When It All Still Hurts a Month After Easter

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May 22, 2020

It’s a month after Easter, and the resurrection has been sung about, preached about, and celebrated. And yet, the world is still bruised.

As one writer has said, we are Easter people living in a Good Friday world. At least for now, we still live with the groans spoken of in Romans 8, the thorns in the flesh spoken of in 2 Corinthians 12, the sorrows and fears spoken of in the Psalms, and the death, mourning, crying, and pain spoken of in Revelation 21.

With or without a pandemic, the mortality rate is still one person for every one person. Some are afraid to die, while others are even more afraid to continue living.

And it shouldn’t be lost on us that after Jesus rose from the dead, one by one, each one of Jesus’ disciples walked a path that led to martyrdom. The only one who was spared was John, who died as an unjustly incarcerated man.

The following reflection is written with all of these past and present realities in mind.

Horatio Spafford, an attorney and minister, was also a man who knew suffering. After losing four daughters in a tragic Atlantic Ocean shipwreck, he lamented his “sorrows like sea billows” through the writing of a now-famous hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul.” This particular hymn has resonated throughout the generations, especially during unprecedented times like these as the world battles a global pandemic. Just days ago, some of our friends and Nashville neighbors posted a masterful rendition of the hymn as a gift to us in a season of anxiety and lament.

Like most time-tested hymns, as well as every book of the Bible, “It Is Well” was created from a place of deep pain. Whenever our church sings it together, I look around the congregation to see how it is impacting our people. Without fail, those who sing the hymn with the most gusto are the sufferers. People battling cancer, mental illness, addiction, bereavement, social rejection, unemployment, COVID-19 fears, and any number of other trials, bellow the lyrics in such a way that says, “This is my song.”

What enables these afflicted souls to keep singing? What empowers them to keep hoping, to keep believing and to keep pressing forward in the face of gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, life-busting circumstances and cry out from the gut, “It is well…?” It is nothing more and nothing less than the promises of Scripture passed on to us by fellow sufferers, combined with the animating work of the Holy Spirit pressing these promises into their hearts and daily lives.

At Christ Presbyterian Church, the family of believers in Nashville that I have the privilege of serving as pastor, there are scores of people who have endured deep sorrow and loss and who have done so exceptionally well. It’s not that these men and women have denied suffering or somehow swept its assaulting realities under the rug. Like Jesus at the tomb of his friend Lazarus, they have let themselves feel the anger and sadness of their losses, with weeping and even an anger that says, “This is not ok. This is not how things are supposed to be.” Along with this, they have also joined the chorus first penned by the Apostle Paul when he wrote, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). With similar strength, the oft-persecuted and maligned and imprisoned and thorn-in-the-flesh assaulted Apostle wrote:

“We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).

My friend and singer-songwriter, Sandra McCracken Nicholson, captures this sentiment marvelously in her song, “Fools Gold,” in which she sings, “If it’s not okay, then it is not the end. And this is not okay, so I know this is not the end.” Put another way, while death, mourning, crying, pain, sorrow, and pandemics may afflict us for a time, they do not get to dictate God’s storyline.

All believers in Christ are currently living in a middle chapter of God’s Story. The middle chapters, like all good stories, are fraught with drama and setback and angst and loss. And yet, the final chapter — which happens to be a chapter that has already been written — is the chapter of “world without end.” It is the chapter that goes on forever, and that promises what another singer-songwriter friend, Jeremy Casella, calls, “death in reverse.” Indeed, it turns out that Tolkein’s notion of everything sad coming untrue…is true. And C.S. Lewis’ parallel notion of the last and everlasting chapter being one in which every day is better than the day before…is also true.

As a pastor, I’ve had the privilege of sitting with people in their final moments. These are valiant souls facing our worst and final enemy with both sobriety and hope. Deteriorating from terminal cancer, the 35-year old Brian says to me, “I’ve learned to thank God for the good I cannot see.” Al, another cancer victim in his early sixties, pledges to wear his “Happy Socks” every day for the remainder of his life as a reminder that sickness, sorrow, pain and death will not get the last word…but resurrection will. Susan, a third cancer victim, peacefully thanks God for the life he has given her, plans her own funeral — the players, the songs and hymns, the Scriptures — with a note of joy that she, through her own death, will get to tell those she leaves behind one more time that “it is well” because of Christ who died, who is risen, and who will come again. John, who is fading rapidly in the later stages of ALS, says that he is just as happy now as he has ever been. “I’ve been a Bible reader all of my life,” he says, “and somewhere along the way, I guess it all sunk in.” Janet, whose dementia is progressing quickly, says that her greatest fear is that she will forget Jesus. Her husband grabs her hand and reminds her that even if she does forget Jesus, Jesus will never forget her.

And the saints cry, “It is well, it is well with my soul.”

For better and for worse, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, may we never forget — especially in times of pandemic, instability, loss, and even death — that the promises of God remain true yesterday, today and forever. Not one of those promises risks being negated by horrible circumstances or tragedies, even by losses as tragic as those endured by Horatio Spafford and his wife. In fact, such tragedies, in the hearts and through the stories and lyrics of hope written, have the effect of establishing the promises of God. While there are things that can temporarily “distance” us from our health, our family and friends, our financial security, and even from this world, nothing in all creation will ever be able to distance us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. If this was true for Paul who “faced death all day long,” then it must also be true for us.

Indeed, this pandemic and all other forms of pandemonium are not okay. And if it’s not okay, then it is not the end.

This article about it is well originally appeared here.

7 Ways to Engage Kids Who Are Easily Distracted

By

Dale Hudson

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May 21, 2020

From the time they are toddling around, today’s kids are immersed in a digital world. From being entertained by Mom’s iPad to watching countless TV shows on networks designed just for them, they are constantly distracted. It’s hard to figure out how to help a child focus when they are used to distractions.

And they bring those very short, easily distracted attention spans to your ministry.

So…how can you engage the distracted generation and effectively communicate God’s Word to them? Here are 7 ways…

How To Help A Child Focus

1. Encourage dialogue.

Ask open-ended questions and follow-up questions
Listen to their responses

2. Build relationships.

The way to capture a child’s attention is through their heart.

Show them you care
Invest in them

3. Give them clear expectations.

Tell them upfront when you want them to talk and when you want them to listen

4. Use hands-on, real-life examples.

Teaching about faith being like a mustard seed? let them touch and feel a real mustard seed

5. Use cooperative learning.

Give them projects and activities that require them to work together

6. Use peer-to-peer learning.

Allow them to teach each other what you taught them
Retention rate goes up to 90% when kids teach each other

7. Use different learning styles.

This allows all the kids to learn in a way that is comfortable to them.

If you’re looking for more ways to get kids to pay attention, here’s a list of 12 easy ways. Another great idea is to make sure your children’s ministry is really thriving. Try a kids’ focus group to help evaluate your ministry.

Having a child with focus issues can have its difficulties, but if you follow these tips you can help them grow in their attention span and focusing abilities, their maturity level, their self-esteem, and as a person overall.

Feel free to leave a comment below about any other tips you have or that other leaders might find useful when helping a child with focusing issues.

We Can’t Help it: It’s Pentecost

By

Andrew Hess

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May 21, 2020

5 Rules For Zoom Newbies To Share With Your Staff

By

Bryan Haley

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May 21, 2020

Editor’s Note: Is it possible that there are still Zoom newbies out there? Incredibly, Yes! Contributor Bryan Haley from Reframe Media’s ChurchJuice website has assembled a list of basics every user should know. Why not share them — and require them — for everyone on your staff?

Are you new to Zoom? Video conferencing can be a great way to keep people engaged, even when we’re practicing social distancing.

There are alternatives to Zoom, of course. If you’re looking for other options, check out Google’s Hangouts Meet, join.me, and Skype. But Zoom is what we are receiving the most questions about right now—and it’s what our ReFrame Media team uses on a daily basis.

So here are 5 rules for Zoom newbies:

Mute Yourself

Zoom newbies: When you enter a meeting, mute your audio right away. Only unmute your audio when you’re ready to speak. Unmuting yourself is like the digital equivalent to raising your hand—it lets the host know you would like to speak. Have something quick to add to the conversation? Pressing the spacebar is like push-to-talk. It temporarily unmutes your audio.

