Thoughts and ideas are not mine, just food for thought… Tim
There are some who are contractually obligated to keep secrets—lawyers, counselors, mobsters—but within the local church, “Just between you and me,” is bedfellows with its sister, Gossip. They seem at odds, but they are actually two sides of the same coin.
Gossip wants to control the narrative by embellishing it, the other wants to control the narrative by being the only one to talk about it. Gossip wants to make the story interesting, the other wants to make the story one-sided. Neither reflect the words and meditations of a heart pleasing to God.
The Most Neglected Spiritual Discipline
Fasting is a chance to be very intentional about how God’s truth is incorporated and affecting our lives. God, for some reason, has entrusted us with His kingdom (see Luke 12:32). We should make sure we’re not totally missing that amazing opportunity.
What Young Christians Are Trying to Do When They Question Tradition
Older Christians, the next time a young Christian is trying to change something talk with them about it and hear out their reasoning. Chances are good that they’re probably embracing some change that’s already come their way and trying to come up with something to reach their community better.
“You Won’t Be So Passionate When You’re 40″
I can confidently say that he was and remains dead wrong. Passion for the glory of Christ does not wane or wither with time when it is fueled and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Over the years I have found myself peering into more and more rooms in the mansion of Christology. Jesus remains infinitely lovely, compelling, and full of glory. The gospel is no less powerful. The church is no less worthy of my service. And this guys’ statement could not be more wrong.
15 Practical Steps to Racial Reconciliation
As I’ve argued elsewhere, there is not a direct correlation between the racial reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles to God, and to one another in the bible and the need for reconciliation in the evangelical movement. Yet, the bible’s teaching of reconciliation in Christ certainly applies to the racist past and present struggle with race relations in the evangelical movement.
Trend #2 for the Future of Church Planting—Bivocational Ministry
In the past, if a church planter was bivocational, oftentimes that meant that they lacked financial support. A standard section in any church planting proposal would include the church’s plan for financial self-sustainability, which included paying the church planter and maybe another staff member a salary with benefits. Many denominations would even support the church planter’s salary for at least three years while also providing seed money for their ministry. As a result, bivocational ministry was more of a last resort, than a first option. Interestingly, we are seeing a wholesale mindset change on the idea of bivocational ministry.
European Parliament recognizes ISIS killings of religious minorities as genocide
The insecurity faced by Christians in the Middle East has seen their population decrease drastically in recent years. As of July 2015, a third of Syria’s 600,000 Christians had fled; Lebanon’s Christian population share has shrunk from 78 percent to 34 percent over the previous century; and only a third of the 1.5 million Christians who lived in Iraq in 2003 remain today, according to the New York Times.
Why Obama’s mosque visit is criticized — in a way George W. Bush’s wasn’t
But the chart above shows, better than just about anything else, how much more polarized we are on this issue. Call it the Trump Effect. Call it a symptom of how Americans now consume their news and information. Call it a reaction to the rise of the Islamic State.
Whatever it is, it is much more pitched than it was even after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Bush’s move at the time was seen as somewhat bold; in today’s Republican Party — and without the huge popularity Bush enjoyed in the days after 9/11 — it’s not a stretch to argue that it never would have happened.
How Easily Distracted Are You? Here, Distract Yourself With This Game to Find Out
But in the annoying, everyday scenarios, this can be a problem, for the obvious reasons. Sometimes you do have to filter out distractions. Alas, it’s not yet clear from the research whether it’s possible for a person to temporarily improve their latent inhibition. Instead of trying to train yourself to ignore distractions like email or texts, it may be better to avoid them completely, at least while you’re trying to get creative work done. Marcel Proust is said to have worked while wearing ear plugs; the 19th-century novelist Franz Kafka once said, “I need solitude for my writing; not ‘like a hermit’ — that wouldn’t be enough — but like a dead man.” Both men have a point.
Cat burglar enters Vermont family’s home, takes pet
Police said Frady was found in the family’s home Saturday and was asked to leave. The family said they have security camera footage of Frady taking Boots.
Police say Frady returned twice. The family says they chased Frady out of their basement after finding him watching TV, drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes.