Can a Genuine Christian Backslide?

By

-

October 21, 2018

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Paragraph 3 of Chapter XVII of the Second London Confession

It was a profound, shame-inducing moment, one I had coming, but one God used as embers that would eventually grow into a flame of spiritual awakening.

I was a 21-year-old sports journalist/college student working for a daily newspaper in the Atlanta area, not far from my hometown in the north Georgia mountains. I arrived to cover the baseball game just moments before the first pitch. It was Sunday afternoon. As I hustled to prepare my scorecard and situate my pre-Internet era laptop and other necessary accoutrements, a colleague arrived at his seat next to mine in the press box. I was wearing a coat and tie—atypical attire for one about watch a baseball game in the Peach State in July.

“Man, why are you so dressed up?” he asked. “You look like you’ve been to church or something.”

“I have been to church,” I said. “I went to worship service this morning at First Baptist.”

He looked confused. “Huh? That’s a shocker. I’ve never taken you for the religious kind. You mean you’re a Christian? I’ve never seen that in you.”

His words, spoken matter-of-factly, left me feeling as if I’d grabbed onto a high-voltage wire. I spent all nine innings of that game thinking more about hypocrisy than homers. My Christian witness had taken a called third strike. Actually, it had never left the dugout. I was humiliated, not because he had failed to see my obvious piety, but because my life did not match what he rightly expected to see from a follower of Jesus Christ. It was the first time I had been to church in three years. He was right; there was no evidence that I was a Christian. Sadly, this was not a new development.

I had grown up in church, made a profession of faith at 10, and walked with the Lord until age 17. My family was in church Sunday morning for Sunday school and corporate worship, Sunday night for training union, Monday night for choir practice, Tuesday night for outreach, and Wednesday night for prayer meeting and Royal Ambassadors. I was an officer in FCA, a leader in my youth group, a mediocre but eager singer in youth choir. But the summer before my senior year of high school, my affections began to change. My heart grew cold toward Jesus and His church. When I graduated from youth group, I left church too. A private detective couldn’t have located my Bible.

I began to go places no Christian should. I hung with people whose rebellion didn’t trouble their consciences—I had friends in low places. I joined a rock n’ roll band; this was the mid-’80s, the so-called “decade of decadence,” so you know what that meant… For a number of years, I lived the rock ‘n roll lifestyle. Jesus was out. Judas Priest was in. Though my time in the band was somewhat short-lived (thankfully, God didn’t give me enough musical talent to play hair metal!), my time as a prodigal was not, and if being a Christian would’ve been a crime, no honest judge would’ve found me guilty. I was a Christian, but I was deeply backslidden, out of church, intentionally cut off from the vital means of grace that nourishes a baby Christian into mature adulthood.

After Darkness, Light

Mercifully, the sovereign hound of heaven trailed me in the middle of my rebellion. I sinned boldly, but I didn’t enjoy a nanosecond of my hedonism. The indwelling Spirit of God convicted me time and again. One night I returned home from a bar in Athens, Georgia, and lay awake all night sweating, thinking about the reality of hell, hearing Jesus’ words in Matthew 13:50, “and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Other Scripture verses learned in VBS, youth group and in my home warred with my mind regularly for months upon end—and one night I awoke in a sweat from a nightmare that I was being dragged to hell by a Satanic minion dressed like a black-hooded executioner. Once during a rock concert in Atlanta, I told a friend, “We really shouldn’t be here. The things we’re doing aren’t right.” He thought I needed another beer. I needed to come home to Jesus—and I knew it. Thirty years later, I’m convinced God was at work in my heart. Eventually, through a series of personal and biblical conversations with my older brother, my parents and our pastor, the Lord drew me back to Himself and granted me repentance that left me weeping for hours over my sin, then rejoicing for weeks over the burden of guilt being lifted. At 22, the prodigal had returned to his Father.

But what happened? Did I lose my salvation during my late teenage years, only to regain it as a young adult? Some might think so, but I don’t. Scripture is clear that nothing can pluck a genuine believer from the hand of God (John 10:27-29)—not sin, not death, not Twisted Sister. Chapter 17, section 3 of the Second London Confession captures five years of my young life with stunning, glorious accuracy:

And though they may, through the temptation of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins, and for a time continue therein, whereby they incur God’s displeasure and grieve his Holy Spirit, come to have their graces and comforts impaired, have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded, hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves, yet shall they renew their repentance and be preserved through faith in Christ Jesus to the end.

Simultaneously Saints and Sinners

As I believe my prolonged foray into hedonism demonstrates, it’s possible for a genuine Christian to sin grievously, to spend a season away from the Lord, and later return—drawn by sovereign grace back to the Father whose Son saved him before he ran away to a remote country. Scripture demonstrates this clearly.

Think first of David, Israel’s greatest king. The youngest and most unimpressive of Jesse’s sons, God chose David to lead his covenant people. David was a poet, a warrior, a musician, a shepherd, a lover of sound doctrine, an adulterer, a schemer, a murderer.

David seemed to be a good man—until he slept with another man’s wife, the affair leaving the adulteress, Bathsheba, great with child. Then David connived to make her husband, one of the most courageous and committed soldiers in the king’s army, think he had impregnated his wife while on a weekend furlough. It didn’t work, so David’s machinations turned deadly—he had the soldier, Uriah, intentionally killed in battle. Yet, in Psalm 51 we read of David’s incredible, gut-wrenching confession, and his dramatic repentance before God. As he does toward all penitent sinners, God had mercy on David, even calling Jesus the final David, the sinless king and Savior of sinners.

Think of Peter. Don’t you praise the Lord for Peter’s presence in the New Testament? Peter was one of God’s choicest servants, but he was a bit of a character. So zealous (and misguided) was he for the Savior, Peter cut off a soldier’s ear when he perceived they had arrived to arrest the Lord of glory. But Peter’s devotion was bipolar. He could be rash, petulant, even unwise and chicken-hearted. On the night of the Lord’s crucifixion, he denied Jesus, not once, but three times, even cowering at the feet of a pre-teen girl who accused him of following Jesus. In the shadow of violent Calvary, Peter wanted nothing to do with the Christ. But God inspired the rest of the story. Our Lord interceded for Peter (Luke 22:32). He repented, was restored (John 21:15-19), wrote two epistles and was preaching when the Spirit came in fullness at Pentecost. Tradition says he ultimately laid down his life for the cause of Christ—being crucified upside down because he was unworthy to be put to death in the manner of Jesus. Peter went away, but because he was one of Christ’s sheep, he returned.

By contrast, think of Judas. He betrayed the Lord into the hands of the authorities—just as God planned before time began (Acts 2:23). Jesus called him the “son of perdition” who fell away as prophesied by Scripture (John 17:12). Some theologians and theologies argue that Judas proves the possibility of final apostasy by a genuine believer, but that’s simply not the case. Scripture makes clear that Christ’s betrayer was a reprobate from the beginning, not a sincere follower of Christ who threw off effectual grace and walked his own path to destruction.

Tim Keller: Creation & Creativity

By

Andrew Hess

-

October 21, 2018

20 (New) Politically Incorrect Thoughts on Church in America

By

Tony Morgan

-

October 21, 2018

About four years ago, I was in a particularly feisty mood and I wrote this article to see how many church people I might offend.

Enough time has passed that it seemed appropriate to offer some new politically incorrect thoughts. I have plenty of them, but I’ll narrow it down to 20, because I like consistency.

Here’s my 2018 list:

1. Churches lack a focused spiritual formation strategy. They hide that fact behind a full calendar.

More programs, events and activities at the church don’t produce spiritual growth and it doesn’t lead to making new disciples. But Christians having fun won’t complain.

2. Opportunities to engage with your church should be on-demand.

At the very least, that should look like engaging online services and next step discipleship opportunities. To expect people to come to the church building for all opportunities to engage is like bookstores expecting customers to come to their store at 11:00 on Sunday morning to buy books rather than shopping on Amazon.