Pro Tip: When you create a Zoom meeting, you can select an option to automatically mute everyone’s audio when they join the call.

Turn on Your Video

Zoom newbies: Make sure your video is on when you join a Zoom call. But remember that your video is on! I was recently on a call with dozens of people, and one person had his video on but clearly forgot people could see him—we watched him pick his nose throughout the entire meeting! Don’t be that guy. Turning your video on helps other people on the call know that you’re there and engaged in the conversation. It might be a good idea to invest in a slightly better webcam, too, so that people can enjoy your smiling face even more.

Use the Chat Feature

Zoom newbies: The chat feature is an oft-overlooked addition to a Zoom call. Rather than having everyone on the call try to talk over each other, use the chat box to take a poll, ask for opinions, or have people add their prayer requests. Then the host can go through and address the items that need attention.

The Free Account Is Probably All You Need

Zoom newbies: If you want to have group meetings that last more than 40 minutes, you’ll need one paid account for the person creating the meeting. If you’re going to have more than 100 people on the call, you’ll need to look at the paid options for the host, too. But for the vast majority of situations, your Zoom call will involve less than 100 people and will last less than 40 minutes—and if that’s the case, you don’t need to pay for an account.

Pro Tip: One-on-one meetings are not limited by time, even on the free account.

Only Password-Protect Your Highly Sensitive Meetings

Zoom newbies: Adding a password to enter your Zoom call is just one more barrier for entry. So don’t do it. Keep things as simple as possible. When you create a Zoom meeting, you have the option to add a password. The only time I suggest adding a password is if you have lots of people utilizing the same Zoom account, and you want to be sure that only certain people are able to join a specific meeting. For example, if all of your church staff has access to the church’s Zoom meetings—but you need to have a senior leadership meeting—that might be worth adding a password. Otherwise, keep it simple.

Do you have questions about how to utilize Zoom for your ministry? Did we miss a tip you think should be added? Add a comment below and let us know!

By the way, join our daily Zoom call for church communicators at 2pm ET! Each day we are coming together to encourage one another, brainstorm, problem-solve, and pray. It’s a great time to be in community with other church communicators.

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

8 Virtual Icebreakers to Get Teens Talking

By

Megan Briggs

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May 21, 2020

The challenge of making teens comfortable enough to share their thoughts and feelings during youth group meetings has been a thorn in the side of youth pastors for decades now. But with our current social distancing restrictions in place and many youth groups meeting virtually, this challenge has been taken to a whole new level: How do you break the ice on a Zoom call? Enter virtual icebreakers.

Any youth pastor worth his or her salt knows that a well-timed and thoughtful icebreaker can represent a fast-track to getting teens to open up a little. Which is why we’ve put together seven virtual icebreakers to help your teens feel more comfortable in virtual meetings—even the introverts.

8 Virtual Icebreakers for Youth Group Meetings

1. Agree or Disagree

This game is perfect for getting your teens to start thinking about the topic of discussion for the meeting. You may have used this icebreaker or participated in it before in a physical setting. Participants are presented with a statement and asked whether they agree or disagree with it. Those who agree are asked to move to one side of the room and those who disagree move to the opposite. Participants can also add nuance to their responses by moving somewhere in between the two sides.

For a Zoom call or virtual meeting, participants can express their level of approval or disapproval with their fingers. One finger up means strongly disagreeing while five fingers up means strongly agreeing. Have each of your teens hold their response (hand) up to the camera after you read the statement.

The statement is where you can work your lesson or the theme of the meeting into the game. Perhaps you’re discussing ways prayer can help combat anxiety during that meeting. A statement such as “I’ve never had a bad prayer time” might be a good place to kick the evening off. After students show their responses, go down the list of participants, noting (verbally) each of their responses. Ask each one if they’d like to comment on why they responded the way they did. If a student doesn’t want to share, no worries! Simply move on to the next one.

2. Two Truths and a Lie

You may be familiar with this game as well, which can be used in a physical gathering. For this game, each participant tells the group three things about him or herself: two of those things are true and one is a lie. After the participant has said his or her three things, have the group vote (using their fingers) on which statement they think is the lie. As the leader, figure out the consensus of the group and announce it. “Ok, I guess most of us think statement two is the lie. Were we right?” Then the participant explains which statement was the lie. This can get interesting if the participant has a really amazing true statement or two thrown in there and leaves the whole group stumped. It’s a good idea to have your statements ready beforehand so you can go first to demonstrate how the game works.

3. Sketch your neighbor

(This idea taken from Beth Kanter’s blog)

This is a great game to get teens to laugh. Have each student grab a piece of paper and writing utensil. If you’re using Zoom, there is a grid function that allows you to see each of the meeting’s participants in a grid. Using this function, assign each person another person to sketch. For instance, you might look at the grid and have each person sketch the person on their right. Then message each participant individually (don’t send to the whole group) and tell them who they should sketch. Give the students two minutes to sketch their person. When time’s up, call out participants one by one to hold up his or her sketch. The rest of the group has the task of guessing who the object of the sketch is. This will likely get a good laugh unless, of course, the participant is a talented artist. Make sure to communicate to your students that this is all in fun and that no one is expected to be perfect.

4. Introduce your pet

This may seem a little juvenile to have students show the group their family pet, but honestly, who doesn’t like to see a dog or cat video? Most teens are keen to show off their pets, too, just as many adults are. If a student doesn’t have a pet, have him or her show a picture of a pet they once had and tell the group something about the animal. If they’ve never had a pet, have them describe the kind of pet they would like to get one day.

Arson Fire Destroys Mississippi Church That Fought to Reopen

By

Stephanie Martin

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May 21, 2020

Arson is suspected in an early-morning fire that destroyed First Pentecostal Church (FPC) in Holly Springs, Mississippi, on Wednesday. In the church parking lot, investigators found graffiti reading, “Bet you stay home now you hypokrits [sic].”

For the past month, FPC has been in a legal battle with the city of Holly Springs, which deemed churches nonessential in its stay-at-home order even though Republican Gov. Tate Reeves had deemed them essential. Investigators haven’t linked the court fight with the arson but are offering a reward for tips in the case.

Church Has ‘no enemies that we know of’

Pastor Jerry Waldrop, who’s led FPC for 31 years, says church leadership has “racked our brains” but not come up with “anyone that we even think could be capable of doing something like this.” The church has “no enemies that we know of,” he adds.

Waldrop, who’s determined to rebuild, says FPC has “a tight group that’s been faithful” and will use “whatever means is necessary” to start over. The pastor wouldn’t comment on his church’s lawsuit, which was awaiting a ruling on an emergency appeal.

City Attorney Shirley Byers claims that 35 to 40 congregants attended an Easter-weekend worship service at FPC and didn’t maintain proper distancing. The church was cited for violating the Holly Springs emergency order, which temporarily banned in-person gatherings. (In late April, the order was changed to permit drive-thru services.)

In its complaint against the city, the church says it held outdoor services when weather allowed and practiced social distancing indoors during poor weather. FPC claims that police officers interrupted a midweek Bible study as well as the Easter service.

Governor: ‘What is this pandemic doing to us?’

News of the suspected arson is “distressing” to Stephen Crampton, the church’s attorney. The church, he says, has been “grieving the inability to gather as a congregation since the COVID-19 pandemic stay-home orders forced the closure of their church home, and now they must grieve the loss of this spiritual home, their place of worship.”

Crampton says police officers threatened Bible study attendees and churchgoers, making them fearful to meet in person. “These were outrageous violations of these parishioners’ rights,” he says, adding that everyone was complying with safety requirements.

Speaking with Fox News, Crampton says FPC had been the target of “bad comments” on social media during the recent legal proceedings. “I don’t think it’s any secret that there’s a growing hostility toward churches across the board,” he says. “And now, here are churches…that are sort of stirring up the waters by being outspoken and somewhat firm about seeking to protect their Constitutional rights.”

