The Key to Making Your Lessons Stick

July 26, 2018

Last night while I was teaching my life group, I asked my boys a question and got absolutely no response. It was a pretty basic question. No response.

The section of the lesson was about reaching out to people around us when they’re having a bad day. I asked them, “What’s a good approach to reach out to them? Is it better to ask them about themselves or to tell them a story about yourself?” We had been talking about how Jesus reached out to the demon-possessed man in Mark 5. Jesus started by asking him what his name was.

There wasn’t a word of response to my no-brainer question.

I took a different approach that changed everything. I asked, “Has anybody ever asked you how you’re doing? As you’re telling them, they interrupt you to talk about themselves?” That changed everything! They could have talked for hours. The lifeless group of 20 freshman boys had come alive. They were angry because they were all thinking about a time that happened. They suddenly understood the point I was trying to teach. Jesus was able to reach people because he asked hurting people about themselves, and then listened to their responses. He was being the model of how he wants us to care for others.

This radical difference in the life of my students last night reminded me of an important teaching principle: Help students internalize the lesson by relating it to their personal experiences. In other words, make it about them. When they feel an emotion connected to what I’m teaching, the lesson will stick with them long after the night is over.

Don’t you love it when you see the lights go on inside their heads? Let there be light—lots and lots of light.

Small Group Starting Point—Don’t Lose Sight of This

Andrew Camp

July 26, 2018

Start with people. Sounds obvious, right? After all, you and I, as small group point people, are in the business of connecting people.

But this question has come to the forefront of my mind recently, as I read Priya Parker’s excellent new book The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters. We spend most of our time in gatherings, and truth be told, most of them are lackluster, and we leave feeling like we just wasted a couple of hours that we will never get back. We rely too much on tradition and convention, instead of thinking outside the box. Or worse yet, we rely on what Parker calls “the Martha Stewart approach, elevating the readying of things over the readying of people” (page 158).

After reading this quote, I looked over an email I will often send new leaders as they prepare for their first meeting, and was convicted. My email to leaders covers all the logistical issues for them, but not readying people. Have name tags, have enough seats, have food, hand out materials, introduce everyone, end on time, etc. Logistics are good, and it can be helpful to new leaders in order to relieve some of the anxiety in leading their first meeting.

But if I simply give them logistics, and nothing more, I will be tempted to allow myself and my leaders to settle for ordinary and tradition, over and against opening up the possibilities for the Spirit to invade and do something new and exciting.

I also thought about how I often pitch small groups to both the big room and individually. And too often it is rote—my stump speech if you will. And stump speeches rarely work. People need to know that this is more than just another event to add to their already over-crowded calendar. They need to feel that small groups are different. That for the two hours they are there, they will experience something different, namely the work of the Spirit in community.

The question I need to be asking, especially as I prepare for our next big small group push, is: What do I want people to experience? Once I have answered that question, everything should flow from that answer, from how I train leaders to how I frame the ask in the big room to how my leaders frame their invite.

My small group leaders, first, and then the whole congregation, needs to know that small groups aren’t just another event to add. They need to know that when they show up that there is no need to hide and pretend, but that they can, despite what culture might teach us, put down their guard and their defenses, and find the true and everlasting hope that we all crave: the love of God and the love of others.

But this can only happen if I make a commitment to readying people and not just readying things.

This article originally appeared here.

Passing It On: Generational Discipleship in Church

Christina Embree

July 26, 2018

What do we mean when we talk about “generational discipleship”? It’s a term that I am hearing more and more frequently and it’s one that I myself use often in this blog.

Simply put, generational discipleship is the passing on of our faith from one generation to another.

In Scripture, it is the model we are given for how we instill within our children and grandchildren the faith that our parents and grandparents shared with us and we do so within the context of relationship, mentorship and community.

There are examples of generational discipleship all through Scripture.

The most oft-quoted verse about generational discipleship is probably Deuteronomy 6:4-9 where we are told to impress the commands of the Lord upon our children and to talk about them when sit and when we walk and when we lie down and when we get up…so basically, all of the time. And this command is given within the full assembly of Israel to all the people, so not just to parents but to the larger faith community.

We see this idea of generational discipleship play out in Scripture through so many intergenerational and familial relationships. Some examples include but are certainly not limited to…

Eli and Samuel (I Samuel 3)
Timothy and his mother and grandmother AND Timothy and Paul (2 Tim. 1:5)
Elijah and Elisha (2 Kings 2)
Naomi and Ruth (The book of Ruth)
Moses and Joshua (Deut. 31)
Mordecai and Esther (The book of Esther)

So how does generational discipleship play out in a faith community?

In 2017, The Journal of Intergenerational Relationships published an article whose findings explained that intergenerational relationships create essential learning environments for all generations. In other words, if generations are going to interact with each other in meaningful ways, there are some key essentials that need to be in place.

Specifically they find that three things are necessary for intergenerational learning:

There must be space to learn about one’s own generation with other generations.
All generations must act as learners and teachers at the same time.
The learning must motivate participants towards in a particular way.

Often when our churches gather, these dynamics are either not in place at all or are difficult to find. Putting multiple generations into a place where they can interact in meaningful ways can be challenging because of differences in likes, dislikes, development and experience.

As a result, many churches opt for an environment that segregates the generations from one another and promotes learning within one age range rather than between the generations. It’s much more difficult to create an intentional space for both to give and receive.

While these things are challenging, they are not impossible to overcome. It might be easier in the short term to maintain age-specific environments, but it is clear that in the long run, generational discipleship will be hampered by the lack of meaningful intergenerational relationships and interactions.

So what can we do?

There’s no silver bullet that will magically erase these challenges or suddenly make it easier to engage generations in learning and living together, but there are some avenues to explore that will create the space for growth.

Stated Purpose – If you desire to put generations together for anything from corporate worship to shared meals, be sure and let everyone know the purpose behind your action. Give a stated reason for creating a multi-generational space and repeat it often so everyone is on the same page.
Be Creative in Connection – Connecting different generations doesn’t have to look the same as connecting same generations. It’s unlikely that a second-grader is going to go out for coffee with a senior citizen. But what if the oldest Sunday School class showed up to cheer on the kids in tee ball and soccer? What if the teenagers worked alongside their parents in serving their community together? What if intergenerational prayer partners were connected to each other? There are a lot of ways to interact with each other in meaningful ways!
Give Generations a Voice – There’s nothing worse than feeling like you have nothing to give or that you are not heard. If we step back and notice that our church lay leadership, committees, service groups, etc., all reflect only one or two generations and those groups are the ones casting vision, leading and guiding the church, then there are multiple other generations that may not be feeling heard. Creating intentional space for all generations within your leadership structure can help flip that “top-down” mentality on its head and ensure that all generations have the space to give and to receive, to teach and to learn, so that all can grow together.

Since the separation of ages and the perception of differences mirrors that of our society, it’s easy for us to think “that’s just the way it is.” But it’s important to note that it wasn’t that way for centuries. And equally as important to note that the impact on the church is a substantial one. Why? Because our faith is primarily passed from one generation to another.

That is generational discipleship.

This article originally appeared here.

When Revival Came to the Alaskan Tundra

Darrin J Rodgers

July 26, 2018

Paul Patkotak (1891-1980) was born during a harsh winter on the North Slope of Alaska. His Eskimo parents left him on the tundra to die rather than face almost certain death from starvation due to lack of food. Paul survived, however, and later became one of the earliest Eskimos to identify with the Pentecostal movement.

