methods, or symbols to determine or foretell the future. Scrying – A method of future-casting (divining) through gazing at a crystal, bowl of water, blackened mirror, or other reflective surface inducing visions. Dowsing – A method of divination using a pair of rods to find water, iron ores, missing objects, direction.

  • The Faith of a Mother

    kristinemac
    13 May 2012 | 2:40 pm
    "I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you." 2 Timothy 1:5 (NLT) I remember looking into the eyes of my sweet baby girl as I cradled her in my arms. This little person had been given to me by God—to love, nurture, and teach what it means to follow Him with her whole heart. Such a breathtaking gift and responsibility. What I didn't know in those moments were the temptations, difficulties, years of spiritual wandering which lay in my future or how…

  • Mediums, Psychics, and Ghosts–Oh My!

    kristinemac
    12 May 2012 | 12:58 pm
    "Did you know there's another new TV show about a medium?" my husband asked as he looked at me over the top of his laptop expectantly. "Yes, I know about it. How many paranormal programs do you think there are now?" I wondered. "Last time we checked there were 27 on ghosts alone". By the end of the evening, my husband had compiled a list for me (because that's just who he is). There are currently over 70 first run or syndicated television programs devoted to the topics of ghosts, aliens, mediums, and psychics being aired in the United States,…

  • CORNERSTONE (Pssst–I’m Speaking There This Year)

    kristinemac
    11 May 2012 | 4:18 pm
      Kristine Speaking at Unity Christian Music Fest 2010   Cornerstone Music Festival For twenty-four years, my husband and I have been talking about attending this five day Christian music festival. Despite our shared desire to attend, finances have always ranked fairly high among the reasons we could not (what with the cost of tickets, round trip expenses, food, accommodations, etc). HOWEVER…. THIS year, my beloved and I shall not only be attending Cornerstone Christian Music Festival; I will be sharing my testimony on the Michigan Stage , and teaching a four day seminar…

  • What Day Is It?

    kristinemac
    10 May 2012 | 7:20 pm
    "So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:14-16 (NLT) My husband and I were in the car on the way to Detroit to retrieve our oldest daughter from college for the Summer. We were discussing an article I'd read recently about the ranking opinion among the general unchurched…
 
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    Don't Eat The Fruit

  • Two Great Technology and Faith Conferences in June 2012

    John Dyer
    14 May 2012 | 2:12 pm
    If you’re anywhere on the West coast or have flexible travel plans next months, and you’d like to spend time with some fellow believers who think deeply about the relationship between technology and Christian faith, I’d like to invite you to two excellent conferences. Biola Digital Ministry Conference – Jun 5-7, 2012 What used to be called GodBlogCon, then Christian Web Conference is now “Digital Ministry Conference” signaling it’s move from specifically focusing on blogging to the internet and now to all forms of digital ministry. They have three…

  • Q&A with Dr. Mark Hoffman, Professor of Religion and Media

    John Dyer
    11 May 2012 | 8:35 am
    Religion and Media Blog Tour Earlier this spring, Dr. Mark Hoffman (www.crossmarks.com) of Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg had me Skype into a class of his in Gettysburg, and I was impressed by the caliber his students and warmed by their kindness toward me. LTSG then made the exciting announcement that it was adding a new Religion and Media Concentration to its Master or Arts in Religion degree. As part of its launch, two of the programs professors including Dr. Hoffman, are going on a blog tour where they answer questions submitted to them by bloggers. I asked two questions of Dr.

  • Parenting Tip: Three Photos, and I’m Out!

    John Dyer
    27 Apr 2012 | 9:36 am
    Thomas the Tank Engine day with my kids Jon Acuff has a nice post about Skrillex (an Internet sensation for his electronic music) who recently advised a group of his fans that they shouldn’t try to experience his concert through their smartphones. In the words of Mr. Skrillex: Don’t try to experience the party through your cell phone just so you can document it to show people later that you were there. Just be there. Acuff follows with some helpful thoughts about parenting, and many of the commenters lamented that they feel pressure to document everything in order to be good…

  • The Dangers of Text-Walking Humorously Illustrated

    John Dyer
    12 Apr 2012 | 3:03 pm
    One of the key dangers of media is that you can get so engrossed within its universe, that you miss important things happening in the world around you.

  • Project Glass: Will Google’s Augmented Reality Glasses Finally Make Technology Fade Into the Background?

    John Dyer
    5 Apr 2012 | 11:24 am
    Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Problem Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle says you can’t measure something without altering it. Last night, I had dinner with dear friends and in those sweet moments when the kids did something cute, we stopped, got out our phones, launched the camera apps, waited a second, and tried to snap the perfect pic. Then there was emailing, Instagraming, and the rest. Wouldn’t it be nice if such things happened in the background without altering the event itself? I tell my fridge, “Make this cold” and it just works. Can’t I just…
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    Will Mancini

  • 10 Ways to Assess your Vision: Webinar Resources

    Will Mancini
    8 May 2012 | 1:54 pm
    Thanks to those of you who joined me for the free webinar today. I wanted to provide some additional resources: Be sure to download the Church Unique Visual Summary (click upper right rotating banner) Subscribe to this blog via e-mail Download the Kingdom Concept Worksheet. Down the Vision Frame Overview. Download the Articulating Vision Proper. Download the Clarity Quiz. Be sure to look for the VisionRoom.com coming in August. FInally if you would like to start a 24 coaching track with 8 other churches, Vince Antonucci of Verve Church in Las Vegas will be kicking off a virtual Vision…

  • Introducing some friends at #Exponential that will CLEARLY help you

    Will Mancini
    23 Apr 2012 | 10:44 am
    Each year as I gather at Exponential I see old friends and new who have invested in clarity and vision for their ministry-minded organizations. Here are their stories: WAYFARER and 3DM Years ago, the leaders of Warfarer Ministries developed their vision frame that sprung from a mission core of “awakening redefinition” about the person of Jesus. One of their mantras and their first core value is “Christ before Christianity.” They eventual joined forces with 3dm and Mike Breen.  Check in with Dave Rhoades and Mike Breen as they help leaders build a discipling culture in…

  • Six Reasons to Have a Dedicated Guest Website for Your Church

    Will Mancini
    18 Apr 2012 | 5:57 pm
    Over the years the Auxano Design team has helped churches think more strategically about guest engagement. (Read 10 Mind Blowing Facts to Fuel your Hospitality Ministry). One great idea is to create a separate website for guests. At Auxano, we call this a “buzzsite.” To catch an example, check out Gateway’s WelcomeToYourJourney.com or First Baptist’s ExploreFirst.org Why have a dedicated site just for guests at your church? 1) Make a Bigger Front Porch: Eighty-seven percent of your guests will click-thru before they walk-thru. Having a site dedicated to guests enables…

  • Death before Multiplication

    Will Mancini
    6 Apr 2012 | 2:17 pm
    Seeds come from living plants. But before they bring more life, they must die. Good Friday reminds us of a life-death-more life pattern. The death of Jesus would bring a dramatic multiplication of the body of Christ on earth. Seeds would be scattered to the four corners of the globe as “dead-to-self” disciples lay down their life in Gospel service. I am thinking about the death that must come before multiplication in a different way this week. As I enter a new chapter of multiplying my work as a Vision Pathway Navigator with Auxano, I meet the end of my own gifts. For one…

  • The Five Strategies to Reach Young People at Church

    Will Mancini
    27 Mar 2012 | 3:50 pm
    I can’t tell you how many conversations I see about reaching the next generation: “Our average age is getting older…” “Our neighborhood is changing…” “Our kids don’t come to church anymore…” “Did you see those stats on millennials…” In an effort to help church’s think through their strategy, I have developed “the five.” Please excuse any notion that I have figured out “the” strategies. Rather, I am trying to provide a water-tight approach that logically covers all of the possible…
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    Donald Miller's Blog

  • The Blog is on Pause for Storyline!

    Don
    27 Apr 2012 | 10:40 am
    If you live in or near Nashville or want to take a trip this weekend and join us at the Storyline Conference. A Storyline is a 65-page workbook containing three exercises and six modules that, once completed, will give you a full life plan. And add to that, the process is fun. At Storyline our mission is to help people tell better stories with their lives. Our life-plan isn’t based on achieving the American dream but rather having a sense of fulfillment at the end of our lives when the credits roll. At Storyline you’ll clarify your ambitions, prioritize your relationships and…

  • What if Your Life Could be More Engaging Than Television?

    Don
    24 Apr 2012 | 1:08 am
    Ask yourself before your next major decision “If I were a character in a story, what decision would make the story more interesting?” You’ll be surprised at how differently you feel about the decision. You’ll weigh safety over excitement, risk over comfort. You’ll likely decide to love people more, quit your job, bring home roses, leap off the cliff into the water and so on. Great characters in exciting stories don’t sit around on the couch playing it safe. They get up, move, try, fail and risk it all again. Living a great story costs something. People who…

  • Stop Critiquing and Start Creating, How to Defy and Destroy our Barriers to Change

    Don
    23 Apr 2012 | 11:24 am
    Today’s guest post is by Justin Zoradi, who runs an nonprofit called These Numbers Have Faces. Justin has guest posted before and I hope we hear more from him in the future. Today’s guest post is about creativity, but to me it’s also about maturity. Justin elaborates on some of the thoughts in Andy Crouch’s book Culture Making. In an age where too many books aren’t new material, but critiques of whatever else is out there, Justin argues we need to mature from consumers to critics to creators. Great thoughts: A good friend told me there are three types of people…

  • Storyline Special Guests!

    Don
    18 Apr 2012 | 3:06 am
    This year we have an amazing line up of special guests. We are still doing our flagship conference in the trendy Pearl District of Portland (early registration ends TOMORROW) and the following week we will be in Nashville, TN. About three weeks later, we will be in beautiful Santa Barbara and at each conference we have some inspiring people stopping by. This year’s conference is all new, too. We’ve created a 55 page workbook including nine modules that, once complete, will give you a life plan based on the elements of story. Essentially, you’ll be plotting your life the way…

  • The Devastating Power of Lies in a Relationship

    Don
    5 Apr 2012 | 3:26 am
    I’ve only had two friends (that I know about) who’ve looked me in the eye and told me lies. Both of them were trying to cover up mistakes. I certainly had grace for their mistakes, but I’ve wondered looking back if I didn’t have grace for their lies. Neither of these two friends are in contact anymore. We don’t talk. Being in a relationship with somebody who lies is tough. It’s not that you don’t love them or care about them, it’s just that you can’t connect. Without trust, there’s no relationship. Henry Cloud and John Townsend say that people lie for one of two reasons.
 
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    The Christian Gift

  • You Can’t Go Home Again

    TheChristianGift
    16 May 2012 | 3:18 am
    If you’re familiar with the Thomas Wolfe book of the same name, you’ll recall what the protagonist, George Webber, had to say on the subject: “You can’t go back home to your family, back home to your childhood…” In many ways, home for me is only a distant memory. The house I grew up in (and which my dad remained in for years thereafter) is someone else’s now. Both my folks have passed away. My job took me away from Illinois nearly 20 years ago. Without the nucleus of our parents, and since two of the five of us kids relocated out of state,…

  • National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

    TheChristianGift
    15 May 2012 | 4:03 am
    It’s fun to peruse lists of obscure “holidays” to see what wacky things are included. Take today, for example. Who knew that May 15th is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day? All I can say is……….yum! They’re up there at the top of the list of my favorite cookies. Here’s my tried and true recipe: 1 cup shortening 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 cups unsifted flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup chopped nuts 1 package (12 oz) chocolate chips Beat shortening, eggs, sugars and vanilla…

  • A Thousand Voices

    TheChristianGift
    14 May 2012 | 9:59 am
    Oh, that I had a thousand voices To praise my God with thousand tongues! My heart, which in the Lord rejoices, Would then proclaim in grateful songs To all, wherever I might be, What great things God has done for me. ~Johann Mentzer

  • Mother’s Day

    TheChristianGift
    13 May 2012 | 3:09 am
    Though my mom died nearly 20 years ago, she remains a vibrant part of my daily life. There was a strong bond between us; I told her on her deathbed we’d always be together, and that’s been the case as I carry her with me in my heart. Our relationship continues as I remember things she taught me…advice she gave me. I can still hear her voice and feel her love. As young adults, women often joke about realizing they’re beginning to turn into their mothers (me included).  In seriousness, though, I’m proud to share characteristics with her. What I wouldn’t give…

  • Shout With Joy!

    TheChristianGift
    11 May 2012 | 3:06 am
    So often, when I’m in the field on a shoot, I’ll see something that gives me pause and makes me want to “Shout with joy to the Lord!” What a beautiful world we live in! The morning I made this image, I was up at 4am to do some work at daybreak. Immediately thereafter, I hurried to this spot where I’d seen wildflowers the day before. What a treat to find early morning dew clinging to the blades of grass as I captured the flowers in bloom…so beautiful. Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Indeed.
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    Anchor Your Life » Blog

  • God’s Faithfulness

    Marji "Mike" Kruger
    24 Apr 2012 | 1:21 am
    For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. (NIV) Psalms 100:5 When everything around me is shifting and changing. . .when people’s actions and character seem to be changing . . . when it seems that no one’s word is good. . . when those I could always depend upon let me down. . . there is one unchanging fact – I am assured that God does not change. His love for me never changes. . . His nature is unchanging throughout eternity. Therefore, I can depend on Him and not be disappointed. God’s Word never changes.

  • Don’t Miss the Power

    Marji "Mike" Kruger
    23 Apr 2012 | 1:43 am
    “Show Your strength, God, so no one will miss it!” (from the Message) Psalm 21:13 O Lord that is my prayer. Show Your strength, so no one will miss it. . .so that You and You alone will get the glory. . . so that others will see You and put their faith in You! For You are mighty, You are powerful, You are the One who parted the Red Sea, and the Jordan River. You are the One who used David to defeat Goliath. . . You used Gideon to defeat the Midianites. . . You are the One who wiped out an entire army of Assyrians without one Israelite laying a hand on them. You are the powerful…

  • Who Do You See?

    Marji "Mike" Kruger
    20 Apr 2012 | 2:26 am
    “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ (Matthew 25:34-36) “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you…

  • Living with Purpose

    Marji "Mike" Kruger
    14 Apr 2012 | 1:43 am
    God was very specific with John the Baptist’s purpose in life, it was to prepare the people for Christ’s arrival. And John was commended for his service when Jesus said, “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist. . . “  (Matthew 11:11). But, John the Baptist wasn’t the only one who had a specific life purpose, so do you! God created you for a unique purpose to fulfill in His Kingdom. Before you were born God planned the good works that you would do (Ephesians 2:10). He has given you a unique…

  • What’s Your Reaction to the Works of God?

    Marji "Mike" Kruger
    13 Apr 2012 | 2:03 am
    And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, (NAS) Luke 1:46 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. (NIV) Luke 1:68 Look at how Mary and Zechariah reacted to God’s work in their lives, they immediately praised God. You may think that was the natural thing to do, but take a closer look. Mary knew she would be ridiculed for being pregnant and unmarried. . . she faced the reality that her fiance, Joseph, could break their engagement. . . and she understood that the penalty if she was found guilty of adultery was death. And yet in…
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    Life Coaching for Christian Women :: Kim Avery » Blog

  • Change is easy. Change is Hard. Part 2

    Kim Avery
    1 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    In Part I of Change is Easy. Change is Hard. you were introduced to the Four Phases of Learning model which helps explain why change so difficult. Moving from unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence, or using our metaphor, going from not even knowing that Europeans drive differently than we do to learning how to drive on the left-hand side of the road without conscious thought, takes longer and is more uncomfortable than one would wish. The Emotional You Let’s zoom in to see what exactly is going on in our brains as we move through these phases of change. To begin, let me…

  • A Sacred Stain

    Kim Avery
    6 Apr 2012 | 4:25 am
    by Kim Avery A favorite author of mine, Brennan Manning, has the incredible gift of describing Jesus in raw, unexpected, and totally heart captivating ways. On this Good Friday of Holy Week, I would like to share with you, in Brennan’s own words, his experience of the incomparable Christ. “In the winter of 1968, I lived in a cave in the mountains of the Zaragosta Desert in Spain. For seven months I saw no one, never heard the sound of a human voice…” “On the night of December 13th, during what began as a long and lonely hour of prayer, I heard in faith Jesus Christ say, “For…

  • Change is Easy. Change is Hard. Part I

    Kim Avery
    3 Apr 2012 | 5:00 am
    Let’s start with the bad news. Change is hard. Whether it’s change you have initiated yourself or a change that has been thrust upon you, it’s still hard. Perhaps you, like so many others, have set various New Year’s resolutions over the years that have never made it past January 15th.  You picked an area of your life where you wanted to see real change, prepared yourself and your environment, enlisted your friend’s help and enthusiastically jumped into your new routine. But somewhere between January 1st and January 16th something happened. You got distracted by other things,…

  • Live Out Your Strengths

    Kim Avery
    5 Mar 2012 | 4:00 am
    How many times have you thrown up your hands in frustration saying, “I can’t do it!  I just can’t do it all! You’re right. You can’t do it all!  You weren’t meant to. Romans 12:6 says that, In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well (NLT). Play to Your Strengths Over a decade ago, Gallup unveiled the results of a landmark 30-year research project that has since ignited a global conversation on the topic of strengths. The first discovery they made was that every person has been born with a cluster of signature strengths that endure over time and…

  • Envision the Future

    Kim Avery
    14 Feb 2012 | 1:26 pm
    How would you like to improve your life without moving a muscle? It sounds like the latest productivity scam, but it’s true. You can dramatically reduce your anxiety, increase your performance and blaze a path to success all while sitting in your favorite LazyBoy Recliner. How? The same way that Olympic athletes, race car drivers, jet pilots, and parachutists do – envisioning the future. Visioning God’s Way Proverbs 29:18 says, Where there is no vision, the people perish. And it just makes sense. Andy Stanley put it this way: “A clear vision, along with the courage to follow through,…
 
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    Steve Fogg: Clear & Simple

  • 8 Takeaways From 2012 Christian Media Australia Conference (& Notes)

    stevefogg
    11 May 2012 | 2:04 am
    I’ve spent the later part of this week at the 2012 Christian Media Australia Conference. It’s been a really great time meeting people and learning from others in other areas of the creative and communication arts. I also got an opportunity to speak about finding your brand voice which was pretty cool. Here are some my top takeaways for me from the conference: 1. “Bad culture devours good strategy.” Tim McDermott 2. “Speak where people are listening. Often the church is speaking where people are ceasing to listen.” Paul Nevison, Hillsong Church 3.

  • How To Find Your Brand Voice

    stevefogg
    9 May 2012 | 2:18 am
    We all have a brand voice. I have a one. You have a brand voice too. Yes you do. Really. Whether you believe it or not we are all known for something by those around us. With yourself personally, it will be what your friends, family and work-mates think of you. For churches and non-profit organisations it’s what the general public and those connected into the cause think of them. I remember in the movie ‘The Kings Speech” Colin Firth struggled to coherently communicate because of a speech impediment and become very frustrated at his inability to communicate the way his wanted to. Like…

  • 3 May 2012 | 11:50 pm

    stevefogg
    3 May 2012 | 11:50 pm
    “Content may be King, but platform is Queen.” You just finished reading ! Consider leaving a comment!Have you subscribed via RSS yet? You can also get posts via email in your box.

  • 3 Reasons Why Your Church Should Have A Mobile Website (& 11 Eye-Popping Examples)

    stevefogg
    3 May 2012 | 9:34 pm
    I’m currently doing research for updating the Crossway church website for both desktop and mobile (It feels like ages since I last wrote about mobile phones and their stunning rise in popularity.) #1 Mobile will become No.1 for internet access The stats are predicting that mobile internet usage is due to overtake desktop usage in 2014. Smart phones are breeding like rabbits . #2 Mobile is for outsiders. App’s are for insiders When was the last time you visited a shop or department store online? I bet that you experienced either their desktop internet or their mobile site. I…

  • What Would You Do With The Next 48 Hours If It Were Your Last?

    stevefogg
    3 May 2012 | 8:41 pm
    This isn’t a post about how to manage your time effectively in a super corporate warrior kind of way. It isn’t about being the über project manager and delivering that last-minute project on time despite the ridiculous deadline. Here is what this post is about, I was told this morning that someone I know has 48 hours to live. That’s two more sun rises and sunsets. One last weekend. This news has weighed heavily on my heart. I’m not sure why because the person isn’t particularly close to me. But for some reason being told the news has reminded me about how…
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    W2W Soul

  • How to Make the Right Decisions

    Kaleb
    14 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    God gave us all free will and as a result of that gift, none of us will ever escape making a decision. There are those that may choose to avoid making a decision but in so doing they are still making a decision and the resulting consequences will affect them i... Read more..

  • Who is the Holy Spirit?

    Kaleb
    7 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    Of the three Persons of the Godhead (God, the Father, God, the Son and God, the Spirit), the identity of the Holy Spirit is the most difficult to understand.  Is it a Who or a What? Is He a mystical force? Do we pray to Him? What is His purpose? How does the Bible define the Holy Spirit... Read more..

  • Fruit of the Spirit Challenge – JOY

    Kaleb
    30 Apr 2012 | 6:00 am
    Are you happy or are you joyful? I’ve always viewed happiness as a fleeting state of pleasure based on one’s current circumstances and other “happenings”.   Joy, which stems from the word “rejoice”, is a state of gladness that... Read more..

  • How to Avoid Sin?

    Kaleb
    23 Apr 2012 | 6:00 am
    As we live and breathe, we’re tempted. Temptation is unavoidable especially in a material world where images and words bombard us and incite us to sin.  At one time or another, we all fall short and we all sin, however, there are some measures we can implement to avo... Read more..

