Caring For Your Body

By

-

April 24, 2023

Jesus said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” implying that our physical bodies and energy levels do have an impact—for better or worse—on our spiritual lives and ability to be there for others.

If we do not maintain good physical health practices, we compromise the quality of our ministry spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually. Sound physical care is concerned with stewardship of the body, including consistent cycles of work, sleep, and recreation, as well as attention to healthy nutrition and stimulating exercise.

Here are five things you can do, beginning today, to take care of your body.

Know that your body matters. Many Christians believe the body is inferior to the spirit and can be ignored. We often privilege the “spiritual” over the physical. But that attitude is closer to the ancient heresy of Gnosticism than to Christianity. God created your body, and it is therefore sacred. It will one day be raised again to a glorified form. To be human is to have a body. Your body matters. What has been your attitude toward your body? How do you treat your body? Do you act as if your body is not important compared to your spirit? Have you been neglecting your body?
Get a good night’s rest. Being a pastor sometimes makes it challenging to get to bed at a decent hour. However, consistently burning the candle at both ends will have negative effects on all aspects of your well-being. Your body, mind, and spirit will work together much better with a good night’s rest. Your emotions might be more stable too. Be consistent. Don’t hesitate to see a sleep specialist if necessary – it is that important! Do you go to bed consistently at the same time? What prevents you from sleeping well?
Exercise consistently. Because God created us as integrated beings (body, mind, spirit), exercising your body will have a positive impact on the other aspects of your being. It is a mistaken notion to think physical exercise is not important compared to spiritual exercises. You will be better available to others in ministry if you take care of your body. First, check with your doctor to make sure you are okay to begin an exercise program. Then, find an activity you enjoy – that is key to making it a long-term habit! Cycling, walking, jogging, and swimming are some popular forms of exercise. A minimum of 3x a week is often thought to be the minimum for cardiovascular exercise. How much physical exercise are you engaged in weekly? What kind of exercise would you actually enjoy? What could you begin doing this week? Is there someone you could exercise with to make it more sociable?
Eat right. Eating right is often a challenge for pastors. Coffee shop chats, home visits, and lunch meetings often add up to way too many calories of the wrong kind. Be mindful of what you put into your body. Drink lots of water. Eat balanced meals with a proper ratio of proteins, complex carbs, and fat. Avoid pre-packaged foods. Eat a healthy breakfast and healthy snacks between meals. Take time to examine your eating habits. Are you eating healthy foods? Is there something healthy you need to add to your diet? Something to start eliminating? What one adjustment can you make to your diet today that can begin to put you on a path to a more healthy body?
Get a health check-up. Some warning signs of a health issue are obvious such as obesity and shortness of breath. However, it is easy to ignore these warning signs (and we often do ignore them). But you might not know there is a problem unless you have a thorough physical exam that includes blood work. What you do not know can possibly hurt you. Our families and parishioners are also affected by illnesses that might strike us down. When was the last time you had a physical check-up? What is your attitude toward taking time to invest in a physical check-up? Do you tend to think it is not important compared to the time you take for ministry to others? Why not make an appointment today?

This article originally appeared here.

Oklahoma Pastor Is Not Sorry About Blackface Costume, Despite Outcry

By

Stephanie Martin

-

April 24, 2023

Years-old photos recently went viral of an Oklahoma pastor dressed as Ray Charles and a Native American woman, sparking outrage by community groups and online commenters. But Sherman Jaquess, who is white and is pastor of Matoaka Baptist Church near Bartlesville, Oklahoma, is defending his actions and refuting claims of racism.

In an image from 2017, Jaquess wears blackface, an Afro wig, bright lipstick, and sunglasses to portray late musician Ray Charles. In an image from 2014, which the pastor said is from a church youth camp, he’s dressed as a Native American woman, complete with brown face makeup, a dress, and a braided wig.

Oklahoma Pastor: ‘I’m Not Racist at All’

In an April 19 sermon posted online, Jaquess told congregants, “I don’t have a racial bone in my body. I’m not racist at all.” About the Ray Charles impersonation, the pastor said he loves the musician’s work and was “honoring” him, not being derogatory.

“How can you portray Ray Charles if you’re not a Black man?” asked the Oklahoma pastor. He told worshipers that people are “blowing this thing up” and are too easily offended. Jaquess, who said he’s received death threats because of the photos, added he has “a lot of racial friends.”

Speaking to a reporter, Jaquess said, “I don’t apologize,” adding, “This church is multiracial, has all different kinds of racial people in it.” On the church website, the pastor’s page indicates his congregation “will strive for unity, while walking in love.” Yet on his personal Facebook page, Jaquess has posted material that could be deemed offensive—including an image comparing former President Obama to monkeys.

Regarding the time he dressed as a Native American woman, the pastor explained it was at a camp from when he served as youth pastor. The night’s theme, he said, was “Cowboys & Indians.” Jaquess defended his outfit by saying he had “Cherokee blood.” The church’s name, Makoata, is another name for the Native American historical figure Pocahontas.

Jaquess, who has been a vocal opponent of community drag performances, refuted claims that his costume was one. The pastor said he “was fully clothed” and “did nothing sexual or lewd.”

‘He Gives a Bad Name to Real Christians’

Marq Lewis, a community organizer who shared the photos of Jaquess in costume, said it’s “very troubling” that the pastor isn’t apologetic. “You can honor anyone by not putting on blackface, and he is ignoring the historical references and all of the satirical types of caricatures that African Americans have gone through in this country,” Lewis said.

“For him to say that’s not racist says to me that he is completely out of touch with the reality of what this world and this country has dealt with,” he added. “It’s actually a slap in the face of African Americans and all people of color.”

‘American Idol’ Contestant Hopes Song About God’s Grace Will Get Her in the Top 12 Tonight

By

Jessica Mouser

-

April 24, 2023

After making it to the Top 20 on “American Idol,” Christian singer-songwriter Megan Danielle is seeking a spot in the Top 12 with her performance of We The Kingdom’s “Holy Water.” Danielle, who is one of several Christian contestants who made it to the Top 20, says her desire is to use her platform to share God’s love.

