Too Many Christians Are Afraid To Admit They’re Wrong, Argues Tim Keller in ‘Forgive’

November 2, 2022

(RNS) — Author and pastor Tim Keller begins his new book with a warning about forgiveness gone wrong.

Keller cites a famous parable found in the New Testament Book of Matthew, where a king forgives one of his servants, who owes a fortune and can’t repay. Rather than be grateful, the servant turns around and has one of his co-workers, who owed him a pittance, tossed in jail.

When the king finds out he is furious and revokes his initial forgiveness.

“We should not miss the confrontational nature of this parable,” Keller writes in “Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I?” out Tuesday (Nov. 1) from Viking. “Jesus’ parable about forgiveness is not a feel-good story about people receiving God’s forgiveness and then eagerly spreading the love to others. Rather, it is a story about a man asking for forgiveness and then being utterly unchanged when he got it.”

The new book comes at a time when Americans are experiencing a forgiveness crisis, Keller argues, in part because the idea of forgiveness has often been misused, especially in religious circles. At times, he writes, survivors of abuse have been pressured to forgive those abusers and just move on. Or forgiveness is used to cover up the truth about the harm people have done to others.

“People have used forgiveness as a way of destroying the truth,” said Keller.

The longtime pastor in New York City, whose books have sold more than 3 million copies, believes forgiveness is not possible without truth. He links the term forgiveness with the idea of “repentance,” which he says has fallen out of fashion.

That term, he told Religion News Service in an interview, means being truthful about our shortcomings and misconduct.

“The word repent means asking for forgiveness,” he said. “If you don’t think you’ve done anything wrong, you have not repented.”

Keller, who retired as pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in 2017, has remained active in recent years despite being treated for pancreatic cancer. He is currently undergoing immunotherapy, which he said has shrunk some of his tumors.

“It has given me more time,” he said.

Known for his conservative but nonconfrontational approach to ministry, Keller has come under fire in recent months by those who say his “winsome” approach to engaging with culture no longer works in such a polarized time. Keller told Religion News Service he finds such criticism puzzling. As an evangelical pastor in New York, he said, his views were often in conflict with the broader culture. But that was not going to stop him from acting like a Christian.

Oldest Known Map of Stars Obtained by Museum of the Bible

Diana Chandler

November 2, 2022

WASHINGTON (BP) – The Museum of the Bible has detailed the provenance and acquisition of the oldest known map of the constellations, a previously lost writing based on the notes from second century B.C. Greek astronomer Hipparchus’ “Star Catalogue.”

The notes had been written in the fifth century on vellum leaves that were recycled perhaps five or six centuries later to record the Christian manuscript “Codex Climaci Rescriptus” (Ladder of Divine Ascent) by John Climacus, the museum said in an Oct. 28 press release. An emerging process of multispectral imaging technology was used to reveal what was left of the older writings on the vellum, the museum said.

Bill Warren, a New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary expert in New Testament textual criticism, said the technology can make visible the faintest remnants of text that has been scraped away.

“Increasingly we’re using it and we’re actually finding several manuscripts that had another one written underneath,” Warren told Baptist Press. “And it’s a pretty exciting time because every now and then, we’ll find one that’s a good biblical manuscript that was underneath. This time, it was on a Syriac manuscript.”

The older text was discovered by a team of scholars led by Peter Williams at Tyndale House at Cambridge University. Williams and Warren are among several scholars collaborating on the longstanding International Greek New Testament Project (IGNTP) to produce critical editions of the Greek New Testament. Williams is IGNTP president, and Warren is a member of the IGNTP committee of 26 scholars on the project that has the Museum of the Bible among its supporters.

In an ancient system of recycling vellum, a type of parchment made from calf skin, scribes would scrape away the existing ink, wash the vellum and use it for new writings. This is what occurred in the 10th or 11th century when a scribe at St. Catherine’s Monastery at Mt. Sinai needed vellum to record Climacus’ work. The scribe recycled leaves from an older manuscript, which evidently was a star map drawn in the fifth or sixth century and based on Hipparchus’ star catalogue.

While the star catalogue itself has little biblical significance, it does give greater insight into the astronomy conducted by the biblical magi referenced at the birth of Jesus, Warren told Baptist Press.

“The map itself has no biblical input, other than showing that they were very involved in mapping out the stars and such,” Warren said. “Now where that has implications on exegesis, which is different from the actual text, is the magi were actually ones who were involved in mapping out the stars. … This shows they’re part of a long line of studies in this area. There’s nothing quirky about them,” Warren said, clarifying that Christians would not, of course, use the stars to determine future events as did the magi. “They are part of a long history of trying to map out the stars.”

The technique of spectral imaging is important in the discovery of biblical text, Warren said.

“Sometimes our manuscripts contain old texts that we thought were totally lost, that are not biblical,” Warren said. “On the other hand, sometimes we find biblical text that would have been lost if we had not found them.”

Brian Hyland, the Museum of the Bible’s associate curator of medieval manuscripts, explained the work’s historical provenance to Baptist Press.

“This translation was most likely produced at St. Catherine’s Monastery by Mt. Sinai, where John (Climacus) had been the abbot in the early seventh century,” Hyland told Baptist Press. “This manuscript was a palimpsest created by recycling at least 10 different manuscripts, six of which were in Christian Palestinian Aramaic and four of which were in Greek.

Putting God First Enhances Everything Beneath Him

Randy Alcorn

November 2, 2022

In Eyes Wide Open, Steve DeWitt says, “Christians who properly place God as the source and goal of the things they enjoy will find themselves enjoying those things even more. In truth, the way we as believers relish created beauties ought to outstrip that of unbelievers, since we neither find our identity in them nor hold on to them as ultimate.”

Secondary happiness, which is found in something or someone God has created, ultimately leads back to Him. Have you ever pointed to something you want a child to see and then watched the child look at your finger instead of what you’re pointing at? The secondary only fulfills its purpose when people follow it to the primary.

The man who knows his wife is secondary to God can find great happiness in a relationship with her. In contrast, the man who makes his wife primary will be continuously disappointed because she can’t meet his deepest needs. Because he tries to make her into more than any human can be, both will suffer.

Robert Crofts wrote, “Let these earthly pleasures and felicities excite and encourage us to thankfulness, to all duties of virtue and piety, to look higher to their fountain, to God himself, to heaven, to love and enjoy in him, to contemplate his infinite goodness, love, beauty, sweetness, glory, and excellency.”

Paul said, “What is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy” (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, NIV).

But, wait—didn’t Paul know that God is our only joy? No, he knew that God is our primary joy. It’s fine for me to say that my children, my grandchildren, and my friends are joys if I remember that God made them and works through them to bring me happiness. They’re not lesser joys to me, but greater ones—precisely because I know whom these gifts come from!

In the movie The Avengers, Thor’s brother, the evil Loki, weary of the Incredible Hulk, says to him in a commanding voice, “Enough! . . . I am a god, you dull creature!” The Hulk, unimpressed, picks up Loki with one hand and gives him a merciless thrashing, pounding him into the ground. As he walks away, the Hulk turns back toward Loki, looking disgusted, and mutters, “Puny god.” Loki, utterly defeated, gives a pathetic little squeak.

