Parents, Your Kids Need Big Theology

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April 3, 2020

The Rich Theology of Hymns

Before our daughter was born, my husband and I made a long list of “musts” and “nevers” like any ambitious parent. As you can imagine, most of those fell by the wayside in the days and months after she was born, but one tradition was born from that list that has turned into one of my favorite parenting victories. We vowed to teach our children classic hymns. We carefully picked out which song would be our daughter’s bedtime hymn and faithfully taught it to her as we sang it to her day after day. She’s three now and could sing you all of the words to some of our favorite hymns including “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” “It Is Well With My Soul,” and “There Is a Fountain Filled With Blood.”

What we thought was simply an effort to keep our home free of bubbly children’s songs turned into one of the best decisions we made as young parents. We didn’t quite understand how moldable our daughter would be or how easily she would absorb the words she heard repeated day in and day out. We didn’t sit down and pore over well-thought-out lessons to teach her each word, we just sang her simple songs that were dear to our own hearts and the words rooted themselves deep in her little heart. As she’s gotten older, teaching her Scripture has taken more intentionality than just singing hymns at bedtime, but she still amazes us every day with how easily she soaks in every word. Children so easily remember the words to their favorite books, the lines to their favorite songs, and the phrases we repeat day in and day out. Why shouldn’t they also soak in the big theological words of Scripture just as easily?

Don’t Water It Down

It’s tempting to water down the language and truths we share with our children or to even wait until they are older to introduce big words of theology. But the reality is that even if they don’t fully understand now, they are capable of easily remembering the words they hear again and again, no matter how big they are. Our daughter memorizing hymns is such a perfect example of this. Does our three-year-old know what Ebenezer, estate, or ransom mean? No, of course not. But someday she will. And when she does, the words that have flowed through her little mind by means of hymns and Scripture memory will begin to make sense and will remind her of the rich truths of the gospel.

Whether you are teaching your child hymns, catechisms, or Scripture, don’t hold back out of fear that they won’t understand. Feed them the fullness of the gospel and the big words of theology. Help them memorize long passages of Scripture and verses with words like atonement, justification, and sanctification. Let them grow into understanding the big truths of Scripture by building a foundation that will shape and guide them as they learn and understand the big words and the big theology of the gospel.

Don’t Overcomplicate It

While this might all sound intimidating to the average mom or dad, teaching our children theology doesn’t need to be complicated. You don’t need a seminary degree or teaching credentials to teach your children about God’s word. You don’t need elaborate lesson plans complete with a snack, craft, and practical application. While all of those are great, you can easily weave theology into your day-to-day lives with a few simple adjustments. Let’s look at three simple and practical ways to start teaching your children theology today.

1. Memorize Scripture

The easiest way to begin teaching your children about theology is to simply memorize Scripture together. While there are endless amounts of beautiful Scripture memory cards that you can purchase online if you would like, all you really need is your Bible. Start simple—talk through a verse together at each meal and repeat it at every meal together until they have it memorized. Does your child struggle with fear? Memorize psalms about trusting in God. Is your child learning to pray on their own? Work through the Lord’s Prayer together. Memorize verses with big words and big truths about the gospel, even if they don’t understand now, because someday they will and those words will be hidden in their hearts. Whether it takes them a day or a week to memorize each line, keep on repeating and reviewing and you’ll be helping plant little seeds of truth deep in their hearts.

2. Listen to Good Music

Another simple way to introduce lessons in theology into your daily life is through the music you listen to. Whether you choose classic hymns or theologically sound children’s music, it’s no secret that lyrics easily stick with us long after we turn off the music. While even the best hymns will never replace Scripture, there are rich, gospel truths beautifully woven into the lyrics that foster meaningful conversations as our little ones grow to understand the words. I’ll never forget the day my husband started teaching our daughter the old hymn, “There Is a Fountain Filled With Blood.” I was minding my own business when she came running into the room and proudly announced to me, “There’s a fountain filled with blood, mama!” As you can imagine, I just about spit my coffee everywhere half in shock and half laughing. She has no idea how beautiful that truth is, but in time she will. Instead of playing that soundtrack for the seventeenth time, choose a playlist of songs filled with rich Scripture truth a few times a week. Some of our favorites are Getty Music, Chris Rice’s “Peace Like a River” album, both of J. J. Heller’s “I Dream of You,” and Ellie Holcomb’s “Sing: Creation Songs.”

3. Read Together

A final way to start talking about theology with your children is through the books you read together. We are so blessed to live in a time with so many different children’s resources full of gospel truth being produced each year. From board books to picture books to reference books, there are so many theologically sound resources available for all age ranges to start talking about theology with your children. It’s likely you already spend time reading with your children, so add a few new books that introduce big theological themes to your library, and begin discussing big truths with even your littlest loved ones.

If you’re anything like me, considering ways to teach your children theology is a reminder of your own need to learn more theology. Don’t be discouraged, friend. The reality is that you need theology as much as your children do, and teaching them teaches you. Don’t shy away from the big topics and words of theology, even if you don’t fully understand them. As your little one asks questions, find answers together. Memorize Scripture together, learn new hymns together, read new books together. Our job as parents is not to know everything, but to lead our children to Jesus as we follow closely after Him.

Jessica Robyn Provencher is co-author, with Devon Provencher, of God, Jesus, and The Gospel. This article first appeared on Crossway.org; used with permission.

10 Surprising Signs Your Church Is Ready to Reach Non-Christians

By

Frank Powell

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April 2, 2020

Why does the church exist? If I asked this question to a thousand Christians, the answer would be fairly consistent across the board. The church exists to reach the lost and make disciples (or some variation of this phrase). The problem is most churches aren’t reaching the lost and making disciples.

Maybe this is because churches don’t understand the culture that must be present to reach the lost. Yes, the Spirit is essential and can work through any church culture. But some cultures are more favorable to the spread of the mission than others. There is a reason some churches are externally focused and others are not. There is a reason some churches are impacting the culture and awakening people to Christ and others are not.

What does a church culture prepared to reach the lost and unchurched look like? I want to introduce 10 signs your church is ready to reach the lost and engage the unchurched.

As you read, you will be surprised. These signs don’t appear to be representative of healthy church cultures. But healthy cultures (at least in terms of stability) rarely focus on the lost. They rarely engage the unchurched. These might be ideas preached from the pulpit, but they are not actions in the lives of members. So, understand, sometimes what appears to be instability and failure is actually growth and forward progress.

Here are 10 signs your church is ready to reach the lost.

1) Longtime church members are upset.

Carey Neiuwhof talks about this here. When the unchurched or lost begin showing up at your church, some longtime church members will become upset. People who don’t know Jesus don’t understand the “code.” They don’t speak the church language. And these church people only like those who speak their language.

But this is not true of everyone. Some Christians will see the shift and be revitalized. They understand the goal is not to be comfortable and safe. And this will ignite their heart toward the mission. So, if your church has some Christians uneasy and upset, don’t feel bad. This is a natural part of a culture focused on reaching the lost. Embrace it.

2) Members celebrate when people are sent into the world.

Success in the church shouldn’t center around how many are gathered, but how many are sent.

The God we serve is a God who sends people into the world, not gathers them into a huddle. Likewise, success in the church shouldn’t center around how many are gathered, but how many are sent. Insider-focused churches try to plug people into the life of the church. Churches focused on the lost try to plug the church in the life of the world.

