First Known Depictions of Biblical Heroines Jael and Deborah Uncovered in Israel

July 14, 2022

(RNS) — The earliest known depiction of biblical heroines Jael and Deborah was discovered at an ancient synagogue in Israel, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced last week. A rendering of one figure driving a stake through the head of a military general was the initial clue that led the team to identify the figures, according to project director Jodi Magness.

“This is extremely rare,” Magness, an archaeologist and religion professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, told Religion News Service. “I don’t know of any other ancient depictions of these heroines.”

The nearly 1,600-year-old mosaics were uncovered by a team of students and specialists as part of The Huqoq Excavation Project, which resumed its 10^th season of excavations this summer at a synagogue in the ancient Jewish village of Huqoq in Lower Galilee. Mosaics were first discovered at the site in 2012, and Magness said the synagogue, which dates to the late fourth or early fifth century, is “unusually large and richly decorated.” In addition to its extensive, relatively well-preserved mosaics, the site is adorned with wall paintings and carved architecture.

The fourth chapter of the Book of Judges tells the story of Deborah, a judge and prophet who conquered the Canaanite army alongside Israelite general Barak. After the victory, the passage says, the Canaanite commander Sisera fled to the tent of Jael, where she drove a tent peg into his temple and killed him.

The newly discovered mosaic panels depicting the heroines are made of local cut stone from Galilee and were found on the floor on the south end of the synagogue’s west aisle. The mosaic is divided into three sections, one with Deborah seated under a palm tree looking at Barak, a second with what appears to be Sisera seated and a third with Jael hammering a peg into a bleeding Sisera.

Magness said it’s impossible to know why this rare image was included but noted that additional mosaics depicting events from the Book of Judges, including renderings of Sampson, are on the south end of the synagogue’s east aisle. According to the UNC-Chapel Hill press release, the events surrounding Jael and Deborah might have taken place in the same geographical region as Huqoq, providing at least one possible reason for the mosaic.

“The value of our discoveries, the value of archaeology, is that it helps fill in the gaps in our information about, in this case, Jews and Judaism in this particular period,” explained Magness. “It shows that there was a very rich and diverse range of views among Jews.”

Magness said rabbinic literature doesn’t include descriptions about figure decoration in synagogues — so the world would never know about these visual embellishments without archaeology.

“Judaism was dynamic through late antiquity. Never was Judaism monolithic,” said Magness. “There’s always been a wide range of Jewish practices, and I think that’s partly what we see.”

These groundbreaking mosaics have been removed from the synagogue for conservation, but Magness hopes to return soon to make additional discoveries. The Huqoq Excavation Project, sponsored by UNC-Chapel Hill, Austin College, Baylor University, Brigham Young University and the University of Toronto, paused in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic and is scheduled to resume next summer.

This article originally appeared here.

Life in Lviv: Ukrainian Priest on Funerals, Food Aid and Prayers for Victory

Marika Proctor

July 14, 2022

(RNS) — The war in Ukraine has raged on for nearly five months, and the Rev. Oleksiy Zavada, a Greek Catholic priest in Lviv, has had hardly a moment’s rest.

Zavada is quick to point out the city of Lviv has been spared the brunt of violence that’s ripped through many other parts of the country, especially in the east. But still, life in western Ukraine carries constant reminders of the realities of war on the front lines.

“Many, many, many soldiers in our armies are from the western part of Ukraine,” Zavada, the notary of the Curia at the Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Lviv, told Religion News Service on Saturday (July 9).

The Greek Catholic tradition is a long-standing, historic strand of Catholicism in Ukraine, whose name comes from the resemblance of its worship services, priestly vestments and use of icons to those of the Greek or Byzantine rites found throughout Orthodox churches worldwide. Similarly, Greek Catholic priests are permitted to marry and have children. However, the Greek Catholic Church is and has long been under the authority of the pope.

Zavada, a priest of 13 years, also ministers as assistant priest at the Parish of the Ascension of our Lord in the northeast part of the city. He spoke over the phone about the many funerals he’s presided over, how the life of the church has changed — and stayed the same — since the war started, and why he plans to stay, no matter how tired he is.

The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

We see many priests serving together in images of funerals from Ukraine. Has this always been common in Ukraine, or did it begin during the war?

Fr. Oleksiy Zavada in Lviv, Ukraine. Courtesy photo

The Rev. Oleksiy Zavada in Lviv, Ukraine. Courtesy photo

Normally in Ukraine when a person dies, one priest is present for the funeral service. But when a person dies that played an important role in society, it’s normal that many priests come for the funeral. Even priests from different denominations come. As you know, the religious situation in Ukraine is that we have a couple of Orthodox Churches, we have the Roman Catholic Church, we have the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which I belong to.

This tradition, to gather many priests together at a funeral, seems to me to come from (the pro-European protests) in Maidan, in 2014, when many heroes that we call nebesna sotnya (the heavenly hundred) were killed.

The war with Russia began in 2014. Not 2022. It seems to me that from that period in 2014, it became a tradition for people to meet the body of a fallen soldier: They go out on the street and they bow down on their knees and they make a live chain.

It’s a pity that we have such a tradition, but there it is.

So these funeral practices both among clergy and laypeople are not new —they date from earlier national events — the Maidan uprising, Revolution of Dignity, and Russia’s invasion of Crimea and the Donbas in 2014?

Yes, yes. But of course, now, since Feb. 24 (2022), we have many, many more deaths of our soldiers. So this practice is almost everywhere and ongoing.

We have many, many funerals in Lviv. We have one church (Sts. Peter and Paul Garrison Church) — it’s a chaplaincy church for soldiers. In this church there are funerals of fallen soldiers very often.

We have videos, photos, these sorts of social networks. So in this way, we can hear sermons during the funerals. You feel that you participate in these funerals, even if you are not present in the building.

Of course some soldiers who are killed, we know (personally). For example, one priest I know, his son was killed a couple of weeks ago: Father Mykhaylo Dymyd, his son, Artem Dymyd, was killed.

You say there are often clergy from many different Christian traditions at funerals. Are there Ukrainian priests from the Moscow Patriarchate who attend these funerals?