Paul’s parents were traditional Eskimos and lived near Wainwright, a village on the Arctic Ocean. He was born in the family’s snow house. At the time, his parents and their five other children were on the verge of starvation. Other families also faced the agonizing choice of whether to allow their children to die from exposure or starvation. Paul’s father insisted that the newborn must be placed in the snowbank, but his mother initially resisted. After several days, though, it seemed obvious that she was postponing the inevitable. They bundled up little Paul, placed him on the cold tundra, and left to go hunting for food.

Shortly after Paul’s parents left, his grandmother ventured outside and rescued the hapless newborn. She tucked her bundled grandson into her own clothing, but she fell in the snow and was unable to get up and return to the house. It seemed that both would die from exposure. However, a hunter discovered their plight and brought them to his hunting camp. That night little Paul had nothing to eat, but he survived in his grandmother’s care.

The following morning, a caribou herd wandered into the camp. The hunters killed enough animals to provide food for the winter months. Paul’s grandmother fed Paul with milk from one of the caribou cows, which she had managed to milk. Later that day, Paul was reunited with his mother, who had never expected to see him again.

Paul was reared according to traditional Eskimo customs, learning to fish, trap and hunt. He had contact with government workers and missionaries, who gave him a rudimentary education based on Bible stories. Although he did not become a Christian until years later, the stories of Jesus intrigued Paul.

Unlike many of his Eskimo friends, Paul wanted to further his education. He worked hard, trapping and pelting countless white foxes, which he planned to sell to make his dream possible. In 1911, he boarded a steam freighter with his pelts and headed for Seattle.

Paul arrived in Seattle and felt overwhelmed by the large city. He discovered a Free Methodist school called Seattle Seminary (now Seattle Pacific University), which he wanted to attend. He was not qualified to enroll, but professors allowed him to sit at the back of the classroom and audit classes.

Paul’s limited reading skills hampered his ability to understand, and other students severely ridiculed him. He grew desperate. He wanted to learn, but education seemed out of reach.

One day in 1913, while Paul was wandering down a street in Seattle, a man asked him, “Are you hungry for the Lord?” He responded affirmatively, and the man led Paul to a small Pentecostal congregation affiliated with the Apostolic Faith Mission (Portland, Oregon), which had roots in the Azusa Street Revival (1906-1909).

The young Eskimo sensed the power of the Holy Spirit in the Pentecostal meetings. An African-American woman caught his attention when she testified that God looks at a person’s heart, not at the color of their skin. He realized that he had built up hatred toward white students at the seminary who mocked him. He also realized that he needed to abandon his belief in the power of traditional Eskimo shamans. Paul responded to the altar call, repented of his sins, and peace and joy flooded his heart.

Paul spent the next two years at a government boarding school for Native Americans, where he improved his reading skills. He also remained active in the Apostolic Faith Mission.

Paul sensed a burden for the Eskimo people. In 1913, in a letter published in The Apostolic Faith newspaper, Paul testified of his newfound faith in Christ and stated that he felt called to bring the gospel to his people. He began praying for a mighty revival to come to the Eskimos.

In 1919, Paul, his wife and children moved to Alaska. They adopted the nomadic lifestyle of a hunter and trapper. This lifestyle made it somewhat difficult to effectively witness to other Eskimos, as they often lived in isolation. Paul was a faithful Christian and shared the gospel when he was able to do so. He was not a credentialed minister, but he went on several extended evangelistic tours across Alaska. The family later moved to Wainwright, so that their children could receive an education.

In the 1950s, the development of the oil industry brought significant changes to the North Slope of Alaska. Outsiders brought money and new opportunities for sin, disrupting traditional society.

In 1954, Paul joined forces with Sherman Duncklee, an Assemblies of God evangelist who was planting a church in nearby Barrow. A significant revival swept Barrow, and then Wainwright. Assemblies of God churches were formed in these towns, and the revival spilled over into the Presbyterian church and divisions between the churches came down. Paul’s son, Steven, was among the hundreds of converts in the revival. Another convert, Ned Nusunginya, would become the first Eskimo to be ordained by the Assemblies of God.

Paul had prayed since 1913 for revival among the Eskimo people. After 40 years of prayer, a spiritual awakening had finally come to the Eskimos!

The story of Paul Patkotak illustrates several themes in Pentecostal history. The interracial nature of the Azusa Street Revival reverberated through early Pentecostalism, and people from varied ethnic and cultural backgrounds found new life in Christ through Pentecostal churches. Significantly, much of the ministry among early Pentecostals was performed by lay persons, such as Paul. The testimonies of these early converts helped bridge cultural divides and laid the groundwork for the development of revivals and churches.

The July 21, 1963, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel included an account of Paul Patkotak and the Wainwright revival. Read the article, “Arctic Village Turns to God,” by Ida Cecelia Piper, published on pages 24 and 25.

This story originally appeared on AG News as part of the “This Week in AG History” series. Photo courtesy of The Apostolic Faith Church (Portland, OR).

7 Keys for Pastors to Lead Well

Jeremy Roberts

July 26, 2018

Leadership is a topic we hear discussed often, but it easily gets complicated. People earn PhDs on the very topic. It has gotten a bit muddy, though. So much talk about it has resulted in the word meaning less and less. Let’s get back to it causing some meaning.

What are some basic keys for pastors, in particular, to lead well?

Engage the congregation in theological reflection.

We often speak of concrete action steps for sermon application, but rarely discuss reflection of theology. Let’s remember that theology is deep, and reflection is needed. Engage the congregation in this time of reflection. Encourage it.

Continue in personal development.

Go to a conference or two. Read some strategic books to help you. If you want to lead well, you will experience development on a consistent basis.

Think bigly.

I wanted to use the word “bigly” almost as much as the word “huuuuuuuge.” In all seriousness, be a big thinker. If you want to lead to a higher level, you must think at a higher level.

Lead from the front.

Here’s a little example of this: I want our church to show that guests are to be treated like VIPs. If that’s the case, we need to reserve parking spaces just for them. Furthermore, leave other spaces that are closer to the front for people who actually need them.

So, in order to lead from the front, I park in the back of the lot. It’s a little thing, but a church member even made mention of it to me yesterday how they appreciated it. This is leading from the front.

Invest in others.

Pour into people. Are your lunches strategically scheduled to invest in others? Build relationships. People matter!

Value accountability

People who devalue accountability usually reflect a lack of desire to experience a life above reproach. We all need accountability. Value it.

Care for core values and mission.

Protect your core values. Point people toward them. Live your mission. If you don’t, nobody will.

I hope these seven keys will help you lead at another level!

Have any additional keys of leadership? Let me know about them in the comment section below.

This article originally appeared here.

4 Ways Men Can Combat Abuse in the Church

Gricel Medina

July 26, 2018

Responding to accusations of sexual misconduct against actors James Franco and Aziz Ansari, Huffington Post cultural commentator Amaris Acosta wrote, “We’re still asking too much of women and too little of men.” When the famous men were accused of misbehavior, they and others, including a prominent New York Times writer, claimed they were only guilty of misreading women’s ambiguous sexual signals. Acosta goes on, “Both men and women have been complicit in gently defending men’s inability to read minds, saving their harshest criticism for the women at the receiving end of insensitive or abusive encounters.”

