How I Created VBS That Worked

January 10, 2018

Vacation Bible School can be one of your best outreaches of the year. You can make great contacts with the community, build relationships with the kids in your church, and mobilize the congregation behind the children’s ministry. I am a big believer in VBS.

When I began in children’s ministry, I didn’t believe in VBS. I thought it didn’t fit my style of ministry. To me, it seemed like a relic of the past, so I avoided it like the plague. However, I reluctantly agreed to host a VBS at one of the churches where I served. It went well. Not a failure, but also not an enormous success. That continued for a couple of years until I decided to try some things differently.

That summer everything changed and for the next four years, the church’s VBS program shot off like a rocket. Our attendance grew to over 300 kids per week (almost as much as our church’s total attendance). Many children received Christ, and the church’s VBS family service attendance eclipsed the Easter attendance. God did great things!

Every church and situation is different. If you’re doing a camp instead of a VBS that changes the dynamics as well. So, take these suggestions and think of how it applies to your church. Here’s the principles that helped me create a VBS that worked:

Pray. Okay, I realize that may seem overly obvious. However, when you’re knee deep in VBS planning, it’s easy to forget that VBS (or any outreach) is first and foremost a God-ordained event. Without Him it doesn’t work. That’s an undeniable fact. It doesn’t matter how great you are at planning, writing or storytelling. The most gifted speaker is inadequate for the job without God’s anointing. That’s why I began fasting in the weeks leading up to VBS. I tend to eat more when I get stressed. Fasting made me focus on Christ and my need for His help. I honestly believe that when I began fasting that our VBS events turned a significant corner.

Start Early. It’s never too early to get started. I often began thinking about my VBS the month after finishing the current VBS. You may not be there yet, but don’t underestimate the power of starting several months out. I created a timeline for my VBS where I mapped out when I needed to complete each project. I set a due date for each item and made sure the date was far enough in advance to allow time for changes and unforeseen problems.

Keep It Simple. At the time I lived in the Metro Atlanta area. Most of the families worked and most commuted a long distance to work. A three-hour VBS wasn’t going to work because no one could get there by 6:00 p.m. I chose a two hour VBS schedule that ranged from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. This shorter timeframe required us to keep the kids moving and reduced the fluff. This was a non-stop, hold on for dear life thrill ride…and the kids loved it. We removed the elements that weren’t necessary and condensed parts that could fit together compactly. We decided the small group would be simple: games and snacks. Half the VBS did games while the other half ate snacks. You could reduce the opening and closing session and add crafts, but for us, it didn’t work. Check out this post for simplifying your VBS check-in.

Make It Fit Your Style. We excelled at large group services, and I think that a large group service is vital to creating an engaging outreach. We devoted over an hour to the large group sessions. We began with a 30- to 40-minute opening and ended with a 30- to 40-minute closing. These sessions included worship, drama, Bible story, memory verse, etc. Including the drama and Bible teaching in the opening and closing allowed us to use our best actors and story presenters. Don’t underestimate the appeal of a large group worshipping together. The drama began in the opening session and ended during the closing. The high energy closing ceremony ensured that we left the night on a high note that had the kids desperate to come back.

Adapt It. Just because you bought the kit doesn’t mean the kit is your boss. I eventually began writing my own VBS programs, but I started out by adapting a VBS I purchased from Group. I wrote my own drama, but I used their Bible stories, decor ideas, theme, etc. You can do the same thing, and the great part about doing that is you’ll offer something fresh. Kids who have seen that theme before won’t be bored and check out.

Mobilize the Church. Get everyone excited about serving. The first couple of years you may have to personally ask every person to join you. Don’t trust an announcement in the bulletin to get the job done. After some successful VBS events, you’ll be amazed at how the volunteers will begin lining up. People like to be on a winning team.

Take Care of the Volunteers. Train them and bless them. Create a volunteer manual that ensures your volunteers are ready to serve. This will make them feel better, and you’ll know that everyone is on the same page (mostly). After the event, create an opportunity to get everyone together. We had over 100 volunteers who served at VBS, and after each one, we hosted a fun event. It might be as simple as a cookout at someone’s house or a pool party. As your numbers grow, you might not be able to do something like this, but remember to do something to let the volunteers know they mattered.

Open Up to More Ages. Our attendance grew as we opened up opportunities for younger kids to come to VBS. My thought was that if a parent knew she could bring all of her children to one event, she might be more likely to visit. It required extra work in staffing rooms, but the idea worked. More families attended, and the younger aged classes exploded.

Host a Family Service. The largest win by far was our VBS Family Service. We hosted it the Sunday after VBS ended and saw huge numbers return. At the time we did the service, the church was only running one service. However, we had to add a second service on VBS Sunday to accommodate the crowds. Here are some tips to make it work.

Start announcing it day one
Give something away to everyone who comes
Have a big giveaway
Leave the final VBS drama as a cliffhanger and wrap it up on Sunday
Have the Senior Pastor teach the Bible story
Lead worship in the same style as during the VBS
Create opportunities for pictures and social media posts
It cannot (repeat: cannot) be anything less than the best service you will do the entire year

Here’s a sample schedule for a two hour VBS:

7:00 – 7:30 PM: Opening Session
7:30 – 7:50 PM: Snacks/Crafts/Games
7:50 – 8:10 PM: Crafts/Games/Snacks
8:10 – 8:30 PM: Games/Snacks/Crafts
8:30 – 9:00 PM: Closing Session

I created multiple areas within each spot to accommodate all of the groups. So groups were assigned to either Snack A, B, C, D, etc. The same goes for games and crafts. I opted to not do individual rooms and had the kids check in with their group in the main auditorium. The groups then moved from venue to venue throughout the night. If you do opt for a longer VBS or camp then you will probably need individual rooms.

What has been your best VBS or Kids Camp experience?

This article originally appeared here.

4 Lame Excuses People Give for Leaving Their Church

Brandon Cox

January 10, 2018

The problem with my old church was …

That’s a phrase you will only hear in the modern, Western church—particularly in the United States.

In first-century Jerusalem, if you didn’t like the music, the pastor or the amount of perfume Sister Bertha wore, you had to stay and work it out. Where else would you go?

Disclaimer: What I’m about to say has nothing to do with people who are far from God. I’m writing it to people who claim to know Him well. Read on.

I’m not promoting the idea of having only one church in every community. I think God is blessing a movement of multiplying churches that are helping to fill the earth with the good news of Jesus. But the side effect of our multiplying efforts is applying the same consumer mentality we use at the mall to the church.

When you plant a new church in a community with a lot of churches, like northwest Arkansas for example, you come into contact with people now and then who are “looking for something new” because of the problems they encountered at their old church.

I’ve heard plenty, including…

We just didn’t feel connected.

Sometimes this is a church problem. Sometimes it’s a me problem. Some people will connect in one good church but not another good church.

We didn’t like the ________.

Plenty of words find their way into that blank. The kids’ ministry. The way they gave to missions. The way they asked me to be, like, generous and stuff with my money.

We couldn’t get along with ________.

The pastor? The deacons? Sister Bertha? Whoever it is, our inability to reconcile broken relationships with other Christians is a shame. It’s a bad witness, and going to another church never solves the problem. It just transfers it.

We just weren’t getting fed.

My favorite. As a pastor, I usually translate this in my head into plain English: “We didn’t really like the pastor, or the music or the volume of the music. But the easiest thing to do is blame the pastor for not ‘feeding’ us.” To this last one, I so often want to ask how long the person talking has been a Christian. If it’s a year or more, my next question would be, “When will you grow up enough to feed yourself?” Nonetheless…

If you, as a pastor, play into these kinds of complaints, you’ve created a problem that will almost always come back to bite you, usually in a year or less.

You’ve attempted to “sell” how much better your church is. You’ve hurt the brand of the church in general. And you’ve set the table for people with unreachable expectations, which is a pastor-killing problem to begin with.