I don’t know of any such cases — that priests from the Moscow Patriarchate come for funerals. You know, the position of people, of our faithful, of Ukrainians in relation to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Moscow Patriarchate, is quite, quite negative. In different regions of Ukraine, the local regional administrations have made decisions to forbid these parishes (under the Moscow Patriarchate) in their regions.

Why the Search for a Church That Meets Your Needs Is Futile

Carey Nieuwhof

July 14, 2022

Any church leader who’s been in ministry for more than a few months has heard different variations of it: I’m looking for a church that meets my needs.

What are you going to do to better meet my needs?

I’m leaving this church to find one that better suits my needs.

The longer a Christian has been in church, the more likely it is that they’ve uttered a phrase or two like this from time to time.

I’m not against changing churches. I think everyone has one or maybe two church changes in them. Leaders change. The effectiveness of churches can vary in different seasons. And occasionally a church is downright toxic. I get that.

One or two church changes (when living in the same community) is understandable. And it’s completely different from serial church shopping, which for reasons I outline in this post is a colossally bad phenomenon.

The problem is deeper, though, than changing churches (as big a decision as that is). It’s about the purpose of the quest. Should the criteria of a church meeting your needs be the reason you change churches? Well, what if the church was never intended to meet your needs? What if the furthest thing from God’s mind when he created the church was to meet your needs?

Here are five reasons why I believe trying to find a church that meets your needs is futile.

1. A Church That Meets All of Your Needs Is Probably Off-Mission

If a church ever meets all of your needs as a Christian, it’s probably off-mission. Because the church was never designed to meet all of your needs. It was designed for glorifying God and showing his love to the world.

A church that is only about meeting your needs is a church that’s focused on insiders while the world is quite literally going to hell.

The attitude that the church exists to meet the needs of members is one more remnant of consumer-Christianity, which is a strand of Western Christianity that continues to die. I outline why here (along with five other church trends to watch in 2017).

2. You’ll Uproot All Your Non-Christian Friends

If you’re drifting from church to church to satisfy your needs, what happens to all the non-Christian friends you’re building into? Oh wait…that almost never comes up in conversations with Christians who demand their needs be met. Because they usually have zero non-Christian friends. Their idea of church isn’t about the mission. It’s about them.

Think about it. If you’re living out your faith and sincerely praying for friends who aren’t in a relationship with Christ, theoretically there are at least a handful of non-Christians who will be impacted by your move.

But usually, that’s not even on the radar screen of Christians who move to satisfy their needs. Because there are zero non-Christians involved.

3. Christianity Was Never About Satisfying Yourself

The heart of the Christian faith isn’t about satisfying yourself, it’s about dying to yourself. If Christians stopped indulging their preferences and started focusing on Christ and on helping others, the church would be so much healthier.

It’s strange, but the happiest and healthiest people aren’t those who are focused on meeting their own needs. As this Harvard Business School study shows, there is a demonstrated correlation between giving away time and money and experiencing a feeling of happiness.

Perhaps it’s because that’s exactly how God designed us. Because when we give, we get.

The Mighty Oak Tree Proverb: Helping Children Grow in Faith

Greg Baird

July 13, 2022

The mighty oak tree proverb is a great example of faith growth. And in children’s ministry, our most important goal is to help kids and families develop spiritually. So let’s take a look at the mighty oak tree proverb.

In the forest, a small acorn falls to the ground. Four to six weeks later, the acorn sprouts into a small oak sapling. Throughout the next 20 to 30 years, it will grow into a mighty oak tree. Some live to be 500 or even 600 years old.

I recently came across this Bible verse:

“They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” Isaiah 61:3

That verse reminds me that God calls children’s ministry workers for an important purpose. We are to help children and families grow in their faith so that spiritually they’re like a mighty oak tree.

The Mighty Oak Tree Proverb: How Can This Happen?

For children’s workers, teachers, and parents, here are two key components of faith growth.

1. We can help children and families develop strong spiritual roots.

At the beginning of its life, the oak spends most of its energy on root development. An initial root is called the taproot. It grows deep underground, looking for a dependable supply of moisture.

So to grow spiritually strong children and families, like the mighty oak tree proverb suggests, that’s the first step. We must help them develop a deep connection with Christ. This is the most important factor.

A deep faith can withstand the winds of doubt, spiritual droughts, and life’s storms. This faith has, first and foremost, a deep connection with Christ. This deep faith comes from remaining rooted and grounded in Jesus.

Our faith and relationship with Jesus grow deeper and stronger by spending time with Him. As we spend time with Him, our faith roots grow deeper.

3. We can help children connect with other Christians.

Another important aspect of developing a strong “oak tree” kind of faith is helping kids and families connect with other believers. As the tree’s main root grows deeper, it also begins growing horizontal roots.

These horizontal roots bring moisture and nutrients for the tree’s lifetime. And when other oak trees are nearby, the trees grow their root systems together. That way, they can share nutrients, moisture and minerals. Together they grow side by side.

The mighty oak tree proverb reveals how faith develops through relationships. Growth comes from and is sustained by being connected to other believers who send spiritual nutrients, prayers and encouragement your way.

Consider the kids and families in your ministry. Are you giving them opportunities to connect with other Christians and grow in their faith through those relationships? A deep faith comes through deep connections with other believers.

Youth Ministry Goals and Objectives: What’s Your Main Purpose?

Andy Blanks

July 13, 2022

How would you describe your youth ministry goals and objectives? Read on to discover some thoughts about keeping the main thing the main thing.

Few books in Scripture move me quite like Paul’s letter to the Colossians. It’s beautifully written. In its introduction to Colossians, the ESV Study Bible notes that “Paul writes with stylistic flair and aphoristic brilliance.” I have no idea what “aphoristic” means. But it sounds awesome. And it seems to support my contention that Colossians is a great book!

Recently, I’ve been listening to Colossians as I drive to work. (If I press play on the Bible Experience when I leave my daughter’s school, I can finish the whole book by the time I arrive at work.) Over and over, I am moved by the power of Colossians 1:9-10:

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

Bible-Based Youth Ministry Goals and Objectives

I believe the calling God has put on my life is to make His Word known. Pretty simple, huh? I live out this call in a variety of ways. The primary way this manifests itself is by working with teenagers. I’m passionate about seeing kids encounter God and grow in their faith.