  • Me and My Big Mouth

    Kaleb
    18 Apr 2012 | 6:00 am
    Before I realized what I had said, it was already out there. Too late to recover; too late to take back. Regret ensued as I realized that my words, which were possibly truthful but still careless, could possibly get back to the person it was said about and pote... Read more..
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    DashHouse.com

  • Review: It's Personal

    dsd@DashHouse.com (Darryl Dash)
    15 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    I spoke to someone recently who first pastored an established church, and then became a planter. The level of spiritual attack intensified greatly when he became a church planter. It's hard to explain this, but he doesn't seem to be the only one. There are risks inherent in starting a church, and you'd better be prepared for what's coming if you go down that road. It's Personal: Surviving and Thriving on the Journey of Church Planting is about surviving and thriving in the midst of planting a church. The authors, Brian and Amy Bloye, sound a warning: "Church planting will expose every…

  • Having a Family or Sucking Us Dry?

    dsd@DashHouse.com (Darryl Dash)
    14 May 2012 | 4:01 am
    This is a friendly response to Paul Levy's article at Reformation21. You may want to read it first. We are in the full flush of married couples becoming parents here in the UK. It's a great thing that so many babies are being born in the last 10 years and over that we rejoice. There's no doubt that it's something of a fad and at the moment it's the trendy thing to do but that doesn't mean it's not the right thing to do. I expect in 5 years time there will be something else that is popular. My question, having met a children in the last few weeks, is, when a baby is being born, is that code…

  • Saturday Links

    dsd@DashHouse.com (Darryl Dash)
    12 May 2012 | 7:43 am
    Why Seth Godin Might Be More Pastoral Than You There are two kinds of pastors in the world: those who are good at following up, and those who aren’t. Which one are you? Before you claim to be at the “good” level, let me set the standard. Gospel Diagnostic Questions Preaching the gospel to ourselves and to others is an art all of us must grow in if we seek real, lasting change in our lives… Here are twenty gospel questions to ask ourselves. What Sermon Prep Really Looks Like Monday – I’m so glad it’s my day off. Yesterday’s sermon was terrible. Maybe this week will be better……

  • Don't Over-Complicated It: An Interview with Adam Sinnett

    dsd@DashHouse.com (Darryl Dash)
    9 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    When I began the process of planting a church, I looked for planters who could offer me good counsel. One such planter is Adam Sinnett, pastor of Downtown Cornerstone Church in Seattle. I've appreciated Adam's insights and I've enjoyed hearing about the growth of that church, which just celebrated its first birthday in April. Today it's my privilege to interview Adam about his life and ministry, and the advice that he'd offer to church planters. How did you end up as a church planter? I met Jesus at the University of Washington and felt a call to urban ministry leadership early on. I first…

  • Freedom to Fail

    dsd@DashHouse.com (Darryl Dash)
    8 May 2012 | 5:51 am
    I've often been struck by a section of one of George Whitefield's sermons: I can say that I cannot pray without sin — I cannot preach without sin — I can do nothing without sin; and as one expresses it: my repentance needs to be repented of, and my very tears to be washed in the precious blood of my dear Redeemer. Our best duties are as so many splendid sins. Church planting is like that. I want to say that I'm driven by the desire to establish a work that will bring God glory and to spread his fame, and this would be true. But if I'm honest, I'm also driven by a desire not to fail at…
 
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    Pinnacle Balance

  • We Have To Be Intentional About Building Community

    Steve Crenshaw
    10 May 2012 | 12:32 pm
    Actions speak louder than words. You can say, I’ll pray for you, but until you do it it’s not worth anything. You can say I really want to get to know him or her, but until you intentionally step out and introduce yourself to them, it doesn’t mean anything. Think for a minute about who you need to get to know better. Who do you need to take out for lunch, or have over for dinner? Who do you want to get to know better. Look around your office, church, or organization and find the people you need to bring closer to your life.  If you want to get to know people better now is…

  • We Need To Help Others Grow Spiritually

    Steve Crenshaw
    9 May 2012 | 11:22 am
    Romans 15:14-15a says, My friends, I am sure that you are very good and that you have all the knowledge you need to teach each other.But I have spoken to you plainly and have tried to remind you of some things. One of my favorite things to do is one-on-one discipleship. I love the aha moments and the tough talks. I love doing it because it is not only helping someone else, it helps me grow. Spiritual maturity doesn’t come from sitting and listening to the pastor on Sunday morning, spiritual maturity comes from trying and failing then trying again. It’s not what we know that makes…

  • Take Time To Encourage Others

    Steve Crenshaw
    8 May 2012 | 3:15 pm
    We all bring baggage, but we also bring gifts. Paul says this in Chapter 12 3 I realize God has treated me with undeserved grace, and so I tell each of you not to think you are better than you really are. Use good sense and measure yourself by the amount of faith that God has given you. 4 A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. 5 That’s how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another. 6 God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the…

  • There Will Always Be People You Disagree With

    Steve Crenshaw
    4 May 2012 | 6:40 am
    That is just a fact. Any time you are in a group of people you will have a disagreement from time to time. The difference comes in how you handle the disagreement. I have learned over 17 years of marriage that you only need a community of 2 to have someone I the community you disagree with. (Romans 15:5-7) 5 May the patience and encouragement that come from God allow you to live in harmony with each other the way Christ Jesus wants. 6 Then you will all be joined together, and you will give glory to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Christ accepted you, so you should accept each…

  • Develop Your Own Life Program

    Steve Crenshaw
    3 May 2012 | 6:31 am
    How many personal growth, leadership, or self help books have you read over the last five years?  If you are like most people I would hazard a guess of 10 at least, and 50 or more at most.  My question is, what have they done for you?  Most of us have been changed by what we have read, but have we developed a way to live according to what we believe?  My challenge today is to get you to think about what you have learned, and begin to put on paper your own philosophy of life.  Think about what you would teach someone and get that on paper.  Not necessarily for sale, but for you to…
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    The Discipleship Diary

  • God's Grace in the Old Testament-Part 2

    Melini Moodley
    5 May 2012 | 12:16 pm
    God’s grace is revealed in Gen 12 when God chose Abram and made him a promise that through him, all the families of the earth would be blessed. Abram did not choose God, neither was he immediately the man of faith that Hebrews 11 refers to. It was a gradual transformation as Abram learned to trust in God’s grace. In Gen 12, God instructed Abram to leave  his country, kindred and father’s house and journey to a land which God Himself would show him. Abram obeyed God, but not totally. Instead of leaving everything he knew behind, he took his nephew Lot with him (Gen 12:1-4).Many…

  • God's Grace in the Old Testament-Part 1

    Melini Moodley
    29 Apr 2012 | 6:40 am
    Most people are comfortable with the notion of grace in the New Testament, but find it difficult to reconcile to the God of the Old Testament. Most, when reading the Old Testament, see a God of judgement and wrath whereas the New Testament reveals through Christ, a God of mercy and Truth. As much as we cannot in our finite minds hope to understand God, the Bible assures us that He never changes (Heb 13:8). That means His character is constant. He has always been a God of grace! God does not have a split personality. Genesis is the book of beginnings, foundational to our belief and doctrines,…

  • Creation Epic

    Melini Moodley
    25 Mar 2012 | 6:26 am
    The worlds were framed by the Word of the LordAnd the earth embraced by His Spirit of Love;He spoke and boundless light poured forth…The mantle of darkness was peeled away, Revealing the marvelous miracle of the very first day;His powerful Word like a sword did splitThe highest heights of the firmamentFrom the broiling depths of the ocean deep,Which seemed to have no end…He sent forth the heavenly decreeWhich established the border of the seasBringing forth the dry land,Soon to be the home of man…With tender love did His voice forthThe pleasant herb of the field,The abundant bounty of…

  • A Prayer for Revival and Reformation

    Melini Moodley
    11 Feb 2012 | 6:44 am
    Great and honourable Father, we come to You through the precious Name of Jesus. You established us as Your Church, to do Your Will on the earth and to make disciples of all men. Attached to this mission, You granted us the power of Your Spirit, that we may prevail against the gates of hell. We come to You today asking for Your mercy and forgiveness.We have each gone our way and neglected Your Great Commission. You told us to be in the world, yet not of it; we have made ourselves comfortable here. Trading in the wares of the world, we have made enlargening our barns for survival our primary…

  • The Deadly Sin of Self-righteousness Part 2

    Melini Moodley
    27 Jan 2012 | 5:59 pm
    “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart,  I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the  north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” –Is 14:12-14It was a deadly mix of pride, hypocrisy and self-righteousness that, in the beginning, caused the created to revolt against his Creator. Lucifer, the most beautiful of…
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    Ministry-To-Children.com

  • Kindness Bible Lesson (Fruit of the Spirit)

    Kara Jenkins
    11 May 2012 | 9:18 am
    This is the fifth Bible lesson in our series based on the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. Each particular lesson plan explains a specific character quality that God creates in us through his Spirit. These lessons are designed to accompany the printable Fruit of the Spirit coloring book from our website. Be sure to scroll down to see the Kindness Necklace craft directions. Kindness Coloring Pages Suggested Age Group: 1rst-3rd Grades Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23, Proverbs 3:3, Micah 6:8Ephesians 4:32, Titus 3:3-5a Exegetical Idea: Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit, available to all…

  • When Children Leave Your Ministry

    Mimi Bullock
    11 May 2012 | 7:35 am
    Children love freely with complete abandon and without thought for tomorrow – so do many children’s ministers. How can you avoid caring for the ones God cares for? Watching children grow in God, seeing the light come on during a lesson; these things make us love our kids even more. I know how it feels; pouring your heart into a young life, helping him become the giant God intended him to be, just to see him leave. When children leave your ministry, you’ll feel angry, sad and even discouraged, especially if the child leaves unexpectedly. Don’t be hard on yourself for these feelings.

  • The Bible Bee Program for Families

    Guest Writer
    10 May 2012 | 9:08 am
    **This guest post was written by Heather Easterday How much time do you as get to spend with the kids of your church each week?  One hour?  Two hours?  Maybe three hours?  It’s overwhelming as a ministry leader when parents count on you to be the one discipling their children.  You need parents leading discipleship at home. Sure, it can feel intimidating to think about providing Biblical learning at home.  Parents feel unqualified, too busy, or that the kids won’t listen.  But, they miss the greatest gift as parents if they don’t disciple their kids.  The Bible Bee…

  • Free Preteen Bible Lesson on Revenge

    Guest Writer
    10 May 2012 | 8:25 am
    **This is a guest post from Nick Diliberto from PreteenMinistry.net Topic: Revenge Movie: Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked Bible Passage: David spares Saul’s Life: 1 Kings 24 Activity: When? Where? Why? & How? Respond: Leave a comment below with your feedback on this lesson. Divide preteens into small groups. Give each group a large sheet of butcher paper with the word “REVENGE” written on it. Ask each group to write a definition for “REVENGE” on their butcher paper. Next, ask preteens to brainstorm scenarios when they would likely be tempted to seek revenge.

  • “P is for Prayer” Coloring Page

    Mandy Groce
    10 May 2012 | 7:26 am
    Click above to download Our readers chose the theme “prayer” for the letter P in our Bible alphabet coloring series. Simply click on the preview image to the right to download the PDF version of this printable. We’ve also uploaded a higher resolution PNG image for advanced users to edit. If you enjoy this artwork, be sure to leave a comment to thank Mandy for her work. You can also browse more Bible coloring sheets or get the other letters in this series. If you’re teaching on the topic of prayer, we have several lesson plans and other ideas to help your ministry. Try…
 
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    Reflect

  • Contraction Surgery

    Jann Cobb
    14 May 2012 | 3:30 am
     "Expand, Contract, Expand, Contract" We say as we show the students in the 2nd grade classroom how to conduct contraction surgery. Next we place our surgical masks on and squeeze our hands into the plastic gloves.  I of course have put my thumb into the pinkie portion! :)  Using the supplies of scissors, bandages, word sheets and markers we demonstrate how to create a contraction. The surgery is to remove the letters that are not a part of the contraction and then to use a bandage to represent the apostrophe. Once we completed the demonstration, the students began to conduct…

  • Workout Accountability

    Jann Cobb
    12 May 2012 | 1:39 pm
    "5 more minutes!" I grumble as I hit the snooze button. Right then, the self talk begins.  The playlist includes:You worked out yesterday.An hour more of sleep will be good for you.It's too early!You can go tomorrow.Not going, love my pillow too much!Fortunately for me, my husband knows this self talk game that I play so well. On go the bedroom lights, workout clothes are thrown on the bed, and my husband gets fully dressed expecting me to join him. Then he leaves the room to give me time to respond to his sly accountability.  It works! Groggily I get dressed, stumble into the hall,…

  • Paleo Chicken Guacamole wrap

    Jann Cobb
    9 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    I have been looking for a recipe to make a tortilla that can be used as both a wrap and a tortilla that won't fall apart, won't taste like a wanna- be and well, be delicious!  I think I found one!  I was visiting the spunky coconut and I found the recipe!  The first time I tried to make it without the wax paper and it did NOT work. This time I followed the recipe exactly and well, let's just say I ate the whole thing!Chicken Guacamole WrapShredded chickenAvocado (guacamole)SalsaBell peppersCabbageTortilla wrapSpinachSimply layer the ingredients into the wrap, roll it up,…

  • Follow the leader

    Jann Cobb
    7 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    Directions to the wedding reception were handed out and we were excited to get the party started. I drove and handed off the directions to the very capable hands of my navigator. I was confident that we would arrive at our destination promptly.Get on the highway Take this exitTurn right Turn Left.We followed the directions exactly until we noticed that there was a caravan of cars that were also going to the wedding. Without thinking or saying anything, we simply stopped reading the directions and began to just follow the other cars in front of us. As the cars turned left into a…

  • Who is Jesus?

    Jann Cobb
    5 May 2012 | 7:18 am
    Who is Jesus to you?I was 10 years old when I first began thinking about who Jesus was. Next to our apartment complex was a Catholic church. Often I would walk over to the church, open the doors and find a quiet spot to sit. The strangely comforting aroma of that holy place still fills my senses. Quietly resting in that space I chatted with God. In those moments, Jesus was my confidant.The summer of my freshman year, Dan Webster gave a message to hundreds of high school students. His message was simple and to the point. Jesus has come to save us and to give us the gift of coming into the…
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    Eden Life Magazine » Spirit & Life

  • Godliness is Profitable

    Moyo Mamora
    14 May 2012 | 12:40 am
    1 Timothy 4:8, NLT “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” Godliness simply means to live like God. It is holy living, God commands that we be holy just as He is (1 Pet.1:16) and in another place He warns that without holiness, no man can see God (Heb.12:14). We know according to 1 Timothy 4:8, that just like the body requires physical training, which has its benefits, godliness is a form of spiritual exercise. Exercise requires nutrition, resistance, and rest of our muscles in order for them…

  • Gifts as Religious Inspiration

    admin
    8 May 2012 | 2:07 am
    Religious Inspiration For centuries people have searched for ways of expressing their faith through the arts and tapestry is one method of providing a vehicle for their religious inspiration. The passion for art, entwined with the spirituality of religion has ensured these works have retained their popularity from the middle ages to the present day. The giving of gifts is the act of transferring something, with the gift-giver asking nothing in return for the gesture. The act does not require compensation from the receiver, it does not ask for anything in return, and while there may be a…

  • Stand Uncondemned

    Moyo Mamora
    25 Apr 2012 | 4:33 pm
    Romans 8:1 “ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” 2 Corinthians 5:21 “ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” The New Birth is the greatest miracle that mankind has ever known. It is God taken a wretched, wicked and sinful man and turning him into the likeness of Himself. Such a person is then able to stand in the presence of God as if he/she has done no wrong, to be called a child of God, and to call Jesus brother. The core of the person’s being is changed to that of a new…

  • Jealousy

    Mia Harris
    12 Apr 2012 | 12:06 am
    If Pride and Fear had babies, one of them would be named Jealousy. Jealousy clothes itself in Designer Anger. It bathes in the most expensive Bitterness that emotions can buy. It disguises itself with false humility. Its true intentions are like fragrance that one puts on everyday- can’t smell it, but others sure can. Jealousy takes root in the heart and then consumes it in the same way that ivy consumes the frame of a house. It is known to wear out its welcome, and eviction by force is the only way to get rid of it. I know this seems like a clever little depiction of jealousy, but this is…

  • Grace exceeds your weakness

    Moyo Mamora
    24 Feb 2012 | 11:15 am
    Romans 5:20, NIV “The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more” I went shopping at Costco, and they never give shopping bags to pack whatever is purchased at the store. So it is the shopper’s responsibility to bring his/her own shopping bag. Typically they have scrap boxes in the store that were formerly used to pack the products that were stocked. So it is a usual practice for shoppers to pick from these boxes to help with carrying the different things purchased which I did. After my shopping, I had a huge pile of…
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    Lawrence W. Wilson : Suburban Pastor

  • What Success in Ministry Looks Like

    Lawrence W. Wilson
    14 May 2012 | 2:50 am
    There are two ways to measure success in ministry—or anything, for that matter. The first is how others respond to you. The second is how you respond to others. Photo courtesy of John Saddington For years I relied on the first paradigm, thinking it was the only way to judge my impact. If people complimented my preaching, followed my leadership, or even accepted Christ at my invitation, I figured it was evidence that I was doing something right. Without realizing it I'd begun to measure my own worth by the approval of other people. When their energy flowed in my direction, I felt…

  • Domesticated Christians

    Lawrence W. Wilson
    17 Apr 2012 | 8:38 am
    Read the Bible and you’ll see that people who follow God with their whole heart live passionate, adventurous, satisfying lives. They lead armies and perform miracles and confront great evils. They don’t sit on their hands and organize tea parties—they change the world. As a pastor, I look at our lives and I wonder—why aren’t we more like that? Why is it that wherever the apostle Paul went, a riot broke out, but wherever we go they serve coffee? It seems that we have domesticated the Christian faith. We’ve made it a tame, acceptable, culturally relevant lifestyle choice. Following…

  • How to Experience God's Presence

    Lawrence W. Wilson
    2 Apr 2012 | 7:13 am
    Many people believe in God but have difficulty feeling close to him on a daily basis. They don't doubt God's existence. It's his presence that seems to elude them. Frankly, that was often my experience, especially as a younger Christian. I wondered why some people seemed to have such a tight relationship with God while he felt a bit distant to me. I never felt that God was "talking" to me, and I more or less played along when others talked about their daily conversations with God. This is not a new problem. Brother Lawrence, a 17th century Carmelite monk, had such a vibrant personal…

  • How to Read Scripture Aloud

    Lawrence W. Wilson
    26 Mar 2012 | 12:45 am
    Most Christians never read the Bible outside of church. So when you have an opportunity to read Scripture aloud during a worship service, you are providing all the Scripture most people will hear that week. That makes Scripture reading a critically important part of any worship experience. Too often we think of the public reading of Scripture as a perfunctory part of the service or as a fill-in between the offering and the sermon. That's tragic, because Scripture reading has always been a cornerstone of worship among Christians, and it is always an opportunity for God to speak.

  • Big Story Part 1: Fresh

    Lawrence W. Wilson
    5 Mar 2012 | 8:33 pm
    First, God Made the World Where did the world come from? Everybody seems to have a theory. Some people believe that matter always existed and found its way into its present form by a random series of events. Even life itself is the product of chance. The Bible tells a different story. Fresh Before there was anything else in the world—before there was a world—there was God. People often say that God is kind or fair or great or large or powerful, and he is all of those things. But the main thing about God is that he loves. He cares about others. As a triune being—three persons…
 
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    Frank King's Blog

  • The Power of Faithful Motherhood

    Frank King
    13 May 2012 | 9:52 pm
    Since I am writing this post on Mother’s Day, albeit kind of late in the evening, I think it’s befitting that I devote it to the mothers out there. It amazes me that God through His wisdom made women capable of conceiving and sustaining life in their womb. And I believe that during those nine months or so that a special bond develops between a mother and her child.In the Old Testament, we find a biblical account of a woman by the name of Hannah who was born barren. In those days, it was a reproach for a woman to be incapable of bearing children. Anyway, this woman prayed to God about her…

  • Ask Not, Have Not

    Frank King
    12 May 2012 | 12:56 am
    Since God knows what our needs are, He wants to provide for His children, and He has the resources to do so, why must we pray to Him about what we need? Why doesn’t He just do what He knows we need Him to do for us?That’s an interesting line of questioning that sometimes makes its way into the conversations of people of faith.  But you know, sometimes logic has no place in our dealings with God. And this is one of those times. For the Bible says, “Ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:2).The message in this verse is that even though God loves us, and though being omniscient…

  • How to Start Your Day with God

    Frank King
    6 May 2012 | 8:41 pm
    For most of us, this is one crazy world. So many things vie for our limited time in each day. But let’s face it; as for many of the daily activities we feel we just have to get done, the world won’t stop turning if we don’t get them done. The key to surviving and striving in this chaotic society is to make sure that we know what matters most, and to place them as priorities for our day.If you are a Christian, I submit that the most important thing for you to do each day is to start your day with God. In chapter 10 of the Book of Luke, the Bible talks about a time when Jesus visited…

  • Study: Mormonism among the Fastest Growing Religious Groups in America

    Frank King
    4 May 2012 | 12:13 pm
    According to The 2012 Religious Congregations and Membership Study released last Tuesday, Mormonism is now the fastest growing religion in 26 states in America. The second fastest growing religious group, according to the study, is Muslims.The study was conducted by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. According to the report, the Mormon Church, also known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, reported having new congregations in 295 counties in America where they didn’t exist a decade ago.  And of course, with Mitt Romney who is a Mormon all but…

  • Study Suggests Analytical Thinking Hazardous to Your Faith in God

    Frank King
    30 Apr 2012 | 7:33 am
    (Article first published as Study Suggests Analytical Thinking Hazardous to Your Faith in God on Technorati)The results of a study published a few days ago in the journal Science suggest that people who think analytically tend to have less religious faith than those who don’t think that way.  Based on the study, faith in God is more of an intellectual process than we first thought. So are we to regard analytical thinking as a liability to our efforts to have strong faith in God?As part of the study, students were subjected to several exercises during which one group engaged its…
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    weir online

  • Scars

    theWeir
    3 May 2012 | 8:30 am
    Scars are a funny thingI was looking at my hands the other day and noticed that not only are they showing their use with plenty of lines and creaseMaybe I need to moisturise. Which always makes me think of this scene from Ocean's Eleven: Or maybe not. There are marks on my hands from incidents I can remember as far back as 1988. Which isn't that far, but given I was 9 years old, that's not too bad. Nope, scars are okay. They remind us of the life we've lived. Of what we've been carried through, or just survived. And if they're really impressive, they might earn a little kudos. But that's less…

  • There's nothing new under the sun

    theWeir
    28 Apr 2012 | 4:30 am
    This all came to mind as a few different things converged.  Last week, Jimmy Adam passed away. He was an Edinburgh taxi driver, a collector of *things* and the first person I can (currently) recall being a bit of a technology geek. Certainly the first person I can remember having knowledge of how PA systems worked. He was unashamedly himself, full of life and most of all, I always remember him making time for me if I was around their house or at their church. I wasn't able to attend the funeral, but my Dad said it was quite something - full of life, and amusingly, the traffic jam outside…

  • get started (again)

    theWeir
    25 Jan 2012 | 4:08 am
    Like many children, I was able to tell things apart from a young age. In particular, I could tell you a car's make and model from fairly small details (like light clusters, panel shapes, window shapes). While my focus is now much less on the world of production car design, somethings never change. The other day I saw a car with a 2005 registration plate, but the car shape/detailing was from the 2000-2003 version. Or thereabouts. So that made me thing that the car was likely to have been re-plated, re-built or at worst a cut and shunt. What does that have to do with starting again? Well,…

  • Three words for 2012

    theWeir
    7 Jan 2012 | 11:26 am
    Last year, I wrote three words to set the course for the year. And promptly forgot about them. Alive | Growth | Proactive This year, I wasn't really thinking about three words as I was struggling to have the mental space or energy to think about it. Then a funny thing happened. I was thinking about a focus for writing about this year - after last year's eight-thirty project, and the themes of faith, hope and love were really sticking with me. I mentioned this yesterday.  So those three words are going to be my three words for 2012. To grow in each area. To live in the light of them.

  • 300 not out - and four to go

    theWeir
    6 Jan 2012 | 9:34 am
    It's 2012. But you knew that already. Or maybe it's not and you are reading this from the future. Welcome back. Welcome, in fact, wherever you are on the space-time continuum. As I mentioned yesterday, I'm soon about to reach the end of my 365 project over on blipfoto.com/eightthirty. The idea behind the project was to take a photo every day at either 8:30am or 8:30pm. I started on my birthday in 2011 and it's soon to be my birthday in 2012. A few weeks ago, I decided that while the discipline of taking a photo and writing about it was something I was really enjoying, the original intention…
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    Solar Crash... Where heaven and earth collide.

  • You are a writer

    Lon
    26 Apr 2012 | 2:00 pm
    Just finished Jeff Goins soon-to-be released book “You are a writer” And yes, I read this because I’ve been in hiding working on a book.  It’s almost done too.  Content is there, but pulling it together, cutting and editing has been making me hemorrhage .  More to be unveiled later. Goins does a great job addressing core issues any artist faces – reasons behind our craft, identity, and the unending insecurity. Steven Pressfield‘s influences are all over it, though I’d expect nothing less.  Goins goes further in gently taking the reader through…

  • Do what other’s won’t

    Lon
    16 Apr 2012 | 1:30 pm
    Image credit

  • unstash manifesto

    Lon
    12 Apr 2012 | 10:27 am
    It’s been a bit quiet here, but I’m still alive. The above image is a manifesto I wrote up for unstash. It’s received some great attention, but could use more. Please keep passing it around. I’m also working on a new writing project. More on that soon.

