The Genesis of Long Lives

By

-

July 7, 2021

In 2019, the United Nations reported that “All societies in the world are in the midst of [a] longevity revolution—some are at its early stages and some are more advanced…”^[1] Although it is highly improbable that nations will ever succeed in prolonging the average lifespan to any significant extent, there was a time when mankind lived extraordinarily long lives during the time leading up to the flood. Scripture teaches that there was then a progressive shortening of man’s lifespan from Noah to Abraham, and from Abraham to Moses. There are several important reasons why God purposed to allow the first generations of humanity to live as long as they did; and, there is a significant theological rationale for why He shortened the lifespan of humanity.

At the beginning of Genesis, we read of a number of extraordinarily long lives at the beginning of human history.

In Genesis 5, we read, “Adam lived 930 years…Seth lived 912 years…Enosh lived 905 years…Kenan lived 910 years…Mahalalel lived 895 years…Jared lived 962 years…Methuselah lived 969 years…Lamech lived 777 years…Noah lived 950 years.”

These ages come in the record of the genealogy of Seth—Adam and Eve’s son, given by God to replace Abel. The ages of Seth’s descendants pose a number of challenges for the modern reader. Some modern interpreters have suggested that this genealogy belongs to a mythopoetic narrative written to compete with other ancient near eastern mythopoetic origin stories, while the better part of the Christian church throughout history has taken this genealogy to be historically factual record of the primitive history of mankind. Before we seek a rationale for the length and the shortening of the lifespan of humanity, we need to be settled on the historicity of the narrative.

According the both the Old Testament and the New Testament, Moses wrote Genesis under inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Genesis is historical narrative given from a divine perspective. The repeated use of the phrase, “these are the generations of….”—from the creation of the world to the life of Jacob—supports the historicity of the revelation (Gen. 2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10; 11:27; 25:12; 25:19; 36:1, 9; 37:2). Reflecting on the first genealogy—namely, the generation of the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1–2, Geerhardus Vos observed,

Are You Asking Your Small Group Great Questions Like Jesus Asked His?

By

Josh Hunt

-

July 7, 2021

We have 100 examples of Jesus asking questions. It raises the question: Why did Jesus ask so many questions?

One of the classic examples of Jesus using a question to teach is found in Luke 9.18 where Jesus says, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

Why did Jesus ask this? Did he not know? That could be. When he became human, he set aside some of his god-ness. In another context, he said he did not know the day or the hour when he would return. I think it is more likely, however, that it was a teaching moment for the disciples.

This is what I call a warm-up question. It is a get-em talking question. I write small group curriculum for a living. I start nearly every lesson with this kind of question. It is a question to get the group to start talking.

People have said to me, “I have tried using discussion questions and my group doesn’t want to talk.” Do what Jesus did. Get them talking about somebody else. People love to talk about someone else. I think this is why Jesus asked them about what other people thought. It is always easier to talk about what other people think than to share our own convictions or feelings.

Once Jesus got them talking, Jesus narrowed the focus: “Who do you say that I am?”

Peter declared one of the most profound statements in the entire Bible: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”

Stated a different way, Jesus led the disciples to hear one of the most profound statements in the entire Bible. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Question: why did Jesus craft this centrally important teaching in the form of a question? Why not just say it to his disciples: “I am the Christ, the son of the living God!” It would have been a lot safer that way.

A lot of teachers don’t like questions because they are into safe and they know that questions are not safe. You ask a question and you have no idea what kind of answer you might get. If you make a statement, you can carefully craft it so you know exactly what you are going to say.

On this occasion of teaching one of the most centrally important things in all the Bible, Jesus chose to use the teaching method of a question.

Youth Ministry Parent Meeting: 5 Steps to Success

By

Jake Rasmussen

-

July 6, 2021

No matter the season, youth ministers always have important information they need to share with parents. Whether you’re preparing for a mission trip or the annual back-to-school kickoff, a youth ministry parent meeting is a great way to keep everyone in the communications loop.

In most youth ministry programs, the vast majority of communication with parents involves information or data. Yes, dates, logistics, drop-off and pickup points all are incredibly important. But we’d like to challenge you to also inspire and appreciate people through each youth ministry parent meeting.

Walk with us through these 5 steps to a successful youth ministry parent meeting:

1. Inspire, don’t just inform.

Paint a picture of how the Lord has blessed your students and program. While parents are gathered, inspire them by sharing what your youth ministry is bringing to the table and what God is doing through their kids.

A youth ministry parent meeting is a great place to shine the spotlight on God and his beloved teens. Paint a picture for parents of where you want their kids to go (and grow) spiritually during the upcoming season. Share your goals about the depth of young people’s interactions with the Lord and with other youth and adults in the ministry.

2. Offer advance notice.

Even without the uncertainty of a pandemic, it can be difficult to provide concrete dates for upcoming plans. But I challenge you to do just that. As early as possible, slot dates onto the calendar for all camps, trips, retreats, lock-ins, fundraisers, youth worship services and more.

It’s frustrating when a parent or student tells you after the fact that they didn’t know something was happening. So make sure to publicize all ministry-related dates in your parent meeting. Then follow up by communicating with them early and often, especially when plans change.

3. Consider various communication modes.

A youth ministry parent meeting is a great time to ask each parent how they prefer to receive information from you and the church. Simply have parents fill out a card, select the preferred method of communication, and list their contact info. I promise that if you’re communicating through just one medium, you’re missing many parents. Don’t assume that parents automatically know about an event just because it was listed in the church bulletin or on the church website.

You can use text messages, email, social media, postcards, verbal announcements and much more. Respect parents and their time by asking up front and then honoring their preferred communication style.

4. Have fun!

Be sure to have fun at every youth ministry parent meeting. Even if the gathering is held online, make sure an element of fun is involved. You play games in your youth ministry because it allows kids to interact with each other and become environmentally comfortable so they can become theologically aware. The same is true with parents. They like to have fun and interact with one another. Plus, some healthy competition is never a bad thing. So be sure to schedule some fun. (Food is a nice treat too.)

5. Highlight and celebrate parents.

At each youth ministry parent meeting, be sure to include parent testimonials. Include time for at least one veteran parent and one parent who’s new to the ministry to share their struggles and praises.

How often have you communicated with students over and over, seeming to get nowhere, only to have a young person share a testimony that suddenly opens listeners’ ears? The teen basically says the same thing you did, but all of a sudden everyone gets the message. It’s the same with adults. They expect great things from you, but a certain authority comes from the testimony of other parents, and that’s called #winning.

Thanks for all you do! The youth ministry work you perform week-in and week-out matters. Thank you so much for loving God and liking kids. Your calling is essential; your mission is great.