Acosta’s observation may be even truer of the church than society at large. #ChurchToo and #SilenceIsNotSpiritual have proven that, too often, our instinct is to blame the victim and assume the best of the abuser. Men receive standing ovations in some churches just for responding to allegations; whether they confess or deny misconduct appears almost irrelevant. It might be because Christians love a story of repentance and forgiveness more than the hard work of justice. Or, it might be because we want to believe the best of our leaders. Whatever the reason, we give accused men the benefit of the doubt and pat them on the back for even acknowledging that women have spoken. And, we easily question the integrity of women who speak out—though they have nothing to gain and everything to lose.

It’s no wonder that many women keep silent about abuse; they see that the church’s first instinct is to dismiss and explain away their trauma. Dramatic ovations also further victimize women who do dare to come forward, especially women of color. When you’re both a woman and a person of color, you often get the most blame and the least sympathetic ear. As a Latina pastor, I know the pain and rejection of being invisible and unheard. Of being viewed with suspicion while the actions of white male colleagues are judged as boyish mistakes.

Acosta concludes: “It is long past time to hold men accountable for failing to do the simple task of regarding a woman’s personhood and seeking not just enthusiastic, but affirmative consent. We cannot continue to baby the accused men by believing them to be incapable of thoughtfulness and emotional intelligence by nature.”

Men, I am calling you to step into your full humanity. To carry your weight in this movement toward the kingdom Jesus pronounced. Here are four ways you can start.

Change the way you talk about abuse

It’s time to stop diminishing the severity of abuse by calling it a “mistake” and treating it like an accident. Buying the wrong brand of bottled water is an accident. No youth pastor accidentally drives a teenage girl to a remote place and coerces her to have sex. When a spiritual leader or any adult takes advantage of a young girl who is vulnerable and naïve, that’s always assault. It’s criminal. It’s immoral. When we simply call abuse a “mistake” of the past, abusers are let off the hook and the truth is minimized. And, the steps we the church take when a victim comes forward will determine if other victims will feel safe to do likewise.

We also need to check how we talk about forgiveness. After her testimony in the trial of serial abuser Larry Nassar went viral in Christian circles, Rachael Denhollander spoke to Christianity Today:

I have found it very interesting, to be honest, that every single Christian publication or speaker that has mentioned my statement has only ever focused on the aspect of forgiveness. Very few, if any of them, have recognized what else came with that statement, which was a swift and intentional pursuit of God’s justice. Both of those are biblical concepts. Both of those represent Christ. We do not do well when we focus on only one of them.

Forgiveness—even when freely given—should never negate the legal ramifications of abuse. It’s counterproductive and harmful to force victims to make amends with abusers or forgive before they’ve had time to process the trauma. And, the pace and process of healing should not be determined by anyone but the traumatized person. Abuse must be reported to the proper authorities: law enforcement and hospitals.

It’s heartbreaking enough that Christian women and girls endure abuse by those they should be able to trust. We add to that heartbreak when we push them to forgive—either for the sake of our own comfort or so we can celebrate an abuser’s redemption. We demand forgiveness for the sake of everyone but actual victims. Instead, we must demand justice. We must prove—by what we say and how we respond to what others say—that we can be trusted with victims’ trauma.

Practice mutuality instead of patriarchy

Some Christians teach that patriarchy is God’s design. That God made men to lead and women to submit. But in the Garden of Eden, God created men and women to steward the earth together. There was no hierarchy between them until sin entered the story. We must arise with divine resolve against unbiblical narratives that fuel injustice.

Don’t buy into patriarchal views, but instead challenge them with mutuality. Ask questions about your theology and seek out spiritual mentors who see mutuality as God’s design in Scripture. Then, live out what you believe about Scripture.

Don’t insist on having the last word as the husband or being the sole decision-maker in your marriage. Think carefully about why you respond the way you do to women who challenge or differ from you. Is it because their position makes you uncomfortable? Would you respond the same way if a man said or did the same thing? If you’re a leader, give up the stage to make space for women. If you’re a pastor, teach mutual leadership and submission instead of gender roles.

In mixed gender groups, intentionally ask women for their opinions when they aren’t speaking. But also, consider why they may not feel comfortable sharing. Affirm women’s ideas and credit them. Don’t restate their ideas as your own or the group’s. It’s crucial to verbally recognize women’s creativity and ingenuity.

These are some of the everyday symptoms of patriarchy. Learn them and change your behavior. Challenge others to change theirs.

The Doctrine of Existence

Paul David Tripp

July 26, 2018

It’s the most significant reality in the universe. It’s the glue that holds every aspect of theology together. It’s the place where the content of Scripture finds both its rationality and its reliability.

This doctrine provides vital information for the scientist, the psychologist, the mathematician, the business executive, the educator, the physician, the politician and the plumber. You either recognize it as true and humbly submit your life to its foundational implications, or you reject it as false and live in some form of rationality-denying delusion.

What’s this doctrine I’m talking about? The doctrine of God’s existence.

HUMAN BEINGS WANT GOD TO EXIST

I was in Northern India, touring one of the high and holy cities of Hinduism, when we were invited to enter a temple. I can only describe it as “the mall of the gods.” This temple was several stories high, with many hallways, and in each hallway were many rooms—like a shopping mall in America.

In each room was some kind of physical representation of the Hindu pantheon of gods. As I traveled up floor after floor, walked down hallway after hallway, and looked into room after room, my mind was blown and my heart broken. Why? This “mall of the gods” was a powerfully stunning physical portrait of a deep spiritual reality: Human beings long for God to exist. This longing doesn’t always result in religious activity, but it’s inescapable regardless of your philosophical viewpoint.

There was something else that hit me that day, like a violent stab in the heart. If every human being has this longing for God to exist, then billions of people respond to it in a way that’s horribly and destructively wrong.

Everything about that temple was wrong. Everything about it was corrupting the heart and life of the people who would go there. Everything about it was a delusion, a lie that would blind their eyes and deafen their ears to the real truths about the real God.

And yet, the people around me were beyond excited that they were in the temple. For many of them, it seemed to be the pinnacle of their spiritual experience. I wanted to scream, “No, no, no! This isn’t reality! This will never satisfy your longing! This will never give you the peace your heart craves! This will never bring you close to the God your heart is hardwired to have fellowship with! This is all wrong!”

But I couldn’t, and I didn’t. I just walked away with a heart broken at the darkness, but at the same time, deeply thankful that my eyes had been granted sight.

THE BIBLE DOESN’T ARGUE FOR GOD’S EXISTENCE

If you think about it, the Bible doesn’t lay out a logical, point-by-point argument for the existence of God. One reason for that is because the Bible wasn’t written as a systematic theology textbook. But I believe there’s another, more fundamental reason: The Bible doesn’t contain a section proving God’s existence because the Bible declares it.

You could argue that every book of the Bible is a historical declaration of the existence of God. Every form of literature in the Bible is a creative means of announcing his existence. Every command teaches what his existence means for human existence. Every theological discussion unpacks the meaning of his existence.

The story of the Bible is God’s story; it never surrenders center-stage to anyone else. Just like a gripping Broadway play, nothing in the Bible would make sense if you removed the central character from the plot.

The Bible doesn’t wait very long to begin its page-after-page declaration of God’s existence; in fact, it doesn’t wait at all! As soon as the curtains are pulled back and the lights come on, the leading character walks to central stage to deliver his most important lines: “In the beginning God…” (Genesis 1:1).

From there on out, the script begins to reveal to the audience God’s power, holiness, sovereignty, wisdom, justice, grace and much, much more. The declaration not only makes the Bible his book, but makes life and all that it contains his as well.