All idols are not only false gods but also puny gods. The very gifts of God that can bring us great joy become dismally small when we make them primary. A couch that’s plenty big to sit on suddenly becomes tiny when you need someplace to land a plane. What’s big enough to bring us a little happiness from the hand of an infinitely big God isn’t nearly big enough to bear the weight of all our happiness. Only the true God is that big, and the larger we see Him, the bigger our happiness in Him.

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

Finding Peace Through an Ancient Prayer

James Emery White

November 2, 2022

“I don’t know what to pray. I’m not sure, right now, I know how to pray. I’m not even sure I want to pray, but I know I need to. I’m just a mess.” Ever felt that way? We all have. Whether we are facing the stark nature of our depravity, the aftermath of sinful choices, devastation caused by grief, the crushing weight of setback or the sense of just being overwhelmed, we can be so spiritually depleted, or spiritually numb, that the thought of prayer is simply too much. We don’t know what to say, how to feel, what can break through the complexity of our feelings. We know we need to pray but have little spiritual or emotional strength to even begin. That’s when you should say the Jesus prayer, an ancient prayer, only one sentence:

Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Its origin is unclear. Aspects of meditative prayer such as this ancient prayer date back to at least the time of the monks of the Egyptian desert as seen in the writings of Evagrius Ponticus (d. 339). “The standard form of the Jesus prayer,” writes Kallistos Ware, “is first found in the Life of Abba Phelmon. He was an Egyptian monk, living in the sixth century.” John Climacus, in the seventh century, was the first Greek writer to refer to it with the phrase “Jesus Prayer.”

It is clearly scriptural in origin. “Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 2:6-11), “Son of God” (Luke 1:31-35), “have mercy on me” (Luke 18:9-14). The Orthodox Church took the prayer and developed its use for prayer and meditation. Ware notes that a Jesus-centered spirituality gradually developed around its use, in which four main elements can be distinguished:

Devotion to the Holy Name “Jesus,” which is felt to act in a semi-sacramental way as a source of power and grace. The appeal for divine mercy, accompanied by a keen sense of compunction and inward grief. The discipline of frequent repetition. The quest for the inner silence of stillness; that is to say, for imageless, non-discursive prayer.

This may be more than you care to know or, even more likely, more than you care to attempt to contemplate while praying. The simpler point is that there are times when you have nothing left to breathe out toward God except these few words. And throughout history, even the brevity of this ancient prayer is sometimes reduced to simply praying, “Jesus, have mercy” or even “Jesus.”

Many years ago, I recall counseling a fellow pastor who had shipwrecked much of his life and ended up, for a brief time, in a jail cell and then a mental health institution. He said throughout that experience, all he could pray over and over was, “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

And maybe that’s all you can summon to pray as well. The good news? It’s more than enough.

This article on ancient prayer originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

9 Ways You Can Encourage Families to Make a Return Visit

Missy McKinnon

November 2, 2022

My husband and I are looking for a new home church. It has been awkward, to say the least. We have been married for seven years, and at least one of us has been working at a church for the entirety of our marriage. The church we were at had to close, but I never imagined that the hardest part would be after we closed the doors, that the most difficult part would be finding a new home church. Based on my church shopping experience, I have decided to make a list of ways to encourage new families to make a return visit:

9 Ways You Can Encourage Families to Make a Return Visit

1. Make it easy to find the kids area.

No matter what door they walk in there should be signs and greeters who know where to take the kids. Bonus points if you have signs outside of the building stating where the kids entrance is.

2. Keep the check-in form short.

Have them fill out their name, their phone and any allergies, and then have them fill out the rest later. Trust me, nothing makes me forget my address faster than both my kids screaming and running around my feet.

3. Make a warm transfer from check-in to the classroom.

Once people get their kids checked in, have a volunteer or host walk them to each child’s classroom. This is a MUST if you are in large church and a plus if you are in smaller church.

4. Look for new families.

They usually have a confused look on their face, and might be looking around frantically.

5. Tell parents what happened in class.

I want to know what my child is learning about. Most older kids can tell their parents what they learned, but I would love a handout at least. This is why all of our curriculum Super Church 2.0 and Kinder Church 2.0 (Pst. Kinder Church 2.0 is HALF OFF right now until October 4, 2017) has a Parent Handout for every single lesson!

6. Meet the family’s needs.

Don’t be so rigid in your rules that you put off meeting their needs. A good example of this is when classes are separated by ages. I heard about a family of four kids, and three of the kids went in one class and one was left to go by herself to the older class. The teachers made her go by herself and she started crying. I see no problem in letting the older child go to the younger class. Granted, at some point, she will need to go to her own class, but work with the family and it will be a better experience for all.

7. Don’t forget what it was like to be the new family.

Find a ‘secret shopper’ to visit your church and time how long it takes to get the children checked in. At one church it took 13 minutes from the minute we walked in the door until we sat down in the sanctuary, and at another one, it took almost 25! Let’s start making it easier for new families to get checked in!

8. Offer incentives to come back.

Give the children a card/coupon that when they bring it back they can get something cool.

9. Make it fun!

If church is fun, the kids will want to come back, and they will ask their parents to come back.

Granted there are a lot of different reasons why some people make a return visit and some don’t come back to church. But, I believe that a great KidMin is one of the main reasons why people come back, and this list a great starting point.

What are you doing to encourage parents to make a return visit to your church?

This article about how to encourage people to make a return visit originally appeared here.

13 Ways Church Can Encourage Mental Health

Brandon Cox

November 2, 2022

encourage-mental-health — Adobestock #509120955

It’s inevitable. If you’re in ministry long at all, you will absolutely find yourself ministering to people who struggle with mental health issues. And rather than there being clear boundaries between the mental and spiritual parts of us, we are, instead, whole beings. We think thoughts. We feel emotions. We make decisions. Our bodies and our brains are made of matter and exist in a real, physical dimension. And it all relates. It all overlaps. The church can encourage mental health.

The other day, I sent an email to my list promoting the upcoming Church Mental Health Summit, which featured speakers I know and respect. I received a reply to my email that essentially said, “The only true “mental health” is a right relationship with God.” Every time I write about depression, anxiety, or mental illness of any kind, some people will inevitably respond with a pseudo-spiritual, condescending attitude that suggests all of our mental health issues would disappear if we simply had more faith, prayed harder, or chose to be happy.

Unfortunately, this approach completely ignores reality. It also ignores the stories in which Jesus approached mentally ill people with a great deal of compassion, involving himself in their mental mess to offer his love. Jesus, by his actions and ministry, showed us how to encourage mental health.

I believe we’ve seen a lot of progress in the last couple of decades when it comes to how the church approaches mental health. But we also have a long way to go. I long to see the church keep getting better in this area and wanted to offer some suggestions for pastors and church leaders about how we can intentionally grow in this area.

