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How Do I Find the Will of God?

By
Matt Brown
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This year has been a particularly challenging season for me. In fact, since I graduated from Liberty University in 2012, I have struggled with one major question: Am I doing what God has created me to do (God’s will)?

First of all, I am learning that this is a very Americanized way of walking through life. Culture has trained me (and many of us) to constantly be consumed with bettering our future. We focus far too much on how to build our own “little kingdom” and far too little on how to sacrificially contribute to the bigger mission of taking the Gospel to the ends of the Earth. How convicting for me, even as I type these words.

I ran into a pastor last year who described it so simply: “The WILL of God is the WORD of God.” This pastor made a compelling case that God is not looking to “trick us” into making the wrong decisions in life—He actually wants the best for us. And the blueprint to His best can only be found in one place: His Word. This way of living is so freeing!

Even more recently, I found an amazing six-step method to finding God’s will that George Mueller authored. For those of you who don’t know George Mueller, GOOGLE HIM. George lived one of the most faith-filled lives of any human I’ve ever heard of. This six-step method allowed George, a man completely devoted to prayer and faith, to listen for God’s whisper of wisdom. He was able to discern what his next steps should be by following this very specific method.

So, God’s Will is God’s Word in your life. But let’s zoom out just a little more to find a practical process that has been successfully followed:

GEORGE MUELLER’S SIX RULES TO FIND GOD’S WILL

Rule One: I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord’s will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.

Rule Two: Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impressions. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.

Rule Three: I seek the will of the Spirit of God through or in connection with the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also.

Rule Four: Next, I take into account providential circumstances. These plainly indicate God’s will in connection with His Word and Spirit.

Rule Five: I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright.

Rule Six: Thus through prayer to God, the study of the Word and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly.

I wonder what would happen if we practiced this process for every decision for 30 days? How would our lives be different if we prayed before worrying? What would happen if we read God’s Word for answers before we looked around to circumstances for confirmation?

There are dozens of places in the Scripture that talk about God’s Will. But what if we looked at the Bible as one large narrative that gives us a way of living more than short-pithy catchphrases to throw out when we are struggling with something?

Patience is not something our culture is known for. What if we made a shift from wanting answers immediately to wanting God’s answer, no matter how long it takes?

The “Six Rules” come from Answers to Prayer by George Mueller.

This article originally appeared here.

How the Gospel Frees Us to Rub Our Noses in the Quiddity of Things

By
Jared C. Wilson
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“And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” — Nehemiah 8:9-10

The first step to real gospel joy is real gospel brokenness. We cannot get to real happiness in God until we get to real despair of our sin. “Til sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet,” Thomas Watson tells us.

But once we have despaired of all sin and the gods at their genesis, we are free. Really, truly free. To eat fat juicy steaks, for instance.

In fact, we cannot really enjoy the good gifts God gives us until he as their Giver is our greatest joy. Until he as their Giver is our greatest joy, we will be left trying to enjoy his gifts for things they are not, rather than the things they are.

In Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis credited a close friend with cultivating in him “a determination to rub one’s nose in the very quiddity of each thing, to rejoice in its being so magnificently what it was.”

John Piper echoes this enjoyment of quiddity in his book Don’t Waste Your Life, commenting on this kind of awareness: “To wake up in the morning and be aware of the firmness of the mattress, the warmth of the sun’s rays, the sound of the clock ticking, the sheer being of things…”

If I don’t believe the gospel, I will miss out on the joy of the it-ness of things. I will be looking to these things as drugs, as appetite-fillers, as fulfillers, as powers, as gods, as worshipers of the god of myself.

If coffee or chocolate or anything else other than God is the highlight of my day or the ultimate joy of my heart, my joy is temporary, hollow, thin.

But if I believe in the gospel, I can finally enjoy the chocolate-ness of chocolate and the coffee-ness of coffee. Only the gospel frees me to enjoy things as they truly are and as they someday will be.

This article originally appeared here.

11 Strategies to Help You Leverage Christmas to Reach the Unchurched

By
Carey Nieuwhof
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Any idea what the best outreach opportunity of the year at your church is?

You might think it’s an event you do, or perhaps it’s Easter. But whether Christmas has historically been your best opportunity to reach unchurched people or not, I believe it could be.

You may think it’s far too early to start thinking about Christmas but think again. Whenever I share these ideas about Christmas each year, people say, “Hey, I wish you’d talked about this earlier.” So we are.

So why can Christmas become your very best outreach event of the year?

As our culture becomes more and more post-Christian, we’re seeing far fewer times when the holidays of the church and the holidays of culture sync.

I remember about a decade ago hearing a Toronto DJ refer to Easter as “the first long weekend of summer” (in Canada Good Friday is a holiday and schools still take Easter Monday off…a relic from Colonial days). Good Friday and Easter were completely lost on him. It was simply time off.

Christmas is completely different. It’s the one time each year mainstream culture still pays attention to a Christian holiday.

Our culture still loves Christmas. Sure, you can yell and scream that the motives are commercial.

But Christmas is the only time of year when you’ll hear restaurants, malls, radio stations and Spotify playlists belt out explicitly Christian songs like Charles Wesley’s “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing:”

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel

LEADERS WHO COMPLAIN ARE FAR LESS EFFECTIVE THAN LEADERS WHO LEVERAGE

If you follow a lot of Christians on social media leading up to Christmas, you probably have noticed how many people lament over the culture’s disregard of Christ.

In my view, Christian leaders who complain about the culture are far less effective than leaders who figure out how to leverage it.

Well, you can see the obstacle. Or you can see the opportunity. I choose to see the opportunity. There are so many connection points with our culture you’ll miss if you only see the glass as half empty.

Christmas is no time for the church to be more cynical than the world, which still remembers something is different at Christmas, even if they’re not exactly sure what it is.

Stop complaining about the world. Reach it instead.

As the general population thinks less about the Christian faith, Christmas provides a unique opportunity to reach people who no longer ordinarily attend church.

What’s surprising is that many churches don’t really leverage Christmas to make the impact it could.

At Connexus Church, where I serve, our Christmas service wins hands-down every year for both overall attendance AND attendance by unchurched people. Although from a theological viewpoint, Christmas will never be bigger than Easter, when we think of it in practical terms, our Christmas outreach is always bigger than Easter simply because the culture is paying more attention.

Our culture pauses for Christmas in a way it pauses for little else in the year.

TV and film celebrate Christmas in all of its expressions. Almost everyone decorates their homes, businesses and cities.

On December 24 and 25, the Western world comes as close to stopping as it ever does.

I’m not sure there’s any better time than Christmas to connect with those of your friends and neighbors who rarely, if ever, go to church.

So with that in mind, here are 11 strategies to make Christmas your best outreach of the year.

1. DESIGN AN EVENT FOR YOUR COMMUNITY, NOT FOR YOUR MEMBERS

So what’s the biggest mistake many churches make each Christmas?

Simple. Too many churches hold a quiet Christmas Eve or Christmas Day service for members and leave it at that.

Others will do little to nothing special.

That makes Christmas the biggest missed opportunity of the year.

Unchurched people want to celebrate Christmas. Why can’t your church help them?

Here’s a hint: If you design your services with the community in mind, your members will love it too. Especially if their friends come and it changes their lives.

3 Characteristics of Childish Christians in Your Church

By
Eric Geiger
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We should aspire for a childlike faith and abhor a childish one. A childlike faith is a faith that trusts and a faith that is in awe. A childish faith is a faith that, according to Andrew Murray, creates division, is unable to help others and displays gifts without grace.

Because we grow over time and at different paces, churches will always have childish Christians in them. It is not only your church. The apostle Paul challenged the childish Christians in the church of Corinth with these words:

For my part, brothers and sisters, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, since you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, because you are still worldly. For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not worldly and behaving like mere humans? For whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not acting like mere humans? (I Corinthians 3:1-4)

From Paul’s words, here are three characteristics of the childish Christians among us.