3. Most multisite churches are not really one church.

They are multiple churches connected by one budget meeting in multiple locations.

4. I’d still always hire a children’s ministry pastor before a youth pastor.

The data shows growing churches have a strong kids’ ministry while there’s no correlation that a strong student ministry leads to health and growth.

5. Your contemporary services aren’t contemporary.

They are retreads of services that churches started doing about four decades ago. More on that here. They’re too long. Too slow. And too repetitive. The church needs to regain its creative edge.

6. Trying to convince people to become “members” at your church? You’re fighting a losing battle.

Anyone under the age of 40 has probably never been a member of any organization, and they certainly aren’t looking to “join” a church.

7. It doesn’t matter that you are an expository or topical teacher if people are far from God.

Rather than being married to your method of teaching, you should be more concerned with people who aren’t connecting with your teaching and that their next steps toward Jesus are unclear.

8. Multi-ethnic and multi-generational churches are often the most segregated churches I visit.

Diverse people may attend your church, but your church is still segregated if they meet in separate ministry environments with distinct worship styles.

9. It would serve many churches well to reduce their staff by 30 percent and give a generous pay increase to the remaining people.

Again, the data confirms this. Growing churches typically have 30 percent fewer staff than declining churches

10. God doesn’t save us so we can go to church on Sunday and then go to Heaven when we die.

We need to do a better job equipping God’s people to live out his mission where they live, work and play.

The Danger (to our Children) of a Distant Marriage

By

Gary Thomas

-

October 21, 2018

The word triangulation should haunt every parent actively raising children, and it should warn all of us to not allow our marriages to grow distant during the child-rearing years (ever, really, but especially while we’re raising children).

In a harrowing but insightful chapter of Unwanted: How Sexual Brokenness Reveals our Way to Healing, Seattle counselor Jay Stringer warns that “triangulation, or emotional enmeshment, occurs when there is a breakdown in a marriage relationship and a child is brought in to fill the emotional emptiness.” Mothers can do this with sons; fathers can do this with daughters.

What essentially happens is that rather than address the emptiness of their marriage, a husband or wife will turn to a child to meet the emotional needs that should be met by a spouse. Stringer calls this “a form of emotional incest” that has “profound effects on the development of one’s individual and relational self. In marriage, our parents make vows to commit their loyalty, affection and hearts to their spouses. Children do not make these vows. If you have been triangulated, it is likely your parents did not consider how the heartache and loneliness of their marriage would eventually affect you.”

Jay goes on to state, correctly, that children can become “idols” to their parents. This entraps a boy or a girl, who will feel guilty building their own life and eventually leaving to enjoy their own marriage. The diabolical payoff (early on) is a certain amount of “power and delight” over the other parent and children. “The cost of membership, though, is that your parent tends to determine what your life ought to look like.”

Sadly, it’s not uncommon to see a mom or a dad become “jealous” of their child when they know that child has a dearer place in their spouse’s heart than they do. Stringer’s research showed “there was an association between a father’s confiding in his daughter and the strictness or rigidity of her mother. The data seems to suggest that when a father finds more life and connection with his daughter than with his spouse, the wife will respond with anger and rigidity toward their daughter.”

Do you see how evil this is? By having an inappropriate relationship with his daughter, the father can also infect that daughter’s relationship with her mother. It may also impair her healthy sexual development and her ability to leave her family to bond with her husband. All because the dad feels distant from his wife.

This is monstrous, and Stringer lays out exactly what’s going on: “A parent who is triangulated with a child does not want independence; the parent wants the child to feed the parent’s emotional emptiness.”

This should at least give us pause about using the familiar tagline, “Daddy Daughter Dates.” I don’t believe it was ever meant to be creepy, and I’m sure our family may have used that line from time to time (it was very popular in the ’90s). But it’s a phrase that dances on the line of being misunderstood, and since daughters don’t have fully developed abstract thinking, it’s best for them to know that mommy is the only person daddy ever “dates.” He spends time with his daughters. But he only “dates” his wife.

Triangulation and In-Laws

When Stringer is counseling a couple having much difficulty with the in-laws, he usually suspects triangulation. “A general rule of thumb is that if there is ongoing conflict with a mother-in-law or father-in-law, the presence of triangulation should be explored. Childhood triangulation that continues into a marriage is a form of emotional infidelity. If you are a spouse more committed to rescuing your parent, your faithfulness to your own marriage is compromised.”

We’ve all heard the “leave and cleave” line, but we need to take it more seriously. A good friend of mine did a marvelous job of pastoring when, at a wedding he was officiating, the mom said, “I don’t look at it as losing a son. I think of it as gaining a daughter.” My friend, knowing the family dynamics, said, “Oh, no. You’re losing a son. You’ve got to let him go.”

Multiple demands often means that someone is going to be disappointed. There’s only so much of you to give. Being true to your marriage vows means your spouse is a higher priority than your parents. If they try to make you feel guilty about how much they’ve given you and done for you, find a kind way to remind them that a “gift” is just that—something offered without expectation of anything in return. Now, if they were “trading”—that is, offering current services for future services—that’s something different. But call it what it is.

7 Things Senior Leaders Love That Everyone Else Hates

By

Carey Nieuwhof

-

October 19, 2018

It’s funny. A Senior leader will love things that other people often don’t.

If you’re a senior leader, you might recognize yourself in this post. That would be a good thing.

If you’re not the senior leader, you might read this post and think, “Absolutely! This is so obvious! Why on earth doesn’t my (dumb) boss get it?”

As a senior leader myself, it took me a while to figure out that the things I loved honestly frustrated my team or the people I served.

Some of these are innocent, some less so. But one of the keys to leading well over the long haul is to understand that just because it’s a win for you doesn’t mean it’s a win for everybody.

Most people don’t love the same things a senior leader loves. Neither do the people who are part of your church or organization. Understanding that is a key to leading everyone better.

Some of the seven outlined below are little ego boosts that honestly need to be prayed through. Others are just blind spots that are easy to miss.

The key to all of them is to see the impact your emotions, actions and dreams have on everyone else in the organization. And sometimes, that’s hard to see.

So what do senior leaders love that everyone else hates, or at least doesn’t love nearly as much? Seven things.

1. A JAMMED PARKING LOT

A little confession. Every Sunday morning at our church I go up to the second floor of our broadcast location and look out at the parking lot to see how full it is. I’m not saying this is good. I’m just saying it’s true.

As a senior leader, I hate empty parking spaces. I get excited when the parking lot is overflowing. I get even more excited when the cars flow out to the street. (Staff park in an adjacent lot, so we leave all the spots for our guests. Here’s why.)

But if you’re the guest…it’s not so fun. I hate going to a restaurant or mall and not being able to find parking.

Or imagine being on the parking crew that morning and dealing with yet again more vehicles than the lot can handle. Sure, they’re pros at helping people, but still.

Who loves a crowded parking lot? Leaders do. Guests don’t.

2. A FULL HOUSE

Well, if you love a jammed parking lot, you’ll probably also love a full house.

Please know that loving a full house and jammed parking lot definitely take you into mixed motive territory. On the one hand, it’s amazing to see so many people coming to your church or lining up to be a part of what you’re doing, and hopefully, their lives are changed as a result. But there’s also the rush that success brings, the thrill that growth brings…and that needs to be wrestled through in honest prayer and confession.

But as much as leaders love a full house, it creates issues for guests. Walk in five minutes late with six people and it’s almost impossible to find seats together. Everyone feels crowded and crushed. Lines form in restrooms and the lobby becomes a crush of confusion.

A full house not only stresses the system, it stresses your team and the very people you’re trying to reach.

An almost-full house is usually better than a full house (add another service, friends).

Don’t let your love of a full house blind you to the issues it creates for a host of other people.

