Connecting
man to man to God
For week of August 31, 2008
Issue
222
"When
I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your love, O Lord,
supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your
consolation brought joy to my soul." Psalm
94:18-19
CONSIDER
“God
sometimes snuffs out our brightest candle that we may look up to
his eternal stars.” Vance Havner
RICK
WARREN: 'NEW BREED' EVANGELICALS NOT LIBERALS
"New
breed" evangelicals have been misunderstood by the media,
Rick Warren told a Wall Street Journal reporter after the Aug. 22
forum Saddleback Church hosted with presidential candidates Barack
Obama and John McCain.
"The leader of the
fourth-largest church in the US is supposed to be part of a 'new
breed' of evangelicals, according to the Los Angeles Times, the
Washington Post and dozens of other publications," wrote
Naomi Schaefer Riley in the Journal's Aug. 23 edition. "New
York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof paid him what Mr. Kristof
might consider the ultimate compliment earlier this year,
referring to Mr. Warren as an 'evangelical liberals can
love.'"
Reporters, however, mistakenly assume that
"new breed" Christians who care about the environment
and poverty don't care as much about traditional Religious Right
issues such as abortion, Warren said.
"I don't just
care that the little girl is born," Warren told Riley.
"Is she going to be born in poverty? Is she going to be
born with AIDS because her mom has AIDS? Is she going to
never get an education?"
Warren also told the reporter
that many evangelicals are tired of the "combativeness"
associated with the religious right. "A lot of people
hear [about a broader agenda] and they think, 'Oh, evangelicals
are giving up on believing that life begins at conception,'"
he said. "They're not giving up on that at all.
Not at all." .... Read this in full
at
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=28816
YOUR
TIME IS YOUR LIFE
“No
matter what you want to do, wish you had done, plan to do, or
fantasize about while you are doing something else, the final
reality of your life is how you spent your time. So, one of
the greatest structures that you have to build the life you want
to have is the direction of your time. Turning your time
into a life that you want involves more than time management.
While time management tools are helpful (we all need to
write stuff down somewhere), there is still a person who has to
use them. And in my experience, people do not take enough
time to look at themselves and their use of time to find out what
their patterns and issues are that are causing them to not use
their time wisely.” Dr. Henry Cloud , The One-Life
Solution: The Boundaries Way to Integrating Work and Life
RAVI
ZACHARIAS BREAKS DOWN HIS BOUT BETWEEN JESUS AND KRISHNA
If
you want someone to compare and contrast Christianity with other
religions, few are better than Ravi Zacharias. The
world-renowned speaker, apologist and author has written numerous
books on the subject, such as Jesus Among Other Gods. His
latest book, New Birth or Rebirth? is a fictional conversation
between Jesus and Krishna, in which the author compares
Christianity with Hinduism, the faith of his childhood.
New
Man magazine: Hinduism is an incredibly complex belief system.
As a Christian apologist, why did you decide to take on this
particular topic?
Zacharias: Krishna is revered by millions
of people worldwide, and writing on any figure who is honored that
greatly is difficult. But I am doing so because the one
notion to which all religions subscribe (either explicitly or
implicitly) is the notion of exclusive truth. Populists like to
deny that premise, but all religions either make this claim or try
to covertly smuggle it in. My premise is that the popular
aphorism that “all religions are fundamentally the same and
only superficially different” simply is not true. It
is more correct to say that all religions are, at best,
superficially similar but fundamentally different. I have,
therefore, selected to write about what I consider to be the
greatest differences between Jesus and Krishna.
New Man:
What sources guided the tone and content of the imaginary dialogue
between Jesus and Krishna?
Zacharias: As always, putting
words in the mouths of historical figures is a challenge. I
have done my best to take ideas straight from what has already
been quoted in each faith’s sacred texts and put them into
context here.... Read this interview in full
at
http://www.newmanmag.com/e-magazine/082608/story1.php
REMODELING
HELL: AMERICANS REDEFINE THE DOCTRINE
by
Albert Mohler
Is belief in hell disappearing?
"Absolutely," says Barnard College professor Alan Segal,
author of Life After Death: A History of the Afterlife in Western
Religion. Segal's remark is found within a news story
released by Religion News Service. In "Belief in Hell
Dips, But Some Say They've Already Been There," Charles Honey
traces the transformation of hell in contemporary America.