For years, I’ve dedicated my life to communicating Scripture’s power and truth to teenagers. And I try to equip others to do the same. I do this by teaching youth at my church. I speak at retreats and Disciple Now weekends. Plus, I design Bible study curriculum through Student Life.

Colossians 1:9-10 is an incredibly succinct way to summarize the goal of my calling. In fact, these verses summarize the general purpose of all youth ministries.

If you’re a youth worker, isn’t Colossians 1:9-10 at the heart of your youth ministry goals and objectives? Isn’t this your main goal for all students?

The desire of every youth minister should be simple. It’s to see students “be filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding (vs. 9).”

AGT Singer Focused on Sharing the Gospel Over Winning Leaves Judge in Tears

Jesse T. Jackson

July 13, 2022

Southern Gospel singer Ben Waites stole the show during the audition round of the popular talent show competition America’s Got Talent (AGT), leaving judge Sofia Vergara in tears after his powerful performance.

The 32-year-old vocal coach from Nashville, Tennessee, was born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita. According to John Hopkins Medicine, “arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC), is a term used to describe a variety of conditions involving multiple joint contractures (or stiffness). A contracture is a condition where the range of motion of a joint is limited. It may be unable to fully or partially extend or bend.”

Waites’ condition leaves him bound to a wheelchair, but he shared that his family has always been a huge encouragement in not letting his disability limit him.

“Growing up, my parents and grandparents kept that same mentality in how they raised me,” Waites told Baptist Press. “They would encourage me that if I wanted to do something then do it, and do it to the best of my ability. There were no excuses, and you would just figure out how to do what you wanted to do.”

The singer shared on his website that he was inspired at a young age by his grandfather, Jim Waites, who founded the Gospel Tones Quartet. It was his grandfather’s desire to spread the Gospel that inspired Ben to begin his musical training.

“Music is my language, but I can’t say it’s the most important thing in my life,” Waites’ bio reads on his website. “When I do a concert, it’s never about the music. God is my pilot, I’m just the co-pilot. I’ll sing as many songs as I can, but if I can’t communicate the message then I don’t need to be singing anyway. It’s just the tool, and I have the rest of my life to study and train. I do have the goals that I’d like to achieve, but they’re not mandatory or a necessity.”

Waites’ appeared on the latest episode of AGT on Tuesday, continuing his grandfather’s legacy by singing his version of Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors.” When asked why he chose to sing that song, Waites said, “The message of the song, I feel, is able to speak to people no matter their age, their race, their background. It’s able to communicate a message of hope.”

The husband and father of three had the complete attention of all three judges throughout the song. (Judge Howie Mandel was not in attendance due to an undisclosed illness.)

During Waites’ audition, Vergara was visibly moved and cried throughout the song. After Waites finished, judge Simon Cowell told the singer, “Sofia does not cry.”

“I loved it, because, you know, it’s a beautiful song, but you made it yours and it was special. It was different,” Vergara said as she wiped away tears.

Should Church Security Teams Carry Weapons? Ed Stetzer Asks and the Responses Might Surprise You

Jesse T. Jackson

July 13, 2022

Outreach Magazine editor-in-chief Ed Stetzer recently asked his 260,000 Twitter followers to share if their church has a security team and whether those teams carry weapons.

Amid multiple mass shootings in America this year, including those inside churches, Stetzer’s question ignited emotional responses from some, and a number of responders openly shared the reasons why congregants and pastors are armed in their worship services.

One commenter, who is not a resident of the United States, explained that Stetzer’s question sounded truly bizarre to him, saying, “I’m visiting the US for the first time in my life. And will attend church next Sunday. This question sounds like something from a parallel universe. There are societies where only police forces are allowed to carry guns. People feel safe and no security in church is needed.”

“If you need weapons, your faith in Jesus is nonexistent. Take that however you like,” another said.

Nevertheless, most responses indicated that the security teams at their churches carried concealed weapons or that the commenters would be comfortable if they did.

One person explained that because of the mass shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, which took place on November 5, 2017 and killed 26 people, injuring 20 others, there are congregants who carry guns for protection at their church.

“Yep. It started as a result of the shooting at the church in Texas several years ago. There are members who are conceal carry, and unknown to the church at large,” the commenter said.

If Your Church Has a Security Team, Does the Security Team at Your Church Carry Weapons? Why or Why Not?

The following are more responses Stetzer received. (Responses do not necessarily reflect the positions of Ed Stetzer or ChurchLeaders.)

“Ed we have a security team at our church and several of those serving on that team work in law enforcement. Several of them carry firearms. Our church is on a major artery near a few major highways. The team is trained for active shooters.”

“Yes…key members of our security team use open-carry weapons during the week and concealed weapons on Sunday at @calvarychapelcm …why? Wisdom and preparedness.”

“We have licensed law enforcement officers that we hire and they are armed. Our security team members who work in parking lots and are our eyes and ears on our campuses could be armed. However, our primary security is handled by off-duty police officers.”

MercyMe’s Bart Millard Posts Moving Tribute to His Mother, Who’s Now ‘With Jesus’

Stephanie Martin

July 13, 2022

MercyMe lead singer Bart Millard, whose tumultuous family life was documented in the hit film “I Can Only Imagine,” recently shared that his mom, Adele Millard, has died.

On Instagram last week, the musician posted a portrait of him and his mother, writing, “My sweet mom went to be with Jesus this morning.” He continued: “Thankful my brother and I were with her. Even more thankful she’s now with so many that have been cheering her on from Heaven. She’s now a bigger part of my future than of my past. I love you mom.”

The announcement came just days after MercyMe shared details of its upcoming “Live 2022” tour.

Bart Millard’s Relationship With His Mom Had Been Restored

As documented in the Erwin Brothers‘ 2018 movie “I Can Only Imagine,” Bart Millard grew up in Texas with an abusive father. When Millard was 8, his mom moved away with her third husband, straining the mother-son relationship for many years.

While speaking to The Christian Post about the biopic, Millard indicated he’d reconciled with his mom after realizing “how much of a victim she really was.” He added, “She feared for her life, and she had to get out.” Millard watched the movie with his mom, which made him nervous at first. But she agreed it was factual, though heartbreaking. “I’m so glad that we have each other now,” she told her son.