Crampton, who works with the Thomas More Society, adds, “There is just a segment [of the population] that takes issue with the church standing up, and the church just being the church.”

This morning, Gov. Reeves tweeted: “I am heartbroken and furious. In Mississippi, a church was just burned to the ground. They had been trying to open services.” He added, “What is this pandemic doing to us? We need prayer for this country.”

Ravi Zacharias Tributes Continue to Pour In

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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May 21, 2020

Editor’s Note: After the publishing of this article, an independent investigation found allegations implicating Ravi Zacharias of sexual abuse to be credible. Prior to this report, ChurchLeaders had published multiple articles about Ravi Zacharias and his ministry. Although our editorial team believes his work still has value since it involved articulating the truths of God’s Word, we would be remiss not to disclose the painful truth of Mr. Zacharias’ personal actions that have come to light following his death. For further reading, please see: Sexting, Spiritual Abuse, Rape: Devastating Full Report on Ravi Zacharias Released The Story Behind the Ravi Zacharias Allegations (Part 1): Lawsuits, NDAs, and Email Threads The Story Behind the Ravi Zacharias Allegations (Part 2): ‘Cursory’ Investigations and More Accusations

On the morning of May 17, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) posted on their site that one of the great apologists of our era, Ravi Zacharias, had entered the throne room of Jesus Christ after battling a rare form of cancer. ChurchLeaders.com reported last week that Zacharias’ daughter, Sarah Davis, posted that her father had returned home to Atlanta, Georgia, to be with family until Jesus took him home.

After the news of Zacharias’ diagnosis, many tributes started to appear on social media thanking Zacharias for the impact he has had on so many people. Tim Tebow and Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae posted videos last week.

Ravi Zacharias was a Indian-born Canadian-American Christian apologist. He was a world-wide evangelist, and authored over 30 books. Zacharias founded Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) in 1984. According to RZIM’s website they have nearly 100 speakers that address students on college campuses, government officials, business leaders, and people in the arts for the gospel of Jesus Christ. RZIM academy has trained over 10,000 people in apologetics.

Ravi Zacharias Tributes

Here are just some of the many people around the world expressing their deep appreciation for the life of Ravi Zacharias that God blessed us with.

Vice President Mike Pence: “Deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Ravi Zacharias…”

Deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Ravi Zacharias, a Christian apologist whose ministry for the gospel of Jesus Christ impacted millions around the world. Ravi was a man of faith who could “rightly handle the word of truth” like few others in our time & he was my friend.
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) May 19, 2020

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany: “Billy Graham was the great Evangelist. Ravi Zacharias was the great apologist.”

‘God’s Not Dead’ actor Kevin Sorbo: ” Classy man. You should look at his speeches.”

Classy man. You should look at his speeches. I met him a few years ago at Oxford. RIP, Ravi.

Ravi Zacharias Dies of Cancer https://t.co/5nABYyFixD via @CTmagazine
— Kevin Sorbo (@ksorbs) May 20, 2020

Pastor John Hagee: “My friend, Ravi Zacharias, has heard the words we all long to hear — ‘Well done, good and faithful servant…'”

My friend, Ravi Zacharias, has heard the words we all long to hear — ‘Well done, good and faithful servant…' (Matt. 25:21) I pray for his loved ones who grieve over their loss that they may find joy in the hope that we will all see him again in our home in heaven. pic.twitter.com/7LZz6xQ4R9
— Pastor John Hagee (@PastorJohnHagee) May 19, 2020

Dave Ramsey: ” Incredible man of faith, with amazing ability to communicate and with a world class intellect.”

RIP Ravi Zacharias. Incredible man of faith, with amazing ability to communicate and with a world class intellect. Graduating too young at 74.
— Dave Ramsey (@DaveRamsey) May 19, 2020

Lee Strobel: “…he found hope and purpose through Christ and became a renowned evangelist.”

If you or someone you know is wrestling with depression, consider this: @RaviZacharias attempted suicide at 17. But he found hope and purpose through Christ and became a renowned evangelist. There’s hope for all through Jesus!
— Lee Strobel (@LeeStrobel) May 19, 2020

David Platt: “Add my name to the list of countless people whose lives have been shaped by the Influence of @RaviZacharias.”

Add my name to the list of countless people whose lives have been shaped by the Influence of @RaviZacharias. He joins a great cloud of witnesses in Heaven who beckon us to proclaim the truth and grace of Christ with passion on earth. https://t.co/bETd4w9jPK
— David Platt (@plattdavid) May 19, 2020

Josh McDowell: “He has been an incredible source of Truth as an evangelist to the thinking person.”

.@RaviZacharias will be greatly missed by family, friends & all who thirst after Truth. He has been an incredible source of Truth as an evangelist to the thinking person. Ravi exemplified Christ as a husband, a father, a friend, and an advocate of having a "thinking faith." Josh pic.twitter.com/U657QwMSJB
— Josh McDowell (@josh_mcdowell) May 19, 2020

Samuel Rodriguez: “A true world changer that advanced the gospel of Jesus like few others.”

Ravi Zacharias, a teacher of truth, a preacher of hope, a builder of wisdom, an equipper of faith, a disciple of grace, a follower of Christ, a friend of God; a true world changer that advanced the gospel of Jesus like few others. #ravizacharias pic.twitter.com/u1FuOP737G
— Samuel Rodriguez (@nhclc) May 19, 2020

Franklin Graham: “@RaviZacharias, one of the great Christian apologists of our time, has stepped into the streets of glory & into the presence of the King of kings & Lord of lords.”

.@RaviZacharias, one of the great Christian apologists of our time, has stepped into the streets of glory & into the presence of the King of kings & Lord of lords. He is pictured here w/me & our friend, Sami Dagher, in 2017 at the World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians. pic.twitter.com/cjLdTGulmQ
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) May 19, 2020

Jackie Hill Perry: “For anybody who was impacted by Ravi, today we grieve but not without hope.”

Rest well Ravi ❤️ pic.twitter.com/cGcri8hoEQ
— Jackie Hill Perry (@JackieHillPerry) May 19, 2020

Louie Giglio: “I join the thunderous applause of Heaven.”

View this post on Instagram

// h u m b l e g i a n t // I join the thunderous applause of Heaven. Ravi Zacharias March 26, 1946 – May 19, 2020 #thankyouravi @rzimhq

A post shared by Louie Giglio (@louiegiglio) on May 19, 2020 at 5:22am PDT

Tim Tebow: “To my friend, my mentor and a great hero of the faith @RaviZacharias – Thank you.”

View this post on Instagram

#ThankYouRavi

A post shared by Tim Tebow (@timtebow) on May 19, 2020 at 7:51am PDT

NFL Pro Ben Watson: “Thank you Ravi for being steadfast and faithful in your calling and for demonstrating Christ’s love in explaining our hope!”

View this post on Instagram

Woke up today incredibly grateful for men like @ravizacharias who exhort instruct and challenge us all in truth and love. Thank you Ravi for being steadfast and faithful in your calling and for demonstrating Christ’s love in explaining our hope! I count myself among the millions who have been impacted by your voice, your life and your legacy. Now enjoy the glorious presence of our wonderful Savior!! Well done good and faithful servant. We rejoice in sadness. Your family and ministry will remain in our prayers.

A post shared by benjaminswatson (@benjaminswatson) on May 19, 2020 at 8:16am PDT

Kirk Franklin: “Today one of my heroes left his earthly tent to be with the living word.”

View this post on Instagram

Today one of my heroes left his earthly tent to be with the living word. We will miss this genius of a man…Well Done sir🙏🏾@ravizacharias

A post shared by Kirk Franklin (@kirkfranklin) on May 19, 2020 at 8:16am PDT

David Crowder: “Today heaven rejoices and welcomes home a giant of the faith.”

View this post on Instagram

Today heaven rejoices and welcomes home a giant of the faith. Today we miss and mourn the loss of a friend and a teacher. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ “When you come to a religion, you come to a place. When you come to Jesus Christ, you come to a person.” Ravi Zacharias Today Ravi meets Jesus in person. That’s amazing.

A post shared by Crowder (@crowder) on May 19, 2020 at 6:21am PDT

Greg Laurie: “We lost a real treasure and champion of the faith today.”

