Amber Albee Swenson: Is Worry Getting in Your Way?

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October 26, 2023

How can we overcome one of the most often overlooked hindrances to our spiritual well-being? In this week’s conversation on FrontStage BackStage, host Jason Daye is joined by Amber Albee Swenson. Amber is a podcaster, speaker, and the author of seven books, including her latest, titled “Soul Care.” Together, Amber and Jason explore how worry can seep into our ministries and derail our spiritual well-being. Amber also shares some reminders and disciplines that can help us embrace healthy soul care.

FrontStage BackStage Podcast With Amber Albee Swenson

View the entire podcast here.

Keep Learning

Looking to dig more deeply into this topic and conversation? Every week we go the extra mile and create a free toolkit so you and your ministry team can dive deeper into the topic that is discussed. Find your Weekly Toolkit here… Love well, Live well, Lead well!

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10 Christian NBA Players To Watch This Season

By

Stephanie Martin

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October 26, 2023

christian nba players — L: Jonathan Isaac. Mogami Kariya, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. C: Michael Porter. All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. R: Steph Curry. Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The 2023-2024 NBA season kicked off this week, with 30 teams hitting the court for the first of their 82 regular-season games. Amid all the hype, competition, and statistics are Christian NBA players, coaches, assistants, and chaplains who follow Jesus and aren’t afraid to talk about their faith.

Here’s a look at 12 Christians in the NBA—10 players and two coaches—who glorify God while in the sports spotlight.

10 Christian NBA Players for 2023-2024

1. Jonathan Isaac

In addition to being a power forward for the Orlando Magic, 26-year-old Jonathan Isaac recently launched UNITUS, an anti-woke clothing brand. The target audience, he said, includes “parents who want to buy their kids sneakers and clothes but wanna give their money to a company that they know is gonna work towards bolstering their values.”

Isaac, who refused to kneel during the national anthem amid the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, encourages Christians to be proud, not ashamed, of their beliefs. “As the day continues to get darker and darker and crazier and crazier,” he said, “you standing up for what you believe is only going to get harder. But it’s only going to become more and more necessary.”

In 2022, Isaac released the book “Why I Stand.” In it, he shares his Christian testimony and describes how he lives out his faith. At Liberty University‘s Convocation last month, Isaac encouraged other young Christians to stand up boldly for God. “God is trying to equip each and every one of you with purpose, and you’re going to carry out something for the Kingdom of God,” he told students.

“It’s going to be a stand in one way or another, if it’s before the Lord or in your everyday life, and you’re going to have to do it or you will not be who God has created you to be.”

SBC Lawyers Side Against Sexual Abuse Survivor in Amicus Brief to Kentucky Supreme Court

By

Dale Chamberlain

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October 26, 2023

SBC amicus brief — TEDD LiGGETT, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) continues to embroil itself in scandal regarding sexual abuse as it was revealed this week that lawyers representing SBC entities submitted an amicus brief to the Kentucky Supreme Court. The brief argued against statute of limitations reform for sexual abuse survivors attempting to sue non-perpetrating parties who failed to report the abuse.

In addition to an outcry from abuse survivor advocates, some Executive Committee members have expressed that they had no prior knowledge of the brief.

Filed in April, the amicus brief was submitted by four lawyers representing four entities: the SBC, the EC, Lifeway Christian Resources, and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS).

The brief comes in the context of a sexual abuse case that has no connection to any of these entities. However, its outcome will likely affect present and future litigation against the SBC.

The case centers on Samantha Killary, who was sexually abused as a child by her adoptive father, Louisville Police Officer Sean Jackman. Jackman has pleaded guilty to multiple sex offenses and is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence.

As reported by Andrew Wolfson of Louisville Courier Journal, Killary subsequently sued Jackman, as well as Linda Thompson, whom Jackman dated from 2001 to 2003, and Jackman’s father. Killary claims Thompson and the elder Jackman knew about her abuse but failed to report it. Louisville Metro, which employed all three individuals, was also named in the suit.

The case was dismissed on the grounds that the statute of limitations, which stated that an abuse survivor only has five years after turning 18 years old to sue, had expired.

In 2017, the Kentucky legislature extended the statute of limitations to 10 years. In 2021, the legislature said that survivors had the right to sue not only the perpetrator but also entities such as police departments, government agencies, or religious institutions that had failed in their duty to protect them.

The Kentucky Supreme Court is now tasked with determining whether this new legislation should be applied retroactively to abuse that occurred before the new standards were implemented.

If so, then Killary’s lawsuit can move forward. This is exactly what the lawyers representing SBC entities are seeking to avoid, presumably to limit the SBC’s own legal exposure.

Of note is that the SBC, the EC, Lifeway, and SBTS are all named in a lawsuit that was filed in 2021 by abuse survivor Hannah-Kate Lee Osborne (formerly Hannah-Kate Williams). In the suit, which was filed in Kentucky, Osborne alleges that these entities failed to properly respond to the child sex abuse she endured from her father, who was an SBTS student, employee of Lifeway, and SBC pastor.

Spiritual Renewal Through Fasting

By

Full Strength Network

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October 26, 2023

In the whirlwind of responsibilities, deadlines, and constant demands, pastors often find themselves facing burnout. The weight of guiding a congregation, counseling, and fulfilling the myriad roles within the church can leave even the most dedicated pastors feeling spiritually drained. In these moments, it’s essential to turn to the teachings of Jesus for guidance and solace.

One powerful practice he emphasized was fasting, a transformative spiritual discipline that can bring renewal and refreshment to weary souls. In this blog, we will explore the profound teachings of Jesus on fasting and provide actionable steps for pastors to incorporate this practice into their lives, finding strength and rejuvenation in their spiritual journey.