“I was born to share the love of Jesus,” said Megan Danielle in a social media post after she was approved to go to Hollywood. “Even though I fail everyday, I sin and I’m not perfect… I would never claim or want to be perfect. I know it is so easy to get trapped into what the world wants of you and lose focus of His word because of what the world wants… but I am here to tell you, it is all going to be okay. God loves us & WE need to share more of Him!”

Megan Danielle Shares God’s Grace on National TV

Megan Danielle, 21, is a native of Douglasville, Georgia, and previously competed on “The Voice.” For her audition for “American Idol,” she performed “You Say” by Lauren Daigle, who surprised Danielle by walking into the audition and joining her in the middle of her performance. The contestant was shocked and delighted. “I feel like this is not even happening,” she said.

Danielle has revealed that her parents divorced when she was 7 years old and that she has struggled with confidence in herself her whole life. “I put a lot of blame on myself for my dad leaving,” she said. “It made me feel kind of worthless, like I wasn’t a good daughter or even a good sister.”

The singer credits her grandfather with encouraging her to use her talents for God. She told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she sees “American Idol” as “an opportunity to share my love of God. I want to be able to just lead people where the world is missing and the world is missing God. That’s what I strongly believe. And I want to really do better for myself and lead people in the right direction.”

The lyrics of “Holy Water,” which Danielle performed Sunday night, express a deep need for God’s grace and forgiveness:

Your forgiveness
Is like sweet, sweet honey on my lips
Like the sound of a symphony to my ears
Like holy water on my skin

I don’t want to abuse Your grace
God, I need it every day
It’s the only thing that ever really
Makes me want to change

39 Bodies Found on Property of Kenyan Pastor, Alleged Leader of Starvation Cult

By

Dale Chamberlain

-

April 24, 2023

Police have discovered the bodies of 39 people on the property of Paul Makenzie Nthenge, a pastor in the Kilifi County of Kenya who was taken into custody earlier this month after allegedly encouraging his followers to starve themselves to death in order to “meet Jesus.”

After receiving a local tip that Nthenge was engaging in cult-like practices, police raided Good News International Church, of which Nthenge had been pastor.

Police went on to discover 15 victims who had been convinced to starve themselves. Four of those victims died from starvation, and the remaining 11 were rushed to the hospital for medical care. The group of victims include men and women ranging between 17 to 49 years old.

The concerned community members who alerted the police reportedly characterized the victims as “brainwashed.” Police said the victims had been “radicalized.”

Nthenge had previously been arrested in connection with the deaths of two toddlers who died by starvation. The parents of those children were attenders of Good News International Church. Nthenge was released on bond after being charged.

At the time of Nthenge’s latest arrest, police were advised that his property, which is in a forested area, might have been the final resting place for more victims. Though police initially said that the search was made difficult “by virtue of [the] vast land (area) and hostile residents in the forest,” they have now discovered dozens of bodies in shallow graves.

According to the Associated Press, local politicians have urged the court not to release Nthenge as it has in the past, decrying the spread of cults in the area.

William Ruto, president of Kenya, said on Monday Nthenge’s alleged crimes are “akin to terrorism.”

Nthenge is reportedly on a hunger strike while being held in custody.

At Memorial, Charles Stanley Honored by Franklin Graham, Donald Trump, Tony Evans, Chuck Swindoll, CeCe Winans, and Others

By

Janna Firestone

-

April 24, 2023

Charles Stanley Memorial — Screengrab via YouTube @11Alive

It was fitting for the legacy celebration of Pastor Charles Stanley to be held at First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia—the church where Stanley served for nearly 50 years. Pastor Anthony George of First Baptist Atlanta hosted, guiding guests through the service for this “warrior of the faith.”

Stanley passed away on April 18 at the age of 90. He served as the pastor of five churches and founded a TV program that later became “In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley.” According to In Touch Ministries, Stanley’s sermons have been heard in “127 languages around the world via radio, shortwave, the Messenger Lab project, or TV broadcasts. Stanley was the country’s longest-serving pastor with a continuous weekly broadcast program.”

Notable Guests Pay Tribute to Pastor Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley influenced lives around the world. Throughout his life, he was invited to pray for and counsel celebrities, government leaders, and fellow pastors. Many people honored the late pastor at his service, whether in person or via video.

Pastor Chuck Swindoll of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, shared sentiments via video. He said, “We say, ‘Goodbye,’ as Heaven says, ‘Hello.'”

“His presentations were always lively and on target, accurate and meaningful. I give thanks for his life,” Swindoll reflected. “He is at home with the Lord in that perfect place, in that perfect setting with the Savior he preached and loved and knew so well.”

Former United States president Donald Trump said via video message that he remembered meeting Stanley. Trump offered, “I will always remember his incredible kindness and humble spirit when he met with me in the Oval Office. As he prayed for me and the nation, I knew God was hearing that prayer.”

Tony Evans, pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, said, “We have all been impacted, influenced, and transformed by his ministry locally, nationally, and internationally. Evans continued, “Through the hard times and the celebratory times, he has stood on the Word of God, preaching it week in and week out.”

Others, including Pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church, Rev. Franklin Graham of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and Pastor David Jeremiah of Shadow Mountain Community Church, added their words and reflections on the late pastor. The service also included hymns sung by Greater Vision, CeCe Winans, and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.

‘Screwtape Letters’ Meets ‘Silence of the Lambs’—Christian Horror Film ‘Nefarious’ Aims To Expose the Reality of Demons

By

Jesse T. Jackson

-

April 24, 2023

“Christian horror film” may sound like a bit of an oxymoron, but that is exactly what filmmakers Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon (“Unplanned,” “God’s Not Dead,” “Do You Believe”) have sought to create with their latest release, titled “Nefarious.”

“Nefarious” is a horror-thriller film that tells the fictional story of a convicted serial killer who, on the day of his scheduled execution, must be certified as mentally competent by a court-ordered psychiatrist. As the psychiatrist conducts his evaluation, he discovers that the killer is possessed by a demon, who tells him that before the day is over, the psychiatrist will have committed three murders of his own.