1. Childish Christians look to their shepherds rather than the Shepherd.

In the apostle Paul’s day this looked like “I follow Paul” by one group and “I follow Apollos” by another. In our current day it can look like “I only like church when this person is teaching” or “I can really worship when this person is leading.” It can even look like “I listen to these podcasts to really get fed.” While the person may think their statement reveals their maturity or their affection for a leader, it really reveals their immaturity.

2. Childish Christians drink from a bottle rather than dine on the Word.

The apostle Paul said that he could not give solid meat to the Corinthian Christians because they were not ready for it. Childish Christians aren’t ready for meat because they still suck on a bottle. This is understandable when someone is a new follower of Jesus and concerning when someone has been in church for a long time. Taste buds for spiritual meat happen when one spends time in the Word of God and experiences the Lord do His transforming work.

3. Childish Christians consume rather than contribute.

Instead of a posture of humility and servanthood, the childish Christians in Paul’s day were filled with envy and strife. Instead of serving others, they divided others. Instead of contributing to the church, they only consumed from the church. Instead of joining what God is doing in a church, childish Christians only evaluate what God is doing in a church.

So what should we do? We should simultaneously love people where they are and work to bring them to greater maturity. As a parent, we love our children when they are childish but we also work to help them mature. Leadership in the church must look the same way. While we can easily get frustrated with childish Christians (Paul was), we must remember we were at one point childish and still revert to our childish ways at times. None of us live in childlike faith all of the time.

This article originally appeared here.

Retail Church: Church Beyond Sunday Morning?

By
Yvon Prehn
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We expect a lot of our digital tools today and many articles on social media and various forms of digital advertising and outreach cause us to assume that if we simply use the latest tool and use it in a certain way, we will have people flocking to our church. While there is no denying that many of these tools are powerful and engaging, if you aren’t getting the response you want, it may not be the fault of your tools. It may be when you are holding your church service. Call it “Retail Church.” Let me clarify what I mean and then offer some suggestions for getting your digital communications and advertising in line with the reality of your church.

I recently re-read Tony Morgan’s, Thursday Is the New Sunday, a thought-provoking article that underscores something I’ve encouraged churches to do for a long time and that is to have a service on a day other than Sunday. From the article, here are some of his statistical reasons for doing this:

A third of the American workforce works on the weekend. At least 60 percent of families with children between the ages of 6 – 17 take part in organized sports, with many of those having weekend events. We are in an area where a large number of people have camps/vacation homes that affect their attendance during the summer. Throw in both parents working and chores to be done, lawns to be mowed and families just wanting to spend time together, and church on the weekend wasn’t always making it on the calendar.

My husband and I have served in churches in bi-vocational roles for many years and now, to support our ministry habits, my husband sells manufactured homes. A majority of his work (and I help) takes place on weekends and Sunday afternoons. With all we do at church I sometimes find myself dreading having to put in the hours at church on Sunday before continuing to work the rest of the day. Though we do it, we don’t have to juggle children at home or in activities into the mix. If we had that, church on Sunday would most likely be impossible.

ALSO: WILL LIVE STREAMING HURT CHURCH ATTENDANCE?

Work schedules are not a choice for many people today. Most employers today don’t consider wanting to go to church a valid reason to take the day off.

Application to our digital communications

Before I make some other suggestions (and I urge you to read the article above for their great ideas), an important thing for church communicators to realize is that no matter how hard you work to communicate about an event or program at your church, no matter how complete the social media campaign or how compelling the graphic design of your online marketing materials, if the only time your ministry is offered is on Sunday morning, many of your target audience simply cannot attend.

I recently heard a church leader talking about how one program on Sunday morning had very low attendance and his solution to this was to have the Pastor announce it more often and more forcefully. I didn’t even bother to comment as I knew the church he referred to give the announcements before the service started and most people were still walking in and didn’t hear any of the verbal announcements, no matter how important they might be. In addition, pastoral authority to motivate people is not what it used to be — people may like and admire their pastor, but authority figures in any area of life have little influence on behavior today.

Beyond these reasons, even if people did listen to the announcements and do what the pastor suggested most of the time, if their child has a game or they must work on Sunday, attendance simply isn’t an option. Following are some ideas that may help make your church reality something your digital communications can successfully support.

Suggestions for change

Years ago when churches started to realize the importance of church held a day other than Sunday I was inspired by a church that was near a very large mall. Many of their members worked there and always had to work through the weekends. To serve their people, the church had an alternate service on Monday nights (many restaurants are closed then and stores had shorter hours) they called it “Retail Church.”

It was a HUGE success, not only because regular members who worked at the Mall could attend, but because the church cared enough to offer it, many other came who wouldn’t normally go to church.

Your community will likely have specialized needs and you will need to come up with the days or times that will be best for the people you want to reach.

Some communities with large college-age groups who stay up late for social activities or who for other reasons don’t like to get up early, have had success with a Sunday night service. When we were doing Single Adult ministries, for a time we had a service on Friday night that included either a meal or refreshments and it was very popular with Singles who wanted an alternative to being alone on Friday night or going to a bar.

If doing another service seems overwhelming for the staff, you might consider alternate services led by lay people. The staff may not be able to handle all the demands, but there may be many in your church who could do that. Give the service the same status as the Sunday morning service so people don’t think they have to go to both. It isn’t about a “professional” service vs. a “lay” service, but about reaching the largest number of people for Jesus — no matter what day or time we hold the service.

We’ve make extraordinary progress in the tools we have to communicate about and market our church services, let’s make sure we hold church services at times our audience can attend.

Andrew Brunson Might Not Have Survived Prison Without Norine

By
Megan Briggs
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Andrew Brunson likens his miraculous release from a Turkish prison to the ordeal Joseph (from Genesis) went through in Egypt. During his two-year imprisonment in Turkey, Brunson and his wife, Norine, didn’t know how long he would be there, let alone if he would ever see his children again. The couple lost hope of being together again multiple times. And as suddenly as the imprisonment started, it was over.

“A week ago today I was standing before judges; they were clearly going to convict me of being a terrorist, and we didn’t know how many years they would give me. And then within 24 hours [I was released and] we were praying for the President,” Brunson told the 700 Club in a video interview.

Andrew and Norine Brunson Were Surprised by Imprisonment

Both Andrew and Norine Brunson were imprisoned in 2016 following a failed coup attempt aimed at taking President Recep Tayyip Erdogan out of power. The Brunsons, who have lived and ministered in Turkey for over 20 years, were rounded up, along with thousands of others suspected of “terrorism” or conspiracy against Erdogan. It was likely the Brunsons’ work with Syrian refugees, some of whom were Kurdish, that flagged them for suspicion. The Kurds are a minority group that spans across Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran that are not on the friendliest of terms with Erdogan’s government. The Trump administration took it upon themselves to convince Erdogan to release Brunson.

“It was a surprise; we never saw that coming,” Norine said of their imprisonment. Andrew admitted he had thought about a lot of dangers befalling them in their two decades of ministry and church planting in Turkey, but prison wasn’t one of them. Anyone planting churches in Turkey is likely to experience death threats, Andrew explained. Their church, Izmir Resurrection Church, even suffered an attack at one point. But they didn’t fully “count the cost,” Andrew explained, of ministering in Turkey. He even admits he had a “naive and unrealistic” view of what it would be like to go to prison after reading biographies of other Christians who had been imprisoned.

That view was shattered after a very short time behind bars. After 13 days, Norine was released, but Andrew would go on to spend two years in prison, 50 days of which were spent in solitary confinement. This is where Andrew faced an intense battle against despair. Not knowing how long his sentence would end up being and whether or not he would see his children again, Andrew admits the first year left him really “broken down.” At one point, he was facing three aggravated life sentences, which would have placed him in solitary confinement for the rest of his life.

Eventually, Andrew got ahold of a copy of the Bible and started reading 2 Timothy. The passages that spoke to him most were about “pressing on and being faithful to the end.” He prayed for God to give him endurance and perseverance as he struggled with his own weakness.

When he read “I’ve run the race” in 2 Timothy, Andrew decided “this is what I want,” to be able to persevere even in prison. He wrote a song that he sang to himself every day to help him focus on his goal: “I want to be found worthy to stand before you on that day. With no regrets from cowardice or things left undone.”