Recently, my wife informed me of a local ministry in Jackson, Tenn., focused on ministering to women at a strip club. These are ordinary women. No special training. Just women who decided volunteering at church wasn’t the extent of their ministry for God. So, Friday nights are not a time to rest and wind down from a long week. They are a time devoted to prayer and showing up at a strip club to minister to women.

Mindfulness for Believers: A Meditation on Depression

By

Latoya A. Delmadge

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April 2, 2020

The actions that we produce are driven by our thoughts. Before we make any steps in a particular direction, it is best that we hold ourselves accountable by processing our very own thoughts. Mindfulness is part of the process. Here is a mediation on depression, from my book, 31 Days of Mindful Proverbs: Healing Words for the Soul.

The Word of God teaches us how powerful and influential our thought patterns are; they direct the course of our life. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Does this mean that if we think of a chicken, we are in actuality a chicken? Absolutely not. But if we focus on chicken constantly and fix our thoughts on our longing and desire for chicken, we will engage in eating it very often and can rightly be defined as “chicken lovers.” Let’s take for example the illustration of lusting after someone in our heart, continually. As the thought of lust comes in our mind, it is our responsibility to process why we thought of lust, how we plan to respond to this thought, and whether this thought will become a recurring thought. If we have thoughts of low self-esteem, we do not have to be defined as a person with low self-esteem or allow these thoughts to control us. We claim and utilize the power within us by countering our thoughts with faithfulness and confidence. As powerful, thinking human beings, we have to master the art of directing our thought patterns into a fruitful, positive, and productive direction. Yes! We can accomplish this task, but it will require some work.

We all are faced with maladaptive thoughts at times, but we all have the ability to channel our thoughts and direct our actions. The initial stage of mindfulness is awareness. Awareness is extremely significant because, before we are able to challenge a thought process, we have to be aware of that thought and judge its content. Let’s go back to thoughts of lust. A great place to start is to first identify that the thoughts we are having are lustful. After our thought is identified, we then weigh whether it is productive or destructive, which is guided firstly by our belief system and moral standard. Any thought we have should be judged by asking ourselves the question: Is it maladaptive or worth adapting; is it life bearing or marked with death? Ask yourself: What will happen if I water this thought and what kind of fruit will it produce? Whatever results we are looking for, we should move in that direction with that thought.

If we experience thoughts of depression, as we all do from time to time, we know that these thoughts are destructive and maladaptive. They are marked with death, as they do not yield any life. If we take a look at individuals who have watered thoughts of depression and weigh the results or the fruit that comes from their thoughts, we see the fruit of suicide, we see the fruit of low quality of life, we see the fruit of strained family dynamics. The list can go on and on as the results vary from person to person, but the results are never positive. At this point, we are aware; before moving any further in countering maladaptive thoughts, we must be aware. Without awareness, there will be no change.

Maladaptive, unproductive thoughts of depression will no longer keep us bound if we decide to take a step toward countering them and reprogramming our thought patterns. The Word of God is the most powerful tool to use in our mindfulness journey. Other tools are also helpful, but we will focus primarily on God’s Word, and other resources will be used as support. The Word of God directs on things that are good and acceptable. John 6:63 says, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Therefore, we have something substantial to measure our thoughts with and judge based on our belief, and because it is life, it will cause us to live. This battle over the thoughts of our mind is not a one-time victory, but rather a constant war that we have to fight, and with God, we are guaranteed the victory.

Spiritual Food for Thought: Proverbs 4:23—Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Finally, here is are some questions for personal reflection: What patterns of thinking have led to feelings of depression and low self-esteem in your life? Think back into your childhood. How have encounters in your childhood influenced your thought pattern around low self-esteem? What are some strained relationships in your life? What role have you played in that dynamic? Identify your thoughts in relation to your actions.

This article is an excerpt from Latoya Dalmadge’s book, 31 Days of Mindful Proverbs: Healing Words for the Soul.

Church Tech Is Vital During Unprecedented Times

By

Jonathan Smith

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April 2, 2020

These are unprecedented times, and as we watch things unfold around the world on an hour-by-hour basis even words like unprecedented don’t seem to capture the gravity of the situation. The good news is: there is hope. God wasn’t caught off guard by COVID-19. Heaven isn’t in panic mode trying to figure out what to do. He already knows what to do: he has a plan for His glory and our gain.

This is truly a time for believers to put their faith into practice. We trust in God, and now our world is in desperate need of us to show that trust in action. There are two practical areas where technology can really help us stay connected during unprecedented times of isolation.

Streaming

Churches have been streaming for as long as streaming has existed. The technology to start streaming is universally available, and more churches than ever have begun to stream. At Faith Ministries (my church) we used to have our church service for a live audience and then used cameras to allow those who were not in the room with us to watch. Now our rooms our empty, and everyone knows that.

This is a great time to considering changing what you’re streaming. We aren’t doing worship services for a gathering anymore; we are doing an individual worship TV show. This may require us to change the content of our services, our worship sets, even helping those involved in the services to look directly at the cameras to help connect directly with our audiences.

For some churches a long worship set may work, but for others shorter sets with more mediation, scripture reading, and prayer may be best. As it appears we will be doing worship in empty rooms for a while, consider how your service production is connecting with a drastically different audience. Like I said: unprecendented times.

But let’s not forget to serve those without Internet access. “Sneaker net,” running DVDs and USB drives around to those who can’t stream might just make a comeback.

IT (Information Technology)

During these unprecedented times more and more we are being told to work from home and with each day that passes it seems another we are more isolated. Fortunately there are many tools that make connection and working remotely easy. Instead of viewing isolation as a disconnection from those to whom we minister we should simply view it as a change in medium to connect with them.

Social networks like Twitter and Facebook can really shine during a time like this as they provide a worldwide connection point. Enterprise tools like Microsoft Teams, GoToMeeting, and others provide chats and video conferencing for our staffs to stay connected and productive. And don’t forget the good ol’ telephone: in the old days we used to call it working the phone: it’s still an effective ministry tool, and one that ensures you can connect with anyone regardless of their tech savvy.

Use your time in isolation to build bridges—albeit virtual bridges—with those around you. It’s not like there are any new movies coming out or any sports to watch. All your favorite places to eat are carryout only. It seems God has cleared our schedules for a potential revival if we are willing to trust Him and use the tools at our disposal.

My encouragement to you is don’t panic, be patient, and put your faith into action. We are told to love others, and we say we do: so now go show the world!

Jonathan Smith is an author, conference speaker, and the Director of Technology at Faith Ministries in Lafayette, IN. You can reach Jonathan at jsmith@faithlafayette.org and follow him on Twitter @JonathanESmith.

Take Your Church’s Pulse: 10 Questions to Ask

By

Dan Reiland

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April 2, 2020

You can take your church’s pulse with these 10 questions. Every year, I get a complete physical from my doctor. It’s a thorough checkup from head to toe. I usually have the same initial thoughts about this invasive, needle-sticking, blood-sucking, finger-poking experience. First, I’m too busy for this. I just don’t have time. Second, this is not going to be fun! Third, I don’t want to know what I might learn. But the end result is always the same. I’m glad I did it, and it always leads to continued or better health.