  • What God said…

    Lon
    27 Feb 2012 | 2:52 pm
    Since being commissioned out of Mosaic, our family has been taking the opportunity to explore what God might be doing in and through other communities of faith in the city. I love the above song/video by Anthony David that was aired during our most recent experience.  I’m thrilled that there are communities out there that are unafraid to confront the subtle lies and shear lunacy held by some religious circles. Lyrics: Shake the hand my imaginary friend See the trouble he gets in Can’t he be trace back to me He can pretend at the slightest of his whim He has the power to suspend all…

  • that thing you do

    Lon
    6 Feb 2012 | 11:20 am
    via Chase Jarvis Your thoughts?
 
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    Conrad Hilario Audio

  • Paul's Theodicy: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

    Conrad Hilario
    15 May 2012 | 8:41 am
    A theodicy is a vindication or justification of God's goodness amidst and evil world. And in this passage Paul gives the Thessalonians explains why they are experiencing suffering due to persecution, that God can use temporary pain for a greater good in their lives and the lives of others. Paul does this by introducing God's judgment. In this teaching, we will explore the nature of God's judgment and what it would look like if God did not judge.

  • Instructions for developing a vibrant spiritual community: 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15

    Conrad Hilario
    24 Apr 2012 | 12:40 am
    In this teaching, we will be talking about practical steps we can take to develop a vibrant spiritual community. More specifically, Paul gives each individual in God's spiritual community instructions for how to play their part in raising the level of spirituality in their group.

  • What happens to us after we die? - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:10

    Conrad Hilario
    27 Mar 2012 | 7:45 pm
    In this teaching, we will be examining the question of what happens to us after we die. We will not only talk about the after life, we will consider it in the larger sweep of where human history is headed, according to the Bible.

  • Profile of a Spiritual Leader: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

    Conrad Hilario
    27 Mar 2012 | 5:31 pm
    This week, we will be considering what it means to be a spiritual leader. Leadership, from a biblical perspective is very different from the leadership we see in our world. It is not about asserting yourself or trying to dominate and gain control over people. It is about getting underneath people and serving. Join us as we look at what it means to be a spiritual leader.

  • What the Bible says about human sexuality: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

    Conrad Hilario
    6 Mar 2012 | 11:32 pm
    The title is self-explanatory. Join us as we compare and contrast what the world has to say about human sexuality and what God has to say about it.
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    Inspirations from Phather Phil

  • The Poison Within Us

    PhatherPhil
    9 May 2012 | 9:14 am
    “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”…

  • So From My Knees…

    PhatherPhil
    8 May 2012 | 10:22 am
    Dearest Lord; I hurt Father. I hurt with the ache of all the things my broken shell won’t release; My failings… My mistakes… Bad decisions I’ve made… Those times I’ve closed my heart to You… All flood in and overwhelm my spirit. So from my knees I reach for You. I feel alone Father. Alone with all those self-imposed burdens I allow to linger; The pain I see in others’ lives… Missed opportunities to serve… Those “What ifs” that haunt my heart… All sobering reminders of my limitations in this mortal coil. So from my knees I reach for You. I feel unworthy Lord. Unworthy…

  • Throwing Stones in Glass Houses

    PhatherPhil
    3 May 2012 | 9:43 am
    “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.” – Luke 6:37 (NLT) Over and over again in Scripture, we’re warned against casting judgment or assessing blame on others.  As Jesus reminds us in this verse, none of us are without flaws and should exercise the same grace and forgiveness for others that we would desire they bestow on us.

  • Just Love… Period.

    PhatherPhil
    2 May 2012 | 9:39 am
    “But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.””…

  • Approach With Importunity

    PhatherPhil
    5 Apr 2012 | 11:25 am
    “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” – Luke 11:9-10 (ESV) In this exposition on prayer, Jesus encourages us to approach God with importunity and the certainty that our prayers will be heard.  As we would come to a close friend in a time of need, our Heavenly Father desires us to lay aside our pride and doubt, and to confidently seek His guidance and aid.
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    RayDeck3's Blog

  • There is a Whiteboard in My Pocket

    14 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    I discovered this wonderful little product a couple weeks ago, and wanted to share it with you. It's called Noteboard. Essentially it is a whiteboard that folds to fit in your pocket. I love whiteboards. If you've ever been in a meeting with me, you probably know that my brain goes into overdrive whenever I can get up and start thinking on a whiteboard. There's something about the tactical feedback, the immediacy of creation and the ability to quickly erase that helps me to think at my best. Someday, when I'm not renter any longer, I will have a home office with a huge wall of whiteboard.

  • Ways to Be More Creative: #100 Get Closer to Your Context

    9 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    All creativity has context. Any idea that you bring to life will exist amidst other ideas and be experienced by people who also have ideas. The closer you can get to your context, the more creative you will be. The work of generating an idea, refining it, and executing it often happens when the creator is sequestered. This is natural and even necessary at times, but the farther from your idea’s ultimate context you find yourself the more aloof your ideas will be. For example: I write plays for students (13-18) that are produced at summer camps. My context is camp. I were never to visit…

  • The Civil Wars Perform The National Anthem

    7 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    I've been on baseball overload of late, so I thought I would share. I grew up watching Atlanta Braves baseball on TBS. I was nine years old when the Braves won the World Series in 1995. This season, in a fit of nostalgia that I do not regret, I bought a subscription to MLB.tv, so I could watch the Braves once again. Today marks the release of longtime Atlanta pitcher, John Smoltz's autobiography, Starting and Closing: Perserverence, Faith and One More Year.  This video is from the Braves' home opener where one of the classiest acts in music, The Civil Wars, performed The National…

  • Ways to Be More Creative: #99 Interact with Art More Deeply

    2 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    By now you know that your ideas will be the product of your inputs. Your creativity will be formed and fueled by the artistry with which you interact. Your creativity is fed by the creativity that you consume (#96). This happens directly when you borrow ideas (#7) and indirectly when you become an always-student (#15). You can influence the quality and quantity of your creativity by changing your quality and quantity of your inputs (#28). When you find a piece of art that resonates with your soul, interact with it as deeply as you can. Most people remain distant observers. They watch a movie…

  • Product Release Event 2012

    30 Apr 2012 | 11:00 pm
    If you've ever wondered what Word of Life might look like in your church's youth group or children's ministry, you do not want to miss our first annual Product Release Event on Thursday May 3rd. We will be broadcasting from right here at WOL Headquarters in Schroon Lake, NY to unveil all of the new products for the upcoming ministry year, and announce a few exciting changes. Here's my friends Karl & Hayley with the invitation. If you already have Word of Life in your church, or if you've only just thought about it, this event is for you. I've been writing script and working on pre…
 
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    Mike Calhoun's Blog

  • Just When You Thought Camp Couldn't Get Any Better...

    14 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    Camp is an exciting event often serving as a divine interruption in a student's summer routine. It is just the right experience to challenge them to think honestly about their spiritual life. Word of Life Camp has been used by God to help literally thousands of students find spiritual direction for their lives. There are Word of Life has camps around the world and two (about to become three) are right here in the United States. Word of Life Florida Camp, the self-proclaimed "Greatest Camp in the Universe," is branching out into Southern Florida for two weeks of Camp in the Keys. In New York,…

  • The Day I Gave Up!

    9 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    I hate quitters! I know this is strong language and sounds insensitive. I do not subscribe to what some call the “Trophy Kid” culture where everyone gets a trophy for just “showing up.” No, I think there is something to be said for “sticking it out” even when things are hard. That is why it is difficult for me to talk about The Day I Gave Up! I have always taken pride in hard work and perseverance. I honestly would rather go home wounded and bleeding than to walk away from the battle. But on May 11, 1975, I Gave Up! That was the day I finally decided that I…

  • ICYMI - May 9, 2012

    8 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    If you are like me you try to read as many articles, blogs and books as possible but just cannot catch all of them.  “In Case You Missed It” is my way of pointing out a few “reads” that I think are too good to miss. Dispatches From The Millennial Mega Mashup: The Influence of Hispanic Millenials Jake Katz, Ypulse’s Chief Architect, opened the Millennial Mega Mashup telling conference attendees that “we’re a collective thinking about what’s happening with [Millennials] from a lot of different perspectives.” Today, the conference…

  • Leadership 101: Be Diligent with the Small Things

    7 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    By climbing standards it may not be considered a real mountain but it is still called Mt. Severance. The elevation is a mere 1693’, the vertical ascent 813’ and the entire round trip is only 2.4 miles. Climbing it does not count in any contest nor earn you status with any mountaineering club. It is not a high peak but it is good practice for climbing one. It is around this time of the year, or earlier if the winter has not been too severe, when people like me begin our Mt. Severance ritual. Once my timing is down, I can drive there after work, make the climb and return home in a…

  • God, You're Gonna Do What?

    30 Apr 2012 | 11:00 pm
    I totally get Habakkuk and his protest; I understand his confusion, horror and disbelief at God's plan. He complains to God and asks what I am sure he thinks is a logical question (1:1-4) only to get an answer (1:5-11) that must have taken his breath away. He was just sure God was going to rescue His people and punish the wicked but what God says…well… it does not make sense. If you are using the Word of Life Quiet Time Diary then you know we are reading the book of Habakkuk this week. I realize some student devotionals would never tackle a minor prophet like Habakkuk but this…
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    Shrinking the Camel

  • Do You Have a Job, a Career, or a Calling?

    shrinkingthecamel
    15 May 2012 | 5:23 am
    The first job I had out of high school was as a dishwasher for a white-tablecloth Italian restaurant during the late seventies. My industrious best friend worked there, and he said it would be a good place to earn some spending money. Plus, some foxy girls would be waitressing, and maybe we could get to [...]

  • Stop Skimming Through Life

    shrinkingthecamel
    9 May 2012 | 5:38 am
    I sometimes feel as if I have been skipping along some superficial turf for the past several years. The frenetic pace of my brain has been like a pinball machine rather than grounded, fertile well-plowed spiritual soil. That hamster wheel in my head is constantly churning, getting things checked off the never-ending to-do list with [...]

  • Working Too Many Hours is Sick. Literally.

    shrinkingthecamel
    3 May 2012 | 5:16 am
    A new study was reported recently in the Wall Street Journal which followed the exploits of 24 freshly minted MBA’s over a ten year period as they entered the investment banking field. Typically these ambitious folks enter their jobs working 100-hour weeks, convinced they have the ticket to the big leagues. Within four years, every [...]

  • Becoming a Fully Present Leader

    shrinkingthecamel
    30 Apr 2012 | 5:47 am
    Next week, May 6 and 7, I will be participating in the fourth annual Leadership & Spirituality Summit at Princeton Theological Seminary, sponsored by A New Equilibrium. I know its late notice, but would sure love to see you there if you can make it. There’s still time to sign up! The promotional blurb follows. ———————— [...]

  • Surprised by Avocations: You Are Not Defined By Your Job Alone

    shrinkingthecamel
    22 Apr 2012 | 6:13 pm
    My friend Jeff is a buttoned-up finance guy in his late thirties who manages a business unit for a large corporate behemoth. We go to the same church, I see him and his wife occasionally in social situations, and he is all of what you would expect from someone with a career in accounting: introverted, smart, quiet. [...]
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    WordPress.com News

  • Stay In The Conversation

    Beau Lebens
    15 May 2012 | 6:01 pm
    It’s now much easier for you and your commenters to keep track of the conversations you’re involved in across WordPress.com. Some recent tests have shown that by subscribing commenters to new comments by default, they are more likely to stay engaged and come back and comment more on your blog. With that knowledge, we’ve changed the default comment following behavior to help you get more conversations going on your blog. We made the initial changes last week and after great feedback from you we just launched an update. Here’s how it works: By default, posting a comment…

  • Look at These Gorgeous Blogs

    Sheri
    15 May 2012 | 1:05 pm
    We’ve added a user showcase where you can view stunning customizations made by people just like you. From complete redesigns with CSS to adding pizzazz with Custom Fonts to clever use of options like background and header, this showcase will spark your imagination and inspire creativity. Discover details about what each showcase blog is doing with WordPress.com themes and customizations by clicking a thumbnail to see a colophon-style list of credits on the left. We’ve also updated footer links so blog owners can show off the types of customizations they’ve made and visitors can…

  • Photo Blogging 101, Part 1

    Erica V.
    14 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    Spring is in the air. With the weather warming up, now is a great time to get started on a photo blog. Creating a photo blog is a wonderful introduction to blogging on WordPress.com or an opportunity to refresh your current site. Ready to get started? You can sign up for a new blog right over here. Getting started Photo blogs, sometimes called phlogs, use pictures instead of words. While many photo bloggers choose a type of photo that they want to focus on, such as portraits, others use their photo blog to document their life’s events. Photo blogs come in a variety of styles, including…

  • New Themes: Just Desserts and Oxygen

    Michelle Langston
    10 May 2012 | 8:11 am
    Happy Thursday! We’ve added some exciting new themes to our ever-growing collection, and we’re happy to tell you all about them. First out of the oven is…Just Desserts. Yep, that’s a theme! Designed by Andy Rutledge, Just Desserts is a deliciously stylish premium theme that’s perfect for blogs centered on food. With its responsive, single-column layout and unique presentation of images and posts on the front page, Just Desserts gives you a delectable canvas on which your mouthwatering photos and text can really shine — even when viewed on smaller mobile devices…

  • Find Friends Who Use WordPress

    Nick Momrik
    1 May 2012 | 2:32 pm
    Are you curious to see how your friends are using WordPress? Give the new and improved Friend Finder a try to connect with your Twitter, Facebook, and Google contacts who have WordPress sites! After authorizing WordPress.com to use your Twitter, Facebook, or Google account to find your friends (don’t worry — none of this account information is saved!) you’ll see a list of people you know who have WordPress sites. Click Follow and each time your friend publishes a new post it will show up in your Reader under Blogs I Follow. If you have multiple blogs, make sure to set the…
 
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    The PomoXian

  • Nix the Two Gun Salute

    Henry M Imler
    15 May 2012 | 8:24 am
    Excellent little bit on how we might do Superheroines well. #blog Embedded Link Scarlett Johansson On the Ridiculous, Sexist Portrayals of Superheroines In a conversation with Entertainment Weekly about a sequel to The Avengers, Scarlett Johansson drops some knowledge about why superheroine movies have tended to fail so badly:I’d have to wear pasties to greenlight any of these movies…They’re always fighting in a bra, so while it might be exciting for a still photo, it’s ridiculous. One of the most exciting thing about [The Avengers,] is that in my opening scene the first thing you see…

  • An Evil, Bipolar God

    Henry M Imler
    12 May 2012 | 12:37 pm
    Keith Ward, in chapter 6 of Is Religion Dangerous?, deals with the issue of morality and the Bible.  He addresses the charge that religious morality is based on an unthinking acceptance of old religious laws.  As his example, he brings up one of the most notorious of religious injunctions – Deuteronomy 20:15-18. “But these instructions apply only to distant towns, not to the towns of the nations in the land you will enter. 16 In those towns that the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession, destroy every living thing. You must completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites,…

  • Some initial readings on Postmodernism and Theology

    Henry M Imler
    11 May 2012 | 2:22 pm
    Today I was asked for a sample bibliography to begin study of the issue of postmodernity and Christianity.  Here’s some readings off the top of my head.  Out of all of these readings, I would begin with A Primer on Postmodernism and move on to The Cambridge Companion to Postmodern Theology and pick and choose according to one’s whims from there. Caputo, John D. What Would Jesus Deconstruct?: The Good News of Postmodernism for the Church. Baker Academic, 2007. Franke, John R. Character of Theology, The: An Introduction to Its Nature, Task, and Purpose. Baker Academic, 2005.

  • Postmodern Apologetics – Some initial thoughts

    Henry M Imler
    10 May 2012 | 11:46 pm
    Much of contemporary Christian apologetics seems to be based upon the same assumptions upon which Modernism rests.  Given  that most of the assumptions of modernism have collapsed, Christians dwelling in post-Modernity must find new and creative ways to present and live out a coherent, embodied faith. An element of this is is finding new vocabularies through which we can articulate and live out our faith that are not overly dependent upon the assumptions and structures of the now-discredited Enlightenment Project. A lot of people identify “Postmodernism” with mere…

  • Wittgenstein, discussed by Bryan Magee and John Searle

    Henry M Imler
    4 May 2012 | 3:24 pm
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    bradwhitt.com

  • Devotional Thought – The Joy of the Harvest

    Brad
    14 May 2012 | 7:49 am
    “…They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest…” Isaiah 9:3 I don’t know about you, but that’s the kind of joy I want to have in the presence of God – “the joy of harvest.”  But, what exactly is the joy of harvest? It is a joy that comes from resurrection. It is not a joy that comes from getting something new. It is the tremendous satisfaction in seeing those things that have been buried come bursting from the ground. It is seeing dead things rise. There is no other joy that can compare to that reality. It means more than just…

  • Fridays Are For Family – Making Mother’s Day Memories

    Brad
    11 May 2012 | 7:25 am
    This coming Sunday is one of the most special days of the year – Mother’s Day. I know that many men fuss and complain, saying that it’s really not a “real holiday,” and blame the greeting card companies for creating a day so that they can sell more cards. However, even if there were not an official day set aside to honor and express our love to the mother’s in our lives there should be a day set aside to do just that. As the the father of a very young family I want to make sure that my children learn to honor and express their love for their mom. I want…

  • Sunday Video Preview – May 13, 2012

    Brad
    10 May 2012 | 10:33 am

  • Devotional Thought – Divine Dissatisfaction

    Brad
    9 May 2012 | 6:18 am
    “Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 Does Jesus mean that those who sorrow most will be the most blessed? No doubt this was a strange and foreign thought to fall on the ears of His disciples. They believed that the only kind of blessing was that which came from the world and was evidenced by being clothed in purple and fine linen and faring sumptuously every day. They thought that a man who was stricken with sorrow must be smitten and afflicted by God. So, it must have been a very surprising and startling thing to hear Jesus say,…

  • Devotional Thought – The Power In Being Poor

    Brad
    7 May 2012 | 6:46 am
    “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3 To be “poor in spirit” seems a really strange goal for me to seek to attain. However, while it might at first appear to be easy and unheroic, it is actually one of the most difficult and heroic things in the world. You see, while it may be easy to be poor spiritually, that is really not the same thing as being poor in spirit. Only those who are truly rich spiritually can can be poor in spirit, for to be poor in spirit means that I am aware of the fact that I am nothing and have nothing.
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    Healthy Spirituality

  • The Spirituality of Friendship

    15 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Patty Wysong has created a fun meme where once a week bloggers posted on the letter of the week. Check out the details here.  It is called A2Z: Take 2. A2Z as she challenges bloggers to write a post each week going through the alphabet.  Take 2 since this is the second time she has used this meme. Anyone can join in and you don’t have to always participate. This fun meme has now progressed to the letter S. The letter S reminds me of the priceless spiritual lessons from friendship. The Spirituality of Friendship I like to give, but find it so awkward to be on the receiving…

  • Pick Me! Pick Me, Lord – Lectio Divina

    13 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit —fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. John 15: 16-17I chose youPick me!Pick me, Lord!I want to be part of Your team.What do I have to do to qualify?Maybe if I lose more weight, You will choose me.What if I tried my hardest to do everything just perfect?I wonder if I read my Bible everyday, never missed church, and always smiled at my family, then would You tap me on the shoulder and say come?What is…

  • Falling in Love with the Giver – Quote of the Week

    12 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    We ask for a piece of sand
 and he gives us a beach.We ask for a drop of water 
and he gives us an ocean.We ask for time 
and he gives us life eternal.And it is so easy for us
 to fall in love with the gift
 and forget the giver.Source: Prayer Is a Hunger quoted in In the Stillness Is the Dancing by Mark Link 

  • A Bar-B-Que Lesson in Creativity and Perseverance

    10 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    Do you read menus?Of course you read them to find out what food a restaurant is offering, but ever notice the other information on some menus?Last week’s vacation took us to the Salt Lick Bar-B-Que in Driftwood Texas. Mmmmm, good! Great food with wonderful company.But it was the story told on the menu of the founders Thurman and Hisako Roberts that inspired me the most.Thurman traveled most of the time working in construction while his family stayed in Driftwood. They really wanted to stay in that little town so “one day, he took out a yellow legal pad and wrote down 54 things the family…

  • Praying like a Radio – Tuning into God

    8 May 2012 | 5:57 am
    Patty Wysong has created a fun meme where once a week bloggers posted on the letter of the week. Check out the details here. It is called A2Z: Take 2. A2Z as she challenges bloggers to write a post each week going through the alphabet.  Take 2 since this is the second time she has used this meme. Anyone can join in and you don’t have to always participate. This fun meme has now progressed to the letter R:   A good R word is: Radio.Praying like a Radio – Tuning into GodImagine a listening to one of the great radio shows on an old time receiver. You lean forward with…
 
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    Short Daily Bible Devotions

  • Genesis 48:15 -The God Story Family Tradition

    15 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    Daily Devotion Bible Verse And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, (Genesis 48:15 ESV) As literacy increases in our cultures and instant access to information on the web is so readily available, the need to pass down history through verbal forms or storytelling is gradually dying if not already dead in your part of the world. This was not the case in the Old Testament. As Jacob was blessing his son Joseph, he reminded him of his family history and how God was so important in it.

  • Luke 8:15 – Time to Ripen

    14 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    Daily Devotion Bible Verse As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. (Luke 8:15 ESV) The parable of the sower and the seed is ever popular. If you grew up in the church, you probably learned it as a child. We have all heard a sermon on it from a pastor. After telling the parable, Jesus then proceeded to explain it to the disciples. It is the last sentence in his explanation that we will focus on today. The seed that falls on the good soil is the seed that bears fruit in accordance with the…

  • Philippians 3:7-8 – Vertical To Horizontal Relationships

    11 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    Daily Devotions Bible Verse But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ  (Phillipians 3:7-8 ESV) We can often get caught up in the relationships of our lives.  They might be with a spouse or loved one, maybe a good friend, or even someone we disciple.  Should these relationships be the most important things to us?  From the verse we have for today, probably…

  • Romans 12:1-2 – Right Worship

    10 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    Daily Devotions Bible Verse I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2 ESV) Every aspect of our lives is part of our worship. We worship from the moment our eyes open in the morning to the second they close at night. Worship is magnifying (or making much of) someone or something…

  • Acts 5:41 – Suffering Disgrace

    9 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    Daily Devotion Bible Verse Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. (Acts 5:41-42 ESV) Have you ever suffered disgrace? Maybe there was a time when you were humiliated for your faith? Or, maybe you had an experience where you tried to do something for God and instead got extremely discouraged when things didn’t go according to plan. This is what happened to Peter and the other apostles when they…
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    ANSWERS For The Faith

  • -Buffalo: Christian Threatened with Jail for Handing Out Tracts

    Dr. D
    15 May 2012 | 2:06 pm
                           (Photo credit: Wikipedia) This is another one of those situations lately where Christians involved with street ministry -preaching or handing out tracts have been subjected to threats or arrests by the police in America. The incident happened in Buffalo, New York during the Italian Festival last year. The police threatened to arrest a Christian man who was sharing his faith on public streets and sidewalks and ordered the him leave the festival. The police are…

  • -Re: The Family, Same-Sex Marriage, and the Future of America

    Dr. D
    15 May 2012 | 10:35 am
                                         (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Here’s an article I just published on my Charismatica blog that is right on topic with what we have been discussing here lately: -The Family, Same-Sex Marriage, and the Future of America In the last several months there has been a dialogue going on in America concerning our direction and the future of this nation when it comes to the major building…

  • -Different Christian Responses to Same-Sex Marriage?