God exists before the story, he authors the story, and he controls the characters and the plot and the destiny of all who exist in the story. He never changes, but he controls all of the twists and turns of the plot. He creates glorious things, glorious people and glorious events, all to give himself glory.

Why does the existence of God matter? I’m deeply convinced that we’ll only ever know ourselves if we know him first. We’ll only ever understand the depth of our need once we understand the expanse of his glory. We’ll only understand the true meaning of our life when we first embrace the true meaning of his existence. We’ll only know what it means to be fully human when we first live in submission to the full reality that he was, he is and he ever will be.

In this way, the doctrine of God’s existence is not some academic, distant-from-reality, dusty “back of the theology library” book for us to ruminate about. No, it’s perhaps the most practical and formative thing we could ever analyze. We simply can’t embrace this truth and walk away unchanged.

SBC Apologizes to Sexual Abuse Victim Anne Miller

Megan Briggs

July 26, 2018

UPDATE July 27, 2018

The site JusticeforAnne.com released a statement about the IMB’s response to Anne Miller’s case and J.D. Greear’s announcement that he will be forming a Sexual Abuse Presidential Study Group. The group, comprised of a handful of victim advocates, says that while they are thankful for the statements made by David Platt and J.D. Greear, “ultimately the follow-through is what will demonstrate the sincerity of the IMB and SBC leadership.”

The group is asking the SBC and IMB to ensure their investigations are “truly independent”. The statement explains what truly independent means:

A truly independent investigator is not a lawyer paid by the SBC or IMB; nor is it an organization with previous ties to the SBC or IMB, such as MinistrySafe (the organization used in the Andy Savage scandal). A truly independent investigation will be from a qualified, outside party.

Essentially, the group is calling on the SBC and IMB to resist the temptation to use the investigations solely as a means to cover themselves and avoid lawsuits and public fallout. They are asking for the SBC to make the investigation’s findings public and use them to inform protocols for the future.

Anne Miller endorsed the group and the statement on her Twitter account.

In 2007, Anne Miller approached the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Missions Board with a complaint: 10 years earlier Miller had been sexually abused by one of their missionaries. While the IMB conducted an internal investigation in 2007, they did not report the incident to authorities. Now over 10 years later, David Platt, the head of the IMB, has responded to Miller’s complaint and indicated the IMB handled the situation poorly.

“I want to publicly apologize for the hurt and pain that Anne Miller has specifically suffered in this situation,” Platt writes in a statement released Wednesday, July 25, 2018. Platt thanked Miller for “the courage she showed in approaching IMB in 2007, and the courage she is showing now.”

Platt also communicated he is commencing an independent investigation of IMB’s past handling of sexual assault claims as well as an independent examination of the organization’s present practices.

Why Is This Apology to Anne Miller Happening Now?

In 2007, when Miller first approached the IMB about her past relationship with Mark Aderholt, who was working in eastern Europe as a missionary at the time, an internal investigation was conducted. Miller describes the investigation as “humiliating” and invasive in an article she wrote on her blog. The IMB concluded there had been an inappropriate relationship between Miller and Aderholt 10 years previous, when Miller was 16 years old and Aderholt 25. Miller says IMB asked her if she wanted to report the incident to law enforcement, but the IMB’s investigation left her raw and she did not feel she could handle another investigation emotionally. Aderholt resigned from his position with the IMB and at the time Miller felt that was enough.

After another 11 years and what appeared to be a cover-up on the part of the IMB, though, Miller was ready to report. In July of this year, Miller went to police in Arlington, Texas, and reported the relationship with Aderholt that occurred over 20 years ago now. Aderholt was arrested on July 3 on charges of sexual assault against a child under 17 and two counts of indecency with a child—sexual contact.

Although he was no longer a missionary, Aderholt continued to serve in various leadership positions in SBC churches. Aderholt took a position as an assistant pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. In the years that followed, he rose through the ranks of the SBC to eventually become the associate director and chief strategist of the South Carolina Baptist Convention in 2016. Miller reached out to the IMB after the 2007 investigation to ask for more details about what the investigation concluded and, more pointedly, why Aderholt was allowed to be in leadership, albeit under a different organization’s roof.

The SBC Is (Now) Listening

Miller took to Twitter to thank Platt and the SBC-affiliated Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee’s Russell Moore for speaking with her and taking her case seriously.

Unspeakably grateful for EVERYONE’s support for the @IMB_SBC & #SBC to do the right thing. @plattdavid @drmoore & I spoke earlier this evening by phone and I am deeply encouraged by their words and the actions that will follow. @jdgreear also voiced support by email. THANK YOU. https://t.co/oQbYlhUmog

— Anne Miller (@girlnamedanne) July 26, 2018

This Is Why Fake News Spreads Like Wildfire

Bob Ditmer

July 26, 2018

A new study on fake news and its appeal on social media reveals an old teaching from the Bible—humanity is sinful by nature and prone to evil.

The first-of-its-kind study from researchers at MIT looked specifically at Twitter.

“It seems to be pretty clear [from our study] that false information outperforms true information,” said Soroush Vosoughi, a data scientist at MIT who has studied fake news since 2013 and who led this study. “It might have something to do with human nature.”

The researchers found a false story is much more likely to go viral as it reaches 1,500 people six times quicker, on average, than a true story does. And while false stories outperform the truth on every subject, fake news about politics regularly does best.

Extrapolating those numbers as a percentage, falsehoods were 70 percent more likely to get retweeted than accurate news.

The Atlantic offered two examples of how quickly fake news spreads compared to facts.

“In August 2015, a rumor circulated on social media that Donald Trump had let a sick child use his plane to get urgent medical care. Snopes confirmed almost all of the tale as true. But according to the team’s estimates, only about 1,300 people shared or retweeted the story.

“In February 2016, a rumor developed that Trump’s elderly cousin had recently died and that he had opposed the magnate’s presidential bid in his obituary. “As a proud bearer of the Trump name, I implore you all, please don’t let that walking mucus bag become president,” the obituary reportedly said. But Snopes could not find evidence of the cousin, or his obituary, and rejected the story as false.

“Nonetheless, roughly 38,000 Twitter users shared the story. And it put together a retweet chain three times as long as the sick-child story managed.

“A false story alleging the boxer Floyd Mayweather had worn a Muslim head scarf to a Trump rally also reached an audience more than 10 times the size of the sick-child story.”

Here’s a way to test the study for yourself. The next time you see a correction on Twitter when someone tweets a story that ends up being false, see how many tweets the correction gets compared the original post. It’s almost always a mere fraction.

The Allure of Fake News

Why are we so engrossed by fake news? Those from a biblical worldview say the reason lies in our fallen nature.

“Social media enlivens our carnal nature,” Kim Cash Tate wrote in an article for Desiring God. “We enjoy quick satisfaction. Emotion wants an outlet. Complaints must be heard. Anger needs to be expressed. And contrary views must be vigorously opposed, because that’s what the flesh enjoys as well—superiority. It will mow down another’s views—succinctly if on Twitter—while elevating its own, earning a satisfying flurry of shares and retweets. We all know how much the flesh loves validation.”

If Your Kids Say This Phrase, They’re More Entitled Kids Than You Realize

Daniel Darling

July 26, 2018

There is a phrase in our vocabulary that nobody has to teach us to say. It’s a phrase kids say very quickly in childhood. And it’s a phrase you should ban in your household because if your kids say it, that means they are entitled kids.

The #1 Phrase Entitled Kids Say: ‘That’s not fair.’

It sounds innocent enough. Everybody wants life to be fair, right?

