Carson Wentz and the Super Faith of the Philadelphia Eagles

January 23, 2018

You knew there was something different about this year’s Philadelphia Eagles when several of the team’s players released a Bible study on humility and surrender through the YouVersion Bible app at the beginning of the season.

Those players were Nick Foles, Zach Ertz, Trey Burton, Carson Wentz and Chris Maragos.

Two of those men, Wentz and Maragos, won’t be playing in Super Bowl LII because of season ending injuries.

Talk about an answer to prayer.

The way those two stars have handled the adversity might turn out to be a greater achievement than winning a Super Bowl.

Burton doesn’t see the injuries to his friends as coincidence. He told the Philadelphia Inquirer after Wentz went down with a serious knee injury, that he believes they are being tested.

“The biggest thing I can do for them is pray for them, cover them immensely so that they don’t start letting things creep in their mind like, ‘Oh, I’m always hurt. Oh, I’m not a good player. Or, ‘Oh, the team doesn’t like me,’” Burton said. “Stuff like that can easily seep into people’s minds.”

Wentz was hurt in December on a two-yard touchdown run in a game against the Los Angeles Rams. After Wentz got the initial diagnosis and headed indoors, Burton asked Ertz, who wasn’t playing because of a concussion, to follow him into the locker room.

“I figured I was of more use comforting him than try and comfort the guys on the field,” Ertz said. “Obviously, it’s an emotional time for a lot guys. You see a lot of tears. I don’t want to go into the details on if he was, but I knew something wasn’t right with his knee. He knew something wasn’t right with his knee.”

Ertz said he called their pastor, Kyle Horner of the Connect Church in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and the three of them prayed together.

Carson Wentz: God Is Trying to ‘Teach Me Something’

After the injury Wentz recorded a YouTube video:

“Obviously, it’s been a rough day for me personally, I am not going to lie. I have a ton of faith in the Lord and in his plan. But at the end of the day, it’s still been a tough one. And it will be tough on me for a little bit,” Wentz said.

“As I reflect tonight, I just know the Lord’s working through it, and I know Jesus has a plan through it. I know he’s trying to grow me in something, teach me something, use me somehow, some way, this will just be a great testimony as I go forward.”

The story is indicative of the entire season with this team.

Back in October, a picture went viral on the Internet of Eagles wide receiver Marcus Johnson being baptized in a hotel swimming pool in North Carolina before a game with the Carolina Panthers.

Surrounding the pool and holding hands during the baptism were Wentz, Foles, Ertz, Burton, offensive guard Stefen Wisniewski, linebacker Jordan Hicks and several others.

The band of spiritual brothers was growing.

Foles has his own story of faith. The Eagles are his third team since entering the league in 2012. In 2015, he lost his starting job with the St. Louis Rams and was ready to quit.

Instead he prayed. In a news conference following their victory in the NFC Championship game against the Vikings, Foles revealed that prayer led him to reunite with Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who had drafted Foles in 2012 when he coached the Eagles.

“I talked a lot to my wife and I remember just saying a prayer,” Foles said. “I literally said a prayer and then…my heart said go back. At that moment, it was going to back to play for coach Reid, and when I did, you know, I am a better person because of that decision.

“It wasn’t an easy decision. It’s not like it was 100 percent, but my faith and my guidance and the way I felt like going into that experience allowed me to grow to make me a better player now, because you experience those emotions, you go through that. It’s an emotional thing, it’s something I’ve done my entire life. And to go through that and make that decision, it wasn’t easy.”

The Chiefs signed Foles before the 2016 season and he appeared in three games, making one start. Foles completed 36-of-55 passes for 410 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Helping a Family Through the Salvation Discussion

Corey Ray Jones

January 22, 2018

Don’t you just love seeing a family come together around Jesus? I love seeing a family take the time to sit together, open up their Bible and have a spiritual conversation. And this is God’s intent. God established the family as the primary spiritual leader for children, 1,400 years before the church was ever established.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Parents are to be the primary spiritual leaders of their children. Impressing the love of the Lord into their hearts every day of the week. But then when it comes to one of the biggest milestones of faith, the salvation discussion, what most pastors do…is grab hold of the reigns and take over. But why? It’s not our role. And we will never know the heart of a child better than their parents.

What could happen spiritually for a family, if instead of a pastor taking over and leading their child to Christ, we empowered the parents in this faith milestone? This could truly change the culture of a family and be a moment that brings them together focused on God.

Many people grow up and doubt the decision they made for Christ as a child. What if that’s our fault? And what if we could do something about that today to change the lives of those in our church, forever?

So how do we do that? How do you help a family through the salvation discussion?

First: Identify conversation triggers
What happens in the life of a child that triggers a spiritual conversation or the desire to give their life to Christ? Oftentimes we see kids begin to ask questions through communion. When they see someone take the Lord’s supper it sparks questions. Another trigger can be the baptism of friends. They wonder why their friend is making such a big deal of getting dunked. They begin to ask why and this can lead to many more questions. Another trigger is definitely the death of a loved one. They begin to grapple with the brevity of life and wonder what exactly happens when we die. After you have identified triggers, it’s time to do something about it.

Next: Help parents leverage these triggers for a family discussion.
Resource your parents with scriptures to read with their children and consider even making them an easy to follow guide. Provide questions for parents to ask their kids to further the conversation. Find resources like The Baptism Book and make these resources easily accessible.

Third: Help parents share their own salvation story.
Encourage parents to make their faith journey visual. Challenge parents to take their kids to the church or place where they accepted Jesus as their personal savior. Motivate parents to bring in other people who were influential in their faith journey. And if going on a trip or bringing people into the conversation is not an option then at least encourage the parents to bring a prop that helps share their story.

Fourth: Make the salvation discussion easy for families.
In your ministry, there are many different backgrounds and different depths of conversations. Consider creating different on-ramps for families to have an in-depth conversation. At our church, we have Family Baptism Classes. These classes create a family-centered structure where we help parents win by creating a user-friendly discussion guide. We provide everything a family will need from scripture, questions and answers, to supplies, food and props to keep the conversation flowing. Make sure you end the class by providing the next steps and give the family an easy on-ramp to the next thing.

You’re Not a Good Leader if You Never Say “I’m Sorry”

Eric Geiger

January 22, 2018

You are not a good leader if you never tell people you are sorry. There are a myriad of issues in the heart of a leader who never apologizes. If you never apologize, at least one of the following is also true:

You reveal you think you are infallible.

If you never apologize, if you never say, “I was wrong,” you show people you actually believe you are always right. You reveal your foolishness, not your wisdom, if you never admit to being wrong. People are hesitant, as they should be, to follow someone who thinks he/she is always right. There is only One who is faultless, and it is not you.

You are never having difficult conversations.

If you never need to look at someone on your team and say, “I am sorry, but…” then you are ignoring difficult conversations that would make the person and the team stronger. If you talk about people instead of to people, you are not a good leader. If you work around deficiencies instead of confronting them and providing opportunities for growth, you are shirking your responsibility.

You are afraid of making mistakes.

If you take risks and try new things, you will make mistakes. And wise leaders own those mistakes and learn from them. If you hate saying you are sorry, if you hate ever being wrong, you will be much more risk adverse and unwilling to try new things to advance the mission.