3. RAPID GROWTH

Again, check your motives, but rapid growth can be a thing. As I look back on my time in leadership so far, the times when you double in size or grow by 50 percent in a year are pretty exciting. You see a lot of life-change happen as a result.

Leaders, growth is one thing. Sustainable growth is quite another.

While I’m not sure there’s an exact science to this, one figure I’ve heard repeatedly over the years is that any growth above 30 percent growth a year is hard to sustain.

Having been through some very rapid growth seasons, I couldn’t agree more.

Rapid growth stresses systems, staff, guests and everyone. And often the one who least feels it is the senior leader. But walk down the hall and talk to the pre-school people and they’re pulling their hair out. Or the guest services team who has no idea how to follow up with that many new people. Or the staff who are doing everything they did last year and 50 percent more, without a pay increase or more staff.

Again, as exciting as rapid growth is, leaders need to directly engage the issues involved. And, trust me, there are issues.

Deal with the issues rapid growth brings, and you can turn rapid growth into healthy growth. Don’t, and your church will struggle even though it’s growing.

They Criticized the Pastor. So, Being a Great Champion for God, He Resigned.

By

Joe McKeever

-

October 19, 2018

Quotes on enduring criticism abound. Go online and pull up a chair. Here are a few we found in a few minutes…

-The final proof of greatness lies in being able to endure criticism without resentment. (Elbert Hubbard)
-You can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a sign of weakness to get caught up in either one. (John Wooden)
-A critic is a legless man who teaches running. (Channing Pollock)
-You are a glorious shining sword and criticism is the whetstone. Do not run from the whetstone or you will become dull and useless. Stay sharp. (Duane Alan Hahn)

“Christ also suffered for us…when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him who judges righteously…” (I Peter 2:21-25).

Pastor and church leaders: You do not want to live and work where there is an absence of criticism.

You think you do. But you don’t. Only in the harshest of dictatorships is there no criticism. But in a free society—like ours—criticism abounds. If the society is indeed free, much of the criticism is fair, just and well deserved. Likewise, much of it will be unfair, unjust and unmerited. A leader who survives has to develop discernment in order to know what to ignore and what to treasure and learn from.

A friend texted: “Joe, write something about criticism! Some good pastors are resigning because not everyone in the church likes them!”

He and I both find that incredulous. As though someone could do a great work for Jesus Christ in a hostile society without stirring up resentment and incurring the wrath of some people.

Advice columnist Dear Abby used to say, “You throw a rock in among a bunch of dogs. The one that hollers is the one that got hit.”

My friend and I are both retired pastors. We each served churches over 50 years and racked up some pretty fair records, if I may say so. But we took our share of knocks from the critics. Much of it was probably deserved, since we’re both headstrong and opinionated. But an equally large share of the belly-aching was unfounded and unfair. And yet, we survived.

We hung in there and discovered a wonderful truth for those who persevere: The best revenge is the blessing of God on our labors.

We all want the God-called men and women to survive in their labors for the Savior. We want them to understand that criticism will come and to be prepared for it. We want them to know what to laugh at, what to ignore and what to take to heart. And that is the burden of this piece.

To be a leader means you have a target on your back.

No one is criticizing the team’s water boy or equipment manager. But if you are the starting quarterback, the star wide receiver or the acclaimed running back, you should expect to be raked over the coals much of the time. The hope is that the acclaim will outweigh the accusations. But don’t count on it.

If you are the coach, fans automatically feel entitled to second-guess every decision you make. The coach who doesn’t get that will not survive.

In the elevator, I introduced myself to Jim Mora, the coach of the New Orleans Saints. I said, “We pastors can sympathize with what coaches go through. We give our best shots on Sunday and it’s dissected for the rest of the week, fair or not.” Mora said, “Yeah, but do they get on talk shows and television programs and take your sermon apart?” A friend suggested I should have said, “That’s why they pay you the big bucks.”

The person who dares stand in the pulpit on the Lord’s Day to declare the “whole counsel of God” is wearing the target today. True, no one is paying you “the big bucks,” but you deign to speak for God and that makes you a tempting target. It goes with the territory, friend.

Get used to it, pastors.

Whether you are Andy Stanley or David Jeremiah or (fill in the blank with your favorite well-known pastor), criticism will be your lot. You have to learn that fact of life and decide what to do with it.

A reality for church staff members is that when you do poorly, you get criticized, and when you do great, the pastor gets a raise. As a pastor, all I can say is, “Sorry, my friends, but this is the system.” (And I think, “I’ll try to praise you enough to compensate for some of the negative stuff!”)

Blessed is he who when criticized, endures. And, even more blessed is he/she who when criticized can take the well-directed, pointed barbs and come up sharper than before.

Criticism is unfair? Sure. What else is new?

At a Mississippi State basketball game with friends, for reasons long forgotten, I was yelling criticism of the coach. At some point someone in our party leaned over and said, “Joe, the coach’s wife is sitting in front of you.” Yikes. I leaned over and said softly, “You are Mrs. Boyd?” She turned toward me, smiled and said, “Yes, I am.” I said, “Then, would you please forgive me? I don’t have the slightest idea what I’m talking about!” She laughed.

I was quiet the rest of that game.

As I write, the baseball playoffs are in full swing. As a fan—and as a retiree with a nice sports package on my TV cable!—I watch a lot of the games. Last night, the announcers said Milwaukee Brewers Manager Craig Counsel is getting criticized for his use of ace reliever Josh Hader. No matter when Counsel brings Hader into the game, some fans will wish he had saved him for a more critical moment. Use him too early and he may not be available when the game is on the line. Said the announcer, “Counsel answers, ‘I got the team into the League Championship series–so you may assume I know what I’m doing!’”

Sorry, coach. It doesn’t work that way. They pay their money, they think they’re entitled to gripe. And for most, it’s all right. Belly-aching is as much a part of the game as cheering the home run.

Followers of ‘Prophet’ Joshua Holmes Think He’s ‘Jesus in the Flesh’

By

Stephanie Martin

-

October 19, 2018

false prophet Joshua Holmes — Screengrab Youtube @Lailah Lynn Media

Self-proclaimed prophet Joshua Holmes has garnered a large following of fans, some of whom consider him to be Jesus in the flesh. Through his Texas-based Joshua Holmes Ministries, the young minister claims to heal people and perform financial miracles “while leading a flock of God’s sheep to everlasting life through the power of the Gospel and in the name of Jesus, the Son of God!”

Yet some of Holmes’ devotees, many of them female, believe the prophet himself is Jesus. In a YouTube video, one fan addresses critics of Holmes by saying, “For all you haters, if you don’t know prophet Joshua Holmes, you don’t have the Holy Spirit. He is changing lives every day. He is Jesus in the flesh. He is very tangible. He’s got the power of God on him.”

On Facebook, some female followers who post mostly about the preacher list their profile name as Holmes. “The king is a visible God,” posts a woman who goes by Michelle Holmes. “The king is a visible Jesus. The king is a portal to heaven. As you serve the king, you are serving God.”

Joshua Holmes “making a mockery” of Christianity

Critics of the false prophet say he needs to publicly correct the people who call him Jesus. “You see it going viral and you don’t address it,” says Internet preacher Marcus Rogers. “You are not Jesus in the flesh. As a matter of fact, you are not even a good reflection of Jesus.”

Rogers accuses Holmes of “making a mockery” of Christianity, letting people worship him and throw money at him. He urges Holmes to end the “nonsense” and repent because he’s “turning people away from the church.”

As for Holmes’ followers, Rogers says many women who embrace the prophet have “father wounds” or “are struggling with some kind of lust.”

Little is known about Holmes or his background. His ministry’s website calls him “a vessel of The Lord Jesus, who is anointed with power from the Holy Ghost.” It claims he was “called at the age of 5” and had “visitations from the Lord Jesus at the age of 6 and 14.” Holmes’ book Prophetic Mysteries Uncovered Completely sells for $106 on Amazon.