But this is an insidious phrase, revealing a sin so bankrupt it goes back to the very beginning, back to the Fall of Man. It’s essentially what Eve was told by the serpent. “You’re getting a raw deal. You’re entitled to more. God is holding out on you.”

If you read Paul’s account of the Fall in Romans, you’ll discover that it was this attitude—ingratitude and entitlement—that lit the match of sin, plunging Creation into darkness. And it’s a surefire way to test your own heart, to see where the idols are.

Maybe it seems a bit melodramatic to bring all of this up to my four children, ages 2, 4, 5 and 9. But I fear that if I allow them to embed entitlement in their little hearts right now, their first reaction to someone else getting an extra dessert, a gift from a friend, a new pair of shoes, is “That’s not fair.”

And so we don’t allow this entitled phrase in our home. And when it comes up and my children act like entitled kids, they know they are in for some form of punishment, which usually involves a long-winded soliloquy from Dad that goes something like this:

First, you are right in saying that life isn’t fair.

Because it’s not fair that little children go to bed hungry this very night, having eaten nothing but a handful of rice, and here you’ve just had seconds on french fries. It’s not fair that some boys and girls grow up without a mother and father, orphaned by a war they didn’t start. It’s not fair that some children won’t even see many birthdays, succumbing to diseases we treat with immunizations and routine trips to the doctor.

So if there is a complaining about being fair, it’s you and me and all of us in prosperous, free America on the other side of “Not fair.” So in the line of people complaining about a bad lot in life, we are several zip codes away from the front.

Most of the world is pointing to us and saying, “Life isn’t fair,” and they have a much better case.

Second, you really don’t want life to be fair.

We all have a scale of what is just—but the problem is that we are human and not God. He actually holds the scale and the Bible says to us that it’s weighed down heavily in favor of His mercy.

Listen to the words of the prophet, Jeremiah, “It is of his mercies we are not consumed” (Lamentations 3:22).

Can a Christian Drink Alcohol?

Barry Cameron

July 26, 2018

This question—Can a Christian drink alcohol—has been asked through the ages and will continue to be asked.

It wasn’t that long ago that news broke that Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Shaun White had been charged with vandalism and public intoxication. On my Facebook wall, I posted the following comment: “This just in…and the gold medal for character enhancement, once again, goes to alcohol.”

Can a Christian Drink Alcohol?

For years, well-meaning, sincere Christians have debated the subject of drinking).

The Bible is also clear that mature Christians should avoid causing others to stumble by drinking (Romans 14:21.)

I have yet to hear from anyone who drinks how alcohol enhances anything or blesses anyone. Max Lucado said, “One thing for sure, I have never heard anyone say, ‘A beer makes me feel more Christlike… Fact of the matter is this: People don’t associate beer with Christian behavior.”¹ I’ve yet to see how it improves someone’s testimony or makes anyone a more effective witness for Christ.

Quite the contrary, like Shaun White mentioned above, or Richard Roberts, Oral Roberts’ son, who was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, driving under the influence, the result doesn’t enhance your testimony. Rather, it takes away from what testimony you had.

Should a Christian Drink Alcohol?

Recently, a friend of mine, former megachurch Pastor John Caldwell, wrote an article in Christian Standard magazine called To Drink or Not to Drink? John’s article explained why he has personally abstained from drinking alcohol and dealt with the bigger issue of the contemporary church becoming more and more like the world.

3 Things Every Kids’ Pastor Wants Their Youth Pastor to Know

Sam Luce

July 25, 2018

One of the things our church has always been blessed with is youth pastors who really get the value of kids’ ministry. The more I talk with kids’ pastors from around the country I have come to find out that is far from the norm. I have heard stories that would make you laugh, stories that would make you cry, and everything in between.

The past 10 years the word that has dominated in kids’ and youth ministry culture is “family ministry.” A family pastor is something that previously never existed in title, although it did in function in a few churches. I believe the drive and passion for family ministry have had a powerful effect on the focus of churches when it comes to next generation ministry. The beautiful side benefit of this approach has been a much-needed closing of the relational gap between youth pastors and kids’ pastors. It is by no means complete, but is far closer today than it was even eight years ago.

That being said here are three things I think every kids’ pastor wants their youth pastor to know.

1. The success of my ministry is determined by the health of yours. One of the biggest mistakes any church can make is creating ministry silos. Ministry happens best in healthy, highly relational environments. Too many kids’ pastors try to keep kids longer than they should, and too many youth pastors try to attract kids sooner than they should. If the goal of our environments is solely numbers, you will manipulate people and figures to get what you want. If the ultimate goal is life change and gospel proclamation, you will care just as much about the health of the environment the kids you pastor will transition into.

2. I want the same things as you. Rather than fight for cool points (a fight most kids’ pastors will lose to a youth pastor every time), how about sitting down sharing a cup of coffee and share with each other what your dream for your kid is? In most cases, you will find that you are both fighting for the same thing. If you both equally value the gospel, you will celebrate and even learn from the differing methods to communicate and transfer that value to the kids and families you serve.

3. My job is just as hard as yours just in a different way. Being a kids’ pastor is hard. Being a youth pastor is hard. They are both hard in a different way. The children’s pastor must ground children biblically. They must do so at multiple age levels at once, and as a result, learn to manage multiple environments and multiple groups of volunteers. Kids’ pastors have to balance safety, fun, security and gospel clarity. Kids’ pastors understand that the issues youth pastors face are very serious, but youth pastors need to understand that to a kid losing a pet is as serious of a loss as losing a girlfriend or boyfriend is to a 15-year-old. Preparing to speak to teenagers every week is difficult, but so is preparing four to 20 people to speak each week.

When our focus becomes the gospel of the Kingdom rather than the propagation of our own kingdom, Jesus is magnified. Kids’ Pastors and Youth Pastors, let’s work together, let’s talk to each other, let’s make much of Jesus.

This article originally appeared here.

Women in the Storyline of Redemptive History

Eric Schumacher

July 25, 2018

The #MeToo movement has sparked some good conversations about the value and significance of women, a conversation that has moved into the church in helpful ways (#ChurchToo). A friend’s tweet got me thinking about the significant role women in the Bible play in God’s storyline of redemption.

Women in the Bible

So, for my own benefit, I started jotting an off-the-cuff list of notable places women show up. I stopped at 20 examples of women in the Bible.

I ended up posting it to Twitter as “Twenty observations of women in the storyline of redemptive history from Genesis to Revelation.”

A friend suggested I post it on the blog. So, here it is!

Update:

I’ve updated this list to 21 observations. The new #4 was just too good to leave off!

(Download a printable PDF of this list.)

Update 2:

The Gospel Coalition invited me to turn this into an article for their site, available here.

Update 3:

Front Porch with the Fitzes invited me to discuss this post on their podcast. Listen to our discussion on Episode 214.

