God Will ‘Give You the Grace’—Karen Pence, Wife of Former Vice President Mike Pence, Encourages Christian Educators Facing an Increasingly Challenging Climate

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November 15, 2024

“It’s really hard. It’s really hard,” said former Second Lady of the United States Karen Pence to students, faculty and staff at Colorado Christian University (CCU) in Lakewood, Colorado. Pence was referring to the challenges Christian educators face and gave her thoughts during a Q&A panel on Friday, Nov. 15, where she noted, “And it’s getting harder every day.”

Pence is the wife of former Vice President Mike Pence, as well as a mother, educator and award-winning watercolor artist. She counts being an art teacher among her many accomplishments and sees teaching as a calling from God. During her remarks, Pence drew from her experience as an educator to offer words of encouragement and exhortation to the CCU education majors who were present.

Karen Pence: ‘You Are Being Called’

Mike and Karen Pence joined CCU students, faculty, and staff, as well as other attendees, Friday as part of the inaugural event in Colorado Christian University’s President’s Speaker Series. The series “brings leading voices from politics, business, the arts, and more to the CCU campus to explore the intersection of faith and real-world action from Christian luminaries across all walks of life.”

Pence spoke several times Friday morning, while her husband briefly addressed attendees during a luncheon. Former Vice President Mike Pence is set to deliver longer remarks Friday evening.

During a lecture attended by approximately 250 people, many of them education majors at CCU, Karen Pence detailed how God had guided her in her career as a teacher and then as the wife of a politician. Pence taught elementary art and later took a role as art teacher at a Christian school during her time as second lady.

While Pence is proud of her accomplishments in her political roles, she was clear that “my roles as mom, wife, friend, teacher, Christ-follower were equally important, and my experience of learning from [Christ] at each stage and in each circumstance enabled me to serve him wherever he was calling me.”

After her lecture, Pence sat down for a Q&A session with Tammy Hogue, first lady of CCU, Dr. Deborah Scheffel, dean of CCU’s School of Education, and Dr. Jeffrey Renfrow, dean of the School of Education Professions.

In response to a question on how technology has impacted the field of education, Pence said, “I think you young teachers, as you head out, you’ll have to have a more of an ear to recognize when kids are struggling than I did when I was teaching, because now it’s just a real thing, and it’s an ever present danger to our to our young people.”

Quoting 1 Samuel 16:7, which says, “People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart,” Pence encouraged Christian teachers to help students focus on the heart “and not the outward appearance.”

The Future of for KING + COUNTRY Includes New Music and New Movies, Starting With Nationwide Theatrical Release of ‘A Drummer Boy Christmas’

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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November 15, 2024

Grammy Award-winning duo for KING + COUNTRY announced that the band is bringing its beloved holiday concert tour, “A Drummer Boy Christmas,” to theaters this December.

ChurchLeaders spoke with Luke Smallbone, one half of the 10-time GMA Dove Award and 17-time K-LOVE Fan Award winning band, regarding the inspiration behind the release.

“The Christmas show that we’ve done has always been the biggest thing that we’ve ever done,” Smallbone said. He shared that one of the greatest sadnesses he and his brother, Joel, experience every year is that the Christmas season is so short, only allowing them to perform the show in 15 cities or less.

The idea for “A Drummer Boy Christmas” came after shooting “Unsung Hero,” a film that tells their family’s story of emigrating from Sydney, Australia, to Nashville, Tennessee, as their father pursued a career in Christian music.

“We [wanted] to make it to where virtually everyone within a 30-minute driving distance can go see the show,” Smallbone told ChurchLeaders. “They can get a front row experience, it’s cheaper, and we get to give them the greatest story in the world, which is the Christmas story.”

Smallbone understands that attending a live concert isn’t cheap and can be difficult for some people to be able to attend. “We obviously want to give fans a high quality” experience, he said, whether during live show or while watching the concert on film in “A Drummer Boy Christmas.”

“The film is just a very, very different experience,” Smallbone said, adding that the film features the band’s entire Christmas album. Fans of for KING + COUNTRY’s non-Christmas songs will be treated to their favorites as well.

Describing the live concert film, Smallbone used the words “spiritual” and “holy.” He shared, “It’s just a very strange thing.”

Smallbone recalled that during the editing process of “A Drummer Boy Christmas,” one editor said that what the film captured was “particularly potent spiritually.” Smallbone said that at the time, he responded, “Yeah, I mean, I did the show. I’m aware of what it is.” But after watching, he understood what the editor meant.

Candace Cameron Bure Won’t Include This ‘Deceitful’ Message in Her Christmas Movies

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Janna Firestone

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November 15, 2024

From a being a star on “Full House” to a leading star and executive bringing wholesome entertainment to families, Candace Cameron Bure has been outspoken about her faith, her values, and her inspiration. As an executive for Great American Family, Bure is central to the network’s Christmas movie lineup both on and off the screen. But, there are certain themes she won’t allow in the movies.

“I always want to nod to what the real reason for the season is as a person of faith,” Bure told Movie Guide.

Candace Cameron Bure Won’t Say This in Her Movies

Great American Family star and executive Candace Cameron Bure loves all things Christmas. And, she doesn’t only love Christmas movies offered by her network. One of her family’s favorite Christmas movies is “Elf,” starring Will Ferrell.

In a recent podcast, film producer Andy Erwin and Bure shared how they see Christian themes even in secular movies like “Elf.” In the family favorite, Buddy travels from the North Pole to New York City to find his birth father and help him believe again. “It’s just a representation that really connects on a soul level of the joy that we feel at Christmas is rooted in something we really believe in,” said Erwin.

The two went on to discuss how filmmakers can communicate the gospel and faith concepts through film, whether subtly or overtly.

“It doesn’t have to be over the top,” said Bure. “But, let’s at least, while we’re looking for love on the farm…Let’s recognize that we celebrate Christmas because Jesus came to the world and was the Savior of the world.” She continued to share the Christmas story as Jesus “willingly sacrificed himself so that we can all be reconciled to God.”

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As Bure lives out her Christian faith, there are things that she’s willing to do onscreen and others that she will never do. She has consistently stood up for what she believes. “Some things, I’m not going to say anymore in my Christmas movies,” she said.