Holmes preaches a ministry of wealth

During a September appearance on Greg Davis Live, Holmes said many people “are ignorant of the wealth-anointing in Deuteronomy chapter 8 verse 18.” He claims he moved into a mansion 48 hours after donating a “whole lot of thousands” of dollars to televangelist Mike Murdock.

“The floodgates of heaven opened over my life financially,” Holmes says. “I think a lot of people in the body of Christ, they get money miracles and then they don’t be faithful with it, so then they lose the anointing even for wealth.”

Davis, pastor of Celebration Church in Detroit, admits that Holmes “does things differently” but “had no problems” with his appearance on the show. Holmes “works in faith and ministry,” says Davis, who adds that Holmes knows he isn’t Jesus. Holmes reportedly told Davis he has some fans who “are on the deep end.”

Man Scams Church Members for Over $30k With Fake Cancer Claim

By

Christine Yount Jones

-

October 19, 2018

Al Reynolds from Edmond, Oklahoma, has pleaded guilty to an elaborate fake cancer scheme that scammed church members out of tens of thousands of dollars.

Reynolds’ fiancee turned him into police after he scammed people by preying on their sympathy. Reynolds claimed that he had had several recurrences of Leukemia, when in fact he had never had cancer at all.

“This is what he does. He preys on people with money or Christian women or people who are compassionate and caring and giving,” Reynolds’ fiancee, Tracey LaValle, told Oklahoma News 4. “He’s very charismatic.”

“This defendant just defrauded good-hearted people who were very benevolent and loving and just wanted to help someone they didn’t even know who they thought had cancer,” said District Attorney David Prater at the time Reynolds was charged.

Reynolds pleaded guilty to five felony counts of obtaining money by deception and one computer crime. He has paid the district attorney’s office $30,441 in restitution to the victims.

While Reynolds’ attorney is asking for a deferred sentence and no time in prison, Reynolds faces a maximum of 50 years of prison time. His sentencing is set in Oklahoma City for January 9, 2019.

Donor Beware

Of course, people on Facebook had plenty to say to Mr. Reynolds. One person posted, “My sister, brother, niece, uncle and others have battled cancer. Some winning. Some we have lost. You sir…are a piece of trash!!!!”

And a mother posted: “Meanwhile some of us have kids battling for their life and cannot get these kinds of donations because of people like this. How do they get so many people to donate?”

The site CyberScout gives these tips for donating to any cause with less risk of deception.

Don’t give cash to anyone.
Vet charities or causes with the BBB’s Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator or GuideStar.

We would also add research and request validation from a medical professional before giving.

It’s tragic that scammers could keep others from receiving the help they need. The best recommendation is to continue to give, but give wisely.

Have MDiv, Will Preach: Study on the Growth of Female Pastors

By

Stephanie Martin

-

October 19, 2018

The percentage of clergywomen in most mainline denominations has doubled or tripled since 1994. That’s one key finding from “State of Clergywomen in the U.S.,” a statistical study released recently by Dr. Eileen Campbell-Reed. The professor of practical theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas says she wanted to “remedy” a “deficit of information” about female leadership in the church.

It’s been 20 years since the last major multi-denominational look at clergywomen, Campbell-Reed notes. That’s when the landmark study Clergy Women: An Uphill Calling was released, using data from mostly white denominations.

Campbell-Reed’s new study uses numbers from a broad range of denominations and traditions. Her research also looks at clergywomen of color and clergywomen who identify as LGBTQ.

Numbers of Female Pastors Have Been Rising

According to the new “State of Clergywomen” study, women now comprise one-fifth (20.7 percent) of clergy in the United States. That’s up from 2.3 percent back in 1960, based on census data used by sociologist Wilbur Bock.

Numbers vary based on what denominations are included in the reporting. Campbell-Reed’s report states that “the combined average percentage of female pastors in the Mainline churches stands at 27” now. That contrasts with Barna’s 2017 State of Pastors report, which estimated that 9 percent of U.S. pastors are women. Barna’s report spans all Protestant groups, some of which don’t allow women to serve as pastors.

America’s two largest denominations, the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention, have virtually no clergywomen. But Campbell-Reed notes that “Untold numbers of women have come from those traditions to become leaders in other denominations.” In the Roman Catholic Church, 80 percent of lay ministers are now women. Splintering that’s occurred among Baptists has made those numbers more difficult to track, the professor notes.

Some denominations, such as the United Church of Christ, now have approximately equal numbers of men and women serving as pastors. In three denominations—Episcopal Churches, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Assemblies of God—the percentage of clergywomen tripled between 1994 and 2017. And in three other denominations—United Methodists (UMC), Disciples and Brethren—the number of women in pastoral leadership has doubled during that same time period.

But Areas of Stagnation Have Occurred

Despite overall increases in the number of American clergywomen, progress seems to have stalled in certain areas. Campbell-Reed’s study reveals that “In 2017 women are actually a smaller number and a lower percentage of [Master of Divinity] students in all ATS [Association of Theology Schools] than they were in 1998.”

To dive deeper into that trend, the professor explored areas including “the Mainline gap between women’s MDiv enrollment (50 percent) and women’s status as ordained clergy (32 percent) and pastors (27 percent)” and the fact that fewer white women and more women of color are attending seminaries.

Campbell-Reed points to a 2016 ATS study showing that male MDiv graduates are more likely than their female counterparts to receive a job offer by their graduation date. In addition, more female than male MDiv graduates pursue ministry outside of a congregational setting. Cultural patterns influence that trend, Campbell-Reed says: “There is lesser interest by women in congregational work, and lesser acceptance of women than men as congregational leaders.”

Another area of stagnation involves the number of women in faculty and leadership roles at seminaries. “In 2017 women remain fewer than 25 percent of seminary faculty and deans, and only 11 percent of the presidents,” according to Campbell-Reed’s study. That’s despite the fact that “women consistently make up about half the enrollment of [Mainline] schools, both in total programs and in the MDiv in particular.” By contrast, “Women enrolled in the 10 largest [Evangelical] schools are consistently just under 25 percent of the total enrollment and only 16 percent of the MDiv enrollment.”

Clergywomen of Color Are on the Increase

Female pastors of color have made some significant gains in the past 20 years, Campbell-Reed notes. Several clergywomen of color now have leadership roles in some denominations, including the UMC and ELCA.

Five Practical Steps to Evangelize Your Co-Workers

By

Jeremy Roberts

-

October 19, 2018

Do you have a job? If so, you have a mission field. God wants each and every one of us to live on mission for Him.

The American workplace is ripe, and now is the time to reach your co-workers for Christ. Very practically, though, how do you do it? Follow these five steps, and they’ll help you go a long way down the path of seeing a harvest of souls in the marketplace:

5 Steps to Evangelize Your Co-workers

Live above reproach.

This means the language that you use is that of a man or woman of God. You avoid cursing and gossiping. You speak kindly and warmly.

When you are on a business trip, you’re not going to the hotel bar and getting drunk, but are instead passing on the ungodly activities, even at the expense of closing some deals. You don’t cut corners. You do things with integrity.

People will notice if you live differently than others.

2. Eat lunch with them.

Casually just ask the person you want to eventually lead to the Lord if they want to go to lunch. Only take them to lunch one-on-one if they’re your gender. Make sure you pay for the meal, and if it is at a “sit down” restaurant, leave a generous tip.

As you eat lunch with them, ask lots of open-ended questions and avoid talking about yourself. Show them that you are interested in them more than yourself.

3. Have them over to your house for dinner.

In the day and age where so many people are hermits when it comes to their homes, try to open up where you live to others. You don’t have to prepare a fancy meal. You could even throw a lasagna in the oven. The point is to hang out with them in your home where they can be disarmed and feel the warmth of you and your family.

Deepen your relationship with this co-worker. Show them your care and concern for them beyond their business dealings.

Try to have conversations that are not merely work-related. Ask them things about what they enjoy as hobbies.