Twenty-one observations of women in the storyline of redemptive history from Genesis to Revelation:

A woman’s absence is the first thing to be declared “not good” in creation (Genesis 2:18).
The woman is specifically named as having enmity with the serpent (Genesis 3:15).
A woman will give birth to the serpent-crushing seed—the Messiah (Genesis 3:15).
A woman is the first and only character—male or female—in the Old Testament to confer on God a name (Genesis 16:13).
Women—often brave, vulnerable and oppressed—often act at decisive moments in redemptive history to preserve the endangered line of the seed (e.g., Tamar, Genesis 38; the Hebrew midwives, Ex 1:15-21; Rahab, Joshua 2; Ruth; Esther; et al).
Women were the first to believe the announcement that Jesus and his forerunner (John) soon would be conceived (Luke 1:5-38). Likewise, they were the first to speak aloud of it.
A woman and her (in utero) child are the first recorded people to recognize the arrival of the Messiah on earth (Luke 1:39-45).
A woman is the first recorded to verbally declare the Messiah’s presence on earth (Luke 1:39-45).
A woman voices the first song/poem of the New Testament, praising God for the arrival of the Messiah (Luke 1:46-55).
A woman is the first to expect and request a miraculous sign (John 2:1-11).
A woman is the first recorded “non-Jewish” person (a Samaritan) to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. She is also the first to go tell a community of others about him (John 4:4-42).
Women are the only people mentioned to give general, regular financial provision (out of their own means) to Jesus and the Twelve (Luke 8:3). We are told elsewhere that the disciples had a common moneybag to pay for their needs; this is the only insight into the underwriting of their itinerant ministry.
A woman is never recorded (in any of the Gospels) as acting against Jesus. His recorded enemies were exclusively men.
Women were the last to be noted to stay with Jesus at the cross (along with one disciple, John) (John 19:25).
A woman is the last to be directly ministered to by Jesus before his death (John 19:26-27).
Women were the first tasked with proclaiming the news of the resurrection (Matt 28:7).
A woman is the first to see the resurrected Lord Jesus and also the first to touch his resurrected body (Mt 28:9; John 20:14).
A woman is the first to hear the resurrected Lord’s voice—and a woman’s name is the first name uttered by the risen Jesus (John 20:14-18).
Women (mistreated and overlooked) were the impetus for the appointing of the first deacons (Acts 6:1)—one of which, Stephen, became the first martyr (Acts 7).
A woman’s name is the first listed in three of the four times that Paul greets people by name (Romans 16:1, 3; Colossians 4:15; 2 Timothy 4:19). In the fourth instance, the first mention is a couple, with her name coming second (1 Corinthians 16:10, “Aquila and Prisca”). These are the only greetings in the Epistles to feature specific names.
A “woman’s” voice (aside from John as the author of Revelation) is the last to be quoted in the Bible (Rev 22:17).

This article about women in the Bible originally appeared here.

The Importance of Doctrine

Paul David Tripp

July 25, 2018

“Daddy, did God make telephone poles?”

It was another one of those endless and seemingly unimportant questions that a kid will ask at the end of a long day that makes a parent go slightly insane.

Luella and I had been teaching our children that God created the world and everything in it, and as our family drove to Burger King, my son looked out the window at the telephone poles that lined the street, mulling over the “doctrine of creation” in his little brain. Justin was very young at the time, so he didn’t actually know anything about doctrine, at least at an academic level. But his question was still deeply theological.

Why was our little philosopher thinking about those telephone poles? Because he was a human being; he was simply doing what God designed us to do.

DESIGNED TO THINK

You may be a plumber, a Fortune 500 CEO, a housewife and stay-at-home mom, a music teacher, or a professional athlete, but you’re also a full-time thinker. Some of us think improperly and inconsistently, and some of us reveal our thinking more publicly than others, but if you’re a person, you think. You’ve never had a thoughtless day in your life.

Little children, like my Justin, never quit asking questions. Teenagers constantly obsess over what’s fair and unfair. Husbands and wives argue because they’ve interpreted a particular situation differently. Older people look back over the years and try to make sense of it all, often paralyzed by regret.

You see, we all do it—we think.

Thinking about life, and our desire to understand, is a deeply and uniquely human thing to do. It gets to the heart of how God wired us to operate, yet it tends not to get the publicity that it should. Most of the time we don’t realize that we’re thinking, and we fail to understand the profound significance it has on our lives.

Every day, at some point and in some way, we’ll try to make sense out of our lives. Some will dig through the mound of artifacts from our past, looking back on their journey and trying to figure out “if only” they had or hadn’t done this or that. Others will endlessly toss around their current situations, locations and relationships, evaluating certain responses compared to others. Still more will gaze into the future, hoping to somehow divine what’s to come and prepare themselves for it.

Chances are, you’ve probably done all three already today. Or, if you’re reading this in the morning, it won’t be long before you do.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THINKING

Every human being has constructed a superstructure of life assumptions that functions as the instrument they use to make sense of life. It can be the result of a combination of things, such as upbringing, education, life experiences and personality traits, but we all look at life through this interpretive grid.

This is vital to understand: Thought always precedes and determines activity.

I want you to stop and write down that sentence. If there’s only one thing you take away from this long article, it needs to be this concept.

Make it personal: My thoughts always precede and determine my activity.

It’s crucial that you become more conscious of the vibrant mental activity that so influences the choices you make, the words you speak and the things you desire.

You and I don’t act out of instinct like the rest of the creatures in the animal kingdom. We don’t do what we do because of what we’re experiencing in the moment. Rather, we think, speak and act based on the way we’ve thought about and interpreted what we’re experiencing.

Social experiments have proven this time and time again. If you place three different people in the very same situation, they can have three remarkably different reactions. Why? Because each individual has interpreted that situation through their personal thinking grid.

A variance in interpretation will always lead to a variation in response.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DOCTRINE

Let me connect all that about thinking with the importance of doctrine.

The God who designed you to be a thinker is the same God who inspired the writers of the Old and New Testaments to pen his truths. God hardwired us to view life through an interpretative grid, and he also gave us his Word to shape that grid.

The Bible is a book, filled with doctrine, that defines what is good, right and true. A loving Creator gave it to his dependent creatures so they would know how to properly make sense out of life. Or, to phrase it differently, the Bible is the tangible result of the “Meaning Giver” explaining foundational truths to the “meaning makers” he created.

Every person who has ever lived exists in desperate need of the unfolded mysteries that make up the content of Scripture. Without it, we wouldn’t know how to think about life. We wouldn’t know for sure if what we knew was true, and we wouldn’t know if what we thought we knew was good and morally right!

When you understand the Bible in this way, it no longer becomes relegated to the hallowed and separate corridors of institutionalized religion. No, on the contrary, the Bible is a life book given for life purposes, so that everybody everywhere would use it to understand life, and ultimately the Author of Life.

Naturally, since Scripture contains doctrines, these doctrines shouldn’t be reserved for academic seminarians. They’re living and divine tools of salvation, transformation, identity and guidance.

That’s why I’m writing this series. I want to help you think about the complex doctrines of the Bible and help you see how they impact your everyday thoughts, words and actions.

God’s Promises in Adversity

Adam Weber

July 25, 2018

When it comes to the future being uncertain, that pretty much sums up life, doesn’t it? We need God’s promises.

It’s possible that you’re in a place of uncertainty right now.

Finances are easy one minute and tight the next.
Your job and career just feel unsteady.
Relationships, family, kids, trying to have kids, it all seems to change on any given day.
What, if anything, does the future hold?

I never cease to be amazed by how quickly things can change. Who knows what tomorrow might bring. So what are we supposed to hold on to? What can we count on? Who can we trust?

When facing an uncertain future, here are three of God’s promises, three truths we can remember when our lives get crazy:

The future might be uncertain, but God’s love isn’t.

Our job, our relationship status, our popularity, our friends, they all might change moment to moment, and yet “the loyal, unfailing love of God is as vast as the heavens” (Psalm 36:5).

God’s love might sound cute and fuzzy and empty, but I’ve found that there is nothing better than to know that we are loved by God.