Your church is similar to this experience. No one really wants to do a thorough and honest evaluation, but you are wise to do so. It leads to better church health and robust performance.

One of the “secrets to success” is asking the right questions. Dr. Martin, my physician, always asks me a lot of questions. But it’s obvious that he’s not just randomly asking a laundry list of standard questions. The questions are strategic and come from years of experience and wisdom resulting from over 30 years of practicing medicine.

I strongly recommend that you gather several influential leaders in your church and ask the following questions. You’ll be glad you did. Keep in mind that, once you discover the answers, you need to act upon what you learn. It’s similar to Dr. Martin’s report. If he wants me to lose weight, or exercise more, or to take a certain medication, I need to act on that or the physical exam has no real value.

10 Good Questions to Ask:

1. In what ways is the unique culture of your church helping you make progress?

How would you describe your culture? Is your church culture helping or hurting as you pursue God’s purpose for your church? Dr. Sam Chand wrote a great book titled Cracking Your Church’s Culture Code. He states that more than vision, programs, money or staff, culture has the greatest impact on your church’s future. I agree! I highly recommend it to help you work through this question.

2. How would you describe the level of spiritual maturity in your church?

There are so many ways to approach this question, so let me offer our spiritually strategic approach at 12Stone® Church. We look for a few key indicators. First, are our people praying? Do they hear God’s voice and obey? Second, are the people serving in ministry? Third, are they giving financially? Of course you could list more things, but if these three are strong, most everything else will fall into place.

3. Are you developing new leaders, and how are you doing that?

Next to the favor of God, everything rises and falls on leadership! Do the leaders in your church demonstrate strong spiritual depth and a servant heart? What are you doing to find and develop new leaders? You will not realize your potential as a church without a serious dedication to this endeavor. I’m passionate about this topic and have written a book to help you develop leaders: Amplified Leadership.

4. How would you describe the strength of your volunteers?

Are your volunteers a powerful army or a struggling band of survivors? Much of that depends on how you select, train, encourage and empower your volunteers. Do you recruit to a vision or just to get a task done? All churches face the pressure of needing people to volunteer to serve, but how you build teams makes all the difference. How would you rate the overall esprit de corps of your volunteer ministries?

5. What are the financial indicators telling you?

It is relatively easy to measure results when it comes to money. The weekly offering tells the truth. At the same time, one of the largest challenges a leader will ever face is successfully inspiring the people to trust God with their finances and remain obedient to generous giving. It’s sad, but true, that in most churches half the people could leave and the church would experience very little change financially. Of course, you don’t want them to leave, but the point is clear. Like it or not, money and ministry can’t be separated. It takes financial resources to reach people for Jesus.

6. When you think of the majority of your leaders, what impression comes to mind?

Dedicated, competent and joyous? Or are they complaining, lacking excellence and apathetic? I hope it’s more the former. What are the words that come to mind when you think of your leaders? How are you investing in them? How are you encouraging them? The one word definition of leadership is influence. How are your leaders influencing people for the sake of the Kingdom?

7. Is your process of spiritual formation (discipleship) working?

What are the practical steps that guide your people in their journey toward spiritual maturity? If you lean too much into mechanical lists, you can lose the more fluid and organic side of the Holy Spirit’s power. If you remove structure completely, you run the risk of “feel good” ministry that can be warm and relational, but lacking in depth and discipline. I have wrestled with this over the years and concluded that there is no one right way. For me, I think one of the best ways to measure your process of spiritual formation is to gather stories. If there are stories of life change you are on the right track. (This is closely linked to question #2.)

8. How would you describe the overall morale of your church?

Similar to finances, it is easy to assess morale, but difficult to improve it if it’s not doing well. I can spend a few hours with a church staff and key leaders and have a very good sense of the overall morale of the church. It’s not difficult to sense what is going on. Are the people happy? Do they trust the leadership? Are they fired up about the mission? Are they passionate about following Jesus? Is there momentum? Are problems solved with relative ease? You get the idea. Morale and culture are closely linked. If you are struggling and the culture and morale is not ideal, I urge you to pour your leadership energy there first.

9. Are you on mission?

You must first be clear about the purpose of your church. What is it, exactly? It’s essential that your leaders become and remain aligned together in that mission. The bottom line is that the leaders are headed in the same direction. I have visited far too many churches that have multiple mission/vision ideas in the mix. I love to get the key leaders and staff in a room and then ask them to write the mission on a card. Not the words written on the wall, but what priority is actually lived out. It’s scary how many different things are written on those cards. And these are the leaders!

10. Do your people enthusiastically invite others to your worship services?

I have coached churches where the people had very lukewarm feelings about the worship service. There was no way they would ever invite someone even if they did have a heart for the lost. This is a huge evangelistic combination. If your people are committed to the vision enough to invite people to church, and your church service is worth inviting people to — that is the combination you want.

I urge you to invest the time it takes to answer these questions. I pray God’s wisdom for your leadership and His favor upon your church!

Asian American Leaders to the Church: Please Reject COVID-19 Racism

By

Jessica Mouser

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April 2, 2020

Pastor Ray Chang and Dr. Michelle Reyes have collaborated with leaders across the U.S. to combat the rising racism against Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. Under the umbrella of the Asian American Christian Collaborative (AACC), these leaders have released the “Statement on Anti-Asian Racism in the Time of Covid-19.”

“We call for an immediate end to the xenophobic rhetoric, hate crimes, and violence against our people and communities,” write the authors. “We invite all Americans to join us in combating these contagions and work with us for the welfare of all.” The authors go on to say:

In the last two weeks of March 2020, Asian Americans have reported nearly 1,000 incidents of racism, and without mitigation, we expect that number to rise in the weeks ahead. Many of these were violent attacks against life and human dignity, and many more incidents have gone unreported.

The statement recalls previous incidents of racism against Asian Americans in the U.S. during World War II, as well as the racism Middle Eastern Americans experienced following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Noting the two greatest commandments to love God and neighbor, the authors write,

We urge you to speak without ambiguity against racism of every kind. Faithful Christian witness requires anti-racist work, and silence only perpetuates the sins not addressed. This includes going beyond shallow acknowledgement of the most obvious incidents of racism to taking responsibility in confronting the longstanding tendencies of people to discount and dismiss the realities of racism. It also includes addressing the disbelief and disobedience of your constituents who continue to ignore members of the body of Christ who are in pain and under threat.

What Asian American People Are Experiencing

The statement, which currently has over 6,500 signatures, came about because its drafters were noticing an increase in anti-Asian behavior and were experiencing that behavior themselves. Chang is the Ministry Associate for Discipleship at Wheaton College, and Reyes is a church planter and activist. According to Christianity Today, Chang said that when he went to Walmart a week into being quarantined, someone pointed at him and said, “There’s another one.” Reyes said that the son of one of the families in her church was chased by kids in his neighborhood who yelled “coronavirus” and “go home.”

These are among the more mild accounts of racism throughout the country, however. The New York Times reports that a man in San Francisco screamed at and spit on a woman named Yuanyuan Zhu. A San Jose woman was verbally assaulted while standing in line at Whole Foods when a man said to her, “I (expletive) hate Asian people…go somewhere else.”