Understanding Fasting in the Light of Jesus’ Teaching

Fasting, as taught by Jesus, goes beyond abstaining from food. It is a deliberate, focused commitment to seeking God through prayer and meditation while temporarily setting aside physical needs. In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus said:

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

The Transformative Power of Fasting

Fasting, when practiced with sincerity and a humble heart, can lead to spiritual breakthroughs. It fosters intimacy with God, cleanses the soul, and heightens spiritual awareness. Through fasting, pastors can gain a fresh perspective on their ministries, find clarity in decision-making, and experience the boundless peace that surpasses all understanding.

Actionable Steps for Pastors

Set Clear Intentions: Define the purpose of your fast. Is it for spiritual clarity, guidance, or a specific need within your ministry? Setting a clear intention helps you stay focused and committed.
Choose the Right Type of Fast: Depending on your health and circumstances, opt for a partial fast (abstaining from certain foods or meals) or a complete fast (abstaining from all food for a specific period). Consult a healthcare professional if you have any health concerns.
Create a Supportive Environment: Inform your close friends, family, or fellow pastors about your fasting journey. Their support and encouragement can be invaluable during challenging moments.
Deepen Your Prayer and Meditation: Use the time you would normally spend eating to delve deeper into prayer, meditation, and Scripture reading. Let the words of God rejuvenate your spirit.
Practice Gratitude: Cultivate a heart of gratitude throughout your fast. Reflect on the blessings in your life, both big and small. A thankful heart opens the door to spiritual renewal.
Stay Hydrated and Rest: While abstaining from food, ensure you drink plenty of water and get adequate rest. Taking care of your physical well-being is essential during a fast.

In Kenya, Married Ex-Priests Follow Vatican Synod’s Discussion of Clerical Celibacy

By

Fredrick Nzwili

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October 26, 2023

Kenya clergy — Pope Francis meets participants in a session of the 16th General Assembly of the synod of bishops in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — As a summit of Catholic bishops in Rome considers allowing priests to marry, a young Kenyan clergyman drew attention to the question of celibate priests on Sunday (Oct. 22) when he married a woman and was ordained in the Catholic Charismatic Church, a splinter tradition, on the same day.

The Rev. Edwin Githang’i Waiguru, a former Roman Catholic missionary who had served in the United States and Haiti, said marriage was a dream come true for him. Before Sunday’s wedding, Waiguru had lived in an African traditional marriage and had become the father of two children. Though never ordained, Waiguru made headlines for publicly celebrating his journey.

“I joined the seminary almost 20 years ago. I am also grateful that God has seen it worth to use me to bring something new to the world,” Waiguru told journalists after wedding in Ikinu, Githunguri area, near Nairobi. “It is possible to serve God, have a family and a lovely wife.”

Other former Catholic priests here are hoping the prelates gathered for the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican get the Waigurus’ message.

Ahead of the nearly monthlong synod, now in its final week, discussions among Catholics in dioceses around the world had put the topic of married priests, along with the prospect of women deacons and blessings for same-sex unions, on the agenda.

“We are following very closely with a lot of surprises,” said the Rev. Peter Njogu, a former Catholic priest who is now a bishop of the Restored Apostolic Church in Kenya, which he formed after leaving the Catholic Church.

“The pope has said there is no celibacy law that is cast in stone,” said Njogu. “They can change the celibacy rule — that mandatory celibacy for all serving clerics. We are following to hear if there is any change that can come, because that is the only way to solve the problems we are having in the church.”

Like the Charismatic Catholic Church, Njogu’s church uses Catholic Church doctrine and rites, differing only in the rite of ordination marriage. A number of similar splinter denominations have been recognized in Nigeria, Malawi, Zambia, South Africa and other countries on the continent.

The trend began in 2001 with Emmanuel Milingo, then archbishop of Lusaka, in Zambia, who defied the Vatican to marry Maria Sung, an acupuncturist from South Korea. In 2006 Milingo founded Married Priests Now, an organization advocating for the removal of the Catholic Church’s rules about celibacy.

Local bishops have actively opposed the former priests’ efforts, calling them “traitors” and warning people against joining their churches.

“I think this matter is being handled by our teams at the synod,” said an African Catholic bishop who did not wish to be named, “but I don’t see how one can break the rules and at the same time demand a change.”

The former priests point out that Catholics in many places are expressing support for married priests by moving to their dissenting churches, while still recognizing the supremacy of the pope.

Vatican Synod Is ‘Not About Ideology,’ Participants Say

By

Claire Giangrave

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October 26, 2023

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — In a letter addressed “to the people of God,” participants of the Vatican‘s Synod on Synodality, a monthlong summit discussing the Catholic Church’s most pressing issues, insisted their gathering was “not about ideology” but about listening to differing points of view.

The letter, issued on Wednesday (Oct. 25), four days before the summit ends, praised the trust that has been built during the synod, which allowed participants to have “the audacity and inner freedom that we experienced, not hesitating to freely and humbly express our convergences, differences, desires and questions.”

The Synod on Synodality is a gathering of Catholic bishops, clergy, religious and laypeople to address questions facing the church, from LGBTQ acceptance to women’s ordination to accountability for clerical abuse cover-up. The summit, which started on Oct. 4 and will end on Sunday, follows two years of consultations with faithful in parishes and bishops’ continental assemblies.

While the conversations within the synod have tackled some of the most divisive issues within the church, the letter avoids making any direct reference to polarizing topics. “This is not about ideology, but about an experience rooted in the apostolic tradition,” the letter read.

The synod will publish a synthesis of its discussions on Saturday, which will become the basis for the next synod meeting, scheduled for fall 2024. The letter said the document will illustrate the questions synod attendees agreed on, while the “multiple challenges and numerous questions” that arose will need further discussion.