When life hits the fan.
And after our biggest screw-ups.
When the person who said they’d love us till death walks away.
And when we feel like we’ve totally failed.

Our God is still there, and His love for us is unfailing.

The future might be uncertain, but God’s protection isn’t.

The future might be unknown, but through it all God is faithful. He’s our shelter. He’s our refuge. He will protect us (Psalm 36:7).

Maybe it’s obvious, but we wouldn’t call God “Our Shelter” if there weren’t going to be some storms in life.

And the storms of life, they typically come out of nowhere, don’t they? Storms that often don’t seem to end. And yet, in all the uncertainty, if we don’t know, God wants and He offers to be our shelter.

No matter the storm, He will protect us. And unlike some of the people in our life, He won’t leave us when things get bad. Instead He is faithful, and He remains by our side.

Are you walking through a storm today? Hold on to God!

The future might be uncertain, but God’s provision isn’t.

One of the specific things Jesus tells us in the Bible is that we don’t have to worry. Why? Because our Heavenly Father, He knows all our needs, and He loves to provide for us (Psalm 36:8, Matthew 6:8).

I don’t know about you, but in my life there is so much I don’t understand. There are so many things I have questions about. And yet God’s track record in my life is perfect. Just looking back, His provision has always been there.

When it comes to God providing, yes, He provides for us physically, but He also provides for us spiritually.

What does this mean? It means He gives us His peace when we’re restless and anxious, and nothing can help us physically. It means He gives us His joy and His goodness when we’re jaded and angry at life.

It seems like the older I get, the less and less the physical things in life mean to me, while the spiritual things—like joy, hope, gentleness and peace—mean more and more and more.

Our God is a great provider.

…

Here’s the truth: When we say that God is faithful, this simply means that God does what He says He’s going to do. What God says, it happens.

To be clear, this doesn’t mean that life will be great. Jesus himself actually said here on Earth you will have many trials and sorrows. My translation: In this life, at times things will suck. But Jesus goes on to say, take heart because I have overcome the world. Be encouraged, I have overcome all things (John 16:33).

Even when the future is uncertain, when everything in life is completely changing, the people around us are wishy-washy and they say one thing and do another—even in the midst of all this, God is faithful.

Our God is steady.
He’s reliable.
And He’s constant.

In the midst of life itself God’s promises remain true and they can be trusted. In all the uncertainty we can still hold on to God. His promises will remain ever the same.

This article originally appeared here.

Fun Small Groups: 3 Reasons Your Groups Must Include This Element

Chris Surratt

July 25, 2018

The process of leading a small group can sometimes take all of the fun out of it. After all, think about all of the administration details you have to deal with.

Where will the group meet?
What day of the week will it meet?
Who will be invited?
Who will bring the food?
How many members are gluten-free?
What will the study be?

I happen to enjoy putting those details together, but most people don’t. If you’re not careful, your group can quickly become a list of tasks to complete, not a community to be enjoyed. I believe that your group can and should be fun, and here are three reasons why.

1. Everyone likes fun!

Quickly think through your top five memories in life. I bet they all involved something fun. We were designed by God to enjoy life and the people around us. Why would we not include it in a weekly gathering of friends at our home?

2. Fun will make them come back.

Most people will not return to a boring group—no matter how great the study is. I always judge how healthy a small group is by how much laughter there is during a group meeting. If you want people to go from visitors to members, make sure there’s something to enjoy at the meeting.

3. Biblical community is supposed to be fun.

You can see fun and laughter throughout the Bible. They were constantly throwing feasts to celebrate something God had done for them! That’s another reason to always have good food at your group. Nothing brings people together faster than a great meal.

So, now that we know there should be fun in our groups, how do we go about making that happen. Here are a three tips to get the fun back in.

1. Set the expectation for fun.

You can kick off the group by planning something fun at the beginning. Meet at a restaurant or a TopGolf for your first meeting. That will let the group know that this group is not just about the study. You can also spell it out in your group covenant at one of your first meetings. A line item can be something like, “This group will value having fun together.”

2. Plan for fun.

Go ahead and set aside at least one meeting a quarter for just having fun. This could going to a ballgame, having a picnic, going river rafting or having a game night. A healthy amount of competition can bond a group for a long time! You will also want to build time into the weekly meeting for fun. The first and last 20 minutes of the group time should be for just hanging out and enjoying each other’s company.

3. Be a fun person to be around.

The tone of fun starts with the leader. If you are too tied up in the details of pulling a group off every week, the group members will follow your lead. The fun starts with the hospitality displayed. Are you a smiling face at the door, or a stressed out group host? That attitude will set the atmosphere for the entire night.

This article originally appeared here.

Christ-Centered Intentionality

Jennifer Slattery

July 25, 2018

Are you feeling squeezed and overwhelmed? Like you have more to do than time to do it? Do you ever feel a strong desire to chuck it all—your computer, day planner, every clock in the vicinity?

Life rarely plays out as we plan, and sometimes we’re forced to scramble, but hectic, over-scheduled living should be a season, not a way of life. If we’ve become comfortable multi-tasking on high doses of caffeine, chances are we’ve taken on more than God has assigned.

The Christ-centered life should be characterized by joy and peace, not frantic stress.

I’m an easily bored doer by nature, which means it’s easy for me to jam my schedule full of all kinds of wonderful things. Very good, kingdom building things. Things that, if not done in obedience to Christ, leave me enslaved to my schedule and thus crowding out what’s most important—surrender.

Because even good things can keep us from God’s best—for us, our ministries and our families.

So what do we do when we begin to feel as if life, rather than Jesus, has taken control?

1. We begin with prayer.

We pray for clarity and the courage to follow through—for the courage to listen for God’s guidance with a heart set on obedience.

Isaiah 30:21 says, “Whether you turn to the right or the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”

In other words, God will guide you toward His will, and His will for us is better than anything we can dream up on our own. His role is to guide, and ours is to “carefully determine what pleases the Lord” (Eph. 5:10), “not acting thoughtlessly, but rather, understanding what the Lord wants you to do” (Eph. 5:17) and doing it.

I suspect, as many of us evaluate our schedules, our thoughts will narrow on certain responsibilities—commitments made from guilt or obligation rather than Christ-focused obedience.

2. Determine to put our desire to please Christ above people-pleasing.

Are you attempting to gain value apart from your identity in Christ? Have you allowed your children’s schedules, and thus unhealthy focus on them, to dominate? (Our kids are meant to be blessings, not gods. Moreover, we’re responsible for teaching them well—showing them, in what we allow and say no to, how to prioritize time with Christ. If their schedule prevents us from having a daily quiet time with Jesus or engaging in faith-building activities, we’re sending them the wrong message.)

3. Schedule the most important things into our day.

Why is it when time is short, my top priorities—time with Jesus and my family—seem to slide. Prayer, Bible reading, building into my most important relationships, and developing a listening ear with a surrendered heart—those things don’t simply happen. I need to make room for them. I need to intentionally schedule them into my day or they won’t happen.

4. Be persistent in prayer.

Some answers take time. When prayerfully evaluating our schedules, some things, like cutting out (or cutting in half) that hour we spend scrolling through Facebook each night, might seem obvious. Determining other changes may take time, prayer and the input from wise counsel.

But God is faithful, and He will guide us toward His very best at any moment. That best will lead to increased joy and peace.

What about you? Have you allowed the good to crowd out God’s best? Are you intentional with your time, your relationships and your faith? Or are you chasing after whatever screams the loudest or flashes the brightest but fails to truly nourish your soul?