The killer is played by veteran actor Sean Patrick Flannery (“The Boondock Saints,” “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles”). The psychiatrist, played by Jordan Belfi (“Entourage,” “Moonlight”), wars with the demon, who calls himself “Nefarious.”

Solomon described “Nefarious,” which has received a 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, as a mature version of C.S. Lewis‘ “Screwtape Letters” meets “Silence of the Lambs.”

One reviewer said, “There are not going to be very many films released this year that are going to make you think on the level of ‘Nefarious.’ It is a film that is not only entertaining, but also makes you question what side of the battle between good and evil you are truly on.”

The film received an R rating, although it does not feature any explicit language or sexual content. The film does contain two scenes of violence, but some could argue that a PG-13 rating would be more appropriate.

“The R rating is political. It’s the same thing they did with us on ‘Unplanned,’” Solomon told ChurchLeaders. “They gave us an ‘R’ because they know that Christians will not go to our movies…People have to realize that Hollywood hates Christians,” he said, and does not want Christian films “to see the light of day.”

The directors believe that the devil was behind both “Unplanned” and “Nefarious” receiving R ratings, due to the fact that an R rating is likely to deter Christians, who constitute a majority of their viewing audience.

“Nefarious” grossed $1.3 million in its opening weekend, but was only shown in 933 theaters. For comparison, Russell Crowe’s demonic horror film “The Pope’s Exorcist,” which debuted the same weekend, was shown in 3,178 theaters and grossed $9 million.

Solomon and Konzelman shared that the film was made due to God’s perfect timing. When they were presented with the idea, they loved it, but they didn’t expect to make the movie right away. In fact, they said that they received the film’s budget before even having a completed script.

‘Duck Dynasty’-Backed Gen Z Jesus Musical ‘His Story’ To Debut in Texas

By

Kathryn Post

-

April 24, 2023

his story — Cast workshops “His Story: The Musical” in New York City. Photo by Rachel Monteleone

(RNS) — Sixteen-year-old Anna Miriam Brown didn’t know how to play piano in 2017, but she knew God was calling her to write a musical.

The homeschooled daughter of evangelical missionaries, Brown was sitting in a bus recovering from heat stroke on a mission trip in Kenya when a friend played her the hit “Hamilton” album. Brown thought musicals were cheesy but was stirred by the rap-infused songs about the ambitious Founding Father.

“I was praying and talking to God, and I felt like God spoke to me and told me that my way of sharing the faith I’d found wasn’t going to be through traveling or telling people the old-fashioned way,” Brown told Religion News Service. “It was going to be through music, and through the way this ‘Hamilton’ musical had impacted me.”

On May 5, “His Story” — a new musical about the life of Jesus with book, music and lyrics by Brown — will begin previews just north of Dallas in a “tent village” designed and built for the show’s open-ended run. Audiences of up to 1,300 will sit in plush, velvet seats surrounding the stage in the main tent, which is rigged with heating and air conditioning.

Anna Miriam Brown. Courtesy photo

The show was made possible through an unexpected alliance of Broadway veterans and evangelical celebrities. Bruce Lazarus (who produced “Say Goodnight Gracie,” nominated for best play at the 2003 Tony Awards) and Jeff Calhoun (who was nominated for best director at the 2012 Tony Awards for “Newsies”) joined producers Willie and Korie Robertson of “Duck Dynasty” fame.

The entire process has felt “blessed,” according to Calhoun.

“Normally it takes, like, seven years to put a musical together; we put this together in, like, 14 months, and we raised 7.5 million dollars in a very short period of time,” Lazarus agreed.

Brown never envisioned her musical onstage. She wrote the album by improvising melodies and lyrics over chords her sister taught her to play on a children’s keyboard, aiming to reach other Gen Zers who are anxious about life’s meaning and purpose. In 2019, she and a team of hired professionals released a concept album for the show. Brown figured that would be the end of it.

But then the album landed on Lazarus’ desk.

At first, he was skeptical. “I thought, ‘oh, 17-year-old girl writes sweet little musical about Jesus, how nice.’” But, he said, by the time he reached the third song on the album, he was weeping.

Lazarus, who described himself as a “product of the 12 steps” whose life changed after he made “conscious contact with God,” met with Brown in New York City and secured the rights to do the show worldwide. Soon, he teamed up with Calhoun, who was also hooked on the album.

“Coming out of the pandemic, it gave me time to look at my career in the rearview mirror. I was going to an insecure or dark place,” said Calhoun, who was raised Lutheran but now considers the theater his church. “This show fulfills many voids. I felt confident I could turn it into a beautiful piece of art for the stage, but also it was healing for me, too, being around this material. It’s been healing for me, both professionally and personally.”

Jeff Calhoun. Courtesy photo

Philadelphia Archdiocese Accused of Transferring Known Abuser to Catholic College

By

Kathryn Post

-

April 24, 2023

Kevn Barry McGoldrick — The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, located in downtown Philadelphia. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia/Creative Commons

(RNS) — In 2013, then-Catholic priest and would-be artist Kevin Barry McGoldrick was transferred from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to the Diocese of Nashville, where he became chaplain of Aquinas College.

In the lawsuit filed on Tuesday (April 18) in Philadelphia, it alleges that archdiocesan officials transferred the priest — and issued a letter of support on his behalf — knowing that he had a history of sexual abuse. The lawsuit accuses the archdiocese of enabling the priest’s abuse in 2017 of the lawsuit’s 27-year-old plaintiff, identified only as “Jane Doe.”

“To know he should never have been at Aquinas College, and he was put there and I was put in harm’s way knowingly, was perhaps the most traumatic,” Jane Doe told Religion News Service.

The five-count lawsuit, entered in the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia County, names both McGoldrick and the archdiocese and asks for hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.

Jane Doe’s lawyers write in the complaint that the archdiocese’s “callous indifference” to the safety and wellbeing of young women in their care “was a function of their paramount desire to protect the Church, even at the expense of innocent young persons.”