Norine Was the Only Person Speaking Truth to Andrew

Meanwhile, Norine chose to stay in Turkey to be there for Andrew. Even when she was being released from prison, she didn’t want to be separated from her husband. Andrew said Norine carried a heavy burden during his lengthy imprisonment. “The Lord really used her to keep me going,” Andrew said. Norine was the only one who could speak truth to Andrew, encourage him, and “correct” his wrong ways of thinking and “panic.”

Norine prayed for Andrew every week when she was allowed to visit him. Speaking through a telephone, she would place her hand on the pane of glass separating them and pray that God would give him strength, endurance and hope. Wrestling with fear and doubt herself, Norine acknowledged a lot of people were praying for them during the two-year ordeal.

In addition to praying for the Brunsons, people around the world “who have never thought of Turkey are now praying for Turkey.” The Brunsons believe their time in prison was “an investment in the harvest that’s going to come there.” Before imprisonment, the Brunsons believe God told them there would be a harvest in Turkey. In fact, Norine had a feeling that the harvest would begin in prisons. Perhaps that’s why God sent the couple into prison, Norine speculated.

In fact, Andrew said they had started to see people coming to their church in Izmir saying things like, “I’m no longer a Muslim; I’m a deist.” The Brunsons interpreted this as a sign that people there are starting to seek God more.

As far as the future is concerned, the Brunsons still want to answer their callings to missions. “Turkey is still on our hearts,” and it will remain, Norine said.

You can watch the full interview here.

The Book of the Bible that Sparked the Reformation

By
Megan Briggs
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This year marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation and the person at ground zero of that reformation is none other than Martin Luther.  Do you know which book of the bible that brought Luther into a collision course with the Catholic Church? That would be the letter to the Galatians and Luther was so passionate about this short epistle that he actually said that he felt married to it. So what is the big idea and big deal about the book of Galatians?  The wonderful people at the Bible Project have produced a short video that answers that question.

The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the believers in Galatia out of passion and frustration. To understand this it is important to understand the context by which Paul wrote it. At the time the letter was written, Christianity had grown from a Jewish messianic movement within Jerusalem to a movement that was reaching the broader Roman Empire. Inevitably there were as many non-Jews as Jewish people within the Jesus movement. This growth did not sit well with many Jews and sparked a significant debate on how gentiles (non-Jews) were to be incorporated into the Christian movement. There were many Jews who believed that gentiles needed to adhere to Jewish distinctives such as a kosher diet, circumcision, and observing the Sabbath. Some Jews actually went into churches and repudiated Paul’s message of justification by faith alone by demanding that gentile males be circumcised in order to be considered as part of God’s covenant people.

Paul is angry and saddened by this and does two things in the first two chapters of his letter. He defends his message and authority. His message of the gospel of the crucified Christ was not one he pulled out of thin air but rather from being commissioned by Christ Himself! Paul even recounts a moment when he even confronted Simon Peter for avoiding gentiles during a meal as a betrayal of the gospel. Paul adds more fire to his argument by stating clearly that people are not justified by the works of the Torah but rather by faith in Jesus the Messiah. To be justified is to be declared righteous and the reason it has to be “declared” is because we are to trust in what Jesus did for us, not for what we have done for ourselves.  When people place their faith in the person and work of Jesus what is true of Him becomes what is true of them!

This beautiful exchange that occurs through Christ’s death and resurrection results in a new multi-ethnic family. Chapters 3 and 4 of Galatians answer the questions of who is involved in God’s family and what it means to live as a covenant family? By the use of his background in Judaism, Paul reminds the church at Galatia that the patriarch Abraham was justified by faith and that God’s ultimate purpose was to have a large multi-ethnic family who would relate to Him on the basis of faith (Gen 12:3; 22:14).  If this is true then what is the purpose of the Law? Here again Paul reminds the Galatians that the law was always intended to be temporary and that the law had a negative and positive role. The negative aspect of the law was to provide a magnifying glass on the human sinfulness while the positive aspect of the law was to act as a tutor to prepare His people for the coming Messiah. This makes sense but one question remains. How will gentiles learn God’s will without the laws?

Paul spells out the answer to that question in chapters 5 and 6 by reminding the Galatian church that God produces change in people through the Spirit of Jesus. Though the laws are good and wise, in our sinfulness we have no power to obey them. Therefore we need His spiritual work within us to produce a life that is marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is great news but this fruit needs cultivation and we are to continually prune our lives by forsaking sinful thoughts and behaviors and trusting His promises for us. As Paul put it, ““if we live by the spirit, we have to keep in step with the spirit (Gal 5:25)” In the end, Paul warns the Galatian Christians that the people trying to get others to do the works of the law in order to be justified were engaging in an adventure of missing the point. The real point is that the Gospel of the crucified Christ creates a new multi-ethnic family that is transformed by the Spirit.

Museum of the Bible Pulls Five Scrolls Determined to Be Fake

By
Stephanie Martin
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After testing revealed that five of its artifacts weren’t part of the Dead Sea Scrolls, as previously thought, the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., has removed them from display. Scholars in Germany discovered “characteristics inconsistent with ancient origin,” according to a museum statement.

Jeffrey Kloha, chief curatorial officer, says even though the museum hoped for different test results, “This is an opportunity to educate the public on the importance of verifying the authenticity of rare biblical artifacts, the elaborate testing process undertaken and our commitment to transparency.” He added that the institution “upholds and adheres to all museum and ethical guidelines on collection care, research and display.”

At the Museum of the Bible, labels indicate when questions have been raised about an exhibit’s authenticity—and note that further research is underway. The museum, which opened in 2017, was founded and primarily funded by Hobby Lobby president Steve Green. He and his wife, Jackie, say the museum’s mission is to “invite all people to engage with the Bible.”

Founders of Museum of the Bible Discover Forgeries Abound in the Antiquities Market

Since 2002, an estimated 70 Dead Sea Scroll fragments have appeared on the antiquities market, and scholars say 90 percent are fake. The Greens purchased their fragments between 2009 and 2014, a period when they acquired 40,000 artifacts. Some people accused the family of buying too much too quickly—and of not knowing the sources.

Experts say shady dealers are taking advantage of well-meaning Christians. “These good intentions that draw from a place of faith are subject to some really gross manipulations,” says Dead Sea Scroll expert Kipp Davis. “And that is a big part of what has happened [with the Greens].”

Forgers reportedly write atop ancient pieces of leather or papyrus, so the scrolls appear genuine until the ink is analyzed using processes such as 3D digital microscopy. The Dead Sea Scrolls, found by Bedouin shepherds in 1947, consist of more than 900 manuscripts and about 50,000 fragments. Leading expert Emanuel Tov, a professor in Jerusalem, says more research is needed about the artifacts’ origin and writers. “We should not be so fast in thinking that we know everything about the scribe of these little fragments,” he says.

Finding Authentic Items Remains the Goal

This August, after investigating the provenance, or origins, of more than 3,000 items in its collection, the Bible museum discovered that a medieval manuscript of the New Testament had been stolen from the University of Athens 27 years ago. Deciding to return the item was easy, curator Kloha says, considering what the Bible teaches.

Last summer, Hobby Lobby was fined $3 million for purchasing stolen ancient artifacts and having them shipped to the United States. The company admitted it made “some regrettable mistakes” because it “was new to the world of acquiring these items and did not fully appreciate the complexities of the acquisitions process.”

Hobby Lobby says it’s committed to adhering to standards set by the Association of Art Museum Directors. After being fined in 2017, Green said he wouldn’t be deterred from pursuing biblical artifacts, despite the challenges of determining authenticity. “Our passion for the Bible continues,” he said, “and we will do all that we can to support the efforts to conserve items that will help illuminate and enhance our understanding of this Great Book.”