You are never repenting.

Most importantly, a leader who never apologizes is a leader who is not repenting. Great leaders repent. Tertullian said, “We were born for nothing but repentance.” The first of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses is “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent’ (Matthew 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” If you never admit your wrongs and ask for forgiveness, you have an elevated view of your holiness and a woefully incomplete view of His.

The Blessings of a Long Pastorate

John Crotts

January 22, 2018

How long should a pastor serve the same church? The Bible doesn’t answer that question. The average length of service for pastors in Protestant churches in America is down to about four years. For that to be a true average, think about how many pastors must serve far less than four years. There are plenty of situations and circumstances where a short-term ministry is completely legitimate, such as the Apostle Paul’s short ministries in various places in the Book of Acts.

Certain pastoral blessings happen best in shorter times. An interim pastor, for example, can be greatly used of the Lord to bring needed health and stability to a church during a difficult time of transition, saying important things that an outsider can express easier than an insider.

Although there are true blessings for pastors that serve four years or less, there are other blessings that really begin to accumulate after five years.

The number one qualification for serving as a pastor is to be above reproach according to 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:5. This means a man has to have a faithful track record among the people that he serves to even be qualified to be a leader in the church. While there are certainly benefits in checking the background references of a new pastor, it will take time before a congregation experiences his character, and can personally affirm it.

The Bible always assumes leaders will serve in the context of their community. The vast majority of qualifications for ministry in those sections of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 are about character qualifications like humility, discipline and not being greedy. The man’s family is also up for examination. How has he led his wife and children? Are his children faithful and respectful? Paul even mentions the man’s reputation with outsiders in the community. The way a man treats those in town that he does business with will say a lot about the kind of man he is.

When a man only serves for a few years in a place before moving on misses out on doing ministry out of the overflow of godly life lived out before a congregation.

A man who lives among the same people for decades will have an entire gallery of character sketches that have been drawn for the church and community to observe. While no pastor is perfect, all pastors are called to make visible spiritual progress. “Practice these things, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress” (1 Tim 4:15). Even when pastors fail, they can provide a good example of repentance and forgiveness.

The Christian life is caught as much as it is taught.

A proven pastor shows people how to live rather than just preaching about it from the pulpit. Example is huge in the Bible. Paul says to the Philippians: “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil 4:9).

The longer a church has her pastor the more example there is to follow. It is one thing for a pastor to prove that the Christian life can be lived for two years in a row, it is another thing to prove that it can be lived for 10, 15 or 30 years in a row. It is one thing to show a group of Christians that you can be a young married man with no kids and manage to pray and study the Bible and seek to live it out, it is another to do that with multiple children at different stages of life. Can a man live for Jesus after his kids all leave home? Can a man serve the Lord even as he gets close to retirement age? A church with a long-term godly minister will get to watch an example of all of these things in flesh and blood.

Have Bible Quoters Replaced Bible Readers?

Russell Moore

January 22, 2018

Most readers of this site will share my angst about biblical illiteracy. I think we sometimes assume, though, that this illiteracy is simply a problem in the broadest sweep of cultural Christianity. It is there, to be sure. That’s why Christian bookstores (or their digital equivalents) don’t sell many books on the meaning of justification in Galatians, but tons of books with diet tips from Ezekiel or channeled messages from heaven. The problem, though, is far bigger than that.

I’ve never really known how to identify the scope of the biblical illiteracy facing us until I read this past weekend a sentence that perfectly articulated what I had noticed, in David Nienhuis’ very helpful new book A Concise Guide to Reading the New Testament (Baker). Speaking of the students in his college New Testament classes, Nienhuis writes that they struggle with the biblical material “because they have been trained to be Bible quoters, not Bible readers.”

He is exactly right.

Nienhuis locates part of the problem in the way higher criticism has sought to remove the Bible from the terrain of the church to the alleged expertise of those able to discern the “original context” in ways novel to the reading of the church through the ages. But the problem goes beyond this, he notes. The problem is also the way the Bible is used in churches.

“Some of my students attend popular non-denominational churches led by entrepreneurial leaders who claim to be ‘Bible believing’ and strive to offer sermons that are ‘relevant’ for successful Christian living,” he writes. “Unfortunately, in too many cases, this formula results in a preacher appealing to a short text of Scripture, out of context, in order to support a predetermined set of ‘biblical principles’ to guide the congregants’ daily lives. The only Bible these students encounter, sadly, is the version that is carefully distilled according to the theological and ideological concerns that have shaped the spiritual formation of the lead pastor.”

I would say the problem goes far beyond non-denominational churches, or even entrepreneurial churches, as biblical interpretation in American evangelicalism tends to be trickle-down, from the entrepreneurial ministry pioneers to everyone else.

Here’s the end-result according to Nienhuis: “They have the capacity to recall a relevant biblical text in support of a particular doctrinal point, or in opposition to a hot spot in the cultural wars, or in hope of emotional support when times get tough. They approach the Bible as a sort of reference book, a collection of useful God-quotes that can be looked up as one would locate words in a dictionary or an entry in an encyclopedia.”

He continues: “What they are not trained to do is to read a biblical book from beginning to end, to trace its narrative arc, to discern its main themes, and to wonder how it shapes our faith lives today.”

This is not a matter of the educated versus the uneducated. The same problem exists among both. I have noticed people who were experts in the grammar of the Hebrew and Greek Bibles who didn’t really get the flow of the old, old story. If the Bible, though, is God’s Word, and it is, we must raise up people who don’t merely believe the Bible but also who know what it says.

The answer is not easy. Part of the problem is what Nienhuis mentions, the modeling of the use of Scripture in some teaching and preaching. Part of the problem is the larger cultural question of whether the distracted, fragmented modern mind any longer has the attention span to read a text (meaning a literary text, as opposed to a text message). And part of the problem is that in order to train people to read their Bibles, the church must be gathered more than just an hour or two a week. To engage with a narrative requires (pardon this metaphor, my paedobaptist friends) not just a sprinkling but an immersion in the text.

This article originally appeared here.

Things They Didn’t Teach in College or Seminary

Stephen Newman

January 22, 2018

If you are like me, you learned very little in college concerning teaching people to worship the Living God. We learned a lot about music, theory, singing and playing our instruments. I once even had a class on how to play a recorder, but never a class on how to teach and lead people in worship. My ability to plan a music service was excellent, but I knew very little about how to plan a worship service.

Many colleges are now teaching worship and how to prepare your congregation for worship, and I am grateful for the institutions that offer these much needed courses. I am speaking to those who have not had the pleasure of sitting under great men and women of God who are experienced in leading and teaching worship.

Have you ever woken up on Sunday morning to lead a well-prepared service only to find the people didn’t respond the way you thought they would, or that they should have? This happened to me for the first six years of ministry. Each week I would prepare a “great” music service thinking it would help my people to worship better. It didn’t. Nothing I attempted seemed to work. What was I doing wrong? Why weren’t they participating? All kinds of thoughts would race through my mind trying to find the reason as to why people were not worshiping God. I had to learn some very real lessons that I hope you can use.

