Why Discipleship Works with a Plurality of Elders

The greatest single pastor will not be nearly as strong as the wisdom of a collective body of pastors who put their minds together and serve as a single unit to lead the church. The weaknesses of one pastor is strengthened by the strengths of another pastor who works alongside him in the life of the church. This provides the pastors the ability to make well rounded disciples who become strong and vibrant disciple makers who multiply year after year.

---

The Reminder For Christians in the Hannukah Story

Because we remind ourselves of the times when God has miraculously come through for us, we can also look forward to the amazing things that God will do in the future. We can dream and we ask God for to do the miraculous. So, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and have a blessed Advent season.

---

Doing Church Away from Church isn’t Church

We ought to consider it a privilege and joy to gather weekly with God’s people. The body needs us and we need the body. We need what God desires to give us through qualified, affirmed leadership. We need to see and be seen. If we are missing church with the family, and attempting to supplement it, just say, “We are going to study the Bible, sing some songs, and pray as a family. This isn’t church, kids.”

---

Three Essentials for an Attractional Church Plant

• The Presence of Transcendent Worship
• The Presence of a Loving Community
• The Presence of a Loving Community in a Neighborhood

---

What Churches Are Singing This Christmas

So what songs are being chosen? Well, we checked in with the CCLI charts to see what Christmas songs are the most popular. Here are the 20 most-sung Christmas songs in churches across the US this year:

---

Native Americans Feel Invisible In U.S. Health Care System

The life expectancy of Native Americans in some states is 20 years shorter than the national average.
There are many reasons why.
Among them, health programs for American Indians are chronically underfunded by Congress. And, about a quarter of Native Americans reported experiencing discrimination when going to a doctor or health clinic, according to findings of a poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

---

I Made My Shed the Top Rated Restaurant On TripAdvisor

So there we go: I invited people into a hastily-assembled collection of chairs outside my shed, and they left thinking it really could be the best restaurant in London, just on the basis of a TripAdvisor rating. You could look at this cynically – argue that the odour of the internet is so strong nowadays that people can no longer use their senses properly. But I like to be positive. If I can transform my garden into London’s best restaurant, literally anything is possible.

---

Supreme Court same-sex wedding cake case reflects split among American public

There were sharp differences based on respondents’ religious affiliation and political party. A large majority of white evangelical Protestants (77%) said businesses should be allowed to refuse service to same-sex couples, while most religiously unaffiliated Americans (65%) and Jews (64%) took the opposite position. In addition, most Republicans and those who lean toward the Republican Party (71%) said refusal of service based on religious objections is acceptable, while two-thirds of Democrats (67%) disagreed, saying instead that wedding-related businesses should be required to serve same-sex couples just as they would any other couple.

---

On Gender Differences, No Consensus on Nature vs. Nurture

A new Pew Research Center survey finds that majorities of Americans say men and women are basically different in the way they express their feelings, their physical abilities, their personal interests and their approach to parenting. But there is no public consensus on the origins of these differences. While women who perceive differences generally attribute them to societal expectations, men tend to point to biological differences.

---

The Need for Culturally Agile Leaders in Church Planting

1. Culturally agile leaders challenge church planters to think beyond the label of “multi-ethnic church planting” in order to start truly multi-ethnic churches.
2. Culturally agile leaders challenge church planters to address issues of diversity with greater precision.
3. Culturally agile leaders help “minority” church planters to stop thinking like “minorities.”
4. Culturally agile leaders help “majority” leaders lead through mentoring and opening doors.

---

Why the UN is investigating extreme poverty … in America, the world’s richest nation

With 41 million Americans officially in poverty according to the US Census Bureau (other estimates put that figure much higher), one aim of the UN mission will be to demonstrate that no country, however wealthy, is immune from human suffering induced by growing inequality.

---

The Overwatch Videogame League Aims to Become the New NFL

“We are literally building a new sport,” says Nanzer, who was appointed the league’s commissioner last year. “We’re trying to build this as a sustainable sports league for decades and decades to come.” And while you might think, at first glance, that such an ambition is outrageously optimistic, the expertise recruited may change your mind. The co-owner of the Boston Overwatch franchise, for example, is Robert Kraft, who also owns the New England Patriots. The owner of the New York franchise is Jeff Wilpon, COO of the New York Mets. Philadelphia’s Overwatch team is owned by Comcast, which also owns the Philadelphia Flyers.

---

Watch Lin-Manuel Miranda Tell the Story of ‘Hamilton’ in Less Than 3 Minutes

Tickets to Hamilton are still kind of hard to come by, so this three-minute version by Miranda on Ellen’s Show Me More Show, with help from 7-year-old presidential expert Macey Hensley, will basically clue you in on the gist of things.