Read Joshua Harris’ Full Statement on ‘I Kissed Dating Goodbye’

By
Josh Harris
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Editor’s Note: Joshua Harris wrote the incredibly popular book I Kissed Dating Goodbye in 1997 when he was just 21 years old. The book advised young people to follow Harris’ example of abstaining from dating in an effort to allow God to send a suitable spouse along.

While attending seminary in 2016 (more on the events that led to that decision to attend seminary after already having pastored a megachurch can be read here), Harris seriously started re-evaluating the book and its message. He has released a couple of videos asking those affected by the book to share their experiences with him—good or bad.

As many of our readers are likely familiar with the book and the message it brought to the Christian world, we asked Harris for permission to feature a statement he recently released about the book. The statement in its entirety appears below.

A Statement on I Kissed Dating Goodbye

For many years people have asked whether I still agree with my book I Kissed Dating Goodbye. In addition to this question, some readers have told me the book harmed them.

Two years ago I began a process of re-evaluating the book. This included inviting people to share their stories with me on my website, personal phone calls with readers, an in-depth study of issues surrounding my book overseen by one of my graduate school professors, and finally, creating a documentary film that captured the conversations with people who were reshaping my thinking.

For me, it’s been important for this process of reevaluation to engage other people and other voices. It has been drawn out because I did not want to be superficial in my response, and I have made it public because I think my reevaluation should be commensurate to the public reach of my book.

For those who would like to hear how my thinking has changed, the documentary I Survived I Kissed Dating Goodbye shares that story. The production company has communicated that the film will be released for free online sometime in early 2019.

While I stand by my book’s call to sincerely love others, my thinking has changed significantly in the past twenty years. I no longer agree with its central idea that dating should be avoided. I now think dating can be a healthy part of a person developing relationally and learning the qualities that matter most in a partner. I recommend books like Boundaries in Dating by Dr. Henry Cloud and True Love Dates by Debra Fileta, which encourage healthy dating.

There are other weaknesses too: in an effort to set a high standard, the book emphasized practices (not dating, not kissing before marriage) and concepts (giving your heart away) that are not in the Bible. In trying to warn people of the potential pitfalls of dating, it instilled fear for some—fear of making mistakes or having their heart broken. The book also gave some the impression that a certain methodology of relationships would deliver a happy ever-after ending—a great marriage, a great sex life—even though this is not promised by scripture.

To those who read my book and were misdirected or unhelpfully influenced by it, I am sincerely sorry. I never intended to hurt you. I know this apology doesn’t change anything for you and it’s coming too late, but I want you to hear that I regret any way that my ideas restricted you, hurt you, or gave you a less-than-biblical view of yourself, your sexuality, your relationships, and God.

And to those of you who benefitted from my book, I am so grateful that something I wrote helped you. The fact that a flawed man could write a flawed book and somehow that could help some people is amazing to me. But, to borrow an analogy from the automotive industry, if a car serves some people but a flaw in its design causes damage to others, good intentions by the carmaker and even the endorsement of other customers don’t override the problem. I cannot recall all the copies of my book that have been published. However, my public critique in written and documentary form, and the numerous media interviews I’ve done in the past two years, are my attempt to both apologize and spread the word of about the problems I see in it.

In light of the flaws I now see in I Kissed Dating Goodbye, I think it’s best to discontinue its publication, as well other supplemental resources tied to it (this includes the two books I wrote after it whose content is similar). My publisher, whose encouragement in this process has been deeply meaningful to me, supports this decision and will not reprint the books after the current copies in their inventory are sold.

Whether you agree or disagree, I hope you’ll think for yourself and be compassionate toward those whose experience has been different than yours.

Thanks for reading. I wish you all the best on your journey.

Is The Man Really the ‘Head of the Household’?

By
Dave Willis
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

In my years of working with married couples, two of the most common complaints I hear from wives are:

“My husband just won’t step up and be the leader of the home.”
And…
“My husband always demands his own way.”

On the surface, these two complaints seem contradictory, but they’re not. In fact, they’re two sides of the same coin and they represent two aspects of the same problem: Unhealthy leadership from the husband. This then begs some follow up questions.

Is The Man Really the Head of the Household

If a guy is really being a leader in the home, doesn’t that mean he should be the one expecting or even demanding his own way? Isn’t that what leadership means, or is the very notion of male leadership in the home an antiquated and sexist tool used by generations of men to perpetuate mistreatment and misogyny toward women? Should there really be any distinction at all between the responsibilities of a husband versus those of a wife? Shouldn’t we just speak the language of the culture and use the gender-neutral term “partner” to replace the old-fashioned notions of “husband” and “wife.” Is writing a blog on this hot-button (and often politicized) topic going to get me a bunch of haters tweeting cuss words at me?

These are complicated questions, but I’m going to do my best to address them (even if you decide to cuss at me on twitter). I don’t have time to dive deep into all of these questions in this one article, but I want to spend some time talking about the role of husbands as leaders in the home.

We live in a very confusing era for husbands and for wives as well. For men in the modern era, many are confused about what their role should be in the home. They wonder if showing respect to their wife means having to abandon the biblical mandate of male leadership as an outdated command written specifically for a different era and different set of cultural norms.

Many men aren’t sure what being a “husband” really means. They’ve seen a lot of negative PR in the news about men in positions of power misusing their authority and men and boys are tempted to react to the trending stories of sexism by distancing themselves from any form of male power, authority or leadership. We as men are abandoning our responsibilities as leaders because being completely passive seems to be a better option than being a domineering and abusive man like the terrible examples we’ve seen from so many fallen celebrities, politicians and pastors.

As a quick side note here, I fiercely believe we should be outraged by the mistreatment of women and girls in any form. It should sicken and enrage us and prompt us to action. In fact, I’m working on a book right now called Raising Boys Who Respect Girls, and as a dad of four boys, I take this very seriously. If I raise sons who are outwardly successful in every measurable way, but they are secretly disrespectful to women, then I will have failed as a father. With that being said, I still think healthy leadership from husbands in the home is more important now than ever before.

I believe much of wives’ frustration over their husbands’ unhealthy leadership and much of the widespread male confusion over what we’re actually supposed to be doing as husbands could be solved by a quick refresher course on what the Bible actually says on these matters. Men, I want you to pick up your Bible (or the Bible app on your phone) and spend time studying this on your own. Read the Book of Proverbs. Read the book of Ephesians. Read about the example of Jesus in the Gospels who is the perfect “Bridegroom” of His bride, the Church.

You are not the head of your household.

Christ is the head of your household and as you submit to Him and follow in His example, your responsibilities as a husband will come into clearer focus.

As you submit to Christ as the head of your home, you’ll be stepping into your God-given responsibility as the primary leader within your home. You might be wondering what “leader” actually means. It does not mean you get to be the boss in a worldly sense. It means you have some unique roles and responsibilities that will help your family thrive.

What you’ll see in Scripture is that God is calling you to be a “Pro.” You might never be a Pro athlete, but you can and must be a “Pro” in your home. I’m fairly short, slow and I have love handles, but I’m still living the dream as a “Pro” and you can too! You don’t have to be rich or brilliant or athletic or handsome to pull it off. You just have to be faithful in three specific responsibilities that all happen to begin with “Pro.”

How to Be a Pro

1. Be Proactive.

Passivity is the opposite of healthy leadership in the home. I’m reading a powerful book by Navy SEALS called Extreme Ownership, which outlines how those brave warriors take on an extreme level of accountability, responsibility and “ownership” over their missions and over the well being of all those serving in their unit. We as husbands must be proactive in taking on this same mindset in our family’s future. We can’t just sit back and wait for life to happen. We must be leading the way in our faith. We must shape our family’s future through our prayers, our sacrifices and our words.

2. Be a Provider.

We as husbands are called to work hard to provide for our families. This doesn’t only mean financial provision. In fact, some have abandoned our families in the pursuit of career accolades while convincing ourselves we’re just being good providers. Your family can do with less of almost anything if it means having more of you. We must provide ourselves. We must provide our time. We must provide a Godly example of authenticity even through our many mistakes and imperfections.