Don’t do it. Instead say…

People: Gift or Lesson?

Kurt Bubna

January 10, 2018

As you may have noticed (at least my mother did), I’ve been through a bit of a rough patch in a few relationships lately. For me, writing is therapeutic, and so I process by prose. For the record, the reason I post my musings is because I know I’m not alone; we all struggle relationally.

No one has ever accused me of being profound, but I am practical, and if my journey can help you work through your relational struggle, then my angst and insights are worth it.

In this recent blog (Hiding in Eden), I wrote that none of us is perfect, but we are challenged to love nonetheless. Last week, I wrote about how our failures in leadership and life can help us to grow (You Failed Me).

Today, I’ll be brief—very brief—with only one thought I want you to consider as you face a new year. Here it is:

Some people come into your life as a blessing. Some come into your life as a lesson.

I have many relational gifts in my life. My wife. My family. My friends. But I also have a good number of people who are “gifts” I’d like to return to the store.

These people annoy me. They frustrate me. They often push my emotional buttons, and I want to scream! (Don’t worry; it’s not you. If it were you, you wouldn’t be concerned about me.)

Undoubtedly, I am that person to some, as well. I annoy them. I frustrate them. I push their buttons.

So how should you and I view one another? The short answer: as a gift.

Whether someone makes you smile or cringe, and whether you like them or not, people—all people—are a gift. The obvious ones for obvious reasons. The challenging ones because they help us to grow.

In fact, the very-draining-extra-grace-required folks force us to face our human condition (i.e., self-centeredness), and to become more like Jesus. By the way, transformation is God’s ultimate goal for you and me.

So, there you have it: Some people come into your life as a blessing. Some come into your life as a lesson.

Either way, it’s good.

This article originally appeared here.

Stop Complicating Discipleship

Dr. Josh Buice

January 10, 2018

Growing up in a Southern Baptist church setting, I was accustomed to returning for church on Sunday evenings each Lord’s Day for worship. However, we not only returned for an evening service, we returned each week for a five o’clock training hour. We referred to that class as ”Training Union.” I still think that name works better for some branch of politics rather than a discipleship class in a local church, but the time spent discipleship training together as a church was memorable. For that reason, our elders and I plan to restore that in the life of our church in 2018—but under a different name for sure.

As we plan to provide our discipleship goals to our church family next Sunday, it’s imperative that we don’t complicate discipleship. One thing we do well as Christians is complicate what God never intended to be overly complicated. We often do it with worship, with service roles in the church, and with discipleship. What is discipleship? At the most basic level, it’s helping people to follow Jesus. That means seminary isn’t absolutely required to make disciples. We aren’t mandated to attend conferences or read books designed to provide a helpful model or philosophy of discipleship. So, what’s necessary and how do we engage in the work of discipleship without complicating it? I believe the most basic elements can be found in Paul’s words to Titus in the New Testament.

Biblical Preaching and Teaching

In Titus 2:1, we find these words from Paul to Titus. He writes, “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.” Paul expected Titus to set in order the local churches in Crete, that was his purpose in being left there. Paul makes this clear in the first chapter. In the second chapter, Paul develops the clearest pattern of disciple-making in the New Testament. Naturally, he begins with biblical preaching and teaching.

Immediately after the multitude of new believers were baptized following Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, we see the church gathered together under the teaching of the apostles (Acts 2:42). The pattern of making disciples centers on biblical preaching and teaching. It is the role of the pastor-teacher to preach and teach the Word in order to equip the saints for the work of ministry. Without biblical preaching and teaching—the church will become a shallow religious club that builds itself on a faulty foundation that will never last. God’s pattern for disciple making is always centered on the preaching and teaching of the local church. The pulpit serves as the catalyst for every other area of discipleship in the local church. Mark Dever writes:

Pastors teaching the Word is the core of a church’s discipling ministry. It provides the food and water that feeds all the other discipling relationships within the church. [1]

Older Training the Younger

Paul moves on from the pastor to the congregation as he develops the idea of the older men and older women training the younger men and younger women. It was first of all Titus’ job to teach the older generation (as he taught the whole congregation), and the older generation would go on to possess sound faith and teach what is good. This is where iron sharpening iron and family worship find their roots. If the pattern explained in Deuteronomy 6 was to be faithfully carried out in the homes and if fathers and mothers were to raise their children under the nurture and admonition of the Lord, it’s critical that they are first taught by the pastors of the local church.

Once again, you see the clear pattern of the older investing in the younger. This is true in life outside of the gathered church, but it’s likewise important that the older and younger spend time rubbing shoulders in the church as well. While I do not believe that it’s an imperative to be family integrated in all aspects of worship and discipleship in the life of the local church, I do believe that we are far too segmented in today’s evangelical church culture. It’s helpful for the younger generation to know older people in the church and to learn to value them as role models of perseverance in the faith.

Proper Pastoral Example

Paul then returns to the pastor in Titus 2:7-8. The emphasis in these verses is clearly upon the example of the pastor. His doctrine was the focus of the first verse of this chapter, but now the emphasis is upon his character. Paul understood that the entire church—including the younger generation needed proper examples of conduct and Christianity put on display in the pulpit and beyond.

The pastor must preach and teach with integrity, but he must live with a character that is beyond reproach as well. Far too many pastors are falling stars rather than strong mature trees with deep roots that provide an example of Christian perseverance. Many pastors in our day are little boys who are playing church. The need of the hour is maturity among those who occupy the office of elder. That’s why the title of pastor is elder in the New Testament. The title itself points toward maturity—not immaturity or perpetual adolescence.

How strong would our churches become if we refused to compartmentalize our discipleship into little workbooks or a five o’clock class on Sunday afternoons? How healthy would our churches become if we put into practice the simple circle of discipleship that Paul developed in his letter to Titus? How impactful would our churches be in our local communities if we worked together to make disciples for the glory of Christ under the leadership of mature men who were godly examples?

Stop making discipleship overly complicated. Help people follow Jesus. Remember, it’s not about the title of your class—it’s about the depth and commitment of the people. You can change Sunday school to Life Groups but if the people don’t take discipleship seriously the end result will not be discipleship. Aim for creating a culture of discipleship in our local church in 2018.

Mark Dever, Discipling, (Wheaton: Crossway, 2016), 60.

This article originally appeared here.

UPDATE: Top Leaders Leave Moody Bible Institute Over ‘Crisis of Leadership’

Bob Ditmer

January 10, 2018

Moody Bible Institute: Update January 11th, 2018

Moody Bible Institute President and Chief Operating Officer have resigned and the school’s Provost has retired following publicized complaints about the school’s direction. At a meeting on Wednesday the Board unanimously decided “it is time for a new season of leadership.” Resigning are President Paul Nyquist and COO Steve Mogck. Provost Junias Venugopal has retired.

Randy Fairfax, chair of the board of trustees said, “They are godly, honorable men to whom we entrust to the Lord and offer our deep gratitude for their years of faithful service to Christ and to Moody. However, we are unanimous in our decision that it is time for a new season of leadership. I ask that you be in prayer for them and their families.”

Moody Bible Institute is in the midst of what some are calling a crisis and it doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon.

The problems at the 132-year-old school are wide-ranging and include falling student enrollment numbers, a climate of fear and intimidation on campus, where whistleblowers were said to have been silenced, a liberal theological drift, unprofessionalism by professors in the classroom, widespread layoffs, questionable loans to school trustees and officials and now the firing of a popular Moody Radio Network host who criticized the school.

SWEETHEART DEALS FOR TRUSTEES AND EXECUTIVES

Julie Roys, host of Moody Radio’s “Up for Debate” program, was told via email on Saturday that she had been terminated. No reason for the firing was given but just two days earlier Roys outlined the “disturbing truth” about leadership at MBI on her blog. Her article was titled “A Luxury Suite, Questionable Loan to Officer, & Gambling: The Disturbing Truth About Leadership at MBI.” The article resulted from her own investigation of complaints about MBI that she said school officials refused to address.