Check out this video to go more in-depth about holding a successful youth ministry parent meeting. Or listen on the go with the YM360 podcast!

This article originally appeared at Youth Ministry 360.

Lord’s Prayer Craft Idea: A Colorful Bracelet for Kids

By

LaVonne Long

-

July 6, 2021

Children of all ages love to make crafts. Here’s a fun, easy idea for a Lord’s Prayer craft that kids can make and wear. The colorful bracelet will remind children about this important prayer that Jesus teaches his followers (see Luke 11:1-4).

Twice a month, I teach about 30 children in grades one through four. With that many learners, I like to have a variety of teaching options. For children’s ministry, I find that stations tend to work best. During a recent lesson about Jesus’ disciples, I had children rotate through three tables: one had standard lesson materials and the other two had prayer-related crafts. The Lord’s Prayer Craft Bracelet was such a hit that I wanted to share it with my fellow children’s ministers!

How to Make a Lord’s Prayer Craft Bracelet

On Pinterest, I found a bunch of similar pins that use colored beads to represent the petitions in the Lord’s Prayer. (Don’t you just love the internet? It makes children’s ministry so much easier.) Some suppliers sell ready-made craft kits for this specific activity, but it’s easy to make your own. Just gather stretchy bracelet cording and a variety of plastic beads.

For this Lord’s Prayer craft, each color stands for a specific phrase, which helps children remember Jesus’ important words.

Several people recommend printing out the text on business cards so children can take them home. But I didn’t see any free printables online, so I decided to create one and share it. I simply copied and pasted text into Canva (which has a free business card template). Then I added free clip-art and pasted the image onto a full page (resulting in eight business cards per page). That PDF printable is below for you to download for free.

Here’s the text—and the bead colors you’ll need to complete this Lord’s Prayer craft bracelet:

Blue is the color of fathers.
White represents holiness.
Purple is a majestic color.
Green is the color of the Earth.
Yellow reminds us of wheat.
Red reminds us of Jesus’ blood.
Orange is the color for the darkness of evil and temptation.
Gold reminds us of God’s heavenly kingdom.

As promised, here’s a link to the free printable PDF sheet that contains eight cards. Print as many as you need for your ministry. Then cut them out so children can each take home the “color code” as a prayer reminder.

This article about a creative Lord’s Prayer craft originally appeared here.

Nick Vujicic Announces He’s Starting a Pro-Life Bank

By

Jesse T. Jackson

-

July 6, 2021

Australian Christian evangelist and New York Times bestselling author Nick Vujicic, who was born without limbs, has announced plans to start a pro-life bank. Vujicic said he was “kicked out” of his existing bank after his pro-life organization Life Without Limbs started to speak out against abortion.

At age 16, Vujicic was trading stocks and at age 21, he obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a double major in financial planning and investments and accounting. He told CrossRoads‘ Josh Phillip in an interview that ProLifeBank will allow Christians “who want to stick our Christian values and beliefs to have a choice of where God’s money goes.”

Vujicic shared a story about a March 2019 meeting for Life Without Limbs in which a board member said, “Nick, when is God going to be able to use your voice, not because He’s unable…but when [are you] going have a conversation with the Lord that allows the conviction of the Holy Spirit…to use [your] voice for pro-life?”

Vujicic said the question stopped him. The board member continued; “Did you know that there are 100,000 churches representing $480 billion worth of debt for church buildings, yet we can’t pick up the 425,000 foster kids waiting for a foster home…or 111,000 children, average age 7.8 years old, to find a family who would adopt them? Where is the church?”

“I want to make a dent before I talk about pro-life,” Vujicic said he told the board member. The board member’s response was, “We don’t have time!”

Vujicic said it was then the Holy Spirit came into the room and resulted in him and his wife praying, “God, if this is the time to vocal about pro-life, let it be.” Sixteen weeks after they prayed that prayer, and still not publicly speaking about pro-life, the Vujicics said they had a grenade threat at their home, a false publication in a magazine, a threatened lawsuit, a drone spying on them, and the bank had “kicked” them out. Vujicic said these were all signs that the issue is one close to God’s heart.

It was during that time Vujicic was asked to be a co-founder for ProLifeBank [currently the proposed name] by other co-founder Betsy Gray; the executive director of Network Medical Women’s Center.

“Noah built an ark to save lives. We’re building a bank to do the same.”

Gray educated Vujicic about how most banks donate money to causes that provide for some of the largest abortion clinics in the United States. After praying about it and separating from his bank at the time, Vujicic said God revealed more to him. “Once I got kicked out of a bank with no warning. They froze my credit cards, froze my debit cards. They gave me a letter to say that they did a review of me as a client and they don’t want anything to do with me.” This forced him to find another bank, which he found out also gave to Planned Parenthood. Unhappy about that, Vujicic said he decided to go “all-in” with co-founder Gray to create ProLifeBank.

“Not only will this be a for-profit bank, we’re actually are known as the for-giving bank,” Vujicic said. “We will not fund abortion, but we will actually fund fifty percent net profits to Judea Christian-aligned, non-profit organizations that are biblically aligned and are doing the will of God according to our belief systems.”

Watch Vujicic’s full interview here.

Hobby Lobby Draws Heat for ‘One Nation Under God’ Ad

By

Jessica Lea

-

July 6, 2021

Popular arts and crafts chain Hobby Lobby has generated an uproar for an ad it ran on the Fourth of July. The Hobby Lobby ad featured the text, “One Nation Under God,” quoted Psalm 33:12, and gave various examples from American history to support the idea that the United States is a Christian nation.

“The July 4th ad features the American flag and Psalm 33:12, ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,’” said the company in an announcement on its website. “The full ad includes quotes from former presidents, Supreme Court justices, Founding Fathers, Congress and others. Each quote emphasizes the relevance of God and the Bible in the fabric of American life.”

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” – Psalm 33:12 https://t.co/wxCmPuRq1D pic.twitter.com/yIoZU7326z

— Official Hobby Lobby (@HobbyLobby) July 4, 2021

Hobby Lobby president Steve Green said, “These ads don’t include sale items or special pricing. We just want to let people know that we love our Lord, and we love our country.”

Hobby Lobby Ad Gets Backlash

Hobby Lobby posted a downloadable PDF of the ad on its website, posted the it to social media, and ran it in newspapers throughout the country. Among its other quotes and examples, the Hobby Lobby ad features examples from two Supreme Court cases to support the idea that the U.S. is a Christian nation. One case, Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States (1892) was a “unanimous decision declaring America a Christian nation,” says the ad. The Hobby Lobby ad says that another case, Vidal v. Girard’s Executors (1844) was a “unanimous decision commending and encouraging the use of the Bible in government-run schools.”