5 Simple, Monthly & Affordable Outreach Ideas

By

Brandon Horst

-

October 18, 2018

Big Family Outreaches are often relatively expensive, drain personal and team energy, and require months of prep, so the church I serve at started asking, what if there are Outreach Ideas that are simpler, more sustainable and more affordable?

Out of that we came up with a new outreach strategy.

The idea is that you communicate to families your vision for how they can personally reach another family, share an idea to help them, give them something practical that goes hand-in-hand with the idea, and encourage them throughout each month to reach another family for God.

So for example, at the church I serve at, this is what it looked like in the past month:

We told families we want them to reach out to just one other family by showing that family love and generosity, then following God’s lead about when to have a spiritual conversation. We included this same message in the handout we gave to parents and in a weekly email we send to parents (COMMUNICATION).
We shared with families that a great place to start would be to make chocolate chip cookies for the family they want to reach (IDEA).
At the end of service, we gave a package of chocolate chip cookie mix to each family (SOMETHING PRACTICAL).
Finally, we encouraged families throughout the month to follow through with baking cookies for another family through text messages, a weekly email and reminding families on Sunday mornings (ENCOURAGEMENT).

It’s very simple to do, it continues throughout each month, and with this particular idea it was only $1/family.

At the church I serve at we have five Outreach Ideas we cycle through every 12 months that all cost <$5/family.

Below I’ll outline each idea, share the cost and how many times we do the idea each year; please use any idea you think will be effective in your context, and I’d love for you to share any ideas you think of. (We’re always trying to be creative in what we give to families, so it would seriously be super helpful if you thought of something and shared it in the comments.)

The Five Outreach Ideas

1. Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix – $1/family – 2x/yr: Tell families you want them to bake cookies for the family they’re reaching and deliver them as a family.

2. Pizza Dinner – $5/family – 2x/yr: Give families $5 gift cards to Little Caesar’s or Dominos and tell them to use the cards to have the family they’re reaching over for dinner.

3. Redbox & Popcorn – $2/family – 2x/yr: We staple a card with a code for a free Redbox Rental (http://www.redbox.com/gifts) ($1.50) to a bag of popcorn (3/$1 at Dollar Tree) and tell families to invite who they’re reaching over for a movie night.

4. Break Night – $5/family – 4x/yr: We tell families we’re providing childcare for 2.5 hours at the church and to invite the parent(s) from the family they’re reaching to have a night of grown-up fun. We use youth for childcare (w/at least two adults to oversee) and pay $10/hour. We ask church families to pay $10 and the family they’re reaching is free.

5. Chich-fil-a Gift Cards – $5/family- 2x/yr: Who doesn’t love Christian chicken??? We give a $5 Chic-fil-a gift card to each family and tell them to give it to the family they’re reaching.

And throughout the whole process, we constantly encourage families to follow God’s lead and prompting about when to have any spiritual conversations, which leads to families staying close to God so they can discern his prompting, step out in faith and follow it.

I would seriously love to hear any ideas you come up with, so leave a comment.

And my heart is really to help Kid and Family leaders do ministry better, so if this was helpful, pass on the word and share!

This article originally appeared here.

John Piper’s Testimony of Overcoming Racism

By

Megan Briggs

-

October 18, 2018

John Piper is one of the most well-known voices in the Christian world. Though he has stepped down from an official pastorate at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Piper is known for his many books, podcasts, and his parachurch ministry called Desiring God Ministries. So when this highly popular Christian leader speaks of one of his greatest sorrows, it comes from a rich history of ministry.

Overcoming Racism

Piper admits that he grew up as a full-blooded racist in an area of the nation where there were separate restrooms, drinking fountains, restaurants, motels, and churches for people of color. It was simply a cultural cesspool of sin, and Piper was swimming in it. This is why he loves the Gospel because through it, we hear that we can be forgiven by God, cleansed from all unrighteousness, imputed with the perfect righteousness of Christ and given the Holy Spirit that enables us to put to death those things that God hates… like racism.

The honesty that is shared in this video about the atrocity of racism is a needed word for our time… and all time. For those of us who comprise the majority culture, we do well to ask ourselves if there are inward tendencies or thought patterns that are prejudiced against those in minority cultures? Just as John Piper exclaimed in this video: Let us not divide what the blood of Jesus came to unite.

Small Group Outreach Beyond the Walls of a House

By

Hoboken Grace

-

October 18, 2018

As they sat down to discuss Sunday’s message at dinner group week after week, Dan and Victor started to feel an itch. They wanted to do more than dream about loving their neighbors and impacting their city. They wanted to get off the couch and into the streets.

So two years ago this month, they launched a dinner group that would be intentional about serving the city of Hoboken. At first, the group was just three people, including Dan and Victor. It has since multiplied to two groups and 23 members. But that’s not the only thing worth celebrating this month. The first women’s impact dinner group launched several weeks ago.

Impact groups resemble any other dinner group in that members meet to discuss Sunday’s message and share life together. But they might also spend that time bringing the message to life through various service initiatives. Dan and Victor’s groups, for example, have handed out popcorn at Movies Under the Stars and delivered water and snacks to bus drivers, PATH workers, firemen, EMS volunteers and Parking Authority workers. One night, they even handed out quarters to people paying for parking.

“It’s an intentional outlet to do something together that’s bigger than ourselves,” says Julia, who leads the new women’s group. “And that’s where I feel like deeper relationships can grow… When I look back, the deeper relationships that I’ve built in my life have been through coming together to love and serve others—and witnessing how God moves in it.”

But Julia says her biggest reason for starting the group was that while she was learning a lot about God’s love on Sunday morning and in dinner group, she wanted to do more than that. She wanted to share that love with other people.

“I was driven to the point where I felt like God was asking me, “What is the point of this? What is the point of getting together in community and just keeping this to yourself?” she says.

Julia says she hopes group members will look outward as much as they look inward. Some weeks, they’ll meet at an apartment or restaurant to discuss Sunday’s message and how it applies to their life. But over time, she says, they’ll also help one another identify their passions, purpose and potential—and encourage one another to use them to serve and impact the world around them.

“My hope is that the impact group will be a place where we can come together, talk about how we were fed on Sunday, what the message means for each of us individually, but also intentionally build deeper relationships by encouraging each other to step out and to love others,” she says.

Dan and Victor’s vision also goes beyond planning impact initiatives. Dan says he hopes his group encourages people to start thinking differently about how they can impact others. He says he wants them to feel encouraged to dream bigger and take steps to make those dreams a reality.

This summer, for example, his group volunteered at two local shelters and asked about their biggest needs. They then decided to organize a churchwide collection drive one Sunday morning, where people dropped off dozens of bottles of shampoo, soap and other items for the Hoboken Homeless Shelter, In Jesus’ Name Charities and St. Matthews’ Shelter.

Julia says her group will also spend time talking about needs they see in the community. Next week, they plan to visit the hospital to give out coffee to nurses as a thank you and to wish the patients well. They’ve also been brainstorming about how they can serve and love on single moms in the area.

But above all, she hopes her group will grow to see the many ways they can share God’s love with other people.

“It’s easy to become comfortable in just looking at ourselves,” she says, “when sometimes the greatest experience of God’s love can be found when we get outside ourselves and focus on loving others.”

This article originally appeared here.

Why Aren’t Senior Pastors Singing?

By

David Manner

-

October 18, 2018

Dear Non-Singing Pastor,

We depend on you as a primary worship leader for our congregation. We agree that your leadership centers more on worship through the Word and Table than through the music. And we understand and affirm that worship can’t be contained in one expression such as music.

But it is evident from Scripture that singing is a significant response to God’s revelation (Ps 63:5; Eph 5:19: Col 3:15-17). When writing about the future of Jerusalem, the minor prophet Zephaniah wrote, “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” (Zeph 3:17).