In that article she wrote:

In 2009, the Christian school allegedly gave Moody Bible Institute President Paul Nyquist a $500,000 loan—which Moody Bible Institute’s latest 990 forms say has never been repaid—in order to acquire a $1.08 million condominium near campus. This money was given during a period of financial hardship for the school, a period of time that has stretched into recent months as approximately one-third of the Chicago faculty were let go last November, and the school’s Spokane, Washington, campus and learning extension site in Pasadena, California, were both closed.

When asked generally about the practice of loaning to officers (not MBI in particular), Attorney Rich Baker, a partner with Mauck and Baker, a Chicago law firm known nationally for representing religious institutions, said: “I’m always against loans to corporate officers and directors… If it’s not paid back, then that certainly puts it into the category of self-dealing. I’d be very uncomfortable in an audit in a situation like that.”

The condo in question is said to be worth more than two times as much as the median sale price of homes in the same neighborhood as MBI, Roys reported. Meanwhile, Nyquist’s compensation package has risen from $233,252 in 2009 to $338,735 in 2016, records say.

Roys said that from 2000 to 2008, MBI also provided a kind of “second home” in a luxury apartment atop Jenkins Hall for former Moody board chairman (now a trustee) Jerry B. Jenkins, co-author of the Left Behind fiction series. Jenkins had given the school an undisclosed sum of money in 1999 that enabled them to purchase the building bearing his name.

According to Roys, “Had MBI allowed other people to use the suite, and had Jenkins used the apartment only when he was in town on trustee business, it would not be considered self-dealing.”

Roys wrote that many MBI staff members were uncomfortable with the arrangement and in 2008 someone submitted an anonymous “whistleblower report” internally at MBI. Jenkins was upset about the report and made efforts to find out who complained.

ACCUSATIONS OF A DRIFT TOWARD LIBERAL THEOLOGY

The accusations of liberal theological drift and unprofessionalism from professors come from Roys and a detailed letter from an alumna.

The drift has become so controversial that a website was created by concerned students called The Broken Twig. The website says it is “documenting the decline and fall of the Moody Bible Institute.”

On December 15, 2017, the website reprinted a letter from an MBI alumna documenting the unidentified writer’s “deep concern with the atmosphere, education and direction of Moody Bible Institute.”

“Moody Bible Institute is not the training ground it once was. Moody has become not a unique place to study and know God’s Word, but instead a place infiltrated by liberal political stances and clichéd cultural buzzwords without a solid theological foundation, a departure from Moody’s central and driving mission to train men and women for faithful service by knowing and teaching the Word of God.”

The letter describes urban ministry classes that frequently started late and ended early and were taught by an unprepared professor who promoted social justice, liberation theology and exercises meant to instill fear of “white privilege” ahead of ministry and the gospel.

The gambling reference also involves Jenkins. According to Roys, MBI dropped a prohibition on gambling from its employee standards after it was reported that Jenkins had admitted to gambling both in his home and at casino poker tournaments.

Daniel Henderson: How to Pray When You’re In Charge

Jason Daye

January 10, 2018

Daniel Henderson has been guiding individuals, leaders, and churches to embrace experiences of powerful spiritual renewal. He has served as a senior pastor to thousands in congregations in California and Minnesota. He speaks across the nation at leadership conferences and local churches while coaching pastors and business leaders in the principles of a strategic and spiritually significant life. He is a husband, father, grandfather, and author of nine books including Old Paths, New Power and Transforming Prayer.

Key Questions:

How do you define leadership?

How can pastors focus on the biblical understanding of leadership when they’re pulled in so many different directions?

What practical steps can pastors take to nurture a culture of prayer?

[SUBSCRIBE] For more ChurchLeaders podcasts click here!

Key Quotes:

“Leadership is influencing people to the will of God by the power of the spirit of God according to the will of God.”

“Everyone that God used significantly there was a common denominator and it wasn’t their training or personality, it was that little phrase ‘“God was with him.”

“Leadership is the manifest presence of God in the life of someone who is walking in the blessing of God and influencing them toward the will of God.”

“The devil doesn’t have to destroy us, he only has to distract us.”

“There’s a difference between a prayer program and a prayer culture.”

“Build sidewalks where the footpaths are.”

“Don’t get discouraged (about prayer) because the commitment of the few can secure the blessings for the many.”

“The power of no is in a stronger yes.”

“Most pastors don’t know what their priorities are.”

“Churches do more to help pastors succeed than pastors do to help churches succeed.”

Mentioned in the Show:

Daniel on ChurchLeaders:

The Best Kind of Busy

Broadcasting Bad Theology

How to Survive and Thrive as a Pastor

How to Fight Against Isolation

Worship Cohort

January 9, 2018

Fight Isolation, Lean Into Community

1 Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. 2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. 3 When wickedness comes, contempt comes also, and with dishonor comes disgrace.

Proverbs 18:1-3 (ESV)

It’s striking to me the order that these verses appear. And I believe it speaks to the human condition. These verses reveal not only the condition that exists in our hearts, but also the result that comes socially from wickedness.

Verse 3 says, “When wickedness comes, contempt comes also…”

Contempt is defined as the feeling with which a person regards anything considered mean, vile or worthless; disdain; scorn. It’s speaking to the condition of our hearts when we have given in to wickedness.

Verse 3 goes on to say, “…and with dishonor comes disgrace.”

Dishonor and disgrace are referring to a loss of honor in the eyes of people around you who see your behavior and the result of the condition of your heart.

Luke 6:45 tells us that “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”

There is a very clear progression in these passages as you can see. A very fast way to dishonor and disgrace is to isolate yourself in such a way as to reject all counsel around you because you are set on your opinion being right!

The Word of God calls this foolishness and it says it leads to wickedness, contempt, dishonor and disgrace. So do yourself, your families, your teams and your churches a favor. Press into community and relationship with people around you.

If you are a worship leader and you are reading this, get into relationship with other worship leaders in your city! Maybe starting a Worship Cohort would be a good way for you to do that! Maybe you just want to grab lunch with some other people who do what you do.

Don’t neglect the wisdom that is out there for you to attain by being vulnerable enough to ask men, if you’re a man, and women if you are a woman, who are older or more experienced than you for insight and help. Ask other people for resources that can further your understanding of the Gospel and your call as a worship leader!

If you’re interested in starting a Cohort in your city, make sure you check out our Networks page first to see if there’s one in your city. If not, then head over to our Start a Network page and shoot us an email.

We’d love to connect with and help get a Cohort and community started in your city!

This article originally appeared here.

7 Disruptive Church Trends That Will Rule 2018

Carey Nieuwhof

January 9, 2018

The culture continues to change rapidly around you as a leader, and especially as a church leader.

If anything, the pace is accelerating, not slowing.

The question is: Are you and your team ready for all that’s ahead?

For the last two years, I’ve kicked off the new year with a post on disruptive church trends. You might still find those helpful. You can read the six trends for 2017 here, and the trends for 2016 here.

It’s critical church leaders keep trying new things and keep experimenting.

Why? Because the gap between how quickly you change and how quickly things change around you is called irrelevance.

And as I’ve said before, too many church leaders are perfectly equipped to reach a world that no longer exists.

In the hopes of helping every leader better accomplish our collective mission, here are seven disruptive church trends I see defining conversation and action in 2018.

Accomplish Your Goals in 2018

Organizational change is one thing. But the key to being able to handle all the challenges you face depends on your capacity as a leader.

How do you grow your capacity to navigate everything in front of you?

After all, too often, constant interruptions and distractions keep many leaders from getting even blog posts like this read, let alone finding the time to lead their teams through the day’s most compelling issues. And, sadly, work keeps bleeding into family time. Before you know it, all your hopes for a better year get dashed.