In nearly every romantic movie, there are common clichés that are so widely accepted by the general public. But, as Bure described, go directly against what the Bible says.

One phrase in particular that is common in romantic movies is “Follow your heart.” Bure argued, “But the Bible says that the heart is wicked and deceitful above all things,” paraphrasing Jeremiah 17:9. “We’re actually not to follow our heart but to follow the wisdom that God gives us.”

“I don’t want to lead someone in something that I know is deceitful, that is not biblically sound,” said Bure.

“When I think about ‘Christmas as it’s meant to be,’ it’s all about slowing down and remembering the true reason for the season,” Bure said in a recent post. “In the rush of gift buying and party planning, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s most important—hope, love and faith.”

Grand Canyon University, America’s Largest Christian University, Wins Court Case Regarding Its Nonprofit Status

By

Stephanie Martin

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November 15, 2024

Grand Canyon University — GrandCanyonU, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Department of Education used the wrong standard to deny nonprofit status to Grand Canyon University (GCU). On Nov. 8, a three-judge panel unanimously overturned a 2022 lower-court ruling against GCU, America’s largest Christian university. The case now returns to the Education Department, which initially denied GCU’s nonprofit-status bid in 2019.

After the legal victory, GCU President Brian Mueller said the Education Department lacked the authority to deny the university’s nonprofit status. That power, he told Fox News Digital, belongs to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

“There’s an objective set of criteria that [the IRS uses] to do that, and they did it,” said Mueller. “The Education Department has never not honored what the IRS has determined. This is the first time that they’ve ever done it. People try to make something political out of everything.”

Grand Canyon University Has Faced Years of Litigation

When GCU received news of the ruling, spokesman Bob Romantic said, “Today’s decision is a long-awaited correction to the [Education] Department’s unlawful application of a standard that improperly denied GCU of its nonprofit status, and we are hopeful for a quick affirmation of the university as a nonprofit institution.”

He added, “When GCU’s Board of Trustees decided to return the university to its historical status as a nonprofit institution in 2018, it did not envision years of hard-fought litigation against federal agencies.”

Back in 2004, GCU converted to a for-profit institution while facing financial problems. Amid rapid growth and increased regulation, the university decided to again seek nonprofit status six years ago. But the Education Department maintained that GCU’s earnings would benefit its former owner.

In last week’s decision, the Ninth Circuit ruled that the Education Department mistakenly applied restrictive IRS regulations regarding benefits for private individuals or shareholders. Instead, judges said, the department should have used requirements under Title IV of the Higher Education Act.

In October 2023, GCU sued the Education Department, claiming the agency was targeting the school in “arbitrary and capricious” ways. Nonprofit status is important, according to President Mueller, because it gives GCU access to research, grants, and federal funds for Hispanic students.

GCU Is Appealing a Fine From Another Case

Last November, the Education Department fined GCU $37.7 million for allegedly misleading doctoral students about tuition costs. It also accused the university of engaging in “abusive telemarketing.” GCU, which categorically refutes the charges, has appealed the fine.

‘Rumors’—G3 Ministries Founder Josh Buice Verifies That Steven Lawson Is a Member of Trinity Bible Church

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Jesse T. Jackson

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November 15, 2024

Steven Lawson Josh Buice — (L) Josh Buice screengrab via YouTube / G3 Ministries (R) Steven Lawson screengrab via YouTube / Aaron Sauer

On Thursday (Nov. 14), Josh Buice, founder and president of G3 Ministries, released a statement regarding rumors that have been circulating about Dr. Steven Lawson‘s church membership at Trinity Bible Church of Dallas.

Lawson was removed as the lead pastor of Trinity Bible Church in September after it was revealed that he was involved in an adulteress relationship. Lawson was also removed from his position as the professor of preaching and dean of D.Min. studies at John MacArthur’s The Master’s Seminary.

Other than releasing a public statement that Lawson was removed from “all ministry activities,” Trinity Bible Church has been rather quiet on the matter. The elders of Trinity Bible Church even rebuked Grace Community Church elder Phil Johnson after he shared on social media about details regarding Lawson’s immoral relationship.

Multiple Outlets Have Claimed That Steven Lawson was Not a Member of Trinity Bible Church

Rumors that Lawson wasn’t even a member of Trinity Bible Church started to circulate after Pastors Derek Brown and Cliff McManis, hosts of the podcast “With All Wisdom,” said that they were informed by someone who worked at the church that Lawson was not a pastor, elder, or member of Trinity Bible Church.

“He was not a pastor. He was not an elder at Trinity Bible Church, which we said. He was not the pastor or lead pastor of that church. He was not a member of that church,” McManis told his listeners.

“How do I know all this?” he asked. “Because I’ve been trying to get a hold of Trinity Bible Church in Texas for several weeks, and I finally got a hold of somebody that was willing to talk to me, who actually worked at the church, and they verified everything that we said.”

McManis also said that the church employee was “reluctant” to confirm the information but “agreed” that Lawson was “not an elder,” nor was he a “pastor.” McManis continued, “He was not the lead pastor. [This employee] kind of waffled when I said, ‘Was he a member?’ They didn’t want to tell me, but it was pretty obvious he wasn’t.”

McManis added that he was also informed that Trinity Bible Church wasn’t the “ones managing the Matthew 18 [church discipline] process with [Lawson], because they can’t” since he isn’t a member there.

Before Lawson was removed, Trinity Bible Church’s website described Lawson as its lead preacher—a term that is synonymous in many conservative circles with pastor, elder, or teacher. However, Lawson was not listed as an elder on Trinity Bible Church’s leadership page, possibly indicating he was not part of any decision-making processes at the church.

Josh Buice Verifies That Steven Lawson is a Member at Trinity Bible Church

Buice explained that he was releasing his statement because Lawson had been an “invited guest speaker” at G3 Ministry events, dating as far back as G3’s first conference. Buice said, “We want to address some questions we’ve received over the past several weeks with full transparency.”

Following Matt Gaetz’s Nomination for Attorney General, Some Christians Raise Concerns About Allegations That He Had Sex With and Trafficked a Teen Girl

By

Dale Chamberlain

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November 15, 2024

Little more than a week after securing his re-election, President-elect Donald Trump has announced a slew of nominations for his new Cabinet, some of which are controversial. Among them is Matt Gaetz, a Florida congressman, whom Trump has nominated for attorney general.