A man riding the New York subway harassed an Asian American man near him, saying, “He’s standing right [expletive] next to me. I don’t want him under me.” The harasser told the other man to move and when he did not, the former sprayed Febreze all around him. The New York Times interviewed almost 24 Asian Americans a couple weeks ago who reported being harassed in public and fearful of letting their children go outside.

One of the more violent racist incidents took place at a Sam’s Club in Midland, Texas. On March 14, a man stabbed three members of an Asian American family, including a six-year-old and a two-year-old, and also stabbed a Sam’s Club employee who tried to intervene. The FBI has classified the incident as a hate crime. The man reportedly said he attacked the family because he “thought the family was Chinese, and infecting people with the coronavirus.”

President Trump has come under criticism for calling the coronavirus the “China virus,” terminology he has defended by saying the label is “accurate” since the virus originated in the city of Wuhan in China. Others, however, have pointed out that in light of the increasing hateful behavior toward Asian Americans, just because the term is true does not mean it is helpful.

Gregg Orton, the national director of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, told ABC News, “Maybe it is China’s fault or the [Chinese] government’s fault. There will be a time and place for that conversation. But right now we’re in the thick of this and we have to be mindful of the language we’re using.”

It is worth noting that these episodes are impacting more people than those of Chinese descent. Cynthia Choi helped launch the online hate crime reporting tool, Stop AAPI Hate. She confirmed to PBS News that 61 percent of the hate crimes being reported are from Asian American people who are not Chinese.

Please Pray: Director of AGWM in Fight for His Life

By

Megan Briggs

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April 2, 2020

The Executive Director of the Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM) organization has contracted the coronavirus and is currently in the midst of what has been a weeks-long battle for his life. Greg Mundis is among several AGWM employees and missionaries who are currently battling the virus–some from hospital wards around the world.

On March 18th, AGWM sent out a prayer request concerning Mundis, indicating he had tested positive for COVID-19 and that he had been hospitalized. The successive updates indicated he had been intubated and put on a ventilator. Additionally, he was undergoing dialysis for kidney function impairment.

Mundis, who lives in Missouri, had to be airlifted from an undisclosed hospital to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri on March 31st. He is currently in a pulmonary unit for specialized care for COVID-19 patients. According to an update posted today, Mundis is making some progress:

His first day of treatment April 1 was very eventful. “The staff at BJH are incredible and far exceed even what their amazing reputation deserves,” says Greg and Sandie’s son, Dr. Greg Mundis. “Over the last 24 hours they have performed many tests to get an idea of Dad’s current medical condition. Fortunately, their experience with #COVID19 is growing and they are hopeful for my father even in the wake of his critical condition.”

More AGWM Staff and Missionaries Hospitalized

Additionally, AGWM staff member, Ron Maddux, the organization’s Northern Asia regional director as well as “a number of our missionaries” have been hospitalized due to COVID-19, according to a March 26th update.

A prayer request from AGWM on March 27th gives a little more detail concerning the other staff members who are undergoing treatment in hospitals:

Prayer Requests and Update (3/27/20):

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

— Colossians 4:2, NIV

Greg Mundis remains in ICU on a ventilator. His son, Greg Jr., gives daily updates, but progress is slow, with gradual improvement.

Greg’s wife Sandie is better, though COVID-19 positive, and quarantined at home. Overall, her health is improving.

Ron Maddux remains in the hospital, stable and progressing. Continue to pray for his oxygen levels to improve and remain higher. We rejoice that his wife, Penny, remains healthy without any COVID-19 symptoms.

Thomas Carpenter remains in the hospital on a ventilator. Day-to-day reports are up and down as physicians work to wean him off ventilator support.

Phyllis Benigas remains in the hospital in Belgium, making progress but still in need of healing for her lungs.

Andy and Nancy Raatz, Delyn Cole (Chi Alpha), and another AGWM employee also continue to recover from COVID-19.

Pray for the ongoing healing, peace and protection of each one of these leaders, and praise God with us for the progress being made.

COVID-19 has impacted much of the world, and we encourage you to pray also for churches and pastors facing disruption and uncertainty, missionaries in countries where borders are closed, and friends dealing with loss of job and financial pressures.

AGWM has over 2,700 missionaries around the world. On March 13, 2020, the organization placed its missionaries on “indefinite international travel restriction.” However, the world missions organization assures its supporters they are committed to fulfilling the Great Commission and that their work will continue. “Though none of us imagined such a scenario, I want to reassure all of you that our organization and mission continue moving forward,” writes Doug Clay, General Superintendent of AGWM. “Jesus said that He would build His Church, and the gates of hell would not prevail.”

Tips for Parents Who Are Suddenly Homeschooling

By

Jenny Funderburke Smith

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April 2, 2020

I saw a great meme last week that said, “And just like that, we were all homeschoolers.” I laughed, but it didn’t even occur to me that it would apply to our family before the week was out. We are in unprecedented times for sure. For parents who are suddenly homeschooling, I sought the advice of some of my favorite moms who have been doing this homeschool thing for awhile now, several of whom are also working moms.

Everyone’s situation will be different, but hopefully this advice will help you in these crazy days where you are suddenly homeschooling.

Pray together. Invite Jesus in to your home and your day.
Decide if you’re a pajamas homeschool mom. Some moms feel that everyone is much more productive if they get up and get dressed to start their day. Some families may feel differently. Figure out what works for your people.
Create a schedule. Find a schedule that works for your family and stick with it. How you start the day can set the tone for the day. Consider starting with some Bible time together.
Allow the kids breaks. Five to ten minutes between every subject for two goes a long way for you both. Don’t let them on electronics during this time! Make them be active. Run, climb a tree etc. Set a timer to make sure the break doesn’t go too long. That break is great to keep them from not getting fatigued, but also a good chance to sneak in a returned phone call or email. Again, the timer keeps you both on task.
Have a system for knowing what needs to be done. One mom says, “I keep all three sets of lesson plans out on my counter and cross off each one as they’re done. Some kids are self sufficient and I allow them to work on their own. Others are not and I have to work side by side. We have a place on the counter they put their completed assignments that need grading if I’m not working with them.”
Allow the kids breaks. Five to ten minutes between every subject or two goes a long way for you both. Don’t let them on electronics during this time! Make them be active. Run, climb a tree etc. Set a timer to make sure the break doesn’t go too long. That break is great to keep them from not getting fatigued, but also a good chance to sneak in a returned phone call or email. Again, the timer keeps you both on task.
Have a plan for electronics. This issue may be your biggest battle if you don’t have firm guidelines. You may choose to have no electronics during the school day, just like they are not allowed at school. You may choose to allow them during set breaks. Your call, but my suggestion would be to limit them as much as possible.
Keep chocolate on hand. Sometimes a Hersey’s Kiss does wonders when are patience is running thin. (I suppose for both kid and grown up)
Set aside an hour for quiet time in the afternoon. Make this a purposeful break from each other. Everyone goes to their own space. Encourage an hour of reading or other quiet activity. It’s their down time and can be your work time.
Brainstorm family projects that focus outward. Look for opportunities to serve neighbors, extended family, nursing home residents as quarantines and social distancing allow. Be creative.
The crockpot is your friend.
You have to be flexible. If you start to “lose” your child or become frustrated with each other take a break, double up on a different subject and work on that one later.
Encourage Romans 12:10. “Take delight in honoring each other’. Out-give one another. Show grace, give extra chances, share the last cookie, etc…

For parents who are trying to work at the same time as homeschooling:

Recognize can’t do both at the exact same time and do both well. Set aside work time vs school time. Get up early or stay up late. Do as much as possible so you have a good start on answering emails, sending out necessary reports, etc… so you can focus on the kids and school once they’re up.
Try to limit phone calls during school. The distraction gets kids off task and it’s so much harder to get them back at it.
Work on schoolwork in sections. Start with what they can do independently so you can set up, make calls, and try to plan your work day accordingly.
Don’t take your frustrations out on your kids. Often bad attitudes from them are a manifestation of your frustrations.