    Dr. D
    14 May 2012 | 10:20 am
                                               (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Last week, President Obama changed his mind and came out in support of same-sex marriage and cited the teachings of Jesus and the ‘Golden Rule’ in the process. Since then the issue has been front and center with all sorts of differing responses from American Christians. Most conservative Christians cite the Bible…

  • -Court: Colorado Day of Prayer is Unconstitutional

    Dr. D
    12 May 2012 | 9:56 am
               Colorado highlighted (Photo credit: Wikipedia) From the Denver Post: The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that governors’ proclamations of a state Day of Prayer violate the Constitution’s provisions for religious liberty. When the state sponsors the particular religious practice of prayer, the three-judge panel found, it sends a message that those who pray are favored members of Colorado’s political community. "In doing so, they undermine the premise that the government serves believers and…

  • -Obama Comes Out of The Closet for Gay Marriage

    Dr. D
    10 May 2012 | 9:15 am
        (Getty Images via @daylife) President Obama has now come out in favor of same-sex marriage. While running for president in 2008 he officially supported traditional marriage between and a man and a woman. However, in the wind up toward the 2012 election he admits a change of heart and now officially supports gay marriage. Here’s the story from ABC News: President Obama has abandoned his longstanding opposition to same-sex marriage but says the decision on whether or not to legalize the unions should be left up to individual states, which are "arriving at different…
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    Trevin Wax

  • Worth a Look 5.16.12

    Trevin Wax
    16 May 2012 | 2:34 am
    From one of my favorite Wesleyans, Timothy Tennent – Robust Christianity in a Post-Christendom World: The great project of our generation is to reclaim biblical Christianity as the Church. This will inevitably involve standing up and articulating with far more precision exactly what Christianity actually is.  It has become almost a trite statement in recent years that our culture has abandoned the Christian faith.  This actually is not my greatest concern.  My greatest concern is that those of us who are pastors and leaders have ourselves forgotten the gospel. Rescued…

  • Is it Biblical to Ask Jesus Into Your Heart?

    Trevin Wax
    15 May 2012 | 6:51 pm
    The Southern Baptist blogosphere has erupted in conversation on whether it’s proper to use phrases like “asking Jesus into your heart,” “accepting Christ,” or methods like the “sinner’s prayer” when sharing the gospel. Like many online conversations, this one has tended to generate more heat than light, and I get the feeling that good folks on both sides of this issue may be talking past one another. This discussion over methods and terms has been bubbling under the surface for a good while now. A younger generation of pastors look out at the…

  • Understanding the Bible in Light of Its Storyline

    Trevin Wax
    15 May 2012 | 3:17 am
    On The Exchange this afternoon at 2:00 p.m. CST, I will be joining Dr. George Guthrie and Philip Nation for a conversation about the importance of knowing the overarching story of the Bible. Dr. Guthrie is the author of  Read the Bible for Life: Your Guide to Understanding and Living God’s Wordone of the most helpful, accessible books on hermeneutics I’ve come across. George has also been influential in the development of The Gospel Project, particularly the second and third volumes (Winter 2012 and Spring 2013) which provide an overview of the Bible in 26 weeks. The two…

  • Worth a Look: 5.15.12

    Trevin Wax
    15 May 2012 | 2:41 am
    9 Tips for Eating Christianly: Nine tips/suggestions for how me might approach our consumption of food more thoughtfully and Christianly… Consternation over Ben Carson, Evolution, and Morality: If Emory University professors want to argue that evolution has no ethical implications, they are free to make that argument. (I wonder how many of them actually believe this.) But, if they do, they need to recognize that they are not just arguing against “benighted” anti-evolutionists, but they also are arguing against many of their cherished colleagues in evolutionary biology,…

  • A Critical Mind vs. A Critical Spirit

    Trevin Wax
    14 May 2012 | 3:56 am
    In our circles, it’s common to hear pastors and scholars bemoan the lack of critical thinking in many evangelical churches today. From the books and magazines gobbled up by the evangelical populace to the sheer gullibility on display in our forwarding of emails, it seems that biblical illiteracy and theological aberrations are widespread even in Bible-believing churches. It’s no wonder that in recent years we’ve seen a surge of theological interest among younger pastors, particularly within the “gospel-centered” movement. We like good books. Lots of them.
 
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    Healthy Spirituality

  • The Spirituality of Friendship

    15 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Patty Wysong has created a fun meme where once a week bloggers posted on the letter of the week. Check out the details here.  It is called A2Z: Take 2. A2Z as she challenges bloggers to write a post each week going through the alphabet.  Take 2 since this is the second time she has used this meme. Anyone can join in and you don’t have to always participate. This fun meme has now progressed to the letter S. The letter S reminds me of the priceless spiritual lessons from friendship. The Spirituality of Friendship I like to give, but find it so awkward to be on the receiving…

  • Pick Me! Pick Me, Lord – Lectio Divina

    13 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit —fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. John 15: 16-17I chose youPick me!Pick me, Lord!I want to be part of Your team.What do I have to do to qualify?Maybe if I lose more weight, You will choose me.What if I tried my hardest to do everything just perfect?I wonder if I read my Bible everyday, never missed church, and always smiled at my family, then would You tap me on the shoulder and say come?What is…

  • Falling in Love with the Giver – Quote of the Week

    12 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    We ask for a piece of sand
 and he gives us a beach.We ask for a drop of water 
and he gives us an ocean.We ask for time 
and he gives us life eternal.And it is so easy for us
 to fall in love with the gift
 and forget the giver.Source: Prayer Is a Hunger quoted in In the Stillness Is the Dancing by Mark Link 

  • A Bar-B-Que Lesson in Creativity and Perseverance

    10 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    Do you read menus?Of course you read them to find out what food a restaurant is offering, but ever notice the other information on some menus?Last week’s vacation took us to the Salt Lick Bar-B-Que in Driftwood Texas. Mmmmm, good! Great food with wonderful company.But it was the story told on the menu of the founders Thurman and Hisako Roberts that inspired me the most.Thurman traveled most of the time working in construction while his family stayed in Driftwood. They really wanted to stay in that little town so “one day, he took out a yellow legal pad and wrote down 54 things the family…

  • Praying like a Radio – Tuning into God

    8 May 2012 | 5:57 am
    Patty Wysong has created a fun meme where once a week bloggers posted on the letter of the week. Check out the details here. It is called A2Z: Take 2. A2Z as she challenges bloggers to write a post each week going through the alphabet.  Take 2 since this is the second time she has used this meme. Anyone can join in and you don’t have to always participate. This fun meme has now progressed to the letter R:   A good R word is: Radio.Praying like a Radio – Tuning into GodImagine a listening to one of the great radio shows on an old time receiver. You lean forward with…
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    As the Deer

  • Anna Karenina

    Chris
    14 May 2012 | 10:41 am
    Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy.  There are seven main characters in this novel, spread over three families.  Anna herself, her husband, and her lover; her brother and his wife; and Anna’s sister-in-law and her husband, Konstantin Levin.  Of the seven, Anna and Levin are the two principal characters.  The first sentence announces the theme of the novel: happy families and unhappy ones.  Anna’s is a most unhappy family.  When she leaves her cold husband for the dashing Count Vronsky, with whom she has a daughter, her die is cast.  She loses contact with her son, and she loses the…

  • The Problem With Justice

    Chris
    12 May 2012 | 7:29 am
    I’m enjoying a stay-at-home vacation this week.  Activities have included house cleaning, lawn care, and a 12-mile bike ride. For reading, I’m finishing Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.  A key theme in the novel is the conflict between love and social convention, between Anna’s love for Vronsky and the social mores of her day. This tension between love and convention is apt in light of the vote this week in North Carolina to bar same-sex marriages.  My opinion on it fits with Rachel Held Evans: opponents of same-sex relations have won a battle but are losing a longer…

  • ‘Among the muddled middle’

    Chris
    9 May 2012 | 8:23 am
    Elaine Robinson attended the General Conference of the United Methodist Church, a quadrennial assembly that ended last week.  From the brief accounts I have read, it was a fractured and frustrating experience for most delegates.  Here is her reflection: Yet, I suspect, there are many United Methodists who, like me, find themselves among the muddled middle.  Don’t get me wrong, I can be as polarizing as the next person. Anyone who knows me, knows that I can be opinionated and often passionately obstinate. I confess my failure, in this regard. I seek to do better, by the leading of Grace.

  • Words of Confession Become Acts of Compassion

    Chris
    6 May 2012 | 12:07 pm
    Eternal God, we thank you for Jesus, who brought hope to the distressed, promise to the despairing, and healing to the afflicted. In him there is the gift of eternal life to all who believe. As Christ is the vine, so you call us the branches, and you send us forth to bear the fruit of love. Let love lead us to be more forgiving in our personal and family lives, and to be a reconciling force in the world. When enemies taunt us, assure us of your presence as we seek patience and inner strength. Amid tensions caused by misunderstanding, suspicion, or lack of trust, send your Spirit of insight…

  • Celtic Cross Tattoo

    Chris
    5 May 2012 | 7:55 am
    Friday afternoon I got a tattoo at Ink Fever in downtown Adrian.  I’d thought of getting one for years, and when two friends got tattoos there last month, that was the last nudge needed.  For a design, I settled on a Celtic cross, using one from the title page of my prayer book.  I took it in ahead of time so the artist could look at it.  We set the date for May 4. I invited my wife and a couple of friends to watch. It took a while for the artist to set up, longer than to draw the tattoo itself.  There was time to look at the Bob Marley posters on the walls and the T-shirt on the…
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    Joshua Moran Blog

  • Deepest of Pits

    Joshua Moran
    12 May 2012 | 5:05 pm
    I have taken steps of faith in recent months that have left me in what feels like a spiritual desert. Many pastors can empathize with being in ministry for so long and then suddenly you are on what seems like an unending sabbatical. I recently resigned from my staff position at a church that really as our family not just a ministry. We knew with confidence that God was doing something powerful. Currently we are waiting patiently for the go ahead from a church that we know God has called us to minister with. If you could pray for us to hear an answer soon and that God would provide the…

  • Tower Builder – August 8, 2010

    Joshua Moran
    21 Jan 2012 | 9:10 am

  • Victorious Living, Defeated Words

    Joshua Moran
    8 Jan 2012 | 8:02 pm
    I was reading from 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 this morning and while we all know this as the Jabez Prayer and the book is published I thought it would still bring edification talking about this passage. Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10 Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked. The Holy Bible: English Standard…

  • Mac OS X Lion Crashing Macbook Pro

    Joshua Moran
    14 Dec 2011 | 10:53 am
    For many Mac users the excitement of Mac OS X Lion and the features promised almost trumped the caution to quickly upgrade. I was one of those that jumped into the upgrade within 6 weeks of release, and I can honestly say the OS problems I have experienced are higher than any other upgrade I have made over the last 8 years. I am writing this particular post to really address the video card issue that many Macbook Pro users are experiencing with Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2 and how to alleviate some of the problems. I searched and called Apple Care multiple times and was told to send my crash reports.

  • Honoring Your Spouse – Answered Prayer

    Joshua Moran
    17 Oct 2011 | 10:08 am
    This morning I was reading from 1 Peter 3:17 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. I also was reading in Daniel 9 where Daniel was repenting for his sins, the sins of Israel, and petitioning God for an answer and Gabriel came with the answer and key to understanding for Daniel. I personally have been in a rough time in my life, ministry, and career due to the trials of life that most of us are either going through or have…
 
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    JamesPoulter.co.uk

  • POEM: Just one short life

    admin
    4 May 2012 | 9:51 am
    TweetCollected coffee cups on station platforms Left adrift amongst commuting agendas Sucked dry of their buzzing liqour Awaiting deposit into their new life One comes back here Years later as the cup he once was But the others never see this life again For them it is black. Americano. Coffee & A Kindle

  • Paying attention. And keeping it.

    admin
    26 Apr 2012 | 6:55 am
    TweetWatching Eye by James Poulter, using Paper by FiftyThree I’ve taken a few knocks recently. Nothing major. Always little things, stuff not quite working out, stupid blunders of my own making induced by either laziness or plain not listening. I suppose it happens to everyone, but when it does it’s often difficult to see it that way, let alone feel it. If you know me or have read the blog for any time you know I have a fascination with how technologies are changing the way we think, how they affect our attention spans and how we relate to one another. And I can only reconcile…

  • Thinking about God on trains

    admin
    14 Apr 2012 | 5:40 am
    Tweet I spend A LOT of time on trains. I know I am obviously not the only one. I accept that. But I do spend a LOT of time on trains. On average around 16 hours a week (including tube and train travel). That’s a lot. That’s 832 hours a year. If I were to commute to London as I do now from the suburbs, for the rest of my working life that would be a whopping 36,608 hours! Even if you are stripping out delays, travel at weekends, trips abroad and up the country and the hours spent going literally no where freezing my ambitions, work ethic, moral and bottom to pieces awaiting a…

  • Looking for better blogging

    admin
    4 Apr 2012 | 11:26 am
    Tweet When I originally started this blog under the title of Sunday Latte Lamentations, it was always meant as a little outlet. Somewhere for me to stow away my thoughts on the meaning of 42 and the secret to the universe. A place for contemplation, removal from the bustle of the day to day, and to frankly practice getting better at writing. To most ends in the early days it served that purpose. And in some aspects continues to do so now. However a number of changes have happened recently which is giving me second thoughts about how best to continue to document these thoughts and feelings. I…

  • Learning to do what comes naturally… first & the death of email

    admin
    9 Feb 2012 | 3:01 am
    Tweet I don’t really think I’m one much for a morning routine. Sure I get up roughly the same time most mornings (depressingly around 6:35 – but we set the clock 15 minutes fast (6:50) so it is less of a shock to the system… ask @HollyPoulter), the day doesn’t get started until the first cup of coffee and sometimes the second, and most mornings are kickstarted by something to get the creative juices flowing. For me it’s podcasts. I studied radio production, ran a podcast production outfit and worked on a few shows for stations, and still find the spoken…
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    The Word Works!

  • REFUSE TO FEAR I

    Tettei Shahday
    12 May 2012 | 1:29 pm
    “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10). In this message we’ll be taking a look at the concept of fear and how to deal with it. It’s imperative that we have a clear understanding about this subject because it’s going to affect our attitude to life in general. God takes pleasure in bold people, and the Bible is full of people that showed great courage. The people who dominated and flouted the limitations of life were that bold!

  • REFUSE TO FEAR II

    Tettei Shahday
    12 May 2012 | 1:22 pm
    One late night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on the land. He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. As a result, Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. Scripture says “…about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good…

  • REFUSE TO FEAR III

    Tettei Shahday
    12 May 2012 | 1:11 pm
    Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at the ruddy-faced David. Scripture says “…when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field” (1 Samuel 17:42-44). David stood on his knowledge to face Goliath. He…
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    Guarding the Heart Blog

  • A Letter From the Young Leaders – Power Nuggets

    SM
    14 May 2012 | 1:53 pm
    #GTH BlogTo all who are listening. I understand that it’s sometimes scary to invest and trust in us young leaders. We can be overtly passionate, pumped up with adrenaline, crazily bold, act often without pondering, occasionally making dramatic mistakes and daringly persistent! What alternative would you like us to take to failure? Is it better to do nothing? Failures that don’t kill us make us stronger. It shows us one more way that we should avoid. Life lessons are learned here.  And this might be the very reason why the devil hates a young leader. Adding to the fear is the fact…

  • My Greatest Testimony Ever!

    SM
    12 May 2012 | 8:18 am
    #GTH BlogIt is interesting how what may be a big testimony to someone may not be that big a testimony to someone else. For most of us, brushing our teeth may not be such a big thing, but just think of someone who had a stroke. The fact that today, he can brush his teeth by himself will be a great testimony for him. Here on this blog, I want to give that opportunity to you. What is the greatest testimony ever in your life? In less than 150 words, can you share what Jesus did for you? I believe that it will bless someone on this blog! (Please keep it less than 150 words so that people can…

  • Help us choose a colour for SMMinistries logo

    Shyju Mathew
    9 May 2012 | 2:00 pm
    #GTH BlogIts been quite some time we’ve worked on our present logo on www.shyjumathew.com Could you help us choose one logo of your choice that is most appealing to you? Thanks a lot, Shy 1. Green 2. Olive Green   3. Blue   Vote: Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. Thanks for your vote, this will help the board make a decision. Also please let us know why you voted for that colour in the comments below. You just finished reading Help us choose a colour for SMMinistries logo! Consider leaving a…

  • The Only Survivor on the Island of Vanity

    SM
    9 May 2012 | 1:58 pm
    #GTH BlogGone are the days when television had a total of 10 channels, out of which just 7 worked. Millions of websites and billions of links created, carved exist today just to entice you. You are the hero, the centre of ATTENTION. From salesmen to sidebar advertisements to research labs, they all are striving to get your attention throughout the day. All they want is that first glance and then they get your attention. They are like leeches coming at you. They come in different forms and shapes and sizes. They come crawling out of huge billboards and your television screens. Everyday through…

  • Is Imitation Wrong in the Church? – Power Nuggets

    SM
    7 May 2012 | 2:09 pm
    #GTH BlogVery often I will have someone telling me not to imitate somebody else. Especially because of my admiration toward certain men of God. Then recently I heard someone tell another young man the same thing. And I pondered on that quite a bit. How about Paul urging us to imitate him? 1 Corinthians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 11:1, Philippians 3:17 Could that be only his faith or would it include his passion, prayer, writing and preaching? Or for that matter, would Jesus have said, go find your own styles and don’t mimic Me? If only Jesus was to be imitated, we haven’t literally seen Him pray…
 
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    Christian Curios by Connie K Cameron

  • A Mother's Prayer

    10 May 2012 | 2:37 pm
    God please bless my childrenCare for them as they growFill them with your Spirit toTeach them all you knowLord, count each hair upon their headsAs they lay down at nightCover them with loving wingUntil the morning lightHelp me be a mother who isGentle and is kindHelp me give, help me loveBring peace into my mindThank you for this familyI love them with all my heartWatch over them when they are with meTake care when we're apartLord don't let them stumbleCatch them if they fallThey are precious ro meThey are my one and all

  • Cans

    10 Apr 2012 | 3:08 pm
    I reach into the box, with excitement, and I pull out one can.  Then it was my brother, Bobs turn.  I wonder what we got, what could be in this can?  I was hoping for spaghetti O's but without a label, it could be just about anything.My Dad worked at a grocery store when I was a kid, and every month they held a drawing in his store and the prize was a big box full of canned foods, minus the labels.  These were the cans of food that they couldn't sell because they lost the labels or were damaged in some way.  My dad won the box of food this particular month, so my mom…

  • Poor In Spirit

    3 Mar 2012 | 11:27 pm
    "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven,"  Matthew 5:3.What does it mean to be poor in spirit?  I think it means that in any situatuion, rich or poor, you are humble, you don't look down on anyone less fortunate than yourself.  You may think that's easy but is it?  Anyone can give to the poor and come away feeling good about themselves.  Five dollars to a homeless person and a, "God bless you."  But it's a little harder to walk away with the feeling, "That person is my equal."  It's only by the grace of God that you are the one…

  • Today Is Just A Day

    29 Feb 2012 | 10:46 pm
    By my friend, Bary BennettToday is just a dayLike any other day beforeYou wake up to a cigarettePerhaps you'll have one moreThe coffee pot is brewingSo you turn on your TVYou sit and drink your coffeeWondering what you're going to seeThe news brings all the picturesThat the world wants you to viewIt's a murder, its a car chaseIt's a special deal for youIt's an earthquake it's a famineIt's a little thing called warSo we sit and watch and waitFor that final football scoreIt's a day like any otherWe have lost that sense of careWe've become a hardened peopleTo what's going on out thereAmerica…

  • Our Body

    29 Feb 2012 | 12:53 pm
    Have you ever thrown a rock into a still lake?  When it hit's the water it makes waves that ripple across a large area.  I've noticed that same effect happening in my body and even in the church.I've had bad headaches since I was in the 6th grade.  But in my thirties the headaches became unbearable.  My sister, Carmen, worked in a pain center and suggested that I come in.  I made the appointment and I went in.  The first thing that the doctor tried was cortisone shots once a week, in my neck and back.  Next I started attending a pain management group. …
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    Faithful Choices

  • There’s Only One Avenger, and He Doesn’t Dress That Way.

    Paula Whidden
    16 May 2012 | 1:08 am
    Our main topic, at Faithful Choices, for the month of May is patience. Because of this movie,  (The Avengers) I found myself hunting in scripture for a valid reason for impatience.  I usually don’t jump on the next, best, newest, greatest bandwagon. But, something about this movie made me feel impatient. I saw one advertisement, watched one review, and heard my husband gush about it.  That’s all I needed.  This movie sounded like perfect date-night material.  Actually, due to fatigue, we decided to go on a work day, in the morning.  (By the way, we had a private showing, no…

  • Brothers and Sisters

    Paula Whidden
    15 May 2012 | 1:34 am
    If you have a brother or a sister, you’ll recognize this story.  I’ve talked with many people over the years and it seems to get repeated so much, I’m amazed. Picture this: You want to be the kind and courteous person, you work at it, seek it and dream of how “good” you can become, with a little effort.  People praise you for your courteous demeanor.  Silently, you pat yourself on the back. But secretly, you know the truth. I grew up with a brother two years younger than me.  We really embraced the whole sibling rivalry thing.  Sometimes we fought  just for…

  • Telling the Truth Online

    Paula Whidden
    14 May 2012 | 1:45 am
    The nuances of the online world challenge our people skills all the time. We cannot read someone’s face as they absorb our latest tweet.  We don’t know what they assume or already know as they scroll past our Facebook post. When we express our faith online, sometimes we make bold statements with great conviction.  I see it all the time. We pass on a logo or picture in the hopes of inspiring or uplifting.  But some people don’t see it the way we do. They see our conviction as a personal attack.  They cannot react to the expressiveness of our face, or know our heart.

  • Mommy Moments

    Paula Whidden
    13 May 2012 | 5:27 am
    from freedigitalphotos.net I remember Mommy moments from when I was young. We giggled and talked, We screamed and we squawked. She believed in me no matter what.   She strengthened my muscles So that I soared, So that  I roared. Because of her my legs were strong,   When I had to face life on the road, I could handle long walks. I could handle tough talks. Ah those Mommy moments.   Now I’m a mom and I want them too. Mommy moments.   Will they remember our special times? When we giggle and talk, When we scream and squawk. Do they know I believe in them too?  …

  • My Sunday Morning Mantra

    Paula Whidden
    13 May 2012 | 1:29 am
    As I set off to drive to church on Sunday morning, I often find this mantra dancing in my head.  It’s really more of a prayer for me.  Feel free to use it if it applies to you too. Lord, grant me the patience to understand,    When my kids sleep longest on a Sunday. Lord, grant me the patience to see,    My own imperfections as I clearly see those of my family. Lord, grant me the patience to say,   Blessings and not attacks. Lord, grant me the patience to hear, Your voice over my noisy life. Lord, grant me the patience to know, Today is not an end, but a beginning. Lord, grant me…
 
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    InterVarsity's Faith@Work - Home

  • ...and justice for all...interns

    9 May 2012 | 12:01 pm
    I must admit, I've been really naive about this issue. I've been generally aware that there are Federal labor laws regulating the practices of paid and unpaid interns, but I haven't really done any due diligence on the issue-- until recently. A good friend challenged me to consider the higher calling that Christians have to abide by the law, participate in commerce that promotes justice and equality, and be change makers in systems that are broken.   Here's what I understand: 1. Companies or organizations that offer unpaid internships are required to restrict the scope of…

  • "Ok, so I figured out my calling- BUT I'M STILL STUCK!!"