As revealed in the movie, Millard also reconciled with his father, who became a Christian. “If the Gospel can change that dude, the Gospel can change anybody,” the musician says. Millard’s parents also forgave one another and became friends before his father died.

In a memoir he wrote after the movie came out, Millard added more details, including his relationship with his brother. He described the writing process as exhausting but therapeutic, saying he learned important information about himself and his family members.

A Story of Redemption and Forgiveness

During a 2018 interview with Parade magazine, Millard elaborated on ways the movie is a “redemption story” of both his father and himself. “I lived most of my life thinking that I was unlovable, that I was broken goods,” admits Millard, now 49.

When asked what he wants viewers to take from the film, Millard responded: “I think everybody’s got someone in their life that they think is out of the reach of God, or unchangeable, unreachable, if you will, and maybe we think that way of ourselves sometimes. I want people to walk away realizing that as long as there’s breath in our lungs, our story’s still being written. Who are we to assume that something’s going to end one way or the other?”

SBC Evangelist Calls Out Church Division: ‘The American Church Is Spoiled, Rich, and Privileged’

Jesse T. Jackson

July 13, 2022

church-division — Adobestock #121995916, #72979172

Earlier this week, Shane Pruitt shared his thoughts regarding division in the American church, arguing that splitting over secondary issues exposes how “privileged” we are.

Pruitt serves as the National Next Gen Director for the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). He is a husband, father, evangelist, Bible teacher, and author.

The evangelist, who was featured at the popular Winter Jam tour earlier this year, began his Facebook post with a bold headline: “CHURCH DIVISION IS A PRIVILEGE.”

“Let me explain,” Pruitt wrote. “When the Church in America has the ability to fight and split over secondary issues and preferences—it reveals how spoiled, rich, and privileged we really are.”

Pruitt went on to explain that churches in other parts of the world don’t have what he described as the privilege to divide over preferences, something he said might be a curse more than a privilege.

Some churches around the world are “in the minority, under-resourced, and are sometimes even persecuted,” Pruitt said. Therefore, “they lay down their secondary issues and preferences to rally around the core essentials of the faith and band together as the family of God. They don’t have the privilege of dividing, because unity is a necessity.”

“When the church is pushed on, it often thrives,” Pruitt pointed out. He then warned that “when the church is lazy and comfortable, it often turns in on itself.”

Pruitt believes that the “true church” in America will soon be forced to reveal itself, because “many of our privileges as the Church in America are possibly going away in our lifetime.” This will result in the “true church” uniting for the only purpose for which it exists—”as the family of God for the glory of our King.”

Michael Flynn: Faithful Pastors Preach the Constitution Just As Much As the Bible

Dale Chamberlain

July 13, 2022

Former United States National Security Advisor Michael Flynn is again making waves with statements about his beliefs regarding faith and politics. In remarks made at a ReAwaken America Tour event, Flynn claimed that preaching the Constitution is an essential responsibility for pastors.

The ReAwaken America Tour, which has ties to QAnon conspiracy theories and has featured speakers such as pastors Greg Locke and Artur Pawlowski, worship leader Sean Feucht, and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, has been selling out events at locations across the country.

Flynn, who pleaded guilty to felony perjury after lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador during the transition period to Donald Trump’s presidency, was later pardoned by then-President Trump. Flynn has openly expressed his support for QAnon.

Following his brief tenure as National Security Advisor, Flynn has become a prolific event speaker, often appearing at far-right political events and at program’s hosted by politically engaged evangelical churches.

In November, Flynn was featured at a ReAwaken America event hosted by John Hagee’s Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas. At that event, Flynn argued that America needs “one religion.” The event also featured an enthusiastic chant of “Let’s go, Brandon,” a popular euphemism among some conservatives for expressing displeasure with President Joe Biden.

On Tuesday, a clip from Michael Flynn’s address at a recent ReAwaken event began circulating on Twitter.

“I always tell people,” Flynn said in the clip, “a pastor or priest, they cannot stand there at the pulpit…and preach the Bible without the United States Constitution. And what they need to be doing is they need to be talking about the Constitution from the pulpit as much as the Bible.”

Flynn’s words received scattered cheers and applause.

“We have to remind this country, we have to remind every single one of us, why the Constitution was written,” Flynn went on to say. “What is the beauty of that document? What is the beauty of the Declaration of Independence? What is the beauty of the Bill of Rights? It all has found its foundation in the Bible.”

In another clip, Flynn said, “75, 80 percent of our Constitution, our way of life in this country, is based on biblical principles. That’s what pastors need to be doing. That’s what a pastor does when they’re leading their flock.”

Mark Moore: Are These Obstacles Keeping You From Getting To Know Jesus?

Jessica Mouser

July 13, 2022

The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast · Mark Moore: Are These Obstacles Keeping You From Getting To Know Jesus?

Dr. Mark Moore is teaching pastor at Christ’s Church of the Valley in Peoria, Arizona, which currently has eight locations and 28,000 in weekly attendance. He previously spent two decades as a New Testament professor at Ozark Christian College, and he is currently an online professor for Ozark, as well as an Adjunct Professor at Hope International University in Fullerton, California, and Haus Edelweiss, Vienna, Austria. Mark is the author of many books, including his latest, “Quest 52: A Fifteen-Minute-a-Day Yearlong Pursuit of Jesus.”

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With Mark Moore

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Key Questions for Mark Moore

–What is our biggest obstacle in really getting to know Jesus?

-What is it about the way that we understand Jesus culturally today that we might have wrong?

-What is the value of pastors deeply understanding Jesus’ context?

-How can pastors and church leaders live and walk in the way of Jesus, particularly when they have to make difficult decisions that might be painful for others?

Key Quotes From Mark Moore

“Often when we imagine Jesus just reading him in the Gospels, we imagine him to look like the person we see in the mirror. And so some of the things that Jesus says that should be offensive to us, we just overlook.”

“In Jesus’ day, meals were reserved for people you knew that were at your same economic and social strata. So when Jesus was eating with tax collectors and sinners, that would be unheard of. We think of it as an act of compassion, but Jesus was actually changing the dynamics of who is inside and who is outside.”