Finally, for everyone who is homeschooling…

Make this an adventure. This season may last longer than we anticipate, but it won’t last forever. Choose joy over stress. Look for the good in the unanticipated time together. Relax. Do fun things. Laugh.

Big thank you to Jenny Daugherty, Stephanie King, and Elizabeth Heisey for your insight!

This article about suddenly homeschooling originally appeared here.

10 Things You Should Know About Anglicanism

By

Gerald R McDermott

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April 2, 2020

1. It didn’t start with the divorce of Henry VIII.

Actually, it started in the very first centuries of Christianity when Romans settled Britain and Christians came as soldiers, administrators and traders. The first mention we have of English Christianity comes from Tertullian who wrote in 200 AD that “parts of England were conquered by Christ.”

Very soon, Christians in Britain developed their own way of worshiping the triune God, involving attention to the beauty of the created world and missions. The Celtic church in England differed with Rome over many points of worship, and in the fourteenth century Oxford priest, John Wycliffe, called the pope “a poisonous weed” and denied transubstantiation. All of these differences with the Roman church were centuries before Henry VIII.

2. By the fourteenth Century, England had developed a distinctive spirituality.

It was rooted in the synthesis of doctrine and prayer taught by two Christian greats: Augustine of Hippo—the great theologian whose Confessions are an extended prayer—and Benedict of Nursia, whose monasteries modeled the Christian life as work amidst liturgical prayer. By the fourteenth century, English Christianity had long been influenced by both Augustine’s “pessimistic” emphasis on sin and Benedict’s “optimistic” stress on joy in common life.

3. Anglicanism is not just for the English or for Americans.

Today the majority of Anglicans are in Africa and other regions of the Global South. Each province uses its own culture to worship God with the Book of Common Prayer and the orthodoxy of the Thirty-Nine Articles.

4. There are more Anglicans in church on Sunday morning in Nigeria than in all the British Isles and North America combined.

5. With a membership of about 85 million, Anglicanism is the third-largest Christian communion in the world, after the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

6. Anglicans consider their way to be a via media.

This means the “middle way” between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. They think they have the best of both—the worship of the catholic tradition of the undivided Church of the first millennium, plus the emphasis on preaching and justification by faith from the Reformation.

7. The Anglican Book of Common Prayer is widely regarded as the most beautiful worship in the English language.

The “sombrely magnificent prose” (Eamon Duffy) of the Book of Common Prayer has attracted legions of admirers all around the world. It reflects the liturgical genius of Thomas Cranmer, but it also provides moderns access to the worship of the early church. Cranmer, and the many other hands that produced the Book of Common Prayer, were adapting a basic catholic pattern of worship derived from the first few centuries of the Church that then developed over the course of the Middle Ages.

8. Anglicans worship not only with liturgy (ordered prayer that changes every Sunday of the seasons of the church year), but also with sacraments.

These are the two Dominical (commanded by the Dominus, or Lord, of the Church, Jesus) sacraments of baptism and Eucharist, and the five “sacraments of the church”—confirmation, Holy Orders, marriage, absolution, and healing of the sick.

9. Anglicans believe that in the Eucharist, they receive the real body and blood of the risen Christ.

This differs with the Catholic view of transubstantiation, which holds that the substance of the bread and wine are changed so that they are no longer bread and wine. Anglicans believe the bread and wine remain as bread and wine, but that in a mysterious way, the body and blood of Christ are also conveyed through the sacrament.

10. While Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) was the English Reformation’s greatest liturgist, Richard Hooker (1554-1600) is widely regarded as its greatest theologian.

His Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity are a comprehensive treatment of life and worship on the via media.

Content adapted from The Future of Orthodox Anglicanism by Gerald R. McDermott. This article first appeared on Crossway.org; used with permission.

5 Surefire Ways to Train Your Kid to Use Porn

By

Rick Thomas

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April 2, 2020

Before I get into five surefire ways to motivate your child to become a porn addict, let me establish two important points.

The first is, no parent wants their child to become involved in pornography.

We all can agree on this.

The problem for many of us is, we do not understand the insidious allurement of pornography or how our behavior, though unintentional, can help shape a child to become a porn addict and to crave something that can lead him into a lifetime of slavery.

There are always unintended consequences for our actions. We can’t act one way, good or bad, and not expect our actions to have unintended consequences. Like a rock dropped into a lake, there will always be a ripple effect to our attitudes and actions.

Secondly, pornography for a man is not primarily about the physicality of a woman.

A woman’s appearance is an external magnet for the eye to enjoy, but the greater problem for the man is the cravings of the heart.

Pornography is first and foremost about the theater of the mind, where the man can enter into his virtual world and be king for a day, or, in this case, king for a few minutes as he satisfies his mind with the risk-free intrigue of the cyber conquest.

Growing a Porn Addict

Porn is a secret world that resides in the heart. It is lust, which feeds itself while in the darkness of a person’s mind. This makes what we do as parents all the more important because the mind of a child is not altogether discernible.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. —James 1:14-15 (ESV)

The seeds of lust can be planted in the mind of a child years before he or she is old enough to act out on what has been growing inside the heart.

The continuum of being lured and enticed by sin to desiring and conceiving sin does not have to happen in a rapid sequence. It can take years for this sinful sequence to bring sin and death to a person’s life.

In most cases, the allurement and enticement of the porn addict begins in his mind while still a child. This has been a consistent pattern I have seen in counseling.

A child can be in porn training long before there is awareness from the child or the parents.

What It Really Means to Have Our Minds Transformed

By

J.D. Greear

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April 2, 2020

Romans 12:2 is a verse that reminds me of butterflies. This may surprise you, but I’m not an expert on butterflies. I do recall a few key insights from one of my favorite books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. For instance, there are days—like the day after the Super Bowl—when I think I need to eat “one nice, green leaf,” and after that, I’ll feel much better.

I did a little reading up on caterpillars recently and learned some fascinating things about their transformation process. When the caterpillar is in its cocoon, it isn’t just rearranging pieces on its body. It’s not in there reading manuals about flight or working out. It actually releases enzymes that turn its body into a little soup. Those cells rearrange into a new creation—with wings, antennae, eyes, and all the rest.

After a few weeks, it nibbles a hole in the cocoon, and out pops a butterfly! And then, without any classes or coaching or coercion, it flies.

The Apostle Paul may or may not have known all this about butterflies. But he did recognize that something similar happens to the believer: “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind …” (Romans 12:2 CSB).

“Transformed” means changed from within. The word in Greek for “transformed” is metamorphoo. It’s where we get our word “metamorphosis”—you know, the word we use to describe what happens to a caterpillar when it sews itself up in a cocoon and emerges as a butterfly.