“It is my Great Honor to announce that Congressman Matt Gaetz, of Florida, is hereby nominated to be The Attorney General of the United States,” Trump said in a statement on Nov. 13. “Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System.”

“Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department,” the statement continued. “Matt will root out the systemic corruption at [the Department of Justice], and return the Department to its true mission of fighting Crime, and upholding our Democracy and Constitution.”

Gaetz is known for his unwavering support for Trump, and Gaetz self-identifies as a Baptist.

“My father is a Lutheran, my mother is Methodist. While I’ve attended church with both throughout my life, I was saved in a Baptist Church during my teenage years,” he said in 2016. “I am a member of First Baptist Church in Fort Walton Beach. The Bible, the Gospel—these are our instructions from God. We are to follow faithfully.”

Nevertheless, some are citing their own Christian values in opposing Gaetz’s confirmation.

Among those sounding the alarm is Liberty Counsel, a Christian advocacy group that lobbies for religious freedom.

In a statement released on Nov. 14, the group said that Gaetz is “neither morally nor professionally qualified to become the United States Attorney General. This is the highest law enforcement position in the country. America deserves much better.”

“Morally, Gaetz has been under a cloud of sex and drug allegations,” the statement said. “On Wednesday, as soon as he was tapped by President-elect Donald Trump, Gaetz immediately resigned from Congress, thus ending the Ethics probe into his sex parties that includes allegations of paying an underage girl for sex.”

In Mike Huckabee, Israel Will Have a Longtime Friend and True Believer as Ambassador

By

Bob Smietana

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November 15, 2024

(RNS) — Mike Huckabee’s journey to becoming the U.S. ambassador to Israel began 50 years ago.

The former Arkansas governor, presidential candidate and Fox News host first visited Israel with a friend on a tour of the Middle East not long after graduating from high school. “This is a place I’d never been, but I felt at home,” Huckabee said in a podcast interview at the National Religious Broadcasters convention earlier this year, about his experience as a teen.

“I felt an overwhelming spiritual reality of understanding this is the land that God has given to the Jews,” he told Paul Lanier, board chair of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, for the “Nourish Your Biblical Roots” podcast.

Huckabee said he began hosting his own tours of Israel in the 1980s and has visited the country more than 100 times. He’s a longtime supporter of pro-Israel groups like IFCJ — a nonprofit that seeks to strengthen ties between Christians and Jews and does humanitarian work in Israel — and has helped raise money for the group.

Huckabee has also long articulated staunchly pro-Israel political views. As a candidate for president in 2008, Huckabee said he believed there is “no such thing as a Palestinian,” according to CNN. He argued that the very concept of Palestinian identity is “a political tool to try and force land away from Israel.”

When he ran for president again in 2015, he held a fundraiser in one of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law.

In his conversation with Lanier, Huckabee compared the origin of Israel to the founding of the United States, saying both were started by people who moved to a new land to find peace and security. He also said the growth of Israel since 1948 is like biblical prophecies come true.

“I’ve seen Scripture come to life,” he said. “The desert has bloomed before my eyes.”

If confirmed by the Senate, Huckabee may be the first political appointee — as opposed to interim career foreign service officers — to come to the U.S. Embassy in Israel from a group known as Christian Zionists, who back Israel for theological as well as geopolitical reasons. (The current U.S. ambassador is Jack Lew, an American Jew who served as secretary of the Treasury under Barack Obama.)

Many Christian Zionists are millenarianists — they view the creation of the modern state of Israel as a necessary precondition for the second coming of Jesus and the apocalyptic purification of the world in the end times. Israel, along with the occupied territories it captured in 1967, is considered given by God to the biblical patriarch Abraham, who is told in the Book of Genesis, “God will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.”

Huckabee’s own biblical approach to Israel shows up in his habit of referring to the West Bank as “Judea and Samaria” — a way of signaling a belief that the land has always belonged to the Jewish people.

That divine patrimony, believers say, should shape how nations, including the United States, treat Israel and how individual Christians should view the nation. Over the past 30 years, evangelicals, including Southern Baptists like Huckabee, but also growing groups of charismatic nondenominational Christians, have duly formed strong alliances with Israeli leaders and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in particular.

They give more to Israeli causes than Jewish Americans do and have formed strong support groups. With 5 million members, Christians United for Israel, led by San Antonio pastor John Hagee, is thought to be the largest pro-Israel nonprofit in the United States. In 2017, when then-President Donald Trump moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the move was applauded by Christian Zionist supporters, and Hagee spoke at the dedication of the new embassy.

Mordechai Inbari, a professor of religion at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, said Huckabee’s appointment as U.S. ambassador to Israel would be greeted “with open arms” by the Netanyahu government. “Huckabee belongs to the network of supporters of Netanyahu and his government among evangelicals and is considered to be a strong supporter of Israel,” said Inbari.

Huckabee was pressed by Israeli radio Wednesday (Nov. 13) on whether he believed the Trump administration would support annexation by Israel of the occupied territories, principally the West Bank, but also Gaza. He demurred but made it clear that he sees his job as following the decisions made by the president.

“There’s never been an American president,” he added, “that has been more helpful in securing an understanding of the sovereignty of Israel — from the moving of the embassy, recognition of the Golan Heights, and Jerusalem as the capital, no one has done more than president Trump and I fully expect that will continue,” Huckabee said.

Inbari, for one, didn’t think the new Trump administration would rush to see Israel annex the territories. Trump has shown a desire to expand the Mideast peace deal known as the Abraham Accords, inked in his first administration, to include Saudi Arabia. The accords, signed in 2020, normalized Israeli relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and later Sudan and Morocco.

5 MORE Worship Challenges We Face All the Time

By

Paul Detterman

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November 15, 2024

Last week Paul Detterman provided five prominent worship challenges facing the church. Turns out he had five more — perhaps more important than the previous c=worship challenges.

5 MORE Worship Challenges We Face All the Time

Loss of Poetic Voice

“Trees don’t clap their hands—that’s just silly!”