After the letter was read to the synodal assembly on Wednesday morning, the small working groups where participants have carried out their debates this month sent changes and suggestions back to the writers at the Vatican’s General Secretariat of the Synod. Participants voted on the final document in the evening.

The document stressed that “the church absolutely needs to listen to everyone, starting with the poorest” and “those who have no right to speak in society or who feel excluded, even by the church.” The document specified that this includes eliminating all forms of racism in the church and listening to clerical abuse victims to create effective prevention structures.

Participants wrote that the summit has been an “unprecedented experience,” where Catholics were invited to speak freely on difficult issues. Participants said they join with Pope Francis in underlining the importance of caring for the environment and the protection of immigrants, which have been at the heart of prayerful ceremonies at the synod.

The church must listen to the laity, and especially to the demands and needs of families, the letter stated, reflecting a synod distinguished by its openness to laypeople, including 54 women with full voting rights.

“Our assembly took place in the context of a world in crisis, whose wounds and scandalous inequalities resonated painfully in our hearts, infusing our work with a particular gravity, especially since some of us come from countries where war rages,” it read.

Mike Johnson, Pedigreed Evangelical, Suggests His Election as House Speaker Ordained by God

By

Jack Jenkins

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October 26, 2023

WASHINGTON (RNS) — After weeks of turmoil, House Republicans elected Rep. Mike Johnson on Wednesday (Oct.25) as the new speaker of the House, an act the Louisiana congressman suggested was ordained by God.

“I believe that Scripture, the Bible, is very clear: that God is the one who raises up those in authority,” Johnson said in his first speech after being elected speaker in a 220-209 vote. “He raised up each of you. All of us.”

Johnson, an evangelical Christian, peppered his remarks with religious references. He recounted the history of how the motto “In God We Trust” was placed in the House chamber — a rebuke of communism, which many associated with atheism — and highlighted the Declaration of Independence’s use of “Creator.” He also noted the presence of Moses on the wall of the House chamber.

“Through adversity, it makes you stronger,” he said, referencing the three-week period in October that it took Republicans to elect a new speaker to replace the ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

In a later speech on the Capitol steps, Johnson framed his leadership goals by citing Romans 5:3-4.

“I was reminded of the Scripture that says ‘Suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope,’” he said. “What we need in this country is more hope.”

Johnson has been tied to multiple Baptist churches over the years and currently attends Cypress Baptist Church in Benton, Louisiana, according to the Louisiana Baptist Message. He is also a former lawyer and communications staffer with the Alliance Defense Fund, which later became known as Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal firm.

According to CNN, Johnson penned a number of editorials while working at ADF, including ones in which he decried homosexuality as an “inherently unnatural” and “dangerous lifestyle” that could lead to the collapse of “the entire democratic system.”

Johnson has continued to voice support for conservative Christian viewpoints while in office, even hosting a podcast with his wife, Kelly, a licensed pastoral counselor, aimed at providing an “analysis of hot topics and current events from a Christian perspective.”

Among other things, Speaker Johnson has repeatedly rejected many broadly held interpretations of the separation of church and state.

“The founders wanted to protect the church from an encroaching state, not the other way around,” he said during a September 2022 episode of the podcast.

He went on to argue that “a free society and a healthy republic depend upon religious and moral virtue,” arguing that society would crumble without it.

Poll: More Religious Americans Support the Use of Political Violence

By

Fiona Andre

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October 26, 2023

(RNS) — Support for political violence and concern over the state of American democracy are both on the rise, with 75% of Americans believing the future of democracy is at risk in the next presidential election, according to a report released Wednesday (Oct. 25) by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution.

For the first time this year, support for political violence has peaked above 20%, with 23% of Americans believing “true American patriots may have to resort to violence to save the country,” versus 15% in 2021.

One-third of white evangelical Protestants support the idea, significantly more than any other religious group.

The findings appear in the 14^th edition of PRRI’s annual American Values Survey, in which 2,525 American adults were asked their views on economic and cultural issues ahead of the 2024 election.

Americans who believe the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump are more likely to support the use of political violence than those who don’t think so (46% versus 13%). Among those who believe in the replacement conspiracy theory, which holds that immigrants or Jews are coming to the United States to dilute white Americans’ cultural dominance, 41% support using political violence.

According to the survey, 38% of Americans believe the country needs an authoritarian figure to put the country back on the right track. Hispanic Catholics support this idea far more than any other religious groups, with 51% agreeing with the statement above. Black Protestants, at 35%, are the least likely to agree.

At a panel discussion organized by the Brookings Institution on Wednesday, Lilliana Mason, associate professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University’s Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute, noted that the findings could be the consequence of each party viewing their political opponents as more violent. “It is important to remember that these numbers can also be context-dependent,” said Mason.

The survey also delves into American’s adhesion to white Christian nationalist ideology. According to 33% of Americans, God gave America to European Christians as a promised land where they could create an exemplary society. More than half of white evangelical Protestants agree with this statement; 77% believe the founders intended to create a Christian nation.

Americans who believed God wanted the U.S. to be a promised land for European Christians in turn are more likely (39%) to support the use of political violence to save the country than those who disagree (16%).

For 55% of Americans, American culture has changed for the worse since the 1950s. White Christians believe it is the case more than any other religious groups: 77% of white evangelical Protestants, 60% of white mainline or nonevangelical Protestants and 57% of white Catholics think American culture has changed for the worse since the 1950s.

Joy Reid, an MSNBC host and political analyst who participated in the panel discussion, said the increasing support for political violence results from competing visions of American society. Many voters’ main concerns are cultural issues that can’t be solved politically. “People do not have confidence in democracy as a way to solve their fundamental concerns,” said Reid.