13 Ways Church Can Encourage Mental Health

LOVE everyone and show it, instilling in people a strong sense that they are highly valued.
Study (and share) the stories of biblical characters who struggled, such as David and Elijah.
Also elevate the stories of historical church leaders who struggled, like Charles Spurgeon.
Accept that for some, mental illness will be a long-term struggle in spite of strong faith in God.
Affirm mental health professionals instead of casting a shadow of doubt over the entire industry and encourage the use of CBD products such as Zilis UltraCell full spectrum hemp.
Build relationships with trusted local professionals to whom you can refer people for help.
When authentic and appropriate, (pastors and teachers) share the story of your own struggles.
Eliminate the assumption that depression or mental illness is the result of someone’s sin.
Respect the work of scientists and professionals who discover and prescribe medical treatments.
Create safe spaces (small groups, particularly) for people to share appropriately with others.
Minister to people holistically, realizing that there is a physical and chemical component to mental health.
Read some good books on the subject of mental health, counseling, and recovery.
Listen to valuable podcasts like The Place We Find Ourselves and Hope Made Strong.

It’s also okay to admit that you’re not a trained expert in this area. You may be a master theologian and be able to translate scripture from its original languages, but that doesn’t mean you’re equipped to diagnose mental disorders.

My biggest recommendation for church leaders in this area is to befriend professionals in the mental health space and be a learner and a listener. Hear and respect the stories of those who struggle with mental illness in any form.

We can get better at this. We can encourage mental health, remove the stigma, help more people, and show the love of Christ in this area.

This article on how the church can encourage mental health originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

How to Plan for Advent

Jamie Wright

November 2, 2022

Advent is coming: the first SUnday falls in November (the 27th), so now is the time to plan for Advent.. Liturgically, it’s the beginning of the new church year. Practically, it’s the countdown to Christmas. It’s a season of waiting, expectation, anticipation, and heightened awareness that a special day is on the horizon. We need to plan for Advent.

Some churches make a big deal of Advent and some churches skip over the whole thing and just start singing Christmas carols before people have even had a chance to finish their left-over Turkey. I’d like to make a case, in whatever church/denominational/liturgical setting you lead, that you try to aim for at least three things as you plan for Advent.

How to Plan for Advent – 3 Targets

1. Build anticipation

The countdown to Christmas taps into a longing in people’s hearts that they might not even be aware is there. The presenting longing is for a fun party, or for some days off, or for time with family, or opening presents, but the underlying longing in all of us is to be rescued. We all want a Savior. If you think I’m crazy just watch people’s faces at political rallies. It’s nuts.

At this time of year, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the weeks the Church has called “Advent” (for “arriving” or “coming”) for centuries, we’re crazy if we ignore the anticipation that everyone is experiencing, and attempt to skip over it and jump to Christmas too soon.

Wait until the last Sunday before Christmas, or even Christmas Eve, to sing Christmas songs. Sing Advent hymns, not Christmas carols. Light the Advent candles. Pray Advent prayers. Let the prophesies of the coming of Christ be read in your services. Don’t decorate your Sanctuary too soon. Intentionally hold off on bringing Christmas into things too early in the season. Build anticipation, even to the point of making people ask you why you’re waiting so long.

The point is to tap into people’s anticipation, and to remind them that the underlying longing is for a Savior. It will make Christmas (and Christmas carols) all the more sweet when you finally get there.

2. Express lament

Some years ago ago I read a tragic story in The Washington Post about a murder/suicide about an hour’s drive from my house that claimed the life of a young mother and her infant while the 5-year-old daughter took a bath upstairs. She didn’t know anything was wrong until her Mom didn’t come to get her out of the bath, at which point she got herself dressed and then made the terrible discovery downstairs.

This kind of story makes me unspeakably sad. And angry. And confronted by the evil, sinful, brokenness that has infected this world. And I don’t know what else to pray besides “Jesus, please come back quickly.”

We all read news stories like that, or hear of yet another case of incurable cancer, or read of more threats of war, or see the villages in the Philippines completely wiped off the map in the latest typhoon, and deep inside of us we know it’s not the way it’s supposed to be.

Advent is a time when we can (and should) sing songs and pray prayers of lament, crying out to Jesus to come back, and to come back soon, and to “make the sad things come untrue”. If we skip past Advent without giving our people an opportunity to express these cries, we do them a disservice.

Let your people lament. And lament in hope. Because one day Jesus came as a baby and he’ll one day come again as King.

3. Give people space to be still

Christmas parties, travel, buying presents, wrapping presents, buying a tree, decorating the house, having a good time, baking cookies, hanging lights outside your house, raking leaves, keeping everyone happy, sweeping up broken ornaments, watering the tree, sending out Christmas cards, getting a family picture taken, baking the pie, trying not to gain 20 pounds, and oh that’s right try to make it to church too.

The weeks leading up to Christmas are the most insane weeks of the people in your congregation’s whole year. We all feel it. I’m feeling it this year especially as Catherine and I prepare to welcome baby girl # 3 on December 18th! And release two new albums (great Christmas present idea!), and manage the Andrew Peterson concert two days after our new baby comes, and the list goes on. All of us have our own long lists this time of year.

Wouldn’t it be a great gift to our people on Sunday mornings if we gave them some space to be still? Between songs. During a song. Between readings. After the message. During communion. Whenever.

Find some time in your services to intentionally leave some space for people to be still. Even just 30 seconds can be powerful. Just say something like: “This morning we’re aware that all of us are experiencing the usual pre-Christmas busyness and pressure and anxiety. We’re just going to take a few moments to pause, and be still, and enjoy God’s presence, and before we sing this next song let’s allow the Holy Spirit to help us to slow down. To rest. To remember our need for a Savior…” Something like that. It will bless people.

So whether you’re in a really liturgical church or a really informal church, I’d encourage you to use the season of Advent to help your congregation anticipate the coming of Christ and the coming of Christmas, to lament all the brokenness and sadness that we long for him to redeem, and to see Sunday mornings as opportunities to rest in the grace and love of God that’s displayed in the cradle, on the cross, in the empty tomb, and on the occupied Throne.

This article on how to plan for Advent originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Thanksgiving Tablecloth Tradition That Families Will Treasure

Dale Hudson

November 1, 2022

Grow gratitude and memories with this fun Thanksgiving tablecloth tradition. Holidays are such a great time for parents to make spiritual memories with their children. On Thanksgiving, family members from multiple generations often gather to share their blessings.

God showers us with so many blessings. And it’s never too early to incorporate gratitude into your family prayers and devotion times. Thankfulness is important year-round, but it receives special attention during the month of November.

Share this Thanksgiving tablecloth tradition with families in your church and children’s ministry program. Parents will love trying this memory-making holiday tradition with their kids!

Thanksgiving Tablecloth Tradition

Materials needed:

plain white tablecloth

fabric markers

Instructions:

Before you bring out the food, place the white tablecloth over your table.

Have each person place their hand on the table.

Next, have each person use a fabric marker to trace the outline of their hand on the tablecloth.

Have each person write the year and a few things they’re thankful for inside their hand trace. Help younger children as needed.

Go around the table. One by one, have people share what they wrote in their hand trace.

Keep the tablecloth in a safe place. Then bring it out each year and repeat the steps. Bonus: For parents, they will be able to see their child’s hand grow in size each year.

Close out this gratitude-themed activity with prayer. Ask each person to put their hand back on their drawing. Then take turns thanking God in prayer for all your blessings.

Share this fun, easy activity with families at your church today. You’ll empower them and grow their gratitude muscles with this great Thanksgiving idea. Parents will love trying out this Thanksgiving tradition. And all family members will enjoy making spiritual memories of thankfulness for years to come.