We lost a real treasure and champion of the faith today. @RaviZacharias has gone to Heaven. Ravi was scheduled to speak at our Church this month, but that was meant to be. Thank God for the thousands of lives he touched.
— Greg Laurie (@greglaurie) May 19, 2020

Many more can be found on Twitter under the hashtag #RaviZacharias. This article originally appeared here.

Pastor Todd Tilghman Is the New Winner of ‘The Voice’

By

Jessica Mouser

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May 21, 2020

Todd Tilghman, a pastor, husband, and father of eight, has just become the new champion on NBC’s The Voice. The 42-year-old told Access Hollywood that the entire experience has been extremely surreal.

“Honestly, I think it’s going to take some time for me to even realize that I was on The Voice at all, much less like, I won the entire thing,” said the pastor. “Honestly, I’m just really grateful. I don’t know another word to say.”

Tilghman leads Cornerstone Church in Meridian, Mississippi, and he and his family gathered in the church building Tuesday night to await the final results. Tilghman said he blacked out when he heard his name, as his family shouted and celebrated around him.

And the WINNER of #TheVoice is… 🥁 pic.twitter.com/H3QahVm3oI

— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) May 20, 2020

The pastor and his wife plan to use his winnings to take their kids to Disneyland. “That’s all the prize money right there, plus some,” said Tilghman, laughing.

Pastor Todd Tilghman Crushes It on ‘The Voice’

Tilghman was one of five finalists who competed in the show’s finale, which also featured performances from artists such as Bon Jovi, Lady Antebellum, and the Jonas Brothers. Since social distancing measures have gone into place, the contestants and judges have been appearing on the show virtually from their respective homes.

“It was like magic, what they did to make [the finale] happen,” said Tilghman. “Because it wasn’t like there was this one control center somewhere in California and then we’re all in our own hometown. No, literally, almost every single person working on this was working from home. You know? And so it was insane.”

During the finale, Tilghman performed MercyMe’s “I Can Only Imagine,” an original called “Long Way Home,” and John Mellencamp’s “Authority Song,” which was a duet with Tilghman’s Voice coach, Blake Shelton.

The pastor’s performance of “I Can Only Imagine” moved show judge Kelly Clarkson to tears. She said, “You’re so moving, and it’s because you’re a pastor, it’s because you have such a bigger belief inside of you than just yourself…I would love to come to your church just to hear you speak, not only sing. You’re very special.” Tilghman responded, “You’re invited! You’re special.”

Shelton concurred with Clarkson, saying, “You sing with so much passion, so much precision, you’re just a special dude, man, and America agrees. That’s why you’re in this finale, so congratulations.”

Tilghman has never received professional training and had never even performed before appearing on The Voice. He wowed the show’s judges with his blind audition, receiving a “four-chair turn.” The pastor credits his wife and high school sweetheart with giving him the encouragement he needed to go through with auditioning. “My wife, Brooke, told me I would regret it if I didn’t go,” he said. “Thank God for her and thank God I changed my mind.”

On Twitter, Tilghman expressed how grateful he is for his experience.

I wish I knew how to say thank you. And I wish y’all knew how much I respect and admire my new friends and fellow artists/contestants on @NBCTheVoice. I don’t know how long it’ll take me to process, but I sure am #grateful for every moment. @blakeshelton #TheVoice

— Todd Tilghman (@todd_tilghman) May 20, 2020

The pastor’s original song became the number one song on iTunes overnight following his performance.

Glenn Packiam: Racial Healing Is Not a Sidebar to the Gospel

By

Jessica Mouser

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May 21, 2020

The shooting of Ahmaud Arbery shocked the nation, and church leaders of different ethnicities widely condemned the killing. But what can believers and pastors—particularly those of us who are white—learn from that incident in order to move toward racial healing in its aftermath? Glenn Packiam, who is an Associate Senior Pastor at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, believes it is crucial to recognize that our need for racial reconciliation is first and foremost a need for the gospel.

“When we understand Jesus as the King who tears down these divisions and creates a new community in his name,” said Packiam in an interview with ChurchLeaders, “then all of sudden, we start thinking about racial reconciliation not as some sort of sidebar, hobby interest, or social agenda, but we see it as, ‘This is what the gospel does.’”

Arbery’s Death and Our Need for Racial Healing

Ahmaud Arbery’s killing has generated outrage for several reasons, not least of which is that two white men chased down and shot a black man. The shooters, who allegedly suspected Arbery of committing burglaries in the area, were armed, but reports do not indicate that Arbery was. He was out jogging when the two men cornered and killed him. What’s more, the men who shot Arbery were only arrested after video footage of the incident was leaked months after the shooting occurred. Some have pointed out that Arbery had a criminal record, but there is nothing in our laws that justifies two people tracking down and shooting someone simply because they suspect him of committing a crime. In an article responding to Arbery’s killing, Dr. Russell Moore said, “The arguments, already bandied about on social media, that ‘Arbery wasn’t a choirboy’ are revolting.”

In Packiam’s view, the encouraging part about the church’s response to Arbery’s shooting is how many people from different backgrounds and ethnicities were willing to publicly voice their outrage and grief. But, the pastor pointed out, it is tragic that it takes an extreme situation for so many people from the majority culture to speak out against racism. “When you listen to what African Americans describe as their experience,” he said, “they would say, ‘Well, actually, this stuff happens in small ways every day of our lives.’”

Something else to consider is this: Even though we are outraged now, are those of us in the majority culture going to stop thinking about racial injustice as the days go by simply because we are unaffected by it? “We respond when there’s a clear wrong,” said Packiam, “but are we equally empathetic, and are we equally aware of the experience of African Americans on a daily basis?”

Bringing Racial Healing by Being the Church

To help bring racial healing to our society and our congregations, said Packiam, we first need to recognize that only the gospel can truly bridge the separations between us. “The only way walls of division get torn down,” he said, “the only way reconciliation truly happens is in Jesus Christ.

Breaking down the walls that exist between people is inherently part of what it means to be the church. For a biblical basis for this point, we need only look to the early church, which bridged deep-seated social divides between people that had existed for hundreds of years. These included the class divisions among the Romans and the Greeks, as well as the separation between Jews and Gentiles. “Christianity became the first transnational, transethnic, transcultural movement,” said Packiam. Tearing down the walls that divide us is simply what the gospel does.

Living out our identities as followers of Jesus and moving toward racial healing means we need to become better at listening to people who are not like us. “All of us tend to gravitate to people who are like us, like-minded,” said Packiam. “Some of that is natural—it’s how friendships form. But if we’re going to remember that the church is a reflection of a kingdom that goes beyond one nation and one culture and one ethnicity, then we’ve got to get better at listening to people outside of our own tribe.”

Packiam believes it is easier for those in the majority culture to challenge the majority culture than it is for those in the minority to do so. “I’ve experienced this even as a person of color,” he said. The pastor is a first-generation immigrant from Malaysia, and while he would in no way equate his experience with that of African Americans, he said, “I do understand the idea of coming as an outsider to a new context and to a new culture.”

Even when Packiam posted some of his reflections on Arbery’s killing, he got a few private messages from people who pushed back on his words and asked if he had considered other aspects to the situation. This was in contrast, he said, “to my colleagues who are white, who only got applause.”

“It’s very hard for a person who’s in the minority to challenge the majority,” said Packiam, “even in situations like this. We’ve got to get better at hearing the voices, the laments, the critiques of those outside of our own homogeneous group.”

Another encouragement Packiam has specifically for pastors is to preach the gospel, as the first Christians did, in a way that challenges existing social boundaries and tendencies in our sin nature. He said, “We live in a context in America right now where people are being discipled more by political talking points than they are by the preaching of the New Testament. As pastors, we’ve got to confront that.”

20 Questions to Ask Before Kids Gather Back to Church

By

Dale Hudson

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May 21, 2020

Who would have ever thought we would experience weeks and even months away from gathering in person?

Hopefully, soon we will be able to gather back together.

But there will be things that are new to everyone as we walk into this new normal.

It’s important to think through what your strategy will be when they return. What should you do? What should you not do?