In a landmark book on emerging culture, Stanley Greens wrote, “We cannot simply collapse [biblical] truth into the categories of rational certainty that typify modernity. Rather, in understanding and articulating the Christian faith, we must make room for the concept of ‘mystery’—not as an irrational complement to the rational, but as a reminder that the fundamental reality of God transcends human rationality” (A Primer on Postmodernism, Eerdmans, 1996). Ezra Pound once said, “Poetry is news that lasts.” Our world is increasingly devoid of an awareness of anything that cannot be captured by exact language or visual special effects. In worship, we are asking people to use imagery they do not understand to deepen their relationship with the Intangible. Our worship is in trouble, but we who teach the poetry can change this.

We may be starting to see an interesting reversal in this trend in the popularity of the work of Kevin Twit and others who are recapturing the majestic hymn-poems of the past three centuries and recasting them with cutting edge musical interpretation (see RW 66, p. 44). Music may be leading us back to the joy of poetic language!

How are you teaching people to praise the indescribable?

Loss of Corporate Memory

“What’s the big deal about worship?”

One of the greatest worship challenges we face is remembering why we are Christians and why we are worshiping. In his article “You Have Been Brought Near: Reflections in the Aid of Theological Exegesis” Russell Reno wrote, “Only as we are formed by the common life of the church, her ancient teachings, her ceaseless prayer, and her patterns of self-discipline and mutual service, can we read [Scripture] rightly” (Touchstone, July-Aug. 2002). Our worship is in trouble because we have lost our sense of place in the body of Christ. But we who are the theologians can change this.

How many people in your congregation remember that their gathering is not just a local event, or even some modest portion of a vaguely ecumenical experience? The worship of God’s people, whenever it happens, connects them to the worship of other people in every time and place from before the time Abram built the altar at Shechem.

How are you helping people join their worship to the worship of The Church?

Loss of Biblical Identity

“What does Abraham have to do with me?”

Christian worship tells a story. Psalms call us to rejoice or lament. Biblical characters come to life through anthems, choruses, and readings. The great teachings of the Bible, cast and presented in appropriate liturgy, can embrace us, encourage us, or convict us, if we see the language, characters, and images as part of our story. We face worship challenges because many people see biblical teachings and stories as simple moralization from another place and time. But we who are preachers and teachers can change this.

How are you helping people see contemporary relevance in the truth of Scripture?

Loss of Biblical Literacy

“Where the heck is Shechem?”

A study done within the last five years determined that over 75 percent of active members in my denomination had their only contact with Scripture during Lord’s Day worship. Astute preachers know this. Many worship leaders have yet to figure it out. Our worship is in trouble because much of our musical and liturgical language includes biblical images and illusions people do not remember (if they ever knew them at all). Biblical language without citation or explanation can be a foreign language to most modern worshipers. But we who teach the Bible can change this.

How are you helping people learn and love to “own” Scripture?

Perhaps the #1 Worship challenge: Embarrassment of the Gospel

“Can we still say we are Christians?”

No thinking Christian has avoided struggling with contemporary challenges to the unique claims of Jesus Christ. But Jesus is either who he claims to be or he is not—there is no middle ground. Authentic Christian worship cannot happen apart from the acclamation that Jesus is Lord! Many of the people we lead in worship are not prepared to endorse that exclusive claim. Our worship is in big trouble.

Until pastors, elders, deacons, parents, grandparents, and children are discipled and encouraged to a level of conviction in faith that can only come from a redeemed heart, no amount of liturgical tinkering, musical tweaking, or stylistic transformation will be of ultimate value. The greatest challenge to authentic Christian worship seems to be a crumbling foundation of authentic Christian faith. Happily, we know a Savior whose love can shore up that foundation.

Transformed Worship

Under certain favorable conditions, imitations of authentic worship can flourish for a time through an environment of learned repetition or local tradition, sustained by a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach to profession of faith and spiritual growth. But corporate worship unsustained by covenantal faith will eventually become dull, shallow, culture-driven, and easily distracted. Sound familiar?

Address these challenges in reverse order, and a path of discipling ministry centered around authentic Christ-centered worship emerges. Individuals mature in their faith. Congregations become transformed communities, glorifying and proclaiming God with vibrant joy. May it soon be so.

This article on worship challenges originally appeared here, and is used by the author’s kind permission.

To Sustain Ministry, You Need Time Off

By

Gavin Adams

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November 15, 2024

How tired do you really feel? It’s easy for leaders to accept the exhaustion that comes with constant decision-making and people management. We tend to chalk it up as “part of the job.” But how often do we pause to question if this is a sustainable mindset? For years, I did just that. In my most recent role, I led a church staff of 65, overseeing a congregation of 6,000 to 8,000 every Sunday. The emotional and mental toll felt unending. Church leadership, with its unique set of challenges, brings expectations from an entire community. Everyone has hopes, needs, and opinions on how things should run, including thoughts on taking time off.

For a long time, I wore my relentless tiredness as a badge of honor, a sign of dedication. But eventually, the exhaustion caught up, and I reached my limit. I was nearly ready to leave ministry leadership for good when I took a month off to rest, reflect, and consider my options.

Time Off vs. Time On

That month away was a turning point, but not in the way I expected. I learned that time off wouldn’t fix the problem. I needed a reset—not in the hours I worked, but in how I led myself.

Leading Yourself First: The Foundation of Sustainable Leadership

During that month, I discovered that leading others well starts with leading myself well. While I focused on managing a team and meeting responsibilities, I neglected to manage myself. The exhaustion wasn’t only from the workload; it was rooted in how I approached my leadership and well-being.

Self-leadership isn’t just about time management; it’s about building habits and boundaries that sustain us. It’s about setting an example, not just in our work but in our personal lives.

I began to ask myself tough questions:

Was I prioritizing time based on my values?
Did I set boundaries that allowed for true renewal?
Was I leading in a way that would sustain me long-term, or only for a season?

7 Rules for Great Meetings

By

Charles Stone

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November 15, 2024

Leaders can’t lead without meeting with others. Sometimes meetings go well. Sometimes they don’t. Often team dynamics derail productive meetings simply because someone misspoke or misheard. As I began to realize this, several years ago I asked a psychologist to help me create some rules for talking in our staff meetings. I call them conversational ethics. Here are the 7 rules for great meetings.