When the circumstances of life discourage us from verbalizing our songs, the Father surrounds us with songs of deliverance (Ps 32:7). And when we can’t find adequate words to express our love to the Father, Jesus as our worship leader sings with us (Heb 8:1-2; 2:12). So if the Father is singing over us and Jesus is singing with us, we have to ask how you can keep from singing?

When you choose not to sing it causes us to wonder if you really view the musical worship elements as an appetizer before the main course or the warm-up band before the headliner. And when you study sermon notes instead of singing it gives the impression you are unprepared, reminiscent of a freshman cramming for a final exam.

Pastor, we desire worship that is a continuous conversation with a variety of worship expressions instead of just stand-alone elements of music and preaching. So we long for you to teach and model active and fully engaged participatory worship instead of passively giving permission to others not to sing too.

So in humility we ask that you join us in full-throated singing so that all of our voices, including yours, might unite in communal utterances of praise, thanksgiving, confession, dedication, commitment, lament and response. And when this occurs our songs will communicate vertically and horizontally in a unified voice so compelling that it can’t possibly be silenced (Ps 30:12).

Sincerely,

Your Singing Congregation

This article originally appeared here.

Reflections on Singing With 12,000 People

By

Matt Slinger

-

October 18, 2018

Last week, the night before Together for the Gospel began, someone asked Ligon Duncan what advice he’d give the first–time attender. He replied, “I come here to sing.”

The last time I personally attended T4G was 10 years ago. But every year it’s been held since, a number of folks from our congregation went, returning with some version of Dr. Duncan’s comment. Of course, while they’d tell me about the sermon(s) I needed to stream and show off the stacks of books they received, inevitably their visage would visibly brighten as they recounted the joys of singing with thousands of gospel–loving people. Last week, after a 10–year hiatus I’ll blame on 10 years of seminary, I joined 12,000 other men and women to hear a number of sermons. And to hear 12,000 people sing in a gym. Here are four reflections on that experience.

1. Thank God for Song

Martin Luther once said, “A person who…does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of donkeys [edited] and the grunting of hogs.” My wife’s family and my own both live on farms. I’ve heard that sound. I’ll stick with music.

Psalm 92:1 says, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High.” When I studied music in college, one of my professors asked our class, “What is the highest art form in the world?” After some debate, he persuasively argued that the opera held that distinction, mainly due to the combination of literary aspects in the libretto, artistic aspects in the staging, thespian aspects of the actors/actresses, and the obvious musical aspects of the singing.

However, I’d put opera in a distant second. When the Creator of the world tells his image–bearers that which would be good for them, the argument ceases. The highest of art forms on the planet is the redeemed congregation singing praises to its Redeemer.

2. The Human Voice Is the Greatest Instrument

I won’t bore you with the details, but most instruments in the West are tuned to something called equal temperament. This is because unfortunately if you tune a piano perfectly in one key (say E–flat), it won’t be perfectly in tune in some of the other keys. To correct this imperfection, most instruments are tuned to equal temperament—a series of small compromises in each key—to enable the instrument to play beautifully, though somewhat imperfectly, in all 24 keys.

I remember my secular music professor explaining this concept one time and then matter–of–factly asserting that the human voice was the only instrument that could perform every key perfectly in tune. In my secular university classroom, he said so without wonder. I worshiped. Steinway, Gibson and Stradivarius masterfully make instruments; but they too come in a distant second.

Bob Kauflin said one time this week to the 12,000 voices that surrounded him, “It’s my joy to accompany you.” That’s what he did. He accompanied; he didn’t perform. I wonder if he even had the capability to stop a song once he started us. After that initial piano chord, 12,000 men and women were off to the races, employing the greatest instrument in the greatest art form with the greatest of songs.

3. It’s Not Always Been the Songs, It’s How Churches Sang

Just last week, a man stood in our baptistery at South Woods and said something along these lines about his recent conversion, “For the first time, all those sermons about the grace of God I have heard before made sense and felt real, rather than being merely religious words. I started enjoying coming to church, and even singing.” I resonated with him. I remember thinking as an unregenerate guitar–playing teenager how uncool it was to sing. At its best, it was effeminate. So instead, I just crossed my arms and judged the inadequacies of the musicians on stage. Then God saved me. That very week I lost my voice singing at a youth camp accompanied by mediocre musicians.

I say that to say a host of men and women my age probably reacted to the half–hearted singing in the churches they grew up in. In further reflection, I wonder if those churches weren’t half–full of men and women who did not have the song of God filling their affections. Spurgeon said, “Fine music without devotion is but a splendid garment upon a corpse.” This past week, it didn’t matter if the song was old or new, voices resounded.

4. Thank God for Songwriters and Worship Pastors

This probably puts on display my ignorance, but when I was consistently leading worship back in the early 2000s, I’d never heard of the Gettys, Bob Kauflin or Matt Boswell. In fact, I’ve sworn my friends from that era to secrecy regarding the abysmal songs I led them in. I just didn’t know better; or at least that’s how I assuage my conscience. However, in the last 10 years, God’s graciously given us a rich repertoire. We sang many of those songs last week. We ought to thank God for songwriters committed to the gospel, to thoughtful lyrics and to God–centered worship.

When Michelangelo encountered men and women calling the Pietá genius, he replied, “If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all.” Having spent a third of my life attempting to become an excellent musician only to end up a mediocre one, I’m thankful for those who hone their craft to aid us in worshipping through music. The person who led your singing last week probably spent significant time laboring over a piano or a hymnal praying and thinking through the songs they’d lead you in. And how exactly to lead you in them. I thank God for those members of Christ’s body.

Conclusion

12,000 people singing and giving thanks to the Lord is far from quiet. It’s an immersive experience of worship I’ll not soon forget. However, just because it’s louder doesn’t make it truer. In fact, if you were to ask me what singing moment affected me most in April of 2018, it wouldn’t be something from T4G. Actually it was on April 1, Easter Sunday, when I saw a brother I dearly love—who’s walked through some difficult days—unable to keep from very slightly pumping his fist while singing about the resurrected Christ. He didn’t do it to be seen; he was on the back row. I only saw it because I’m on the platform. Further, he’s no showman. Yet his singing, and his belief in the words he sang, deeply edified me because we’ve walked together for years. While singing with 12,000 last week was wonderful, I’d still rather sing with 12 I know.

This article originally appeared here.

50 Shades of Theological Gray

By

Gavin Adams

-

October 18, 2018

How comfortable are you with theological unknowns?

My church upbringing formed a belief system that did not allow for any theological variance. There was black and white and not much in between, and a “lukewarm” verse taken out of context was always used to substantiate the point. If you ever hinted at a middle ground (the dreaded gray), you were called “liberal” and were considered to be sliding down the proverbial slippery slope. I’m not sure what is at the bottom of the slippery slope, but to hear my childhood church describe it, I assumed it was hell. Basically a slip ‘n slide with Satan.

It makes sense in some respect. There is absolute truth, and it certainly seems possible that opening up truth to interpretation could lead to a complete loss of truth. Many seminaries thrive on this fear. There is a legitimate argument to be made IF every issue has ONE absolute truth. To me, the definition of “issue” becomes the real “issue.”

Take Jesus, as an example. There is certainly absolute truth when it comes to his Messiahship. His death and resurrection are true and critical to faith.

But what about baptism (and the Christians get nervous)? Is it required for salvation? Does submersion count more than sprinkling? I won’t get us started on infant and age-of-accountability!

That is just the tip of the theological iceberg. I’m not in a position to take a side or make a point on every issue that has points. There are plenty of very, very well-versed and astute theologians who do this for a living. Yet, with all their education, study and dedication to this craft, they can’t even agree. So here is my point (at least for this moment in time): If they don’t agree, could there be room for some gray?

If there are many sides of well-evaluated arguments on just about every theological issue, how pompous and arrogant must we look to outsiders when we profess to know without a doubt what is really unknowable without a doubt? As Christians, for some unknown reason, we have decided that we must have a clear position on every issue and situation. We feel it’s our job to reveal God’s truth to those living with questions. But attempting to answer every question either pushes people away from faith or removes the mystery found in the discovery of faith.