3. Be a Protector.

We as husbands and fathers are called to wage a battle against all the forces that would harm our families. This doesn’t just mean being willing to fight the bad guy who breaks into your home or having the courage to chase away the mouse that scares your wife in the kitchen (I’ve actually failed at that challenge before)! It means we must also be willing to fight not against flesh and blood, but as the Bible instructs, our real battle is against evil itself. We need to lead the way in our prayers and our actions so that as we follow Christ, our families would follow us and together we’ll find protection in our Savior’s arms.

Men, we’re going to blow it sometimes. We’re going to make mistakes. Your family doesn’t need you to be perfect, but they desperately need you to be present and to be a “Pro” in these areas above. You’re called to be a leader in your home. You might not be comfortable with that, but God hasn’t always called us to comfort. Have the courage to lead by example.

Never think your leadership responsibility is an opportunity to bully, manipulate or mistreat your wife or children. We will be held to a high account for the way we steward this responsibility. Remember that Christ-like leadership serves others instead of demanding to be served. Christ gave His life for us willingly laying down all his rights for the sake of our good. That’s the kind of love and leadership our families need from us. If we’re following Jesus, we’ll always be headed in the right direction and we’ll earn the trust of those who are following our lead.

This article originally appeared here.

3 Church Communication Lessons

By
Church Fuel
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

A few members of the Church Fuel team attended the That Church Conference this week, which is a communications and marketing conference specifically for churches. It’s hosted in the Atlanta area and brings in speakers from all over the country (and attendees from all over the world—like Singapore and Poland this year) who are passionate about helping churches navigate the creatively challenging and ever-changing communication and digital media best practices.

3 Church Communication Lessons

Our Founder and CEO, Michael Lukaszewski, spoke at the conference this year and so did a number of other speakers with a ton of helpful advice for church communicators. Here are our top takeaways from this year’s That Church Conference.

1. Your culture and influence reaches beyond the walls of your church.

Creating a culture that people want to be a part of is one driving factor of church growth. As a leader, your influence helps create a culture in your church—good or bad—whether you realize it or not. As one speaker, Jenni Catron, put it: “Culture exists whether you’ve defined it or not.”

The environment you create either attracts or repels people. The influence that those in the church have on those in their circle of influence, with volunteers and online has the power to affect people in profound ways.

Nona Jones, Faith-Based Partnerships Leader for Facebook, spoke about “social ministry” which gives a discipleship angle to everything your church does. “Move beyond sharing content about your ministry to making disciples through your ministry,” she said.

How can your church use communication strategy and online opportunities to change lives?

2. The path to becoming a first-time guest often begins online.

The digital presence of churches should give a glimpse of what it’s like to be a part of the church. Kenny Jahng called it “paparazzi previews.” He also shared a mind-blowing statistic: 17 million people who are not regular church-goers visit church websites every year. What an incredible opportunity to show how your church serves God and serves people, and illustrate why they should come be a part.

Katie Vogel, Social Media Director for Church of the Highlands, emphasized the digitization of word-of-mouth. People often visit a church because they heard about it from a friend or were invited by someone; social media is an opportunity to do this digitally and even continue conversations online. Phil Bowdle, Creative Arts Pastor at West Ridge Church, made the point that “the communications team gets to preach to more people than the pastor.”

3. You have the resources you need to reach people.

If you’ve ever thought your production value, resources or staff size weren’t enough to create great online content for your church, you’re not alone. It’s common to want to do “the next best thing” or “the big, creative thing” and we often put the time, effort and resources into the wrong thing.

Michael Lukaszewski, founder and CEO of Church Fuel, said “boring is better.” Churches often underinvest in the ministries that are going well and driving growth and instead invest all resources and creativity into one-time events or ministries that aren’t thriving. Use the best resources, creativity and brain power you have to improve the most overlooked, ordinary places in your church. “If you improve anything in your church by 5 percent, in nine months it’ll be twice as good.”

Brady Shearer, CEO of Pro Church Tools and Storytape, encouraged conference attenders in saying, “Content value matters more than production value.” Catching people’s attention online matters more than having a beautiful logo, high-quality video or a consistent visual brand. And social media content—in which only 1 in 5 posts should be promotional, he says—is an opportunity to “ditch the polish” and tear down the “pastor persona” to show that the pastor is just an ordinary person and the church is made up of ordinary people, just like those scrolling through online and thinking about visiting your church.

Find these takeaways helpful? Check out That Church Conference and consider sending your Communications staff or volunteers to the next one. Registration for next year is already open.

This article originally appeared here.

The Cheapest Volunteer Appreciation We Ever Did…and Also the Most Meaningful

By
Brandon Horst
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Volunteers are the lifeblood of Kid’s Ministry.

They enable us to create safe environments, interact with kids and parents on a personal level regardless of size, exponentially multiply our influence, and that’s just scraping the surface.

Something all of us who work in Kids’ Ministry understand is the importance of appreciating our volunteers.

Yet it can also become difficult because the easiest appreciations are often the most expensive, and least expensive appreciations are often hugely time-consuming.

So what if you could get a big win under your belt with your volunteers (up to 100 of them) for under $20 total?

I know that seems like a tall order and an over promise, but at least for the volunteers at our church, it turned out even better than we thought it would.

It all started with one of our volunteers wondering if we could have the kids make thank you videos for their leaders during their Small Group time on Sunday.

We couldn’t really figure out the logistics of that (but if you know an easy and simple way to do this, let me know!), so we thought what if we had kids write thank you cards instead?

Then we thought what if we also included parents?

That’s where we settled, and here’s what we did:

Step 1: Purchase thank you cards.

Duh.

But here’s a link to 100 cards and envelopes from Amazon (currently $15.77) that are actually pretty nice…and colorful: http://a.co/d/iUyqpqF

Step 2: Pick a Sunday.

Aim for a Sunday in which you expect good attendance, so as many families as possible are involved.

Step 3: Ensure all volunteers get a card.

We did this by putting out a few tables where parents do pick up.

On each table, we spread out the thank you cards.

On every card, we put a sticky note with a volunteer’s name on it.

Every volunteer got a sticky note, so every volunteer would get at least one card.

Also put out extra cards on each table, so families can write more than one card for volunteers whose sticky note was already taken.

Step 4: Give instructions at pick up.

At pickup let parents know that the tables are for writing thank you notes to their kids’ leaders.

Prompt them to write at least one thank you note and more if possible.

Station one or two volunteers at the tables to bring families over and facilitate card writing.

Also, put instructions on the tables.

Instructions we included were: 1) Write your first card from the sticky note options, so every volunteer gets a card; 2) Be specific in your thanks, not general; 3) You may write more than one card; 4) Place your card in an envelope, address it to the volunteer, and leave it on the table when finished.

Step 5: Deliver the cards.

This is where you get to do double appreciation and make the thank you doubly meaningful.

Over the next several Sundays after the cards have been written, deliver them by hand.

When you deliver them by hand, take one or two minutes to add your personal appreciation.

Be specific in your appreciation.

If you’re not able to be specific, ask someone to deliver the card with you who can be specific (this will also help you get to know some of your volunteers better).

Application Questions:

1. When can you have families write cards to your leaders?

2. If you’re part of a larger church and don’t know all your volunteers, who else do you need to include in delivery?

Add your voice: What is a way you appreciate your volunteers that you think would be helpful for other leaders to hear?

This article originally appeared here.

What Youth Workers Should Do With Angry Parents

By
Benjamin Kerns
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

It is pretty difficult to do youth ministry for any length of time and not have some sort of blow up with angry parents. And I have found that no matter how hard I try, every now and then, I find myself at the receiving end of a firing squad  Most of the time it is from some misunderstanding, but there have also been times when a parent’s rage was deserved.

But no matter who’s at fault, I have found the two silver bullets to de-escalate just about every major conflict between parents and youth workers. The problem is, youth worker’s aren’t going to like it.

1)  Fall on your sword. This sounds like retreat and like you are losing some justice issue. You are not. You are dealing with minors, with people’s kids, and in some way you have offended, caused anxiety, dread or fear to creep into their hearts because of something you have done. Their kid, their most prized possession, is simply just one of the many kids in your program. You have many things to worry about and most of them are seen simply through your lens, not the lens of a parent.