“One of the things that I’ve observed about Jesus is he didn’t just break his own cultural values. He breaks ours. So applying his Word is more about us bending to him rather than him bending to us.”

“When Jesus touched the leper, he changed a philosophy that every religion had that contagion or uncleanness was more contagious than cleanness. And he flipped that on its head and said, ‘No, cleanness is more contagious than uncleanness.’ How many churches still have not learned that lesson? Because we’re trying to avoid people who might contaminate us. That would be one example of a life-altering principle that I think we need to apply.”

Ministry by Churches Crucial in Post-Roe World, Advocates Say

Tom Strode

July 13, 2022

NASHVILLE (BP) – Churches and their members have essential roles to play in helping women and preborn children in a post-Roe world, Christians involved in pro-life ministry say.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s June 24 reversal of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision has given states the authority to put into effect abortion bans for the first time in almost 50 years. Nearly half of the states already have laws prohibiting abortion either throughout pregnancy or at some stage of pregnancy, although courts have blocked enforcement of some.

In states with abortion bans, the change in the legal landscape has placed a renewed focus on pro-life work – and on the ministry of the local church, Christian pro-life advocates said.

“What we want to see is the church is the first place that [a woman with an unplanned pregnancy] goes, that she feels that love and that compassion, that she feels that the church is going to be a refuge for her,” said Elizabeth Graham, vice president of operations and life initiatives for the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). Her comments came during a June 13 panel discussion about the future of the pro-life movement that took place on the eve of the SBC’s annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif., and before the overruling of Roe.

Rick Morton, vice president of engagement for Lifeline Children’s Services, said, “We love crisis pregnancy centers [and] believe that there’s great necessity [in them]. And we believe in the church. We believe that ultimately the place that those women need — they need to be discipled, they need to be surrounded by community – is in the local church.”

Lifeline has prepared discipleship resources to provide churches with “the building blocks” to engage in ministering for the long term to women with unplanned pregnancies, Morton said.

Even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe, churches were asking how they could serve after a draft opinion annulling the 1973 decision was leaked in early May.

Churches reached out to Lifeline after the leak to say, “[W]e are recognizing that we need to do more, and so can you help us learn how to do more, can you help us figure out ways that we can get engaged?,” said Chris Johnson, the ministry’s national director of church partnerships.

The remarks by Lifeline officials came in a June 14 interview by Baptist Press at the site of the SBC’s annual meeting. Lifeline’s work includes pregnancy counseling, adoption and family restoration in the United States, with offices in 16 states. The 41-year-old ministry, which is based in Birmingham, Ala., offers international adoption in 18 countries.

Tiny Cottages, Compassion Tackle Homelessness in Church-Community Partnership

Diana Chandler

July 13, 2022

EL CAJON, Calif. (BP) – He only grunted — the homeless man who frequented Meridian Baptist Church’s weekly community meal in the fellowship hall.

“Every Wednesday night when he came, I would look, see him, and I would get my plate and go sit down next to him, say hello and talk to the other people at the table,” Senior Pastor Rolland Slade told Baptist Press. “But he wouldn’t talk. He didn’t speak to me. He acknowledged that I was there, kind of grunting. He did that for three months.”

Each cottage in Meridian Village, a pilot program to house homeless women and children in El Cajon, Calif., will include 96 square feet of living space.

Slade recalls when the man greeted him in return. “I was shocked. He said, ‘Good evening.’ After that, he said, ‘Pastor, I’m tired. I’m just tired of being on the street. It’s almost been three years.’ And he said, ‘I’m just tired and I just need help.’”

The man’s experience gives a glimpse into the lives of homeless people, a segment of the population that will benefit from Meridian Village, a pilot housing program under construction behind Meridian Baptist Church. In partnership with the nonprofit housing advocacy group Amikas, the city of El Cajon and social service agency Home Start of San Diego County, Meridian is hosting the pilot project that runs through December 2023 and will serve homeless single mothers and their children.

Women and children selected to participate will have secure lodging for up to 90 days, undergo an assessment and be connected with the services they need, including transitional or permanent housing.

“Our role in all of this – and not being the social service provider – our role is really to love them and to nurture them,” Slade said. “The Village is kind of a community within the community. It’s physically there on the church property. It will be separated by a fence, but we also will have our regular church activities.

“Our Sunday services, our Wednesday Bible studies, our food distribution, our Wednesday night community dinner, all of that, they will be invited to participate in. It will not be mandatory, but the thought is as we love them and care for them and build a relationship with them, they’ll want to be a part of what we’re doing at the church.”

Amikas has worked five years to establish the pilot program, securing permission in 2019 to build an unoccupied cabin behind Meridian Baptist in 2019. It took until 2021 to get permission to build six additional units, each measuring 12×12 feet with a front porch and 96 square feet of living space. Volunteers began construction in February. Electrical lines will be laid to serve the units, and residents will use plumbing facilities at the church.

Six units will house residents, with the seventh unit housing social service workers during the day and security at night.

A volunteer helps build Meridian Village to homeless women and children at Meridian Baptist Church.

Amikas treasurer Lisa Krogen told NBC San Diego of the lengthy journey to getting the program approved, expressing “a lot of highs and lows where we thought we had property and then we didn’t have property, trying to work with the city. There was just a lot going on, and there were times where we felt like it was never going to happen.”

Krogen hopes the project will inspire similar outreaches in other cities across the nation, a hope Slade has also expressed.

San Diego county’s homeless number about 8,500, according to the 2022 Point In Time Count by the San Diego Regional Task Force on Homelessness. El Cajon has the highest homeless statistics in the county, Slade said.

Episcopalians Approve Fact-Finding Commission on Indigenous Boarding Schools

Emily McFarlan Miller

July 13, 2022

(RNS) — The Episcopal Church will create a fact-finding commission to research the denomination’s role in the federal Indian boarding school system that separated generations of Indigenous children from their families and cultures in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Bishops and deputies at the mainline denomination’s scaled-back General Convention approved the Resolution for Telling the Truth about The Episcopal Church’s History with Indigenous Boarding Schools over the weekend in Baltimore.