First, I had to look inward. Was I worshiping or leading music? What was the perception of what I was doing on the platform? I decided to video myself leading worship one morning. I wanted to see what the people were seeing. You know what? I was leading music. I was doing what I had seen done for years and years. A man standing in front of a congregation leading music. I knew all the motions and patterns to every hymn and had become fairly proficient at it. I found I could keep things together musically and design a service that flowed fairly well. After viewing the tape, I saw why I had failed. I was not worshiping. I was working hard to make sure things went well, that the instrumentalists were together, and that the key changes were just right. How could I worship when there was so much to worry about in a service? My mind was on the technical aspects and not on the Lord. That is partially what makes our position so difficult. We have to make sure everything goes well, and then we allow ourselves to worship if there is time left.

What was the solution? I had to become more proficient at preparing the service in order for the music to become second nature for me, I needed to commit the words to memory, and I had to know the service inside out so that I could spend less time worrying about the service and more time worshiping. When those elements changed, I found my worship became more meaningful. People began to comment about the worship services, and I began to see others attempting to worship and participate more. It was the first major step in helping others worship. I had to first become a worshiper myself.

The next step to helping people worship came from studying. Studying God’s word along with great authors who have an understanding of this thing called worship. I needed to become a student of not only music but of worship. In this site you can find titles of various books that will help you to become a better student of worship. Read all you can find on the subject. You may feel that you can’t gain anything from a person who comes from a different background than yourself but you will find that each author will have something that you can relate to. You will find information that you can use in your ministry. Become a student of worship and you will better be able to help your people become worshipers.

Second, what was I doing outside of planning the services to help our people better worship? What could I do outside of studying, preparing, learning new music to help teach worship? You know the answer. Prayer. I began to pray for the people. I would pray for each service that God’s spirit would move and be evident. I prayed for individuals to begin singing regardless of there singing ability. I prayed for our worship teams and leadership that we would all be used to help lead in worship. God is faithful and I began to notice that the more time I spent in prayer for the services, the better the service went. People began singing out. Others would lift their hands to the Lord. Some would clap, each expressing their worship to the Lord in a manner they felt best suited their personalities. Why do we rely so little of the greatest power we have here on earth. If you commit to pray for worship to happen in your church, it will.

It is important to understand that as your people begin to open up and worship, some will resist. Sadly many will never become visibly active worshipers. Which brings me to a very important point that every worshiper leader needs to understand. Be very careful in judging others in their worship because of their outward appearance. Don’t fall into the trap that because a person is not singing, clapping our lifting their hands that they are not worshiping. I used to get very frustrated when I didn’t see people participating in our worship times. It looked like they were just standing there with a sour look on their face. I just knew they were not worshiping. After the service they would share with me how moved they were, and what a great worship experience it was for them. Wow! Was I ever wrong. I have learned that how a person participates is not reflective of their worship experience.

We will deal with other issues of teaching worship under the titles listed on our main page. I hope that as you read these bits of helps that you will seek to be the worship leader that God has called you to be. You know as well as I that each church is different, and how you approach this topic will vary from church to church. There will be more to come on this page in the future. I pray that you will consider furthering your education in the area of Worship. There are several Universities that are offering graduate and undergraduate degrees in worship ministries. God be with you as you seek to be all that He would have you be.

This article originally appeared here.

How to Criticize the Leader—Your Boss, the Pastor, etc.—Successfully!

Joe McKeever

January 22, 2018

When King David was criticized by a fellow named Shimei—and I mean publically and cruelly, cursing him—one of David’s men asked for permission to execute him on the spot. David’s response is worth noting. “My own son wants to kill me; how much more this Benjamite. Let him alone and let him curse, for (perhaps) the Lord told him to do this. Maybe, if I’m merciful to him, the Lord will be merciful to me” (Paraphrase of 2 Samuel 16:9-12).

Every leader gets criticized. If you don’t want it or cannot take it, please refuse when they offer you that promotion.

To be a leader—the manager, president, chairman or pastor of the church—means you will have a target drawn on your back. You must be able to take the heat.

Every leader needs the blessing of positive criticism from the ranks of the membership or team or congregation. The leader who rejects criticism is asking for all the trouble he/she is going to inherit.

But what if you are the employee or member of the congregation or team member and need to get a word of constructive criticism to the leader?

It happens.

There are wrong ways to get criticism to the pastor. To the leader, boss, chair, president, whoever.

–Tell his spouse to pass it on. (When I was doing an article for this website on pastors’ wives and the stresses they endure, several told me this was a pet peeve of theirs, how church members would tell her to pass along their gripes about their pastor-husband. One wife said, “When my husband gets home, the last thing I want to do is add to the stress of his day by passing along criticism!”)

–An anonymous note. This is a popular approach for good reason. It has two great benefits: It does the job (gets the message to the person) and it leaves you out of it. However, anonymous notes have numerous negatives: It’s cowardly, offends the recipient and may bring about the opposite effect from what you intend. Furthermore, if it’s ever proven that you are the author of the poison-pen letter, you are history.

–Tell a co-worker or colleague. I’m not sure what we hope this will achieve. But people do it all the time. Maybe they want to see if others feel the same way.

–Pull together a group of similarly disgruntled team members and go as a group to the boss or leader. This has the advantage of group protection, but almost never achieves what you hope.

—Of course, you could buy a billboard and plaster the criticism before the world. You could use your Facebook page to criticize your boss publically. You could buy time on television or radio. But no, don’t do this. There are easier ways to commit suicide.

How to pull it off…

One. Pray, pray, pray. Read the first chapter of Nehemiah to see how he achieved something similar. His wasn’t criticism of the king but it may as well have been since he was going before the king with a strange and difficult request.

Two. Wait on the Lord. When we ask for the Lord’s will in a matter, we should be willing to wait for His answer and His leadership. Otherwise to ask for His will is pointless.

Three. Get counsel from a friend not remotely connected to the organization, the person or the problem. Ideally, this might be your pastor from two churches ago! Leave names out of it, but just tell the situation and get his counsel. You’d be surprised who knows whom!

Four. Then, when the time is right, make an appointment to see the boss. When the administrative assistant asks, “What is this about?” say, “I have a little problem and need his input.” That’s all. Say no more.

What Science Has to Contribute to Being Pro-Life

Bob Ditmer

January 22, 2018

At last week’s March for Life, many of the speakers declared the pro-life cause is winning and science is on their side. In many cases the former is true because of the latter.

Thanks to a host of scientific advancements in the last decade showing the humanity of an unborn child, it is increasingly difficult to claim that a fetus is nothing more than a blob of tissue.

Scientific Advancement Helping the Pro-Life Cause

3D and 4D Ultrasound

3D and 4D ultrasounds use sound waves to create an image of the baby in the womb. 4D ultrasounds create a live video effect, like a movie, allowing the parents to watch their baby smile, yawn and suck its thumb very early in the pregnancy.

On the website “What to Expect” parents wrote heartwarming stories of what they saw in ultrasounds:

“When I went in for my 20 week ultrasound my lil’ man was so cute playing with his toes…it was like he learned for the first time that they were there and was so excited to play and pull on them. I can’t wait to play with those little toes myself!!!!”