The
catalyst for Honey's article was the "U.S. Religious
Landscape Survey" released this summer by the Pew Forum on
Religion and Public Life. The data do indicate a shift in
beliefs concerning hell. In the Pew study, just 59% of those
surveyed indicated belief in a concept of hell "where people
who have led bad lives, and die without being sorry, are eternally
punished.".... Read this in full
at
http://www.christianity.com/Home/Christian%20Living%20Features/11580607/
REACHING
IMPRISONED DADS
Several
nationwide prison ministries report the current inmate crisis in
America -- that 1 in every 99 adults is currently incarcerated and
that the recidivism rate is over 705. But another aspect of
this crisis is largely overlooked: the children. Today 2.2
million kids under age 18 have a parent in prison, and those
children are seven times more likely than their peers to end up in
jail.
Local churches are finding among these kids a new
ministry field. And their new partner is AWANA Clubs
International. A program called Returning Hearts rewards
well-behaved fathers in maximum-security prisons with opportunity
to restore relationships with their children. The annual
event is a carnival of sorts for dads and their kids, held on the
prison grounds.... Read this in full
at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2008/003/12.13.html
LEADERSHIP
TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE)
How
persuasive are you?
Most of us aren't nearly as skilled at
influencing others as we think we are, says one expert. Take a
quiz to find out how you
rate.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/08/15/news/economy/persuasive.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008081505
VERSE
TO PONDER
"I
love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I
live." Psalm 116:1-2
CONSIDER
“Sin
is like seed -- to cover it is to cultivate it.”
Unknown
SERVANT
LEADERSHIP TEAM TACKLES EVEREST BASE CAMP
Oxygen
For Leaders, an executive coaching and consultancy organization
for churches, non-profit organizations and corporations, will
sponsor its second leadership development trek to Everest Base
Camp beginning Oct. 4. At nearly 18,000 ft. in altitude,
Everest Base Camp is the staging area for climbers attempting to
summit Mt. Everest, the world's highest peak.
Six men and
one woman, all from Middle Tennessee, will participate in the
18-day trip, during which the team will discuss and practice
leadership principles, including servant leadership, a model that
considers the needs of other individuals and the organization
before self.
The team is led by Ed Smith, PhD, an expert in
managing change within business and faith-based organizations.
Smith is president of Oxygen For Leaders, a division of Franklin,
Tenn.-based Cool Springs Resources, and he has more than 20 years
experience working in commercial banking, church and non-profit
organizations.... Read this in full
at
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/508087617.html
PRAISE
THE LORD & PASS THE BUSINESS PLAN
God
wants you rich, and as if to prove it His golden forefinger is
pointing down through the stage ceiling at the Excel exhibition
centre in east London. This is the International Gathering
of Champions, one of the largest worship meetings of
Pentecostalists ever held in Britain, and the three-metre (10ft)
digit hanging above the preachers is a sign that they and the
80,000 who will come to hear them are, in the words of
Deuteronomy, 'empowered to prosper.' Read this in full
at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/29/religion
WHY
AREN’T WE ALL GOOD SAMARITANS?
by
Daniel Goleman at TED.com
The
award-winning author of Emotional Intelligence asks why we aren’t
more compassionate more of the time. A thought- and
discussion-provoking look at compassion from a secular point of
view. See it
at
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/daniel_goleman_on_compassion.html
PASTOR
SALARIES
A
nationwide survey of 4,800 churches found the average senior
pastor makes $81,113 a year, including benefits such as life and
health insurance, retirement and education allowances. Your
Church Media Group’s annual survey, released in the 2009
Compensation Handbook for Church Staff, shows that pastors at
churches numbering between 101 to 300 regular attendees earn
$72,664 with benefits. At churches drawing 301 to 500
people, senior pastors average an inclusive salary of $88,502,
while among congregations of 501 to 750 people that increases to
$101,623. In smaller churches, executive and administrative
pastors average $60,777, while worship pastors earn $51,954l; this
increases to $76,671 and $64,781 respectively at larger churches.
Overall, pastors in suburban churches make almost 50% more than
their counterparts in rural
areas.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/help/media/pr_seniorpastorpay.html
BREAKING
WITH BUSYNESS
by
Jonathan Wakefield
Like most people, I have too much to do.
With a full-time job, a wife, two small children, a house, various
church commitments, involvement in multiple Bible studies, and an
attempt at launching a career as a novelist, I constantly feel
overwhelmed and overmatched by my obligations.
Long days
are my reality, and as a product of our culture, I have brought to
bear its methods to try to manage my situation. That, of course,
means action items on to-do lists and checking them off one-by-one
as I make progress.