This article about a creative Thanksgiving tradition originally appeared here.

‘We Don’t Need a Walker’—Pastor Jamal Bryant Slams Herschel Walker in Viral Sermon Clip

Jessica Mouser

November 1, 2022

jamal bryant — Screenshot from YouTube / @New Birth Mbc

Anyone who would vote for U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker is “stupid” and akin to “the slave Negroes” who used to live in the state of Georgia, said Pastor Jamal Bryant in his sermon Sunday. Bryant leads New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in the Atlanta area, and a clip of the sermon in which he lambasted Walker has gone viral on Twitter.

“They thought we were so slow, that we were so stupid that we would elect the lowest caricature of a stereotypical, broken Black man, as opposed to somebody who is educated and erudite and focused,” said Bryant in a sermon titled, “I Don’t Need a Walker” that was streamed on Oct. 30. “Ya’ll ain’t ready for me today.”

Stop what you’re doing and watch this complete takedown of @HerschelWalker by pastor @jamalhbryant. #WeDontNeedAWalker pic.twitter.com/TOGnFxliLe

— Quentin James (@QJames) October 30, 2022

Jamal Bryant: ‘We Don’t Need a Walker’

Herschel Walker is a former NFL player and the Trump-backed Republican candidate running for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia. His opponent is Sen. Raphael Warnock, who is pro-choice and senior pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

The race is a key one as the Senate at this time contains 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats and two Independents. Vice President Kamala Harris casts the tie-breaking vote if necessary, but a victory for Walker would mean the Republicans would take the majority. Walker has come down hard against abortion and has said he would support federal legislation proposed by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham banning abortion after 15 weeks.

On Oct. 3, The Daily Beast broke a story alleging that Walker paid for a former girlfriend to have an abortion. The news prompted Walker’s son, Christian, to post a series of tweets denouncing his father and challenging “family values people” who support Walker. “I know my mom and I would really appreciate if my father Herschel Walker stopped lying and making a mockery of us,” said Christian the evening the report came out. “You’re not a ‘family man’ when you left us to bang a bunch of women, threatened to kill us, and had us move over 6 times in 6 months running from your violence.”

Walker denied the woman’s allegation “in the strongest possible terms,” saying he would sue The Daily Beast for defamation the next day, but it does not appear that he has done so as of this writing. Since then, a second woman has come forward saying that Walker also pressured her into having an abortion, an allegation Walker also denies.

Dr. Jamal Bryant, who took over leadership of New Birth in 2018, opened his sermon with gratitude to God for bringing the congregation through COVID-19-related challenges, praise for educators, and exhortation to church members to “sow back” God’s blessings through tithing. Believers will not get to “the next level” when they owe God “seed” because they haven’t tithed, said Bryant, using language common among prosperity gospel preachers.

After a baby dedication, prayer and a performance from the gospel choir from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Bryant delivered his sermon, taking as his text 2 Samuel 9:3, which says, “The king [David] asked, ‘Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?’ Ziba answered the king, ‘There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.’”

Phillies Catcher J.T. Realmuto Follows Jesus While Chasing World Series Championship

Stephanie Martin

November 1, 2022

j t realmuto — Houston, USA. 29th Oct, 2022. Philadelphia Phillies J.T. Realmuto runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the tenth inning to give the Phillies a 6-5 lead over the Houston Astros in game one of the 2022 World Series at Minute Maid Park in Houston on Friday, October 28, 2022. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI. Credit: UPI/Alamy Live News (Alamy Live News via AP)

Playing in the Fall Classic is a dream come true for baseball’s best. While chasing his dream of a World Series championship, Philadelphia Phillies star J.T. Realmuto is vocal about following Jesus and prioritizing his faith.

Realmuto, one of baseball’s top catchers, scored the go-ahead home run in extra innings of game one Friday against Houston. Afterward, the three-time All Star thanked God and credited his teammates during a post-game interview. “I’m just so thankful for this opportunity,” said Realmuto, 31. “I thank God for being able to come out here and play this wonderful game for a living.”

After earning a National League wild-card berth this fall, the Phillies beat two division winners. In October, Realmuto became the first catcher to hit an inside-the-park homerun during the postseason.

The best-of-seven World Series is tied at one game apiece, with the next matchup slated for tonight (November 1).

J.T. Realmuto: Jesus Is No. 1

J.T. Realmuto, selected by the Marlins in the 2010 draft, was traded to the Phillies in 2019 and has a five-year, $115.5 million deal. During a 2020 episode of the podcast “Faith on the Field Show,” the catcher said he grew up in the church but didn’t truly embrace the Christian faith until meeting his wife, Alexis. The couple, married since 2016, have three young children.

“I wasn’t necessarily on fire for [Jesus],” Realmuto admits. “I wasn’t living for him until I met Alexis.” Going all-in with his faith was life-changing for the athlete. “It’s extremely important to me in life to know that the first thing I am…before I’m a father, before I’m a baseball player, the No. 1 thing I am is a follower of Christ,” he says.

J.T. Realmuto: Despite Life’s Uncertainties, Jesus Has a Plan

Amid contract negotiations and the ever-present risk of injuries, trusting God is essential as a pro athlete, says J.T. Realmuto. He and his wife “constantly have this conversation that it’s not really worth it for us to think about or stress about or worry about” those things, he says, because “[God’s] already got a plan.”

Realmuto continues: “Especially in today’s day, being able to fall back on that relationship with Christ, if that’s the center of your life, all these problems that you’re going through, all these worries that you have, always seem a lot smaller. You can always have faith in him that he’ll be there with you to get you through that.”

Lifeway Research: Churchgoers Increasingly Prefer a Congregation That Shares Their Politics

Aaron Earls

November 1, 2022

politics — Photo by Element5 Digital (via Unsplash)

As churchgoers head to the ballot box for midterm elections, most expect the rest of their congregation to be voting the same way they do.

Half of U.S. Protestant churchgoers (50%) say they’d prefer to attend a church where people share their political views, and 55% believe that to be the case at their congregation already, according to a study from Lifeway Research.

“Studies have shown that voting patterns and political affiliation correlate with the type of church and amount of church involvement someone has,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “But when asked if churchgoers want political similarity to flow back into their church relationships, this is desirable for only half of churchgoers.”

Political Preference

While 50% of churchgoers prefer a politically homogenous congregation, 41% disagree, and 10% aren’t sure. Overall, the percentage of those looking to attend a church where people share their voting preferences is similar to a 2017 Lifeway Research study, when 46% said the same. However, more churchgoers are adamant about worshipping alongside their political peers. Around 1 in 5 (19%) now strongly agree they prefer to attend a church where people share their political views, up from 12% in 2017.

“While almost 1 in 5 churchgoers is adamant that they want to attend church with those who share their political views, there are just as many who strongly disagree with that perspective,” said McConnell. “The 23% who strongly disagree are clearly saying the source of unity they have with others in their church has nothing to do with partisanship.”

Younger churchgoers are more likely than older ones to prefer sharing a pew with someone of the same politics. Almost 3 in 5 of those under 50 (57%) want a congregation with people who share their political views, compared to 47% of those 50 to 65 and 41% of those 65 and older.