“When we saw our little one at our 20 week ultrasound, she had her hands covering her face and her legs crossed, as if she were trying to be shy or something. It was really cute.”

“My son generally tries to hide his face for a few minutes, but he hates being prodded by anything and it’s usually not long before he starts to swing at the ultrasound wand lol. He’s so adorable in there having his own personal battle with his “nemesis.” At his 20 wk ultrasound (actually 22 by the time I got in), he flexed for us and unfolded so we could see all his parts—amazing!!! Who knew a bladder and kidneys would make me tear up?”

“Just had our first yesterday. Baby was adorable, but it was husband’s reaction that made me melt. He is 43 and this is our first baby, he goes, Oh, there’s a baby in there! Then he held my hand the whole time and kept telling me how good I was doing making the baby. Really sweet! He is a tough lawyer, so seeing him melt is just too much.”

The images are so precise that doctors use them as aides in fetal surgeries and they can reveal certain birth defects, such as a cleft palate, that might not show up on a standard ultrasound.

It’s not surprising that 78 percent of pregnant women who see an ultrasound of their baby reject abortion.

Viability of the Pre-Born

When the U.S. Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, the case that led the way to legal abortion, it pegged most fetuses’ chance of viable life outside the womb at 28 weeks; after that point, it ruled, states could reasonably restrict women’s access to the procedure. Now, with new medical techniques that threshold is being questioned.

Many doctors argue that medical advancements should place the age of viability at 22 weeks. The earliest recorded premature birth was Amillia Taylor. She was born at just 21 weeks and six days into her gestation, which was two weeks before the legal abortion cut off at the time in the U.S. Weighing 280g, with paper-thin skin, Amillia was just longer than a pen.

According to a study of more than 34,600 preterm babies born between 1993 and 2012, published in JAMA, overall survival rates for preemies between 22 and 28 weeks of gestation increased to 79 percent in 2012, up from 70 percent in 1993. The smallest babies had the biggest improvement in survival rates, showing a more than 5 percent improvement.

Fetal Pain and Fetal Surgery

Science has also discovered that babies in the womb feel pain. In the early ’90s, the scientific community believed fetal pain wasn’t really possible, but that was primarily because very little research on the subject had been conducted.

Dr. Nicholas M. Fisk, the deputy vice-chancellor of research at the University of New South Wales, and his co-workers set out to find a more definitive answer. He began by studying hormonal stress responses in fetuses undergoing invasive procedures, which culminated in the lead paper in a 1994 issue of The Lancet documenting significant stress responses. Spikes in adrenaline, endorphins and cortisol during invasive procedures confirmed that the sensation of pain was a possibility.

He also found that just like babies who are short on oxygen, fetuses respond to potentially stressful medical procedures by redistributing their blood flow to the brain and away from the body. Dr. Fisk began to recommend the use of analgesics during fetal surgeries, which remarkably improved surgery outcomes.

Research like Dr. Fisk’s, on the presence of hormonal and biophysical stress responses, formed the basis of 20-week abortion bans that have been passed in 21 states and is under consideration at the federal level.

And thanks to scientific and medical advances, more parents carry to term preborn babies with health issues. A handful of medical centers in major cities can now perform surgeries on genetically abnormal fetuses while they’re still in the womb. Many are the same age as the small number of fetuses aborted in the second or third trimesters of a mother’s pregnancy.

These continuing scientific breakthroughs have changed the abortion debate and have pro-life activists believing science is on their side.

As Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse told the marchers for life last week, “We believe in babies and moms, and we believe in science. We sit at a technological moment where people are seeing what happens inside a mom’s tummy as a baby grows and develops. You cannot deny that’s a baby when you look at a picture.”

Even those working in the medical field are feeling the tension between policy debates and scientific reality. Colleen Malloy, a neonatologist and faculty member at Northwestern University, told the Atlantic, “The more I advanced in my field of neonatology, the more it just became the logical choice to recognize the developing fetus for what it is: a fetus, instead of some sort of sub-human form. It just became so obvious that these were just developing humans.”

Jealousy, Envy, Insecurity and the Heart of a Pastor

Carey Nieuwhof

January 21, 2018

You’ve felt it.

Someone you know (or follow) is experiencing ‘success’ in their lives and leadership in a way you’re not. Maybe their church or ministry is growing faster than yours, or yours isn’t growing at all.

Or their marriage looks so much happier than yours. Or…they’re married. And you’re not.

Maybe their kids look more together than your kids, or they’ve built the killer team you always wished you had, but don’t.

And deep inside, you feel it.

Sometimes it shows up as criticism or excuse-making (Well, if I had their location/money/building/people I’d be that effective too).

Or it shows up as you questioning their integrity (I wonder what they had to do to get that. Betcha they have zero family life).

Often it just shows up as misery, a sadness that makes you feel bad about yourself, angry about your circumstances and maybe even frustrated with God (Hey…you called me into this. I mean, come on…).

What is that?

Well, it’s at least three things: jealousy, envy and insecurity.

Every pastor and church leader feels them at some level, and if you look at the issues they cause inside us, around us and in our churches, it’s troubling.

If you’ve felt that at all, what do you do with it?

I Guess It’s All of Us

Just know that if you feel these things, you’re not alone.

My last blog post was about that seemingly eternal debate about ‘church growth’ and whether church growth can actually be healthy (5 Hard Truths About Healthy Church Growth).

As I was trying to find an explanation for why this subject is so explosive in many church circles, I quickly wrote this one line.

The line? Someone else’s success should never make you feel like a failure.

Sometimes as a writer, you pen things that you have no idea will resonate like they do.

I didn’t think much about it until I saw that quote show up again and again (and again) on social media. All over the place.

I guess it struck a nerve. A big nerve.

Someone else’s success should never make you feel like a failure.

As much as that’s true, most of us do feel like failures when someone else succeeds. It’s pretty natural to feel that way.

But it’s killing us and our churches.

Here are three ways jealousy, envy and insecurity mess with our lives and leadership, and then a few things you and I can do to get our motivations moving in a healthier direction.

1. Envy Is the Dark Underbelly of Ambition

In my younger days as a leader, there were days and seasons where jealousy and envy would get the best of me.

Why do they have more X than we have?

Why is he more gifted?

And why does she seem so happy?

And at times, envy would drive me on to do more.

There is a godly side to ambition. But ambition has a dark underbelly too—if it’s driven by envy, jealousy and insecurity.

Strangely (and maybe mercifully), scripture suggests God often even uses our poorly motivated ambition for his glory.

Simone Biles, #MeToo and How Christians Must Respond

Ed Stetzer

January 21, 2018

Just tonight, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles joined the chorus of women who’ve bravely brought their stories of abuse into the public light. Biles, 20, made this announcement detailing the ways her former team doctor, Larry Nassar, abused both her and other teammates.

#MeToo, it seems, continues on, as it should until every story is heard and each and every church becomes a place of healing and restoration for all who have been treated as anything less than worthy of one made in the image of God.

We’re living in a time of confession—one focused on openness and honesty about the ways women have been abused and mistreated. This only comes after decades spent trying to deny truth and sweep exploitation under the rug.