At the bottom of the Hobby Lobby ad are a link where people can request a free Bible and a link where people can learn more about how to trust in Jesus as their savior.

In an explanation of holiday messages on its website, Hobby Lobby says that in the Christmas of 1995, company founder and CEO David Green “was reading the Christmas advertisements, including those for his own store, and he felt commissioned by God to do something different. Hobby Lobby was selling all kinds of crafts that customers used to celebrate Christmas, yet David Green was struck by the lack of any testimony in newspapers regarding the meaning of the holiday.”

Green decided to create an ad for Christmas 1996 that encouraged people to seek out a “Bible-believing church” and “discover a relationship this Christmas with the God who loves you more than you can begin to imagine.”

“Before long,” says the site, “Hobby Lobby was placing beautiful full-page ads celebrating the real meaning of Christmas, Easter and Independence Day in newspapers across the country.”

On social media, people responded to the Hobby Lobby ad with both praise and criticism. “Thank you Hobby Lobby for the encouraging WORD,” said one Twitter user. “May the Lord bless you and all your employees and their families and cause you to prosper and continue to be a bright light in this dark community. And GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

Another said, “Separation of church and state. Because you insist on shoving religion down our throats, I shop at Joann’s [sic] and Michael’s, even though your store is closer.” A user named Claire said, “Geez I thought the founding fathers were all for that freedom of religion thing??? You know NOT telling people which religion they can practice and SEPARATION OF CHURCH & STATE! I’m a Christian and I don’t expect everyone to fall in step with me. WWJD…”

Several people alluded to the controversy Hobby Lobby has recently faced for having purchased stolen biblical artifacts. Said one user, “Here’s a quote for you: Thou shalt not steal. Exodus 20:15.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) called the Hobby Lobby ad “propaganda.” FFRF is a nonprofit that exists to “promote the constitutional principle of separation of state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.”

FFRF is calling for a boycott of Hobby Lobby and ran its own Fourth of July ad as a direct response to Hobby Lobby’s. The FFRF ad is called “In Hobby Lobby We DON’T Trust.” It takes quotes directly from the Hobby Lobby ad and explains them in context, while also linking to the original documents and other information to give the quotes a broader frame of reference.

PCA Leaders Say Those Who Identify as Gay Are Not Qualified for Ordination

By

Emily McFarlan Miller

-

July 6, 2021

(RNS) — Pastors and church leaders in the Presbyterian Church in America passed an overture at its General Assembly this week saying those who identify as gay are not qualified for ordination in the conservative Presbyterian denomination.

The overture includes any identity Christians may profess “that undermines or contradicts their identity as new creations in Christ,” though it singles out “gay Christian,” “same sex attracted Christian” and “homosexual Christian” among those identities. The denomination already bars any “practicing homosexual” from ordination.

Overture 23 was overwhelmingly approved 1,438-417 late Thursday night (July 1) at the Presbyterian Church in America’s annual business meeting in St. Louis.

“This has been a hot topic in our denomination, so it won’t surprise you to hear that we spent more time on this overture than any other overture,” Scott Barber, chair of the Overtures Committee, said before the vote.

According to byFaith, the official publication of the Presbyterian Church in America, the final, approved overture read:

Barber told the elders voting on the overture that its intent is not to exclude Christians who are gay but remain celibate.

Rather, he said, “What we said is if we use terms like that that undermine or contradict our identity as new creations in Christ, if such an identity becomes higher than our identity in Christ, that would eliminate us from being qualified in the PCA.”

Still, that’s not the way many opponents of the overture received its approval.

Study: Trump Expanded Evangelical Support in 2020, But Biden Gained With Other White Christians

By

Jack Jenkins

-

July 6, 2021

WASHINGTON (RNS) — A new survey reports former President Donald Trump expanded his robust support among white evangelicals in the 2020 election, but President Joe Biden won in part by making significant gains among Catholics and non-evangelical Protestants.

That’s according to Pew Research’s new “Behind Biden’s 2020 Victory” study unveiled on Wednesday (June 30). The findings, based on a survey of people confirmed by public records to have voted in 2020, showed that Trump was supported by 84% of white evangelicals in 2020, an increase of 7 percentage points over the 77% of white evangelicals who voted for him in 2016.

Trump, who launched his “Evangelicals for Trump” initiative in January 2020 at a mostly Spanish-speaking church in Florida, also slightly increased his support among Protestant Christians overall, expanding his margin from 56% in 2016 to 59% last year.

But there is evidence Biden, who also ran an expansive faith outreach program during his campaign, chipped away at Trump’s religious coalition by making up ground with other faith groups.

Among Catholics overall, Biden — himself a Catholic — fought Trump to a stalemate. After Catholics backed Trump (52%) over Hillary Clinton (44%) in 2016, Biden managed to reduce the spread to a statistical tie, with 49% supporting him compared to 50% who said they voted for Trump.

Pew did not provide data to compare Hispanic Catholic votes in 2016 to 2020, but there are indications Biden courted favor among his fellow white Catholics — a powerful voting bloc in Rust Belt swing states. Whereas 31% said they voted for Clinton in 2016, 42% cast their ballots for Biden in 2020. Trump won the demographic in both elections (64% in 2016 and 57% in 2020), but a shift toward Biden cut the former president’s winning margin with the group by more than half.

There was also a notable — albeit less dramatic — movement among white, non-evangelical Protestants. Only 37% of the group supported Clinton in 2016, with Trump securing 57% of their vote that year. Trump won the same percentage last November, but Biden managed to convince 43% of the group to back his campaign.

The shifts echo longstanding warnings from scholars and activists who pointed to cracks in Trump’s support among white Catholics and white non-evangelical Protestants as early as May 2019. At the time, experts noted Trump’s favorability ratings were far more elastic with those groups than among white evangelicals, a reliable base for him even amid various scandals.

Pew’s findings may also vindicate Democratic strategists who insisted on robust faith outreach efforts in the 2020 campaign. In addition to working to compile endorsements from faith leaders and dedicating an entire section of the 2020 Democratic National Convention to a discussion of his faith, Biden repeatedly invoked his Catholicism while on the campaign trail and spoke at various religious gatherings. In addition, both the DNC and the Biden campaign produced ads for television and digital platforms targeted at Catholic voters.

Biden also organized aggressive outreach to Black Protestants throughout his campaign and secured support from 91% of the demographic by Election Day in 2020, according to Pew. The reports did not provide 2016 data on the group for comparison.

Researchers noted Biden also expanded Democratic support among a rapidly expanding subset of the American religious landscape: people who claim no religious affiliation whatsoever.

The group has long skewed heavily liberal, with Clinton winning 65% of their votes compared to Trump’s 24% in 2016. Trump fared slightly better with the group last year (26%), but Biden boasted 71%, drawing on heavy support from subsets such as atheists (87%) and agnostics (84%).