A spokesperson for the archdiocese said they “would not comment on pending litigation.”

Stewart Ryan, an attorney representing Jane Doe, said this case fits into a broader pattern of abuse coverups in the archdiocese. Too often, he said, priests suspected of abuse have been simply transferred from assignment to assignment. The lawsuit claims McGoldrick was re-assigned at least seven times.

The lawsuit also alleges that McGoldrick committed civil assault and battery. He could not be reached for comment in time for publication.

In the summer of 2017, Jane Doe, then 22, had just completed her junior year at Aquinas College, a 61-year-old school operated by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia. McGoldrick, who was both a chaplain and her spiritual adviser, began regularly inviting her and other female students to his rectory for drinks and dinner, the lawsuit alleges.

On one of these occasions, according to the lawsuit, he provided the plaintiff with so much alcohol she vomited, and he began touching her inappropriately. The plaintiff believes the sexual assault “continued and escalated” even after she had lost consciousness.

Jane Doe claims the alleged assault took a severe toll, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, emotional distress and other symptoms and forms of trauma. Jane Doe reported the assault to the Nashville diocese in 2019, but no action was taken until she filed a police report in 2020. She settled a lawsuit against the Nashville diocese in 2020 for $65,000.

How To Raise A Generous Child

By

Ron Edmondson

-

April 24, 2023

Looking to learn how to raise a generous child?
I have had conflict most of my life between what I think I want and what I really need.

Most people share this conflict with me.

That conflict also appears in our children, as well.

We don’t have to teach children to struggle with determining between wants and needs. It’s a natural response to life. And if they need any help doing so—they can easily learn the struggle from us.

As parents, we are the primary shapers of our children’s attitudes toward money, things, and desires. Our children will either be “givers” or “takers” in society, and that will be greatly influenced by the life they live in our home.

How do we raise a generous child?

How do we help our children (and ultimately ourselves) be people who genuinely enjoy living sacrificial lives—considering the interest of others—being givers rather than takers as the Bible commands us to do?

Here are 10 tips that we tried to practice in our own home. It has been amazing to watch our boys, now young adults on their own, having developed generous hearts toward others. They are far more generous than I was at their age.

And let me be clear. The fact that they turned out that way is all grace. God has blessed us greatly. But we have been intentional to live out biblical principles—and we have learned that they work when applied “generously.”

Here are 10 ideas on how to raise a generous child:

1. Have fun and be generous parents.

The story is told of Jesus and the disciples attending a wedding. The party had been going for a while when something tragic happened. They ran out of wine. That was a serious problem to the host of the party. It was a huge cultural embarrassment to run out of food or wine. Jesus took some big barrels of water and turned them into the best wine the people had that night. The people were overwhelmed.

The Bible says that was the very first miracle Jesus ever did. As culturally important as weddings were in those days, it still sounds like God met a want, rather than a need.

It is very clear that God is not trying to keep us from having what we want or from having fun in life. God is not opposed to blessing us with things we want but may not even need. We should not be afraid to do the same with our children. If we can afford to, and if our children are living within the boundaries set for our home, we should not be afraid to give them gifts they simply want but may not even need. (I thought I would start with an easy one first.)

2. Help children understand the difference between a need and a want.

It is understandable why it is difficult to raise children who understand the difference between a need and a want when we as parents struggle with the same issues. This will take a lifetime of teaching.

As much as God wants to bless us with wants, if we study the Bible, God seems far more interested in helping fulfill our needs than He does in giving us everything we want. In fact, God never promises to provide our want list, yet He does promise to meet all our needs (Philippians 4:19). Granted, there are some that take verses like this out of context and teach that God gives us everything we ask for, but that doesn’t line up with the rest of Scripture.

The problem from a biblical perspective is that we have a messed up system of determining need versus want. That thing inside us that chooses good over evil, better or best, need versus want, is broken.

When we apply biblical understanding, most actual needs go beyond just enjoyment for today or even just for me. For something to fall into the category of need it should provide some lasting value to society or at least to my own character. Needs, beyond basics such as food and water, become things like righteousness—and love, and joy, and peace, and contentment.

We can even ask ourselves, does this “thing” benefit someone more than just me? Does it add value to someone’s life or to my own character? A true need, in this context, almost becomes something that money cannot buy.

We should consistently invest biblical principles into our children—helping them understand the things that matter to God. Helping children develop a hunger for things they need as much as—or even more—than things they want.

Why Rock Star Worship Leaders Are Getting Fired

By

Don Chapman

-

April 24, 2023

Some megachurches have been hiring rock star worship leaders (RSWLs) and are finding out they’re not all they’re cracked up to be. A megachurch is a unique breeding ground for a RSWL—he probably couldn’t survive in a smaller ministry. A typical church music director is a busy guy or girl who schedules volunteers, conducts rehearsals, writes charts, arranges music, and plans Christmas and Easter events. Some megachurch rock star worship leaders surprisingly can’t even read music, let alone create a chord chart. So why are they hired? And why are there now more worship leader firings?

They often don’t have musical training or organization skills, but they look and sound good on stage. This will blow some of your minds — I know of one rock star worship leader who makes about 100K a year by going to a weekly staff meeting and picking out six songs for the praise set. That’s it. He has a full staff who does his work for him, making charts and tracks, scheduling volunteers, and even leading rehearsals. This type of RSWL could only exist at a megachurch—he’d be helpless if he had to do everything himself in a smaller ministry.

Why Behind Worship Leader Firings

Worship leader firings happen because the RSWL unfortunately tends to inherit bad habits from his secular counterparts.

A famous rock star making millions from his music can afford to be self-absorbed and narcissistic—it even enhances his mystique. Narcissism doesn’t go over so well in a church, and people start resenting the guy. A Google search on the subject showed me it’s a growing topic among fed-up churchgoers.

Here are some thoughts I found on a blog by a disgusted person about their RSWL that sum up what congregations are thinking:

Worship leaders are like reality TV stars: They’re regular people with a disproportionate sense of self because people are looking at them. They’re rock stars without the fame or talent … or money (all things that redeem rock star behavior). But ultimately, it’s the disparity that kills me. So many of them are spiritually/emotionally/socially immature, but just because they can sing, they’re placed on this ridiculous pedestal.