It is OK to admit that you have missed it. Or missed something. No parent wants a cowboy running rough shod with their kid. They want their children to be cared for emotionally, physically and spiritually. And when we break this contract, parents want blood. Instead of getting your pastor or, worse, your board to draw your blood. I have found falling on your sword seems to ease the conflict. In just about every misunderstanding there is something that is your fault. Embrace it, own it and humbly ask for forgiveness. And then it is over.

2) Engage them through the lens of Christ. This might sound like a nice bumper sticker, and maybe it is, but there is some solid wisdom here. Every time we are in conflict, our knee jerk response is to dehumanize our opponents and to belittle them in our head. They are dumb, stupid, idiots, bad parents, fundies, etc. You have your names, I have mine, and basically these are just ways to separate yourself from them. You are in the right, you are fully human deserving of dignity and honor, and they are fools, who deserve the get the smack laid down.

But the truth is that these parents are real people, like you and me. And when we see them this way, as people who deserve honor and respect, then we are much more apt to engage them in a manner that is worthy of our calling. But even more than respect, what if we were to put on the clothing of Christ and see them the way Jesus sees them. What if we were to love them them the way Jesus loves them. The entire meeting would be so different!

It actually works. A few weeks ago, I had a mom and dad come into my office to express their displeasure with my ministry and its philosophy. I don’t want to say exactly what it is about in case they happen to read this some day, but let’s just say, they were in the wrong, and I was so in the right! Haha.

I was actually really nervous for the meeting. We had a true difference of opinion and one where we were throwing around words like conviction and “the Lord says…” which escalate matters and seem to add weight to our conflict. They were upset and I was going to be outnumbered. This had all the potentials to end very poorly for me, or worse, for them. And as we talked, God actually showed up, humbled me, and reveled to me his love and care for these parents.

And no joke, as my heart for them grew to be more in line with Jesus’, as I loved them more and more, I found myself transitioning from an enemy combatant to a pastor, to a shepherd. This battle was not worth losing their respect, or even relationship. It was not worth it to sacrifice my ego and hurt potential ministry our church has for their kid, or for them. Because I was growing in love for them, I was able to hear them and hear their fears and concerns and my entire body language changed to where I could tell, they could tell, that I was engaged with them and wanted to hear them.

The temperature in the entire room cooled down and we left praying for each other and hugging each other. They felt heard, and I got to keep my job. And even more so, God knit our hearts closer together through this interaction. Who knew that humility, love and grace win every time!

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. (1 Timothy 5:1)

This article originally appeared here.

Should We Qualify Our Prayers With ‘If it be Your will’?

By
R.C. Sproul
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

To my great distress, I sometimes hear people say, in their zeal for fervency and efficacy in prayer, that we should never qualify our prayer requests with the words “if it be Your will.” Some will even say that to attach those words, those conditional terms, to our prayers is an act of unbelief. We are told today that in the boldness of faith we are to “name it and claim it.” I suppose I should be more measured in my response to this trend, but I can’t think of anything more foreign to the teaching of Christ. We come to the presence of God in boldness, but never in arrogance. Yes, we can name and claim those things God has clearly promised in Scripture. For instance, we can claim the certainty of forgiveness if we confess our sins before Him, because He promises that. But when it comes to getting a raise, purchasing a home or finding healing from a disease, God hasn’t made those kind of specific promises anywhere in Scripture, so we are not free to name and claim those things.

When we come before God, we must remember two simple facts—who He is and who we are. We must remember that we’re talking to the King, the Sovereign One, the Creator, but we are only creatures. If we will keep those facts in mind, we will pray politely. We will say, “By Your leave,” “As You wish,” “If You please” and so on. That’s the way we go before God. To say that it is a manifestation of unbelief or a weakness of faith to say to God “if it be Your will” is to slander the very Lord of the Lord’s Prayer.

It was Jesus, after all, who, in His moment of greatest passion, prayed regarding the will of God. In his Gospel, Luke tells us that immediately following the Last Supper:

Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Luke 22:39–44)

It is important to see what Jesus prays here. He says, “Not My will, but Yours, be done.” Jesus was not saying, “I don’t want to be obedient” or “I refuse to submit.” Jesus was saying: “Father, if there’s any other way, all things being equal, I would rather not have to do it this way. What You have set before Me is more ghastly than I can contemplate. I’m entering into My grand passion and I’m terrified, but if this is what You want, this is what I’ll do. Not My will, but Your will, be done, because My will is to do Your will.

I also want you to notice what happened after Jesus prayed. Luke tells us that an angel came to Him and strengthened Him. The angel was the messenger of God. He came from heaven with the Father’s answer to Jesus’ prayer. That answer was this: “You must drink the cup.

This is what it means to pray that the will of God would be done. It is the highest expression of faith to submit to the sovereignty of God. The real prayer of faith is the prayer that trusts God no matter whether the answer is yes or no. It takes no faith to “claim,” like a robber, something that is not ours to claim. We are to come to God and tell Him what we want, but we must trust Him to give the answer that is best for us. That is what Jesus did.

Because Luke tells us that the Father sent an angel to strengthen His Son, I would expect Jesus’ agony of soul to have been alleviated. It appears, however, that with the coming of the strength from the angel came an increase in the agony of Christ, an increase so profound that He began to sweat so profusely that it was “like great drops of blood.” In a sermon on Luke 22:44, Jonathan Edwards said that this increase in Jesus’ agony was due to a full realization of the will of God for Him in His passion. He had come to the garden with the fear that He would have to drink the cup. Once He knew it was indeed God’s will that He drink it, He had a new fear—that He would not be able to do it. In other words, Jesus now was in agony that He not come short of complete and perfect obedience to the will of God.

But He did it. He drank the cup to the last drop. And in that moment, Jesus didn’t give us words to show us how to pray; He gave us His life as an example of praying that the will of God would be done on earth as it is in heaven.

This excerpt is adapted from The Prayer of the Lord by R.C. Sproul.

This article originally appeared here.

Colleges Are Changing for Generation Z…and So Should You

By
James Emery White
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

The New York Times recently reported how the newest students—translation, Generation Z—are transforming the way schools serve and educate them. Bottom line? They are “super connected, but on their terms.” It’s proving frustrating and challenging. Or, as the dean of students at Purdue University confessed, “I do get discouraged.”

They do not tend to read books. They rarely read emails. They are a generation that “breathes through social media…sending presidents and deans to Instagram and Twitter.” Further, students today want to navigate campus life on their own, getting food or help “when it is convenient for them. And, yes, on their mobile devices or phones.” As the associate director of learning programs at Ohio State University noted, “It’s not really technology to them.” He’s right. With the iPhone coming out when most were in grade school, it’s just the natural way to do life. So now, schools such as Ohio State issue iPads, have courses marked “iPad required,” and are building an app that “in addition to maps and bus routes, has a course planner, grades, schedules and a ‘Get Involved’ feature displaying student organizations.” More customization is coming. Soon, when students open the app, it will know “which campus they are enrolled at, their major and which student groups they belong to.”

But it’s not simply a communication revolution. They are forcing course makeovers, “pushing academics to be more hands-on and job-relevant.” Millennials may have wanted climbing walls and en suite kitchens—but Generation Z wants all things career development. It’s even changing office hours. One journalism professor not only takes attendance via Twitter and posts assignments on Slack, but holds office hours at 10 p.m. via the video conference site Zoom “because that is when they have questions.” The only role email plays is instruction, as a business skill, on how to write a proper one.

Another dynamic new to mainstream academia is how individualistic they are and how individualistic they expect to be treated. They have been raised in a world of “tailored analytics” that instantly customizes their online experience. This leads them to expect that everything put in front of them has been customized. They do not like to learn in groups. They “like to think about information, then be walked through it to be certain they have it right.” They want a model, and then they want to practice it.

And while they very much favor videos over static content (a Pearson report found that YouTube was their most preferred learning method) they still want visual, face-to-face communication over texting. They are not always good at live social interaction but they crave it. “They want authenticity and transparency,” says Corey Seemiller, professor at Wright State University. “They like the idea of human beings being behind things.”