However, Trump appears to have made unexpected gains with another unaffiliated subset — namely, people who answer questions about religious affiliation by selecting “nothing in particular.” Biden won the same percentage of the group as Clinton (61%), but Trump increased his support from 27% in 2016 to 35% in 2020.

This article originally appeared here.

What Your Pastor Needs From You (From a Pastor)

By

Neil Lamm

-

July 6, 2021

Editor’s Note: We received this article after publishing the story of Andrew Stoecklein who tragically took his life last weekend. The reason Andrew’s story is so baffling is because it really seemed as if Andrew was doing everything he knew to fight off the depression he was facing. As we grapple with Andrew’s story, let us consider the unique pressure pastors have on their lives and what your pastor needs. The following letter is one such pastor’s perspective. While Neil doesn’t claim to have all the answers to this puzzle, perhaps his letter will give us a better glimpse into what makes ministry difficult and what we might do to support our spiritual leaders in their roles. Here’s what your pastor needs.

Dear Church,

I’m an associate pastor at a rural church plant in little town called Ruckersville, Virginia. I’ve worked for multiple megachurches, and multiple church plants over the years. Each of these churches have been drastically unique in their own ways, yet all have very common themes. Obviously, each of these churches have the end goal in mind to make Jesus’ name known in their communities and around the world. They all have struggles and they all have significant insight as to how to deliver the gospel message to their communities.

The Weight Is on Us

There is one common theme however whose weight falls not on the church leadership, not on the elders, not on the senior pastor, but rather the weight falls on the church body. Without fail, every single church has a significant group of people who gripe. They gripe about the music being too loud or not good enough, they gripe about a word or phrase that the pastor said one time 5 years ago that they didn’t fully agree with, they gripe about the seats being uncomfortable, they gripe about the church not having a ministry for _______, etc.

Pray for Your Pastor

What if, instead of griping about little things that have relatively little significance, we decided to pray for our pastor and church leadership. I don’t mean the type of praying engrained in our culture where when a tragedy strikes, even the most agnostic are throwing around the term “I’m praying for you.” I’m talking about falling down on your face, going to a quiet place, crying out for the leaders of your church. I’m talking about diving into the word of God, begging for peace, comfort, and clarity for your pastor.

Can You Pass the Timothy Test?

By

Greg Stier

-

July 6, 2021

Toward the end of the Apostle Paul’s final letter he gave his younger protégé, Timothy, four challenges. I’ve come to nickname these challenges “The Timothy Test.” These four challenges are essential to effective ministry, especially youth ministry, in our increasingly post-pandemic reality.

“But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5

As you answer each of these questions, give yourself a grade from 1 to 5 (1 being a hard no and 5 being an enthusiastic yes!)

Can You Pass the Timothy Test?

1. Are you calmly facing the stresses of your ministry?

“…keep your head in all situations…“

These words were written by someone who was about to literally lose his in a beheading to Nero’s executioner. But Paul was calm. He knew that the sharp blade that awaited him would launch him into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Imagine being Timothy. Imagine the baton of the Apostle Paul falling to you. Imagine the stress of trying to manage the legacy of the greatest Apostle. Imagine the stress of following up on the many churches Paul had planted and fighting for the truth against the many heretics that had infiltrated the church. I’m sure all of these thoughts and more surged through Timothy’s mind as Paul awaited execution. But Paul reminds Timothy to “Keep Calm and Minister.”

What stresses are you facing? Are you overwhelmed by busyness, trying to figure out what ministry looks like post Zoom rooms and online services? Are you freaking out because kids don’t seem to be showing up like they did before Covid 19? Are you keeping your head in all situations?

2. Are you enduring hardship well?

“…endure hardship.…”

The last year has been a year of hardship. Divorce is up. Anxiety is up. Depression is up. Far too many youth leaders have given up. Have you? Or have you doubled down on your commitment to Christ and his Cause of reaching, encouraging, discipling and unleashing the next generation?

“Hardship” is one of those words that mean different things in different cultures. Here is an example of the type of hardship that Paul suffered,

“I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” 2 Corinthians 11:23-29

Maybe your’s reads more like, “I have worked much harder, been called to the senior pastor’s office more frequently, been slandered by angry parents more severely, been exposed to Covid again and again. Five times I received from the executive pastor a warning about missing receipts. Three times the church van broke down on the way to an event, once I was pelted with dodge balls, I spent a night and a day with middle schoolers who hadn’t taken showers. I have been constantly on the move. I’ve been in danger from home school parents, in danger from entitled preacher’s kids, in danger from my fellow staff members, in danger from angry atheists; in danger at camp, in danger on the way to camp, in danger on the way home from camp. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without food (other than Mountain Dew and pizza). Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all my teenagers.”

Youth ministry has hardships, especially now. Are you enduring them well?

Salvation: Is Jesus Really the Only Way to Heaven?

By

Dale Hudson

-

July 6, 2021

A few weeks ago, I was sharing the Gospel with a group of kids at a summer camp. Most of the kids were from a Christian, church-going background. I always ask some key questions when I am sharing the Gospel in that kind of format.

One of the questions I asked was this:

What does a person need in order to have eternal life through Jesus Christ?

To be honest, I was shocked at some of the answers I got. One girl in particular believed that Jesus alone is not enough to have eternal life. She believed you also had to do a lot of good works to enter heaven. Several of the kids affirmed this line of thinking. Plain and simple, they believed in a works salvation. Which obviously moves away from grace and into having to earn your way to eternal life.

I took the opportunity to share with the group of kids that salvation isn’t based on what you do, but rather on who you know as your Savior…Jesus.

I used an illustration to help them see this. This is a great illustration to share when you are teaching kids that you can’t earn your way to heaven.

“Let’s say that I brought you a gift. It was already paid for. It had your name on it. I held it out to you. What would you have to do for it to be yours? That’s right. You would have to reach out and accept it.

Does Jesus love everyone? Yes. But is everyone going to heaven? No. Because some people say, ‘I don’t want the gift Jesus is offering me. I don’t believe He is the only way to heaven. He can keep His gift.’

Would those people be going to heaven? No. Because they didn’t accept Jesus’ free gift of salvation. If you want to live with Jesus forever one day, there has to be a time when you reach out and accept His gift of salvation.”

Think about this as well. If something is a gift, you can’t earn it, buy it or work for it. It is something you must reach out and accept.

What if I brought you a gift, but before I handed it to you, I said, “You have to wash my car before I give you this.” Would that be a gift? No. Because you had to work for it. Again, if something is a gift, you can’t earn it or buy it.

Look what it says in Ephesians 2:8.