The Names of God, and Why They Should Mean Something to You

By

Michael Kelley

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October 26, 2023

“What is your name?”

That’s the question Moses asked God when God told Moses that he was to go to Pharaoh and demand that he let the people of God go free:

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” (Ex. 3:13)

Up to this point in the Old Testament, we’ve seen the significance of names. God had already changed the names of Abram, Sarai, and Jacob after encounters with Him. When they encountered God, the fabric of their identities was altered and God signified this change by changing their name. And that’s what Moses was really asking.

In the Old Testament, a name was much more than the means by which you could address someone. A name was a description of a person’s character. Moses was asking God, “Who are you really? And who are you to tell me to go to Pharaoh and make such a demand?”

The Lord answered with his name: Yahweh.

There was good reason for Moses’ question. Though the Israelites were already familiar with the name Yahweh (Gen. 12:8; 26:25; 28:13), they had been enslaved for centuries without any word from this God. Perhaps Moses was voicing the curiosity of many more of his kinsmen when He asked the Lord about His name. When Moses asked God about His name, he was asking, “What does Your name signify?” In other words, Moses was asking in light of these long years of suffering, who are you?

Perhaps you can identify with that. Perhaps you, too, know the feeling of reading the promises of God to the believer in Christ in the Bible. And then you look closely at your life circumstances and wonder who this God who would make such claims. It’s during such times when we, too, might look to God and ask about His true identity: “Are you really the God I’ve read about? Are you really the God who promises to never leave or forsake me? Are you really the God who works all things for good?”

This is why the names we find for God matter. It’s not so that we know what to call Him; it’s so we know who He is. And who is He? He is:

El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty)
El Elyon (The Most High God)
Adonai (Lord, Master)
Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner)

How Should We Understand Humanity’s Deepest Desires? Are They God-Given?

By

Stephanie Anderson

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October 26, 2023

A reader wrote Eternal Perspective Ministries to ask:

Could you help me understand desire theologically and biblically? Could a believer have good and bad desires? I’m wrestling with the already-but-not-yet state believers are in and the fallenness of man. I believe that our desires are tainted, corrupted, and the only desire that can ever be “good” is due to Christ’s sanctifying work. Or is our innate desire good only because of creation?

I’m Stephanie with Eternal Perspective Ministries, and am responding on Randy’s behalf. Years ago Randy taught a course called the Theology of Desire. Unfortunately, we don’t have the recording of the class, but we do have several things he has written related to desire that may be helpful for you.

Randy does believe that God created all people with a right desire to know and love Him, but the Fall has twisted that desire. Due to sin, “Man is left with a ‘hole’ in his heart that only God can fill; but he attempts to fill it with power, pleasure, possessions, religious activity, etc.—all are dead-end streets that can’t bring fulfillment.” Randy writes, “Christianity teaches that Jesus takes our sins away while redeeming our desires. Desire is an essential part of humanity, a part that God built into people before sin cast its dark shadow on earth.”

He quotes Blaise Pascal, who wrote,

What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there once was in man a true happiness of which now remain to him only the mark and empty trace, which he in vain tries to fill from all his surroundings, seeking from things absent the help he does not obtain in things present. But these are all inadequate, because the infinite abyss can only be filled by an infinite and immutable object, that is to say, only by God Himself.

Randy writes this about desire:

We were made for a person and a place. Jesus is the person. Heaven is the place. They are what we desire. We’ll never be satisfied with less. No other person, no other place will fulfill us. At best lesser objects of desire can give us hints and foretastes of—and draw us closer to—who and what we ultimately desire. At worst, they can become idols, God-substitutes and Heaven-substitutes.

All people seek the same things (God and Heaven), but the world, flesh, and devil lead us down dead-end streets, promising fulfillment. Satan’s central strategy is to lie to us about 1) what we really want and 2) how to get it. People spend their lives chasing mirages, leading to disillusionment, addiction, shame, and destruction.

…The Fall twisted our desire, but eternity is still in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Our Lord can restore godly desire; we can cultivate it and point it toward its true objects. We don’t need less desire, but more, pointed the right direction. We need to not simply deny our worst desires, but cultivate our best ones, by identifying and losing ourselves in what we really desire.

You can read more here, but I believe the main answer to your questions is in what Randy says there: “Our Lord can restore godly desire.” As Christians, it is our responsibility to cultivate the right desires, as we partner with His Holy Spirit (we see an example of such partnership in Colossians 1:29 where Paul wrote, “I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me”). And of course, one day in Heaven, our desires will all be perfectly righteous and completely fulfilled.

Pastor: 10 Questions To Challenge Your Thinking About ‘Creatives’

By

Rich Kirkpatrick

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October 26, 2023

challenge your thinking — Adobestock #214356250

I have some questions for you, my friends and readers out there. The reason I have been blogging for so long—over a decade now—is the dialogue with real people. I have prepared sermons, found places to visit and changed my thinking because of the encounters I have had with you. This topic is for us “creatives” out there, to challenge your thinking, too.

You know, that term “creative” is an interesting one. I like it better than “artsy” and it represents more than performing arts. There are programmers, business people and charity workers (even pastors!) who are creatives. This tribe is an interesting sort, so I have some interesting questions to challenge the way we think about us. If any of these relate to you, please feel free to answer. Don’t be afraid to challenge your thinking!

10 Questions to Challenge Your Thinking

1. Is creative talent in ministry seen as a commodity to be purchased or an asset to be developed?

2. Was Tolkien right when he called us as people “sub-creators” made in God’s image to create?

3. Are excellence and perfectionism often seen as the same with those who lead creatives in the local church?

4. Being creative is often copying, but that is not the same as “cutting-and-pasting” is it?

5. Servanthood means submission to leadership, but does it mean I go against my own conscience?

6. Is it entitlement to look out for myself and my artistic vision, or is this simply what artists do?

7. Can a creative person also be expected to be an administrative leader?

8. Does my creativity come from my healthy nature as being human, or a faulted and wounded self?

9. As a creative, why does it seem that I MUST create in order to be healthy?

10. Why do us creatives “think backward,” and is that a bad thing?

OK, now it’s you turn to either answer one of these that challenge your thinking or create your own question to will start to challenge your thinking! Which will it be?