20 questions you can ask kids to help you formulate what your strategy will be before kids gather back at church.

1. Should we require masks to be worn?

2. What extra precautions should we take by cleaning and disinfecting our toys, books, rooms, etc.?

3. How will we communicate our plans to parents?

4. What will we tell older volunteers who are at a higher risk if they catch the virus? Will we ask them to wait until there is a vaccine to start serving again?

5. What will we do if we are limited to having 10 people at a time in the service? 50? 100?

6. Will we host VBS this summer or do it online or cancel it?

7. Should we switch to family worship and not have children’s worship starting out?

8. Will we continue to post kids’ services online since we started them because of the pandemic?

9. How can we get kids and families excited about coming to church?

10. Will we still offer snacks and juices for smaller children?

11. If lots of volunteers step down, what will we do to maintain our rooms and ratios?

12. Will our greeters take precautions and adjust what they do?

13. Do we need to adjust our budget and resources since offerings are down?

14. Are we going to postpone mid-week services and activities?

15. How will we do small groups?

16. Will we send hard copy take home papers or switch to all online?

17. Will we be able to run the program with the amount of volunteers we may have?

18. Can kids bring their own hand-sanitizer?

19. How can we keep kids 6 feet apart?

20. How can we reduce expenses since offerings are down?

This article about 20 Questions to Ask Before Kids Gather Back to Church originally appeared here.

Life in a Fallen World: a Theology of Uncomfortable Grace

By

Paul David Tripp

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May 21, 2020

Broken-Down House

Life in this terribly broken world is hard. You are constantly dealing with the frustration of this world not operating the way God intended. You are always facing the unexpected. Almost daily you are required to deal with something you wouldn’t have chosen for your life, but it’s there because of the location where we live. Life right here, right now is like living in a disheveled house that has begun to fall down on its own foundation. It is still a house, but it doesn’t function as it was meant to. The doors constantly get stuck shut. The plumbing only occasionally works properly. You are never sure what’s going to happen when you plug an appliance in, and it seems that the roof leaks even when it’s not raining. So it is with the world that you and I live in. It really is a broken-down house.

Now, there are really only two responses we can have to the brokenness that complicates all of our lives: cursing or mourning. Let’s be honest. Cursing is the more natural response. We curse the fact that we have to deal with flawed people. We curse the fact that we have to deal with things that don’t work right. We curse the fact that we have to deal with pollution and disease. We curse the fact that promises get broken, relationships shatter, and dreams die. We curse the realities of pain and suffering. We curse the fact that this broken-down world has been assigned to be the address where we live. It all makes us irritated, impatient, bitter, angry, and discontent. Yes, it’s right not to like these things. It’s natural to find them frustrating, because as Paul says in Romans 8, the whole world groans as it waits for redemption. But cursing is the wrong response. We curse what we have to deal with because it makes our lives harder than we want them to be. Cursing is all about our comfort, our pleasure, our ease. Cursing is fundamentally self-centered.

Mourning is the much better response. Mourning embraces the tragedy of the fall. Mourning acknowledges that the world is not the way God meant it to be. Mourning cries out for God’s redeeming, restoring hand. Mourning acknowledges the suffering of others. Mourning is about something bigger than the fact that life is hard. Mourning grieves what sin has done to the cosmos and longs for the Redeemer to come and make his broken world new again. Mourning, then, is a response that is prompted by grace.

The Evidence of Grace

Yes, your life is messy and hard, but that’s not a failure of the plan; it is the plan. It’s God working to complete what he’s begun in you.

It is so very different from the way we normally think about grace. It’s not the way we tend to think about God’s love. It doesn’t seem wise and good to us. It causes us to question God’s faithfulness and love. It’s just not what we thought we signed on for when we placed our trust in Jesus Christ. It’s not a typical definition of the good life, and it causes us to think at times that God isn’t paying attention and that the bad guys are winning.

You are tempted to think that because you’re God’s child, your life should be easier, more predictable, and definitely more comfortable. But that’s not what the Bible teaches. Instead, it reveals that struggles are part of God’s plan for you. This means that if you’re God’s child, you must never allow yourself to think that the hard things you are now going through are failures of God’s character, promises, power, or plan. You must not allow yourself to think that God has turned his back on you. You must not let yourself begin to buy into the possibility that God is not as trustworthy as you thought him to be. You must not let yourself do any of these things, because when you begin to doubt God’s goodness, you quit going to him for help. You see, you don’t run for help to those characters you have come to doubt.

God has chosen to let you live in this fallen world because he plans to employ the difficulties of it to continue and complete his work in you. This means that those moments of difficulty are not an interruption of his plan or the failure of his plan, but rather an important part of his plan. I think there are times for many of us when we cry out for God’s grace and we get it—but not the grace that we’re looking for. We want the grace of relief or release. We get those in little pieces, but largely they are yet to come. What we all really need right now is the grace of transformation. God’s grace is not always pleasant. It often comes in the form of something we never would have chosen to go through if we were controlling the joystick.

We all need to teach and encourage one another with the theology of uncomfortable grace, because on this side of eternity, God’s grace often comes to us in uncomfortable forms. It may not be what you and I want, but it is precisely what we need. God is faithful; he will use the brokenness of the world that is your present address to complete the loving work of personal transformation that he has begun.

This side of eternity in this broken world, cursing is the default language of the kingdom of self; but mourning is the default language of the kingdom of God. Which language will you speak today?

Content adapted from New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp. This article first appeared on Crossway.org; used with permission.

Face Masks: The New Sackcloth?

By

James Faris

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May 21, 2020

Are face masks the new sackcloth? Modern American Christians read in the Bible frequently about sackcloth – that itchy fabric made of goat’s hair donned as an indication of repentance, mourning, inability, and humility (e.g. 1 Kings 21, Esther 4, Isaiah 37, Lamentations 2, Joel 1, Daniel 9, Revelation 11). We gloss over those verses quickly with nothing to compare sackcloth in our culture. Until perhaps now.

Face masks are a point of controversy these days of coronavirus. Like sackcloth, they’re uncomfortable, inconvenient, and goofy-looking. People argue over whether they really work to help curtail disease-spreading or not. Various leaders the Lord has put over us are recommending them. It makes sense to me that, rightly used, they can’t do much harm, and they probably can do a lot of good.

One thing they do accomplish: they humble us. No matter how hard my favorite seamstresses try to make them cool with various logos and styles, they can’t. I still look uncool. I get to feel some of how little and shameful I really am. I hate pulling a mask over my face. Yet, I find that when I do, it is a visible reminder of what should be the inward posture of my heart. Sackcloth didn’t “do” anything in days of old. But people in those days had a better sense of the whole person. They didn’t divide the spiritual from the physical the way we do. They were willing to humble themselves when they saw that God’s mercy was their only hope. The outward physical expression helped to shape the inward man.

We don’t know all of God’s purposes in this pandemic. We do know the Lord wants to humble us; we know that he is humbling us. It’s hard for proud Americans to willingly cover their faces. The thought of wearing a mask in worship is repulsive. Yet, in days of old, people willingly wore far more uncomfortable garb publicly together as an expression of willing submission and helplessness before the Lord.

I wonder if we’ve really been humbled yet as a land. Certainly, some of our health and wealth has been removed. I sometimes wonder as I read the tone and content of the debates, have our hearts been humbled? I’d like to think my heart has been. Then, I’m asked to wear a mask, and I think “I don’t really want to go that low.” There is a strange repugnance in my heart every time I pull my face mask on. It’s a repugnance that drives me to prayer every time for the Lord to be merciful to us. In the face of our historic pride and self-reliance, I wonder, what would be the harm in people willingly expressing their shame and weakness before Almighty God and fellow man? Will face masks do good to our neighbor? They might, but I suspect that they could do even more for ourselves – and in a different way bless our neighbors greatly.

Perhaps the ancient city of Nineveh serves as the greatest historical example of such humility. The Lord sent Jonah to preach to them. They heard Jonah,

And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.’ When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. – Jonah 3:6-10

This is not to argue for a law on face masks or to judge those who do or do not wear them. It is simply to urge us all to consider the posture of our hearts, whether we don a mask or not. As we go to the Lord humbly, we can do so knowing with confidence that he will loose our sackcloth and clothe us with gladness so that our glory may sing his praise and we may give him thanks forever (Psalm 30:11-12).