“God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”

Notice how this verse shows us that salvation is a gift from God that we must accept by faith. There is nothing you can do to earn it. It must be accepted freely.

There is nothing more important than sharing the Gospel with children. We must present it clearly, so it can be understood and accepted by the next generation.

The culture today’s kids are growing up in says there are many pathways to God. And to say that there is only one way is intolerant, unkind and narrow-minded,

Share John 14:16 with kids and help them examine the exclusive claims that Jesus made.

“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Is Jesus really the only way to heaven? Yes. And we must share the Gospel clearly so kids understand and believe the exclusive claims that Jesus made.

What the next generation needs more than anything else is a personal relationship with Jesus. Let’s be faithful to share God’s plan of salvation with them.

There is nothing more important than this.

This article originally appeared here.

How to Discipline With Love: 3 Essential Everyday Practices

By

Andrew Linder

-

July 5, 2021

One crucial key to parenting is knowing how to discipline with love. I learned that from experience, when one of our kids had a noticeably stronger will (from infanthood!) than the others. While growing up, this child got into trouble time and time again due to stubbornness and an unwillingness to conform.

I remember quite well one situation that involved outright defiance and blatant rebellion. We laid out the options clearly: Either the child would conform or be disciplined until that happened. After many go-rounds, I was worn out. Neither my discipline nor the child’s stubborn will had budged. No way was I going to lose this battle with my 6-year-old!

So I took a break and asked my wife, “How in the world do I break the will without breaking the spirit?” I was concerned that continued discipline could be unwise, but raising the white flag of surrender wasn’t an option either.

Have you ever been there as a parent? Have you wondered how to discipline with love?

You want so badly for this to be a “growth moment” for both you and your child, but they will have none of it.
You’re frustrated almost to the point of anger and don’t seem to have any answers.
You’re adamant about breaking their will but equally concerned about crushing their spirit.

A few weeks later, I asked an elderly friend that same question: “How do I break the will without breaking the spirit?” And to my pleasure, the answer has had an ongoing positive impact on my parenting: “Discipline balanced with love always equals respect, but discipline without love always equals rebellion.”

Suddenly it finally clicked: As long as I know how to discipline with love, the child’s will eventually will be broken, but their spirit will stay intact.

Ephesians 6:4 says, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

If we discipline correctly, our kids may not always obey us, but they’ll always know we love them. When we balance discipline with love, children may not always agree with us, but they’ll still maintain respect for us. When we know how to discipline with love, our motives will be pure and won’t come into question.

Here are three super simple but important steps for how to discipline with love:

1. Talk with the child.

No child should ever be pulled by the ears to the bedroom or smacked upside the head and told to change. Discipline in the home should happen with the same love and tenderness our heavenly Father uses when he disciplines us as his children. He is patient and kind, yet he doesn’t budge an inch.

When children have done wrong and need discipline, the first step is to talk to them. Help them understand why they’re in trouble and what the discipline is specifically for.

2. Pray with them.

Once the discipline has been administered, prayer is essential. Not only does it communicate your love, but it also communicates God’s love and forgiveness toward them.

Prayer also helps children understand that their offense is against not just a person but ultimately against God himself.

3. Love on them.

After talking with the child and praying with them following discipline, it’s time to love them as they’ve never been loved before. Squeezing your child tight for an extended period of time communicates something that words can never express: unconditional love, acceptance and forgiveness.

I’ve seen parents send kids to their room without doing any of the above. Other parents, after disciplining their children, storm out of the room angry. “Sit here and think about what you’ve done before you come back out,” they shout.

Doing that enough times is a surefire way to break a child’s spirit. But when you love them unconditionally, you hit parenting gold.

Your kids will naturally respect you if your love is unquestionable. When they understand what they’ve done, who they’ve truly done it against, and that your love for them hasn’t changed, you succeed at turning a negative into a positive. Score!

The last time you had to discipline your kids, did they “feel the love”? What can you do differently, starting today, that reveals how to discipline with love?

This article originally appeared here.

Youth Ministry Student Roles: 10 Ways to Increase Teen Ownership

By

Terrace Crawford

-

July 5, 2021

One of the most amazing things you’ll ever do in youth ministry is empower students to take ownership of the program. After all, it’s their ministry (or should be). Having a wide variety of youth ministry student roles helps turn that goal into a reality.

I’ll certainly never forget my youth pastor allowing me to serve and empowering me to do so. It all started with just letting me make the announcements and emcee youth group.. Now, two decades later, I’m a youth worker myself. I’m not only empowering teens to take ownership of our ministry but coaching other youth workers to follow some of the same steps I learned from my youth pastor!

Check out this list of ways that young people can serve, learn and grow.

10 youth ministry student roles that teens can fill:

1. Announcements

This tops the list for me because it was the first of my own youth ministry student roles. Give up the mic to a teenager or two, and then watch them shine.

2. Games

If you plan to play a game (or two) during the course of a meeting or event, ask one or more students to plan the game ahead of time. Then allow those kids to run it.

3. Greeters

Make sure teenagers are the first contact when someone walks through your facility’s doors. Prepare a welcome table and recruit several students to greet guests as they arrive.

4. Snacks

If your youth group is like ours, you have a few members who are excellent bakers. Encourage them to share their kitchen skills with the entire group. Ask a few teens who like baking (or even just eating) to prepare the snacks for youth meetings and events.

5. Photographer

These days, taking amazing photos is easier than ever. Designate a few young people who have a heart for ministry and a creative eye to be your resident photographers. It’s a “snap” to find out who these folks are: Just check out their social media accounts or notice the camera (probably a phone) in their hand!

6. Prayer

I love when students lead our youth meetings in prayer. Ahead of time, ask teens who feel comfortable to pray in front of your group. Then give them the mic.

7. Social media

Encourage teens to take ownership of your youth group’s Facebook page and other social media. Have students update the platforms (under your direction) and share your ministry with the online community.

8. Connecting with other teens

Teens can come up with great ways to reach out to their peers. Allow students to lead your group in connecting with new students and also with those who might be missing in action.

9. Lead mission and service projects

Assemble students who are excited about missions or serving, and empower them to lead a project for the youth ministry. Coach them through all the logistics, but let them coordinate and oversee the projects.

10. Sharing

One of the best decisions I ever made was giving up the mic to allow teens to share talks or stories with the group. Definitely coach them ahead of time, but then empower them to teach or preach.

Encouraging and empowering young people to do the work of ministry goes a long way toward steering them away from being consumers. Providing youth ministry student roles helps mold kids into lifelong participants in God’s Kingdom.

What other youth ministry student roles do you recommend?