This results in my measuring the
quality of life in terms of efficiency and productivity (two terms
I don't find widely promoted in Scripture). At the end of a
given day, I review the status of my task list and assign the day
its value based on how much I checked off.
Now -- add to
all this that I'm a devout Christian. At some point American
culture and God's Law must collide. In this case I had to
ask myself, how in the world can I get everything done when God
expects me to cease from work for one day every week? Even with
seven days I can't get everything done.
God said the
Sabbath was supposed to be a gift made for man (Mark 2:27).
But it's still one of the Ten Commandments. How can
something be a gift and a commandment?
I get the other
nine. Don't murder. OK. Don't steal. Fine. Don't
covet. Got it. Though I mess up some of the
commandments at times, they all make sense.
Except the
Sabbath. It simply can't be honored in this culture.
And from what I see by the way they live, most Christians agree
with me. Obviously, the fourth commandment must be outdated, in
need of revision. Right?... Read this in full
at
http://www.newmanmag.com/e-magazine/082608/story2.php
PASTOR
USED LIE TO COVER P*RN ADDICTION
Australian
churches are rocked with the revelation that a former pastor of
the nation’s largest youth-oriented church lied about having
terminal cancer to cover up his addition to p*rnography.
Michael
Guglielmucci, who was a leading pastor at Planetshakers and became
well-known for crafting several songs on various worship albums --
including the hit “Healer” from the latest Hillsong
Church recording -- claimed for the last two years to be
terminally ill with leukemia. Along with sending phony
e-mails to his family and friends from nonexistent doctors,
Guglielmucci displayed other convincing signs of deterioration
such as hair loss, nose bleeds and frequent vomiting.
“I’ve
been hiding who I am for so long,” he said in his first
public interview since confessing. “I can honestly say
to you that the last two years have been hell for me physically,
emotionally, but I never sat down and said, ‘Let’s try
and fool the world.’”
The disgraced pastor is
currently receiving psychiatric care and has vowed to return any
donations and royalties received related to his fraudulent
sickness.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24232365-5006787,00.html
CONSIDER
“None
can become fit for the future life, who hath not practiced himself
for it now.”
St. Augustine (354-430)
VERSE
TO PONDER
"Great
peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them
stumble."
Psalm 119:165
THIS
WEEK'S HYMN: DID YOU THINK TO PRAY?
Words:
Mary A. Kidder, 1876
Music: William O. Perkins
Ere you
left your room this morning,
Did you think to pray?
In the
name of Christ our Savior,
Did you sue for loving favor,
As
a shield today?
Refrain
O how praying rests the
weary!
Prayer will change the night to day;
So when life
seems dark and dreary,
Don’t forget to pray.
When
you met with great temptation,
Did you think to pray?
By His
dying love and merit,
Did you claim the Holy Spirit
As your
guide and stay?
Refrain
When your heart was filled with
anger,
Did you think to pray?
Did you plead for grace, my
brother,
That you might forgive another
Who had crossed your
way?
Refrain
When sore trials came upon you,
Did you
think to pray?
When your soul was bowed in sorrow,
Balm of
Gilead did you borrow
At the gates of day?
Refrain
>from
CyberHymnal
at
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/d/i/didyouth.htm
ON
PRAYER
"Those
blessings are sweetest that are won with prayers and worn with
thanks."
Thomas Goodwin
PRAY
FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS
TODAY
http://christiansincrisis.net/
DAILY
BLESSING PACT
Use
the following list as your daily prayer guide. Think of a brother
or situation that applies and lift them up in prayer.
I am
agreeing in prayer with you for God’s blessings to overtake
you!
PERSONAL
Marital harmony
Family unity
Children
saved
Faithful pastor
Spirit-filled church
Real
friendships
Relatives redeemed
Educational
benefits
Recreational time
Fulfilling career
Favor with
God and man
Be in God’s will
FINANCIAL
Better
Jobs
Raises or bonuses
Benefits
Sales &
commissions
Business Growth
Settlements
Estates &
inheritances
Investment increase
Rebates &
returns
Checks in the mail
Gifts & surprises
Money to
be found
Bills decrease while blessings increase
"And
all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou
shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God" (Deut.
28:2).
[As you travel on business or vacation, let me know
if you'd like the church guys to pray for your safety and
spiritual effectiveness. I'll add your name to the list for the
time you'll be away.]
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Why is yawning contagious?
Min. Frank
Coleman, Editor
[email protected]
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