What if there is a better way?

What if God is capable of handling revelation?

What if God wants us to be less engaged in giving clarity and more involved with engaging humanity?

Here is what I absolutely know for sure about the unchurched, dechurched and unbelieving world: They are not interested in our clarity, but they are open to conversations. The kind where we are genuinely interested in them. The kind where they aren’t treated as projects, but as people. The kind of conversations that actually display the heart of Jesus.

By the way, that’s exactly what Paul encouraged the early Christians to do:

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.Colossians 4:6 (NIV)

One more question:

What if all we actually did is lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus while trusting that He will reveal clearly everyone that needs clarity?

This article originally appeared here.

Hero Factor Games – Pursuing Passion Full Time

By

Russ McGuire

-

October 18, 2018

When Sara Kilpatrick was in the first grade she contracted the chicken pox and was confined to her home. All she could do all day was play video games. From that moment on, she was determined that she would grow up to be a video game designer. Today Sara and her husband, Tim, are co-founders of Hero Factor Games. Their website describes their products as “creative video games that support positive, moral, and Biblical decision-making.” What does that look like, and how did the Kilpatricks get here?

A Personal Revival

Both Tim and Sara were raised in the church. Sara was baptized at age eight and was always pursuing a closer relationship with Christ. Tim, on the other hand, left the church in high school and explored other ways to “find God.” After a few years of wandering, including studying music at a conservatory and studying philosophy and literature at a small Christian college, he found his real callings: first to the one true God of the Bible, and then to writing software.

After completing his Bachelor’s degree in CIS and beginning the MSCS program, Tim was recruited to work at a mobile app development company where he met Sara. Sara had also earned an MIS degree, but with a graphic design minor, and an MBA. Tim and Sara discovered a mutual love for developing games, and for each other. Soon they were married and developing a business plan for a video game company they could start on the side as they continued in their full-time jobs.

But God had other plans. He placed it on their heart that He wanted them to quit their jobs and pursue this passion full time. They spent much time in prayer and God provided confirmation that this was His will. Their time in the Word kept pulling them towards going full time with their business. One of their advisors told them “often times God won’t give you what you need until you really need it” — counseling them to make the jump. And, to cap it all off, an angel investor approached them about investing in the business before they had even started looking for money.

ALSO: WHY ARE YOU PUTTING YOUR PRAYER REQUESTS ON FACEBOOK?

While starting Hero Factor Games has taught them many business lessons, they cherish more the spiritual lessons they’ve learned. As a couple, they have drawn closer to God and rested more faithfully in His ability and not their own. This time has been somewhat of a personal revival for them with incredible blessings for them personally, for their marriage, and for their business.

Sara summarized some of their lessons in this way: “We’ve learned to always seek God first, before even seeking His direction or blessings (John 17:3). Then, in light of who God is, the rest of the day is the opportunity to apply what we have learned about Him: to trust that God really is who He says He is. We believe that this business is God’s ministry: that He will use it, that He will get the glory, and that He will provide everything we need. We submit everything to Him.”

Use Your Powers for Good

When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mk 12:29–30)

The motto for Hero Factor Games is “Use your powers for good.” It comes from Mark 12:30. As they develop their games, Tim and Sara especially focus on the choices that players make and how that shapes how we think and who we become. C.S. Lewis wrote in “Mere Christianity” “every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different than it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing into a heavenly creature or a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself.”

Tim and Sara’s first game is atomidoodle, a fast action game that teaches about chemistry and God’s creation. It won the silver medal for mobile apps in the 2016 Parent’s Choice Awards. They spent over a year building various prototypes of different game concepts before their time with the Lord led them to pursue atomidoodle, and within a week they had a prototype working. They are now developing several other games in various genres. Tim told me “The most important thing is to build a fun game first. Then we can figure out how to build in God-honoring content without being pedantic or contrived.”

The Kilpatricks are obviously very thoughtful about how their work is a ministry and how it can bring honor to God, but also about how it’s not really on them to make it happen. In our interview, they referenced George Műller, the German Christian who God used to touch so many lives in Bristol, England in the 19th century. Beyond even the initial angel investor, God has continued to provide what they need when they need it, including developers showing up on their doorstep, willing to work for free until they could afford to pay them.

Tim uses a quote from A.W. Tozer to summarize their priorities, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Tim applies this to his life in this way: “As a Christian man seeking to know God, as an entrepreneur seeking to glorify God through business activities, it’s easy to get distracted. The most important thing is to seek God first. Getting caught up in ‘doing for God’ rather than ‘seeking God’ can happen to anyone, whether in ministry or business, so this requires my fullest diligence.”

Modern-Day Exorcist: Kavanaugh Hex Should Not Be ‘underestimated’

By

Megan Briggs

-

October 18, 2018

After an occult bookstore in Brooklyn, New York made headlines for its plan to host an event to hex newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, members of the clergy have stepped up to engage in a battle they believe is taking place in the spiritual realm.

“The decision to do this against a Supreme Court justice is a heinous act and says a lot about the character of these people that should not be underestimated or dismissed,” Father Gary Thomas, the exorcist for the Diocese of San Jose, told the National Catholic Register (NCR). “These are real evil people,” he added.

As ChurchLeaders reported earlier this week, Catland Books has sold out tickets to an event this Saturday, October 20, 2018, designed to rain curses down on Kavanaugh. The co-owner of Catland Books, Dakota Bracciale, hopes the event will galvanize the left. “The whole thing is going to be really cathartic, whether you believe it or not. The right has churches but the left is scattershot. The left is where you’re going to find atheists, secularists, humanists, people who follow non-traditional religions. So how are you going to get all of us together in times of trouble? That’s what we’ve been doing,” Bracciale told the Guardian.

Father Gary Thomas Is Taking the Hexing Seriously

Father Thomas, who pastors Sacred Heart Church in Saratoga, California, announced he is hosting “Mass for Kavanaugh” on Thursday, October 18, 2018, and Saturday, October 20, 2018—the day the hexing event is scheduled to take place. The hexing event is not something to take lightly, according to Father Thomas, who was “appalled” by the event. “I sent this to a load of exorcists yesterday and their reaction was similar to mine. That shows this is not something that is make believe.”

As an exorcist, this is not the first time Father Thomas has grappled with the occult. He told NCR he has witnessed people harmed by physical illness, psychosis, depression and even demon possession after being cursed. However, he says, if a person is in a state of grace, curses “have little or no effect.”

Father Thomas, who has served as an exorcist for 12 years now, says he has witnessed those who dabble in the occult becoming more comfortable announcing what they are doing. Whereas in the past those who associate with satanic spirituality tried to keep their actions and beliefs private, that is changing now. “They are more confident that the general public will be more accepting of the demonic,” he told NCR.

NCR reports word is spreading among Catholics to fast and pray for Kavanaugh in light of these spiritual threats.

Another Christian group, Intercessors for America, published a prayer for Kavanaugh, designed to counteract the hexes. In addition to asking for God’s protection over Kavanaugh and his family, the prayer asks specifically that the curses would be turned into blessing. The prayer also addresses those involved in the hexes:

As these self-proclaimed witches and warlocks speak out of their pain and anger against male authority figures, we ask that Your Holy Spirit heal their hearts to encounter the unconditional love of the Heavenly Father. For those who are blinded by their bitterness, we ask for mercy and for supernatural intervention to open their minds to the Way, the Truth, and the Life. For those whose minds are set against You, we cut off their influence and ask that You render their reputation ineffective and totally empty.

Meanwhile, the popularity of Catland Book’s hexing event has grown to the point of necessitating a second event, which will take place on November 3, 2018. Saturday’s event, which has a public event page on Facebook, currently shows 1,600 people “going” and 15,000 people “interested.”