13 Christian Dad Memes That Perfectly Sum Up Christian Dad Life

By

Megan Briggs

-

July 3, 2021

These Christian Dad memes are hi-lar-i-ous! But let’s be serious for a while. Christian fathers don’t always get the accolades they deserve. A Christian dad’s job is often thankless, full of ups and downs, and well…church services. But nothing could entice this man away from being there for his family during all of this. He sticks to his post with perseverance.

In addition to the lack of accolades, a brief search on Google reveals there aren’t a lot of Christian dad memes, either. We’d like to fix this sad state of affairs. If anyone deserves a perfectly placed meme with the appropriate balance of wit and candor, it’s good old dad.

13 Christian Dad Memes (and gifs) That Perfectly Sum Up Christian Dad Life

Your daughter is your pride and joy. And nothing says “I love you” like the stranglehold of protection you lay down on her dating life.

You’re amazing, Dad, but even you get it wrong sometimes…

It’s a Herculean task, really. It’s not as simple as it sounds!

It’s ok, kids. That was totally Old Testament stuff! I would never think of doing that to you.

Volunteer for Sunday school they said. It’ll be fun they said. We really need a substitute they said. NEVER AGAIN.

Oh, the subtle art of appropriate sanctuary behavior. So hard to grasp oneself…even harder to teach.

Ouch. We’ve all been there…

Nurse Leads Korean Church’s Vaccine Ministry

By

Thomas Meloche

-

July 3, 2021

In March 2020, the world began responding to the threat of COVID-19, and churches and businesses temporarily shuttered their doors. Like many of his colleagues, the Rev. Chul-Ki Kim, pastor of Emmaus United Methodist Church in Richmond, Virginia, announced that in-person worship would be canceled starting March 15 and online services would begin.

The in-person service suspension, initially expected to last two weeks, stretched into four months. Bishop Sharma Lewis of the Virginia Conference encouraged her 1,100 congregations to organize Healthy Church Teams to coordinate pandemic-response efforts.

At Emmaus United Methodist Church, a Korean congregation, registered nurse Shin Hee Yu led an eight-member Healthy Church Team, which gradually expanded to 14 people.

Registered nurse Shin Hee Yu led the effort to vaccinate 100% of the members of her congregation at Emmaus United Methodist Church. Photo, courtesy of Shin Hee Yu.

The team translated COVID-related information and educational materials into Korean. The resources, provided by the annual conference, the state of Virginia and medical institutions, were delivered to the congregation through apps such as KakaoTalk. The team translated a detailed explanation of the coronavirus by Dr. Irene Ken.

Finally, following a Sunday drive-in service on June 7, 2020, Emmaus United Methodist Church resumed in-person services on July 12. The Healthy Church Team distributed guidelines in Korean to help the congregation prepare.

Various measures were taken to prevent spread of the disease. Church members completed a personal health checklist in Korean before attending in person. Other requirements included temperature checking, face-mask wearing and social distancing. Those who were not feeling well were urged to attend online services.

A member of the Healthy Church Team at Emmaus United Methodist Church checks the temperature of a member arriving to attend in-person service. Photo by the Rev. Thomas Kim, UM News.

“Out of the 100 members of the church, there was no confirmed case of COVID-19,” Yu said.

However, in January, due to a spike in cases in the community, Emmaus made the decision to stop in-person services.

When vaccinations for the public became available earlier this year, the Emmaus team changed its focus from sanitizing to vaccinating.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 175 million people, or 52.7% of Americans, have received at least one vaccination, and that more than 146 million people, or 44.1%, are fully vaccinated.

“I contacted each of the elderly members of the church through the phone to encourage them to get vaccinated,” Yu said. “For those who were uncomfortable using computers or who did not feel comfortable to speak English, I let them know that I was able to help them to make their appointments for vaccinations through the internet.”

Prior to resuming in-person services on March 21, Yu informed the congregation that more than 70% of the prospective in-person worshippers were fully vaccinated.

“This is the level at which herd immunity is possible, suggesting that it is relatively safe,” she said. Although the CDC said vaccinated people do not need to wear masks, the church urges all worshippers to continue to do so and to practice social distancing in worship and group meetings.

Members of Emmaus United Methodist Church worship together while following COVID-19 safety protocols in May. Members of the congregation wore face masks and practiced social distancing while a transparent screen stood in front of the altar. Photo by the Rev. Thomas Kim, UM News.

By March 31, 100% of members 65 years of age or older at Emmaus United Methodist Church were fully vaccinated. On April 1, all Sunday school teachers, Korean-language schoolteachers and church worship leaders completed their vaccinations.

When vaccinations for youth ages 12-16 became available, Yu and her team helped church young people to receive the vaccination. By April 30, every congregant age 12 and older was fully vaccinated. That’s more than 100 people.

“Having updated the vaccination status of the congregation,” Yu said, “I continued contacting local clinics and found any available vaccines because of a no-show or cancellation.”

Grace Bray, manager of The Little Clinic at Kroger, praised Yu’s vaccination ministry.

“She has been a champion to getting her church members vaccinated safely and timely,” Bray said. “Her ministry helped not only the members of Emmaus and their families, but also our clinic.”

This article originally appeared on UMNews.com. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.

Proud Father Teaches Son How to Stack Chairs in Front of Youth Group Girls

By

Babylon Bee

-

July 2, 2021

MEMPHIS, TN—According to sources, local dad Michael Stoutt is training up his son in the way he should go and teaching him how to be a man. Just as his father before him taught him the ways of chair-stacking at church, Michael is now teaching his son Marcus to stack chairs.

“Son, today I’m going to teach you one of the most important things you will learn as a young man,” said Michael Stoutt to his middle school son, Marcus. “Today I’m going to show you how to stack chairs.”

Ways to prepare to stack chairs

Michael explained that by stacking up chairs at his church youth group, Marcus could “wow” every girl in his class. “Once they see your strength and finesse, every girl is going to be interested in you. We’re gonna practice lifting chairs, stacking chairs, and carrying chairs,” continued Mr. Stoutt, explaining the core concepts of chair stacking.

Mr. Stoutt ran through several scenarios with his son to prepare him for whatever he might face. “Alright, I want to see some hustle! Now stack those chairs to the ceiling in under a minute!” Marcus’s father instructed. “Folding, metal, or wooden—no matter the chair, you need to be ready!”

When asked for comment after an intense stacking session, Mr. Stoutt immediately began welling up with tears. “I’m just so proud of my boy. Already he’s stacking those chairs higher and faster than his old man all those years ago.”

“Now son, one last thing: no matter the number of chairs you carry, never let them see you struggle!”

This satirical article about the “importance” of teaching youth group kids how to stack chairs originally appeared at the Babylon Bee.

Patriotism and the Church: Is It Too Much to Ask Churches to Be Careful?