Until Tuesday, January 2, 2018, the High Impact Leader course is open for new registrations.

The High Impact Leader online course can help you solve the time and priority crunch so many leaders face by giving you proven strategies to get time, energy and priorities working in your favor. Last year, it helped over 2,500 leaders get their life and leadership back.

You can take the High Impact Leader course at your own pace once you own it, but time is running out to join it.

Every High Impact Leader course member in this round gets access to a private Facebook group that features a lot of peer support along with some personal interaction with me.

Click here to learn more before enrollment closes Tuesday, January 2.

With that said, here are the church trends I think will dominate 2018.

1. A Move Beyond Church in a Box

Let me start out by saying I’m a huge supporter of the local church. Anyone who’s read these pages would know that.

The mission of the local church is the most important mission on planet earth. Which is why this issue is so critical.

This year I think more leaders than ever are going to rethink our centuries-old model of making people come to a building on Sunday.

If you think about it, most churches (even growing churches, new churches and large churches) effectively say, “We’d love for you to come into a relationship with Jesus Christ, and to do it you need to join us at a set hour every Sunday in a particular space we meet in. Beyond that, we’re not sure what to do.”

That’s a remnant from a day when everything was done on a set clock. You sat down Thursday night at 8 to watch your favorite show, because you didn’t want to miss it.

Why I Quit Making Fun of Joel Osteen

Jeremy Roberts

January 9, 2018

How are your Joel Osteen jokes? Not to brag, but I have a pretty good Joel Osteen impression. Recently, I’ve moved my over-blinking, big smile, drawl and slow speech with a time of “stand up, hold up your Bible and declare this with me” from my frontal lobe to the cavernous “adios” section of my brain.

Why? Because it’s ungodly. I realized this was doing nothing to bless God or others. It was just putting a guy down for the sake of a few laughs. The purpose of this post is not to defend Joel Osteen’s theology or lack thereof. I know some are thinking, “He’s an ear tickler and embarrassed Christianity on Larry King.” The main subject of this post is not even Joel Osteen—it’s YOU!

For some reason, making fun of people has become an increasingly accepted form of sin in American Christianity. “Let me just shred someone. Then, I’ll giggle. Then I’ll say, ‘just kidding.’”

Proverbs 26:18–19 says, ¹⁸Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows and death ¹⁹is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I am only joking!”

No More Joel Osteen Jokes

Your words matter! I’m not saying God needs to get in agreement with our words; our words need to get in agreement with God.

1. Words Connect You to God

Psalm 107:20 says, He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.

There was a chasm—a grand canyon—between God and man called “sin.” So, God sent His Son—the Word—to span that chasm. Do you know how we receive salvation?

Romans 10:8a says, The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.

The Bible connects the mouth and the heart many times. So, God reaches us by sending His Word. Words are how we connect with God.

2. Words Connect Us to Each Other

Proverbs 18:21–22 says, ²¹Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. ²²He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

There is a reason these verses are next to each other. God’s Word is perfect, and He placed every Word in every place for a divine reason.

The way we connect with God is through our words, and the way we connect with people is through our words. Think about whenever you have had a disconnect with someone. Words were involved. They were either involved with what you said or what they said. Words were involved.

Bearing the Burdens of the Broken

J.D. Greear

January 9, 2018

In Galatians 6:2, the Apostle Paul calls us to “carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (CSB). For Paul, this is simply an obvious application of the gospel. If you understand the gospel, you will enter into the burdens of others, even burdens brought on by their own sinfulness. The way we often say it around the Summit is that those who believe the gospel become like the gospel—overflowing with grace.

Paul points out that carrying each other’s burdens actually fulfills the law of Christ. You may know the Golden Rule (do to others what you want them to do to you), but here Paul upgrades it to the Platinum Rule (do to others what Jesus did for you). The law of Christ is that you love your neighbor by voluntarily sharing in their burdens.

Think about the metaphor of a literal burden. If someone is struggling to carry a duffle bag that weighs 100 pounds, how do you help them? You take one end, and they take the other. Now, no one is carrying the 100 pounds by himself; each one is carrying 50 pounds. In other words, in order to help that person, some of the burden has to fall upon you. This is precisely how we should relate to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Most of us, however, want to give to others without it really costing us. We want to give without being burdened. We think we’ve earned our burden-free life, and we’re reluctant to step into any situation that puts weight back on our shoulders. But that’s not what people who have experienced the power of the gospel should look like. So here’s my challenge to you: Think about the burdens you are carrying right now. How many of them are the burdens of others? One of the signs you’ve really encountered Jesus is the willingness to share in the burdens of others.

There are many ways to apply this principle—sharing in financial burdens, emotional burdens, relational burdens. But I want to apply this principle in a way that I think is timely for us—racial reconciliation.

For those of us in the majority culture, carrying each other’s burdens is one of the most important responses in situations of racial tension. We need to make every effort to bear the burdens that many of our brothers and sisters of color are carrying. These are burdens that most of us have never had to experience. And often, sadly, our brothers and sisters of color are carrying the weight of these heavy burdens by themselves. Racial reconciliation involves quite a bit more than simply sharing burdens, but it never involves less than this.

The obstacle that lies in front of many white Christians isn’t always ill will. It’s inertia. It’s simply easier to avoid thinking about things that don’t affect us. But if we’re gospel people, we will be aware of the pain others are going through. We will be aware of the privileges we experience that others don’t have. And we will use any position of privilege or strength that we enjoy to serve others. We are called to share the burdens that our brothers and sisters of color live with as if they were our own.

So the next time a public conversation begins, threatening to pour fuel on the fire of racial strife, take a breath. Remember that when it comes to things like kneeling for the flag or protesting after a controversial shooting, others feel like they do because of the experiences they’ve had. And, to be frank, if you had experienced the same things, you’d probably feel the same way. Our experience isn’t where the conversation ends, but it should certainly shape how the conversation begins. Listen to others in your community, trying to see things from their perspective. Listening is, after all, the first stage of sharing a burden. All of us can—and should—do this.

By the way, to listen to someone else, you actually need to know them. We can’t listen to people we aren’t in community with. For many of my majority culture readers out there, your first step is to get in community with people of color.

When we realize that our fellow believers are each carrying unique burdens, it changes the way we engage with them. As Paul points out in Galatians 6:4-5, “Let each person examine his own work, and then he can take pride in himself alone, and not compare himself with someone else. For each person will have to carry his own load.” Our burdens, Paul says, aren’t created equal. How foolish, then, for you to feel proud that you aren’t struggling like another person. Of course you aren’t; you don’t have the same burden they do! The absence of struggle in your life may be due more to the fact that you’ve been given a different load to carry. It’s not because you’re better than that person in any way. So don’t compare your struggles to someone else’s.

If God has been gracious to me, then who am I to look down upon any other person? The measure to which you understand the gospel is shown by how well you relate to broken and needy people.

We all tend to judge others for struggles that we don’t share. Whether those are struggles arising from the color of another person’s skin, from the mistakes a person has made in his past, or from something else altogether, it’s alarmingly easy to see someone else’s struggles and respond with pride and condescension. But if we’re going to be gospel-shaped people, we need to remember that each of us has a different load to carry. And every last one of us is dependent upon God’s grace to help us do so.

This article originally appeared here.

The Gospel-Shaped Pastor

Jared C. Wilson

January 9, 2018

Pastors are a motley bunch of souls. We represent different personalities and tribes, different methodologies and styles, not to mention denominations, traditions and theologies. But I’ve learned over the years that there is something many of us all have in common—a profound sense of insecurity for which the only antidote is the gospel.

It’s easy to succumb to the temptation to compare one’s ministry to that of another pastor, or give in to the need to impress others and be liked.

The only remedy for these ministry idolatries and all others is the gospel because it announces, among many things, we are justified, accepted, loved and satisfied by God in Christ.