We All Need Grace and Peace

By

Chet Gladkowski

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October 26, 2023

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Galatians 1:3-5

Grace and peace are two of those words that get thrown around a lot, but few people really get what they mean. Instead of going through a long explanation, I’ll try and briefly define each.

Grace – This is God leaning out and towards us. Not because of anything we’ve done or could do. God freely does it because of who he is and his love for us.
Peace – This is less about war and more about everyone and everything being whole, complete, the way it was made to be.

Grace and peace come from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ together. They come as a package deal. You can’t have grace without peace, and you can’t have peace without grace. We can never be at peace (whole) again without God reaching out to us.

Grace and Peace

God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ also come together. Yes, they are individuals, but they are equal parts of the trinity. They also work together to bring grace and peace. They cooperated and are cooperating to bring grace and peace to us.

And how do we get this grace and peace? What do we have to do to earn it? What great accomplishment do we have to do? How many spiritual brownie points do we have to collect in order to get his attention? How long of a race do we have to run? In what time?

The beautiful answer is that they aren’t earned at all. They don’t come by following some law, but by God’s grace. Not by going on a pilgrimage to get God’s attention, but through grace. Not by following checklists, but by grace. Not through chanting, meditating, or looing inside ourselves, but by grace.

And how did God show his grace? What’s the biggest demonstration of who he is and his gracious love for us? What shouts God’s grace more than anything else? What gets our attention more than anything that we could possibly do or say?

He gave himself for our sins. Our sins. Not someone else’s sins. Not the sins of those sinners over there. No. Our sins. The sins we did. The sins that we we’re responsible for. The sins that had separated us from God. The sins that crushed God’s heart.

He did all the giving. He did all the paying. He did it all. When he gave himself for our sins, nothing wasn’t left to be paid. We didn’t go “Dutch Treat” with God where we each pay for our own meal. It isn’t that he paid the bill and left us to pay the tip. No, he paid it all.

And how did he pay for our sins? He did it himself. He gave himself. Imagine that; the creator God of the universe came down, became a man, and gave himself for our sins. He didn’t send someone else. Anyone else. He didn’t send an angel, a prophet, a spirit. He gave himself.

Youth Leader, You’re Fired! 5 Lies You Hear When a Church Lets You Go

By

Todd Jones

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October 25, 2023

Youth leader, have you ever heard these phrases? “You’re fired!” “We’re letting you go.” “We’re moving in another direction.” “This isn’t the right fit.” The terms go on and on, but the point is the same. And it stinks.

Being fired from a church can be one of the deepest pains you’ll ever feel. It’s like the world’s hardest gut punch and often comes completely out of the blue. If you’ve experienced this, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Getting fired truly is the dark side of ministry. They don’t tell you about this when you eagerly sign up. Wide-eyed and bushy tailed, you’re completely oblivious to the cruelty and pain of ministry. Whether you saw the end coming or are completely shocked, being fired as a youth leader hurts.

Fired: One Youth Leader’s Story

It was a Thursday. I was doing follow-up from the previous night and some prep work for the weekend. The lead pastor called me into his office, which wasn’t too unusual. But this time I immediately knew the meeting had a clear purpose. The pastor looked at me and said I was fired, “effective immediately.”

I racked my brain. What did I do wrong? What had happened at youth group the night before? I thought about the growth we’d experienced, the structure I’d added, the leaders I’d recruited and trained. Nothing warranted a dismissal. I was in good standing and hadn’t done anything morally or spiritually wrong. I was in utter disbelief.

My head still spinning, my boss told not to talk to anyone. For some reason, leadership thought this would prevent “stirring anything up.” The pain felt as if someone was physically pouring it on me. My body must have released every negative chemical because my head, stomach, and chest hurt. I felt the blood drain from my face.

Later I learned the church fired a few other staff members too. For each of us, the reason was, “It’s just not working out anymore.” To this day, I don’t know the exact reason. All I knew at the time was that I couldn’t provide for my family. Many close relationships would never be the same. And youth ministry, the field God had called me to, was now a giant question mark.

Maybe this is similar to your story, or maybe it’s completely different. But I’m sure youth leaders can relate to the feelings and emotions I experienced. When a church says you’re fired, you have certain thoughts and believe dangerous lies as you process everything.

5 Lies You Hear When You’re Fired

1. You’re not good enough.

This lie isn’t whispered or quietly repeated until you finally hear it. It’s SCREAMED. It’s blasted on repeat directly into your brain from every direction. The simple fact that the church doesn’t want you anymore reinforces this lie over and over, every time you think about it…which is constantly.

The problem with this cleverly crafted lie? Even if job performance was a factor in your job loss, your employment status isn’t where the “I’m not good enough” lie stays. The idea quickly spreads and lodges itself in your view of your worth.

But it’s not true! Your employment status doesn’t reflect your value. Jesus directly assigned your worth and value to you when He was willing to die on a cross for you. You have extreme value. Yes, you might have been knocked down, but believing you’re not good enough to get back up is a terrible lie. I had to constantly fight the lie of “you’re not good enough.” I still fight it sometimes. Don’t believe that lie.

2. God has turned His back on you.

In any painful situation, it’s very easy to feel abandoned by God. That’s especially true when the pain comes from an institution claiming to operate in the name of God. We sometimes associate the actions of people with the actions of God. We believe the lie that God turned His back on us, which simply isn’t true. Don’t believe that lie, youth leader!