7 Rules for Great Meetings

CONVERSATIONAL ETHICS FOR MEETINGS

Listen: let others say their piece; as Covey said, “Seek to understand before being understood.”
Suspend judgment: don’t make assumptions about what others say.
Share in the thought pool: everybody gives input; participate truthfully (how you really feel).
Stay detached from your ideas: don’t take things personally; use “I” messages; own your personal view.
Let others be inarticulate: help others articulate what they are trying to say by engaging.
Privacy: if personal issues with you and another person potentially could affect a discussion and/or a decision, first deal with it 1-on-1 in private with the individual.
Accountability: everybody helps hold each other accountable to this set of ethics.

What guidelines have helped you lead great meetings?

This article on great meetings originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Advent Activities for Children’s Ministry: Prepare Young Hearts for Jesus

By

Stephanie Martin

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November 14, 2024

Advent activities for children’s ministry build excitement for Christmas. By focusing on the season’s real meaning, pastors and Sunday school teachers help kids know that Jesus is God’s greatest gift.

During Advent, we wait expectantly for Jesus’ arrival in Bethlehem. We also prepare our hearts for his eventual return. So take Advent activities for children’s ministry beyond countdown calendars. Creatively engage young minds and hearts as they get ready to celebrate Jesus’ birthday!

10 Advent Activities for Children’s Ministry

Adapt these Advent activities for children’s ministry at your church:

1. The Jesse Tree: Following Jesus’ Ancestry

The Jesse Tree is a visual journey through the Bible. It features symbols representing people and events in Jesus’ lineage. Gather branches or a small tree. Then make or collect symbols (like small paper or felt ornaments) for each story you’ll share.

Each day, hang a symbol on the tree and tell a Bible story about a key figure in Jesus’ family. For example, start with Adam and Eve, include Old Testament people like King David, and end with John the Baptist. This activity shows how God keeps his promises throughout history.

Why it works: A Jesse Tree emphasizes God’s plan for salvation, showing how Jesus’ birth connects to a larger story. Kids enjoy watching the tree fill up.

2. Kindness Challenge: Gifts for Jesus

Instead of an Advent calendar with treats, issue a Gifts for Jesus challenge. Each day, kids draw a slip of paper from a jar or open a small envelope containing a kindness activity. Ideas include “Give a hug to a family member,” “Help set the table,” or “Tell someone why you’re grateful for them.”

Encourage kids to see each act as a gift to Jesus, inspired by his love and example. Keep track of acts of kindness on a chart. Or children can create a paper chain of gifts that grows.

Why it works: Kids learn that Christmas isn’t just about receiving. It’s about giving from the heart, just as Jesus gave himself for us.

3. Advent Storybook Time

Gather kid-friendly books about Christmas. Each day or week, read together and discuss the anticipation of Jesus’ birth. Options include:

The Christmas Promise by Alison Mitchell
Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell
Who Is Coming to Our House? by Joseph Slate
Jotham’s Journey by Arnold Ytreeide (for older kids)

Why it works: Storytime encourages curiosity and reflection. Pictures help kids visualize and understand the events of Christmas.

4. Light of the World Craft

Create simple candles to remind kids that Jesus is the Light of the World. You’ll need battery-operated tea lights, small glass jars, tissue paper, and glue. First have kids glue the tissue paper onto jars for a stained-glass effect. After that dries, place the tea light inside. Then have kids “light” their candle each evening to symbolize Jesus’ coming.

During the first week, introduce the Light of the World theme. Discuss what it means to have Jesus’ light in our lives. Each week of Advent, add a new theme like hope, peace, joy, and love.

Why it works: This craft offers a nightly reminder of Jesus’ presence, light, and love.

5. Advent Prayer Stations

Set up Advent prayer stations around the classroom, church, or home. Each represents a theme or part of the Christmas story. Examples include Waiting, Angel’s Message, Bethlehem, and The Manger. At each station, kids engage in a simple activity. They can light a candle, draw a picture, or write a prayer.

As children move from station to station, they experience Christmas interactively. Do this in one session or revisit it weekly.

Why it works: Sensory experiences are ideal for tactile learners.

Giving Tuesday: A Stewardship Guide for Youth Ministries and Teens

By

Stephanie Martin

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November 14, 2024

Giving Tuesday, a global day of generosity, occurs the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. This year, it’s observed on Dec. 3. After Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday shifts the focus from consumerism to kindness and generosity.

Churches and youth ministries can use Giving Tuesday to teach stewardship and serving. Through creative campaigns, teens gain hands-on experience while making a difference. Plus, they can help fund projects that support their community and beyond.

So let’s look at the background and purpose of Giving Tuesday. Then we’ll share practical ways youth ministries can harness the event.

What Is Giving Tuesday?

Giving Tuesday, launched in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y in New York City and the United Nations Foundation, is a global movement of generosity. Individuals, organizations, and businesses support charities and causes they care about.

Giving Tuesday is a reminder to make a positive impact, especially during the holidays. For churches and youth groups, the day offers lessons in biblical giving and Christian support.

Why Should You Participate in Giving Tuesday?

Youth ministries can harness Giving Tuesday for biblical teaching. Plus, it’s a great way to fund vital programs. Participation lets teens:

Understand stewardship. Giving Tuesday teaches teens that giving isn’t just financial. It can include time, talent, and other resources.
Make an impact. By supporting programs that matter to them, teens witness the impact of their efforts. That might be through local missions, church projects, or international outreach.
Develop fundraising skills. Teens gain hands-on experience, from planning to communication.

Through causes that teens value, you inspire them to take ownership of projects and feel connected to the outcomes.

5 Creative Ideas for Giving Tuesday

A youth ministry Giving Tuesday campaign will raise funds while developing faithful young stewards. Here are some suggestions:

1. Mission-Driven Campaigns: “Give to Make a Difference”

First, focus on something teens are passionate about. For example:

Support local needs. Partner with a shelter or food pantry, setting a financial goal for Giving Tuesday. Teens can organize and lead the campaign, sharing stories of how the organization uses donations.
Fund a mission trip. Giving Tuesday is excellent for kickstarting fundraising efforts. Teens can tell congregants why they feel called to serve and what they’ll be doing.

Tip: Promote the campaign on social media and at services and events.

2. Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Next, ask each teen or small group to reach a goal by contacting friends, family, and church members. This empowers teens to serve as ambassadors for the church and youth group. Examples include:

Scholarships for camp or retreats. For some teens, finances are tight. So use Giving Tuesday to ensure all youth can attend special events.
Youth mental health programs. Raising funds for counseling, workshops, or speakers benefits the whole community.