Ethnicity and education also play a role. White (54%) and African American (53%) churchgoers are more likely to want a church with shared politics than Hispanic churchgoers (25%). Those who are high school graduates or less (44%) are among the least likely.

Denominationally, Methodist (88%) and Restorationist movement (80%) churchgoers are more likely to say they want their congregations to have a common political perspective than Baptists (47%), Presbyterian/Reformed (47%), Lutherans (38%) and those who attend a non-denominational church (38%).

Churchgoers with evangelical beliefs (44%) are less likely than churchgoers who don’t strongly agree with the four core evangelical theology statements (54%) to say they prefer a church where people share their political opinions.

Despite their preferences, churchgoers may stick around even if the rest of the congregation doesn’t share their views. Another 2017 Lifeway Research study found only 9% of Protestant churchgoers said they would consider changing churches over political views.

Political Perception

Regardless of their preferences, most churchgoers believe they’re among their political tribe when at church. More than half (55%) of U.S. Protestant churchgoers say their political views match those of most people at their church. Fewer than a quarter disagree (23%) or aren’t sure (22%).

Just as more churchgoers strongly prefer a congregation of similar politics today, more churchgoers also strongly believe they are a part of such a congregation. In 2017, 51% felt their church was politically homogenous, with 11% strongly agreeing. Today, 21% strongly agree.

Church Food Pantry Robbed of $800 in Meat; Congregation Committed To Providing As Generously As Possible

Dale Chamberlain

November 1, 2022

Vandalia Presbyterian Church, a small congregation located in Greensboro, NC, dedicates the first and third Wednesday of the month to providing a food pantry and clothing closet to those in the community who have need. Unfortunately, when they open up their doors this week, they will be doing so without any fresh meat to provide.

Over the weekend, thieves broke into the church and stole meat designated for the food pantry, the selection of which varies from month to month but typically includes chicken, ground beef, and sometimes bacon, sausage, or even steak.

As food prices continue to increase throughout the nation as a result of inflation, providing a food pantry has taken an increased measure of generosity. A blow like this theft makes it all the more difficult.

The intruders also reportedly left behind an expensive mess, breaking a window and damaging other parts of the building. They took roughly $800 worth of meat, also stealing a computer connected to the Second Harvest Food Bank, which helps supply the church’s pantry and has access to food distribution reports.

Though the congregation is only 20 in number, with the youngest member being 65 years old, they regularly serve over 100 people in the community. This is the highest demand the pantry has experienced since 2009, as the number of people utilizing their services has roughly doubled.

“It’s wrong,” volunteer Joe Gardner told a local Fox affiliate. “It’s wrong, that is all I can say.”

Lynn Gardner, who places orders for the food pantry supplies, told Greensboro News and Record, “They aren’t taking it from me or the church members. They are taking it from the people who really need it.”

Gardner also noted that the thieves were “definitely choicy” in what they stole, speculating that they “may be trying to sell it.”

The congregation is heartbroken, as providing these services to the community is one of the reasons they have opted not to sell their building and close their doors. Despite having an air conditioning unit that has been broken for years, the congregation has offered the $300 in its bank account to help replace some of the meat.

Southern Baptist Funds Help Seminary Students Get Education, Ministry Experience Simultaneously

Scott Barkley

November 1, 2022

seminary — Cameron Hayner is an Advanced Master of Divinity Student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Editor’s note: October is Cooperative Program Emphasis Month in the Southern Baptist Convention.

WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP) – When Cameron Hayner chose the path of a seminarian, he thought through several factors such as cost, convenience and the ability to maintain a personal ministry schedule where he could put his education into practice.

The Cooperative Program became a leading determiner for his decision to go to a Southern Baptist seminary.

“There are two things I love about the Cooperative Program,” said Hayner, an Advanced Master of Divinity student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. “First, with every dollar I give through my local church, I know that I am supporting missions, theological education and local church ministry around the world.

“Second, the Cooperative Program helps to ensure that students like me can receive a quality biblical and theological education at low costs from theologically driven and mission-minded faculty who equip generations of students to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission.”

Members of Southern Baptist churches attending an SBC seminary receive a 50 percent reduction in tuition costs through the Cooperative Program. If that weren’t the case, Hayner said he would have had to change jobs or add another one to his part-time staff position at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis last year.

Instead, Hayner didn’t have to choose. He continued to serve at Bellevue while taking online classes through Southeastern.

“I reaped those benefits made possible through the Cooperative Program,” he said.

“I love that I was able to actually continue to serve in the local church while attending seminary. It also opened the door for some discipleship opportunities as well.”

Brian Drummond was able to continue serving in smaller churches as a result of the Cooperative Program support to his education at Gateway Seminary.

“It’s been such a major blessing and enabled me to continue in God’s ministry, seeing people changed and going from broken lives to having a personal relationship with the Lord,” said Drummond, a second-year Master of Divinity student.

Drummond is a Riverside native who majored in business and Christian studies at nearby California Baptist University. When it came to theological education, he looked at several options including those outside the SBC. The CP assistance for paying tuition proved too much to ignore alongside the instruction he would get at Gateway.

Coach Who Prayed at Midfield To Be Reinstated After Court Win

Tom Strode

November 1, 2022

BREMERTON, Wash. (BP) – A high school football coach whose right to pray at midfield following games was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court after he was removed from his job is to be reinstated by next spring.

In a 6-3 opinion in June, the high court ruled Joseph Kennedy did not violate the First Amendment’s ban on government establishment of religion with his post-game prayers. Instead, the justices decided the Bremerton (Wash.) School District actually violated his First Amendment rights by removing him as a coach because of its concerns his practice infringed on the Establishment Clause.

In a joint filing Oct. 25 in state court, lawyers for Kennedy and the school district said the coach “is to be reinstated to his previous position as assistant coach of the Bremerton High School football team on or before March 15, 2023,” ABC News reported the next day.

Jeremy Dys – senior counsel for First Liberty Institute, which is representing Kennedy – confirmed the agreement in a written statement provided to Baptist Press Friday (Oct. 28):

“When the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court determined that the Constitution approved of Coach Kennedy’s practice of praying by himself for 15-30 seconds at the 50-yard line after the games he coached, his return to the field was inevitable. Coach is eager to join his guys on the field again, which has been his goal since the school district removed him in October of 2015. We are eager to see his return on or before March 15, 2023.”

A spokeswoman for the school district told ABC News that areas remain “where there are still questions” between the sides as to how Kennedy’s prayers will be accommodated in keeping with the high court’s decision.

The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), which supported Kennedy in multiple friend-of-the-court briefs, welcomed the news.

“After years of litigation, Coach Kennedy will finally be reinstated and allowed to resume his important work of investing in the next generation without compromising his deeply held religious beliefs,” said Hannah Daniel, the ERLC’s policy manager.

The commission “will continue to advocate – just as we did for Coach Kennedy – for the ability of all people of all faiths to live out their beliefs in the public square without fear of harm or retribution,” she told Baptist Press in written comments.

The ERLC joined in three friend-of-the court briefs in support of Kennedy, two urging the Supreme Court to review rulings by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and one in March calling for the justices to reverse the lower court. “The Establishment Clause, as properly interpreted, does not override the government’s duty to accommodate the free exercise of religion on a nondiscriminatory basis,” the March brief said.