Much of this started with one of the most shocking news stories this nation has seen in years—a story about one man’s desire to conquest not just one, but multiple unwilling women. Over the course of his career as a Hollywood mogul and movie producer, Harvey Weinstein took it upon himself to sexually harass and assault countless female coworkers and acquaintances.

Common Factors

Although the list continues to grow, many have already come forward to speak and share their stories about their encounters with Weinstein. Despite the differences between these women, several common descriptors can be used to characterize Weinstein perpetrators and his victims.

First and foremost, these encounters were exploitative.

Many victims of Weinstein and others are often young women forced to ward off approaches made by much older, aggressive men. Regardless of age, however, exploitation happens all to frequently and should be forcefully condemned by all of us.

Women are not resources to exploit.

The exchanges were transactional.

According to some accounts of Weinstein’s behavior in particular, the perpetrator made clear the kinds of treatment victims would receive should they choose to submit and play along with his wishes. The ‘casting couch,’ it seems, is still alive and well.

Women should not have to trade their sexuality for advancement.

Last, some of these exchanges were forced.

Perpetrators of sexual abuse don’t go out of their way to ask women what they want or find out whether they’re interested in receiving affections. Regardless of the environment surrounding each situation, we must take seriously the importance of mutual consent. Anything that isn’t a resounding “yes” on both sides is to be forcefully condemned.

Women, regardless of who they are or what they have done, should never be forced.

Sadly, This Is Not Shocking

Unfortunately, none of these behaviors exemplified by Harvey Weinstein shock us as they should.

Women have been targeted for exploitation by aggressive men for centuries. Often, their positions under male leadership in offices and organizations make them particularly vulnerable to these kinds of advances and threats of retaliation. Although we might wish to expect better from them, the film industry is certainly no stranger to these evils.

I’m appreciative of some of the recent steps we’ve seen in Hollywood, but also disturbed by some of the unaddressed realities. Meryl Streep powerfully criticized President Trump for his harmful rhetoric and behavior, pointing out that when someone powerful does something wrong, it “gives permission for other people to do the same thing.”

Yet she gave a standing ovation to admitted child rapist Roman Polanski, which, some might say, “gives permission for other people to do the same thing.”

Although Hollywood may seem like an easy target, they’re certainly not the only ones who’ve earned a reputation for the mistreatment and exploitation of women. A quick look at the professional world is enough to show anyone that this problem is not particular to one single industry—it’s much more pervasive than that.

This past October, 140 female lawmakers, lobbyists and consultants came together in California to craft a public letter in support of an end to the sexual harassment of working women everywhere. Their goal was to pave the way for women to enter the workforce freely and without fear of experiencing mistreatment by male bosses and coworkers on the job.

For those who assume that these issues end at the border—think again. A quick look at the evils of the human trafficking industry confirms that this problem is global in scale. The millions of women and girls trafficked annually both nationally and globally for the exploitation of their bodies are a part of the same deep struggle—a struggle against a world that doesn’t recognize them as a dignified part of God’s creation.

The 5 Styles of Preachers

Brandon Hilgemann

January 21, 2018

How familiar are you with different styles of preaching?

If you wanted to write the great American novel, you’d probably read a lot of Hemingway or Twain. If you wanted to be a great painter, you’d study the masterpieces of Rembrandt or Picasso.

And if you want to be a great preacher, it’s no different: You’ll study the masters.

As I continue to grow in my preaching ability, I have made a habit of listening to a wide variety of preachers. And I’ve noticed something. Although every preacher is different, each one tends to fit into one of five “preaching styles.”

We are all called to preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:2). The message should never change. But we all communicate the unchanging truth of Scripture through the filter of our personality.

Preaching, as Philips Brookes famously said, is “truth mediated through personality.” This is why five preachers could all preach the same truth from the same text, and each sermon is different. The message is the same, but the personality is not.

Understanding Styles of Preaching

God’s Word always takes priority over your style. But understanding your preaching style will help you see how your God-given personality influences the way you communicate His Word. And when you know your style, you can leverage your strengths, and avoid potential pitfalls.

1. STYLES OF PREACHING: THE MOTIVATOR

“God has a better plan for your life!”

The motivator is the preacher whose primary goal is to push their audience’s faith into action. They move from one point to another on stage with excitement, arms pumping, hands waving, reenacting every moment of a story. They love illustrations that tug on your heart and spur you to action.

After listening to the motivator, you are ready to charge the gates of Hell with a water pistol.

The common theme of the motivator is life change through Christ.

God has a better plan for your life. So keep going. Keep growing. Stop sinning. Don’t give up. Have faith. God will use you to change the world! The motivator points believers to the hope of the gospel, focusing on how God is at work within them to transform them into the image of His son.

The motivator has the innate ability to inspire their audience to action. They sincerely aim to follow James 1:22 in being “doers of the word, and not hearers only.”

The danger of the motivator is that they can easily fall into preaching a works-based righteousness.

12 Warning Signs of Potentially Bad Church Hires

Chuck Lawless

January 21, 2018

No church wants to make a bad hire, but many do. Sometimes that happens despite search teams, elders, etc., doing their job well—but it also happens because the team ignores some warning signals. Here are some signals churches have told me that they missed (or ignored) in the hiring process:

Previously short tenures of ministry. One short tenure can be the anomaly of a bad church, but a person who has recurrently brief ministry jobs is likely part of the problem.
Incomplete degrees. I’d want to know why an applicant started a degree but didn’t finish it. Education matters enough to wonder about the person who chose not to keep an educational commitment.
Sloppy resumes. In my opinion, anyone who submits a sloppy resume is likely to do sloppy work overall.
Resume gaps. Some resumes are unintentionally incomplete, but others include intentional gaps—because the applicant doesn’t want to reveal something.
Unasked theology questions. An applicant who never asks what the church believes might assume too much about the church or might not be deeply concerned about theology. Either issue would concern me.
Criticizing former employers. The questions will likely come up in the interview process, and I’d want a candidate to be honest—but the candidate who does nothing but criticize and blame will likely do it again.
No current references. Sometimes, the potential hire isn’t yet ready to reveal that he’s in the search process, so he doesn’t inform anyone in his current place of employment. That’s different, though, than never wanting a search team to contact the current employer.
Tardiness without explanation. Unavoidable things happen that lead to being late, but not explaining the reason—as if tardiness really doesn’t matter—sends a bad signal.
Spousal disagreement on calling. When spouses differ on God’s calling, that disagreement will show up somehow if/when the candidate is hired.
Poor social media witness. The problem may be a past tense one when the candidate was younger and foolish, but present tense social media use that even borders on ungodliness should be alarming.
Little talk of Bible study or prayer. People who live in the Word and talk to God regularly often naturally reveal these commitments. Candidates who never speak of these components of Christian living might tend to lead without doing either.
Unlikeability. This one’s a bit difficult to assess, but you’ll recognize it when it’s there. Hiring someone you don’t enjoy in the interview process may create relational issues in the future.

What would you add?

This article originally appeared here.