The resolution encourages the Episcopal Church to hire one or more research fellows to work with dioceses where Episcopal-run boarding schools for Indigenous children were located and share records with the Indigenous Ministries of the Episcopal Church and the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.

It also directs the denomination’s archivists to create educational resources about the schools and encourages dioceses where boarding schools were located to gather information from survivors and their descendants about their experiences.

In addition, the House of Deputies — which, with the House of Bishops, oversees the church — elected an Indigenous clergywoman, the Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton, as its vice president. A member of the Shackan First Nation and a priest in the Diocese of Olympia, Taber-Hamilton is the first ordained woman — and only the third woman — to serve in that role, according to Episcopal News Service.

She was elected alongside President-elect Julia Ayala Harris, a Latina laywoman from the Diocese of Oklahoma. Their election marks the first time two women and two people of color will lead the house.

Those actions come as U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland kicks off “The Road to Healing,” a national listening tour in which the secretary will hear from survivors of boarding schools in the United States. Haaland’s department recently released the first volume of an investigative report into the country’s Indian boarding school system.

And, at the end of July, Pope Francis will travel to Canada to offer an apology to survivors of similar residential schools in that country, after the pontiff received representatives of Canadian Indigenous people at the Vatican in early April.

“This is a moment for us to really examine how we as a church might look at the ramifications of our unintentional sometimes and sometimes intentional acts of culturalism, racism and every other sin we could talk about,” Bishop Carol J. Gallagher told the House of Bishops before its vote on the resolution.

The Episcopal Church’s General Convention, normally held every three years, was already delayed a year by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the meeting that ended Monday (July 11) was shortened from eight days to four to minimize risks of spreading the virus.

Pope Francis Addresses Abortion, Mass Shootings and Resignation Rumors

Claire Giangrave

July 13, 2022

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — While Pope Francis said he has “no intention of resigning,” he laid out a broad view of what it would look like if he stepped down as pontiff in a long interview published on Tuesday (July 12). Francis also weighed in on many hot button topics in America, from abortion to mass shootings and drug trafficking.

The pope told the Mexican media outlet TelevisaUnivision that his knee troubles, which forced him to use a wheelchair for a short time, raised concerns he might not be able to perform his papal duties. “It’s getting better. Now I can walk,” he said. “But it never occurred to me to quit.”

Francis admitted his health struggles have “certainly limited” him in his role recently, namely in leading him to postpone a planned trip to two countries in Africa, but he insisted he has no intention of stepping down at the moment.

He did say that if he were no longer able to perform his duties, or if “I become a hindrance,” he would follow in the example of his predecessor Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pope to resign in 600 years.

“I hope that the strength of that example will help me make the decision,” he said. Pope Francis spoke highly of Benedict, who having added the title emeritus to his name continues to wear the white clothing of the pontiffs and lives in a monastery in the Vatican. “That man is supporting the church with his kindness and with his retirement,” he said.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, left, greets Pope Francis prior to the start of the beatification ceremony of Pope Paul VI and a Mass for the closing of a two-week synod on family issues, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Oct. 19, 2014. Pope Francis has said that if and when he ever retires, he wouldn’t live in the Vatican or return to his native Argentina but would like to find a church in Rome where he could continue hearing confessions. “I’m the bishop of Rome, in this case the emeritus Bishop of Rome,” Francis said in an interview broadcast Tuesday, July 12, 2022, with Spanish-language broadcaster Univision. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)

According to Francis, the precedent set by Benedict does open the door for popes to resign — but with that possibility comes the need “to delineate things more” and create explicit guidelines for the role of the emeritus pope, he said, calling the initial framework created by Benedict a “first step.”

But Francis said if he were to retire, he would would not remain at the Vatican but would instead return to the retirement plan he’d laid out before being elected pope, spending the rest of his days as bishop emeritus in a home for priests in a Roman parish, living “in service to the people.”

“If I survive, I would like something like this: Confess and go see the sick,” Francis said.

In the two-hour interview, Francis also touched on a number of pressing issues concerning the United States, especially abortion, which has taken center stage after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, handing decisions around legalizing abortion back to the states.

While admitting he’s not knowledgeable on the U.S. legal system, Francis asked: “Is it fair to take a human life to solve a problem? Whatever it is? Is it fair to hire a hit man to eliminate a human life?” The pope referenced scientific research he said shows that “one month after conception, the DNA is already there,” while adding his position on this issue is “nonnegotiable.”

Anti-abortion protesters gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, June 24, 2022. The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years, a decision by its conservative majority to overturn the court's landmark abortion cases. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Anti-abortion protesters gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington, June 24, 2022. The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years, a decision by its conservative majority to overturn the court’s landmark abortion cases. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

But the pontiff noted how polarizing the issue is and the risk of losing sight of the pastoral and human dimension, especially when clergy turn it into a “political problem.” Some conservative bishops in the United States have denied Communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, including President Joe Biden and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, while encouraging others to follow their lead.

Concerning whether a politician supporting abortion rights should take Communion, Francis said he leaves it “to your conscience,” and a politician should “speak with his bishop, with his pastor, with his parish priest, about that inconsistency.” The pope added that faithful are more confused by the political attitude of bishops who are “so focused on an issue they can’t see past their own nose.”

We Owe the World Safe Churches

Brandon Cox

July 13, 2022

It seems evident that the church Jesus started was supposed to be a safe place for people, especially the most vulnerable. This included people guilty of sin and evidently very broken. And some ancient stories bear witness to this kind of church having existed for at least a few generations. But fast-forward a couple of thousand years in historical records and you’ll read another story about safe churches – a 400-page report issued by Guidepost Solutions detailing a massive cover-up of sexual abuse by leaders of North America’s largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention.

Dr. Russell Moore, former SBC insider and agency leader commented on the crisis:

The conclusions of the report are so massive as to almost defy summation. It corroborates and details charges of deception, stonewalling, and intimidation of victims and those calling for reform. It includes written conversations among top Executive Committee staff and their lawyers that display the sort of inhumanity one could hardly have scripted for villains in a television crime drama. It documents callous cover-ups by some SBC leaders and credible allegations of sexually predatory behavior by some leaders themselves

Source: This Is the Southern Baptist Apocalypse

The Catholic Church has certainly dealt with its own avalanche of sexual abuse scandals, as well. Thousands of church leaders have been guilty of criminal sexual acts, especially toward children.