One megachurch claims their narcissistic RSWL is to blame for an attendance drop of almost one-third (at least until they fired the guy. Attendance is on the way up again).

Hell Is Our Default Destination

By

J.D. Greear

-

April 24, 2023

default destination — Adobestock #24259590

Most people assume that as long as they don’t mess things up in their time here on earth, they’ll go to heaven when they die. But Scripture says the opposite. God created us for heaven, but the rebellion of the human race, in which we are all participating, has destined us for hell. Hell, not heaven, is our default destination.

Notice the breadth of who is described as going to hell in Revelation 21:8: “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death” (ESV).

Hell Is Our Default Destination

Included in that list are the ones you’d expect: murderers, sorcerers, etc. The “really bad” guys. But it also includes a lot of people who could be found in the church, like:

The cowardly – those who would never stand for Jesus in front of their friends.
The faithless – those who went to church but never really trusted God enough to obey him with their relationships or their money.
Idolaters – those who wouldn’t put God first in their lives.
Liars – those who came to church but whose submission to God was not sincere.

Hell , the default destination, is an eternal place of torment, and all of us—no matter where we fall in that list—are deserving of its agony. That reality makes me think of the words of Charles Spurgeon: “These are such weighty things, such that when I dwell upon them, I feel far more inclined to sit down and weep than to stand up and speak to you.”

The images described in Revelation are awful, including fire and burning sulfur. There is some question as to what is metaphorical and what is literal in Revelation, but even if these things are symbols, the default destination they are pointing to is unspeakably awful.

7 Signs of a Controlling Pastor

By

Ron Edmondson

-

April 24, 2023

I regularly talk to young leaders through my blog, and many of them feel they are working for a controlling pastor. In a recent post, I talked about the three results of controlling leadership.

In full disclosure, one of my top strengths on the StrengthsFinder assessment is COMMAND. I’ll take over if no one else in the room will—so some of the young leaders on my team may have felt that way about me at times. I have to discipline myself not to be a controlling leader.

But it’s a value for me personally not to be one, so I consistently try to evaluate. (And I’ve let teams I lead evaluate me.) And also granted, as I’ve posted previously, I believe there are some things a leader needs to control—especially early in their leadership. For example, I have controlled (or micromanaged) the hiring of key staff members during my beginning years of church revitalization. We are changing a culture. I am building a team—one I don’t have to control. And that’s worked well so far.

The odd thing I find is that many controlling pastors never really know they are one. They may actually even believe they are being good leaders—making sure things go well for the organization.

As I’ve pointed out in previous posts about this issue, controlling leaders are ever present in the church. So, maybe if you’re reading this, you are still wondering if you might be a controlling pastor. (Or if you work for one.)

7 Signs of a Controlling Pastor:

1. Your team struggles to share new ideas.

Are people sheepish around you when they have an idea that may be different from yours? Do they start apologizing prior to approaching you with a new idea? Do they appear timid, fearful, even reluctant to share a thought? This may be on them—it might be on you, leader.

2. You think you’re wonderful.

I don’t mean this to be funny. When a leader is in the control position, because of their own confidence, they can often feel everyone approves of all they are doing. A controlling leader may not really know how people feel about them. They assume everyone approves of their leadership.

Look to page two for five more signs of a controlling pastor:

Children’s and Youth Leaders: It’s Not a Competition

By

Christina Embree

-

April 23, 2023

It’s one of the most common mistakes I see churches make.

The “problem” is always the same—we don’t have enough young people, we want to attract young families, we need to bring in more kids and teens. And the solution is equally the same—make a bigger splash, add more bells and whistles, make Sunday School hour “the best hour of the week” and make your youth group the most fun, the most outrageous, trendiest spot on the block.

I recently had a conversation with a group of church members who are, well, aging. During the conversation, they began reminiscing about the “good old days.” They spoke with fondness and nostalgia about the days when their youth group was the biggest and their children’s ministry was booming.

I listened quietly for a while but then I spoke up. “Where are they now?” I asked. “Oh, well, they grew up!” was the reply. “But where are they?” I asked. “Did they all move away? Are all of those kids and teens no longer in the area?” It didn’t take long before their faces fell. Because the answer was that while a few had moved away, most had just moved on. Moved on from church. Moved on from the community. Moved on from their faith.

The mistake I see churches making is simple: They try to compete. Not just with each other but with the rest of society. They try to be cool, to be fun, to be the place to be and try to attract people to their programs and activities. But here’s the inconvenient truth: no matter how cool or fun we think we are, we can’t compete with places and programs who sole purpose is FUN. They are better funded, better resourced, and better equipped to be fun. They have entire budgets dedicated to advertising and marketing.

There’s no competition. And also…there is NO competition.

The fact that we engage as though there is a competition is a problem. Our purpose, our goal, and our existence is innately and completely different than those who exist to entertain and amuse. We are called to make disciples. The church is meant to be the body of Christ. Our community is called to love God and love others. That is our goal and our purpose.

So even if we try to compete and we do grow our programs for a little while and make a big splash in a little pond, if we have not grown disciples and if we have not put in place the relationships necessary for lifelong faith formation, we have not won. We’ve lost.

And we have lost. Self-identified Christians make up 63% of U.S. population in 2021, down from 75% a decade ago (Source). We know all the numbers; we hear them all the time.

But what about those who stay? Is it because of our bells-and-whistles? Is it because we “won” the competition?

On the contrary, it is because of the places and ways where we were true to who we are and what we are called to be. Research shows us that young people who stay in church do so for things like genuine relationships not just with peers but with the larger church community (older people!), deep theology not surface level teaching and fun games, service and purpose with mission as the goal, honest discussions and a sense of belonging to a family (Source).

Heaven Celebrates Every Repentant Sinner

By

Randy Alcorn

-

April 22, 2023

Philip Yancey tells a modern-day version of the prodigal son, about a girl with a nose ring and an attitude. She rebels against her parents, runs away, and becomes a drug-addicted prostitute in Detroit.