Mississippi Church Commits to ‘More Thorough Response’ for 1980s Abuse Case

Scott Barkley

November 1, 2022

Mississippi Church Commits to ‘More Thorough Response’ for 1980s Abuse Case — Lead Pastor Josh Braddy addresses Broadmoor Baptist Church Oct. 30 about a decades-old case of sexual abuse. Screenshot from YouTube / @Broadmoor Baptist Church

MADISON, Miss. (BP) – In speaking to worshippers at Broadmoor Baptist Church yesterday (Oct. 30) Lead Pastor Josh Braddy presented several action steps toward addressing a decades-old case of sexual abuse to which he and other church leaders believe “a more thorough response was warranted.”

The case centers around a former member of Broadmoor’s youth group who approached church leaders recently over abuse she suffered from the youth minister during the 1980s.

Allegations include abuse and inaction by staff. Current church leadership has committed itself to investigating the charges, updating current policies and procedures and, if need be, assisting in the survivor’s legal defense should there be a lawsuit brought over violating a non-disclosure agreement with the alleged perpetrator.

“Many times we ask ourselves, ‘What in the world, God, do you want from me?’” Braddy said toward the end the morning worship service. “I always go to one verse that leads me to that place.

“It’s from the prophet Micah. He says, ‘Man, you have been told what the Lord requires of you. It is to do justice. It is to love mercy. And it is to walk humbly with your God.

“Today, I want to do that before you.”

In 1982, he said, 28-year-old married father David Ingram joined the church as youth pastor. Ingram served in that role until 1988, with his family remaining “active and engaged” members of Broadmoor until he was called to be the lead pastor of a nearby church in 2010.

“As a church family, we loved David, his wife and his children, and we still do,” said Braddy.

The survivor approached a former Broadmoor pastor shortly after Ingram was no longer the youth minister over the case and again in 2019 for assistance in warning Ingram’s church over the abuse. It is unclear, Braddy said, if any steps were taken beyond the former pastor expressing “acknowledgement and grief.”

“We recognize that this journey will be full of grief, and that many of you may also feel anger, confusion, loss and many other emotions,” Braddy said. “Our church family has strong relationships with both the survivor’s family and David’s and the wounds are and will be deep.”

Acknowledging that the news would bring “an intensely painful time” for those in the congregation who have also experienced abuse, Braddy announced several steps.

Ahead of Midterms, Faith Plays Central Role in Republican Efforts To Win Latino Votes

Alejandra Molina

November 1, 2022

latino voters — Pastor Luis Cabrera speaks during a recent tent revival in Dover, Delaware. Video screen grab

(RNS) — Pastor Luis Cabrera, who leads City Church Harlingen in South Texas, foresees a “godly wave” in next week’s midterm elections, particularly in his home state, where he has acted as a spiritual guide to a group of Latina Republicans seeking to flip congressional seats with a message of faith, family and country. Values, they say, that are central to Latino voters.

Values, they believe, that Democrats have abandoned.

“We’re going to take this country back for God and we’re going to fight for our piece of the land, for the American dream … for our principles, our values and our morals,” said Cabrera, 45, who as a child immigrated with his parents to the U.S. from Nicaragua.

“Make America Godly Again” is a phrase Cabrera uses often as part of a revival movement — which stands against abortion and advocates for Bibles in schools and more funding for law enforcement — that helps political candidates organize their campaigns around God. It’s a slogan Rep. Mayra Flores employed with success in her June special election campaign that made her the first Mexican-born woman to serve as a member of Congress. Flores is seeking to retain her seat.

As pastor of a Latino evangelical congregation, Cabrera said he sees church members struggling with rising gas and food prices. He blames the current White House administration for “putting a strain on our economy.” Inflation, he said, “is killing Latino families.” Cabrera said he educates congregants on their civic duties and biblical principles and tells them that as Christians they should vote because “you’re not only a godly citizen, but you’re a citizen of this country.”

In this Sept. 22, 2021, file photo, Republican congressional candidate Mayra Flores speaks at a Cameron County Conservatives event in Harlingen, Texas. Flores argues that Democrats are forcing Texans to choose between their energy sector jobs and curbing climate change. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

In this Sept. 22, 2021, file photo, Republican congressional candidate Mayra Flores speaks at a Cameron County Conservatives event in Harlingen, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Latinos are regarded as the fastest-growing racial and ethnic group in the United States electorate, and with the midterms just one week away, Republicans, conservative pastors and other right-wing organizations are centering faith as they escalate outreach to Latino voters in battleground states like Texas, Arizona and Florida.

Pew Research Center data looking at 2022 midterm election preferences of Latinos shows that some of the sharpest differences in candidate choice are by religion.

Half of Latino evangelical Protestants said they would vote for the Republican candidate for U.S. House, while a majority of Latino Catholics (59%) and the religiously unaffiliated (60%) said they would vote for the Democratic candidate, according to the Pew.

With Pew data showing U.S. Latinos are no longer majority-Catholic, recent election polls have highlighted a growing number of non-Catholic Latinos who were never Catholic to begin with. Some were raised Protestant, and, increasingly, many are raised nonreligious.

“As aggregate populations, religious nones will likely support more progressive political positions, while evangelicals will lean more conservatively,” said Jonathan Calvillo, an assistant professor of Latinx studies at Emory’s Candler School of Theology.

Religious and political affiliation, however, can also vary by where Latinos live, according to University of Nebraska Omaha religion professors Laura E. Alexander and Cristián Doña-Reveco in an essay published in The Conversation. The professors analyzed 2021 Pew data and found that Latino Protestants in the Midwest were more likely to identify as Democrat or Democrat-leaning than in other regions.

Calvillo notes that even as Latino Protestants don’t always lean Republican, particularly in specific regions, the voices that speak for them are often more conservative. He wonders: “To what extent are Latino Protestants being pushed in this direction?”

Pandemic, Migration, and Mission: Events Arising During the Pandemic, Part 2

Ed Stetzer

November 1, 2022

In the Summer of 2021, mission practitioners from around the world, including myself, gathered virtually for the Lausanne Diaspora Summit, to understand the impact of the pandemic on missional engagement around the world. Sam George and Bulus Galadima, who both serve as Catalysts for diaspora for the Lausanne Movement, edited the insights from that meeting into a new book called Pandemic, Migration, and Mission: Global Reflections for Christian Witness. Sam George is also serves with me at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College as the Director of the Global Diaspora Institute.

The following is the second installment in a four-piece series containing excerpts from contributing chapter called “Impact of the Pandemic on Missions in North America.” In this piece I discuss some of the significant events that impacted both North American society as well as the church during the pandemic.

Make sure to read Part 1, Part 3, and Part 4 in this series, as well.

Events Arising During the Pandemic

In addition to the direct results of the coronavirus and our precautions, several landmark events took place or were highlighted during COVID-19. The first was a series of political events. In the United States, we also had two impeachments, disputed elections, and Capitol riot—all of which made news around the world. Add to that the confusion over information about the pandemic, inconsistent leadership and response, and a host of conspiracy theories related to politics and the pandemic, and we have seen more political angst in many years.