Top 10 Ways to Appreciate Your Pastor

By

Jamie Mertens

-

October 18, 2018

MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) shares the top 10 ways to appreciate your pastor in this article.

After 45 years of partnering with the church, MOPS continues to further the mission of the church: spreading the kingdom to the places of the world that need the message of the Gospel, and cultivating communities by engaging in encouragement and equipping.

Our MOPS groups become the most evangelically effective when they have a solid connection with the church where they gather. When MOPS can gather moms from the community, and establish friendships of safety and trust, we prepare entire families for a natural progression into the life of the church where your MOPS group resides. This is why MOPS is SO valuable to pastors. You and our MOPS moms are the front door to the church, and the church’s first friendship that could lead to the foot of the cross.

It is for this cause that our relationship with our pastoral teams needs to be continually cultivated. One of the best ways to progress a relationship in a healthy way is to honor the other person in it. To further our pastors’ calls and encourage them to keep going through the tough times, let’s be generous with our appreciation.

Here is our Top 10 Ways to Appreciate Your Pastor. Drumroll please …

DATE NIGHT + CHILD CARE If you have read any articles regarding Pastor Appreciation Month, you will always see this one on the list. There is a reason for that. Ministry can be extremely taxing on a marriage. Feel free to go all out and cover transportation, dinner and child care.
CATER LUNCH Does your church staff have a favorite restaurant they go to for their meetings? See if you can bring the restaurant to them! This is a great way to create a space to connect with your church staff. Create a place to share stories and memories of your pastoral team. Always a great idea to arrange with the office coordinator to maximize getting all the logistics effectively planned.
SURPRISE PARTY Reserve a room at a restaurant or event space, and invite your community in to honor your pastor. Keeping it a secret from your pastor might be tough, but a surprise of that caliber is worth the work. At the gathering, create spaces for sharing stories and maybe even invite a couple guests who mean a lot to your pastor, who may not even attend your church.
HONOR JOURNAL Sometimes reading past encouragements from others can really bring pastors through the tough times, reminding them of their true identity, and how they are intricately created by and connected to Him. Coordinate people during several Sunday service gatherings to write a letter to the pastor.
THIRTY-DAYS OF KINDNESS Make every day in October an act of kindness for your pastor. A little planning will go far to make sure your pastor doesn’t simply receive free lunches for a month. What is the newest book by their favorite author? Does your pastor’s car need a detail? You get the idea! Be creative, have fun. #30congregants30actsofkindness
FAMILY BLESSING Is there a need in the pastor’s family such as an auto repair, plumbing issue like kitchen plumbing issues, lawn care, or other home/ car related expense that your MOPS group or church can rally around? Meet the need and share the story with the rest of your church.
OFFICE MAKEOVER Does your pastor’s office look like it’s straight out of 1974 or covered in Post-it notes? A pastor’s space often becomes the place where study, business and spirit meet. Connect with your pastor about what he or she has envisioned for this sacred space or could envision in the future. Have fun with it – film the transformation and make a recap video to show for Sunday service.
SOLITUDE AND SILENCE RETREAT This gesture can be the toughest logistically, but can be the most fruit bearing spiritually. Get 48 hours on their books, rent a cabin or reserve a hotel room or camping site to get them out of the office. Encourage this time to be a reflection on personal life and the direction of the church.
SUNDAY SERVICE REEL Sunday gatherings can be a great place to honor your pastor by including the entire church community. Make a video highlighting your pastor’s impact on the people of the church. Gather stories of life change that your pastor has been involved in and interview families and individuals who can speak to this. If your church does not have a “video person,” consider hiring someone who has the ability to make it a quality product. This way your church and your pastor will be able to share it on social media, as well as with friends and family.
PASTOR BOX Pastoring in the information age has presented itself with new challenges, like having to sift through all the blogs, podcasts, articles, new digital books and TED Talks. This is why Pastor Box made our list as number 1. Sign up your pastor to receive, on a quarterly basis, a box full of offerings and resources that help further the kingdom in churches all over the world. Because Pastor Box believes in the mission of MOPS and the importance of the pastor connection within the MOPS group, they are offering an exclusive discount to MOPS Members: 20% off a one year subscription (both for the prepay or pay quarterly option)! Use promo code: MOPS at PastorBox.comGo to mops.org to find more ways to bless your pastor this October.

One of the Most Destructive Statements a Church Member Can Make

By

Thom Rainer

-

October 17, 2018

If you have served in church leadership for several years, you have likely heard this statement:

“You know who pays the bills at the church.”

The statement is one of the most insidious, destructive and ungodly statements a member can make. It says much about the attitude of the member and the group he or she represents. There is nothing good that can come from this statement. Just look at some of the implications of this attitude:

It is an attitude of selfishness. The giver with this attitude looks at his or her gifts to the church with a closed fist instead of an open hand. Money is given conditionally, not sacrificially or unconditionally: “It’s my money, not God’s money.”
It is an attitude of entitlement. Gifts to the church are more like country club dues. “Since I pay my money, I get my perks and benefits. I get things my way. And if I don’t get things my way, you just watch me stop paying my dues.”
It is an attitude of divisiveness. Those who express such statements are already creating schisms in the church. The big givers are in one group, and the lesser givers are in another. It’s us versus them. “Those other people don’t deserve an opinion, because we pay more than they do.”
It is an attitude of bullying. The statement is always a threat. It is usually directed at the pastor or some other leader in the church. “You do things my way or just watch what I’ll do to you.” It’s intimidation and bullying at its worst.
It is an attitude of superiority. The person who makes this statement is the Pharisee who lets the world know how “godly” he or she is. “Look at how much I give. I must be blessed by God. And this church is blessed by me. You wouldn’t want me to withhold my blessings, would you?”
It is an attitude of ungodliness. The Enemy loves to hear such statements. When he hears church members say they pay the bills, he knows they are focused on themselves and not Christ. He knows they are divisive instead of instruments of unity. The Enemy knows he’s winning when these contemptible words flow from the mouths of church members.

Yes, I know churches can expend funds in imperfect ways. Yes, I know all churches need systems of accountability and checks and balances with their finances. Yes, I know some churches need greater transparency with their budgets and spending.

But there is absolutely no excuse for making threats with the money you and others have given to the church. Such an attitude gives no glory to God.

It is one of the most destructive statements a church member can make. It is spoken too often in too many churches. And, if the attitude is allowed to continue, it becomes a cancer that will kill and destroy.

This article originally appeared here.

Here’s my 2018 list:

1. Churches lack a focused spiritual formation strategy. They hide that fact behind a full calendar.

2. Opportunities to engage with your church should be on-demand.

3. Most multisite churches are not really one church.

4. I’d still always hire a children’s ministry pastor before a youth pastor.

5. Your contemporary services aren’t contemporary.

6. Trying to convince people to become “members” at your church? You’re fighting a losing battle.

7. It doesn’t matter that you are an expository or topical teacher if people are far from God.

8. Multi-ethnic and multi-generational churches are often the most segregated churches I visit.

9. It would serve many churches well to reduce their staff by 30 percent and give a generous pay increase to the remaining people.

10. God doesn’t save us so we can go to church on Sunday and then go to Heaven when we die.

1. A JAMMED PARKING LOT

2. A FULL HOUSE

3. RAPID GROWTH

Joshua Holmes “making a mockery” of Christianity

Holmes preaches a ministry of wealth

Donor Beware

Numbers of Female Pastors Have Been Rising

But Areas of Stagnation Have Occurred

Clergywomen of Color Are on the Increase

5 Steps to Evangelize Your Co-workers

The Five Outreach Ideas

Overcoming Racism

What if there is a better way?

What if God is capable of handling revelation?

What if God wants us to be less engaged in giving clarity and more involved with engaging humanity?

Father Gary Thomas Is Taking the Hexing Seriously

Here is our Top 10 Ways to Appreciate Your Pastor. Drumroll please …

“You know who pays the bills at the church.”

New Articles

New Podcasts