This article originally appeared here.

Please Don’t Make ‘How Many Watched Online?’ Our New Ministry Metric

By

Karl Vaters

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May 21, 2020

It’s a whole new ballgame. In a matter of just a few weeks, churches all around the world have a new standard for measuring ministry success: how many watched online.

And I’m trying not to be cynical about it.

So here’s my best shot at a non-cynical (but certainly skeptical) take on this.

What’s Good About Online Church

I’m grateful every time I hear that a church now has as many or more people watching their online services than they had attending their in-person services.

Better that than a drop-off of numbers, for sure.

But let’s be honest about what’s happening here.

Recently, there’s been a lot of helpful information about how engagement is a better metric than attendance. I fully agree with that assessment.

But if engagement is a better metric than attendance, eyeballs on a screen is a worse one. At-home viewers are far less engaged than bodies in the room ever were.

Online And Distracted

We all know how online viewing goes.

We watch while we’re cooking, eating, chatting, Tweeting and working out.

Even if we lay all of that aside, people who sit at home and watch a screen are far less engaged in the experience than when they were in the room together.

An Incomplete Metric

Obviously, that’s all we have right now. And I’m truly grateful we have it.

Even when we’re able to meet together again, keeping an online presence will be an important way to reach new people and keep connected with absent members.

But.

Let’s be careful not to replace one incomplete, even unreliable metric (attendance) with one that’s even less reliable (online viewership).

Online church is here to stay. Our congregation does it, and we’ve learned how to do it even better because of the necessity of this moment.

But let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that having more online eyeballs is an adequate measure of any church’s health or ministry success.

The Online Onramp

At best, a church’s online presence is an onramp. The most important one we have right now, for sure.

But an onramp is not the endgame.

Discipleship is a long, multi-step process. If an online experience starts someone on that road, that’s great!

So, if we use the current online experience as a first step towards fully-engaged discipleship, it will have served a noble purpose. But if all we do is count eyeballs like we counted attendance, it will be a step backwards.

At some point – as soon as we’re able – that online experience must translate into real-life, flesh-and-blood, in-person, disciple-making reality.

When we do that we’ll have some success worth measuring.

This article about how many watched online originally appeared here.

Free Kids Lesson Package: “Missions: Kids Around the World”

By

Daniel So

-

May 21, 2020

Free Kids Lesson Package

From CMD, This lesson “is all about Saul’s conversion and Haiti. Kids will learn that just like God changed Saul’s heart, he is still changing people’s hearts all over the world in places like Haiti through missionaries.”

This lesson package includes:

Make It Stick! Parent Sheet
Memory Verse
Skit
Object Lesson or Kids Sermon
Large Group Lesson
Small Group Discussion
Large Group Game
Take Home Activity

Get Download Now

Resource provided by Children’s Ministry Deals

Download Instructions: Follow the on-screen directions at the download site.

Attention Grabber Ideas: 3 Ways To FASCINATE Kids

By

Tina Houser

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May 20, 2020

There’s no doubt that you can learn without being fascinated—say it repeatedly or listen to someone talk, talk, talk. But, it is GUARANTEED, yes guaranteed, that you’ll learn something when you’re fascinated. These are the “Oh my goodness” moments. “I didn’t know that.” “I’ve never seen that.” “How does that work?” “How did you do that?” (Read those first two sentences again and grab onto the difference.)

So, why are we doing the same things over and over and over again when we teach kids in the church? If kids (actually people of all ages) learn every time they are fascinated, then we need to make it a goal to use fascination as a tool to draw kids into the Word of God. That means not doing it the same every time.

Being fascinated focuses your attention. Have you ever been delayed in a traffic jam for an hour … or two? Of course, you have! More than likely the reason for that delay was that there was an accident and everyone wanted a chance to take in the scene when they finally got close. A flood of questions went through each passerby’s brain as they observed the flashing lights, car in the ditch, and the contents of a truck scattered on the ground. Although it was terribly unfortunate circumstances, people were nonetheless fascinated. It was unusual. It was something they didn’t understand. It put their curiosity on high alert. They had questions. They wanted to know more. Those are the characteristics of fascination.

It only makes sense that if we create an environment where fascination is everywhere that kids will grasp that we serve a fascinating God! So, how do we go about incorporating fascination as we challenge kids to live a life where Jesus is Savior and Lord? Seriously, I could spew out ideas the rest of the day on this, but let’s just hone in on a few specific areas.

3 Attention Grabber Ideas

1. Science Experiments

We often talk about the most difficult group to engage being 3^rd, 4^th, and 5th-grade boys. They could be off in no-where-land, engulfed in their handheld device, or bouncing off the walls … but when you introduce a science experiment, they’ll lose all interest in what they were doing. Eyes will be glued on what could happen next. Our purpose, though, is not to teach the science. Our purpose is to draw kids to the Word of God, and now that you have their attention and created fascination, encourage them to voice their observations—the characteristics of the experiment. Take those observations and then increase the challenge by asking them to relate what they observed to spiritual truth. Of course, you’ll have something in mind—a direction you’d like to go—but don’t discount that they may see something completely different and it is totally valid. Connect a fascinating experiment to Scripture and you’ve given kids a visual that won’t easily fade from memory.

2. Live and In-Person Experiences

Showing a photo of what you’re talking about is always helpful. But, what if you had the actual item or person, instead of the photo? What if kids could touch the object and turn it to look at all sides? What if they could ask questions of the actual person, like a ballerina or firefighter? That takes it to an entirely different level—to a fascinating level.

A friend of mine posted a photo on Facebook of her three children watching the tow truck load their family van to transport it to the repair shop. She said the event took over an hour and the kids stood at attention in the grass at the edge of the driveway mesmerized the entire time. Which is more fascinating? Showing a picture of a tow truck or watching one load a vehicle on the back? It was a live experience. Now, I’m not saying you need to bring a real tow truck into your classroom (although I bet some of you are trying to figure out how right now), but anytime you can go the extra step by taking a photo and making it a live experience, you have created fascination.

3. Storytelling

We have the greatest story to tell—God’s story and how we can be part of it. His story is told with giant warriors, loaves of bread, jars of oil, on a mountaintop, in the belly of a fish, from jail, and on and on. God let His creativity go absolutely crazy when telling His story. So should ours! Want to see eyes get big? Want to fascinate? Turn out the lights and tell the mysterious story of Nicodemus going to Jesus in the middle of the night, but do it using blacklight figures. Bring in Abraham, in full garb, to amaze the kids as he tries to count the stars in the sky that represent his descendants. Take kids out under a tree where they’ll look up and find Zacchaeus perched on a limb recalling the day his life changed. Make it fascinating so they’ll fall in the love with the Word.

I’ll be the first to admit that these attention grabber ideas takes extra time and energy. But, it makes teaching so much more memorable and fun—for both students and teachers! When kids chatter with their parents later in the day about what they did while with you, you’ve achieved fascination. So, how are you going to fascinate your kids this week?

4 Things a Good Emcee Should Know

By

Josh Griffin

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May 20, 2020

Stage presence isn’t natural—some people are so good at it you might be tempted to think so, but it is enormous work, and countless hours of practice fools you into thinking either you have it or you don’t. Sure, some people’s gifting makes it easier than others, but it is work for everyone. Here are some principles of basic good stage presence, and this is what we came up with:

KNOW THE STAGE
Know the steps onto the stage. Know where you should stand, where the lighting is best, and know the front edge of the stage. Make a mental note of any unusual parts of the stage and get an idea of your “sweet spot” where you’ll spend most of your time. It is also a good idea to walk the stage beforehand with lights fully up so you get an idea of your crowd blindness. Oftentimes, people on a stage for the first time are thrown by the strength of the lights in their eyes and are tempted to cover their eyes. Never talk about the lights or the sound—fight your instincts to shade your eyes or talk randomly off-topic.