3. The church is not worth it.

We invest everything in ministry. It’s not just a job. Our time, family, talents, money—we invest it all. So when we leave, everything burns. It deeply affected everything in my life because ministry isn’t a just a job; it’s a full-on lifestyle. The lie I heard right away was that the church isn’t worth completely destroying me and my family.

‘The Most Special Moment in My Life at the Dove Awards’—TobyMac Wins for Album That Followed His Son’s Death

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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October 25, 2023

Toby McKeehan, whose stage name is TobyMac, was awarded Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year at the 54th annual Dove Awards for his album “Life After Death” just days before the fourth anniversary of his son Truett’s unexpected death.

“Life After Death” was released in August 2022 and was McKeehan’s first album since Truett’s accidental drug overdose in 2019.

McKeehan has won over 20 Dove Awards throughout his solo career, which followed the hiatus of his iconic Christian band DC Talk in 2001.

ChurchLeaders asked McKeehan what winning this award meant to him. “It is definitely the most special moment in my life at the Dove Awards,” he replied.

“How could it not be, right? I mean, you know, you journey through this thing and you try not to just fold up the tent and walk,” McKeehan said, crediting God for meeting him where he was, as well as his friends in the Christian music industry, who surrounded him and his family in their time of need. Some of those friends helped him create the album, he said.

“Anybody that ever tells you there’s a lot of cut-throat, slashing in CCM, or gospel, or worship, or hip hop, I don’t believe it,” he said, adding, “I’ve been here longer than all y’all.”

McKeehan described the Christian music industry as “a beautiful family” and said that he is “super grateful for those that came around me and walked with me through this.” He said that this award is so special to him that it will be at the “center of my piano in my house.”

McKeehan was asked what advice he would give to someone who is facing a situation similar to what he and his family had faced in losing a child.

“Everybody grieves differently,” McKeehan responded. “The only advice I would have is you might question God’s sovereignty and I think you need to. I think you need to figure out that God gives and takes away, and you have to be okay with that. And once you’re okay with that, I think your faith actually increases greatly.”

Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting To Burn Down Church Because of Drag Queen Event

By

Jessica Lea

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October 25, 2023

A 20-year-old Ohio man has pleaded guilty to federal charges he faced after attempting to burn down Community Church of Chesterland (CCC) in Chesterland, Ohio, on March 25. Aimenn D. Penny of Alliance threw two Molotov cocktails at the church because the congregation was planning a Drag Queen Story Hour event.

“There is no room in this country for such bias-motivated violence and terror, and the Justice Department will continue to protect all Americans in their free exercise of religious beliefs by vigorously prosecuting those who target houses of worship,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our churches should be safe havens for all people, not sites subjected to violence motivated by hate and vitriol.”

Clarke called it “reprehensible” that Penny would attempt to the destroy the church “for their support of the LGBTQI+ community.”

Ohio Man Faces 20 Years in Prison

On Oct. 23, Penny pleaded guilty to “violating the Church Arson Prevention Act and to using fire and explosives to commit a felony,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). When he was arrested earlier this year, Penny was charged with “one count of using fire to commit a federal felony, one count of malicious use of explosive materials and one count of possessing a destructive device.”

An affidavit from FBI Special Agent Lane Thorum states that Penny is a member of White Lives Matter, “a group with racist, pro-Nazi, and homophobic views.” The document describes Penny referring to Black Americans as the “problem” and saying that he anticipates “and looks forward to – the civil war coming between races.”

The defendant’s goal in throwing the Molotov cocktails was to “to protect children and stop the drag show event,” said Thorum. CCC had planned and still held a Drag Queen Story Hour on April 1 during which drag queens read stories to children.

Penny reportedly grew angry enough to take action against the church after watching videos of drag shows in France. He later said that he wished the Molotov cocktails had “burned the entire church to the ground.” Thorum said that a search of Penny’s home found items that included a Nazi flag and Nazi memorabilia.

CCC celebrated the news of Penny’s guilty plea, saying, “Thank you to everyone in the community and beyond who has stood with us.”

Penny is currently scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 29, 2024. He “faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the violation of the Church Arson Prevention Act,” says the DOJ, “and a 10-year mandatory prison sentence that will run consecutively with any other prison term imposed for using fire to commit a federal felony.”

WATCH: Casting Crowns Reports Second Theft on the Band’s 20th Anniversary Tour

By

Janna Firestone

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October 25, 2023

Twenty years ago, Casting Crowns received immediate recognition as one of the fastest Christian bands to have albums certified platinum. Since then, their music has continued to top the charts. The band’s 20th anniversary tour has been eventful, with two incidents involving the theft.

Following both incidents, lead singer and songwriter Mark Hall took to Instagram, not to publicly shame the thieves, but to call fans to prayer. “She’s so much more than a thief. She’s a soul that needs a Savior. Pray for Stacie,” one post said.

While Celebrating the Band’s 20th Anniversary, Casting Crowns Deals With Stolen Truck, Then Front-End Loader

As part of the tour celebrating the band’s 20th anniversary, the members of Casting Crowns packed up and headed out to dozens of concerts. The Christian Post reported that at a recent concert in Texas, a man tried to enter the concert without a ticket. Then, after the concert, “officers noticed a large front-end loader coming through the parking lot driven by the man who tried to enter the concert,” according to a local news station. The same man stole a tractor and drove it through the venue’s parking lot, up and over medians and shrubs.

“Well, last night was another unusual night!” Hall’s Instagram post began. Casting Crowns’ lead singer went on to explain the events of the night. “We saw the lights from a distance, and as they got closer, we realized it was a front-end loader driving through the parking lot. It began driving in circles and running over trees in the medians.” While safely inside, they continued to watch as the incident continued.