---

Don’t Support This Bill, Oppose This Bill

The worst thing that has happened with the church since the 60s but especially since the 80s (under Reagan) has been the politicization and partisanization of the church.
Church cultures now exist where in a local church if you are not a Republican or a Democrat you don’t fit. This is surrendering to Caesar what belongs to God alone.
Now there is a bill underway, attached to the tax bill, that would permit churches or pastors or church leaders to identify with a political party and announce support for a political party and encourage church folks to support a political party.

---

Unlocking Eight Motivational Triggers for Evangelism and Discipleship

The secret to effectively motivating people is recognizing that different people are motivated in different ways. I know that sounds simple and straightforward, but unless we are very intentional about how we communicate, we will subconsciously try to motivate people in the same ways that motivate us. When that’s the case, we can preach God’s Word or share the gospel until we’re blue in the face and still not see people launched into a life-changing pursuit of Jesus.

---

A dangerous trend in the churches of Christ

When the Bible is reduced to being little more than a reference book filled with proof-texts that back up the doctrines we already believe, our ability to see its application in all areas of life is hindered. Where this is the case, God’s word is used only defensively, to defend the territory we already occupy. But the Bible is a book that should transform us bit by bit every time we open it. If most of our time spent studying the Word together is focused on backing up what we already know, we’ll never move past the milk stage.

---

Five Reasons the Homogeneous Church Is Declining and Dying

1. We live in a heterogeneous culture.
2. Gen Z will not have a majority racial or ethnic group.
3. The Millennials tend to avoid homogeneous churches.
4. Cultural Christianity is dying.
5. Homogeneity is a form of segregation. It is not gospel-centric.

---

The Site That May Be Jesus Tomb

Archaeologists have discovered that Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre stands on the site of a Jewish cemetery dating to the time of Jesus. The shrine at the heart of the church, known as the Edicule, encases remnants of a tomb revered since the fourth century, imagined here.

---

Waffle House customer cooks up his own meal at empty restaurant

He stood at the register for 10 minutes, waiting for someone to take his order. Bowen even went outside to look for an employee, and then went back in.
“That’s when I got hot on the grill with a Texas bacon cheesesteak melt,” said Bowen.
He cooked his go-to meal and even cleaned up when he was done. While he was cooking, he saw the one employee who was fast asleep.

---

Doing Spiritual Warfare Without All The Weirdness

After all, the Bible does talk about spiritual warfare. To ignore it entirely is to ignore part of scripture. But it also doesn’t talk about it that much, and to give it too much airplay isn’t biblical or healthy.

---

Sorry Christians, We Can’t Blame the Media Any More

We can and should make strong, even bold statements. But we must do it without being disrespectful, arrogant jerks about it. Or mean. Or downright un-Christlike.

---

James White’s 4 Keys to Effective Debating

1. Seek to be consistent. (Use equal scales)
2. Strive for accuracy in representation of the other side (use original source material)
3. Show love for your opponent. (Win souls not just arguments)
4. Stay in the context of a local church.

---

Seven Ways Being Nice Hurts Your Church

1. We don’t make a needed personnel decision.
2. We are unwilling to confront sin.
3. We won’t eliminate a weak program or ministry.
4. We are unwilling to make tough decisions on facilities.
5. We compromise the Word of God.
6. We let volunteers continue in positions where they should not.
7. We make bad financial choices.

The Crucial Role of Single Women in Missions

When we look in Scripture, we see many commands being given to both men and women alike, and only a few prohibitions given to women. As far as prohibitions, women are not to have authority over a man in the context of her marriage and in the context of her local church. And that is pretty much it.
On the other hand, women are called to go out into all the world and make disciples (Matt 28:18-20). They are called to abound in the work of the Lord (1 Cor 15:58), to devote themselves to do good works and to not be unfruitful (Titus 3:14) to cry out with the Psalmist that all the nations worship the one true God (Psalm 67). There is much work for a woman to do.

---

The Pragmatic Benefits of God-Given Sexual Boundaries

While sex outside of marriage has lots of short-term pleasure, there are long-term harms. The Federalist posted the results of a recent study that confirms what other studies have shown: cohabiting and having children outside of marriage is a strong indicator of poverty. Seventy years ago, the most important factor in economic wellbeing was employment. Fifty years go, it was education. But for the last twenty years, the most important factors have been marriage and having children within marriage. Cohabiting and having children out of wedlock, even if the parents eventually marry, are strongly associated with poverty.

---

A woman approached The Post with dramatic — and false — tale about Roy Moore. She appears to be part of undercover sting operation.