The second event related to race in America. The murder of George Floyd made global news and brought greater awareness of racial injustice in the United States. Many Evangelical leaders joined rallies, advocated for justice, and engaged in dialogs about Christianity and racism. An evangelical African American pastor in one of Wheaton College’s programs invited me to participate in a faith leaders’ prayer march through communities that were burned in riots. We walked together through the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. I was asked to walk at the front by my African American pastor friends, holding the sign with George Floyd’s name on it alongside them. We prayed for these communities and for those who burned them in the riots. The reality of racism took North America by storm. Several Christian books about racism went off the charts, and some even became New York Times best-sellers.

Of course, not all reactions to the increasing attention to racism were the same. In the United States and Canada, Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality quickly became popular topics. While some Christians argue for their helpfulness as a tool to illuminate oppression, others believe it is entirely untrue and ultimately harmful. Some turned CRT into the boogeyman of our time, seeing it virtually every time race was mentioned; others gave it too much credit. The issue of race is far more complex and nuanced than many realize. Along with the greater awareness of issues of race, North Americans— particularly Americans—also witnessed varying degrees of backlash, from banning CRT in schools to white nationalist movements.

The third event is the continuing polarization and tribalism which creates deeper divides than we have seen in most of our lifetimes. Civil discourse has become increasingly difficult as people are more likely to embrace fidelity inside their tribe than find empathy for those outside it. This is the day of canceling, anti-immigration rhetoric and sentiments, anti-Asian violence, anti-Asian discrimination, and more have become common today.

All these tensions followed in the wake of the coronavirus in 2020 and 2021. While most of this is taking place primarily in the United States, there is a rising sense of nationalism in Canada as well, as demonstrated by the nationalistic elections in Quebec in 2018. There, too, we see a rising anti-immigrant mentality, though it is not as active as the American movement. Ironically, during this same time of COVID-19 and rising nationalism, the world is in the midst of a global refugee crisis that the coronavirus only exacerbates by border lockdowns, food and supply shortages, and more.

5 Rhetorical Questions From Paul

Eric Geiger

November 1, 2022

There are questions that are not really questions, but statements masked as questions. For example, when Kaye has said to me, “Are you going to wear that?” it has not really been a question. When you are at lunch with an ultra-healthy friend and you order a double patty burger and they order a kale salad and ask, “Are you going to eat that?” it is not really a question. The apostle Paul used this tactic, as he wrote Romans 8, to build the case that believers in Christ are never going to be separated from God’s enduring love. The rhetorical questions from Paul, and the answers he provides, profoundly confront the doubts we can have about the nature of God’s love.

Rhetorical Questions From Paul for Every Preacher

1. If God is for us, who is against us? [Romans 8:31]

If someone has 100 million dollars, it does not matter to them if the bottle of water at the grocery store is $1.69 or $1.39 because the 100 million is significantly greater than the cost of the water. If something could separate you from God, that thing would be God. But because no one or nothing is greater than God, if God is for you, what does it matter if other things are against you?

2. He did not even spare his own Son but offered him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? [Romans 8:32]

If we ever worry that we have exhausted God’s mercy, we should just remember that He has already given His best. Everything else is nothing compared to his Son, and He offered Him for us, so how will He withhold other things from us? The Father did not withhold the Son from you and He will not withhold His blessings from you.

3. Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. [Romans 8:33]

The Scripture teaches that Satan continually accuses those who belong to Christ (Revelation 12:10). You have heard the insults. “If you really loved God, you would not struggle with this.” “There is no way God can forgive you for what you have done.” “Do you really think God loves you?” But, the voice of our enemy is silenced by the loud and powerful voice of Jesus. God’s declaration over us silences Satan’s accusation against us. God is the One who justifies, and He has declared us holy and right.

4. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. [Romans 8:34]

In the midst of our struggles and sin, Jesus intercedes for us. Jesus is at the right hand of the Father constantly reminding the Father that our sin has already been condemned—not in us but in Him. And Jesus is not reminding a reluctant Father; He is interceding for you to the Father who sent Him to the world. His grace is amazing, and we don’t run from God when we understand His grace. We run to God when we understand His grace.

5. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? [Romans 8:35]

The rhetorical questions from Paul end with Paul’s answer at the end to Romans 8: “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This article about rhetorical questions from Paul originally appeared here.

6 Things to Do When Prayer Doesn’t Work

Dan Reiland

November 1, 2022

What do you do when prayer doesn’t work? You know God loves you. You know He answers prayer. You know your eternal destiny is secured. But have you ever secretly, quietly, wondered, “God are you with me right now?”

Intellectually, biblically, you know He is, but in the quiet of the night, it might not always feel that way.

At times that is the life of a leader.

Perhaps you have someone you care about in the hospital.
Maybe you are concerned about the stability of your church this fall.
You might be troubled about where we are as a country.

Your personal stress levels are rising. You carry responsibility, you care, and you pray! Yet, at times it may seem like your prayers hit a wall. They don’t seem to be working.

Are they getting through? Are you praying the right things? You wonder what God has in mind. That’s natural, but here’s the danger.

When you wonder if your prayers are actually working, the enemy has you right where he wants you. Discouraged and maybe even ready to surrender your passion and love for ministry. Keep praying!

When things aren’t going well, when prayer doesn’t work (or so you think) that’s the time (now more than ever) to resist the idea. Keep praying. But how?

Let me push pause for a second and say, if you are personally in a really good place, great! But please know that many of your brothers and sisters who lead are struggling. Find them. Encourage them. Pray for them. Pray with them.

6 Things to Do When Prayer Doesn’t Work

1) Be honest with God.

Be honest with God about your concerns, your true emotions, especially if your prayers don’t seem to be getting through.

That’s the beginning of prayer in tough times and spiritual breakthroughs.

God will meet you where you’re at. You might be overwhelmed, overworked, bewildered, may be discouraged. But, God will meet you in your honesty. Or it might be a bunch of little things, but the cumulative effect is unrelenting and therefore exhausting.

Jesus knows what you feel; He’s felt it too; when you are honest, you connect with His Spirit in a way that you sense it. You may still wonder about the outcomes of prayer, but you know He is with you.

**2) Believe that God can move the mountain you need moved.**

There are times when our faith is challenged; we pray for the miracle but allow our human interpretation of the situation to dull our faith. Lord, teach us to pray with great faith.

Human circumstances are real, and they influence how we pray; we are not to pray flippantly or foolishly but still believe that God can.

The moment you stop believing that God can – doesn’t change God; it changes how you pray, and sometimes if you pray.

It’s easy to get stuck in that thin space between knowing God can but not believing He will. So don’t make up God’s mind for Him; pray your heart’s desire!

3) Ask God to reveal the bigger picture.

Who among us knows the mind of God? Yet, He gives us access to appeal to Him about what we don’t know or understand.

At times I’ve thought my prayers were a cop-out when I pray big and bold, but then I include, “If it’s your will.” But candidly, my prayers need to be in alignment with God’s will; He can’t go against His own nature.

And why would we pray differently than God’s will?

With that in mind. It’s better to start our prayers with “God, reveal your will to me” and “Jesus, teach me to pray.” Both of those work well for me and will for you too.

The point is that when we have a better idea of God’s purpose and plan, right where we are leading, we gain more confidence in our prayers.