Many reading this might be on overload in terms of response and application for the life of their church or company, classroom or team. So here are five simple but important takeaways:

1.   Embrace social media and the technology that facilitates it, and then use it as much as you can to communicate, inform and serve.

2.   Customize what you offer to people as much as you can.

3.   Be practical in your content, whatever that content might be.

4.   Adjust to changing schedules, which means the schedule of the person you are trying to serve.

5.   Get visual in every way you can, particularly using video, but facilitate and debrief in person.

Now, how you engage any of these five is up to you and will necessarily be distinct depending on your organization and the desired learning at hand. But make no mistake—these changes must be made and the reason is critical to understand.

This isn’t merely “preference” for them,

…it’s simply who they are.

This article originally appeared here.

7 Questions Leaders Should Ask Themselves Every Morning

By
Charles Stone
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

The morning is the most crucial part of our day. And how we begin them sets the tone for the rest of the day. Insightful leaders understand this truth and mentally prepare themselves when they get up. Drew Canole, founder of fitlife.tv, says, “How you start your day is how you start your life.”

Consider asking yourself these seven questions within the first 10 minutes of your morning.

  1. If I could only get one thing done today, what would it be?
  2. Have I set aside quiet time with God to pray, reflect and read His Word?
  3. Is there any unconfessed sin in my life that I should confess?
  4. Are there any relational issues with others that need rectifying?
  5. Am I eating a healthy breakfast with plenty of protein and healthy carbs?
  6. Am I focusing on the positive, good things in life and ministry or do my thoughts immediately turn negative?
  7. Do I have a consistent routine like getting up at the same time, eating at the same time, taking a shower at the same time, etc., or is each morning dramatically different?

What we do first thing in the morning will dramatically affect the rest of our day. The Psalmist offers great advice with these words.

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. (Ps 143.8, NIV)

How do you prepare for your morning?

This article originally appeared here.

Why Church Staffers Need to Think About Disability Insurance

By
Colin E. Nass
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thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Like most Americans, clergy and church leaders neglect securing disability coverage despite the fact that research shows people are much more likely to become disabled for more than three months than die in any given year.

States require us to purchase auto insurance. Banks make certain we have mortgage insurance. Parents can compare life insurance plans at https://www.lifecoverquotes.org.uk to protect their families in case of an unexpected death.

Church leaders need to ask themselves, “Can I and my family afford to be without disability insurance? Do I want to find myself depending upon what may be limited resources from my church or faith-based organization or family and friends, if I become disabled?”

Consider these facts related to disability insurance:

  • 75 percent of disabilities result from illness, not accidents.
  • Financial crises associated with disability are the leading cause of personal bankruptcies and responsible for nearly 50 percent of mortgage foreclosures.
  • 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men will be out of work for 90 days or more during their working lifetime due to disability.

When a church leader’s income is the primary one, disability can become a real hardship for the household. If you think of a disability policy as insuring against loss of income, you are much more likely to view it as a necessity.

Nine out of 10 Americans who have disability coverage are insured through their employers. Churches can provide two types of disability insurance—short-term, (STD), and long-term, (LTD).

STD insurance is generally limited to 60-180 days, (although some may last up to a year), and typically pays 60-80 percent of your gross salary. Most plans begin paying benefits after you provide written documentation from a physician of your condition and estimated time away from work. You may also have to wait up to 20 days between the date you stop working and the date your benefits begin. Some employers may require you to use up your sick/vacation leave before your disability benefits begin.

An LTD policy begins if STD ends before you can return to work. Some employer STD plans automatically convert to LTD. Check the terms of your employer’s plan closely. At MMBB Financial Services, members whose employers are enrolled in the Comprehensive Plan receive life and disability insurance in addition to a 403(b) retirement income account.

Many small churches and faith-based organizations are not able to offer STD or LTD insurance and church leaders should consider purchasing an individual LTD plan. While they can be costly, the peace of mind you and your family will have in the event you become disabled is worth the investment. Individual LTD policies are extremely customizable, so…

Consider the following before your purchase:

  • Determine how much you spend monthly on necessities such as housing, food, utilities, child care, transportation and other living expenses. Don’t forget the premium payments for your LTD plan and added medical costs. Aim for a plan that will cover these expenses. Factor in your spouse’s income and an emergency fund if you have one.

Decide how long you want the benefits period to last – the longer the benefits period, the higher your premium payment. For LTD it can range from a set number of years, such as two to five years, or until a certain age, usually 65.

  • Consider making the policy “non-cancelable and guaranteed renewable.” These protections guarantee that once a policy is in-force there will be no changes to your monthly benefits, or your policy benefits during the life of the policy as long as the premiums are paid. This can be critical when you are already living on a reduced income. Guaranteed renewable by itself only provides that your insurance cannot be dropped but the premium can be increased.
  • Pay attention to payout restrictions for behavioral health conditions, pre-existing conditions or family medical history.
  • Know whether you are required to coordinate with government benefits such as those available from the Veterans Administration or Social Security.

If you will be on extended leave you can apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). SSDI pays benefits to people who cannot work due to a medical condition that is expected to last at least one year or result in death. SSDI is not available for partial disability or short-term disability. Apply as soon as possible. Waiting to apply may result in an income gap while your SSDI claim is processed. For more information on applying for SSDI visit https://www.ssa.gov/planners/disability//

Finally, be sure to read the fine print on your disability policy. Become familiar with it before you need it and before you are distracted with managing your disability.

Church leaders need only look to their congregations to understand that various health conditions can arise that affect a person’s ability to do their work, or can result in a long-term absence from work. Disability insurance can allow your family to tend to your recovery without the burden of worrying about paying the bills.

Portions of this article previously appeared in the Sept/Oct 2015 issue of Church Executive magazine.

 

Trump Admin. Poised to Define Gender as Biological, Unchangeable

By
Stephanie Martin
-
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According to a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) memo obtained by the New York Times, the Trump administration may move to narrowly define gender as biological and unchangeable, based on the genitals present at one’s birth. “The sex listed on a person’s birth certificate, as originally issued, shall constitute definitive proof of a person’s sex unless rebutted by reliable genetic evidence,” the memo reportedly states.

The legal definition of “sex” is essential for enforcement of Title IX, the federal civil rights law that protects people from gender discrimination in education programs receiving government funds. The definition also has implications for rulings related to health care, prisons and homeless shelters.

The HHS proposal represents the latest government effort to roll back Obama-era rules that provided more freedoms and federal protections for the 1.4 million transgender Americans. Before being elected, President Trump called himself a “real friend” to the LGBT community. Since taking office, however, his administration has tried to bar transgender people from serving in the military and has challenged civil rights protections related to health-care law.

Gender vs. Sex: Officials Say They’re Following Court Orders

HHS officials point to recent rulings that “sex” doesn’t include “gender identity.” Specifically, they point to decisions by Texas Judge Reed O’Connor regarding the use of school bathrooms and locker rooms.

The newly obtained HHS proposal claims that “courts and the previous administration took advantage of [the lack of a stand-alone definition of sex] to include gender identity and sexual orientation in a multitude of agencies, and under a multitude of laws.” That “led to confusion and negative policy consequences in health care, education and other federal contexts,” it adds.

Roger Severino, director of the HHS Office for Civil Rights, has objected to what he calls the “radical gender ideology” of the previous administration. Severino, who also directs the Heritage Foundation’s DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society, called Obama’s policies “a series of unilateral, and frequently lawless, administration attempts to impose a new definition of what it means to be a man or a woman on the entire nation.”

Although the Justice Department hasn’t yet commented on the HHS memo, previous decisions by Attorney General Jeff Sessions indicate the proposed new definition of sex will be enforced. For example, in an October 2017 memo, Sessions said protection against workplace discrimination doesn’t extend to the issue of gender identity.