The months go by. She sees her face on a milk carton but never bothers to tell her family she’s alive. Then, two years later, she gets sick and desperate. Her pimp throws her out on the street.

All other alternatives exhausted, she calls home. She leaves a message, gets on a Greyhound, and shows up at the bus station, figuring she’ll scrounge a ride to her old house.

As she steps off the bus she finds herself greeted by forty people—brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, and her parents—all wearing party hats, with a huge banner stretched out saying, “Welcome home.”

Before she can finish saying “I’m sorry” her father murmurs, “Hush, sweetheart, we’ll talk later. We’ve got to get you home to the party; there’s a banquet waiting for you!”

Such abundant grace almost makes the parent look foolish, doesn’t it? Looking foolish is a risk God willingly takes in extending us grace. We expect Him to extract His pound of flesh, to make us grovel and beg. But He doesn’t.

In Jesus’s parable, when the prodigal’s father runs across the field to greet his repentant son, commentators point out that it was undignified for men in the ancient Middle East to run. But in his overflowing happiness, the father, who represents God, disregards his dignity to shower grace upon his repentant son.

Just before He told of the prodigal son, Jesus said, “there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Again, He said, “there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” By putting on his own joyful party, this earthly father is mirroring the heavenly Father’s joyful party in Heaven over a beloved image bearer entering His family. Those in Heaven see and celebrate conversions on earth. Heaven throws a party for every sinner who repents. When God celebrates in Heaven, surely His people should celebrate on Earth!

Unfortunately, while living in the Father’s house (perhaps in Christian families and churches), we can dutifully go through the motions of exterior righteousness while resenting God’s extravagant grace in others’ lives and refusing to enter into His happiness over them. Instead, like the joy-filled, forgiving father who throws the party for his repentant son, we should celebrate God’s grace in the lives of our fellow prodigals.

Sinners embracing God’s grace means it’s party time in Heaven. And it should mean party time on earth.

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

4 More Ways Strategic Ministry Leaders Think Differently

By

Eric Geiger

-

April 22, 2023

A ministry strategy is great. A ministry strategy with continued strategic thinking is even better. It is possible, and common, for a ministry leader to implement a strategy and then fail to think strategically. Without continued strategic thinking, over time an articulated mission and strategy tends to gets buried beneath a bunch of un-strategic thinking and clutter. I shared 5 ways strategic ministry leaders think differently in my last post, and today I am going to finish the list:

They ask, “Can I set the example?”
They think process over programs.
They care about the “how” not only the “what.”
They think first about tweaking essential programs instead of starting new ones.
They believe white space on a person’s calendar is spiritual.

6. They look to add energy to their discipleship process rather than steal energy from it.

Wolfgang von Goethe famously said, “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” Strategic leaders not only guard against focus and resources being taken from the essential, but they also look for opportunities to add energy and focus to that which is most essential. Think of Easter weekend. No church leader I know thinks, “let’s have our normal weekend services and then do Easter services on Monday this year.” That would be foolish. Easter weekend is a great example of an essential program (a weekend service) getting more energy and focus. Of course, Easter weekend does because it is the day that we celebrate our Risen Savior and nothing should get in the way of that. Strategic leaders think that way all the time, not only about Easter weekend.

7. They build on-ramps and despise cul-de-sacs.

Building an event or a program as a cul-de-sac is to build an event/program that is an end in itself. The “win” is the event. Viewing the program/event as an on-ramp is to always ask “what is next for the people we are serving?” “How are we nudging them forward in their journey with Christ?” The win is not the event itself but the continual movement of people towards maturity in Christ.

8. They believe complexity and clutter are poor stewardship.

Strategic ministry leaders understand the connection between stewardship of time and resources and wise strategy. Complexity and clutter are more expensive than most leaders realize. To finance something that is not essential to a church’s discipleship process takes program dollars, staffing time (which is dollars), and promotional dollars. And time and energy that could be devoted to something more important is lost (known as opportunity costs). One of the reasons wise ministry leaders abhor complexity is because they value stewardship so much.

9. They know that the important first steps need intentional shepherding.

There are critical moments in a believer’s journey, in terms of their relationship with a community of believers, that need intentional care and shepherding; the first time someone expresses interest in joining a small group, the first time someone gives to the church, the moment someone declares faith in Christ, the first time someone volunteers to serve others through the ministry of the church, the first faith adventure/mission trip, etc. Strategic leaders don’t only think about those moments, but they think about how to provide care for people after those moments.

Martin Lloyd Jones said, “A pastor is a man who is given charge of souls. He is not merely a nice, pleasant man who visits people and has an afternoon cup of tea with them, or passes the time of day with them. He is the guardian, the custodian, the protector, the organizer, the director, the ruler of the flock.”

Organizer. Director. Ministry leaders can be both spiritual and strategic and the flock benefits from both.

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

When Peace and Unity Seem Impossible

By

J.D. Greear

-

April 22, 2023

There is a sweet peace in giving up the responsibility to control everything and the drive to get vengeance.

That spirit of sweetness is what Peter is talking about when he quotes Psalm 34 in his first letter to the church: “… [T]he one who wants to love life and to see good days, let him. … seek peace and pursue it, because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do what is evil” (1 Peter 3:10–12 CSB).

Peter also gave several words that describe this sweetness in action in the preceding verses. They are words that should characterize the fellowship of the church as it pursues peace, even in evil times: “Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble …” (1 Peter 3:8).

Peter commands us to pursue unity (“be like-minded”) because unity doesn’t come naturally. After all, the church is supposed to be composed of people from different cultures and backgrounds. What we have in common is not life experience, but our common hope in Christ.

But our cultural backgrounds are strong. And bringing different cultures together creates tension. Jesus foresaw that. He and his apostles never envisioned the church as a place where everyone thought the same about everything, but as a place where everyone was radically welcomed and everyone was radically challenged. A place where, amidst diversity, a group of people could find a unity in Christ that outweighed their differences.