Until pastors discover and embrace their identity in Christ—which is accomplished by Christ and received by faith, not works—they will keep trying to find their identity in their position, their preaching, their persona and their programs.

While every pastor would affirm the gospel’s centrality to their ministry, we still need to remind each other this isn’t just some religious formality. Knowing how Christ’s finished work works in our own lives and ministries is vitally important.

So how do we become a “gospel-shaped pastor”? How (and why) should we keep the good news of the finished work of Christ at the center of our hearts and the forefront of our minds? There are many reasons, but here are four of the more important ones.

1. Remember the gospel so you will have the power you need.

In the trenches of day-to-day ministry work, it can become tragically easy to think of the whole thing as a managerial enterprise. We plan and program, we mentor and coach, we write and preach. The relational work of ministry is taxing. Studying takes its toll.

Nearly every pastor I know has been wearied by ministry. For this reason, we need to remember Christianity is not some ordinary religious methodology. It is supernatural.

We pray because we aren’t in control. We preach the Scriptures because only God’s Word can change hearts. We share the gospel because only the grace of Christ can bring the dead to life. We have to remember who we are in Christ or we will go on ministry autopilot, assuming we’re working under our own power.

Knowing the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16).

We’re told that a Korean pastor once visited the United States and was asked what he thought of the American church, to which he replied, “It is amazing what the church in America can do without the Holy Spirit.” May this never be said of us!

If we pursue pastoral ministry in our own strength, trusting in our own selves, we will be in big trouble. Our churches will be devastated, and so will we.

No, let us remember all that we are is because of Christ, and apart from him, we can do nothing. This reality will empower our leadership and our preaching and achieve real spiritual impact.

An Innocent Man and a Crooked Cop

Bob Ditmer

January 9, 2018

Are you harboring a grudge? Is the offense too much to forgive?

This video titled “An Innocent Man and a Crooked Cop” is an episode in the “I Am Second” series that tells of the power of forgiveness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

Here’s the story.

Andrew Collins was a narcotics officer for the Benton Harbor, Michigan police department. Working on a tip from an informant he was watching for a suspected drug deal when Jameel McGee walked out of a nearby convenience store and headed in the direction of a car Collins had been watching. Cocaine was found in that vehicle.

In order to make an arrest and further his career, Collins lied about McGee’s identity and claimed he was in the vehicle where the cocaine was found, when in fact he wasn’t.

McGee was sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute.

But instead of being a stepping stone, Collins’ career began to spiral out of control because of his own criminal activity. He was stealing money from the city, he was planting drugs on innocent people to get convictions and drugs were found in his office. Suicide seemed the only solution.

Instead, at his wife’s insistence, he met with a pastor who asked him about his relationship with God.

Collins answered, “I don’t deserve Jesus’ love.” The pastor told him, “That’s why it’s called grace. You didn’t earn it and I don’t deserve it either.”

Collins accepted Christ as his Savior and set out to atone for his wrongs.

He went to the FBI and confessed his crimes. He was sentenced to 37 months in prison and tasked with combing through his cases with the federal government to right his wrongs. One of those cases was Jameel McGee.

McGee was behind bars but also struggling with God. He was filled with anger at his unjust sentence. He found out he had a son, one he couldn’t spend time with because he was in prison. He vowed to harm Collins when he got out. But with lots of time on his hands, he started reading the Bible. He said “my mind went blank and God stepped in.” He gave his bitterness to God.

McGee’s conviction was overturned and he was released. Two years later he met his son for the first time and took him to a nearby park to play. Andrew Collins was there.

McGee walked up to him and said, “Do you remember my name?” Then looking at his son he said to Collins, “Can you tell him why I wasn’t there for him?”

Collins said that question hurt worse than being punched. Collins apologized but the air was filled with tension as McGee gripped Collins hand hard and wouldn’t let go.

McGee said he was waiting for God to tell him what to do.

Four years later both McGee and Collins were in a Jobs for Life program. Neither knew the other was involved. Part of the program is to assign a mentor to those looking for work. The mentor assigned to McGee was Collins.

They met. They prayed together. Collins apologized again feeling he hadn’t done an adequate job the first time.

McGee told him “It’s over. I believed you,” adding “If God didn’t forgive us, where would that leave us?”

Collins says now when he’s angry with someone and holding a grudge, God reminds him of Jameel’s forgiveness and his need to forgive.

McGee and Collins are now best friends and have written a book together about their ordeal titled “Convicted.”

Women Report Finding ‘beauty from ashes’ After Abortion

Bob Ditmer

January 9, 2018

The negative effects of abortion are universal. Women who had abortions in “ideal circumstances” and those who said support “was lacking” left the experience saying they felt “their decisions were a mistake.” But surprisingly, many of those who have had abortions came closer to God through that mistake.

That is the conclusion from unparalleled research titled “Women Who Suffered Emotionally from Abortion: A Qualitative Synthesis of Their Experiences” and published in the latest edition of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons.

Four researchers worked on the project, Priscilla K. Coleman, Ph.D., Kaitlyn Boswell, B.S., Katrina Etzkorn, B.S. and Rachel Turnwald, B.S.

The survey’s respondents were women who had contacted crisis pregnancy centers for post-abortion care and were asked to describe the most significant positive and negative aspects of their abortion in an online anonymous survey.

DEEPENED SPIRITUAL LIFE AFTER ABORTION

Many women (just under 32 percent of the 987 who participated) expressed no personal benefits of their abortions.

The second largest group (17.5 percent) said the abortion resulted in a deepened spiritual life (finding forgiveness, peace, inner healing). Many of the responses had a distinctive spiritual aspect. The researchers characterized their answers this way:

“The one positive is that it has brought me to my end and brought me to my knees before God. He has drawn me to him through His endless forgiveness, mercy and grace. I think He could have shown me those same things had I chosen another path, but this is how I came to Him, not as a Christian, because I already was one, but as one who really knows Him now.”

13.3 percent said the abortion caused them to be more committed to crisis pregnancy work. 8.9 percent began writing or talking about their abortion to help others. And just over 8 percent committed to helping women recover from an abortion experience by sharing God’s forgiveness and love.

“I understand the pain and can relate to the pain and difficult decision points of other women. That I may share my heart. That Jesus cares about people (about the women/mothers) and that I know/and can share and tell…that babies are in heaven, but that God can use even mistakes we make and turn it all around “beauty from ashes” or mush inside a [caterpillar chrysalis] turns into a butterfly.”

Many of the women (7.5 percent) said the abortion resulted in their conversion to Christianity, and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ personally.

“I have faced my past, felt the emotions and mourned my losses, experienced anger and forgiven others for their participation. I am free in Christ. I can share my story without shame because I have brought the darkness into the light. I used to be a complete anxious mess—I couldn’t concentrate I felt like a complete failure in every area and was totally isolated. Now I am free!”

The last group (6.4 percent) said they are now active in the pro-life movement.

NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES

Answers to the question, “What are the most significant negatives, if any, that have come from your decision to abort?” were The abortion “took a life” (23.7 percent); Depression (14.4 percent); Guilt/remorse (14 percent); Self-hatred/anger at self/self-loathing/feelings of worthlessness/unworthy of love (12.4%); Shame: 86 (10.9 percent); Addiction, alcohol or drug abuse including alcoholism (9 percent); Regret (9.3 percent); Self-destructive behaviors including promiscuity, self-punishment, and poor choices (7.7 percent); Low self-esteem (7.6 percent); Anxiety/fear (7.1 percent); Suicidal/suicidal thoughts/wanting to die/self-harm/ dangerous risks/suicidal attempts (6.2 percent).

Twenty states require pre-abortion counseling on a range of possible post-abortion emotional effects, with six states mandating only the sharing of information related to possible negative responses.

In their conclusion the study’s authors suggest more treatment should be available and more research conducted on the effects of abortion.