By

Ed Stetzer

-

July 2, 2021

I recently wrote an article for Influence Magazine on patriotism and the church and wanted to add a few more thoughts.

As we celebrated Independence Day in the United States over the summer, I saw a lot of churches discussing America, God, and the Church, and how they fit together in the context of worship services. I want to challenge us towards a greater understanding of God’s kingdom in times of national celebration.

Patriotism and the Church: The Stats and the Concern

According to a LifeWay Research study, almost 90% of Protestant churches did something in their worship services to celebrate July 4th.

There is a statistic that brings an interesting fact to consider how and why the church is involved to such a large degree. Here it is:

53% of Protestant pastors say “our congregation sometimes seems to love America more than God.”

Image: Lifeway Research

Now, when I point out the dangers of mixing patriotism and worship, some people are just deeply offended. Well, I’m deeply offended too—by this statistic. And, you should be as well.

When 53% of pastors agree that sometimes their congregations love America more than God, that should be sounding alarm bells. That is what is compelling me to write.

Patriotism and the Church: Idolatry Is the Real Issue

To be blunt: anything that replaces a love of God is idolatry, and this needs to be addressed. It is our job as pastors to point people to Jesus and highlight idolatry in our lives, in our churches, and in our culture.

And, our hearts are idol factories, according to Calvin, so we are drawn to them.

I go on to explain why this statistic shouldn’t actually surprise us, in some ways:

As recently as 60 years ago, the church was the community center, the pastor was the representative of the community, and the church building was the largest public gathering hall in town…And [these things] made it instrumental in the forming of the American culture we understand today…America, God, and the church coalesced together in a symbiotic relationship.

America is perceived to be a Christian nation less because of the founding fathers’ intentional objectives, and more because of the passive role of the local church in shaping American culture.

This is a history that is both nuanced and fascinating to me, and we go more into detail in the full article at Influence Magazine. And it is this history that has conflated the worship of God and the worship of America. If your church has a regular habit of celebrating and singing about America and its greatness in the world, the line between God’s sovereignty over creation and America’s sovereignty as a creation will become blurry.

Race and the Church Podcast Series: Listen. Be Informed. Lead.

By

Jason Daye

-

July 2, 2021

In our latest podcast series, “Race and the Church,” we will explore how the church can pursue true racial reconciliation and solidarity.

Race is a conversation that is often fraught with difficulty. Even where we recognize trends in what different communities believe, people are complex and have differing perspectives within those communities. Nevertheless, as Christians, we believe that Jesus is the ultimate source of truth, justice, and redemption.

Working from that foundation, we are inviting trusted ministry leaders into conversation with us so that we can listen to and learn from them on this important subject. Some of the questions we explore are: how can believers pursue gospel-centered racial solidarity and what gets in the way of that pursuit? And what are the practical steps church leaders can take to address racial divides?

While a podcast series can only begin to scratch the surface of this complex topic, we hope you will find our series to be thought-provoking, encouraging, and informative.

John Onwuchekwa: Why ‘Racial Solidarity’ Is a Better Term Than ‘Racial Reconciliation’

John Onwuchekwa is a native of Houston, Texas, and was born into a Nigerian home where the gospel was cherished and modeled. After graduating from college, he continued his studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. John has served at churches in both Texas and Georgia, and in 2015, he and his family moved into the historic West End of Atlanta to help plant Cornerstone Church with their closest friends. John also serves on the board of directors for The Crete Collective, an organization that exists to establish gospel-driven churches in distressed and neglected Black and Brown communities. He and his wife, Shawndra, have been married since 2007. They welcomed their daughter, Ava, in 2017. John and Shawndra are eager to see the hope of the gospel restore a sense of family, dignity, and hope to their neighborhood through their local church of ordinary people.

Listen to John Onwuchekwa’s podcast on the ChurchLeaders Podcast today.

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With John Onwuchekwa

► Listen on Apple
► Listen on GooglePlay
► Listen on Spotify
► Listen on Stitcher
► Listen on YouTube

Raymond Chang: Global Christian Persecution Can Help You Understand Racism in America

Raymond Chang is a pastor, a writer, and the president and co-founder of the Asian American Christian Collaborative. He regularly preaches throughout the country on issues pertaining to Christianity and culture, race, and faith. Raymond has lived throughout the world and currently resides in Chicago, where he serves as a campus minister at Wheaton College. He is married to Jessica Chang, who serves as the Chief Advancement & Partnerships Officer of the Field School.

Listen to Raymond Chang’s podcast on the ChurchLeaders Podcast today.

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With Raymond Chang

► Listen on Apple
► Listen on GooglePlay
► Listen on Spotify
► Listen on Stitcher
► Listen on YouTube

Dennae Pierre: This One Thing Is Essential to Effective Racial Healing

Dennae Pierre is the executive director of the Surge Network in Phoenix, Ariz., and serves on the North American leadership team for Redeemer City to City. A graduate of Covenant Theological Seminary, Dennae has been involved in multi-ethnic church planting and community transformation for years and has recently been named co-director of The Crete Collective. She is the author of the book, “Healing Prayers & Meditations to Resist a Violent World.” Dennae is married to Vermon, and they have two sons and two daughters: Marcel, Mya, Judah and Jovanna.

Chick-fil-A Continues Reign as America’s Favorite Restaurant

By

Jesse T. Jackson

-

July 2, 2021

Chick-fil-A kept its title as America’s favorite fast food restaurant for the seventh-consecutive year, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI^®) Restaurant Study 2020-2021.

The ACSI reported: “Customer satisfaction is a driving force that impacts the financial outlook of individual firms and the health of the U.S. economy at large.” This year’s study interviewed 19,423 random customers who were contacted by email between April 1, 2020, and March 29, 2021.

The restaurant, known for its Christian values and top-notch customer, service fell from its 2020 ACSI score of 84 to 83, but still managed to lead the #1 full-service restaurant, LongHorn Steakhouse, which received a score of 81.

Despite being mocked by other fast food chains for closing on Sundays, those surveyed don’t seem to be bothered by the hours. Most recently, Burger King (12th on the list with an ACSI score of 76) took a shot at Chick-fil-A in a Twitter post that read, “the #ChKing says LGBTQ+ rights! during #pride month (even on Sundays ) your chicken sandwich craving can do good! We are making a donation* to @HRC for every Ch’King sold.”

Popeyes, the other fast food restaurant known for subtly shooting social media arrows toward its chicken sandwich competitor, was 19th on the survey. The Louisiana-based fried-chicken restaurant received am ACSI score of 73.