Transgender People Fear They’re Being Erased

As news of the memo spread Sunday, LGBT advocacy groups and transgender people quickly expressed opposition. Photos appeared on social media with the hashtag #WontBeErased, and protesters gathered in New York City Sunday night and at the White House Monday morning.

In a statement, the Human Rights Campaign calls the HHS proposal “the latest effort in a consistent, multi-pronged campaign by the Trump-Pence White House over the past two years to undermine the rights and welfare of LGBTQ people.”

Catherine Lhamon, who led the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights under Obama, says the proposed change “quite simply negates the humanity of people.”

Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, calls the proposal “a really intrusive policy that doesn’t make any sense scientifically.” She adds, “What this feels like to transgender people is trying to make us invisible, trying to say that we don’t exist, trying to say that we are nothing.”

Eugene Peterson Passes Joyfully Into Glory at 85

By
Megan Briggs
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Eugene Peterson, a “shepherd’s shepherd,” passed away (joyfully) today at the age of 85.

“The lantern is out, but the joy he carried with him to his final breaths endures,” author Winn Collier writes in a Twitter post, sharing the news of Peterson’s passing. “Eugene is now with the Triune God he has loved his entire life. Memory eternal.”

Peterson’s son, Eric, announced last week that his father was being moved into hospice care after a “sudden and dramatic turn in his health caused by an infection.” Peterson was being treated for pneumonia, heart failure and dementia. The beloved author of The Message Bible and pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland, for nearly 30 years, spent a week in hospice care before moving on to heaven.

NavPress, the publisher of The Message Bible, confirmed Peterson’s passing, and members of his family released the following statement:

During the previous days, it was apparent that he was navigating the thin and sacred space between earth and heaven. We overheard him speaking to people we can only presume were welcoming him into paradise. There may have even been a time or two when he accessed his Pentecostal roots and spoke in tongues as well.

Among his final words were, “Let’s go.” And his joy: My, oh my; the man remained joyful right up to his blessed end, smiling frequently. In such moments it’s best for all mortal flesh to keep silence. But if you have to say something say this: “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

It feels fitting that his death came on a Monday, the day of the week he always honored as a Sabbath during his years as a pastor. After a lifetime of faithful service to the church—running the race with gusto—it is reassuring to know that Eugene has now entered into the fullness of the Kingdom of God and has been embraced by eternal Sabbath.

Collier is currently working on a biography of Peterson and considered him a close friend. Part of Collier’s research work for the biography has included carefully sifting through cabinets at the Peterson’s home on Flathead Lake in Montana that are “stuffed” with letters from the “bajillion” people Peterson corresponded with. Most of them were pastors; Peterson was known as a sort of shepherd of shepherds who wrote encouragement to those who reached out to him.

Peterson’s family is grateful for all the prayers and support that has been shown to them during this final lap of life. They have plans to live-stream his funeral, which will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Kalispell, Montana. A date has not yet been announced.

In an interview with ChurchLeaders last year, Peterson said, “I think it’s important, according to me anyway, to have some mentors in the cemeteries. People who did it right, before there were crowds of people to become important.”

Eugene Peterson has graduated to take his place among our “mentors in the cemeteries.” He was 85.

Pastor, Do You Exercise and Work on Your Physical Fitness

By
Ronnie Floyd
-
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Busyness.

Fatigue.

Negligence.

Each of these serves as reasons most pastors do not make physical fitness part of their normal day. In our vocation, there seems to be a major disconnect among us regarding the importance of our physical condition.

Pastor, Do You Exercise and Work on Your Physical Fitness?

Have you ever considered that you are unable to go where your body and health cannot take you?

It is not my intention to create guilt, but motivation. I’m not trying to heap added pressure upon your life along with what you already deal with daily.

I simply want to encourage you to take action to care for your physical health. Perhaps you have never considered this, but did you know that there should be a connection between your walk with Christ and a regular practice for physical fitness and conditioning? I have believed this for years and have forwarded it continually in my newest book, Living Fit.

As your spiritual life goes, so goes the rest of your life.

A Personal Story

In my younger years, I was neglectful of my physical condition. I was going to school, not sleeping much, working long hours and parenting young children. Physical fitness was just not a priority. Sadly, eating was a major priority. Eating is the accepted vice of most ministers. Therefore, when these combined, at one point in my earliest ministry, I blew up to 207 pounds.

One day, it all changed. I began a major commitment to my physical condition. I started walking daily.

Years later, I began running and working out with weights. I was a sprinter in high school, not a distance runner, so running never appealed to me. However, for probably over 30 years now, I have become a consistent runner. Oh, not a true runner, more of a jogger. I don’t go fast, but I do go far and long. Anyone who has ever gone running with me knows I will probably not outpace them, but I may outlast them.

Presently, I run an hour or so a day, three to four days a week. Additionally, I work out on a Pelaton bike with trainers online and on demand, two to three days a week. This commitment is very important in my life. Even on Sunday mornings, I jog on the treadmill, such as that low profile treadmill, for an hour. While on the treadmill, I go over my message for the day, working through mastering it before delivering it publicly.

I am convinced that I could not do what I do—with my workload and life’s pressure—without this strong commitment to running, biking and conditioning. Caring for my body is very important, not only for the quality of my health, but the management of my responsibilities.

If you have read previously concerning my morning schedule, you will see that I exercise in the morning. Delayed exercise and fitness usually results in no exercise and fitness. That is why I do it in the mornings.

As I have stated in Living Fit, I cannot determine how long I live, but I can determine how well I live. Every day is a gift from God. I need to treat it as such and take the needed time for physical fitness so I can be in the best position to take my best shot for God daily.

2 Reasons I Believe in Exercise and Fitness

Let me share some reasons why I believe in exercise and fitness in my life.

Perhaps this will motivate and encourage you.

1. Taking care of your body is biblical

Yes, I know what the Scripture says in 1 Timothy 4:8, “For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way…”

Without question, spiritual fitness is much more important than physical fitness; however, they need to be friends and companions, not enemies and competitors. Life is about priorities. I promise you, my #1 priority is my personal walk and devotion to Jesus Christ. Yet, this does not keep me from caring for my body.

The Scripture also says in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.”

Therefore, if God lives in us, then we need to take care of our bodies, which is the temple and dwelling place of God in our lives. We are body, soul and spirit, according to the Bible. Therefore, taking care of your body is biblical.

2. Exercising your body is your spiritual service to God

Surely you have quoted or spoken from Colossians 3:17 in your teaching ministry. It says, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Therefore, offer even your exercise and fitness as a spiritual service to God, bringing Him glory as you do so. While most of the time it is not fun, it is necessary to improve your health and the conditioning of your body. In turn, it will be an asset to the quality of your life and service to God.

4 Benefits of Exercise and Fitness

Let me give you these things for consideration.

Benefit #1: Exercise and fitness increase the probability of my body being in better shape, which in turn should give me a much greater ability to serve the Lord now and longer in life.

Benefit #2: Exercise and fitness provide me with opportunities to grow in my personal faith, as I use this time daily to have others pour into my life.

Technology permits me to listen to others teach, preach and mentor me on matters of life, ministry and leadership while I exercise. Therefore, this is not just futile physical exercise to me, but more deeply and importantly, moments to practice and grow in godliness. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I have grown the last few years by adding this practice to my exercise and fitness.

Benefit #3: Exercise and fitness greatly reduce my stress level.

I am convinced that daily exercise and fitness helps me view life in a more positive manner because I am reducing stress. Personally, I exercise five to six days a week. I need it physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Benefit #4: Exercise and fitness improve my attitude.

Pastors deal with negativity daily. People pour their stuff upon us and when we manage it personally and do not take it to God in prayer, it affects our attitude negatively. Therefore, I promise you, exercise and fitness improve your attitude.

Final Challenges

Pastor, here are my final challenges to you about exercise and fitness:

  • Start now—do something.
  • Get it done in the morning.
  • Be consistent five days a week.

John Wesley stated at age 78, “By God’s blessing, I’m the same I was at 28, chiefly by constant exercise and preaching morning and evening.”

That’s tremendously encouraging to me, and I hope to you as well.

This article originally appeared here.

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