Officers were already on the scene “with guns drawn, trying to talk the man out of the tractor. He made his way through the parking lot and that’s where police officers met up with him in the road. Over 100 shots were fired as he rammed a police car on the highway.”

“We found out later that he had been trying to get into the venue where we were playing and was turned away and was seen standing around outside and one of the neighboring buildings,” Hall reported. “It wasn’t determined until later that evening that it was the same guy.”

Hall asked fans to pray for the suspect. “I don’t have any information on his name, but can you guys pray for him. Mental health struggles are heightened by so many things but with all that’s going on in the world right now, I think tensions are high with all of us.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mark Hall (@markhallcc)

This incident happened just two weeks after a tour truck was stolen after a show. Hall’s Instagram post about that incident starts with a plea to fans: “Pray for Stacie.” He then goes on to explain the situation.

“You may have heard one of our trucks was stolen last night after the show. It was a lot of trouble and our team lost a lot of sleep and our show was delayed in setting up today,” Hall wrote. He then focused on the thief, saying, “But as troubles are settling down for us, they [are] only beginning for the troubled lady who stole the truck.”

Hall challenged all friends, family, and fans of the band to pray for Stacie. “Can you please join me in praying for Stacie? Pray that she will sense God working in her heart and that she will surrender to Him. She’s so much more than a thief. She’s a soul that needs a Savior. Pray for Stacie,” Hall posted.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mark Hall (@markhallcc)

With tens of thousands of likes, followers posted comments of encouragement to the band as well as prayers for the thief. “Thank you for your heart towards Stacie,” one follower posted. “She needs a miracle. Ask me how I know? A year ago today, I was missing. Addicted to prescription medication. Stealing. Hiding. Confused. Lost. Suicidal. But for the prayers of God’s people, I would not be alive to tell this story.”

As Trump Campaign Continues To Ramp up, So Does God-Talk

By

Dale Chamberlain

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October 25, 2023

As former president Donald Trump’s re-election campaign continues to ramp up, so has the spiritual language that surrounds it—both from the lips of Trump himself as well as from evangelical leaders who continue to preach that he is divinely anointed.

Evangelical support for Trump has been remarkably resilient since 2016, despite the former president’s myriad moral failings and legal woes.

In May, Trump was found liable by a New York jury for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996. Additionally, he has been indicted four times since leaving office for alleged offenses that include the mismanagement of classified documents, election interference, illegal use of campaign funds to bury allegations of extramarital sexual encounters, and tax fraud.

Earlier this week, Jenna Ellis, who worked on Trump’s reelection legal team, became the fourth co-defendant in Trump’s Georgia election interference case to accept a plea deal. In her statement to the judge, Ellis said, “As an attorney who is also a Christian, I take my responsibilities as a lawyer very seriously.” However, Ellis went on to say that she failed to do “due diligence” when it came to the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

Trump has still never publicly admitted to losing the election.

Nevertheless, evangelical support for Trump not only remains strong but also carries religious overtones. This was recently illustrated by a viral social media post featuring a courtroom sketch of Trump seated next to Jesus.

Trump was also the subject of conversation on a recent episode of the Jim Bakker Show. During the episode, the infamous televangelist interviewed Lance Wallnau, author of “God’s Chaos Candidate: Donald J. Trump and The American Unraveling.”

Wallnau recounted releasing “God’s Chaos Candidate” in the fall of 2016, within mere weeks of the leak of an “Access Hollywood” tape in which Trump could be heard joking and bragging about sexually assaulting women.

Wallnau admitted that “in the natural this would do Donald Trump in,” but said that God allowed the video to be released so that “Donald Trump would be humbled before his promotion.”

Wallnau went on to take credit for rallying evangelicals to vote for Trump, leading to Trump’s election to the presidency in 2016. Bakker likewise took credit for Trump’s 2016 win, saying that his endorsement of Trump made the difference.

Ryan Burge: The Biggest Reason Why People Are Leaving Church

By

Jessica Lea

-

October 25, 2023

The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast · Ryan Burge: The Biggest Reason Why People Are Leaving Church

Dr. Ryan Burge is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and the Graduate Coordinator at Eastern Illinois University. His research focuses largely on the interaction of religiosity and political behavior, especially in the American context. Ryan is also a pastor and the author of “The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going” and “20 Myths about Religion and Politics in America.” He contributed research to “The Great Dechurching” by Michael Graham and Jim Davis. Check out our interview with them here: “Michael Graham and Jim Davis: What ‘The Great Dechurching’ Means for Church Leaders.”

Other Ways To Listen to This Podcast With Ryan Burge

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Key Questions for Ryan Burge

-Why are people dropping out of church?

-How do pastors develop programming and messaging in a way that can connect what seems like a very disparate group of people?

-Why do people come back to church?

-What does the landscape of religion look like in the U.S.?

Key Quotes From Ryan Burge

“The biggest reason why people leave church is because they moved.”

“There’s very logistical reasons why people leave religion behind. Things like got married or got divorced or we had kids or I moved or I took a new job. Those reasons actually are probably more important for the average person than things like politics or religion.”

“People tend to slowly drift away from religion over time.”

“[People who disconnect from religion] just felt like religion, for whatever reason, was not a good fit for them. And so they drift towards people, drift towards places where they fit in, they feel like they belong. And for a lot of people, especially who have kids, travel sports has become a major part of their life.”

“I think what’s happening largely is [the dechurched] have found ways to replace religion by picking these different communities that tend to be more like them.”

“If you really want to see ground zero for the ditching, I think it’s older Millennials or younger Generation X.”