Chick-fil-A’s Strong Family Values

Chick-fil-A has always closed on Sunday since opening its first restaurant in 1946, a tradition started by founder S. Truett Cathy and continued to this day by his son and current CEO Dan Cathy. The website explains why they are closed on Sundays, stating that their founder recognized the importance of Sundays being a day set aside so he and his employees could rest and worship if they choose.

In a Baptist Press article, Dan Cathy commented on Chick-fil-A’s support of the traditional family. “Well, guilty as charged,” Cathy said. “We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.”

“We operate as a family business,” he continued. “Our restaurants in Charleston SC, as well as other locations, are typically led by families; some are single. We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that…we intend to stay the course,” Cathy said. “We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles.”

In 2020, the company announced it was refocusing its charitable giving to battle hunger, homelessness, and support education. With the new focus, Chick-fil-A will no longer contribute funds to Fellowship of Christian Athletes or the Salvation Army, two organizations publicly scrutinized because of their anti-LGBTQ positions.

The announcement came after various venues and cities banned the restaurant because of its “biblical marriage” stance.

EXCLUSIVE: SBC Abuse Survivor Anne Miller Speaks Out on Day Abuser’s Sentence Is Expunged

By

ChurchLeaders

-

July 2, 2021

Sexual abuse survivor Anne Miller talks to ChurchLeaders as her abuser, Mark Aderholt, is released from his sentencing and his criminal record is expunged.

ChurchLeaders note: A 2019 case that sparked soul-searching and studies into how the Southern Baptist Convention—and specifically its International Missions Board—handles sexual abuse claims concluded in a Texas courtroom with former IMB missionary Mark Aderholt, then 47, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault causing bodily injury. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, fined $4,000, and given 24 months deferred adjudication, a type of probation that allows for his record to be cleared if he complies with terms. Today, July 2, 2021, Aderholt will be released from his sentencing and his record expunged. His victim, Anne Miller, responds.

Anne Miller Reflects on Her Journey

ChurchLeaders: What are your thoughts and feelings today, knowing that your abuser is being released from his sentencing and having his record expunged?

Miller: Throughout the criminal investigation, I learned just how complex our justice system is. There are many people who say Aderholt’s punishment doesn’t fit the crime, and I know that’s discouraging and I agree with them.

After Aderholt’s arrest until his sentencing (about a year) the assistant DA I worked with and I always planned on the case going to an open trial (by judge) or a jury trial. At the very last minute, Aderholt’s defense attorney asked the prosecutors for a plea deal. The DA’s office took my input seriously as they determined what to do. We knew we had a strong case—the evidence was so compelling that the Grand Jury who indicted him actually added a fourth felony charge in addition to the three he was arrested for—but the trial process would be lengthy and emotionally re-traumatizing. I had to consider my own health, how the trial would affect my daughter (who was three at the time), what it would be like to have every recollection of my abuse on public record where anybody could read about what happened in detail, the financial cost from spending time away from work and nursing school. It seemed as if the wisest choice for me would be to support the plea deal. I knew he would be pleading guilty to an assault charge (albeit a misdemeanor) and serving a maximum sentence for that, and I knew at the end of it, as long as he followed the terms of his probation, his criminal record would be clear. A trial could not guarantee a guilty outcome, and would never allow me to hear him admit guilt, regardless of how strong the evidence is. Hearing him say, “Guilty” and facing some criminal consequence was worth the trade-off to me.

I feel fortunate that my case was able to make it through to the point of a hearing/sentencing. So many cases don’t get reported, and if they do, they don’t make it past reporting, much less an investigation, an arrest, an indictment, and going back and forth with defense attorneys and prosecutors. Even though I sometimes wish I would have gone through with the trial, I still fully support the DA’s office for making the choice they did with my wellbeing in mind. At the end of the day, if the “justice” of a trial cost me my health, my ability to be present with my daughter, and my livelihood, would that really be justice for me at all?

ChurchLeaders: Has this experience affected your faith in the system or in God?

Miller: Since the abuse happened when I was 16, my faith journey has been all over the place. I grew up in the church as an SBC preacher’s kid and saw my family get hurt by church politics. With the abuse, I began to see God as removed from our lives on Earth—the existential, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” ideology. During the time around the criminal trial, seeing both evangelical and Catholic sex abuse scandals fly out from the dark and hearing so many harrowing stories, my faith in the church suffered. It was requiring mainstream media to put our stories in the spotlight for any action to be taken when it should be the church proactively protecting us from the beginning and helping us heal through the rest. I shared some of my thoughts with Rachel Martin on NPR’s Morning Edition, and listening to it now in hindsight, I can viscerally feel the grief I hear in my voice when I talk about how broken my faith seemed to be.

After the criminal investigation, reading Aderholt my victim statement, and seeing him in person for the first time in 22 years, I began healing in ways I didn’t know were possible. Over the last two years, my faith in God has changed and grown into something beautiful that I never expected. I’ve tempered my realism with more optimism. While his sentencing ends today and it brings up memories and emotions I’ve not felt in a while, I know God is always fighting for his children, those who are vulnerable. I’ve seen good people do good things, and that has restored a lot of my hope.

At the beginning of Genesis, we read of a number of extraordinarily long lives at the beginning of human history.

Walk with us through these 5 steps to a successful youth ministry parent meeting:

1. Inspire, don’t just inform.

2. Offer advance notice.

3. Consider various communication modes.

4. Have fun!

5. Highlight and celebrate parents.

How to Make a Lord’s Prayer Craft Bracelet

Here’s the text—and the bead colors you’ll need to complete this Lord’s Prayer craft bracelet:

Hobby Lobby Ad Gets Backlash

The Weight Is on Us

Pray for Your Pastor

Can You Pass the Timothy Test?

1. Are you calmly facing the stresses of your ministry?

2. Are you enduring hardship well?

What does a person need in order to have eternal life through Jesus Christ?

Have you ever been there as a parent? Have you wondered how to discipline with love?

Here are three super simple but important steps for how to discipline with love:

1. Talk with the child.

2. Pray with them.

3. Love on them.

10 youth ministry student roles that teens can fill:

1. Announcements

2. Games

3. Greeters

4. Snacks

5. Photographer

6. Prayer

7. Social media

8. Connecting with other teens

9. Lead mission and service projects

10. Sharing

13 Christian Dad Memes (and gifs) That Perfectly Sum Up Christian Dad Life

Ways to prepare to stack chairs

Patriotism and the Church: The Stats and the Concern

Patriotism and the Church: Idolatry Is the Real Issue

John Onwuchekwa: Why ‘Racial Solidarity’ Is a Better Term Than ‘Racial Reconciliation’

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With John Onwuchekwa

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With Raymond Chang

Chick-fil-A’s Strong Family Values

Anne Miller Reflects on Her Journey

New Articles

New Podcasts