It occurs to me that these scandals are the result of an age in which our connectedness and technology have made the exposure of such heinous stories more possible. These reports probably just scratch the surface of all that has really transpired within churches for generations.

We Owe the World Safe Churches

The world will truly never know just how many abuses have been committed in the shadows of secrecy and how many victims have been shamed, intimidated, and silenced into never reporting or sharing their stories.

This is not the church Jesus had in mind when he gathered and commissioned his earliest disciples to launch a movement designed to share the good news of God’s love and grace with the entire world. In other words, there is a rapidly growing and very justifiable belief within the church’s surrounding culture that the church isn’t a safe place.

I would suggest that if the church has failed at the most basic level of safety – protecting the physical bodies of people in proximity to those who lead the church – then it’s no surprise that the church has also become quite unsafe in other ways. For example:

People who struggle with mental illness are often stigmatized and shamed for their lack of faith or their lack of willingness to forgive people who have never been held accountable for their abuses.
People who wrestle with their gender identity or sexual orientation are often written off as simply confused, deceived, or particularly sinful and, rather than being able to work through their biggest questions in the context of a healthy community, are shunned and excluded instead.
Those who have walked through a divorce, even as the result of an abusive or manipulative relationship, are seen as damaged and less useful in the context of ministry to other people.
Individuals who are walking through any kind of religious deconstruction, experiencing spiritual doubt, or who are asking big theological questions are often seen as a threat and are silenced or warned about the danger of entertaining such thoughts.
Those who question and challenge broken political systems, especially in the areas of income inequality, racial inequality, and gender inequality, are accused of being brainwashed by some kind of antichrist political scheme.

The easiest thing we can do is to become defensive on any one of these topics. We can prop up the institution of the church as deserving of a free pass on any number of our failings because we’re too busy with the mission of rescuing people from eternal punishment.

Welcoming Youth Ministry: Invite Kids to Come and See

Youth Ministrycom

July 12, 2022

Do you have a welcoming youth ministry? What do kids see when they come check out your program?

It’s a bracing truth: How people see you affects how they see Jesus. The same is true of a ministry. Our programs represent Jesus, but do they also reflect him? No ministry is perfect, of course. But when teenagers come and see your youth ministry, do they see Jesus? Do you offer a welcoming youth ministry and a friendly environment?

Jesus was so interesting that people came from miles away to see this “God/man” in action. Jesus didn’t hate this; in fact, when he noticed the crowds, he had compassion on them (Mark 6:34). Jesus traveled through towns and villages teaching the good news of his Kingdom. He had a message for the world and wanted people to come see what it was all about.

When people asked Jesus where he lived, he said, “Come and see” (John 1:39). When people invited their friends to get close to Jesus, they said, “Come and see” (John 1:46). In Luke 19:5, when Jesus meets a notorious tax collector in a tree, he doesn’t hammer him with the four spiritual laws. Instead, he tells Zacchaeus, “Come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” It’s as if Jesus is saying, “Have no hesitation to come and see what I’m all about.”

By creating a “come and see” culture, Jesus gained a reputation of being a friend of sinners. I want that to be my reputation, too. I want that to be our youth ministry’s reputation with teenagers in our city.

4 Traits of a Welcoming Youth Ministry

A “come and see,” welcoming youth ministry has these four characteristics:

1. A friendly environment for everyone who enters.

A “come and see,” welcoming youth ministry helps teenagers connect to the group with more than a handshake or high-five. Young people will return to places where they’re connected to peers as well as to adults who care.

That’s why it’s important to:

Use student greeters to provide peer connections.
Have a welcoming crew that stays with guests throughout the meeting or event.
Communicate to kids, “You matter here!”
Provide friendly, loving follow-up.
Be genuine. Remember that you’re loving people, not projects.

Why Did God Make Mosquitoes: A Buzzworthy Children’s Lesson

ChildrensMinistry.com

July 12, 2022

Why did God make mosquitoes is one of the many intriguing questions children ask their Sunday school teachers (and parents!). Use kids’ curiosity to teach them about the wonders of all parts of God’s creation.

Children’s Message: Why Did God Make Mosquitoes?

Help children understand God’s purpose for everything he created.

Theme: God has a plan for everything.

Bible Reference: Psalm 89:11

You’ll need:

a Bible,
a globe (or you could substitute a world map), and
globe stickers.

Why Did God Make Mosquitoes?

Say: Let’s talk today about some of the wonderful things God has made. Place the globe in front of you. When God made the world spin the globe, he said that every part of it was good. Because God made our world, he understands it perfectly. He can see the whole earth.

Spin the globe again. Say: We can see only a small part of the world at a time. But God sees the biggest elephants and the littlest bugs, all over the world!

Ask:

What are some creatures that God can see right now in our world?

If the children need prompting, point to places on the globe. Ask, “What can God see in the jungle?” and “What can God see in the ocean?”

Say: God not only sees all the creatures of the world. He also has a plan for each one.

Ask:

What kinds of jobs did God give cows?
Why do you think God made dogs?
What job do you think God gave the mosquito?

To almost whatever the kids answer, you can respond with “You may be right.”

Say: Mosquitoes are pretty pesky to us. But even mosquitoes have a place in the world God made. Why did God make mosquitoes? For one thing, they provide food for bats and birds. From the little baby mosquito to the tallest giraffe, God has a plan for every creature in the world.

Applying Scripture

Open your Bible to Psalm 89:11. Say: Listen to what the Bible says in Psalm 89:11. I’ll read a phrase of this verse, and you repeat it back to me. The heavens are yours (have children repeat the phrase), and yours also the earth (repeat); you founded the world (repeat) and all that is in it. (Repeat.)

Psalm 139 Isn’t As Black and White As Jesus’ Love and Forgiveness, Churchome’s Pastor Tells Emmanuel Acho During Pro-Life Discussion

Jesse T. Jackson

July 12, 2022

prolife_prochoice_acho — Screengrab via YouTube @Emmanuel Acho

Emmanuel Acho, a former NFL linebacker and sports analyst, recently invited four women onto his “Uncomfortable Conversations” podcast to discuss “Pro-Life versus Pro-Choice: Overturning Roe v. Wade.”