    25 Apr 2012 | 5:03 pm
    Oops. One of my main theories about helping students graduate well- as fully mature, developed, and focused Christian leaders- is WRONG.I was thinking (and putting lots of time/strategy/effort) that if we can help students discover their unique wiring, calling, and purpose, then they will be launched. --Notice lots and lots of writing here. But, that's definitely not the whole story or best answer.  Self-awareness and self-discovery is amazing, assuming it doesn't lead to self-absorption. Recovering the passions deep inside, understanding how I'm uniquely gifted, recognizing…

  • When in doubt, ZOOM OUT

    18 Apr 2012 | 6:44 pm
    It's that time of year again: graduating students on campuses all across the country are starting the get eye twitches, nightmares, and anxiety attacks. Why?Because they're graduating and HAVE NO CLUE WHAT TO DO NEXT!! Hey, it's not your fault. It's a a generational thing, a shortcoming in our educational system, a flaw in your parents support of you...or something like that. At any rate, it's time for you to figure out WHAT THE HECK YOU'RE GOING TO BE DOING IN 2 MONTHS!!!Up until now, the track has been certain. But now...You're focused on wrapping up the last few weeks of classes.

  • Decide to Lead

    12 Apr 2012 | 8:38 pm
    If you want to be a leader, you have to decide to lead. Leadership is about influencing others (see: Ken Blanchard, John Maxwell). Influencing others happens all the time, whether conscious or unconscious. If you want to be a leader for good, you have to decide to.  Everyone desires to make positive impact on others. Everyone has the ability and opportunity to leader others for good. You are hardwired for it. But leadership doesn't happen unintentionally or randomly. Leadership flows from a decision to lead. It comes from a DECISION that says, "I'm going to bring…

  • Don't let your passions confuse you

    5 Apr 2012 | 1:21 pm
    I'm in love with golf. I play courses in my imagination while I go to sleep. I play golf as often as I can. I bought my son a set of golf clubs just after he learned how to walk. I engineer my work schedule around golf. I've taken trips just to play golf. And, I'm one of the rare golfers who loves watching golf on tv. Admittedly, I've watched nearly every round of professional golf in 2012 (that's Thursday-Sunday, every week). This week happens to be my favorite week of the year- the Masters. While I watch the Masters on tv, I also have it streaming live on my computer AND iPad- count that,…
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    Nathan Creitz

  • Sermon: Great Joy In That City [Audio]

    nathan.creitz@gmail.com (Nathan Creitz)
    9 May 2012 | 10:15 am
    Title: Great Joy In That City Text: Acts 8:1-8 Main Idea: A city has cause for great joy when the Good News is proclaimed and good deeds are performed in that city. Notes: This was a message I preached in Bayside, NY and then in Yonkers, NY. The purpose is to show how God sovereignly mobilizes His people to fulfill His Great Commission. Thanks for reading Sermon: Great Joy In That City [Audio]! Have a comment? Click on over and share your thoughts. I'd also like to encourage you to subscribe to my free newsletter.

  • WANTED: Partners To Make Disciples and Multiply Churches Throughout NYC

    nathan.creitz@gmail.com (Nathan Creitz)
    10 Apr 2012 | 10:27 am
    Starting a church is like starting a business. The only difference is that in this “business” the “business partners” won’t be getting a financial return; the “employees” pay (tithe) the company for the privilege of working for free; “customers” are asked to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Jesus; and the “product” is a message that is offensive to 90% of the people who hear it. That’s why I’ve come to a few conclusions about what it takes to start a church: It takes an act of God to start a church.

  • Sidewalk Missionary Journey: New York City

    nathan.creitz@gmail.com (Nathan Creitz)
    30 Mar 2012 | 11:34 am
    The Apostle Paul traveled 13,000 miles on his missionary journeys. According to the NYC Department of Transportation there are 12,750 miles of sidewalk in New York City. If Paul could travel 13,000 miles to bring the gospel to those who had not heard, is it crazy to think that we could walk 12,750 miles to do the same in New York City? The Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 tells us to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…” There is no more strategic place in the world to “go” and make disciples than New York City. To begin with, there are people…

  • Challenges to Reaching Unreached People Groups (Over There)

    nathan.creitz@gmail.com (Nathan Creitz)
    1 Mar 2012 | 1:52 pm
    I was recently at a missions forum put on by the International Mission Board (IMB). This forum happened a couple of days after I blogged about reaching unreached people groups in US cities. The opening session was led by David Campbell of the IMB and the title was “Challenges to Reaching the Unreached”. I want to share some of David’s talk and use that as a springboard to go a bit deeper into what I previously wrote about reaching the unreached. According to various sources (IMB, Joshua Project, etc.) there are something like 11,600+ people groups in the world today. The IMB…

  • Reaching Unreached People Groups In The City

    nathan.creitz@gmail.com (Nathan Creitz)
    17 Feb 2012 | 3:34 pm
    There are people from at least 62 unreached people groups living in New York City. One way to reach them would be to train and deploy 62 missionaries in 62 countries who would spend 2-3 years learning the local dialect and culture, and be supported financially for the rest of their lives to live in those countries (where they may never be fully accepted). This, I think, is our primary international missions strategy and it is effective. We need to continue sending missionaries to live and serve in nations around the world. We need to count the cost and go to them. Where are the Unreached Most…
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    Will Johnston | Life, Faith & Leadership

  • I was a Protege. Don’t you want to be a Protege too?

    Will Johnston
    26 Apr 2012 | 4:47 pm
    What's a Protege? The Protege Program at National Community Church is a year-long internship/fellowship, geared toward preparing you for full-time ministry in the church or in the context of business-as-mission. What does this have to do with you and me? For me, the Protege Program was a step into full-time ministry after a short career on Capitol Hill. Almost four years ago I started my Protege year, working with Pastor Heather Zempel on the Discipleship Team, and last year I became a Department Mentor for Andy Backus, one of this year's Discipleship Proteges. For you, the Protege Program is…

  • Together for the Underestimated Gospel – John Piper – Glory, Majesty, Dominion, and Authority Keep Us Save for Everlasting Joy: Reflections on God’s Keeping Power through 32 Years of Ministry (Jude 1:24-25)

    Will Johnston
    17 Apr 2012 | 11:39 am
    I want to draw you into the amazement that you and I are still Christians. I want to draw you into an analysis of how that came to be Part 1 I still love the ministry of God's Word, my spiritual calling as a husband and a father. I complete this year 60 years of being a Christian, 32 years of being a pastor at Bethlehem, 44 years of being a husband, 40 years of being a father. We are about to install my successor at Bethlehem. I am amazed that I have lasted as a Christian, a pastor, a husband, a father. I want to draw you in Biblically to why I am amazed. An entry from my journal in 1986. I…

  • Together for the Gospel – Panel: Celebrity Pastor: Indecent Exposure?

    Will Johnston
    17 Apr 2012 | 11:39 am
    Duncan: What do we mean by celebrity pastors? What are the dangers and opportunities? What dangers do brothers with wider influence face? What dangers are there for brothers when observing those brothers with wider influence? Carl, what is a celebrity pastor, and talk about some of the concerns you've raised. Carl: We live in a celebrity culture. We tend to invest peculiar power in specific individual even outside of the sphere of influence. Hollywood is a great example. They're great actors, but round-about election time they start talking about things about which they are quite incompetent.

  • Together for the Underestimated Gospel – Matt Chandler – The Fulfillment of the Gospel (Revelation 21 & 22)

    Will Johnston
    17 Apr 2012 | 11:37 am
    (Ed. Note: I was late to this session and so these notes are sketchy at best. I kinda missed Chandler's big idea, so take them for what they're worth, which isn't much.) Hope without time of fulfillment is delusion. We're not a delusional people. From the outside looking in, we look delusional. That's where you can contextualize to a fault. It will always reek of death to some if you are proclaiming it in its fullness. What I want to talk about in my remaining time is the finish line. Revelation 21 The Village Church is very involved in the Sudan, and when we fly there we fly over the Sahara…

  • Together for the Underestimated Gospel – Panel: The Inerrancy of Scripture

    Will Johnston
    17 Apr 2012 | 11:36 am
    Mohler: We affirm that the soul authority for the Church is Scripture, unmarked by error and Scripture. We affirm that the authority and sufficiency of Scripture extends to the entire Bible. Dever: In our theological education, there was a critique of inerrancy that it is a modern construct. Piper: The teachers that I loved and influenced me most didn't talk about the Scriptures as anything but inerrant. I happily missed it. Dever: We know that inerrancy was clearly taught in the Reformation. Simon, is this solely a Reformation or enlightenement doctrine? Simon: No, Augustine taught this in…
 
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    Writer of Pop

  • ‘Faith Village’ is the Website of the Week

    Jeffrey Totey
    15 May 2012 | 12:50 pm
    At first glance, the title of this website, FaithVillage.com, could lead you to a false identity of what it is about. Jesus told believers to be “in the world” not “of the world.” Some Christians have taken that directive as permission to create their own world where one would only listen to Christian music, only read Christian books, share community with only Christians, etc. Faith Village is not that world. However, it IS a nice place to set up shop for a respite from the rest of the world when needed. Faith Village is a virtual village where you can set up your own “loft” and…

  • Man with Golden Voice Pens New Book

    Jeffrey Totey
    14 May 2012 | 11:22 pm
    Copyright Gotham Books It was only about a year and a half ago that a homeless man with beautiful deep voice became a pop culture sensation. That was Ted Williams, a former drug user who held up a cardboard sign that read, "I have a God given gift of voice. I'm an ex-radio announcer who has fallen on hard times. Please! Any help will be gratefully appreciated. Thank you and God bless you! Happy Holidays!" A photographer for the Columbus Dispatch Newspaper pulled over and asked if he really had a golden voice and Williams gave him a demonstration. A week later, the photographer came back to…

  • TV’s Top Best Moms and 5 Lousy Ones Quiz

    Jeffrey Totey
    13 May 2012 | 10:46 am
    No mother is the perfect, but television has tried to portray the perfect mom over the years. Here is a quiz of 10 of the “best” moms on TV over the years and 5 others who could use a little work. See if you can figure out which one is which by the descriptions alone, then see the photos below to check your answers. (Originally posted on Examiner.com) This mom could be considered a true Proverbs 31 Woman. She is not only faithful to her husband and children, but is valuable member of her small society. Her family has little money, so she makes the most of what she has. In addition to…

  • Theatre Improvises on Mother’s Day

    Jeffrey Totey
    11 May 2012 | 12:23 pm
    Unexpected Productions So, still don’t know what to do for your mom on Mother’s Day? Here’s a last minute idea that just might work and save you some cash at the same time. Unexpected Productions is offering a night of Mother’s Day improv comedy in Seattle, Sunday, May 13 at 7:00 p.m. Enjoy on-the-spot comedy acts based on inspired stories about mom, with creative suggestions from moms in the audience. Everyone in the family is sure to enjoy this evening and the best part is moms get in for half price! Just use this discount code “MOM” when ordering online or by phone. Plus,…

  • Oscar-winning ‘Descendants’ may not have been Oscar-worthy

    Jeffrey Totey
    10 May 2012 | 5:52 pm
    Matt (George Clooney) spies on a man he thinks may havehad an affair with his wife in "The Descendants."Fox Searchlight Pictures The Oscar-winning film “The Descendants” is about Matt King (George Clooney), a workaholic husband and father whose life gets turned upside down when his wife, Elizabeth, is put into a coma due to a boating accident. Suddenly, he realizes that he hasn’t been there for his wife or his two daughters and vows to do better if Elizabeth would only “wake up.” Matt’s situation goes from bad to worse when the doctors tell him that his wife, who is on life…
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    TILL HE COMES

  • New Commenting System

    jmyers@tillhecomes.org (Jeremy Myers)
    15 May 2012 | 7:39 pm
    I finally gave in and switched over to the Disqus Commenting System. Ever since then, I have had a grand total of ZERO comments. Hmmm…. Then Sam emailed me today and said that my comment sections were all out of whack. I think my caching setting were not allowing Disqus to work. (Thanks, Sam!!) So…. I think I have it all fixed now. The Disqus commenting system also has these cool features: You can Like my post by sharing it on Twitter and Facebook, or, better  yet, share your own comment on Twitter and Facebook. If you are not seeing the buttons to share your own comment on…

  • How the Church Glorifies Death

    jmyers@tillhecomes.org (Jeremy Myers)
    15 May 2012 | 2:00 pm
    It is good that we are excited to get to heaven and spend eternity with God, but we must do more than sing and pray while we wait to get there. While we wait for Jesus to return, we love and serve others, and thus bring glory to the God of the universe. Many of cannot wait to die so we can be glorified; God cannot wait for us to start living so He can be glorified. The church is willing to die, but only to die physically so we can “go to a better place” to be with God. This is not glorifying to God, but glorifying to death. Christoph Blumhardt said that “If all we aspire to is to get…

  • Why the Church Cannot Rise

    jmyers@tillhecomes.org (Jeremy Myers)
    14 May 2012 | 2:00 pm
    Many people today recognize that the church is dying, and so they do everything they can to pump new life back into it. “We need nicer buildings,” they say. “Better trained pastors. Exciting children’s programs. Lively music. More money.” But no matter which measurement you use, none of it seems to be working. Robert Farrar Capon said it best when he wrote this: The church can’t rise because it refuses to drop dead. The fact that it’s dying is of no use whatsoever: dying is simply the world’s most uncomfortable way of remaining alive. If you are to be raised from the dead,…

  • A Tribute to Mothers

    jmyers@tillhecomes.org (Jeremy Myers)
    13 May 2012 | 8:12 am
    Make sure you show the women in your life how much you appreciate them today. And not just today, but every day! They do so much for all of us. Here is a tribute to mothers which I heard years ago, and wanted to share with you today. MOTHER by Fred Cruz Somewhere between the youthful energy of the teenager and the golden twilight years of a women’s life, there lives a marvelous and loving person known… as mother. A mother is a curious mixture of patience, kindness, tolerance, understanding, discipline, industry, purity, and love. A mother can be at one and the same time, both love…

  • Finding Church Contributors

    jmyers@tillhecomes.org (Jeremy Myers)
    12 May 2012 | 6:27 pm
    The book I am working on for Civitas Press is shaping up to be a fantastic book! The book is titled Finding Church, and it recounts the journeys people have experienced within church. Below is a current list of our contributors, though it is possible that not all of these contributions will be in the final draft. If you wish you would have submitted your story, there is still time! Find out more at the bottom of this post. Changing Church These are stories of people who, for numerous different reasons, left one church to join another. Eric Hatfield – Blogs…
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    Outpouring Devotions

  • Thoughts on Positions of Men

    admin
    23 Apr 2012 | 8:02 pm
    If integrity is absent, the platforms of men will only create greater heights of failure. We must always remain more concerned with having Christ at the head of the table – as opposed to seeking favored seats and positions. “But here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me.” Luke 22:21

  • Easter Morning – He’s Alive!

    admin
    7 Apr 2012 | 11:24 am
    “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Revelation 1:18 The crowd witnessing the crucifixion began to disperse – unknowingly making way for the gathering hordes of demons and fallen angels. They had come to revel in the death of Jesus. These rebellious spirits no longer reflected the beauty and brightness of God’s presence. Instead, they were now grotesquely disfigured; a visual demonstration of their eternal punishment and separation from God. The stench and presence of hell filled the atmosphere. The…

  • Thoughts on New Life

    admin
    29 Mar 2012 | 7:46 am
    • He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!’ ” Ezek. 37:3-4~ Allow the Power of God’s Spirit to rise up within you and bring forth new life, new opportunities, and new visions!

  • Thoughts on Mission

    admin
    19 Mar 2012 | 8:26 am
    Before Moses went to Egypt he asked God, “Who shall I say sent me?” God responded, “Tell Pharaoh, I Am Who I Am.” (Ex. 3:14) If we are to face opposition and challenges and succeed we must be reminded that we are working on behalf of the GREAT I AM. Before you go know who sent you and when you have arrived never forget it.

  • Thoughts on Hidden Motives

    admin
    16 Feb 2012 | 9:47 am
    Many people act differently when they think nobody is watching. They become disillusioned by the ease at which one can conceal their actions from the eyes of man. However, we will give an account for our actions, motives, and intentions before God, even if man remains unaware. “From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth–he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.” Psalms 33:13-15
 
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    Healthy Spirituality

  • The Spirituality of Friendship

    Jean Wise
    15 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Patty Wysong has created a fun meme where once a week bloggers posted on the letter of the week. Check out the details here.  It is called A2Z: Take 2. A2Z as she challenges bloggers to write a post each week going through the alphabet.  Take 2 since this is the second time she has used this meme. Anyone can join in and you don’t have to always participate. This fun meme has now progressed to the letter S. The letter S reminds me of the priceless spiritual lessons from friendship. The Spirituality of Friendship I like to give, but find it so awkward to be on the receiving…

  • Pick Me! Pick Me, Lord – Lectio Divina

    Jean Wise
    13 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit —fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. John 15: 16-17I chose youPick me!Pick me, Lord!I want to be part of Your team.What do I have to do to qualify?Maybe if I lose more weight, You will choose me.What if I tried my hardest to do everything just perfect?I wonder if I read my Bible everyday, never missed church, and always smiled at my family, then would You tap me on the shoulder and say come?What is…

  • Falling in Love with the Giver – Quote of the Week

    Jean Wise
    12 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    We ask for a piece of sand
 and he gives us a beach.We ask for a drop of water 
and he gives us an ocean.We ask for time 
and he gives us life eternal.And it is so easy for us
 to fall in love with the gift
 and forget the giver.Source: Prayer Is a Hunger quoted in In the Stillness Is the Dancing by Mark Link 

  • A Bar-B-Que Lesson in Creativity and Perseverance

    Jean Wise
    10 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    Do you read menus?Of course you read them to find out what food a restaurant is offering, but ever notice the other information on some menus?Last week’s vacation took us to the Salt Lick Bar-B-Que in Driftwood Texas. Mmmmm, good! Great food with wonderful company.But it was the story told on the menu of the founders Thurman and Hisako Roberts that inspired me the most.Thurman traveled most of the time working in construction while his family stayed in Driftwood. They really wanted to stay in that little town so “one day, he took out a yellow legal pad and wrote down 54 things the family…

  • Praying like a Radio – Tuning into God

    Jean Wise
    8 May 2012 | 5:57 am
    Patty Wysong has created a fun meme where once a week bloggers posted on the letter of the week. Check out the details here. It is called A2Z: Take 2. A2Z as she challenges bloggers to write a post each week going through the alphabet.  Take 2 since this is the second time she has used this meme. Anyone can join in and you don’t have to always participate. This fun meme has now progressed to the letter R:   A good R word is: Radio.Praying like a Radio – Tuning into GodImagine a listening to one of the great radio shows on an old time receiver. You lean forward with…
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    Children's Bread - Spiritual Motivation for Everyday Life

  • Spiritual Inspiration from Great Biblical Leaders: Why Age is Never a Number with God

    exchangepro
    11 May 2012 | 10:28 am
    Age is just a number, and it’s never a number with God. God can use you at any stage of your life to accomplish His will. Here is some spiritual inspiration that will encourage everyone from age zero to 600. Look at this list of exceptional biblical leaders who have achieved great things past their [...]

  • Spiritual Guidance on Warfare with the Adversary: Same Permission, Same Power, Same Devil

    exchangepro
    1 Mar 2012 | 3:47 pm
    “Feed My Sheep”… That’s the word I got from God the other day. I had been neglecting my blog, Children’s Bread, in order to focus on other things for a certain period of time. However, God caused me to get back to my blog, and my spiritual guidance in order to expose the devil, and [...]

  • About Faith: It’s Built in the Valley

    exchangepro
    9 Feb 2012 | 9:49 pm
    Do you have faith in God? I couldn’t breathe without faith. I inhale and I know that there’s air for me. Being a believer requires faith, because that’s when the devil deliberately passes over millions of people on the earth, and targets YOU. You can’t do it without God. Built in the Valley Faith in [...]

  • Power Pack: Life Empowerment Package

    exchangepro
    7 Feb 2012 | 8:26 pm
    I’ve been away for a little bit. You see, I’ve been working on something that I think will empower you to take your life to the next level. Are you tired of staying in the same place in life? Do you feel like you’re in a rut, or just don’t know how to kick your [...]

  • Please Pray for Me Because I Need a Miracle: The Five Step Faith Strategy to Your Breakthrough

    exchangepro
    25 Jan 2012 | 4:05 pm
    Your Biggest Problem What is your biggest life problem today? Do you need a miracle? Have you reached your deadline, or are you just at the breaking point in some area of your life (finances, job, family, home foreclosure, addiction, health, anxiety, or other?). If so, no matter what your deadline is, consider this: You [...]
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    Revelation 3:10 - Blog: Through Davids Eyes

  • Keeping Secrets and Big Surprises

    15 May 2012 | 8:41 am
    May 15, 2012 – Keeping Secrets and Big Surprises 4 And when the seven thunders had spoken (sounded), I was going to write [it down], but I heard a voice from heaven saying, Seal up what the seven thunders have said!  Do not write it down! – Revelation 10:14 AMP Today’s verse occurs during the sixth trumpet judgment during the seven year tribulation as described in the Book of Revelation.  At the beginning of this judgment, an army two hundred million strong will begin to make its way westward to Jerusalem in order to oppose the worldwide rule of the antichrist…

  • A Cry for Help, A Call to Action, and Miracles

    14 May 2012 | 9:08 am
    May 14, 2012 – A Cry for Help, a Call to Action, and Miracles 16 Jesus said, They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat. – Matthew 14:16 AMP The background for today’s verse is an extremely rural one.  Jesus and His disciples had withdrawn from the crowds to a remote and barren place (Matthew 14:15), but the crowds followed them.  The disciples didn’t want the responsibility for feeding the crowd of people, so they asked Jesus to send them into nearby villages.  But Jesus’ reply was a simple you feed them Now put yourself in the…

  • Best Wrestling Match Ever!

    11 May 2012 | 8:25 am
    May 11, 2012 – Best Wrestling Match Ever! 24 And Jacob was left alone, and a Man wrestled with him until daybreak. – Genesis 32:24 AMP Today’s verse occurs in the midst of one of the most famous passages of the Bible.  Jacob was moving his family to the land of his youth from the land of Padan-aram.  He had just moved his entire family over the ford of the Jabbok and was the only person left on the other side.  Then, out of nowhere, a Man pops up. This was no ordinary Man.  It turns out that it was the Angel of the Lord and He wrestled with Jacob all…

  • Would the Real Prophets Please Stand?