KNOW HOW TO WORK A MICROPHONE
Be sure you hold the microphone up to your mouth—people that aren’t used to the stage tend to make the common mistake of holding the microphone away from their mouth. Make sure the microphone is right up near your mouth, rest it on your chin if you have to. If your hands are filled with stuff, that stuff will tempt you to move the microphone around too much. Either memorize what is on the cue card or put it on a music stand in front of you. When you ask someone on stage a question, remember to hold the microphone up to their mouth, too. Typically by this point in the service, even a rookie emcee has figure out they need to hold the mic up to their own mouth, but too often forget to help the crowd hear the other person on stage, too.

KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THERE TO DO
Someone has trusted you with the entire stage—and remember that everything is the message, not just the message, so what you’re doing is very important. You now control the room—you are there to build energy in the room and excitement toward the next element, you’re there to bring the crowd down to what’s next, or you’re introducing something. Either way, you’re not the star of the show; you are driving the vehicle with passengers and what people want to see. Know what you’re there to do and get off stage!

KNOW YOUR ENTRANCE AND EXIT
 If you’ve got an opening line/bit/joke, it will really help get you started on the right foot. Equally important, a great run on stage ends with a fizzle if you’re not sure how to end it all. If you’re throwing to video—sell it. If you’re introducing a person, make the transition obvious. However you come in or leave the stage, make sure you have a plan.

Anything you would add to this list of basics?

11 Signs That You Suffer From Ministry Arrogance

By

Scott Williams

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May 20, 2020

As a ministry consultant and Chief Solutions Officer for Nxt Level Solutions, I get the opportunity to work with lots of different ministries and ministry leaders from around the country. It’s awesome to see how God is using each ministry’s unique approach, style, and idiosyncrasies to share the gospel, transform communities, and change lives. After leaving a visit with a church, the one thing that I always walk away with is this: “God is doing some amazing things everywhere and in ministries of all shapes, styles, sizes, denominations…”

On the other hand, I’ve come to the realization that it’s easy for ministries, groups, emerging movements, and denominations to become what I call “ministry arrogance.”

Arrogance is defined as: display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride. Combine that with ministry and you have-ministries and ministry leaders who show a display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride.

Yes, your ministry is doing great. Yes, God is allowing your church to grow. Yes, there are awesome core distinctions of your denomination. Yes, people want to learn from you. Yes, you are the sexy trendy thing. Yes, you hold onto important traditions…No, your ministry is not superior than any of the other ministries that God is using to draw people closer to Himself.

11 Signs That You May Suffer From Ministry Arrogance

1. You spend more time focusing on how others “have it wrong” than you do on the things that you can improve on.
2. You laugh and shake your head at the stylistic differences of another ministry.
3. You think your worship style is the only way someone could possibly connect with God.
4. You can’t understand why so-and-so’s church is growing and their pastor is not even a good preacher.
5. You can’t believe that ministries would have the audacity to have that length of a service time (too long or too short).
6. You believe the issues that you care about are the only issues that everyone else should care about.
7. You discount New Media and Online Ministry as illegitimate ministry.
8. You allow your way and your preference to become “The Only Way!”
9. You think because the expert at the conference said it…It must be the way, the truth, and the life.
10. You can’t believe that a ministry would use that version of the Bible seriously, NIV is the Non-Inspired-Version.
11. You read this list and laugh it off and say, “Who does that?”
Bonus: ~~When it comes to ministry you think BigIsTheNewSmall~~ Wait, scratch that, uhh that’s the name of my blog; somehow that has to be true.

The bottom line is there are many more ways and signs that you may suffer from ministry arrogance. We are all susceptible to it, and often times, the only way that we can get away from it is by having an open heart, getting out, and being exposed to other ministries, and truly trusting God.

I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

In this way, we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe, we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body,

Let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t. If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else. Romans 12:3-6 MSG (a.k.a the hip hop slang version of the Bible)

Share your thoughts on these 11 Signs of Ministry Arrogance and add more signs to the list.

This Is What Costi Hinn Wishes Celebrity Pastors Knew

By

Megan Briggs

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May 20, 2020

Costi Hinn made a big theological shift in recent years—casting aside the prosperity gospel made famous by preachers like his uncle, Pastor Benny Hinn. With that shift in theology came a shift in lifestyle, too. Hinn grew up in the same circles as today’s so-called “celebrity pastors” like Rich Wilkerson, Jr. and Judah Smith. While he thinks they operate differently than his uncle, Hinn does think some in this new generation of preachers function more as motivational speakers than true shepherds.

Hinn wishes these preachers would “be willing to tell people the truth—don’t just be a motivational speaker.” Speaking on the PreachersNSneakers podcast, Hinn is concerned his former peers care too much about gaining and keeping followers than they do about preaching the gospel. “Be a real soldier; a real warrior; a real preacher on the front lines who’s willing to lose if it means gaining Christ,” Hinn exhorts.

Costi Hinn Lived the ‘Good Life’

“Our family was definitely the Bentley-driving, Maserati-driving, $10-million-home-buying family, and we flew in gulfstreams and all that,” Hinn said. While this is the extravagant lifestyle Hinn was born into, he continued it as a young adult and ministry leader himself. Hinn laughs as he recalls being truly saved when he was already in a ministry position at a church plant in southern California.

The church plant was “in the Judah Smith, Carl Lentz, Chad Veach scene,” as he describes it. “It was just look good, feel good, sound good, and then do some Jesus—sprinkle him in, he’s kind of a footnote of it all.” Hinn said the church plant exploded, and implies his paycheck did as well. Hinn used to drive a big H2 Hummer with all the bells and whistles. But, he started to ask some deep questions after he got married and experienced some family turmoil.

During this time, Hinn started reading the Bible and it caused him to examine how he was used to living. Hinn came to the conclusion that his extravagant lifestyle and the teachings of the Bible did not align. To their credit, the other ministers at the church plant agreed with Hinn’s shifting thinking and they started taking the plant in a completely different direction. Hinn says they lost people, but it was worth it.

As Hinn reflected on the way he grew up and how his family lived, he became increasingly uncomfortable. They were “living off poor people and rich people we were manipulating,” Hinn realized. “It’s really sick and twisted when you take a bunch of offerings from sick, poor people, and even rich people who have a kid with down syndrome, and you tell them God will heal their down syndrome kid and cure it if they give you a check for half a million and they do, and then you go fly on your private plane home and the down syndrome kid doesn’t get healed.”

Hinn says he had to go through a season of “pulling back” and reorient himself after he was truly saved. He describes his wife donating her Louis Vuittons to a rescue mission as the couple left behind that extravagant lifestyle. Hinn currently holds the position of executive pastor of discipleship at Redeemer Bible Church in Gilbert, Arizona.

The “Guys” Costi Hinn Grew Up With

“A lot of the guys on your account,” Hinn says to the host of the PreachersNSneakers podcast (who chooses to remain anonymous), “their dads were pretty decent preachers, just good guys, they weren’t real wild, rolling in Bentleys and all that.” However, these decent preachers’ children aren’t following very closely in their parents’ footsteps, Hinn implies. “This whole next generation of guys that are sort of like this Christian TED talk motivational speaker types, they really hit it in the business world. It’s almost like gospel business.”

While it may look different than his uncle’s style, Hinn says it shares some of the same elements and motivations:

They stay away from the white suits like my uncle [wears]. They’re not speaking in tongues everywhere and throwing their jackets at people and doing massive crusades. They’re appealing to culture in a way that is (for lack of a better word) ‘sexy’ or ‘trendy’ and that’s really attractive to the culture that’s like, “Man, these guys aren’t weird faith healers and I don’t know what a prosperity preacher is, but these guys are ballers and they love God, so that’s the best of both worlds.”

Pastor Detained 7 Months in India Now Home and Undeterred

By

Stephanie Martin

-

May 20, 2020

Residents of Shelbyville, Tennessee, held a car parade today to celebrate the homecoming of Bryan Nerren, a local pastor and missionary who’d been detained in India since last October. The seven-month ordeal, sparked by an airport customs dispute, ended when India dropped all charges against Nerren and returned his passport.