A woman who falsely claimed to The Washington Post that Roy Moore, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Alabama, impregnated her as a teenager appears to work with an organization that uses deceptive tactics to secretly record conversations in an effort to embarrass its targets.

---

4 Ways To Train Your Brain To Be More Open-Minded

1. Talk to a neutral party.
2. Reframe negative thoughts.
3. Get out of your comfort zone.
4. Practice mindful meditation.

---

The Grandma Who Invited the Wrong Guy to Thanksgiving Last Year Was At It Again

That was last year and, apparently, it kicked off a friendship. Hinton told USA Today that the two chat “about once a week,” usually about his future plans and family. He said that he thinks of her in some ways as an “adopted grandmother.” In fact, she extended another invitation (on purpose, this time) to come to Thanksgiving 2017, and he showed up — this time with his girlfriend in tow. He posted a new picture on Twitter to commemorate the event.

---

How a Wall of Lava Lamps Makes the Web a Safer Place

Unlike computer programs, lava lamps act in a way that’s impossible to predict. They’re not the only secure way to generate randomness (tools used by other Cloudflare offices include a “chaotic pendulum” and a radioactive source), but they may be the prettiest to look at.

---

LINKS FROM AROUND THE INTERNET:

Don’t Leave Your Husband for Her

You stand at the edge of the cliff, friend. By the day’s end, you may fall into this woman’s embrace. If you do, it speaks not to your “love” for this woman, or to hers for you, or to your personal integrity in coming out as gay. No, friend. Adultery reveals disdain for your God. If your Christian best is only offering the obedience that the flesh allows, you trample on the blood of your Savior.

---

No longer talking

As Christians we must be different. We must be people who honour those made in the image of God, by speaking, listening and giving full attention just as our God does to us. If even having the phone on the table gives the wrong signal, let’s leave them aside. If having it buzz leaves us itching to look, lets practice turning them off, or leaving them in the car when we meet people.
In a world of dying conversation and disconnectedness, the church has something glorious to give (as well as the gospel!)—fellowship. Let’s make sure our churches are places not just of vertical connectedness, but of horizontal connectedness too, where real conversations are had, and real listening takes place.

---

Sean Parker: Facebook takes advantage of “vulnerability in human psychology”

“The thought process that went into building these applications, Facebook being the first of them, … was all about: ‘How do we consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible?'” he said. “And that means that we need to sort of give you a little dopamine hit every once in awhile, because someone liked or commented on a photo or a post or whatever.”

---

Net States Rule the World; We Need to Recognize Their Power

Regardless of their differences in size and raison d’etre, net-states of all stripes share three key qualities: They exist largely online, enjoy international devotees, and advance belief-driven agendas that they pursue separate from, and at times, above, the law.

---

Facebook translates ‘good morning’ into ‘attack them’, leading to arrest

Facebook has apologised after an error in its machine-translation service saw Israeli police arrest a Palestinian man for posting “good morning” on his social media profile.

---

Use of Spanish declines among Latinos in major U.S. metros

More than 37 million Latinos in the U.S. speak Spanish at home, making it the country’s most common non-English language. But while the number of Latinos who speak Spanish at home continues to increase due to the overall growth of the Latino population, the share of Latinos who speak the language has declined over the past decade or so: 73% of Latinos spoke Spanish at home in 2015, down from 78% in 2006, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data.

---

Undoing the Dis-Education of Millennials

So, here are three ground rules for the rest of the semester.
1. The only “ism” I ever want to come out your mouth is a syllogism. If I catch you using an “ism” or its analogous “ist” — racist, classist, etc. — then you will not be permitted to continue speaking until you have first identified which “ism” you are guilty of at that very moment. You are not allowed to fault others for being biased or privileged until you have first identified and examined your own biases and privileges.
2. If I catch you this semester using the words “fair,” “diversity,” or “equality,” or a variation on those terms, and you do not stop immediately to explain what you mean, you will lose your privilege to express any further opinions in class until you first demonstrate that you understand three things about the view that you are criticizing.
3. If you ever begin a statement with the words “I feel,” before continuing you must cluck like a chicken or make some other suitable animal sound.

---

Injured Texas woman who refused treatment agrees after police promise her ‘Big Red’ soda

According to the Tyler Police Department, one of the paramedics at the scene said the woman had no life-threatening injuries, but still encouraged her to go to the hospital.
She refused and said, “All I want is a Big Red to drink and I will be fine.”That’s when one of the officers, Sergeant Noble, promised to buy her a Big Red if she went to the hospital. The comprise worked.
“I thought he was bluffing so that she would agree to go to the hospital,” a paramedic at the scene told Tyler police. “I could hardly believe it when Sergeant Noble arrived minutes later at the hospital with an ice cold Big Red for her.”

---