    10 May 2012 | 8:24 am
    May 10, 2012 – Would the Real Prophets Please Stand? 7 Jehoshaphat said, Is there not another prophet of the Lord here whom we may ask? – 1 Kings 22:7 AMP In today’s verse, King Ahab found himself in a sticky situation.  Four hundred prophets had assembled before King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah.  Ahab wanted to know if the two of them should lead their respective armies into battle against Syria.  The decision of the prophets was a resounding yes.  But after this consensus, Jehoshaphat asked a million dollar question.Is there another…

  • They Don't Make Them Like They Used To

    8 May 2012 | 8:17 am
    May 8, 2012 – They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To 12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers houses, old men who had seen the first house [Solomon’s temple], when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice, though many shouted aloud for joy. – Ezra 3:12 AMP Today’s verse is a record of the reactions of people.  The Book of Ezra itself was written as a historical account of the return of the exiles of Judah back to their homeland from Babylon.  Upon their return, the Jews set out on the task of…
 
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    prayer coach: prayer blog

  • Close Call and Hidden Meaning

    Kevin Shorter
    14 May 2012 | 10:48 am
    image courtesy of Tom Cochrane This post will be a bit different as it is personal and may be harder to pull out an application for you, but bear with me as I still feel it is important. The other day I was driving through town and came to a stop light that just turned red. I was going to turn right so I was watching for my opportunity to pull out. After about a minute I perceived it was safe to go. However as I started I heard someone shout. I quickly stopped and there was a man on a bike at the left front of my car. I had completely clipped him and bent his back tire. He came from my right…

  • How I View the Christian Life Should Be

    Kevin Shorter
    8 May 2012 | 10:59 am
    image courtesy of adidas This past weekend I got to play soccer. Unlike most Americans I love the sport and have had moments of being good. I can even claim scoring goals on three continents. However most of those “glory days” have been in the past. This weekend it all came flooding back. While playing men 10 to 15 years younger than me, I was weaving in and out of them with surprising ease. While several on the field were international and exponentially exceeded my passion for the sport, I outscored all of them combined. I probably should add that I was the only one wearing…

  • Resting On The Floor Of Your Wilderness

    Kevin Shorter
    1 May 2012 | 3:34 pm
    Today’s post is by Kevin Adams author of his Wake Up My Faith blog. I came across Kevin through his twitter account, @wakeupmyfaith, and through some shared views we came to form a connection. Kevin is one of the rare people who maintain an authentic relationship with God  and with his heart. By not giving up on one for the other, Kevin’s writings bring you into the tension of living true to both. I asked him to share his walk with God in trust and prayer through a recent tough season of his life. He has graciously agreed. I encourage you to follow his blog and twitter to…

  • Anything by Jennie Allen

    Kevin Shorter
    25 Apr 2012 | 6:57 pm
    image courtesy of Shelton Interactive Recently I was approached by Shelton Interactive to do a review for Anything: the prayer that unlocked my God and my Soul by Jennie Allen. This is not a paid review, but my opinions on this book. This book is a journey with Jennie through her life the last couple years. It starts giving her background of a good Christian girl and comfortable pastor’s wife. Her life gets turned around after coming in contact with a blog by Ugandan missionary, Katie Davis. Katie Davis was also the all-American girl, but she ended up dying to all the normal American…

  • Keep Believing God’s Promise to You

    Kevin Shorter
    18 Apr 2012 | 10:21 pm
    Joseph has a dream that he would have a position of authority. His dream is followed by 13 years of slavery and prison, in which he rises to the positions of authority. Each place has parts of his dream, but it never realizes until the day he is brought before Pharaoh. David has an extraordinary experience of the chief religious leader of his time declaring him king of Israel after each of his brothers were overlooked for the position. He has some immediate successes with Goliath and advancement in Saul’s army, but it is 15 years before that word comes to pass. Abraham gets a word from…
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    Servants of Grace

  • Integrity and Purity

    Dave Jenkins
    15 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    Introduction Joseph in Genesis 39 in his dealings with Potiphar’s wife provides men with an excellent example of what it means to walk with integrity and purity before the Lord. The Lord’s presence with Joseph enables him to find favor first with Potiphar and the keeper of the prison. While Joseph’s refusal to lie with Potiphar’s wife results in his being wrongly imprisoned, his personal integrity is not compromised. Explanation of Genesis 39:6-23 Genesis 39:6-23 records the scene between Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. Genesis 39:6 says that Joseph was handsome in form and appearance…

  • Around the Blogs 5/15/2012

    Dave Jenkins
    15 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    Your Ministry is not your identity by Dr. Paul David Tripp http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/05/13/your-ministry-is-not-your-identity/ Leading Muslims to Jesus Questions to Consider by The Gospel Coalition http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/05/13/leading-muslims-to-jesus-questions-to-consider/ A Critical Mind Vs A Critical spirit by Trevin Wax http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2012/05/14/a-critical-mind-vs-a-critical-spirit/ 4 Functions of Sound Doctrine by Aaron Armstrong http://www.bloggingtheologically.com/2012/05/14/4-functions-of-sound-doctrine/

  • Book Review Four Views On The Spectrum Of Evangelicalism

    Dave Jenkins
    14 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    Evangelicals take their name form the koine Greek word euangelion, translated into English as “good news” which is also known as the evangel. It is from the evangel that evangelicals derive their identity. In the past fifty or so years, cracks have appeared over what it means to be an evangelical, which is why The Four Views On The Spectrum of Evangelicalism was written in order to help its readers understand “evangelicalism’s diverse spectrum” (216). The first contributor, Dr. Kevin Bauder, a fundamentalist who believes that evangelicalism, should be defined by minimal and maximal…

  • The Unrecognizable God of the 20th Century

    Aaron Armstrong
    13 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    Arthur W. Pink, from The Attributes of God: The “god” of this twentieth century no more resembles the Supreme Sovereign of Holy Writ than does the dim flickering of a candle the glory of the midday sun. The “god” who is now talked about in the average pulpit, spoken of in the ordinary Sunday School, mentioned in much of the religious literature of the day, and preached in most of the so-called Bible Conferences is the figment of human imagination, an invention of maudlin sentimentality. The heathen outside of the pale of Christendom form “gods” out of wood and stone, while the…

  • Book Review God’s Will: Finding Guidance for Everyday decisions

    Dave Jenkins
    12 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    Everyday people are faced with decisions—some big, some small. As Christians, we believe that we need to submit to God’s Word in all things. Many people struggle with discerning God’s will. Many more struggle with fear and or confusion about whether God guides them, how they will know when He does, and even moreso, on what happens when they make a mistake. God’s Will Finding Guidance for Everyday Decisions by J.I. Packer and Carol Nystrom address these issues and more in their book. God’s Will is a biblical and practical exploration into what divine guidance is and will help the…
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    knowhislove.com

  • What Is L O V E ?

    Wayne
    6 May 2012 | 1:38 pm
    “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”  1 John 4:8 Nothing compares to the love of Jesus. Anything other than His love is a distortion.  We all say we love this or that. We say “I love you” to someone we “love.” But any pure love is from Jesus Christ. [...]

  • Seventh Gay Adventists – Movie vs God’s Reality

    Wayne
    2 May 2012 | 11:19 pm
    “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap [...]

  • Crowning Self

    Wayne
    1 May 2012 | 11:52 pm
    Satanic forces are taking a bolder approach. Homosexual advocate and creator of  “It Gets Better,” Dan Savage, filled the airwaves with blatant statements of adversity to God and His Word… while some so called “Christian Gays/Homosexuals”  buy heavily into his campaign.  Self screams out with its passions and desires in hopes that God will understand [...]

  • Two Wrongs Equal right?

    Wayne
    25 Apr 2012 | 12:14 am
    When you feel slighted, the natural response is to retaliate. Everyone wants their pound of flesh. It’s difficult to consider yourself the object of unfair treatment. Culturally we are set up to get even, or at the very least; set the record straight without much consideration of the cost, either monetarily or emotionally. The majority [...]

  • Dear Jesus…Please make me straight

    Wayne
    23 Apr 2012 | 8:13 am
    How many men and women are dead because of prayer they prayed asking God to make them straight? In their earnestness wouldn’t He have provided such an orientation if it were crucial to their relationship with Him?  Many have taken their lives because they never experienced heterosexual desires. I have noticed a resurgence in a [...]
 
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    Christian News

  • First music video from critically-acclaimed album released this week

    Gina Adams
    25 Apr 2012 | 2:23 pm
    Pilot television show now in the works for bandThe hip-hop group Rhema Soul has released their first music video from their critically-acclaimed album, RED (Universal Christian Music Group/220 Entertainment Group/Good City Music). The song entitled “Break Out” was written by the three members of Rhema Soul and the video was directed by Wilbert J. Thomas of Space Cherry Films.  Thomas’ work has been featured on BET, JCTV, and WAY-TV, among many others.  He was nominated as Best Emerging Director at the Jacksonville (FL) Film Festival and won Music Video of the Year from…

  • Hall of Fame Artist performs for Ambassadors of the United Nations

    Gina Adams
    17 Apr 2012 | 8:43 am
    L to R: Larnelle Harris, Ken WelbornHall of Fame vocalist and five-time Grammy winner Larnelle Harris was the special guest artist for the 2012 Easter Celebration Dinner and Concert for the ambassadors and diplomats of the United Nations.  This event was held in the Roosevelt Hotel Grand Ballroom in New York City.  Over 200 ambassadors and diplomats from the 193 member nations, representing several major faith groups, attended the event sponsored by The Foreign Service Fellowship International organization.   Ken Welborn, President of The Foreign Service Fellowship…

  • Intrigue Films to debut first movie in theaters and churches nationwide

    Gina Adams
    28 Feb 2012 | 7:31 pm
    DVD to be released in MarchIntrigue Films will release their first movie entitled “One Hit from Home” on March 6, 2012.  The movie will be screened in churches and theaters in 23 markets before releasing on DVD to CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) stores as well as Blockbuster Video stores via Pureflix. "One Hit from Home” stars the founders of Intrigue Films, Dave Stone and Johnny Meier. Produced by Pavel Tchurstein, the story revolves around pro-baseball superstar Jimmy Easton (Dave Stone) who suffers a career-ending knee injury and returns to a place he has not been…

  • Popular Hip-hop Group Teams with Top Producer for Fourth Project

    Gina Adams
    23 Feb 2012 | 1:36 pm
    The hip-hop group Rhema Soul is set to release their fourth recording on March 27 via Universal Christian Music Group/220 Entertainment Group/Good City Music. Entitled RED, the project was produced by Andy Anderson (TobyMac, Group One Crew) along with newcomers Rey King and A.D. All thirteen songs on the album were written or co-written by the members of Rhema Soul: Butta, K-Nuff and juanlove. The first radio single from RED for CHR/Rock stations will be “No Walking Away,” written by Rhema Soul & Anderson. The song “Need An Answer” will be serviced to Rhythmic Radio and the first…

  • Critically-acclaimed book to be released in paperback and Kindle versions

    Gina Adams
    22 Feb 2012 | 11:19 am
    Lederer Books/Messianic Jewish Publishers has announced that the critically-acclaimed book, The Conversation: An Intimate Journal of the Emmaus Encounter, will be released in paperback this month for the reduced retail price of $9.99. The book will also be available to Kindle customers this summer. The book garnered praise from both critics and scholars as one of the most “realistic” historical fiction treatments of the Emmaus Road encounter. Author, speaker and apologist, Judy Salisbury, wrote the book as a first-person account of the unnamed disciple in the Luke 24 account. She readily…
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    Follow Illustrated

  • Come To Your Senses

    14 May 2012 | 10:20 am
    Let's lighten up this week with a quick game of "One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other". So, of these three, which one is the misfit? You know me, the answer will surprise you. Email me your thoughts. Clark H Smith

  • A Man... Like Jesus

    9 Apr 2012 | 9:11 am
    Uncle Jim and Aunt Barb were in town hosting a gaggle of family at dinner to celebrate the sale of Jim’s business.  He and a couple friends started a business from scratch and, in time, their hard work paid off.  At a Mexican restaurant, Jim’s simple drink order almost turned into an international incident.  Between Jim’s southern Missouri English and the waiter’s green card Spanish, it was hard to understand exactly what Jim wanted.  “Make a regular margarita on the rocks, but before you bring it to me, strain the drink off the rocks into a second glass, no ice,…

  • The Salad Threshold

    5 Apr 2012 | 7:37 am
    You can’t lose weight by talking about it. You have to keep your mouth shut. my dad, Carl A. Smith This post is NOT about one slob’s valiant efforts to shed weight.  It’s about something entirely different. I promise. I’ve reached The Salad Threshold three times – each of the last three Springs as I began riding my bike to wear off winter weight gain.  The riding season always starts off the same… check over the bike, locate my sweat bands, rinse out the CamelBak “hydration system”, check the weather, get on the trail, and ride.  And NO!  I don’t dress in…

  • Jump Into Spring

    27 Mar 2012 | 11:04 am
    NOT COACH!I repeat, THIS IS NOT COACH! Ah, it’s that time of year again.  The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, love is in the air, and my dadblasted neighbor has taken his 150 decibel motorcycle out of winter storage.  No kidding, the airport has called him complaining about the noise.  Seriously, this “follower of Jesus” thing is fine and everything, but I’m willing to consider breaking a few commandments just to shut up this guy’s bike.  You don’t have to encourage me, but at least you could say you understand. A few Springs ago, I had an…

  • Going Nowhere... With A Purpose

    21 Mar 2012 | 8:38 am
    My wife and I have had a theme song since the early days of our marriage – Two of Us Going Nowhere by the Beatles.  We love to just wander.  When we get the chance we’ll point the car in one direction or another and see what’s out there.  A summer ago, we found ourselves in the Blairstown, Missouri business district which featured a closed general store, a GAS-BEER-MINNOWS outlet, and a gun store.  We went to the gun store.  After shopping a few moments and calculating this was not the day to invest in a 30.06, we sauntered out.  On the way out of the…
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    God and You

  • When God’s Word got Lost

    Sean
    11 May 2012 | 5:26 am
    There are many Christians who know the Word of God. Christians who memorized Bible verses, teach in Bible studies, serving in ministries, facilitate in retreats – and yet when you look closely at their lives, something is wrong. “While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses.Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan.” - 2 Chronicles 34:14-15 The background of…

  • How do you Change your Life?

    Sean
    3 May 2012 | 11:58 pm
    When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden of Eden, it roots to much more than just the act. The act is a symptom – but what is the cause behind it? Is it pride? Selfishness? Is it rebellion? This entry has been inspired by a podcast series of Ravi Zacharias - to you, I give my sincere thanks for your wisdom and for your defense of the faith. The fall of man did not start from the disobedience. No, that was the trigger. The real fall of man was when they chose to call God a liar. It was when their faith was overcome by doubt and lies. Remember what the Serpent said? “Now the…

  • Beautiful Mystery

    Arnel
    27 Apr 2012 | 7:35 pm
    “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” – Ecclesiastes 3:11  Author’s Note: This one’s from conversations I had during and after GLC class. I decided to visit Donald Miller’s Blog and found a rather casual yet interesting entry about humanity and its unexplored facets. In his blog he writes, “I still think the least explored territory is humanity, both collective and individual. It’s not physical territory, I know, but where is there more fearful…

  • The Three Dangers of Loving Someone

    Sean
    19 Apr 2012 | 4:34 am
    I’ve been learning in my relationship with my girl that loving someone has its dangers. Usher said “There’s so many ways to love ya”, and this is true. There’s so many ways to love a person – but what is the right way that will help you keep your relationship straight? This entry has been inspired by my love for Angelyn Co. To you I will give my life not for the sake of loving but for the sake of glorifying Christ from here on Loving for the sake of Loving There are a lot of people today who have lots of love to give. We were created as relational beings.

  • The First Step to Overcoming Lust, Pornography and Addiction

    Sean
    10 Apr 2012 | 6:04 am
    There are a lot of people entangled by sin – especially the sin of lust, pornography, masturbation, sexual immorality, and all kinds of impurity. This is what is true in our world today. These are addictive and habitual sins. This entry has been inspired by Max Lucado’s book “A Love Worth Giving.” “Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.  Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.  Here a great number of disabled people used to…
 
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    Sickness and Faith

  • All Things New

    Sickness, Faith and the God Who Heals
    14 May 2012 | 9:35 am
    He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Revelation 21:5 The yearning of the whole world reaches out toward the day when Christ will make everything new. Yes, everything, without exception, everything will be made new. Read more »

  • Our Hope

    Sickness, Faith and the God Who Heals
    7 May 2012 | 9:59 am
    When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30 In the Bible death is not just a matter of being transferred into the hereafter. No, death is a spirit, which enters in when we do not know where to turn, when we are downcast, despairing. Death comes to us when we are caught up in the march of time, in the things of this world, when we cannot see more than the past, or beyond money, house, and land. This is death. Read more »

  • Through the Valley

    Sickness, Faith and the God Who Heals
    30 Apr 2012 | 9:34 am
    About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). Matthew 27:46Praise God that Jesus passed through the valley of the shadow of death for us! And for him it was gloomier than it could possibly be for any human being. He felt abandoned even by God, and yet in his forsakenness he was still able to cry out, “My God! My God!” Read more »

  • What Then of Death?

    Sickness, Faith and the God Who Heals
    23 Apr 2012 | 8:32 am
    This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Timothy 1:9–10 Through Christ death is robbed of its power and we will arise from death through him at his appointed time. It says: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:55). Read more »

  • The Love of God

    Sickness, Faith and the God Who Heals
    16 Apr 2012 | 8:23 am
    For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38–39 Paul writes that absolutely nothing, whether it be sad, shaking, or puzzling, should cause us to doubt God’s love. God’s love is firm as a rock and unshakable. Absolutely nothing can separate us from God’s love. Read more »
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    Forgotten Voices Blog

  • Our partners can pray

    Ellen
    14 May 2012 | 9:40 am
    Forgotten Voices African Director of Spiritual Ministries, Pastor Fibion Ndhlovu, sent this short reflection last week. It echoes the daily challenges many of our partner churches share with us on a regular basis. I imagine many in ministry here in the USA and around the world can identify with the sense of limited resources in the light of pressing needs. Giving context to what he had written, Fibion simply said, “Our partners can pray.” Please do pray as you read on, and keep an open heart to whatever God may impress upon you. This morning as I was busy doing some laundry I…

  • 3 moms

    Ellen
    10 May 2012 | 10:10 am
    This is my mom. I love her like crazy and am so grateful to have her in my life. We’re very close – she was even the matron of honor in my wedding! But in the last 11 years, we’ve only spent a little over 3 years living near each other, sometimes going 2 or 3 years in between visits. Mom and Dad live in Papua New Guinea and I live in Pennsylvania. I know that even as her adult daughter, my mom wants to care for me and wishes we could live close all the time. She couldn’t be here for my college graduation or my son’s birth or so many moments in between.

  • It’s winter time in Zimbabwe

    Beki Moyo
    5 May 2012 | 3:06 pm
    It seems like we are going to experience early winter in Zimbabwe.Winter is good and yet it brings pain with it. It becomes clear who has a blanket and who doesn’t have, who has a jersey and who doesn’t have, whose has warm shoes and who doesn’t have and etc. Recalling my early days at school walking barefooted on winter morning without a warm jersey makes me identify more with many orphans who are going to endure the winter cold as they go back to school this coming Tuesday in Zimbabwe. We pray that God will move our hearts to pray for these kids and also our hands to give…

  • Summit VIII starts today

    Ellen
    3 May 2012 | 12:44 pm
    Summit VIII starts today! Representatives from Forgotten Voices International and organizations from across the country and the world are gathered today at Saddleback Church in southern California for a 2-day conference  on adoption, foster care and global initiatives to care for orphaned children. If you’re at Summit this week, be sure to visit our booth, meet Kathy and learn more about supporting and joining the ministry of Forgotten Voices! Be sure to ask about resources for churches and families to connect with Forgotten Voices and check out her session on engaging volunteers in…

  • May 2012 Prayer and Praise

    Ellen
    1 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Each month we receive prayer and praise updates from the churches with whom we partner across Zimbabwe and Zambia. Below are just a few of those updates. We hope you’ll take some time to pray about these requests and praises, and remember the work of our church projects in Africa. You can learn more about the projects featured here by visiting www.forgottenvoices.org/our-projects/project-profiles Ndeke ECZ, Zambia Pray for good health among the orphaned children supported by the church. Pray for Ndeke ECZ leadership that all the planned activities for 2012 shall be accomplished without…
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    Adin's notebook

  • Believe, believe, believe

    Adin Walls
    8 May 2012 | 3:13 am
    If anyone does hurt to God’s temple or corrupts it [with false doctrines] or destroys it, God will do hurt to him and bring him to the corruption of death and destroy him. For the temple of God is holy (sacred to Him) and that [temple] you [the believing church and its individual believers] are. (1 Corinthians 3:17 AMP) Check out the part I highlighted in bold. The temple of the Holy Spirit (your body) is defiled by false doctrine. How many times have you heard it preached that your body is defiled by your sin? By drinking, or swearing or whatever. God is more concerned about what you…

  • Balls of money

    Adin Walls
    4 May 2012 | 2:10 am
    That’s what you get if you use information and your intelligence… Money… Lots of it. I watched Moneyball last night and saw how a man’s bravery and desperation caused him to take a chance on science in baseball, which led him to an offer of $12,5million from a major league baseball team. This fits in with what I’ve been thinking lately. Our “information” age is not a new thing, it’s just more obvious with all the technology we have at our disposal to exploit the information we have. In the end it’s an old and simple principle. Take the…

  • Good ideas are dumb

    Adin Walls
    27 Apr 2012 | 4:18 am
    Walking to the coffee shop to write I walked past a store that I always thought was unique and special. I thought it had all the qualities of “the purple cow” which Seth Godin teaches about in his book The Purple Cow, which in a nutshell says that in order to succeed you need to be so unique and jarring that it’s akin to driving through the countryside and seeing a purple cow – it’ll grab your attention. So I’m writing this wondering, what makes a business idea, or any idea successful? Because up until now I thought all you needed was to be very, very…

  • I would like to make a declaration…

    Adin Walls
    23 Apr 2012 | 10:02 am
    I would like to make a declaration. The iPad has changed the world. And I am beginning to realise just how much an effect Steve Jobs has had on the world. I just read a couple of Apple headlines. One saying they would sell over 5 million units in three months and that the iPad has changed education. I just got a book voucher for Amazon for my birthday. I went onto Amazon, entered my voucher number, clicked add to Kindle (for “Adin’s iPad) and in ten minutes my book had loaded onto my iPad. No paper, no drive to the shop. I am excited about this…

  • The importance of passion

    Adin Walls
    18 Apr 2012 | 10:05 am
    This blog is brilliant and the video brought me to tears: Source: richdad.com Five Lessons on Passion fromCaine’s Arcade Rich dad said, “Employees dread the work week and live for the weekend. Their world is made up of two spheres, work and play. The rich don’t know the difference. Their work is their play because they’re passionate about what they do.” For me, rich dad’s advice has been a valuable lesson. Since a young age, I’ve followed my passions and found ways to make them profitable. To me, my business is like a game. Some people study golf. I study investing and…
 
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    Everyone Listen

  • Birth

    rgerryts
    10 May 2012 | 12:05 pm
    ..you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13b How arrogant to think the knitting stops the day we leave the womb A final loop the knot is tied a breath is drawn a cry is cried and everyone declares the miracle is finished But times will come when souls are bruised and ribs are cracked when sorrow’s mist surrounds and grief knocks at the door Through tears and pain and broken hearts we will cry again And… …quietly You’ll start to knit… …calmly You will start to weave… …slowly You will make us whole… Because the miracle continues…

  • Once A Teacher

    rgerryts
    8 May 2012 | 10:43 am
    Author’s Note:  This one is for my fellow teachers, either in schools or churches.  (If you aren’t a teacher, you can still read it, and you should if I do say so myself. )  I hope you enjoy it.  Please do read it for staff devotions someday, or pass it along to a friend.  I write for Him.  I write to share. I knew a teacher once who was a farmer. Every evening she would tend her courses. Every day she planted. When she moved, her arms would swing in big arcs, and the seeds of knowledge would fly invisibly from her extended fingertips. When she wrote, the letters looked like…

  • All Aboard

    rgerryts
    4 May 2012 | 12:41 pm
    They’ve become an irritation The whistle and the cloud of steam A minor chord When you throw in the distant shout of the conductor’s “All Aboard” Always pretending it’s a question When it’s really a statement He turns back into the passenger car believing it As the world sings the song of the everyday I don’t need their music I don’t need their song or their dance So I remain Sitting in the half dim Under the poster for the circus Rocking back and forth to my own melody Softly sung so only I can hear it Keeping it close So it can’t be stolen away There’s a…

  • Eleanor

    rgerryts
    30 Apr 2012 | 9:56 am
    Eleanor was a girl who didn’t like school She didn’t like teachers, textbooks or rules She didn’t like math, science or art But in spite of it all she was still pretty smart In fact, she was one of the brightest kids in her class. The truth of it was she didn’t like much She had tried playing dolls, some hobbies and such Nothing seemed fun, nothing made her happy So she walked around gloomy, grumpy, and crabby Her little brother didn’t think she was much fun to play with. Then one day when she was twelve it started to rain The raindrops kept falling again and again Day after day…

  • Ease Up

    rgerryts
    25 Apr 2012 | 7:17 am
    I need to preface this piece with a disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. If you church with me, work with me, or are in my family be assured this piece is not about you. You know that person at church? The one with the perfect family, the perfect mate and the perfect van. The one who is always on time? The one who has four kids with immaculately clean faces and smiles constantly like parenting is the easiest thing in the world? The one who volunteers a gazillion hours a week and never looks tired or hurried? Remember that time you were actually having a great week and that person showed up…
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    iwanttobelieveingod

  • Boasting in Weakness

    Justin
    14 May 2012 | 11:37 am
    But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9 Oh the Lord has been teaching me this one… This verse has [...]