When God transforms us from within, he releases gospel enzymes into our heart that restructure it so that spiritual flight becomes second nature.

This is different than mere religious change. Religious change is mechanical; it tries to get you to conform your behavior. It’s like screwing wings onto a caterpillar and trying to teach it to fly. It just won’t work.

When it comes to your spiritual life, I’ll bet a lot of you feel like caterpillars with mechanical wings. You keep trying to change by adding spiritual stuff to your life—attend church more, give more money, try these new habits, say these new prayers. But in the end, you just feel exhausted.

Romans 12:2 was a popular verse for preachers when I went to youth camp as a teenager. The way I heard it then went something like this: “Stop listening to Bon Jovi and Run-DMC and start listening to Petra, Carmen, and Sandi Patti.” (For those of you unfamiliar with these magical 80s icons, you could translate this to, “Stop listening to Lizzo and start listening to Lauren Daigle.”) These speakers preached about transformation as a change of behavior—and, for some reason, the main behavior they wanted to change was our musical tastes.

Now, there are good reasons to screen what you listen to. And I will still argue, decades later, that Petra is underappreciated. But Paul’s not talking about what kind of music we listen to. He’s spent the last 11 chapters of Romans talking about renewing our minds in the beauty of the gospel.

God doesn’t want mechanical change; he wants organic change. He wants your behavior to change because your heart has been changed and you now desire to obey him.

This is why the gospel is not just for unbelievers. As we renew our minds in the mercies of the gospel, saturating ourselves in them, we are transformed into the kind of people who obey God from the heart.

The gospel is like a well: You get the best water from the well not by widening the circumference of the well but by digging deeper into it. It’s not just the way we begin the Christian life; it’s the way we grow in the Christian life.

Renewing ourselves in the love of God for us is what produces love for God in us. It transforms our hearts so that obedience to God becomes our desire.

This article about Romans 12:2 originally appeared here.

One Pastor’s View: Which Bible Translations Should You Read?

By

Clay Smith

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April 1, 2020

I regularly get questions about which Bible translation is the “best.” Sometimes people want to get me in a debate about the shortcomings of one translation over another, or try to convince me that God favors a particular translation (usually the KJV). Frankly, I am getting tired of the discussion. I think it is a great distraction because, more important than the version you use, is living out the teaching of God’s truth.

So, with this rant out of my system, let me offer these thoughts:

1. The Bible was originally written in three languages — Hebrew, a little bit of Aramaic, and Greek.

2. Every English translation is in fact a translation, whether it is KJV, NIV, ESV or NASB.

3. God nowhere told us He prefers one translation over another. Not once. Nowhere in the Bible. Not from a church council. Remember the admonition in Revelation 22 not to add anything to what God says?

4. Acts 2 and Galatians make it clear that language should not be a barrier to come to Jesus. Islam requires you to learn Arabic to read the Quran. Jesus wanted his story told to people in their own language!

5. All translations have flaws. Some sacrifice readability for literalness; others sacrifice literalness for readability. Translation is an art, not a science. I speak as someone who has translated Hebrew and Greek for my sermons for over 20 years. And if I can sound arrogant for just a moment, my Ph.D in Old Testament taught me that language is dynamic, not static — so what is a good translation for one generation can quickly get dated by shifts in culture and language. For example, in my adult life, there has been a shift in the meaning of the word “gay.” So check the KJV for James 2:3. That translation is no longer clear.

6. People who engage in arguments about the superiority of one translation over another are wasting spiritual energy and time on something that God has not made a priority. Frankly, I think some folks will hear a sharp rebuke from God because they waged a battle for a translation. All they did was confuse people over things that don’t matter.

7. The Holy Spirit must guide you as your read, regardless of which translation you use.

8. The best translation is the one you will read. Eugene Nida, chief translator for the American Bible Society, told me that years ago — He was right.

At our church, we use the NIV — mostly because it is very readable and widely available. Are there places where I wish the translators had made different choices? Of course. Is it, overall, a solid translation. Absolutely.

My encouragement to you is to read the version you will read every day — and pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you.

NYC Mayor: Houses of Worship That Defy Directives May Be Closed Permanently

By

Stephanie Martin

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April 1, 2020

Though most churches have temporarily moved online to help reduce virus transmission, the few that have defied government orders are making headlines and raising the ire of officials. Now New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is under fire for what religious-liberty advocates call an overreach of authority.

During a March 27 briefing, de Blasio addressed stay-at-home orders in the pandemic’s U.S. epicenter. He thanked religious leaders who are complying but warned that law enforcement would “disperse” any large worship services and, if necessary, “take additional action up to the point of fines and potentially closing the building permanently.”

Mayor de Blasio acknowledged the importance of faith, especially during crises, and said closing churches is “the last thing” he wants to do. But public safety is paramount, he said, and “no faith tradition endorses anything that endangers the members of that faith.”

Staying home during the COVID-19 crisis is tough. It’s emotionally difficult. It’s scary. But every New Yorker who stays home is helping us save lives. Every empty street means we’re all doing our part to help make things better. pic.twitter.com/hG4GZ4IJAG

— NYC Mayor’s Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) April 1, 2020

NYC Mayor’s Threat Violates Freedoms, Critics Say

Reaction to de Blasio’s warning was swift, with pastors and legal experts citing constitutional rights. Pastor Bart Barber tweets that “city mayors do not have the authority to suspend the First Amendment” and urged de Blasio to “clarify or correct your threat.” He adds that his Texas church is currently closed “not because we must, but because we should.”

Americans “will tolerate a lot” during a crisis, says attorney Jeremy Dys, but they won’t abide threats of permanent closure. Dys adds that de Blasio’s “careless talk…harms the ability of church and state to work together, not only to provide calm and comfort during a global pandemic, but to strengthen religious freedom.”

Kristen Waggoner with Alliance Defending Freedom writes, “Our laws ensure that governments only limit religious free exercise for a ‘compelling interest’ of the ‘highest order,’ and even then, only if they do it with the ‘least restrictive means.’” By contrast, she says, “Using a crisis to permanently curtail religious freedom is unconscionably cruel and does nothing but harm our communities.”

Al Mohler: Following Orders Is Justified

Several Southern Baptist leaders have spoken out about the controversy, including Ronnie Floyd, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee. “While I would encourage churches to honor requests regarding public meetings in the attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19,” he says, “this is an opportunity to show neighbor love rather than for the establishment of state authority over religious exercise.”

Travis Wussow with the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission says, “We need both elected officials thinking about why religion is essential and religious leaders thinking about the complexities of public health.”

On his podcast, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler says protests by Christians would be appropriate if churches were being unconstitutionally singled out. “But as it stands right now,” he says, “Christians, given the commandments of love of God and love of neighbor, have ample justification right now to follow the orders, demands, and requests of lawful government not to assemble, along with other assemblies not assembling, until it is safe for us to assemble once again.”

Admitting there’s a fine line between “the lawful authority of government and the danger of government,” Mohler says de Blasio remained within his power until issuing a final threat. “It’s one thing…to say, ‘You can’t meet because no assembly can meet for some defined time under a necessary and legitimate threat,’” Mohler says. “It’s quite a different thing to say, ‘If you violate this order, we will confiscate your building and shut down your services permanently.’”