“Even in an ideal environment wherein women receive adequate counseling, are offered support to continue their pregnancies, and do not present with established risk factors, it is still possible to be blindsided by an abortion and suffer ill effects due to the inherent complexity of abortion. Future research should examine the psychological trajectories (positive and negative) of women who felt they received sensitive pre-abortion counseling, were supported had they chosen to give birth, and believed the abortion was the right decision to those who felt the pre-abortion counseling was inadequate, supports were lacking and their decisions were a mistake.”

No previous studies of this size, using a qualitative methodology based on open-ended responses from women, who have sought post-abortion care from a crisis pregnancy center, have been conducted. Respondents came from every state in the nation except Hawaii.

Art Rorheim: Of This Approved Workman God Will Not Be Ashamed

Bob Ditmer

January 9, 2018

Art Rorheim is quoted as saying, “You know, kids are the same the world over, they respond to those who love them.” And he also knew they liked to have fun.

Rorheim, the co-founder of Awana, died Friday at the age of 99.

FILLING A NEED

Rorheim and Lance “Doc” Latham created the Awana youth association in 1950 as a non-profit provider of curriculum and training materials.

Awana, derived from 2 Timothy 2:15, stands for Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed.

Rorheim started full-time ministry in 1943 as the youth director at the North Side Gospel Center in Chicago. At the time, most churches didn’t have mid-week programs for children like they do today. Rorheim and Latham set out to start one with exciting games that would attract kids.

In the early days, Rorheim shared a desk with another employee in a stairwell at the church. Although he never attended college, Rorheim quickly showed his creativity and organizational skills, developing many of the programs that make Awana unique today, including Bible-based handbooks and Awana games competitions.

RAUCOUS AWANA GAMES

For games, he devised a symbol that most Christians who attended church in their youth will recognize: a circle inside a square, its sides marked red, blue, green and yellow, divided by diagonal lines.

Rorheim had been having trouble with traditional two-team games as his youth group grew; his four-team court was designed to let 100 play with little downtime. Now more than 10,000 churches in the United States use it as they host Awana programs.

And the games played round that symbol are just as legendary. Baton relay races. Three-legged-races. Balloon volleyball. Four-way-tug-of-war. Throwing bean bags to knock over plastic bowling pins. Anyone who has worked as an Awana volunteer probably marveled at how there weren’t nightly injuries.

In the beginning, they were even more raucous. Some of Rorheim’s early games “were unconventional and even illegal,” according to Awana: God’s Miracle, Awana’s official history book. Boys ran out of the building and around the block, then fought in the halls to slow each other down. “That game was short-lived when the church board heard about it,” God’s Miracle notes.

LOVE OF CHILDREN AND SCRIPTURE

In addition to the rousing games, Scripture memorization is a trademark of Awana, and Rorheim lived it out in his own life. On one occasion, he even required his children and grandchildren to recite Psalm 1 before attending a family reunion.

Friends and co-workers also praised him for his wit and love for children.

“He was so much fun, and he saw life as fun,” said Jeff Schacherer, who worked closely with Rorheim at Awana and frequently traveled with him. “He loved to play jokes on people. He had a passion for life, and he felt a need to share it with others.”

“Rorheim had tremendous energy because he had a passion for helping others connect with God,” Schacherer said. When they traveled together, Rorheim wanted to sit separately so that he could have the opportunity to share his faith with the person sitting next to him.

“He didn’t see bodies; he saw souls,” Schacherer said.

By 1960, 900 churches had started Awana programs, and by 1972, Awana began its first international club in Bolivia.

Today, the Streamwood, Illinois-based international evangelical nonprofit serves churches from 100 different denominations and has an outreach of more than 3.7 million children as well as millions of adult alumni in over 100 countries.

Rorheim would go on to visit some 50 countries to spread the word about Awana and lead the national and international expansion of the organization until retiring as executive director in 1990. He then served as Awana president until 1999 before assuming the role of co-founder/president emeritus.

A memorial service for Rorheim will be at Quentin Road Bible Baptist Church in Lake Zurich, Illinois, at 11 a.m. Saturday, January 27.

10 Reasons Preachers Should at Least Audit a Preaching Course

Chuck Lawless

January 8, 2018

As a Dean of Doctoral Studies at Southeastern Seminary, I realize I’m suggesting an idea here that sometimes gets complicated to accomplish—that is, encourage people to audit a preaching course. In fact, not every seminary allows this kind of option. Nevertheless, here’s why I think every preacher ought to consider this option:

None of us is a perfect preacher. All of us have room to grow, no matter how long we’ve been doing this work. Even a few days sitting in a classroom can teach all of us something.
Most of us received only the basic required preaching training in our seminary work. The required courses laid a strong foundation for preaching well, but we’re usually better prepared to learn and apply after a few years in ministry.
All of us could stand some critique. For too many of us, our seminary days were the last time somebody evaluated our preaching. I trust we’ve grown enough now that we can hear critique with more wisdom.
New delivery options allow pastors to take classes from a distance. An online advanced preaching elective might be an option. So might a hybrid course that gives you both online and on-campus instruction. A short-term Doctor of Ministry course that requires you to be on campus for only a few days might also be a possibility.
The classroom is almost always stronger when veteran pastors and preachers are in the room. That’s part of the reason I’m arguing that even the most educated pastor ought to get back to the classroom for a few days. Everybody benefits.
Many of us could use some humbling. We’re better preachers when we’re humble—and the classroom has a way of taking us there. Simply being a student when we’re used to leading can be good for us.
A few days on a seminary campus can be a welcomed break. I can tell you many stories of students whose greatest benefit of brief, short-term on-campus work was the time away from their church to get rejuvenated.
We need to know about the newest and best resources. Even those of us who already have advanced degrees get behind in the current resources—and we miss opportunities to grow.
You might make connections that change your life. I’ve seen classroom networking among students that has led to enduring friendships and prayer support.
Auditing one course might lead to increased interest in earning a degree. Start somewhere. Get your feet wet in further education, and see where that step takes you.

Preachers, I encourage you to contact your nearest seminary. See what options you have to strengthen your preaching. Let me know if I can help you.

This article originally appeared here.

Mixing Acoustic Guitars

Chris Huff

January 8, 2018

Stringed instruments have been around a long time so it’s no wonder the acoustic guitar is a common instrument in the church. And for that reason, we should be doing a great job mixing it each week. This article aims to cover all of the aspects of the acoustic guitar, from where the tone originates to mixing the acoustic guitar itself.

Tone

Sound quality starts at the source and with an acoustic guitar, you can’t get much more source than the wood used for the front and back of the guitar. For an acoustic guitar, consider the tonal properties of four of these woods:

Mahogany
The wood emphasizes the low overtones as well as the high-end response for a full warm tone.
Maple
Maple produces a very bright-sounding tone with an emphasis on the high range of the guitar.
Cocobolo
Found in limited edition or custom guitars, it produces even tones across the full spectrum of sound. Individual notes ring clear even within strummed chords.
Koa
This wood will produce a solid tone with pronounced areas in the mid-range and high end.

We have choices in how we mix an acoustic guitar but we must know how it sounds before it’s amplified, as the type of wood does affect the sound. As an added note, some woods change the tone with age. For example, as the Koa ages and the guitar is played more and more, it will begin to sound like a mahogany guitar, or as I saw described, “a mahogany on steroids.”

Listen to the tone of the guitar when it’s not amplified — and get ten feet from it so you’re hearing the direct sound. Make note of how the low, mid, and high frequencies are represented.

Strings

I’ll dispense with listing out guitar string brands and models except to say that the gauge of the strings (heavy, medium, light) affect the sound as does the material and methods in which the strings are produced. I use DR acoustic strings, not because the company sponsored me (ha ha) but because I love the tone I get when they’re paired with my guitar.

The only other note to add with strings is the age.

New strings sound funky.
Old strings sound bad.