  • The Creator of Creativity

    Justin
    13 May 2012 | 10:39 pm
    Oh Lord you are so creative! So many different people all with their own unique thoughts, With their own spirit, with their own free will, You didn’t have to make so many different types of trees but you did, You didn’t have to make the stars so limitless but you did, You didn’t have to [...]

  • Thank You Abba!

    Justin
    13 May 2012 | 9:13 am
    Thank you Abba, Father God for my mom, Thank you for blessing me with such a caring, compassionate, And loving woman of faith in my life, Without her I don’t know where I would be Lord, Without seeing the Son’s love reflect from her eyes where would I be? Without her countless prayers and words [...]

  • What Will You Feed Your Mind Today?

    Justin
    11 May 2012 | 6:41 am
    The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. –Proverbs 9:10  Our minds—much like our physical bodies—need to be fed. If we don’t feed them they get hungry and start growling for something new. If we constantly feed them junk food they will become unhealthy [...]

  • Accept God’s Grace Today

    Justin
    9 May 2012 | 12:59 pm
    Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. –Romans 14:19 I’m realizing one of the beautiful fruits of the Spirit is the edification of one another in the body of Christ.  Life of course has it’s ups and downs, but God has given us [...]
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    Ruminate Magazine

  • Genrephobia

    Stephanie Lovegrove
    9 May 2012 | 11:14 am
    Last year, some friends and I assembled a book club, which, unlike many book clubs, actually does spend a good deal of time talking about the books. We also drink wine and gossip, of course, but not until after the discussion. Also unlike a number of book clubs, ours is coed and ostensibly open to all genres. We’ve done a variety of fiction (including some classics and some experimental modern fiction), with some nonfiction thrown in (including last month’s downright mind-blowing Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, which you should immediately go get your hands on). This coming month,…

  • Wilmington, North Carolina

    Josh MacIvor-Andersen
    2 May 2012 | 1:25 pm
    Here’s the physiology of it: through the magic water and placenta, through the uterus and skin and my wife’s thin cotton shirt, I could feel my son’s hiccups against the small of my back. My firstborn, unborn, aquatic little boy. Every three seconds. Suddenly we were a southern family, outgrowing a full-sized bed, all pressed against each other and hot and quickly my wife wanted a queen. I used to imagine an incandescent radar arm sweeping above us in circles, scanning the blip of my son’s hiccups from where the ceiling fan hung. It was life down there. All three of us. So many…

  • Review of Doug Frank’s A Gentler God

    Melanie Springer Mock
    25 Apr 2012 | 2:43 pm
    Like most people, my understanding of God’s image and character has been transformed over time: in my case, from the bearded old white man of Sunday school lore, giving judgment from atop fluffy clouds, to a much more inclusive—and, to be honest, more ambiguous—deity, whose being is neither male nor female, bearded nor white. One aspect of God has remained fairly constant, however. I too often believe God to be a vindictive figure, eager to smack me down. Miss church a few Sundays in a row? Something bad is bound to happen. Say one too many swear words? God will get me, for sure.

  • Works with Soul: Dave Harrity

    Keira Havens
    5 Apr 2012 | 1:12 pm
    Ruminate will be co-hosting a panel with our new friend Dave Harrity (poet and founder of Antler) at the Calvin College Festival of Faith and Writing in a few weeks, so we thought this would be the perfect time to introduce him to you all. So, Ruminate readers, meet Dave. RM: Tell us a little bit about your story, your writing, and your new project, Antler. DH: First, let me say thanks to Ruminate for their interest in my little project, but most of all for making a much-needed space where seekers can come to ‘chew on faith, life and art’—I’m glad to have such pleasant ties with what…

  • “This place is a longing”

    Hannah VanderHart
    4 Apr 2012 | 8:57 am
    A Review of Daniel Bowman, Jr.’s A Plum Tree in Leatherstocking Country   “Mohawk comes / like blackbirds at dawn” begins “Poem for the Undead,” first in Daniel Bowman, Jr.’s A Plum Tree in Leatherstocking Country. “Weaves itself / into itself / like twisted weeping willow,” the poem continues, “face delicate / curled as ivy.” If in the silken eeriness of the poem’s heavily enjambed lines you sense something of American myth and folklore, then you are not far from the source of the poems and the poet: the Mohawk River Valley, Upstate New York. The way the…
 
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    Faith That Inspires Action

  • Maude Aimee Humbard, Wife of Broadcast Pioneer and First Televangelist Rex Humbard, Passes at Age 89

    Rev. Robert A. Crutchfield
    15 May 2012 | 10:06 am
    Rex Humbard (Photo credit: Wikipedia) AKRON, Ohio, May 15, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ – Maude Aimee Humbard, wife of the late broadcasting pioneer and the world’s first Televangelist Rex Humbard made her final journey home to be with the Lord, yesterday, May 14 at 2 p.m. EST. Maude Aimee Humbard was truly a child of God and dedicated to His service throughout her entire life. She served faithfully by the side of her husband, as the original Humbard Family traveled across the United States and Canada during the 1930s and 1940s in Gospel Tent Crusades. In 1954, Maude Aimee and Rex…

  • Will the World End in 2012? Noted Chicago Pastor Challenges Mayan Calendar Prediction

    Rev. Robert A. Crutchfield
    15 May 2012 | 10:01 am
    Erwin Lutzer (Photo credit: Wikipedia) CHICAGO, Ill., May 15, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ – A new Reuters survey reveals one in seven people worldwide believe the world will end in their lifetime. But if you want to know how it’s going to happen, don’t look to Nostradamus or the Mayan calendar for answers. When it comes to predicting the future, the Bible is an unimpeachable source of information, says Dr. Erwin Lutzer, senior pastor of the venerable Moody Church in Chicago and author of The King Is Coming: Preparing to Meet Jesus (Moody Publishers). The book outlines 10…

  • ABC’s GCB Gets Canceled Because of Conservative Christians

    Rev. Robert A. Crutchfield
    15 May 2012 | 9:57 am
    LOS ANGELES, May 15, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ — For family and child advocate Dr. Ted Baehr, founder and publisher of Movieguide®: The Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment, ABC/Disney’s cancellation of its “bigoted” show “GCB,” which mocked and ridiculed Christians, was a “victory for faith and values.” “GCB” was based on the novel “ Casual photo of Dr. Ted Baehr (Photo credit: Wikipedia) ” by Kim Gatlin. Dr. Baehr said “GCB” violated the Walt Disney Company‘s own stated commitment (in its company…

  • DISH Expands On-demand Lineup with First Faith-Friendly Streaming Movie Service from GMC TV

    Rev. Robert A. Crutchfield
    14 May 2012 | 12:45 pm
    Residential satellite TV dish receivers. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) ENGLEWOOD, Colo., May 14, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ — DISH, a leading pay-TV provider, is offering more choice in family-friendly entertainment by adding G-Movies, the new faith friendly streaming movie service from GMC TV, to its on-demand programming lineup. Subscribers of DISH’s exclusive Heartland Package or Blockbuster @Home service can stream inspirational titles from G-Movies directly through their television or mobile devices. At home or away, DISH customers can enjoy more than 150 faith-friendly feature…

  • CJCUC Now Speaks Spanish, Italian, German and Portuguese

    Rev. Robert A. Crutchfield
    14 May 2012 | 11:53 am
    NEW YORK, May 14, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ — Accommodating the significant growth of international Christian visitors from Europe and Latin America who wish to learn the Hebrew bible with Jewish educators in Israel, the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC) has now hired a new cadre of rabbis that are fluent in Spanish, Italian, German and Portuguese. “In the past, we had been relying on each group’s interpreter to convey our classes on Scripture and Jewish-Christian relations to visitors who did not speak English,” explains David…
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    Revelation 3:10 - Blog: Heart Perspective

  • Sinking, Swimming or Treading Water

    15 May 2012 | 8:50 am
    Sinking, Swimming or Treading Water Let not the floodwaters overflow and overwhelm me, neither let the deep swallow me up nor the [dug] pit [with water perhaps in the bottom] close its mouth over me. ~Psalm 69:15 (AMP) When my brother and I were seven and five respectively, we were taken down to the intracoastal in Pompano Beach for the afternoon. If the tide was out, you could climb down on the rocks and see all of the formations on them. It was great fun and we looked forward to the excursion. On this particular afternoon we received the further bonus of fudgesicles. Hot Florida sun,…

  • Remaining at Rest

    11 May 2012 | 9:37 am
    Remaining at Rest The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest. ~Exodus 14:14 When I was around five years old we had a house on the lake in Michigan. The back yard was somewhat of a peninsula as it had water on three sides. There was a single fence and gate at the back of the yard that kept my brother and me from going to the deepest part of the water. My older cousins would come over to play and I would always end up in a load of trouble. Once it was because I picked up a dead beaver and was running around the back yard with it. Another time I fished a dead…

  • Contemplating the Gift of Grace

    8 May 2012 | 9:15 am
    Contemplating the Gift of Grace What shall we say [to all this]? Are we to remain in sin in order that God’s grace (favor and mercy) may multiply and overflow? ~ Romans 6:1 (AMP) Last week I had the opportunity to share dinner with a friend. I love spending time with her because it is so comfortable and easy. We can be ourselves without any pretense, fear or guard. It is in this place of contentment we sometimes find ourselves lost in conversation, oblivious to those surrounding us, in our own little world. As we were conversing in the restaurant, we found ourselves laughing so hard the…

  • The Voice of Peace

    7 May 2012 | 8:51 am
    The Voice of Peace is Never Silent  Therefore since we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). ~ Romans 5:1 (AMP) I was having a conversation with a friend recently and she made the statement to me that she was ready for some peace and quiet. This announcement was followed with her saying she was going to spend some time alone with God. As I pondered what she said a…

  • Spiritual Apathy,Callouses, Past Feeling and Reckless

    3 May 2012 | 8:25 am
    Spiritual Apathy, Callouses, Past Feeling and Reckless In their spiritual apathy they have become callous and past feeling and reckless and have abandoned themselves [a prey] to unbridled sensuality, eager and greedy to indulge in every form of impurity [that their depraved desires may suggest and demand]. ~Ephesians 4:19 (AMP) When I first wanted to learn to play guitar, I was faced with several obstacles. My hands are small. My fingers are short. I couldn’t quite twist my wrist in order to hold down the strings. Learning the combinations of positioning, notes, chords, frets seemed…
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    Richie Lewis

  • What’s On Your Mind?

    Richie
    29 Apr 2012 | 8:08 pm
    Self-help guru Brian Tracy says “people accept you at your own evaluation of yourself.” He’s right. But the Bible said it before Brian did. Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Simply put, how you see you, is how others will see you. Good news: There is only one [...]

  • Are You Busy Being Born Or Busy Dying?

    Richie
    24 Apr 2012 | 4:06 pm
    Seems just like yesterday we were on the eve of 2012 talking up another year of unlimited potential. Now it’s nearly May. Time flies. He who is not busy being born is busy dying Bob Dylan said that. Apparently the lyrical genius became a born-again Christian in the 1970′s. I don’t know if his faith is [...]

  • How To Get High On The Trials Of Life

    Richie
    19 Apr 2012 | 4:41 pm
    Was James “high” when he said “count all your trials as joy?”  (James 1:2) I reckon he was. Not in a bad way. Lets just say from a spiritual perspective, he was right up there. Because James’ mindset towards trouble is exactly the space we ought to be in when storms strike. Have you ever seen [...]

  • Are You Fathered in the Faith?

    Richie
    12 Apr 2012 | 4:04 pm
    I used to give a lot of political speeches. The common thread through all of them wasn’t economics, education, health, welfare or justice. It was FATHERLESSNESS. Why? Because nothing touched all the issues like fatherlessness did – it all starts in the home. Back then, the statistics were saying in five-years time, three-quarter Maori infants [...]

  • What Is Our Greatest Fear?

    Richie
    6 Apr 2012 | 3:14 pm
    It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, 
talented and fabulous? 

Actually, [...]
 
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    Keeping The Faith with KM Johnson | Blog Talk Radio Feed

  • Keeping the Faith: The Power of Relationship© - May 16,2012

    KM Johnson Davis
    16 May 2012 | 3:00 pm
    With all that is happening around us, it is important that each of us are doing our best to fulfill the purpose that God has given us in life. We are all called to tell of His goodness and glory. Part of knowing your purpose is having a solid relationship with God. In the life of a Christian a solid foundation in Christ begins with the personal relationship that one has with Him. Today Join your host KM Johnson Davis with her special guest Sheratan Johnson as they help you "Keep the Faith" while being a Christian in this "not-so" Christian world, and provide you a deeper understanding of "The…

  • Keeping the Faith: The Power of Relationship© - May 09,2012

    KM Johnson Davis
    9 May 2012 | 3:00 pm
    We are in a season of order and what better way to get your life in order than to start by working on the foundation? In the life of a Christian a solid foundation in Christ begins with the personal relationship that one has with Him. Today Join your host KM Johnson Davis with special guest Andrea J. Wilson as they help you "Keep the Faith" while being a Christian in this "not-so" Christian world, and you begin to understand, "The Power of Relationship." © Episode 17Andrea Wilson | Faith | Relationships | KM Johnson | God

  • Keeping the Faith with KM Johnson: Worship - Apr 25,2012

    KM Johnson Davis
    25 Apr 2012 | 3:00 pm
    Episode 16Faith | Christian Life Coach | Motivation | Inspiration | KM Johnson

  • Keeping the Faith with KM Johnson: Relationships and Fasting - Apr 11,2012

    KM Johnson Davis
    11 Apr 2012 | 3:00 pm
    Fasting is another part of your walk with Christ. In Mattew 6:16-18; 9:14,15, it is implied that all followers of Christ should fast at some point. Some Christians believe that God does not require or demand us to fast, but I believe that he expects it of us. It is also evident that fasting helps us to focus on Him. Today KM will challenge you to deepen your knowledge of God, and learn how fasting helps to bring you closer in your relationship with God even if you dont feel like youre doing much! Join host KM Johnson Davis, on Keeping the Faith, while we talk about being a Chiristian in this,…

  • Keeping the Faith with KM Johnson: Relationships and Prayer - Apr 04,2012

    KM Johnson Davis
    4 Apr 2012 | 3:00 pm
    This week is Holy Week in preparation for Resurrection weekend, and what many call "Easter". In the Christian community this is usually a time of fasting, prayer, and repentance. As we go to church this Sunday, we will learn about Jesus last words on the cross, how He was crucified, and why. This is a season of relationship, and God wants nothing more than to have one with you. He gave His only son, to die on the cross for you. Today we will learn about the value of Relationships and Prayer. Join host KM Johnson Davis on Keeping the Faith, while we talk about being a Chiristian in this…
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    The Real

  • A Brief Hiatus from Blogging

    Passionate Spirit
    5 May 2012 | 12:17 pm
    Hello everyone, I come to you with some sad news but with good intention. I will be taking a brief hiatus from blogging due to furthering my journey of self and God. Although I seek to do this all the time, I want to take time from many things I focus on to truly focus in on this. I will be breaking from social media period. I will only be on to contact people regarding my church. But I ask that you pray for me, because I am expecting to find renewal and deepening my relationship with God. Sometimes when you concern yourself with people it consumes you. I was on the brink of total consumption…

  • Relay For Life 2012

    Passionate Spirit
    26 Apr 2012 | 11:34 am
    My Reason to Relay This year I lost someone I grew up admiring, became close with and respected as another mother, Sis. Karen Allen. Along with her I have many friends, loved ones and family members that have fought, are fighting or passed away due to Cancer.  I participated in many charity events while in my undergraduate studies to raise funds for Cancer research, but this year it means more. Now it hits home more than ever and there is NO reason lives should be lost to this disease. While I do not know how it feels, I do know it's effecting many lives, caregivers and families. So if…

  • A Reminder of Real Love

    Passionate Spirit
    24 Apr 2012 | 7:38 am
    Good morning everyone! I hope all is well, I know I skipped this month as far as blogging and I apologize, life picks up speed in the blink of an eye! However, in the midst of my busy morning, God reminded me of a word too good not to share. A reminder of what love is, looks like and feels like. He sums it up so perfectly in one scripture for us. It's so easy for us to place our own expectations, visualizations and assumptions on what love should be, but in reality love is something that transforms your heart, your thinking...your being! Love doesn't have a certain look, it does not meet our…

  • Lent 2012: Fight Until the End, Choosing Courage Over Your Fear

    Passionate Spirit
    28 Mar 2012 | 1:16 pm
    Hello everyone, I hope all is well! I've been meaning to share some stuff with you guys but I have been disobedient and for that I apologize. However, I wanted to get this to everyone as we approach the end of Lent season. It has been such an amazing, revealing and enduring journey but guess what....it's not over! One of the things we tend to do is give out before we reach the finish line. We jump the first hurdle, maybe the 2nd and the 3rd if we're lucky and then stop. We stop because we feel as though we've done everything we could, but in reality we didn't run until the end. So many times…

  • Lent 2012: Admitting you Have Fear

    Passionate Spirit
    6 Mar 2012 | 10:56 am
    Hello everyone, just wanted to update you on my latest lesson while surrendering fear for Lent this year. I learned today, that a major part of freeing yourself from fear, starts by admitting you have it. It's just like the person who is addicted to drugs or alcohol, sex or anything else. There are many addictions and I believe fear is one of them. I found myself last night asking God to teach how to let go of my hurt. Well I never saw that underneath my hurt was fear. I never admitted that I was scared to let go of my hurt because it could mean more hurt or no freedom at all. I just wanted…
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    Evolution, Creation, Sermons And Christian Music

  • Fingerprints of Creation - Dr Robert Gentry

    Samuel Kadyakale
    20 Feb 2015 | 11:27 am
    Dr Robert Gentry a Geologist presents evidence from Granite that flies in the face of present scientific beliefs that the universe evolved and was not created. It details the nature of polonium halos and how they provide evidence that the Earth was rapidly formed and did not cool over millions of years. The video, shot mostly in California takes the viewer to picturesque Yosemite National Park during the winter and the regions surrounding Palm Springs and Bishop where granites are plainly visible. Three-dimensional graphic animations are included to help convey the process of halo…

  • Is Islam in Bible Prophecy? - Dr Dwight Nelson

    Samuel Kadyakale
    28 Jan 2012 | 12:26 pm
    In the following videos Dr Dwight Nelson of Pioneer Memorial Church tackles the question, Is Islam in Bible Prophecy. He goes to among other Bible books, the book of Revelation to explain the origins of Islam. He goes further to show how God has used the sons of Ishmael in the Bible to preserve the truths of the bible and to preserve God's people. He gives among others the time when Joseph's brothers wanted to kill him but ended up selling him to the Ishmaelites who eventually sold him to the Egyptians. Through this intervention God saved his people from famine when they were allowed to…

  • Is Islam in Apocalyptic history - Dr Dwight Nelson

    Samuel Kadyakale
    21 Jan 2012 | 2:52 pm
    In a series entitled,"The Star Is Still Rising Over Islam", Dr Dwight Nelson or Pioneer Memorial Church at Andrews University in the US. preaches on this controversial topic on the part Islam will play in the end of the world. Has God used Islam just as he has used Catholics, baptists etc or is He still using Islam in spreading his will on the earth. Could it be that God had a hand in the rise of this monotheistic religion? Before you answer this question remember that God promised to be with the children of Ishmael until the end of the world. Is He still keeping his promise over the Arabs…

  • Quotable Quotes on Christianity

    Samuel Kadyakale
    17 Jan 2012 | 2:10 pm
    "History's greatest revolution began, not under a red star in Petrogad in 1917, but under the star of Bethlehem 2000 years ago in the cradle where God invaded history. "Men begin revolutions with riots and gunfire. God began His revolution by singling out Mary, a simple country girl,and by telling her that the Holy Spirit would cause the very Son of God to be born to her. Mary consented, and the revolution began. That's how God always starts revolutions: by quietly in­vading ordinary lives that are open to Him."— Christianity Today 4/12/70.

  • Barry Black - How Then Shall We Live

    Samuel Kadyakale
    16 Oct 2011 | 12:00 pm
    In the following video US senate chaplain Barry C Black preaches on the title How Then Shall We Live. He preached this sermon at a camp meeting in Bermuda.
 
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    reylo: thoughts from the journey

  • Respect isn’t what you think it is

    Rey Lo
    2 May 2012 | 9:30 am
     re-spect [ri-spekt] noun esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person “If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.” Matthew 5.47 (NLT) “Men are respectable only as they respect.” Ralph Waldo Emerson Who do you respect? Why? Is it because that [...]

  • Blue Like Jazz: A Big Step Forward

    Rey Lo
    14 Apr 2012 | 8:13 pm
    When I first heard that Donald Miller’s “Blue Like Jazz” was being adapted into a film, I was curious about how they would craft an effective screenplay from a series of essays. My curiosity was answered last night. I’m a fan of Donald Miller’s books and I was concerned that I wouldn’t be objective about [...]

  • And…ACTION!

    Rey Lo
    12 Apr 2012 | 11:00 am
    So, it’s finally here. Blue Like Jazz opens in theaters tomorrow. It’s been hard to stay away from some of the early reviews. Variety and the Huffington Post gave it decent nods. Interestingly a Village Voice reviewer and a conservative evangelical site found themselves agreeing on a less enthusiastic take on the film, albeit for different [...]

  • The World I See

    Rey Lo
    2 Apr 2012 | 11:15 am
    I had a friend tell me several years ago that he only reads and listens to people he knows he can trust (i.e., people that support what he already believes to be true). The argument goes something like this: “My time is so limited that I have to make good use of it and can’t [...]

  • Creative or Artistic?

    Rey Lo
    18 Mar 2012 | 11:07 pm
    I’ve always held to the notion that there is a difference between actors and movie stars. More specifically, one is a subset of the other. While some actors become movie stars, I would not consider all movie stars actors. Thanks to the recent posting of an article by my friend and fellow blogger Rob Fike on [...]
 
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    Darrell Creswell's Blog

  • Bible Inspiration – Nehemiah 8:10 – Joy of the Lord My Strength

    darrellcreswell
    13 May 2012 | 8:22 pm
                  The joy of the Lord is my strength    Nehemiah 8:10        You make me                 Dance                                                               Sing                                                              Shine                                                             Breathe                         …

  • Inspiration from the Bible and Life – Praying with a Muslim

    darrellcreswell
    11 May 2012 | 7:58 am
                        2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we [...]

  • Inspirational Bible Verses – Philippians 4:6 – Prayer

    darrellcreswell
    6 May 2012 | 9:53 pm
    Philippians  4:6  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Be anxious for nothing… Paul is saying, don’t worry, be happy  -just talk to God about it. This scripture has been misunderstood and misused many time in my opinion. God is not saying [...]

  • The Smell of Grace to God is the Sweet Fragrance of Christ’s Sacrifice

    darrellcreswell
    2 May 2012 | 9:39 pm
      Ephesians 5:2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance of grace. Because of Christ, we give off a [...]