Emergency Hospital Erected by Samaritan’s Purse in Central Park

By

Megan Briggs

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April 1, 2020

In a matter of four days, Samaritan’s Purse came to the aid of overtaxed New York City hospitals by erecting an emergency hospital unit in Central Park adjacent to Mount Sinai Hospital.

“In order to meet the needs of the coming surge, we must work as a united front in order to save as many lives as possible,” said Margaret Pastuszko, COO of Mount Sinai Health System, referring to the overwhelming number of COVID-19 cases New York City is experiencing. “We are grateful for the collaboration with Samaritan’s Purse who have come to the aid of the people of Italy and now New York.”

Samaritan’s Purse Emergency Hospital Unit Is Self-Sufficient

The 72-member Disaster Assistance Response Team designated for the emergency hospital unit includes doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel. According to Religion News Service, these personnel are coming from different parts of the country and have been contracted by Samaritan’s Purse. The medical team will be led by Dr. Elliott Tenpenny who has experience treating Ebola patients in West Africa, Syrian refugees in Iraq and earthquake victims in Ecuador.

The emergency hospital is composed of 14 tents and has 68 beds that can treat patients who need respiratory care–10 of those beds are in an intensive care unit that can treat patients who need a ventilator. The unit has been erected across the street from Mount Sinai Hospital on 98th Street and Fifth Avenue. The unit is “self-sustained,” meaning it won’t have to draw on staff or resources from the hospitals it seeks to help. Walk-ins to the emergency hospital will not be received; rather, patients will be transferred from Mount Sinai hospitals as the need arises.

Leaving the organization’s North Wilkesboro, North Carolina warehouse on Saturday morning, six trucks brought the equipment needed for the unit to New York City. The equipment arrived Saturday night and a team went to work on assembling the field hospital Sunday morning. Local volunteers from the city’s churches helped the North Carolina team assemble the hospital in about three days.

As impressive as this quick action is, not everyone is totally thrilled about Samaritan’s Purse being the ones to erect the emergency unit. An article in the Gothamist refers to Samaritan’s Purse leader Franklin Graham as a “virulently anti-LGBTQ and Islamaphobic preacher.” This label, or something similar, has been used to describe Graham, the son of the late Billy Graham, by many. Earlier this year, Graham had to postpone several already-planned and publicized summer events in the United Kingdom after several venues dropped their agreements with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) to host his Franklin Graham tour. The agreements were dropped due to Graham’s outspoken stance on homosexuality and previous controversial statements he’s made about Muslims.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio admits he wanted to ensure certain stipulations were met before allowing Samaritan’s Purse to operate the field hospital. De Blasio said he wanted assurance that the answer to the following question was affirmative: “Was there going to be an approach that was truly consistent with the values and the laws in New York City, that everyone would be served and served equally?” Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, de Blasio also mentioned “We’re going to send people over from the Mayor’s Office to monitor” the field hospital. Ultimately, the mayor is concerned the aid Samaritan’s Purse provides “is done right. But if it is done right, of course, we need all the help we can get.”

Samaritan’s Purse has a long reputation for helping everyone it can in times of crisis. In fact, this is not the first time the evangelical organization has set up a field hospital. The North Carolina-based nonprofit started using such units in 2016 while providing assistance in response to an earthquake in Ecuador. They have also used the emergency units in Iraq and the Bahamas. Most recently, Samaritan’s Purse flew equipment for an emergency field hospital to Italy to assist the overwhelmed hospitals in that country.

Samaritan’s Purse Has Similar Unit in Italy

Since March 20th, Samaritan’s Purse has been operating a 14-tent unit adjacent to Cremona Hospital just outside Milan, Italy. The organization was able to fly the unit, along with 20 tons of equipment and medical personnel, to Italy on its DC-8 plane. While Samaritan’s Purse treats everyone in need at their emergency facilities, they do ask for Christian medical personnel to help them. The organization believes prayer to be a critical component in providing care, which is likely why they stipulate they prefer to contract with Christian personnel.

At the field hospital in Italy, for instance, medical personnel have committed to spending the time they take washing their hands (at least 20 seconds each time, dozens of times a day) to praying for each of their patients. “Jesus is the only one who can help us right now,” said physician’s assistant Stephanie Morales. “We’ve got a situation where we’ve got a virus that cannot be treated by antibiotics.”

Local Churches Park and Pray to Support Medical Staff

By

Jessica Mouser

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April 1, 2020

Numerous stories are popping up throughout the country about church and community members who are gathering in the parking lots of their local hospitals to pray for medical staff. While still practicing social distancing, people are showing God’s love to those who are working long hours and risking their health to help others during the coronavirus pandemic.

“These last few days have been really tough and, and it’s gonna get tougher,” said Madeline Vick, who is a registered nurse at East Alabama Medical Center (EAMC) in Lee County. “Having the community behind us, having the churches and so many people of faith praying for that, in and of itself gives us strength.”

Laura Eason, a chaplain at EAMC, decided to start “park and pray” gatherings after a friend who is married to a hospital worker suggested the idea. Now, community members meet outside EAMC at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily to pray for the medical staff. After 30 minutes of prayer, those gathered flash their car lights to show their support.

Showing Medical Staff the Love of Christ

Stefanee Tolbert, who is the principal at Life Christian Academy in Sulphur, Louisiana, recently spearheaded a similar event in her area. After she posted about her park and pray idea on Facebook, people in the community showed up last Sunday to support medical staff at three local hospitals. Supporters stayed in their cars to honor social distancing guidelines, praying and flashing their car lights.

Tolbert told KPLC News, “We had well over 100 vehicles and some had families in them so well over 200 people…to have that caravan go to each hospital and even at the last hospital to still have that many people…it was amazing.” Organizers are also considering doing a park and pray event for local law enforcement.

The members of a church in Americus, Georgia, had a different take on the park and pray idea. Instead of parking in the lot, they formed a circle around the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center last Saturday and prayed and flashed their lights.

Jackie Jenkins, a church attendee in Rome, Georgia, woke up last Thursday with the idea to do drive-in prayer circles around two local hospitals. She said, “I’ve been a churchgoer all my life. I believe in prayer and I believe in church. When I woke up with the thought on my mind, I prayed about it, and God said ‘Let’s do it.’”

People in Bartow County, Georgia, came together last Thursday to pray and worship with the workers at Cartersville Medical Center. The tweet below shows medical staff standing on the roof of the building, worshipping with the hundreds gathered in the parking lot below.

Best thing I’ve seen today. Doctors and Nurses singing “Waymaker” over the hospital they work at.

God you’re still working in the midst of all of this! pic.twitter.com/7ym7gLp9xq

— Jason Romano (@JasonRomano) March 29, 2020

“We bombarded Heaven with our prayers,” said Camden McGill, who helped organize the event. “The medical staff was just on the roof just crying, balling [sic] their eyes out. We’ve already had testimonies coming in from that. It’s just a blessing all credited to the Lord.”

Other states where people are holding park and pray events include Arkansas and Indiana.

Hospital worker Michael McFarlain told KPLC News, “It meant a lot to be able to leave a shift like this, worn out, exhausted, fearful, anxious and to come out to this display of God’s grace and peace…we were all in tears and truly overwhelmed.”