New strings go out of tune faster until they are broken in, though they sound brighter. Old strings go out of tune and sound dull.

Sound detection

The last part of understanding the sound at the source is how the sound is captured.

Pickups

There might be a built-in on-board pickup located inside the guitar under the bridge. Or, a portable pickup can be placed across the sound hole. The sound of the same guitar will be different in each scenario because the sound is captured in a different space.

A quick note about guitars with on-board pickups. They’ll have a mini-EQ built into the side of the guitar. If these EQ settings are bad, the guitar will sound terrible. Flat line the mixer EQ for this guitar and spend an evening with the guitarist and tweaking the guitar’s on-board EQ for the best setting. The other option is to run it flat — all EQ settings at 0. Don’t lower all the EQ controls on the guitar, that applies cuts to all frequencies.

Mic it

The final method of miking the guitar is with an instrument microphone. In this case, place it around the twelfth fret, a foot away. It means the musician can’t move around much, but it will sound great!

Acoustic DI boxes and effects pedals

The musician can either plug into the system from here, if not directly miked, and go into a passive DI to convert from their unbalanced instrument cable to a balanced XLR, or go through their choice of acoustic guitar DI boxes or pedals. This can drive you crazy or make you very happy. In short, what they think sounds good and what you think sounds good can be quite different. I’ve experienced both.

At this point, you have two options:

Capture the sound as it comes out of their effects/guitar
Capture two sounds, the dry signal raw from the guitar and the wet signal coming from the effect box.

Wet and dry are terms used to indicate the modification of a signal or the lack of modification. In the latter, use a splitter pre-effects and run these two signals into two separate stage jacks. This means you can blend these two signals on the mixer.

Blending signals can be beneficial because a wet signal can lose frequency distinction. Imagine a strummed guitar with a lot of reverb. Add in some of the original sound and you get both the brightness of the raw guitar as well as the reverbed sound. How much the two are mixed is up to you. These two channels provide more opportunity for creative mixing to get the intended sound.

It’s time to consider WHERE the acoustic guitar will sit in the mix

Continue

Five Lessons Learned From Counseling Those With Anxiety

Ryan Davidson

January 8, 2018

Fear…Anxiety…Worry. In the cursed world in which we live as fallen image bearers, this pattern can often be a part of the human experience. Many times, it is caused by sinful unbelief or idolatry. At other times, it is a physiological response, and at other times, it’s a mixture of both. Having spent years walking alongside many for whom anxiety is a reality, there are many lessons I have begun to glean. Here are five of those lessons learned from counseling those with anxiety.

1. Scripture Speaks to This Issue

The Word of God speaks to our anxieties and regularly seeks to call us out of it. In our day, however, the Scriptures are often not brought to bear in the face of our anxieties. Perhaps that is because many people believe anxiety is merely a clinical issue, far removed from the church or the Scriptures, or perhaps, more likely, because in the midst of very difficult anxieties, Christians have not learned the pattern of reaching for the truths of Scripture. I believe, and have seen countless times, that thinking, or cognitions, must be addressed in counseling. The way we perceive things, how we are conditioned through years of thinking patterns, and how we tend to accentuate certain thoughts above others, all must be addressed when we deal with anxiety. The Scriptures are the best filter for how we go ought to go about this task (i.e., Jesus’ teaching on anxiety—Matt 6:25-34, considering our thought life—2 Cor 10:5, Phil 4:8, Ps 56:3, as well as dwelling on God’s goodness—Ps 77:11-12).

The Scriptures also reveal deep truths regarding our tendency to create false gods and idols, which cause anxiety when elevated to an unholy or ungodly place. For instance, when our job, family, reputation, money, etc. become an idol, the Scriptures call us to repentance. A byproduct of idolatry is that we often feel anxious when our idol is not “worshiped” by others, when it fails us or when it is ultimately exposed as a false god. Here, the wisdom of Scripture can produce the fruit of peace when we filter our lives through its pages.

In addition to the application of specific texts and passages of Scripture, it is important to consider how Scripture as a whole speaks to certain issues. Specifically, we must be careful, in any situation, but particularly in our dealings with anxiety, to look at the patterns of Scripture, understanding how Scripture as a whole teaches a specific doctrine or speaks to a particular concern. And this is where historic confessions aid us. The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith provides a helpful framework, which arises from the pages of Scripture, through which we can understand how the various passages of Scripture we are using fit within the overall united message of the Scripture. This guides us from taking passages out of context, or placing emphases in places that are misguided. It also helps us to not treat the Bible simply as a pill box from which we gather various medication, but as an entire course of treatment in our moments of fear, worry and anxiety patterns.

2. A Right Understanding of the Doctrine of God Is Crucial

Every doctrine of the Bible is important and crucial for our growth in knowledge and godliness. However, in dealing with anxiety, one doctrine that is often abused, misinterpreted or flat out forgotten is an orthodox doctrine of God (theology proper). For the counselor, a thorough understanding of the doctrine of God is a necessary component to helping others with anxiety. To attribute finite qualities to God, to consider Him less than omniscient, to argue that he is mutable (even if only to try to make Him seem relatable to His creatures), to view Him as passible, or to misrepresent Trinitarian orthodoxy, are all to be avoided in our faith pilgrimage and particularly in our counseling. It would benefit every counselor to rightly and deeply understand an orthodox theology proper. Confessions help us in that regard. For instance, if a counselor is knowledgeable of the Doctrine of God from the pages of Scripture as faithfully confessed in the Second London Confession, he will more likely correctly represent God in his counseling. We live in a day when many churches are putting together smaller and more “succinct” statements of faith. Often, one of the shortest sections is the doctrine of God such that those crafting said statements seem content wherein a simple statement regarding the Trinity is given. But is this all that our God reveals to us about Himself—that He is Triune? Is there not immense value in a fuller understanding of this God? Take note:

“Seek and Ye Shall Find”: Discerning God’s Presence in Everyday Life

Charles A. Metteer

January 8, 2018

Our day-to-day lives are mostly spent doing ordinary, routine activities such as working, sleeping, eating, commuting, doing household chores and maintaining personal hygiene. The few hours, if any, that remain are normally dedicated to family, friends, hobbies, entertainment and spiritual pursuits.[1] It is in this last category (spiritual pursuits) that our Christian culture has usually counseled us to develop our faith and pursue God’s presence and kingdom. While practices such as Scripture reading and study, prayer and meditation, and fellowship and service to others are vitally important for our Christian experience, they generally are not incorporated into the remainder of our day.

Yet, if we are to live entirely for God’s glory (1 Corinthians 10:31), then the 20 or so hours we dedicate daily to mundane tasks and demands should be as spiritually significant as our “special times” with the Lord. Thus, a fundamental aspect of our Christianity must be discerning the presence of God and His kingdom in our everyday lives.

If this is true, why do so many of us overlook this down-to-earth spirituality and only seek spiritual nourishment in the little free time we have each day? One possible reason is our tendency to take everyday activities for granted because of their sameness and repetition. In general, the everyday is ignored until it becomes a problem. Since we find nothing remarkable in the ordinary, we conclude that it has no spiritual value.

As a result, many of us seek out extraordinary experiences in our limited free moments. By doing this, we too readily place our Christian experience into the category of the unusual and, thereby, overlook the valuable spiritual dimension of everyday life. Both orientations, however, are vital. Just as we are to pursue and hopefully encounter the extraordinary (supernatural manifestations of God’s love and kingdom rule on earth), we are also to discern the presence of God in the mundane and humdrum activities of life.[2]

Fortunately, our everyday affairs have the inherent capacity to reveal the sacred. Yet, to discover God’s immanent presence and rule, we must move beyond merely going through the motions of daily life. Approaching life mechanically and mindlessly creates a dullness of heart that interferes with our spiritual perception and discernment. Our challenge is to pay reverent attention to daily life with the full assurance that God will meet us in the ordinary and extraordinary. Our common, routine activities and situations can then become “sacraments” that reveal the mystery of God and His kingdom. Over time, as we gain in our ability to find God in the pleasures and problems of everyday life—and not simply in signs, wonders, and spiritual experiences—we can gain a deep love and respect for God, creation, and our own existence.