Raising Faithful Stewards

By

Randy Alcorn

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October 25, 2023

Jesus said, “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving” (Acts 20:25). This is the Good News Translation, and it correctly renders the Greek word makarios as happiness.

One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is freedom from materialism. How? By teaching them to be generous givers who know everything belongs not to them, but to God. And by demonstrating that greater joy is found in giving than keeping.

Giving statistics are bleak. They consistently show that older generations give away a higher percentage of their money than younger ones. We’re failing to teach our children to give, and that failure will both rob them of joy and hinder the work of Christ around the globe.

When our girls were seven and five, I gave each of them three jars labeled “Giving,” “Saving,” and “Spending.” Every time they received money from chores or gifts, they were to put at least ten percent into the giving jar, then distribute the rest between the other jars. Once they put money in the giving Jar, it was untouchable until they gave it to the Lord at church.

When they put money in “Saving,” they could spend it only for something planned. But they were free to transfer money from saving or spending to giving, or from spending to saving.

I’ll never forget the night I explained this system to my daughters. They were so excited they immediately distributed the money they already had between the jars. They used those jars for years. This simple system may have resulted in more financial education than anything else my wife Nanci and I did.

Many of us have become so immersed in our culture that we’ve lost the ability to discern what will—and won’t—count for eternity. But Jesus commanded us to store up treasures in heaven, not on earth (Matthew 6:19-21). We put our treasures in Heaven by giving to build God’s kingdom, not our own.

God entrusts riches to us, not to increase our standard of living, but to increase our standard of giving. When Jesus tells us to store up treasures in Heaven, He’s saying, “You can’t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.”

How can we pass these truths to our children? By example.

Over two decades ago my family began giving away 100 percent of the royalties from my books. When my youngest daughter was a teenager, we rode our bikes into an expensive neighborhood and admired the biggest, most beautiful house. When I saw the selling price, I said, “If we had kept the royalties from the last year and a half, we could pay cash for that house. Do you wish we would’ve done that?”

My daughter laughed. “Dad, it’s just a house!”

Money didn’t have a hold on her. She had learned it all belonged to God, and there was no greater joy than giving it back to Him. Keeping it would have gained us a nice house; giving it gained us an eternal investment.

Instead of Playing Sunday Morning Critic, Try These Eight BE-atitudes

By

James Scott Jr.

-

October 25, 2023

sunday morning critic — Lightstock #208842

Imagine when you show up for work tomorrow, you’re immediately directed to the Human Resources office.

Not a fun way to start your day!

It turns out you’re not in trouble, but the HR team is meeting with every employee to inform them of a new practice that will be implemented the following Monday.

As it turns out, the company is switching to a new practice of doing an employee review with every employee every Monday morning.

That’s right, instead of your boss conducting a job review with you just once or twice each year, starting on Monday you’ll go through an employee review where your work is scrutinized by your boss every single Monday morning throughout the calendar year.

How you would like to have an employer who practiced such intense scrutiny of your work?

Most people would probably dislike such a practice to the degree many would change jobs in an attempt to avoid such smothering criticism.

Welcome to the world of pastors!

Did you know the way many Christians treat their pastors is just like going through a job review every Sunday?

For example, instead of listening to and learning from each sermon, you play Sunday Morning Critic, making sure you let the preacher know after the service whether his sermon was (in your opinion) good, just okay, not so good — in some way imparting a critique of the quality of that morning’s sermon.

In addition to that, you play critic on the selection of songs for the worship service, the quality of the Communion meditation, the appearance of the church facilities, and the overall comfort of the “experience” … and you place all of that squarely on the pastor’s shoulders.

It’s no wonder so many ministers leave vocational ministry every month, and about 50 percent of ministers leave ministry altogether by their fifth year in ministry.

Nobody wants 52 job reviews in a year! (and that’s per member!).

Instead of playing Sunday Morning Critic, try replacing that negative role with these eight BE-attitudes for “going to church”:

BE grateful.

Believe it or not, it’s not your role to sit in a pew or padded chair every Sunday morning and critique the preacher’s sermon; it is your responsibility to learn from it. Every week, you have the opportunity to learn from someone who spends the bulk of their life studying scripture just to be able to correctly and effectively teach it to you! Be grateful! Not only that, but God has adopted you into His family and you have the chance every week to gather for fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ to worship God together, be taught from the Scriptures, and much more. If you approached a weekly gathering of your local church with the gratitude we all should have for such an opportunity, then the idea of playing critic every week wouldn’t even come to mind.

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Actionable Steps for Pastors

10 Questions to Challenge Your Thinking

1. Is creative talent in ministry seen as a commodity to be purchased or an asset to be developed?

2. Was Tolkien right when he called us as people “sub-creators” made in God’s image to create?

3. Are excellence and perfectionism often seen as the same with those who lead creatives in the local church?

4. Being creative is often copying, but that is not the same as “cutting-and-pasting” is it?

5. Servanthood means submission to leadership, but does it mean I go against my own conscience?

6. Is it entitlement to look out for myself and my artistic vision, or is this simply what artists do?

7. Can a creative person also be expected to be an administrative leader?

8. Does my creativity come from my healthy nature as being human, or a faulted and wounded self?

9. As a creative, why does it seem that I MUST create in order to be healthy?

10. Why do us creatives “think backward,” and is that a bad thing?

Grace and Peace

Fired: One Youth Leader’s Story

5 Lies You Hear When You’re Fired

1. You’re not good enough.

2. God has turned His back on you.

3. The church is not worth it.

Ohio Man Faces 20 Years in Prison

While Celebrating the Band’s 20th Anniversary, Casting Crowns Deals With Stolen Truck, Then Front-End Loader

Other Ways To Listen to This Podcast With Ryan Burge

Key Questions for Ryan Burge

Key Quotes From Ryan Burge

BE grateful.

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