Then Peter gives two words necessary for that kind of like-mindedness: sympathy and love. Sympathy means feeling something alongside someone else and trying to enter with them into their pain.

During a time of conflict, if you are sympathetic with your brothers and sisters, you will ask, “Do I really understand their perspective? What hurt is behind it?” You ask why certain political messages resonate so deeply with them. You don’t have to agree with them, but sympathy means you do everything you can to see things through their eyes.

Love means you care deeply about someone—even more than you care about having them agree with your opinion. Love means we are comfortable being around people who differ from us in some cultural or political perspective because our love for them is greater than the affirmation of our perspective.

It’s hard when you are deeply passionate about something to be around people who think differently than you. But the body of Christ and the message of the gospel are worth it.

Peace Is More Than “Bless Your Heart”

Peter also says to be compassionate and humble. The root word for “compassionate” in Greek is splagma, which means a deep feeling of pity that works up from within. It means you don’t just fake nicety like we often do in the South (where “Bless your heart” means “What an idiot”). Compassionate people really feel someone else’s pain.

When we pursue peace, our love for others is more than just surface-level platitudes. We invest ourselves emotionally in the pain of our brothers and sisters. We share it and bear it because people won’t care what you have to say until they are convinced you really care for them.

One of the chief causes of disunity is a bunch of people strutting around assuming they’re right about everything. Seeking unity means practicing humility and being open to being wrong and having your perspective changed.

My wife says the motto of my life should be, “Often wrong, never in doubt.” I always think I’m right about whatever I am thinking. But now, looking back five years with a different perspective, I wonder, “What was I thinking?” And if that was true of five-years-ago-J.D., won’t future J.D. think that about many things I hold to today? If I really believed that, I’d act with much more humility.

We all would.

When you disagree with a brother or sister, be willing to listen to them. At the very least, they’ll know you care. But they may also help you see something you haven’t seen. Don’t just listen so you can refute your friend’s arguments. Listen so you can understand them. Listen so well that you can restate them in your own words. Be quick to hear and slow to speak.

These may feel like evil times. Unity may feel impossible. Peace may feel like a pipe dream. But there is a way to love life and pursue peace: Trust like Jesus; respond like Jesus; live like Jesus; love like Jesus.

This article originally appeared here.

Skipping Church: Discover How It Really Affects Your Children

By

Micah Anglo

-

April 21, 2023

Could skipping church affect your children more than you realize? Should you let your kids skip? At what age is it appropriate to give them such choices? Read on to discover what skipping church can mean. And please share the information with parents in your church and children’s ministry!

Impacts of Skipping Church

A compelling argument exists for not letting children skip church. Check out the question-and-answer time after a panel discussion. It features Kent Hughes, Aimee Byrd, Todd Pruitt, and Carl Trueman at Westminster Theological Seminary.

In the Q&A, Carl Trueman addresses why churches today are losing their young people. Typical answers range from worldly temptations to the irrelevance of the church. But Trueman makes a keen, convicting connection between parenting and apostasy.

“The church is losing its young people because the parents never taught their children that it was important. I think that applies across the board. It applies to family worship, and it also applies to whether you are in church every Sunday and what priority you demonstrate to your children church has on a Sunday. If the sun shines out and their friends are going to the beach, do you decide to skip church and go to the beach? In which case, you send signals to your children that it is not important.” (Carl Trueman)

How Parents Can Keep Kids From Skipping Church

We know that artificially taking your kids to church neither bestows salvation nor guarantees it. External religious acts without heart worship obviously do not honor God. This type of legalism isn’t the subject of this discussion about church attendance.

This is about the weight of responsibility behind how parents prioritize their family’s time and lifestyle choices.

1. This is definitely a heart issue.

Maybe the reason our children have no love for Christ is because we as parents show no love or passion for Christ. That’s evidenced by how we prioritize our time both on Sundays and during the week. When we elevate TV, sports, school, hobbies, and even family itself to a place of idolatry and replace the vital Christian responsibilities? Then we tell our children that Christ is secondary to all these things.

Bible Activities for Preteens: 3 Easy, Effective Devotions Kids Will Love

By

ChildrensMinistry.com

-

April 21, 2023

These Bible activities will teach preteens about being thirsty for Jesus, obeying God, and their God-given purpose. Use these Bible-based devotions with middle schoolers in your Sunday school classes or children’s church program.

3 Bible Activities Tailored to Preteens

1. Thirsty

Use this devotion to discuss Jesus’ living water.

You’ll need:

a Bible,
oyster crackers,
paper plates, and
cups of drinking water.

Give each preteen about 50 oyster crackers on a plate.

Say: You have 60 seconds to eat and swallow all of your oyster crackers without using your hands. Check for understanding. Then have kids try the challenge.

Ask:

What was this experience like for you? (Refrain from giving them water for at least a few minutes or until a few preteens ask.)

Give kids water, and then read aloud John 4:4-10.

Ask:

Jesus said his living water will keep us from thirsting. What do you think he means?

Say: Think about being desperately thirsty. Pause. Ask:

Explain whether you’re desperately thirsty for Jesus’ living water, and why.
What things do you look to for satisfaction, other than Jesus?
How can a relationship with Jesus satisfy you like nothing else?

Donna Simcoe
Fort Collins, Colorado

2. Angels Versus Donkeys

Use this devotion to discuss obedience to God.

You’ll need:

a Bible and
inflated balloons.

Read aloud Numbers 22:21-27.

Form two groups: the Angels and the Donkeys. Have the Angels and Donkeys stand against opposite walls. Pile balloons in front of the Donkeys. Say: The balloons represent Balaam.

Say: Donkeys, it’s your job to bop “Balaam” past the Angels. Angels, keep Balaam from passing you. Establish a line about 3 feet from the Angels’ wall that the Donkeys can’t cross. Let preteens play for a few minutes. Switch roles, and let kids play again.