The pastor’s family and a group of congregants eagerly awaited his arrival yesterday at the Nashville airport, and his legal team thanked members of Congress and the Trump administration for intervening on Nerren’s behalf.

Why Pastor Bryan Nerren Was Detained

As Church Leaders reported last fall, Nerren, pastor of the International House of Prayer Ministries in Shelbyville and founder of the Asian Children’s Education Fellowship, embarked on an annual trip to train Sunday school teachers in India and Nepal. Nerren, accompanied by two other U.S. pastors, was carrying money to cover conference expenses and was asked whether funds were going toward Christian purposes. Eventually, Nerren was arrested and held for six days. After he was released on bail, however, a judge confiscated his passport.

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which represented Nerren, says the pastor openly declared the funds, was never informed of the duty, and wasn’t even carrying enough money to constitute a crime. The lengthy ordeal, says the ACLJ, was “a misunderstanding that should have taken just hours to resolve administratively within customs.” The coronavirus pandemic complicated Nerren’s return, as India shut down its courts and all international flights.

The ACLJ worked with a range of U.S. officials to secure Nerren’s freedom, and more than 200,000 people signed a petition on his behalf. Christian persecution has spiked in India, which ranked 10^th on the latest World Watch List from Open Doors.

Pastor Nerren Plans to Press On

While staying at a motel in India, Nerren communicated with his family and congregation via social media. He had regular in-person visits from other missionaries, who inspired him to continue and even ramp up his work. The pastor tells a Nashville TV station that his efforts to help churches and poor children in Asia “will triple.”

Nerren says he’s always known missions work involves some risk, but he’d assumed the worst consequence would be getting kicked out of the country and sent home. “[I] never would have imagined they would take me to prison and hold me for seven-and-a-half months for nothing,” he says about his 17^th trip to the region.

The toughest part of being detained, Nerren says, was knowing how much strain and pain his wife, Rhonda, was enduring at home. The couple have a child with special needs, and Rhonda, a hospital worker, fell ill in March and had to wait 10 days to get a COVID-19 test result, which was negative. During their time apart, Rhonda was a vocal supporter of her husband, proclaiming, “His only crime is living out his steadfast love for Jesus.”

When asked about his immediate plans now that he’s back in Tennessee, Nerren says he’ll “do whatever my wife tells me, for as long as she tells me. Amen.”

How Caffeine Might Make You a Better Leader

By

Charles Stone

-

May 20, 2020

I’m a leader. I want to maximize my brain power. And I care about how I treat my body. I don’t drink coffee or tea, yet I do strategically use caffeine with diet caffeine drinks and 5-Hour Energy (Disclaimer: I am in no way related to the company who produces 5-Hour Energy). I believe my strategic use of caffeine has helped enhance my cognitive resources as a leader. In this post I look at three areas: what caffeine does to your brain, cautions about its use, and how to strategically use it.

Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant in the world, consumed primarily through coffee consumption. The National Coffee Association says that nearly 2/3’s of Americans drink coffee. We also consume it through tea, weight-loss pills, chocolate, and energy drinks. It has gained the moniker as a,’waker-upper.’

How does caffeine work? It affects the brain in three ways.

It blocks a neurotransmitter that makes us tired (adenosine). Neurons have tiny receptors where adenosine binds. Think of adenosine (or any other neurotransmitter) like a key and a receptor like a lock. So, when it ‘binds’ the ‘key’ goes into the ‘lock’ to create the tiredness effect by slowing down brain cell firing.
It stimulates the brain to tell the adrenal glands to release adrenaline which gives us a boost of energy and increases attention.
It improves mood by increasing the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine, a brain chemical related to pleasure, attention, and motivation. It also helps dopamine hang around longer in our brain.

What cautions should you consider?

You can become addicted to it. It’s addictive because dopamine feels good and when we get addicted to it, we want more and more caffeine to maintain the same pleasure level. You will know you’re addicted when your try to stop because for a few days you may experience a dull headache, lethargy, sleepiness, and even depression. Most experts say the average person can manage 400 milligrams of caffeine each day, the equivalent of four cups of coffee. A bottle of 5-Hour Energy has about 200 mg.
You can develop a tolerance for it. Regular caffeine use actually creates a need for even more caffeine because it increases adenosine receptors in your brain. Thus, you need more caffeine to block the tired effects of adenosine.
Too much caffeine (more than 500 mg) can really mess up your body by causing such issues as muscle tremors, sleep difficulty, upset stomach, nervousness, and dizziness.
Caffeine too late in the day can disrupt your sleep patterns. Its half-life (how long it takes the body to eliminate 1/2 of it) is 3-5 hours and its effect can last 8-12 hours.

How can you strategically use caffeine?

First, I never use caffeine to wake me up in the morning. I try to get sufficient sleep so that I don’t use caffeine as a fall back for lack of sleep. I live in Canada and the winters can be brutal and overcast so I’m now using light therapy in the morning which appears to give me a nice natural wake up boost. I use a portable Philips blue light to give me 20 minutes of light when I wake up.
Consider a nap first. A 10-20 minute nap can clear out adenosine and give you a nice mental boost without caffeine. If you can’t take a nap at work, perhaps these other suggestions below will work for you.
Consider a nap-caffeine combination. It takes caffeine about 20 minutes to get into your gastrointestinal track and bloodstream. So, a cup of coffee or tea, a diet soda, or 5-Hour Energy just before your nap can give you a one-two punch.
When I’m studying to put a sermon together, I find that 1/2 bottle of 5-Hour Energy about mid-morning gives me a nice mental boost. About 2 hours later I will finish the bottle off so that I’m only getting about 200 mg per day.
About 30 minutes before I speak on Sunday mornings I drink a half of a bottle. I find it helps give me a bit more mental focus during my sermon.
On days when I need lots of mental focus in meetings, I will split a bottle of 5-Hour Energy between mid-morning and early afternoon. I find that I’m more focused later in the afternoon to give those in my meetings my full attention.
I seldom if ever use it after 3:30. Remember, it can stay in your system many hours.

I recognize that many readers may prefer to stay away from any caffeine. I respect that as I used to avoid anything with caffeine in it. Only in the last few years have I discovered that moderate use has helped improve my attention, concentration, and ability to think more clearly.

How have you used caffeine in a strategic way?

This article originally appeared here.

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Ravi Zacharias Tributes

Vice President Mike Pence: “Deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Ravi Zacharias…”

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany: “Billy Graham was the great Evangelist. Ravi Zacharias was the great apologist.”

‘God’s Not Dead’ actor Kevin Sorbo: ” Classy man. You should look at his speeches.”

Pastor John Hagee: “My friend, Ravi Zacharias, has heard the words we all long to hear — ‘Well done, good and faithful servant…'”

Dave Ramsey: ” Incredible man of faith, with amazing ability to communicate and with a world class intellect.”

Lee Strobel: “…he found hope and purpose through Christ and became a renowned evangelist.”

David Platt: “Add my name to the list of countless people whose lives have been shaped by the Influence of @RaviZacharias.”

Josh McDowell: “He has been an incredible source of Truth as an evangelist to the thinking person.”

Samuel Rodriguez: “A true world changer that advanced the gospel of Jesus like few others.”

Franklin Graham: “@RaviZacharias, one of the great Christian apologists of our time, has stepped into the streets of glory & into the presence of the King of kings & Lord of lords.”

Jackie Hill Perry: “For anybody who was impacted by Ravi, today we grieve but not without hope.”

Louie Giglio: “I join the thunderous applause of Heaven.”

Tim Tebow: “To my friend, my mentor and a great hero of the faith @RaviZacharias – Thank you.”

NFL Pro Ben Watson: “Thank you Ravi for being steadfast and faithful in your calling and for demonstrating Christ’s love in explaining our hope!”

Kirk Franklin: “Today one of my heroes left his earthly tent to be with the living word.”

David Crowder: “Today heaven rejoices and welcomes home a giant of the faith.”

Greg Laurie: “We lost a real treasure and champion of the faith today.”

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How does caffeine work? It affects the brain in three ways.

What cautions should you consider?

How can you strategically use caffeine?

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