Church Windows Is a Trusted and Reliable System

By

Church Windows

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April 1, 2020

When it comes to maintaining an organizing church database, it is important to find a trusted and reliable system.

Church Windows Software provides an easy way to track the church congregation, its happenings and its giving. Trusted since last century by thousands of churches, Church Windows efficiently handles the church receipts and disbursements, its budget and its employee payroll.

Church Windows Management Software contains Membership/Scheduler, Donations, Accounting, Payroll modules that work together or independently!

Stand-alone desktop, network desktop, or web version, you get the same, flexible features and reporting.

Family-owned. Knowledgeable support. Church Windows Software!

Read independent reviews at Capterra, then learn more and get a personal demo.

Christine Caine: Illuminate the Darkness

By

Toni Ridgaway

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April 1, 2020

“The light in us is meant to dispel the darkness.”

Practical Idea: Use this short clip to inspire your small group to live with courage and compassion, illuminating the darkness with the light of the world, Jesus Christ.

Together, Let’s Strengthen Your Community

By

Aware3

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April 1, 2020

- Together, Let’s Strengthen Your Community
  
  Our mission is simple. We are here to help your church community connect members and mobilize missions. Aware3 creates engagement tools to help your church drive generosity, increase connection and grow community. From a branded mobile app to a text engagement solution to an all-in-one giving solution, you can now keep your congregation connected and help them take crucial next steps quickly and easily.
- Through our engagement tools, you are able:
  - Leverage technology to create real-world relationships
  - Simplify the member experience
  - Help deliver a personalized experience for your members
  - Leverage data to deepen engagement

- As every church is different, our team will work with you to create the best platform for your community.

Ken Boa: Suffering Is a Required Course in the University of Life

By

Jason Daye

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April 1, 2020

Ken Boa is the president of Reflection Ministries and has earned degrees from New York University and Oxford University. He has dedicated his life to communicating, championing and teaching ministry practices for relational evangelism and discipleship. Ken has authored over 80 books and has been awarded three Gold Medallion Book Awards. His latest book, entitled Shaped by Suffering, is available now from InterVarsity Press. Ken and his wife live in Atlanta, Georgia.

Key Questions for Ken Boa

-How does joy relate to suffering?

-How can ministry leaders help people who are going through deep suffering?

-How can ministry leaders who are faithfully serving God process their own suffering?

-Why is it important to prepare for suffering to come, and how can we do that well?

Key Quotes from Ken Boa

“Suffering is not an elective in the university of life. It’s a required course.”

“There is this joy that we can have in the midst of our adversity.”

“Our calling in this soul-forming world is to become in our practice who we already in are in our position, seated with Christ in the heavenly places.”

“We are not here for comfort. God is far more concerned about our character than our comfort.”

“We are no longer defined by the pain of our bounded past, but by the joy of our unbounded future.”

“God redeems what he allows.”

“What I love about the Psalms is their honesty with wrestling with God. Instead of complaining indirectly, they’re wrestling with him directly, and there’s wisdom in doing so.”

“What is the Lord teaching me in this experience?…[This question] openly invites God to change us rather than to change our circumstances.”

“Am I trusting God or not, at the end of the day?”

“Whether we are going through a trial or not, the question, ‘Why have you been so good to me?’ is a clear acknowledgement of God’s compassion and grace and lovingkindness in our lives.”

Helping Kids Stay Calm During the Pandemic

By

Dale Hudson

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April 1, 2020

Even though children are less likely to contract COVID-19 than adults, they are just as susceptible or even more susceptible to being emotionally affected by it. Here are some practical steps parents and church leaders can take for helping kids stay calm during the turmoil the pandemic is causing.

Ways to Help Kids Stay Calm

It is obvious that our everyday lives have been changed. School cancelled. Restaurants closed. Sports events cancelled. Church services moving online. Children function best when they have a consistent schedule and structure. When these things get disrupted, children can struggle.

Keep their routines in place as much as possible. With the current pandemic that can be a challenge since many, if not most, schools are currently closed indefinitely. This means you may need to bring in some other every day routines that you establish with your child. You can also stay consistent with dinner time, family devotion time, play time, bed time, etc.

Understand that children often watch the actions of their parents and other people who have authority in their life. They can sense when the people in their life are stressed out and worried. They will pick up on these feelings. It is important to not only keep children safe physically, but for their emotional well-being as well. Children’s reactions will vary from child to child. Some will be clingy. Some may require extra attention. Some may have difficulty with sleeping and eating.

Be empathetic. Be patient. Be calm. Be supportive. Be caring. Validate their feelings.

Keep the child connected. Social distancing is okay, but social isolation for a child is hard. Make sure you keep them close to you and look for creative ways they can connect with others through writing letters, online chats, phone calls, etc.

Give them age-appropriate information. Tell them the truth in age-appropriate ways. Be available to answer their questions and listen to their concerns. There are also lots of great resources online that can help you present information to children at their age level. But make sure you keep it balanced. Kids don’t need to be constantly exposed to news playing in the background through the TV or other technology.

Reassure children that you are there to help keep them safe. Tell them they can come to you anytime they are experiencing anxiety or fear and you will help them.

Keep them busy. Don’t make them sit in their room all day. Provide fun activities like art, music, playing in the backyard, Legos, etc. The busier you keep them, the less stress they will experience. When kids are bored, they are more prone to worry about the pandemic.

Stay positive. Remind them that Jesus has promised us that He will never leave us nor forsake us. No matter what may come our way, we can lean into His grace and goodness.

If you need more help as you go through this season of uncertainty, contact your local church. They can provide you with help or point you toward professional services if needed.

This article about helping kids stay calm originally appeared here.

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1. Memorize Scripture

2. Listen to Good Music

3. Read Together

1) Longtime church members are upset.

2) Members celebrate when people are sent into the world.

10 Good Questions to Ask:

1. In what ways is the unique culture of your church helping you make progress?

2. How would you describe the level of spiritual maturity in your church?

3. Are you developing new leaders, and how are you doing that?

4. How would you describe the strength of your volunteers?

5. What are the financial indicators telling you?

6. When you think of the majority of your leaders, what impression comes to mind?

7. Is your process of spiritual formation (discipleship) working?

8. How would you describe the overall morale of your church?

9. Are you on mission?

10. Do your people enthusiastically invite others to your worship services?

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Everyone’s situation will be different, but hopefully this advice will help you in these crazy days where you are suddenly homeschooling.

For parents who are trying to work at the same time as homeschooling:

Finally, for everyone who is homeschooling…

1. It didn’t start with the divorce of Henry VIII.

2. By the fourteenth Century, England had developed a distinctive spirituality.

3. Anglicanism is not just for the English or for Americans.

4. There are more Anglicans in church on Sunday morning in Nigeria than in all the British Isles and North America combined.

5. With a membership of about 85 million, Anglicanism is the third-largest Christian communion in the world, after the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

6. Anglicans consider their way to be a via media.

7. The Anglican Book of Common Prayer is widely regarded as the most beautiful worship in the English language.

8. Anglicans worship not only with liturgy (ordered prayer that changes every Sunday of the seasons of the church year), but also with sacraments.

9. Anglicans believe that in the Eucharist, they receive the real body and blood of the risen Christ.

10. While Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) was the English Reformation’s greatest liturgist, Richard Hooker (1554-1600) is widely regarded as its greatest theologian.

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