Don’t Be Content With Sloppy Christianity

Dr. Josh Buice

January 21, 2018

Yesterday, I preached from 1 John 5:16-18 in our series appropriately titled, “Know.” The passage happens to be the most difficult to interpret in the entire letter from John. However, it’s important to see what John was calling the local churches to do. In one sense, there is a warning about the danger of sin, but then we see a clear duty of prayer explained. By the end of the passage, it becomes clear that John the apostle does not want the Christian community to be content with sloppy Christianity.

Pray for Restoration

John talks about the “sin unto death” which has become controversial to interpret. He makes a distinction between sin that does not lead to death and sin that leads to death. He exhorts his fellow Christians to pray for fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord who are living in sin that does not lead to death. The aim of such prayer is that they will have life—proof of their genuine relationship with the Lord. This reference to life is “eternal life” and the reference to death is the “second death” where rebels die eternally under the wrath of God in hell.

The Interesting part of this passage is centered on the fact that John exhorts believers to pray for brothers, but asks them not to pray for the rebels who are living in sin that leads to death. The point is not that we can’t pray for unbelievers, but that our focus needs to be centered on praying for fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord who are sinning, but are not given over to a reprobate mind and left to walk down a broken road toward the wrath of God. God chastens his children (Hebrews 12:5-8) and brings them back in restoration. John urges his fellow believers to pray for fellow brothers (and sisters) who are living in sin with a goal for restoration.

Prayer Answered

In verses 17-18, John provides a clear understanding of what happens when we pray for such believers. All people who have been born of God (key language of salvation), will not keep on sinning. They will be brought to a place of repentance and restoration. God will not allow them to stay there. And, John is urging us to pray for such people as we plead for God to restore them.

John goes on to point out that the one begotten by God protects such believers—keeping them from wandering off down the broken road of sin that leads to death. Jesus protects by providing their salvation on the cross and continuing to intercede on their behalf. As the Good Shepherd—Jesus will not lose one of his sheep.

As we consider our present day, we need to come to the place where we are not content with sloppy Christianity. If we’re not satisfied with sloppy football, sloppy airplane pilots or flight attendants, sloppy lawyers or even sloppy waste management services—we should not be content with sloppy Christianity within our local church. When we see people who profess Christ in our church living in open sin or even harboring sin—we need to spend time praying for their restoration. Sure, we can go to them too as Jesus taught in Matthew 18, but John points to the necessity of prayer. We must pray and ask that such believers would be restored.

Make such times of intentional prayer part of your life in 2018.

This article originally appeared here.

John Piper: Lust Dishonors the Object and Disregards God

Bob Ditmer

January 21, 2018

There is little dispute that pornography is a problem in society and in the church.

Various international studies have put porn consumption rates at 50 percent to 99 percent among men, and 30 percent to 86 percent among women.

Some research claims pornography is addictive, which would be one school of thought regarding its widespread use.

Lust is Sexual Desire Gone Wrong

John Piper disagrees.

He sees a much deeper and more serious problem. According to Piper not all sexual desire is lust. But lust is sexual desire gone wrong. It dishonors the object and disregards God.

The pastor bluntly states in this video, “No one is absolutely addicted to pornography” or any other sexual sin.

He offers two examples to prove his point.

He asks, if an ISIS member threatened to kill a loved one if you looked at a pornographic image on your computer you wouldn’t do it, would you?

Or if someone offered you a million dollars if you refrained from pornography, you would comply.

In both cases you would say no to pornography to save a loved one or gain a fortune.

Piper says while addiction is a relative term he has no problem claiming that 99 percent of those who give way to sexual sin are not controlled by sexual desire but by what they believe.

Referencing Philippians 2:12, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” Piper emphatically states, “work out your salvation” means “control your sins for the Holy Spirit is controlling them through you.”

Piper tells us that the Holy Spirit reveals to the believer the beauty of Christ to our souls as supremely beautiful and supremely satisfying.

It is on this point where giving way to sexual sin should be very frightening to the believer. Controlling our desires for money or for a relationship but not for God suggests our true beliefs are in the things of this world, not in our creator. Or as Piper puts it, “One million dollars is refuse compared to the beauties of Christ.”

And the theologian takes that thought one step further adding, “The all satisfying beauties of Christ can be lost forever in our lust or they can be enjoyed forever in the purity of heart.”

That is why Matthew told us in Matthew 18:9 “And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”

Piper asks us to take stock of what we believe. Do your beliefs lie in the temporal satisfactions of the flesh or the eternal beauties of Christ?

Is Diversity Important for the Church?

Trillia Newbell

January 19, 2018

In the last 50 years, the term diversity has taken on many meanings. In the early 1960s, diversity most likely would have referred to the need for desegregation. By the ’70s and ’80s it would’ve been associated with affirmative action. Now diversity is often regarded as inclusivity in a myriad of ways.

The Bible, however, gives us a compelling vision for diversity in the kingdom of God. Diversity is already quite present in God’s kingdom, but we might miss it in Scripture if we aren’t looking for it. Here are four ways we can see a biblical basis for diversity and how it reflects the kingdom.

Creation: Image Bearers

We are all created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Not one of us was made apart from the creative, thoughtful design of our Creator God (Psalm 139:13-14). As image bearers, we were all made to reflect the Lord. So, if we are all created equally in the image of God, then as redeemed image bearers this is the first indication God’s kingdom is diverse.

We are created equally in His image. God doesn’t discriminate in His design—He doesn’t create one human being greater than the other. Each of us has dignity and worth because God has given us dignity and worth. And because we are all image bearers, we can know God’s kingdom includes a variety of people groups—all ultimately created to reflect and worship Him.

Redemption: Gospel

We are all created in need of God’s saving grace regardless of the color of our skin. The Fall of Man affects us all, and we all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The good news is Jesus died for every tribe, tongue and nation. God loved the world and made it possible for anyone who believes to have eternal life. He made the way for all people (John 3:15-16). His mission was to seek and save the lost—everyone.

The Great Commission reminds us God’s mission is our mission: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20 emphasis mine).

Jesus commissioned His disciples to make more disciples of all nations. He didn’t say, “Go and find people who look and sound just like you.” He said they (and we) should seek to love and serve people from every nation.

Adoption: The Family of God

As Christians we are adopted children of God. Paul tells us of our new bloodline when he writes: “The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16–17). We are children of God and fellow heirs with Christ.

Even before His death, Jesus affirmed the importance of being a part of the family of God. Addressing the people while His mother and brothers stood outside, Jesus said, “‘Who is My mother and who are My brothers?’ And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven, that person is My brother and sister and mother’” (Matthew 12:48–50).

Jesus isn’t suggesting our biological families are no longer important (see Matthew 15:3). Rather, He is stating that following Him is far greater. He takes priority, and so does His kingdom—so much so that those who follow Him are counted as His brother and sister and mother—His family. The family of God, the kingdom of God, is colorful.

Should Ministry Be More Fun?

Mark Dance

January 19, 2018

I have a simple New Year’s goal for pastors: Have more fun in church this year.

Seriously.

Extensive, expensive research shows that positive pastors live 13 percent longer and make 27 percent more money than their pessimistic peers. (I just made that up, but I won’t get into trouble because my mother is probably the only one still reading at this point.)