David Platt: We Need To Get Back to the Biblical Gospel Instead of a False Gospel That ‘Prostitutes Jesus’

By

Jessica Mouser

-

April 21, 2023

An “American gospel” has taken over our hearts, warns Pastor David Platt. Platt joined the Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast to share why he believes this false gospel “has led to all kinds of division and discouragement and disillusionment with the church.”

“The biblical gospel exalts Jesus above everything in this world,” said Platt. “And we’ve exchanged that biblical gospel for an American gospel that prostitutes Jesus for the sake of comfort and power and politics and prosperity in our country. And I think the effects of that are all around us.”

Listen to the full interview with David Platt below:

The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast · David Platt on How He Has Been Challenged To Stop Following the ‘American Gospel’

David Platt: ‘I Am a Different Person’

David Platt is the pastor of McLean Bible Church in Washington, D.C., and the founder of Radical, an organization that equips Christians to live on mission. He is the author of three New York Times bestsellers, including “Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream.” During the podcast, Platt shared why he wrote his latest book,“Don’t Hold Back: Leaving Behind the American Gospel to Follow Jesus Fully.”

“Having pastored in metro Washington, D.C., over the last five years, especially amidst everything going on in our country,” said Platt, “I’m convinced that it’s not just an American dream that was consuming our lives. It was an American gospel that was hijacking our hearts.”

Platt sees a variety of evidence that many American Christians are embracing a false gospel. Instead of being eager to pursue unity with one another, he said, we are “quick to divide over the idolatry of personal political convictions.” Instead of embracing and celebrating our ethnic differences, churches remain segregated by race. We often treat God’s Word as a “weapon against enemies” instead of “water for friends in a spiritual desert.” We are apathetic about pursuing justice, but enthusiastic about debating what justice means.

As a result of these problems, we are cynical and divided. “If we would get back to the beauty of the biblical gospel and who Jesus is,” said Platt, “it would have major effects in our lives and the church and in the world around us.”

Platt’s rallying cry to the American church is as much for himself as it is for anyone else. His views on unity and justice have changed over the past several years as he has sought to learn from God’s Word and from his fellow believers.

“I am a different person than I was five years ago,” said the pastor. “And that’s because I have been in the Word alongside brothers and sisters in Christ from very different perspectives than me, other leaders from very different perspectives than me. And they have challenged me, they’ve stretched me, they’ve encouraged me, they’ve helped me, they’ve humbled me.”

Platt mentioned the racial and political tensions of 2020 as an example of a catalyst for growth for him and his church. “We called our church—and hundreds were involved—in saying, we’re going to fast, we’re going to pray, we’re going to open our Bibles, we’re going to walk through and define justice biblically,” he said. “We’re going to think through how that applies to issues of race and ethnicity. And we’re going to do this with the gospel at the core and learn how to be the church to each other.”

Christian University President Apologizes Following Criticism for Referencing Gender Identity, Nashville Shooting in ‘Flippant’ and ‘Calloused’ Manner

By

Dale Chamberlain

-

April 21, 2023

Trinity International University President Nicholas Perrin Apologizes — A car exits the Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

A fundraising letter that was recently sent to donors and alumni of Trinity International University has become the center of controversy for the “flippant” and “calloused” manner in which it addressed gender identity, particularly with regard to last month’s mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee.

The letter was signed by Dr. Nicholas Perrin, who serves as president of the university, as well as of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS), the seminary affiliated with the university. Following a wave of criticism, Perrin sent a follow-up letter to apologize.

Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Trinity International University is affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America but serves a student base that is broadly evangelical.

“It says much about the state of our culture when people barely flinch at a man proudly and confidently claiming to be a woman (or whatever identity happens to be the trend of the month) simply because he declares it to be so,” the fundraising letter began. “As Western culture becomes increasingly antagonistic to the gospel it also, necessarily, becomes increasingly detached from reality.”

The letter continued, “It is no coincidence that a generation which denies the existence of the Creator and His laws also denies all other fundamental truths. The tragic implications of our culture’s dominant worldview became even more evident after the devastating shooting in Tennessee.”

The assailant in the attack on the private Christian school in Nashville, which claimed the lives of three children and three school employees, identified as a trans man.

The letter went on to express gratitude to the university’s faculty for instilling “the gospel into each subject that they teach” and for the resources the school provides “to ethically, compassionately, and biblically address the issues facing our world today.” Perrin then invited recipients of the letter to consider making a financial contribution.

After receiving the letter, David C. Cramer, who is a pastor, author, and graduate of TEDS, expressed online that he was “aghast and ashamed.”

“Regardless of one’s theological anthropology, this is not the way I was taught to interpret and engage culture when I was a student,” Cramer wrote. “This letter is flippant, calloused, and dangerous. It reads like a fundraising letter for a right-wing political action group instead of a place of theological education.”

Cramer added that he would “be donating to orgs that provide support and care for our trans neighbors who are created in the image of God and are beloved children of God.”

Others chimed in with their disapproval of the letter, including Dr. Fellipe do Vale, who serves as a professor of systematic theology at TEDS.

Oklahoma Pastor: ‘I’m Not Racist at All’

‘He Gives a Bad Name to Real Christians’

Megan Danielle Shares God’s Grace on National TV

Notable Guests Pay Tribute to Pastor Charles Stanley

Here are 10 ideas on how to raise a generous child:

1. Have fun and be generous parents.

2. Help children understand the difference between a need and a want.

Why Behind Worship Leader Firings

Hell Is Our Default Destination

7 Signs of a Controlling Pastor:

1. Your team struggles to share new ideas.

2. You think you’re wonderful.

Look to page two for five more signs of a controlling pastor:

6. They look to add energy to their discipleship process rather than steal energy from it.

7. They build on-ramps and despise cul-de-sacs.

8. They believe complexity and clutter are poor stewardship.

9. They know that the important first steps need intentional shepherding.

Peace Is More Than “Bless Your Heart”

Impacts of Skipping Church

How Parents Can Keep Kids From Skipping Church

1. This is definitely a heart issue.

3 Bible Activities Tailored to Preteens

1. Thirsty

2. Angels Versus Donkeys

David Platt: ‘I Am a Different Person’

New Articles

New Podcasts