The Workplace as Dominant Reality

From the very beginning of the Old Testament, work is portrayed as a divine ordinance for humanity (Genesis 1:26–28). This charge was carried out so thoroughly by the Hebrews that they were eventually instructed to rest periodically rather than work longer or harder (Exodus 20:9–10).

In like manner, our modern society places a great emphasis on careers. For many of us, the workplace is the dominant reality. More energy goes into our occupations than into our home lives. More status is accorded to what we do at work than to any other factor. We ascribe more significance to our occupations than to any other activity and, as a result, generally worry more about them than about our health, families and friends. Finally, more time is put into our work than anything else we do. The average, gainfully-employed adult in the United States spends approximately 88,000 hours in the workplace from his or her first full day of employment until retirement. When this statistic is measured against the mere 8,000 or so hours most of us spend over a lifetime in church meetings and activities, we can readily see why it is necessary to seek God’s presence and kingdom in the marketplace and not merely at church.

Indeed, if we endure our work simply to engage in spiritual pursuits in our leisure time, then we can understandably feel jealous of early Christian monks such as the Desert Fathers and Mothers. These saints freely meditated on God while engaged only in simple tasks. But if the Christian conception of work includes discerning God’s presence and kingdom in our ordinary occupations, then everyone—biblical patriarchs, ancient monks and modern adults—has an equal opportunity to grow spiritually.[3]

Uniting the Sacred/Secular Split

Although work is the dominant reality in our waking lives, it is generally given little spiritual reflection. How often do we seriously consider the purpose and meaning of our work? What, apart from wages, an A on a test, or a Thank you from a family member, do we receive for our efforts? How does work contribute spiritually to our personal, family and community lives? Is something “more” going on when we work? If we view work as wholly practical, rooted in the necessity to provide for self and family, then we may conclude that there is nothing “larger” going on when we work.

Super Simple Crafts for the Littlest of Hands

Lindsey Whitney

January 8, 2018

Hello! A few days ago, I was honored to present at the INCM Early Childhood Webinar. I promised I would try to post pictures of some of the crafts I shared during that webinar for those of you who might not have been able to take notes at the time. These crafts are perfect for ages six months through about five years old.

10 Essential Craft Supplies

To begin, you want to make sure your cupboards are stocked with these essential supplies. With these things on hand, you can do almost any of the crafts found below. They are (in no particular order):

Construction Paper
Glue sticks
Google Eyes
Stickers
Crayons
Watercolor paints + Smock (Dollar Tree or Discount School Supply)
Hole Punchers
Cookie Cutters (Craft Stores)
Cotton Balls
Giant Stamp Pad

Bonus Supplies: Laminator, Q-tips, Glitter

4 Types of Projects to Try

Holiday/Seasonal
Hand print
Theme (Animal, Bible Story, Weather, etc.)
Finish Me Project

Holiday and Seasonal

There’s nothing like a craft to make a holiday even more festive. Try out these fun holiday and seasonal crafts with the little ones in your class!

Construction Paper Mitten Craft: Trace around hands to create mitten shape and glue on cotton balls.

Construction Paper Hat: Semi-circle on the top and rectangle construction paper on the bottom. Embellish with cotton balls.

Spring Rainbow: Paper strips from construction paper and topped off with cotton balls

January 2018: Three Prayer Priorities for America

Ronnie Floyd

January 8, 2018

As we enter this exciting year of 2018 together, only God knows what is before us. We do not know what the future holds for us personally or for America; but we do know who holds our future.

UNIFYING in prayer for America is powerful. As we discern what is before us right now in our nation, as well as listen to the Lord and His voice to us through His Word, we lift up these three prayer priorities for America this January.

Please share these with friends, pastors, churches, denominations, networks, ministries and Christian media. The more people we have praying together about the same things in our nation, the more we will see God move us forward together.

We are going to be praying for unity in America for the next several months. We revealed in November that Pray For America: UNITY is our 2018 theme for the National Day of Prayer. We chose this theme because we strongly believe this is God’s heart. Therefore, from now until and even beyond our Thursday, May 3, 2018, National Day of Prayer, we are going to call for, forward and pray for unity in America.

Millions of Christians in our nation need to enter the throne of grace with boldness in this time of great need in our nation. If we do not unify soon, I believe our nation’s future will be jeopardized.

Whether you pray daily or weekly for our nation, please join us in praying with the authority of the Scriptures for these three priorities for America. This week, we are four months away from Thursday, May 3, 2018, our National Day of Prayer. Now is the time to pray for these three prayer priorities for America:

1. #PRAY4UNITY IN THE CHURCH OF AMERICA

“Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction.” 1 Corinthians 1:10

God is calling His church in America to unify upon the authority of the Bible and the centrality of Jesus Christ, the only Savior of the world.
Ask God for thousands of local churches to unify as one body of Christ, agreeing together that God is our greatest need in America.
Call upon God for Jesus’ church in America to walk in unity, harmony and oneness, so His church personifies, calls and leads America to unity.
Convict the church in America to wake up spiritually, agree clearly, unite visibly,and pray extraordinarily for the next Great Spiritual Awakening in America to occur in our generation.
Call upon God to bring spiritual awakening now in America, shaping the future of America, just as the Great Spiritual Awakenings in our history have shaped our spiritual heritage as a nation.

2. ASK GOD SPECIFICALLY TO GIVE OUR NATION’S LEADERS CLEAR DIRECTION TO LEAD THE PEOPLE IN OUR NATION THROUGHOUT THE YEAR OF 2018.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Lord Jesus, give our nation’s leaders a passion to lead by Your Word and according to Your will in all things.
Father, help our President, our Vice President, the Cabinet and all the members of Congress, as well as the leaders in our state and in our region, to know that God is able to reveal the path He wants us go to in our regions, states, and nation.
Spirit of God, move upon the leaders of our nation to work together toward resolving these critical issues:
- Personal credibility and the integrity of leadership among their own colleagues charged with leadership in our nation
- Divisiveness and vitriolic communication in our nation
- Tax reform implementation
- Healthcare reform
- Immigration reform
- Education reform
- National security
- Religious liberty
- Sanctity and dignity of human life
- Terrorism nationally and globally
- Drug addiction and overdose
- Other issues that may emerge this month

Sovereign God, we ask that You protect the leaders of our nation and their families, as well as the members of our military nationally and globally, and all the first responders in our nation.

We just didn’t feel connected.

We didn’t like the ________.

We couldn’t get along with ________.

We just weren’t getting fed.

Biblical Preaching and Teaching

Older Training the Younger

Proper Pastoral Example

Moody Bible Institute: Update January 11th, 2018

SWEETHEART DEALS FOR TRUSTEES AND EXECUTIVES

ACCUSATIONS OF A DRIFT TOWARD LIBERAL THEOLOGY

Key Questions:

Key Quotes:

Daniel on ChurchLeaders:

Fight Isolation, Lean Into Community

Accomplish Your Goals in 2018

1. A Move Beyond Church in a Box

No More Joel Osteen Jokes

1. Words Connect You to God

2. Words Connect Us to Each Other

DEEPENED SPIRITUAL LIFE AFTER ABORTION

NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES

FILLING A NEED

RAUCOUS AWANA GAMES

LOVE OF CHILDREN AND SCRIPTURE

Tone

Strings

Sound detection

Pickups

Mic it

Acoustic DI boxes and effects pedals

The Workplace as Dominant Reality

Uniting the Sacred/Secular Split

10 Essential Craft Supplies

4 Types of Projects to Try

Holiday and Seasonal

New Articles

New Podcasts