Since attitudes are difficult to measure, we have to look honestly into the mirror of God’s Word to see what God (and everyone around us) sees.

Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people. (Colossians‬ ‭3:22-23 CSB)

Pastors set the tone in our churches, and sometimes our tone is terrible.

It is safe to say that every single person you will see this Sunday is in need of encouragement. Some of them will limp into church this weekend because their holidays were horrible. Others lost their Christmas cheer when they got hammered with work at the end of their vacation.

This little passage reminds us to spread some of that Christmas cheer throughout the rest of the year by serving the Lord wholeheartedly and enthusiastically.

Serve the Lord wholeheartedly.

This first term is a compound word describing a heart which is at the same time sincere and without pretense. Please do not confuse having fun with faking it. We are all going to have bad days, even on Sundays. If every Sunday is a bad day however, then it is time to stop blaming our disposition on other people and ask God to change our own hearts.

Serve the Lord enthusiastically.

This second term can be translated either as enthusiastically (NIV) or from the heart (CSB). It means to be engaged. If you find yourself just going through the motions of ministry, ask God to rekindle your flame. Refuse to settle for mere survival this year.

You likely already have a few measurable ministry goals for 2018—but remember that our attitude is just as important to the Lord as our actions.

In 1989, Bert and John Jacobs designed their first t-shirt. For five years, the brothers hawked t-shirts in the streets of Boston and traveled the East Coast, selling door-to-door in college dorms. They often slept in their van and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

One fateful September day, the Jacobs brothers printed up 48 “Life is Good” t-shirts, then placed them on a rickety card table for a local street fair in Cambridge, Massachusetts. By noontime, all 48 of those tees were gone. Today, the New England based brand is a global enterprise with countless positive products and events. These guys clearly tapped into something important.

The beautiful bride of Christ has so much more to offer than happy t-shirts and coffee mugs, so why would the house of God not be the happiest hangout in town? Join me in making a commitment to serving the Lord wholeheartedly and enthusiastically this year. God expects it, our members deserve it and, quite frankly, we all need it.

This article originally appeared here.

Luis Palau: Death Is Now a Reality for Me

Bob Ditmer

January 19, 2018

Luis Palau has stage 4 lung cancer.

The Argentine-born evangelist, who is 83, made the announcement in a YouTube video with two of his sons by his side.

In the video, Kevin Palau, who is the president and CEO of the Luis Palau Association, said his dad and his mom Patricia “had a super busy fall…traveling around the world sharing the Good News like they always do.” The evangelist returned from a long trip to the United Kingdom in December “with kind of a chest cold…that wouldn’t go away.”

“We finally got Dad to go into the doctor and to our surprise, the early report we got, just before Christmas, was that there was some cancer in one of Dad’s lungs.”

“Everything is ready and if the Lord wants to take me home in the next few months or two years or whatever it is, I’m ready,” Palau, who has preached across the globe for five decades, said.

Luis Palau Thought It Was Pneumonia.

Palau’s ministry is based in the Portland, Oregon, area. When he returned home in November he noticed symptoms but thought they might indicate pneumonia until doctors ran tests.

“Just this week it was clearly confirmed. Stage 4 lung cancer,” he said in a statement posted January 18th on the Luis Palau Association website. “As you can imagine, this isn’t news we were expecting or hoping for. Yet our trust in the Lord remains rock solid.”

On the ministry’s website, Palau wrote in a health update:

“As we seek the best medical advice and counsel, we’re also trusting the Lord and praying for complete healing. I would ask you to join us in that prayer. We’ll be sure to keep you updated.

In many ways, I feel the Lord has much more in store for me. Yet whatever tomorrow holds—I’m completely at peace. Both Patricia and I are. As we look back, we praise the Lord. Fifty-seven years of marriage. How many places we’ve been. How many people we’ve reached with the Gospel.

I hold strong to verses like Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

The Future Is Bright for Luis Palau Ministry

Palau, who has been preaching the gospel for five decades, said he is confident his ministry will continue. In addition to Kevin, son Andrew is an evangelist with the ministry and son Keith is on the organization’s development team.

In the video Palau said he feels fine but gave indications of how difficult it is to face this kind of diagnosis:

“If the Lord wants to take me home in the next few months, or two years, or whatever it is, I’m ready. I know it sounds crazy, it’s not like, ‘Ooh, I can’t wait to go to heaven.’ Yes it’s true. I actually [am].”

He explained that he has preached about heaven often, because his own father died when he was young. “Now, it’s reality for me.”

Palau shared that earlier this week, “the Lord seemed to say to me, ‘Hey, I thought you read the Bible, and you knew that there comes a time when it is time to go.’” He then recited biblical examples of the apostles Paul (2 Tim. 4) and Peter (2 Pet. 1) acknowledging that their deaths were coming soon with peace.

Then Palau became teary, recalling verses from Revelation that “his servants shall see his face” (Rev. 22:3–4), and from Isaiah that “your eyes will behold the King in his beauty” (Isa. 33:17).

“I’ve preached about heaven a lot, and…you cry a lot.”

In a letter on his website he closed with a personal appeal: “Pat and I would love to hear from you. Any word from the Lord—any Scripture or encouragement you could give. It would be a true blessing. You can email me at luis.palau@palau.org. We may not be able to respond right away, but we’ll do our best.”

Trump at March for Life: Children Are ‘a precious gift from God’

Bob Ditmer

January 19, 2018

President Donald Trump addressed the 45th March for Life on Friday in live remarks sent via satellite from the Rose Garden to the National Mall less than a mile away.

An estimated crowd of 100,000 heard Trump say he was honored and proud to be the first sitting president to address the annual march via a live video feed. Presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush and George W. Bush all addressed the March for Life as well with pro-life remarks. Their remarks were typically pre-taped or were aired via a live phone call to March for Life participants.

Trump praised the marchers for supporting a “beautiful cause to build a society where life is protected and cherished.”

The theme of this year’s March for Life was “Love Saves Lives” and Trump built on that theme saying the pro-life movement was born out of love for family, country and unborn children; “a precious gift from God.”

Trump said the marchers were standing for the first freedom guaranteed in the Constitution, the right to life, a right that the president said the U.S. Supreme Court turned its back on 45 years ago in the Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion.

The result of that ruling, Trump reminded the crowd, brought about the most permissive abortion laws in the world putting America in the same category as China and North Korea.

Trump also touted his pro-life achievements that include support for the Mexico City policy that prevents U.S. federal funding for non-governmental organizations that promote abortion and abortion services, his executive order protecting the conscience rights of medical professionals to refuse to take part in abortions, and the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act that would ban late-term abortions nationwide on the basis that the fetus is capable of feeling pain during an abortion. He called on the Senate to pass that legislation and send it on to him for his signature.

At the end of this speech Trump called to the dais Marianne Donadio, the Vice President of Marketing and Development for Room at the Inn, a home for homeless, expecting women to find help and hope during their pregnancy.

Donadio found herself pregnant at age 17 but had supportive parents who helped her through the pregnancy that resulted in a son that she named Benedict. He and his wife were on hand at the Rose Garden.

Donadio said she wanted to be part of an effort to help women who don’t have the support of a family that she enjoyed.