Tip: Equip teens with personalized donation pages, email templates, and social media graphics. Offer small incentives or recognition for reaching goals.

3. “Give and Serve” Day: Combine Fundraising With Service

Giving Tuesday can be more than a fundraising event. It’s also a way to give time. For example:

Community cleanup. Spruce up a local park, beach, or neighborhood. Sponsors can pledge donations for each bag of trash collected.
Holiday cheer project. Have teens assemble care packages for people in need. Donors can give a certain amount for each package.

Tip: Invite the congregation to support kids by serving with them. This makes the campaign more personal and brings people together.

Marriage and Ministry With Dr. Crawford Loritts

By

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November 14, 2024

In this episode of “Transforming the Church,” Pastor Derwin Gray gets a chance to dive into a conversation with Dr. Crawford Loritts and hear his approach to navigating marriage and ministry.

NC Pastor Receives Full Pardon, Now Eligible for $400,000 in Restitution for Wrongful Imprisonment

By

Stephanie Martin

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November 14, 2024

Darron Carmon, who served eight years in prison for an armed robbery he didn’t commit, received a pardon on Wednesday (Nov. 13) from outgoing North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. Carmon, who’s now a pastor, spent three decades fighting the charges against him.

Although he was exonerated in 2022, Carmon wasn’t eligible for restitution unless granted a “pardon of innocence.” Now he can receive $50,000 from the state for every year of incarceration.

As a 19-year-old college student, Carmon was arrested in 1993 for robbing a Winterville convenience store at gunpoint. But he didn’t match the eyewitness description of the suspect, and his defense attorney didn’t call all his alibi witnesses to the stand.

Carmon, who was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison, attempted suicide while behind bars. He was released for good behavior after eight years and then pursued a ministry career.

Pastor Darron Carmon Is Suing the City, Police Officers

Darron Carmon, the son of pastors, serves at two North Carolina churches: Rebuild Christian Center Church in Winterville and Greater Village Gate Church in Lewiston. He also started two nonprofits, adopted five children, and has been publicly recognized for his outreach efforts.

As ChurchLeaders reported, Winterville named Carmon its Hero of the Year in 2021 and 2022. He was set to receive that honor again in 2023, but Winterville withdrew its support after Carmon sued the city and two former police officers for civil rights violations and emotional distress.

The city also canceled what would have been the fifth annual day in Carmon’s honor, citing ongoing litigation. At the time, the pastor said that felt like being “victimized again.”

Carmon’s lawsuit alleged that police hid fingerprint evidence that proved his innocence. New interviews also revealed that clerks at the convenience store often reported fake robberies and kept the cash. In early 2024, Carmon filed a second lawsuit against Winterville. He has requested that the two filings be consolidated. The original lawsuit is scheduled for trial in December.

Pastor Darron Carmon Maintained His Innocence

After receiving news of the pardon, Darron Carmon expressed gratitude to the governor for doing “what a real leader would do.” He said, “A Black boy went to prison for a crime he didn’t do, and Gov. Cooper, from a state’s perspective, said, ‘I’ll do what we need to do.’ We need more leaders like that who are willing to accept responsibility.”

Carmon’s attorney, Abraham Rubert-Schewel, said:

This pardon is a testament to Darron Carmon’s resilience and character. Most of us would have given up long ago, but he continued to fight, continued to profess his innocence, and that innocence has finally been recognized. We are incredibly grateful to Governor Cooper and [Pitt County District Attorney] Faris Dixon for recognizing the injustice that occurred over 30 years ago.

The attorney added that Carmon has received “every sort of accolade you can possibly imagine, from governors Republican and Democrat over the years. This is actually the first true assertion by any government of his innocence.”

Why Mental Health and Spiritual Health Must Go Hand in Hand

By

Josh Spurlock

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November 14, 2024

Separating mental health and spiritual health is a form of modern Gnosticism. The belief that we must divide the “spiritual” from the “mental” (or even the “physical”) creates an artificial dualism that resembles ancient Gnostic teachings. Gnosticism, in its early forms, proposed a strict division between the physical/material world, viewed as flawed or lesser, and the spiritual realm, which was deemed pure and superior. This separation led to the notion that the material aspects of life—such as the body and mind—were disconnected or even irrelevant to one’s spiritual journey.

Modern Gnosticism

Similarly, when mental health is treated as separate from spiritual health, it reinforces a dualistic mindset that undervalues the unity of the human person as created by God. Scripture and Christian tradition emphasize a holistic view of personhood, recognizing that humans are an integration of body and soul, both of which are essential to the image of God. Ignoring the role of mental health in spiritual formation implies that the mind and emotions are somehow detached from one’s spiritual life or that spiritual growth can happen independently of mental well-being. This reductionist view can inadvertently support a Gnostic framework, where mental and physical aspects of a person are seen as separate from the spiritual self.

Holistic Discipleship

In contrast, a non-Gnostic, holistic approach to discipleship affirms that mental health and spiritual health are deeply interconnected, shaping and influencing one another. The journey of discipleship, from this perspective, must encompass care for the whole person. Addressing mental health concerns—such as trauma, anxiety, or depression—within discipleship recognizes that emotional struggles impact one’s spiritual life and that spiritual practices can support mental wellness. By viewing mental health as integral to spiritual growth, Christians can honor the whole person, just as God does, and avoid the pitfalls of a Gnostic-like divide that denies the fullness of human experience.

Thus, integrating mental health into discipleship affirms a holistic, incarnational view of humanity, countering the reductionist tendencies of Gnosticism and embracing a truly biblical understanding of what it means to be fully human.

Mental Health Discipleship

Mental Health Discipleship is an approach to Christian discipleship that intentionally integrates an understanding of mental health and wellness. It implies that, while guiding people in spiritual growth and Christian teachings, leaders are also equipped to recognize, understand, and compassionately respond to mental health challenges. This approach includes creating a safe space within Christian communities for open conversations about mental health, offering resources for healing and support, and encouraging practices that promote holistic well-being, acknowledging the interconnectedness of mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

This type of discipleship recognizes that mental health struggles can impact one’s relationship with God, oneself, and others. By being informed about mental health, leaders can disciple more sensitively and inclusively, helping believers find peace and resilience without stigma or judgment. It also emphasizes the belief that mental health care and spiritual care are complementary, not opposing, disciplines.