Pastor Chelsea Smith (wife of Churchome pastor Judah Smith), four-time Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross (who is married to two-time NFL Super Bowl champion Aaron Ross), Dr. Yeni Abraham (Pelvic Floor Therapist), and MJ Acosta-Ruiz (sports analyst for the NFL Network) joined Acho to share their stories and thoughts regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last month.

The Court’s decision removed abortion’s status as a constitutionally protected right and sent the question of its legality back to individual states.

Three of the women, with the exception being Smith, shared with Acho that they had abortions, two of which were out of wedlock, and the other being the result of an ectopic pregnancy. All the guests on the episode, along with Acho, appear to consider themselves Christians—either by directly or indirectly saying so.

The episode included testimonies from the women, who shared the emotional pain a woman experiences after having an abortion, what role they want men to play in the decision making process when it comes to abortion, and the “nuance” of the pro-life versus pro-choice debate.

MJ Acosta-Ruiz was the first to share her experience, expressing that it isn’t something she has shared with many people, including her parents. Barely into her 20s, Acosta-Ruiz went back and forth on whether to get an abortion after having dropped out of college.

“[I was] very much at point in my life where I was lost,” she said. As a daughter of immigrants who left their careers to move to America and give her a chance at a better life, she felt pressure to not to let them down by bringing a child into the world who would be born into poverty. Acosta-Ruiz even said that she lied to her mother when she asked if she was pregnant so that her mother would be relieved.

She believes she made the right choice.

Acosta-Ruiz asked Smith for advice on how to have the conversation with her parents. Smith explained that her response to the question would be as a mother and not a pastor, saying, “I bet your mom’s first response is going to be, ‘I can’t believe you kept this from me for all these years. I can’t believe you carried this pain on your own without inviting me into it.’”

Richards-Ross shared with Acosta-Ruiz that she felt relieved when she finally told her father about her own abortion.

“My dad had no idea. I’ll never forget it was actually a lot easier conversation I ever anticipated,” Richards-Ross said about telling her dad, years later, that she had gotten an abortion.

“I went to him and I was in the room and I just started crying immediately,” she shared. “I just felt so much pain, shame, hurt, and everything.” That is when she told him that she had gotten an abortion the day before she left for Beijing to compete in the Olympics. Though he was hurt that his daughter hadn’t felt comfortable enough to tell him sooner, Richard-Ross said of her father, “He just loved on me. He hugged me. We had a moment.”

“Everything we go through in life for a reason and if you just helped one woman out there, it’s worth it,” Richard-Ross recalled her father telling her.

Tony Dungy Says He Bases His Abortion Stance ‘On What God Said’

Stephanie Martin

July 12, 2022

For the first time since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month, football analyst and outspoken Christian Tony Dungy has addressed the abortion debate on Twitter. Dungy, a Hall of Fame NFL coach, has previously been vocal about the issue while encouraging healthy debate.

Dungy’s abortion-related tweets over the weekend came in response to questions and challenges from others on the social-media platform.

Tony Dungy Challenged About When Life Begins

New Yorker writer Adam Davidson, who describes himself as “an atheist Jew,” challenges Dungy about when exactly life begins. The “idea that life begins at conception,” Davidson writes, is “a brand new idea, made up in the 1970s. In the bible and for nearly all of Xn history, life was thought to begin sometime in the 2^nd trimester.”

In response, Tony Dungy encourages the journalist to read Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:13-16, and Genesis 25:23—“then see what you think.” Davidson later tweets: “I have learned that it’s not as productive as I hoped to try to convince evangelical Christians that they are applying inaccurate and anachronistic readings to the bible.”

Someone replies that the biblical phrase “before I formed you in the womb” is “prior to conception,” so the verse “is not stating that life begins at conception.” Dungy counters that the wording indicates that “God formed the baby, not man.”

Another person tweets that the verses “deal with the foreknowledge of God,” while “the issue is how far the states are going with their abortion laws.” That person adds that after years of studying the Bible, “the one thing I’ve learned about God is how merciful he is. I just believe he will be merciful to that young woman or girl who can’t carry a rapist’s child.”

In rebuttal, Dungy writes that Scripture goes beyond God’s foreknowledge of us to “God seeing us in the womb, working on us in the womb and knowing us in the womb.”

Tony Dungy: ‘Why Not Focus on the Baby?’

Others joined the conversation, with one person wondering why Dungy is “siding with people from 2000 years ago who also had the belief that if you were sick it was most likely due to the fact that you had sinned.” Dungy responds that he’s “basing my opinion on what God said, not what people want to advocate.”

When asked why he’s not focusing on the woman, Dungy, a father of 11 including eight adoptees, counters, “Why not focus on the baby? Does that life mean anything?” Someone else cites a woman’s “right to privacy afforded to her by the 14^th amendment,” saying Scripture-followers can’t take that right “from their neighbor.”

We see many priests serving together in images of funerals from Ukraine. Has this always been common in Ukraine, or did it begin during the war?

So these funeral practices both among clergy and laypeople are not new —they date from earlier national events — the Maidan uprising, Revolution of Dignity, and Russia’s invasion of Crimea and the Donbas in 2014?

You say there are often clergy from many different Christian traditions at funerals. Are there Ukrainian priests from the Moscow Patriarchate who attend these funerals?

1. A Church That Meets All of Your Needs Is Probably Off-Mission

2. You’ll Uproot All Your Non-Christian Friends

3. Christianity Was Never About Satisfying Yourself

The Mighty Oak Tree Proverb: How Can This Happen?

1. We can help children and families develop strong spiritual roots.

3. We can help children connect with other Christians.

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We Owe the World Safe Churches

4 Traits of a Welcoming Youth Ministry

1. A friendly environment for everyone who enters.

Children’s Message: Why Did God Make Mosquitoes?

Why Did God Make Mosquitoes?

Applying Scripture

Tony Dungy Challenged About When Life Begins

Tony Dungy: ‘Why Not Focus on the Baby?’

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