The shelter has provided services to more than 400 women.

Trump said that’s the true gift of the pro-life movement and what brings them together for the March for Life, adding, “The gift of life itself, that’s why we march and pray that America’s future will be filled with life for everyone.”

Trump was followed by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. He was on the stage at the National Mall. He told the crowd that life was winning in America because love really does save lives. He thanked the marchers for their compassion, persistence, activism and prayers on the behalf of the unborn and their mothers.

He finished by saying “With God’s help we can restore the sanctity of life in America and the rule of law.”

How to “Make Time” for the People in Your Life

Dan Reiland

January 18, 2018

More people in your life than time to see them is a fortunate tension.

The tension is a blessed one because we’re fortunate to be loved, needed, wanted or candidly, have anyone seek us out and want some time. That’s not overly self-deprecating, it’s a healthy perspective.

As leaders, we’re blessed to be helpful to others. It’s a privilege to get to encourage, care for and develop people. And it’s fun just to enjoy these moments as well!

It’s a dangerous thing when a leader begins to see people as an interruption, a problem or “one more ask.”

But we do need to be honest about the tension.

One of the greatest challenges of a leader is to make people decisions. You just can’t see everyone.

My first instinct about time with a person is “yes.” Then I look at my calendar, and it says “no.” Somewhere between my heart’s desire and the reality of a finite amount of time are time-related decisions that I must make as a leader, friend, husband and dad.

I believe that Jesus gives us great insight into the gospel accounts. The principle I’ve taken from my study of the New Testament is that we are to love everyone but must be intentional about where our time goes. Even with His disciples, Jesus was closer and spent more time with some than others. And I’m sure the “others” were not thrilled.

By “love everyone” I mean, in the moment, give 100 percent of your heart and attention to the person. It might be in the lobby of your church, a restaurant, the gym or a training meeting, etc. You may only have two minutes, but you can make a sincere and profound impact in that moment. A brief prayer is one of the greatest “in the moment” investments you can make.

One good way to start is to ask yourself how you can make room for the people God brings into your life. That is a positive and intentional way to ask the question. That may be a perspective changer for you.

It will help you reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed. Keep in mind, everyone isn’t every day!

Make room for the people in your life:

Family and friends
Family is the obvious priority, and the older you get, the more you should know who your true friends are. Let them know you love them.

Key leaders
Good leaders never lead alone. From colleagues around the country, mentors and wise counsel, and core prayer partners, to your staff and volunteers, who is key in your life? This changes with the ebbs and flows of life and ministry, and needs constant attention.

New Relationships
Be sure to fight for margin to meet new people. This might seem contradictory. You have a shortage of time, so you add people?! Yes! The right people! Leaders move forward with new relationships. It doesn’t have to be many, but if there are none, that is a yellow flag.

Strangers in your path
A kind word, generous gift, cool cup of water or a sincere prayer are gifts the Holy Spirit wants us to give as He prompts. Be receptive and open. Do for a few what you wish you could do for many.

Acquaintances
This is the “huge” group in most leaders lives. They are wonderful people, and you’d love to have lots of time with them, but you can’t.

The tension remains. There is no easy solution. But there are several good questions you can ask yourself to help you know how to give your time wisely.

8 Things Jesus Never Said

Jarrid Wilson

January 18, 2018

Jesus said a lot of things throughout the Bible, but there are also a lot of things Jesus never said. Here are eight of them.

Things Jesus Never Said

1. “No shirt, no shoes, no service.”

Jesus never gave prerequisites for encountering his love. Regardless of your past, the love of Christ is available for anyone who is willing to accept it. Nobody is too flawed for forgiveness and eternal salvation.

2. “Follow me, and I will bring you fame and fortune.”

Jesus never promises fame or fortune, yet these are also not things he opposes if used for his glory. If your reasoning for seeking a relationship with God is materially focused, you may want to evaluate what god you’re really yearning for.

3. “Everything will go according to your plans.”

Many of us pray to Jesus thinking that everything we ask of Him is going to be answered in our timing. The reality is that not all prayers will be answered, but that Jesus does have the power to fulfill any prayer that is asked of him. He’s that BIG! Just because a prayer isn’t answered in your timing does not mean your prayer has been ignored. God hears all, knows all and knows what’s best for each of us as individuals. Take a step back and trust in God, his timing and his will.

4. “I will bless you if you pray hard enough.”

The blessing of prayer is in prayer itself. Communication and dialogue between our heavenly father and us is more fulfilling than anything else we can ask for. Jesus isn’t a magic genie, and one of the things Jesus never said was that he would give you what you want. If your prayers seem more like wishes than heart-felt conversations, you may want to re-think how your foundation of faith is being built.

5. “Life is going to be without rough patches.”

So many people think that just because they believe in Jesus means everything is going to be flawless and perfect. This really isn’t the case at all. You may have a relationship with Jesus, but this doesn’t mean life is going to stop moving forward, tough circumstances are going to cease to exist, and rough times will never be a possibility. Even though Jesus never said life would be easy, he did say he would be there for you in your times of need. The message of The Gospel isn’t that life will be perfect, but that in its imperfection we have a perfect and flawless Savior.

6. “I will answer prayers on your time.”

Although God is faithful in his answering of prayer, we cannot expect him to answer every prayer to our exact measurements. Faith is trusting God even when things don’t make sense, and that includes a prayer that we feel may be unanswered or at the wrong time. Faith is trusting in God’s timing, not ours.

7. “You’re too far gone to be saved.”

Nobody is too far traveled from having a relationship with God. No matter where life has brought you, you always have the opportunity to look next to you and see the open arms of Jesus. The forgiveness and love that He offers is not something we can run from, nor become too dirty to accept.

8. “You deserve to have nice things.”

Among other things Jesus never said is that you deserve a huge house, nice car, big paycheck and a sweet job. In fact, everything in the Gospel points to simplicity rather than luxury. This isn’t to say that you’re not allowed to have nice things but that Jesus didn’t promise you are going to be given them. God’s plan for each of our lives is different, and we need to understand that not everyone is going to make the same amount of money, drive the same types of cars or even live in the same type of housing.

What we need to understand is that Jesus did say we need to love our neighbors, help those who are in need, and that the widow and homeless deserve to be loved as Christ loved the church.You don’t deserve to have nice things, but you do get to experience the love of Christ, and that is worth more than anything this world can offer.

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So how do we do that? How do you help a family through the salvation discussion?

You reveal you think you are infallible.

You are never having difficult conversations.

You are afraid of making mistakes.

You are never repenting.

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Common Factors

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Understanding Styles of Preaching

1. STYLES OF PREACHING: THE MOTIVATOR

Pray for Restoration

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Serve the Lord wholeheartedly.

Serve the Lord enthusiastically.

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Make room for the people in your life:

Things Jesus Never Said

1. “No shirt, no shoes, no service.”

2. “Follow me, and I will bring you fame and fortune.”

3. “Everything will go according to your plans.”

4. “I will bless you if you pray hard enough.”

5. “Life is going to be without rough patches.”

6. “I will answer prayers on your time.”

7. “You’re too far gone to be saved.”

8. “You deserve to have nice things.”

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