  • Rain From Heaven – Showers of Blessing

    darrellcreswell
    25 Apr 2012 | 6:05 am
    Deuteronomy 32:2  Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. There shall be showers of blessing, This is the promise of love; There shall be seasons refreshing, Sent from the Savior above Showers of blessing   Showers of blessing we need [...]
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    The Book

  • Husbands & Wives, Christian Suffering (1Peter 3) Commentary

    Daniel
    14 May 2012 | 10:12 pm
    God does not want new born again Christian women leaving their non-Christians husbands. Marriage is important to God- He invented it. Wives were still to be subject to their husband (see Ephesians 5:22-23), and were to testify to the change Christ has made in their lives through their conduct. God wants women to know they … Continue reading »

  • Belonging to Jesus (1Peter 2) Commentary

    Daniel
    10 May 2012 | 7:08 pm
    As newborns to the faith, and it would be good for them to pursue Spirit of truth, if  they had given themselves to Jesus, upon hearing the gospel. Jesus is the cornerstone on which the church is built, and his believers too, must be solid in their faith. Christ was rejected, but those who have put their faith in him are chosen people … Continue reading »

  • Living Hope (1 Peter 1), Commentary

    Daniel
    8 May 2012 | 7:37 pm
    Peter addresses Christians who are are in land strange to them, either because they are there setting up churches, or because they were driven there to flee persecution. He assures them they are chosen by the Father and sealed by the Holy Spirit for salvation by Jesus. Jesus, having been raised from the dead is … Continue reading »

  • What God has Cleansed, (Acts 10), Commentary

    Daniel
    7 May 2012 | 8:26 pm
    Cornelius  is rewarded with a vision for his devotion to God, yet he had not yet received the gospel or been baptized. God still heard his prayers, and directed Him to the truth.  It is an honor to be set on a task from God, we should receive it as such.  God uses Peter’s hunger … Continue reading »

  • Conversion of Saul (Acts 9) Commentary

    Daniel
    2 May 2012 | 7:31 pm
    Saul goes to Caiaphas, the High Priest, to ask for letters, permission, to drag Christian men and women out of their homes in Damascus and into Jerusalem for judgment, and execution.  Luke describes him as breathing out threats and murder.  Jesus said it is what comes out of a man that defiles him, and Saul … Continue reading »
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    In-Formatio

  • Preparing for the Ascension

    Michael
    15 May 2012 | 7:56 am
    Thursday is known as the Feast of the Ascension.  We will be celebrating the Ascension on Sunday at my churches.  It is the 40th day after Easter, and 10 days before Pentecost. Today I am reading the Psalm for the Day in Preparation for Thursday & Sunday: Psalm 47 Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with loud songs of joy. For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of…

  • Sermon Notes- June 10, 2012

    Michael
    14 May 2012 | 3:59 pm
    Year B- Pentecost 2-Proper 5 1 Samuel 8:4-20 (11:14-15) Psalm 138 (UMH 853) 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 Mark 3:20-35 The Season after Pentecost (Ordinary Time) is a long season that takes the Church all the way to Advent.  The high holy days of the season show up in November, with All Saints (Nov. 1) and Christ the King (last Sunday before Advent).  So the preacher has almost 6 months to fill with proclamation that is not tied to feast days and special days. over the years I have done a bunch of different things, but I have found the lectionary to be a great guide to reading large swaths of…

  • Pachomius and Juniper

    Michael
    14 May 2012 | 9:13 am
    Cross of San Damiano The Anglican calendar remembers Pachomius today and the folks at Common Prayer remember Juniper. Pachomius was a 4th century saint from Egypt.  He went from being a soldier to a hermit, then becoming the first hermit to organize a Christian community that shared life in common.  His work became a major influence for Basil (Eastern monasticism) and Benedict (Western monasticism). Juniper was a companion of Francis of Assissi from the 13th century.  Here is a short biogrpahy: A companion of Francis of Assisi, Brother Juniper is remembered as a “fool for Christ,” and…

  • Biblical Foundations for Wesleyan Micro Communities

    Michael
    13 May 2012 | 7:14 pm
    This was a lecture on Thursday morning from Elaine Heath on the Biblical Foundations for Wesleyan Micro Communities from New Wesleyan Communities: A Conversation with Elaine Heath.  The course is free, feel free to pass the link along.
 
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    Going by Faith

  • 8 Flavors of Gossip, 26 Bible Verses

    Jennifer Johns
    2 May 2012 | 3:30 am
    Gossip is like a secret craving. We say we don’t like it, but when it’s within reach, we almost can’t resist it. We get a sudden appetite to know what we don’t know… about somebody else. Click to continue… Share [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • The Hands That Hold Us

    Jennifer Johns
    26 Apr 2012 | 5:13 pm
    As a person who used to run away from problems, who ran away from people who loved me, who could never feel good enough about anything, and who placed hope in the attention of others, I am continually touched by the order God brought to a once chaotic life. Click to continue… [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Go From Bitter Spouse to Better Spouse

    Jennifer Johns
    28 Mar 2012 | 6:22 pm
    Months ago my husband and I hit a rough patch that got so bad we could no longer communicate about it without being bitter and mean. It seemed easier to hang out in different rooms or just not talk at all because when we did talk, we kept trying to convince the other of his or her wrongdoing. Click to continue… [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Texting with God

    Jennifer Johns
    17 Mar 2012 | 12:45 pm
    Sometimes I pray long and hard about certain issues… the kind of prayers that go on and on and on. And then I’ll hear God, and his message is short and clear and to the point, and it makes perfect sense. Click to continue… [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Small Sacrifices Made in Faith

    Jennifer Johns
    15 Mar 2012 | 12:05 am
    There are few things sweeter in life than sacrifice. How close we bond with the Lord when we walk in His spirit. How much we feel His heart beating! But I used to hate it. Going out of my way was often out of the question. The word sacrifice meant suffering, and who needed that? Click to continue… [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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    The New Life In Christ!

  • Prosperity In Christ

    njut tabi godlove
    13 May 2012 | 11:27 am
    What is prosperity and what does the Bible says about it? 2 Cor. 8:9, Joshua 1:7-8 prosperity is success, influence and riches. It does not only have to do with money but also health, spiritual and physical. Prosperity is God’s will. God desires for us to prosper. 3 John 2 Purpose of prosperity Deuteronomy 8:17-18 To establish Gods convert on earth So we can have to give Not many believe that Christians should be wealthy and prosperous in material things. But Apostle John clearly states that, it is God’s foremost desires for his Children to live in prosperity. ‘’Beloved, I wish above…

  • Why We Pray

    njut tabi godlove
    4 May 2012 | 10:43 am
    Prayer is such an important part in our lives as Christians. First of all, we must recognize prayer as a privilege as well as an honour. Every moment of prayer is an investment in eternity and true prayer is a romance of righteousness. Our fellowship is with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Through prayer we participate in the communion of the God-kind; it’s a throne-room caucus rendezvous: Jesus made it so! Oh, that the eyes of our understanding may be enlightened to see this awesome truth and that we may walk in the light of it! What a time of rich communion with the Lord prayer…

  • Receive Forgiveness And Move On! Wednesday, 25th

    njut tabi godlove
    30 Apr 2012 | 9:19 am
    Pastor Chris For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace (Romans 6:14). Someone once asked, ‘’I’m born-again, but I’m always drawn to sin. Does that mean I’m really not born again?’’ That you did something wrong, having given your life to Christ doesn’t mean you’re no longer a Christian. 1 John 1:9 says, ‘’if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’’ Something very important you need to realize from this verse is that it’s not referring to…

  • The Value Of Your Existence Thursday, April 26th

    njut tabi godlove
    30 Apr 2012 | 9:19 am
    Pastor Chris For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36). The most important thing in life is to discover God’s purpose for your life and fulfill it. Life isn’t about material gains. If you were to be the sole owner of everything in the world, that’ll be nothing compared to the value of your soul. Jesus said, ‘’…A man’s life doesn’t consist in the abundance of his possessions’’ (Luke 12:15). Your primary reason for being isn’t to amass wealth or become famous. You might then want to ask, ‘’why am I…

  • There’s Hope For You In Christ! Tuesday, April 24th

    njut tabi godlove
    23 Apr 2012 | 5:59 am
    Pastor Anita Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth (Mark 9:23). As Jesus told of the signs of the end times in Luke 21:26, He explained: ‘’people will be so frightened that they will faint because of what is happening to the world…’’ (CEV). The events we see in the world today are indications of the gross darkness that has enveloped the world: Economic meltdown, health epidemic, wars, natural disasters and terrorism. These and more have taken their toll on many, with whole nations becoming bankrupt and completely at sea as to the…
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    christian-view.com

  • Did God have a son?

    Christian
    15 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    Islam and atheism have been critics of the ideology of God having a son. Ironically, the Islamic view is in agreement with the atheistic view. Both views are based on a self-conceived ideology that God had sex with a woman and begat a son. Once again, the stand-up comedian Bill Maher who described the death of Jesus as a suicide mission takes the birth of Jesus to another extreme level saying ‘God impregnated a poor Palestinian woman’. Many of you will agree with me that mere impregnation of women doesn’t always result in a son, or a daughter, and Bill Maher knows it better. While the…

  • Why do we die?

    Christian
    19 Apr 2012 | 5:58 am
    During the Easter break, I caught up with one of my friends who has been following my posts. He mentioned that he had some questions about my earlier posts on Christian view of death and eternal life. Here, I share our conversation. 1. If the biblical view of death is correct, and Jesus died for our sins and thus paid the wages of sin (which is death), then why do we still die? In order to understand this, we have to revisit the story of the traffic offender that we discussed earlier. Although the traffic offender paid the penalty and his criminal history was wiped clean, the fact that he was…

  • One Solitary Life

    Christian
    4 Apr 2012 | 12:01 am
    I found this in my letter box the other day and thought of sharing it with you. The interesting thing is that this doesn’t say who that person is, but it is obvious. Unfortunately, the leaflet did not contain any details about the original source of this article. I made a search on the internet. There are many sites that has ‘solitary life’ with minor variations, but none of the ones I looked at included the original source.  If you know, please let me know. I will update it with the original source, which is the right thing to do. One Solitary Life  He was born in…

  • What about other religions?

    Christian
    2 Apr 2012 | 7:42 am
    In the previous post, I made an outrageous claim that eternal life is guaranteed for all those who believe in Jesus and lead a Christian life according to his teachings.  This invariably provokes a string of questions. What about ‘others’? What will happen to the followers of other religions? What will happen to people who don’t follow Christianity? I have been asked these questions countless number of times. It is as if I owe them an explanation. It is assumed that it is the responsibility of Christians to answer these questions. I beg to differ. You have to ask ‘them’, not me. It…

  • Is the death of Jesus relevant today?

    Christian
    2 Apr 2012 | 7:34 am
    One of my friends is a medical researcher. For the past five years, he has been studying how cells die. He knows a lot about how death occurs at cellular level. He is not alone. Scientists indeed have unlocked the code of death. They know how death occurs. One day, I asked my friend whether he or his fellow scientists knew the reason why we all have to die. He didn’t have an answer. Neither do his fellow scientists. The biblical view is that death entered the world through sin. God told Adam that he would die if he committed sin (breaking his law). (Genesis 2:16, 17) God was not talking…
 
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    preaching.org » Blog Comments

  • Piling On

    Kenton Anderson
    14 May 2012 | 11:40 am
    In football there is a penalty known as “piling on” which is assessed whenever players excessively tackle an opposing player who has already been brought to the ground. There have been times when listening to preaching that I have wished I had a flag to throw for similar infractions. How often have we heard preachers who, having already made their point, continue to pile on extra illustrations and superfluous commentary in the attempt to accomplish what has already been achieved. I am not a homiletic referee, but I have often wished that I could blow a whistle on that kind of…

  • Water Skimming Birds – Pitfalls in Preaching

    Kenton Anderson
    9 May 2012 | 11:34 am
    Pitfalls in Preaching #4 Richard Eslinger describes this pitfall as follows… “A water-skimming bird approaches the text from above; it hovers over its surface, looking for an idea to preach. When the fowl spots one, it swoops down and plucks the idea or concept from the sea of the text without even getting wet. This bird views the text as simply a container for the idea and as therefore irrelevant to its interest once it has plucked away the idea it spotted.” Sometimes preachers are overt about this practice. A giveaway would be when the preacher says, “I want to take…

  • Psalm 7:9 – A Text Worth Preaching

    Kenton Anderson
    8 May 2012 | 11:30 am
    O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure. Psalm 7:9 This, earnest prayer of the believer is a consistent refrain throughout the psalms. It is profoundly engaging in its appeal to the continuing cry of the human heart. Few things are as deeply felt as our desire for justice. We have all felt the frustration of the seeming invincibility of those who run roughshod over us even as we make honest efforts to do the righteous thing with our lives. Still, we are not sure we always feel comfortable expressing this anxiety…

  • Anticipating the Impact of our Stories

    Kenton Anderson
    7 May 2012 | 11:41 am
    Last week, Andy Stanley got into trouble over a sermon illustration. If nothing else, this indicates the significance of the stories that we tell in our sermons. We need to give as much attention to the stories we tell as to the points that we make, if Stanley’s experience is instructive to us. Stanley was making a point about ethical standards for leadership in the church, describing the holding of a couple accountable for adultery but not for their homosexual practice. Like many, I found the story to be disturbing. Operating at a distance, however, I might like to give the man the…

  • “The Speak”

    Kenton Anderson
    1 May 2012 | 10:13 am
    Excerpt from Choosing to Preach p.43 I recently heard a pastor refer to his sermon as “the speak.” I suppose that is what the preacher did. He spoke. It is what preachers do in the most literal sense. Still, the label bothered me. It seemed such an anemic way of talking about preaching. It seemed to betray a weak view of what could happen in the preaching task. “Speaking” is safe in contemporary culture. Self-expression is something that everybody values. Nobody minds that we speak, as long as we don’t seek to persuade anyone of anything. Preachers in cent…
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    THE CHRISTIAN JONES

  • Toronto: A City At War With Itself

    Dimitri Boweya-Ngombo
    8 May 2012 | 7:17 am
    14 years after ‘Mega City’ was formed, it’s now time for the church to lead the way in changing the identity of Toronto.   In 1998, the Government of Ontario decided that six municipalities – East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, York and the former city of Toronto– had to be dissolved and amalgamated into a single entity called the City of Toronto. Under former Premier Mike Harris leadership, the provincial government proposed this merger as a way to save the cash strapped inner cities by pooling together the resources of the entire city. Under one banner…

  • Freshwind 2012

    Sheldon Barrocks
    29 Apr 2012 | 12:20 am
    So, how was this year’s 2012 Freshwind Conference? We ask 2 youths to describe if the experience was just all hype or actually life changing.   The 2012 edition of the Freshwind Conference took place over this past Easter weekend at the Catch the Fire Church in Toronto. The event has become a yearly gathering of young people across the Southern Ontario area who are passionate about seeking a fresh encounter with Christ. After the intense 3-day conference, we asked two youths to describe the impact of the Freshwind Conference on their life and on the lives of those around them.  …

  • Love Redefined: The Love Movement

    Sheldon Barrocks
    15 Mar 2012 | 12:21 pm
    A discussion with television producer Joel Gordon on the concept he hopes will unite the body of Christ. Last month more than 1000 young people from churches all over the city of Toronto gathered at Church on the Queensway (formerly Queensway Cathedral) with a passion to have true love defined for their generation. On Friday February 10th, Love Movement was launched. Recently I caught up with Joel Gordon, one of the co-founders of Love Movement, and asked him to give details about the project.   TCJ: What is LM? Joel Gordon: Love Movement (LM) is an organization with a vision to empower…

  • 3 Misconceptions of Street Ministry

    Sheldon Barrocks
    10 Mar 2012 | 6:04 pm
    Debunking wrong ideas and common stereotypes we have about helping the homeless.   The half crowded room was well lit, but not full of much colour. I pulled my chair up next to a sketchy looking middle aged man to take down some of his information. As I sat with my pen and clipboard in hand, the man gestured to the pamphlet that he had received before from our ministry leader. Printed on the cover was a picture of a family made up of a husband, wife and young son, all with joyful expressions. With hope and regret showing on his face, he pointed to the photo and said to me: “You see…

  • A Generation Ignited for Christ

    Sheldon Barrocks
    6 Mar 2012 | 5:00 am
    Ignite Generation recently held their first ever Ignite Generation Conference. We asked Sarita Louis to share her experience of that day.   Setting a generation aflame for Christ was the theme of the first ever Ignite Generation Conference 2012 held at the Malvern Christian Assembly(MCA) at the east end of the city of Toronto. The weekend brought together youth and young adults from various denominations, nationalities and backgrounds. As a generation we were reminded that we are here for no one else but God, and that we are to be different, determined and delivered. Delivered from the…
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    A Life of Gratitude

  • Write them on the door frames...

    Tori Shaw
    14 May 2012 | 10:30 pm
    Believe it or not, we recently decided to engage in a DIY project that involves painting our living room, kitchen, hallway, master bedroom, walk-in closet and guest bathroom (walls and moulding). The... To read today's full post, please go to the following link: http://torishaw.blogspot.com/

  • Dylan's First Date

    Tori Shaw
    12 May 2012 | 10:37 pm
    "You'll be his first kiss, his first love, his first friend. You are his Mommy and he is your whole world. He is your little boy." That quote brings joy to my heart and tears to my eyes! How... To read today's full post, please go to the following link: http://torishaw.blogspot.com/

  • A world of "firsts"

    Tori Shaw
    11 May 2012 | 11:35 pm
    Our sweet baby Evan has been experiencing a whole lot of "firsts" lately. In the past two weeks he has started crawling, he experienced eating ice cream for the first time, he started sitting up all... To read today's full post, please go to the following link: http://torishaw.blogspot.com/

  • The Privilege to Vote

    Tori Shaw
    8 May 2012 | 9:43 pm
    There has been quite the uproar over Amendment One in North Carolina. For my readers who live out of state and/or out of country,  Amendment One was a Constitutional amendment to provide that... To read today's full post, please go to the following link: http://torishaw.blogspot.com/

  • A Joyful Noise

    Tori Shaw
    7 May 2012 | 9:04 pm
    This evening The Shaw clan had the praise music blaring and we were all singing at the top of our lungs! We were "playing" instruments and truly enjoying ourselves. It was so nice to hear our voices... To read today's full post, please go to the following link: http://torishaw.blogspot.com/
 
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    Latest content from FaithVillage

  • Calling All Angels

    16 May 2012 | 6:04 am
    In the village of ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands, there is a cathedral. Atop the spires and colonnades are statues of saints and angels, many of which are smiling faintly, as if they know all the answers to all the mysteries that vex us so. One angel in particular has caused something of a stir in that small village. The newest one, erected only last April. Whereas all of its counterparts are garbed in the traditional flowing robes and wings, this one has been modernized with jeans, a laptop, and a cell phone. It’s the cell phone that captured the attention of one particular husband…

  • Beauty From Ashes

    16 May 2012 | 6:04 am
    Written by Johnna Leach – April 5, 2012 I have spent the last 2 days starting this blog only to hit the backspace key and start it over again, and again…why can’t I get this out of first gear? I feel like I get it going and when I start to let the clutch out *BAM* I pop the clutch and stall and have to start all over again, (Is it obvious I ride a motorcycle!). Well, I’ve finally figured out why I keep stalling. This subject is far too close to home and kinda like hugging a porcupine, it pricks and stings. And quite honestly who wants to talk about rejection? For that matter who wants…

  • This Year, Don't Just Attend Weddings

    16 May 2012 | 6:04 am
    Well I am back from North Carolina (so sad!) and upon my arrival yesterday, Illinois greeted me with a rainy, dreary day. Luckily, my spirits couldn’t be dampened after an amazing week and a half spent with family and friends. I attended two weddings and was honored with two baby showers, and my heart has been full all week. I continually give thanks to God for the ways He has blessed me with great friends and family. It is one of the best aspects of my life here on earth! As I just mentioned, while I was home I attended two different weddings for long-time friends. Both weddings were a…

  • What Does Financial Literacy Have to do With Teens (and younger)?

    16 May 2012 | 6:04 am
    Someone asked me the other day about the way we have financially incentivized our kids on our road to enabling-recovery. It was in a bit of a judgmental manner, slightly appalled that we would pay our kids for making their beds – a task that I agree should need no incentive. But as I’ve said before, and will most certainly say again, we set the bar limbo-low around here. My response was, “You bet we pay them. Why not?” My sassy question back begged lengthy dissertations on the merits of teaching a child how to be a part of a family, helping out without incentives – all of which…

  • Dear Ginger: Losing My Friendship?

    16 May 2012 | 6:04 am
    Dear Ginger, My best friend has been pushing me away a lot recently. I have asked her if I did anything to make her not want to be friends anymore, but she says nothing has happened. I don’t want to lose her as a friend, but I don’t know what to do. Any advice? -A A – I am so sorry that your friendship seems to be filled with unknown conflict. That’s such an uncomfortable feeling. I think the hardest part about relationships is that we only get to control half of the behavior in them. I often think how much less conflict I would have in my life if I could just choose how my friends or…
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    Global Church

  • No Girls Wanted

    Eric
    15 May 2012 | 5:07 am
    In India, discrimination against women is a fact, as is the killing of female fetuses and babies. But facts can be cold. The story of these four sisters pictured is not. It’s heartbreaking. But please don’t stop reading. These sisters are also living examples of God’s grace. Ages 7 to 11, these girls are fatherless, even though their father, Raju, is alive. When the youngest girl, Krupapriya, was born, instead of celebrating the family mourned.  Raju refused to see the baby. He walked out that day and never returned. They now live with their elderly grandparents because their mother is…

  • Orphan Summit

    Eric
    7 May 2012 | 8:36 am
    Orphans around the world have new friends: American churches. This surge of interest is less than a decade old, but momentum seems to keep growing. One reason may be that scores of leading ministries united and now speak with one voice through the Christian Alliance for Orphans. The 8th annual Orphan Summit of the alliance, held during the first week of May at Saddleback Church in California, drew delegates from 46 states and several foreign countries. David C Cook is both a member of the alliance and a sponsor of the summit. Well-known Cook author Francis Chan delivered the keynote message,…

  • Good News at Chernobyl

    Eric
    1 May 2012 | 10:24 pm
    Chernobyl, Ukraine made headlines worldwide when nuclear reactors melted down there 26 years ago. Now there’s good news spreading across that region through the Story of Jesus. The Chernobyl explosion was the worst nuclear power plant accident in history. That incident and the recent disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan are the only two Level 7 events ever recorded on the International Nuclear Event Scale. The explosion and fire at Chernobyl released a huge plume of radioactive contamination that spread over much of Europe and the western part of the Soviet Union. A UN report…

  • Sold by Her Mother

    Eric
    21 Apr 2012 | 8:41 am
    Rupa, the sweet-faced little girl pictured here, was sold into slavery by her mother…for less than 20 American dollars. This is common in India, a country where girls are considered a burden to the family. Rupa, being a girl, could fetch her mother some money. At six years old, the child was a good deal: old enough to be a virtual slave, young enough to push around. A rich family bought Rupa. Her day began early, but not to attend school. Instead, she had to clean the entire house, wash clothes, make beds and wash dishes. She ate cold and stale leftovers, and that was on the good days. Her…

  • Learning about Jesus under a Tree

    Eric
    15 Apr 2012 | 7:46 pm
    A typical church in rural Africa: eager children, with willing adults to teach them, but little else. This group, meeting under the shade of a big tree, is one of 25,000 congregations of the Church of Uganda. The size and history of this denomination is impressive, larger than the entire Mormon Church globally or, by another comparison, as many members as there are Jewish people in the whole world. One-third of all citizens of Uganda belong to this church. That’s 13 million members, of whom, 74% are age 30 and under. David C Cook is working with the church to develop its first-ever…
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