If today’s post resonated with you, make sure to pop by Wholly Loved’s Facebook page to find more inspiration on moving past our fear of rejection and living in freedom. And visit our website to read about moving past our fear of rejection to live in obedience. You can read that HERE. I also encourage you to sign up for my free quarterly newsletter to receive great content (a short story, devotional, recipe and more!) sent directly to your inbox. You can do that HERE.

This article originally appeared here.

America’s Economy (and Social Programs): Fueled by Faith

Bob Ditmer

July 25, 2018

The Bible tells us that without faith we cannot please God. Here’s something else the loss of faith would do: leave a $1.2 trillion hole in the U.S. economy.

Religion in the United States is worth $1.2 trillion a year, making it equivalent to the 15th largest national economy in the world, according to a study out of Georgetown University.

The numbers alone are staggering but here’s a correlation that can’t be ignored—the faith economy has a higher value than the combined revenues of the top 10 technology companies in the U.S., including Apple, Amazon and Google.

To arrive at the valuation, researchers Brian Grim of Georgetown University and Melissa Grim of the Newseum Institute made three estimates of the quantitative economic value of faith to American society.

The first estimate took into account only the revenues of faith-based organizations, which came to $378 billion annually. The second estimate, $1.2 trillion, included the fair market value of goods and services provided by religious organizations and included contributions of businesses with religious roots.

The third, higher-end, estimate of $4.8 trillion takes into account the household incomes of religiously affiliated Americans, assuming that they conduct their affairs according to their religious beliefs.

More than 150 million Americans, almost half the population, are members of faith congregations, according to the report titled “Socioeconomic Contributions of Religion to American Society: An Empirical Analysis.” Although numbers are declining, the sums spent by religious organizations on social programs have tripled in the past 15 years.

Twenty of the top 50 charities in the U.S. are faith-based, with a combined operating revenue of $45.3 billion.

Economic Impact of Religion Helps Whole Society

The study’s authors emphasize that “religion is a highly significant sector of the American economy” because it “provides purpose-driven institutional and economic contributions to health, education, social cohesion, social services, media, food and business itself.”

“Perhaps most significantly,” the study adds, “religion helps set Americans free to do good by harnessing the power of millions of volunteers from nearly 345,000 diverse congregations present in every corner of the country’s urban and rural landscape.”

The research used findings from the Pew Research Center that show two-thirds of highly religious adults had donated money, time or goods to the poor in the previous week, compared with 41 percent of adults who said they were not highly religious.

The authors conclude: “The faith sector is undoubtedly a significant component of the overall American economy, impacting and involving the lives of the majority of the U.S. population.”

Rich Stearns: World Vision Is the Emergency Room of the Planet

Jason Daye

July 25, 2018

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Rich Stearns is the president of World Vision United States, a Christian relief charity based in Federal Way, Washington. He is the former CEO of Parker Brothers Games and Lenox. Rich holds a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Following the calling he felt from God, he resigned from Lenox in 1998 to lead World Vision U.S., after more than 20 years in corporate America.

Key Questions for Rich Stearns:

– Why does World Vision focus on a long term view of helping those in need?
– What are some of the most important leadership lessons you’ve learned over the years?

[SUBSCRIBE] For more ChurchLeaders podcasts click here!

Key Quotes from Rich Stearns:

“You can characterize our work as talking about relief and development. Most people understand emergency relief, it’s kind of like the emergency room of the world. A little bit like the world’s firefighters we rush into the traumas of our world…we try to help people in their desperate hour of need.”

“World Vision has become one of the largest relief providers in the world. In fact last year we responded to more than 150 humanitarian disasters all over the world.”

“We like to say we don’t give people handouts we give people a hand up.”

“Communities that are poor have been poor for centuries so the causes are deeply ingrained in the culture. The solutions are also long term.”

“Water wells and schools are important but they’re not nearly as important as what goes on between the two ears of the people who live in the community. How they are working to solve their own problems.”

“A church that is ready to go the long haul with a community is the church that will see change and impact.”

“World Vision is one of the few organizations that wants to say goodbye.”

“Our goal should be to have the communities we work with be fully functioning and no longer need our help.”

“Leadership is like trying to drive a car in a blizzard at night with no lights or windshield wipers.”

“As a leader, surround yourself with wise, godly, smart people and give them permission to disagree with you.”

“Never believe that the outcome of your ministry depends on you.”

Links Mentioned by Rich Stearns in the Show:

World Vision

Matthew 25 Challenge

Rich Stearns on ChurchLeaders:

Arbiter for the Poor: Rich Stearns and World Vision

This is Your Greatest Asset

Jonathan Pearson

July 24, 2018

Sometimes, we’re best known for what we didn’t have to do.

We all have responsibilities. Let’s face it, adulting is tough work. There are bills to pay, children to care for, responsibilities at work, volunteer responsibilities, and the list goes on and on. However, much of that stuff is expected. It’s maintaining, not groundbreaking. It’s keeping things going, not necessarily moving ahead.

Often times, the thing that makes the great people great and the thing that makes the world-shapers the way they are isn’t the day to day stuff, it’s the stuff they don’t have to do. It’s the extra mile when they could have stopped. It’s going from just being a parent keeping their children alive to being a purposeful parent instilling values in the home. It’s going from being an employee that wants to keep their job to figuring out a new and more efficient way to do what you do.

Our greatest asset is what we do after we do what we’re supposed to do.

Take for instance, Thomas Edison. Edison is always credited with inventing the light bulb. That’s partly true. He did invent the modern light bulb and deserves credit. What we often don’t know about Edison is that he wasn’t the first. He was just the first to perfect the filament that was used to make the bulb light up. Before Edison, the light bulb burnt out so fast, it was useless. Edison went the extra mile. He went beyond what was common and known and still gets the credit for it. We’re still using his work every day.

What can you do?

What does it look like for you to go the extra mile today? Maybe you change how you do what you do. Maybe you chase a dream you’ve been putting on the back burner. Maybe you start something over, with more purpose. Maybe you reschedule your day for more margin.

Your greatest asset is what you don’t have to do… but you’ll be glad you did.

The original article appeared here.

Simply put, generational discipleship is the passing on of our faith from one generation to another.

So how does generational discipleship play out in a faith community?

So what can we do?

That is generational discipleship.

What are some basic keys for pastors, in particular, to lead well?

Change the way you talk about abuse

Practice mutuality instead of patriarchy

What’s this doctrine I’m talking about? The doctrine of God’s existence.

HUMAN BEINGS WANT GOD TO EXIST

THE BIBLE DOESN’T ARGUE FOR GOD’S EXISTENCE

UPDATE July 27, 2018

Why Is This Apology to Anne Miller Happening Now?

The Allure of Fake News

The #1 Phrase Entitled Kids Say: ‘That’s not fair.’

First, you are right in saying that life isn’t fair.

Second, you really don’t want life to be fair.

Can a Christian Drink Alcohol?

Should a Christian Drink Alcohol?

That being said here are three things I think every kids’ pastor wants their youth pastor to know.

Women in the Bible

Update:

Update 2:

Update 3:

DESIGNED TO THINK

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THINKING

THE IMPORTANCE OF DOCTRINE

When facing an uncertain future, here are three of God’s promises, three truths we can remember when our lives get crazy:

Economic Impact of Religion Helps Whole Society

Key Quotes from Rich Stearns:

Links Mentioned by Rich Stearns in the Show:

Rich Stearns on ChurchLeaders:

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