God is not keeping secrets from us, but we are often not ready for all He knows. Still, there is always a little more we are ready for. Ask God for that.

4) Borrow someone else’s faith.

One of my favorite and spiritually encouraging stories is our founding, and senior pastor tells about the early history of 12Stone Church.

The early years of the church plant were tough; in short, it wasn’t working. Pastor Kevin (PK) was ready to give up. He talked with his friend and senior pastor of the church, who sent him out about maybe coming back. The pastor responded, “If you no longer have enough faith, borrow mine.”

The pastor, Wayne Schmidt, believed God was still in it and very much with Kevin. So, PK did just that; he “borrowed” Wayne’s faith and stayed with it for another year. Over thirty years later now, we are all so glad he did.

Do you need to borrow someone’s faith for a season?

That could radically impact your prayer life and leadership.

5) Recall and reflect on past miracles.

When I hit those moments or seasons when I’m not sure my prayers are working, I reflect on previous answers to prayer and especially the miracles.

I suppose we can say that every answer to prayer from God Himself involves the miraculous, but by miracle, I’m speaking of things that we know are not only impossible without God but defy human understanding or ability.

Reflecting on miracles reminds me that God is with me and fully engaged in my calling and role as a husband, father, and leader.

6) Pray with someone else.

Have you ever wondered about the prayers that have been lifted up on your behalf that you never knew about, and perhaps by people you’ve never met?

That thought encourages me about the power of the body of Christ and deeply humbles me that I have likely received many of those prayers.

Other people praying for you is incredibly powerful.

Praying with someone or a small group is equally, if not more so, powerful!

When the body of Christ prays together, physically in the same place, whether it’s two, twenty, or hundreds, the Holy Spirit invades that space, and Christ Himself is present – the power is transformational, and Heaven meets you there.

When prayer doesn’t work (or you are tempted to think so), ask someone to pray with you; together, your prayers make that physical place holy ground.

This article on when prayer doesn’t work originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

5 Ways to Use Church Metrics Review for Deeper Engagement

Aware3

November 1, 2022

When it comes to engagement, churches have a lot of data at their disposal and a slew of metrics to choose from. As Harvard Business Review puts it, “Metrics are what you measure. And what you measure is what you manage too.” That’s why it’s so important to stop and ask yourself: What church metrics review will help us more deeply connect + minister our people?

If the goal is to measure + facilitate church member engagement, connection, and spiritual growth, then we can’t just measure things like sermon views, attendance numbers, and Facebook likes. These kinds of metrics are only the tip of the iceberg–it’s helpful to see them but to get to the really substantial, meaningful stuff, you have to go deeper.

After all, we know that not every church member who tunes in or likes a social post is truly engaged, so how do we shift our church metrics review to tell us what we really want to know? Things like:

What church members are (or aren’t) actively participating? What members are showing interest in a small group? What types of sermon topics does my congregation need right now?

5 Ways to Use Church Metrics Review for Deeper Engagement

#1. Centralize for a more complete picture.

If you’re streaming from one place, communicating from another, and offering spiritual resources all over the place, it’s nearly impossible to get a full picture of engagement at your church. Centralizing your software not only makes it easier for your members to get everything they need in one place, it also puts all that data in one place, allowing you to “connect the dots” of engagement quickly and easily.

#2. Try advanced filtering.

Sometimes one metric alone is helpful, but other times it’s not quite enough. Having a system that provides advanced data collecting and filtering will help you dig deeper and answer those tougher, more specific questions.

Together+ powered by aware3 is a totally connected engagement platform that enables you to do just that. Specifically, the platform feature, Advanced People Filtering lets you see where different metrics overlap to get a more complete picture of where your people are and pinpoint opportunities for engagement.

#3. Ask for feedback.

Whether you want to get feedback from first-time visitors, do a mental health check in, or gauge interest in an upcoming volunteer opportunity, surveys and polls are a fast and easy way to collect valuable feedback and really focus your metrics (Ask the questions you really want to know!)

#4. Get a visual of your data.

Dashboards are a great way to visualize your data. They allow you to SEE breakdowns, key analytics, insights, and trends about a specific area of your church from one place. So instead of just seeing total giving numbers for the month, you can see giving trends over time, one-time or recurring giving trends, monthly giving breakdowns to see where people are engaging in giving, and more.

#5. Create digital pathways.

If you want people to do more than consume your content, if you want them to connect with each other, participate and take meaningful steps forward, you have to give them a clear pathway to do so.

Our church partner, Pastor Paul Little shares how his church uses text messaging to do just that. He says, “We use Text-to-act for what we call direct engagement. A website is something a little bit more secondary. You have to go to a particular site, click a button, search here, scroll here.

But, if we say, text the word “conference” to sign up for our Virtual Leadership Conference then you could send that text message in your own time at your own convenience and all the information is right there in your hands. Again, that takes engagement to a whole new level, because it is more convenient. It is more efficient. It limits me having to go through 2 or 3 steps to do 1 thing. Eliminating the steps really does help people to engage more. We’ve seen that in our congregation. We’ve seen that in other congregations and nonprofits and schools that we work with throughout the US. It’s the same conversation regardless of who you talk to.”

We know measuring + facilitating engagement is no easy feat. You don’t always get the face-to-face time with your people that you’d like, resources are tight, and many metrics lead to dead ends. Having the right platform and team to help you through it can make all the difference. If you’d like to talk through specific ways to use a church metrics review to deepen engagement at your church and see how Together+ can help, we’d love to chat with you.

Let’s chat!

Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

9 Ways You Can Encourage Families to Make a Return Visit

1. Make it easy to find the kids area.

2. Keep the check-in form short.

3. Make a warm transfer from check-in to the classroom.

4. Look for new families.

5. Tell parents what happened in class.

6. Meet the family’s needs.

7. Don’t forget what it was like to be the new family.

8. Offer incentives to come back.

9. Make it fun!

13 Ways Church Can Encourage Mental Health

How to Plan for Advent – 3 Targets

1. Build anticipation

2. Express lament

3. Give people space to be still

Thanksgiving Tablecloth Tradition

Materials needed:

Instructions:

Jamal Bryant: ‘We Don’t Need a Walker’

J.T. Realmuto: Jesus Is No. 1

J.T. Realmuto: Despite Life’s Uncertainties, Jesus Has a Plan

Political Preference

Political Perception

Events Arising During the Pandemic

Rhetorical Questions From Paul for Every Preacher

1. If God is for us, who is against us? [Romans 8:31]

2. He did not even spare his own Son but offered him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? [Romans 8:32]

3. Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. [Romans 8:33]

4. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. [Romans 8:34]

5. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? [Romans 8:35]

6 Things to Do When Prayer Doesn’t Work

1) Be honest with God.

2) Believe that God can move the mountain you need moved.

3) Ask God to reveal the bigger picture.

4) Borrow someone else’s faith.

5) Recall and reflect on past miracles.

6) Pray with someone else.

5 Ways to Use Church Metrics Review for Deeper Engagement

#1. Centralize for a more complete picture.

#2. Try advanced filtering.

#3. Ask for feedback.

#4. Get a visual of your data.

#5. Create digital pathways.

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**2) Believe that God can move the mountain you need moved.**