Help for the Journey

In bridging mental and spiritual health, we honor the biblical vision of wholeness that defies outdated dualism. Rather than separating mental wellness from spiritual growth, a holistic approach enriches both, promoting healing and resilience. Embracing this unity isn’t just about achieving well-being; it’s about embodying the fullness of life God intended. For those interested in exploring deeper methods that integrate faith with mental health science, Neuroscience Informed Christian Counseling® offers a compassionate, evidence-based path. Discover how it can transform discipleship and support believers on their journey to holistic wellness.

REFERENCES

This article originally appeared here.

Rest: It’s Not What You Think

By

Full Strength Network

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November 14, 2024

What’s the first thing that truly comes to your mind when you read Matthew 11:28?

Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Does your response lean toward a cynical, “Yeah right. Must be nice”? Maybe you naturally respond with hope swelling inside that you might be able to receive this rest you long for. Perhaps your response is a resounding, “YES and AMEN!”

Wherever you land as you respond to this verse, let’s talk about this concept of “rest” that has taken on quite the narrative in our culture. We have some myths to bust, and we have some Truth to dive back into so we can pursue the right kind of rest that is accessible here and now from a God who offers it to us freely.

What Rest Isn’t

In today’s culture, rest can be closely related to (and dependent on) how many hours you sleep, how quiet your surroundings are, the number of times you get to sneak away for a spa day, and your general level of relaxation.

And yet, we don’t find those kinds of definitions when we read Scripture. How can we find true rest when we’re not promised those things? If rest isn’t just about sleep and spa days, then what is Jesus promising us in Matthew 11?

What Rest Is

We find a clue for what rest is as we continue reading in Matthew 11:29-30:

Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

How is it that we are finding rest for our souls by tethering a wooden beam across our necks for manual labor? This verse can feel a little paradoxical, and yet the words Jesus uses are rest, easy, and light. There’s something worth pursuing here if you want to truly find rest for your soul.

When we take a step back and consider the state of our souls before life with Jesus, we are already wearing a yoke. We’re yoked with our sinful nature, our flesh, our independence, our self-reliance. And it’s anything but “rest,” “easy,” and “light.” It’s destroying us. It’s not how we were meant to live.

Churchgoing Woman in Gay Marriage Asks for Jackie Hill Perry’s Thoughts

By

Jessica Lea

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November 14, 2024

Hardly Initiated — L: Nicole. R: Jackie Hill Perry. Screengrabs from YouTube / @HardlyInitiated

Author, hip hop artist, and Bible teacher Jackie Hill Perry had some compassionate yet challenging words for a woman named Nicole who called in to the “Hardly Initiated” podcast and asked for Perry’s thoughts on Nicole’s lifestyle. Nicole has been married to a woman for five years and says that she loves God but has a “cloud” over her.

“I have a love in my heart so much for Christ, and I want to be like him so much, but it’s like I have this, almost like a cloud that’s over my head when it comes to my lifestyle and religion,” Nicole said in a “Hardly Initiated” clip posted Nov 4. “And so I just wanted to ask someone who has been delivered and who has, you know, moved past it.”

‘Hardly Initiated’ Caller: ‘I’m Open to Whatever God Says’

“Hardly Initiated” is a podcast cohosted by Tysean Jackson and Ryan Catchings that is streamed live on YouTube twice a week. It has the tagline, “Shifting the culture’s perspective on faith, love and relationships.”

The conversation with Nicole took place during an episode streamed Aug. 7 with guests Jackie Hill Perry and Megan Ashley. The episode was the first in a series called “Fight the Flesh”; the second episode in the series features Perry’s husband, Preston, as one of the guests.

Nicole said she is 38 years old and lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She also told the hosts and guests that she had grown up in the church. “I’m not new to Christ,” she said. “I fast, I pray, I go to church, read my Bible. You know, I feel like I’ve definitely had interactions with Christ. However, I wanted to talk about desires because I feel like I can’t work in the church due to my lifestyle.”

Nicole then revealed that she had been married to a woman for five years and asked for Perry’s thoughts. Jackie Hill Perry is the author of “Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was and Who God Has Always Been.” Part of Perry’s story is how God led her to himself and out of acting on her same-sex attractions. Before giving Nicole any advice, Perry asked for her thoughts on Scripture passages about sexuality.

Nicole said that people often bring up Leviticus and Sodom and Gomorrah to her. “I read it, and I fasted on it, and the only thing that comes up for me is that God knew me before he put me in my mother’s womb,” she said. “That’s what comes up for me. So where do I stand on in reading it? When I read it, I pray on it. But it’s still a level of—I won’t say necessarily conviction—but it’s, I’m open to whatever God says.”

Many people want her to feel guilty, Nicole said, but she doesn’t. “I don’t have a guilt, and I’m trying to be as transparent as possible and get my thoughts together because I’m nervous,” she shared. She expressed confusion at the fact that some people say, “Love is love,” but others point to the Bible.

Gateway Church Tithes Down by 35%-40%, According to Church Elder

By

Dale Chamberlain

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November 14, 2024

Gateway Church financials — Pictured: Gateway Church's three remaining elders take the stage during recent congregational update (Screengrab via YouTube / @Gateway Church

The size of Gateway Church’s staff continues to be reduced amid scandal and financial hardship. Kenneth Fambro, one of the church’s three remaining elders, revealed in a video that was intended for staff members but leaked to social media that giving is down by 35%-40%.

Gateway has languished since Pastor Robert Morris resigned in disgrace in June after allegations came to light that he had committed child sex abuse in the 1980s. For years, Morris, who founded Gateway Church, openly discussed an “inappropriate relationship” he had during his early 20s, prior to founding Gateway.

However, when Cindy Clemishire came forward and claimed that Morris began engaging in sexual activity with her when she was just 12 years old, it became apparent that Morris’ story of a past affair was actually sexual abuse.

Morris’ departure from Gateway has led to a wave of resignations, including that of James Morris, the son of Robert Morris, who had been expected to succeed his father as senior pastor.

The younger Morris is now in the process of founding a separate church.

Some who have resigned or been asked to resign reportedly knew about Robert Morris’ alleged abuse or otherwise had information that ought to have triggered an investigation but failed to act.

Gateway determined who would be asked to resign after receiving the results of a third-party investigation into all of the church’s internal communications.

Gateway has also commissioned a comprehensive financial audit and is in the process of amending its bylaws to qualify for certification from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).

Nevertheless, the church is involved in more than one open lawsuit for its alleged mishandling of abuse allegations. In a recent update to the church, elder Tra Willbanks also indicated that Morris is seeking financial restitution for himself.

Willbanks further said that a criminal investigation is underway, clarifying that it does not involve anyone currently in leadership at Gateway and that the church is cooperating with the authorities.

What Evangelicals Say They Want From a Second Trump Term

By

Jack Jenkins

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November 14, 2024

(RNS) — Shortly after President-elect Donald Trump finished his victory speech last week in West Palm Beach, Florida, the room burst into a rendition of the Christian hymn “How Great Thou Art.” The moment, which was captured on video, was a reminder of Trump’s robust support among conservative evangelical Christians, who have consistently backed the former president with upward of 80% voting for him in all three of his elections.

Among the crowd in Florida on election night Tuesday (Nov. 5) was longtime Trump supporter Robert Jeffress, the pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, who preached a sermon to the businessman on the morning of Trump’s 2017 inauguration. Jeffress described the atmosphere at Trump’s victory party as “electric” and suggested the vibe was similar when he returned to his church last Sunday.

“Our people were elated, for the most part, over the election results,” Jeffress said.

Conservative Christians have long celebrated what they see as the landmark successes of Trump’s first term, particularly his appointment of three conservative justices to the Supreme Court and their overturning of Roe v. Wade to end nationwide abortion access. This time, however, Jeffress and other evangelical advisers of Trump say they are hoping for more — although exactly what form those policies will take appears to be the subject of debate.

For Jeffress, a key policy concern for Trump’s second term is “protecting the religious freedom of all Americans.”

“The things (Trump) is most interested in is anything that will prohibit not only pastors from preaching what is in their heart, but what would keep laymen from exercising their faith in the workplace, whether it be doctors being forced to perform abortions or high school football coaches not allowed to pray before a football game,” Jeffress said.

Pastor Robert Jeffress and then-President Donald Trump pray after Trump signed a full pardon for Alice Johnson in the Oval Office of the White House, Aug. 28, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Trump, for his part, promised during his campaign to create a federal task force to fight “anti-Christian bias,” saying if he didn’t win, Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris would “come after Christians all over the country.” He also promised to get rid of the so-called Johnson Amendment — a part of the tax code that prohibits churches from endorsing candidates — “permanently the next time,” after signing an executive order that weakened the restriction during his first term as president.

“They didn’t want you to speak to people, and if you did they take away your tax-exempt status,” Trump told a group of mostly pastors in Powder Springs, Georgia. “And I said, ‘But these are the people that me and others want to hear from, and you’re not letting them speak. What’s that all about?’”

The Rev. Franklin Graham, son of famed evangelist Billy Graham and head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said he hoped Trump would address a myriad of foreign policy concerns. He said he was especially hopeful Trump would “find a way to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine,” suggesting there should be a special ambassador appointed to go to Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Democrats demonized the Russians so much that if you talk to them, it looks like you’re doing wrong,” said Graham, who also praised Trump’s efforts to forge a relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

People pray with Franklin Graham before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump takes the stage at a faith event at the Concord Convention Center, Oct. 21, 2024, in Concord, N.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Graham also said he hoped Trump would work to establish peace amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that has spread to southern Lebanon and the surrounding region, noting the president-elect helped bring about a bilateral agreement on Arab-Israeli normalization known as the Abraham Accords during his first term in office. Trump criticized Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war and has urged Israel to “finish the job” and destroy Hamas.

“Now (Trump’s) got somebody who can help restart that and come up with a comprehensive peace deal for that region,” Graham said, referring to Trump’s decision to appoint real estate tycoon Steven Witkoff as his Mideast envoy.

The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez and the Rev. Tony Suarez, the president and vice president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, and both Trump faith advisers, listed a desire for Trump to take action on “children’s and parental rights,” especially in regards to transgender children who seek out gender affirming surgery, something conservative Christians have grown increasingly vocal in opposing.

Trump campaigned on the issue, pledging to roll back civil rights protections for transgender students and running an ad that declared “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.” The president-elect has not detailed his plans to address the topic, although some conservatives have floated excluding transgender students from Title IX protections. Doing so could alter policies in public schools regarding bathrooms, locker rooms and which pronouns students use. Since Trump was elected, transgender youth have flooded crisis hotlines, according to The Associated Press.

7 Reasons Why You Should Have a Video Testimony

By

Chuck Lawless

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November 14, 2024

I’m writing today’s post to encourage believers to audio or video record your Christian testimony for others. Given the technology available today, any of us can do a video testimony. Here’s why we should:

Why You Should Have a Video Testimony

Doing so requires that you remember your life before meeting Christ, how you met Christ, and how He’s changed your life. It’s always good to think about what God has done. It’s even better to tell people what He’s done—and this strategy gives you opportunity to practice telling the story.
Nobody’s story is exactly like yours, and somebody needs to hear it. You are unique, and God called you to Himself in whatever way He did. Only you can testify to that process in your life, but God will work through you to draw somebody to Himself. Only He knows how He’ll use your story.
Your children and your grandchildren deserve to hear your story—and to have a recording of your telling it.Simply writing that story is a good start, but recording it is even better. The day will come when your loved ones long to hear your voice again, and they’ll be comforted by your recorded joy in Christ.

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What Is Giving Tuesday?

Why Should You Participate in Giving Tuesday?

5 Creative Ideas for Giving Tuesday

1. Mission-Driven Campaigns: “Give to Make a Difference”

2. Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

3. “Give and Serve” Day: Combine Fundraising With Service

Pastor Darron Carmon Is Suing the City, Police Officers

Pastor Darron Carmon Maintained His Innocence

Modern Gnosticism

Holistic Discipleship

Mental Health Discipleship

Help for the Journey

What Rest Isn’t

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‘Hardly Initiated’ Caller: ‘I’m Open to Whatever God Says’

Why You Should Have a Video Testimony

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