tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-223682182024-03-13T15:41:05.524-04:00ReligioNewsChristian-related news and commentary, with a focus on United MethodistsCBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.comBlogger241125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-53656865909775478882016-04-08T19:27:00.001-04:002016-04-08T19:27:39.372-04:00Will the real religious freedom please stand up?<span style="font-weight: bold;">Religious Freedom</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">The traditional meaning</span>:
<br />
Freedom of belief, speech, practice, proselytizing, etc.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">The new revisionist
meaning</span>: <br />
Freedom to restrict services against, or to hate, denigrate, despise or oppress
others.<br />
<br />
That amounts to rewriting language history. It's revisionist. It's
ugly … it's wrong.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Bigotry defined</span></div>
Bigotry
[BIG-uh-tree] <span style="font-weight: bold;">NOUN</span><br />
Intolerance toward
those who hold different opinions from oneself.<br />
Source: <a href="http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/bigotry">The
Oxford Dictionary</a><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Bigotry exemplified</span></div>
Christian bigots are
trying to redefine "freedom of religion" to suit their need to
discriminate without penalty. Perhaps they need to be reminded that "Do
unto others…" is not just a nice catchy phrase to tell our kids to get
them to behave well.<br />
<br />
True followers of
Christ -- the majority of U.S. Christians -- need to speak up. Your silence is
taken as agreement with those practicing bigotry. Pilgrims fled to America to
escape state-such imposed religion. True Christians need to start standing up and
shouting, "Not here! Not now! Not ever! That's not who we are!" <br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Islam increasing, Christianity decreasing</span></div>
For those who think
an official state religion is just fine, tell me -- what happens when the
majority of Americans follow Islam?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Islam is growing; Christianity is shrinking. Think, people; think! In
that future, would it be OK for Muslims to legally refuse to serve women who do
not wear a hijab? Women not accompanied by their husband? People who are not
Muslims? That is … your own descendants?<br />
<br />
Our laws protect
people and help ensure equal treatment of everyone. They are not to push your
own personal agenda or that of your religious sect, no matter how fervently you
may hold to your beliefs.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Personal religious freedom!</span></div>
Believe what you
like. Worship as you like. Gather as you like. Pray as you like. But do not --
ever -- try to <span style="font-style: italic;">force</span> your beliefs on
others. In the public realm, you have no right to impose your personal beliefs
on others who do not agree with you. That's just another form of bullying.
Religious bullying causes Christ to weep. It's time we put a stop such actions
before they escalate into even more damaging behavior.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
"<span style="font-weight: bold;">Be careful what you ask for</span>" </div>
Beware -- Payback is
a real bummer! When the tables are turned, the results for your descendants
could be disastrous! Don't shoot yourself in the foot and then later complain
that it hurts.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Millennials shun the church</span></div>
And by the way …
two-faced bigotry makes Millennials cringe and shun the church (not just
"church"). They see us as irrelevant. Why would they ever want to
"be like that" and join us when they see such bigotry as representing
<span style="font-style: italic;">all</span> Christians? <br />
<br />
We need to show them
that are <span style="font-style: italic;">good</span> examples of followers
of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ. Those who only <span style="font-style: italic;">claim </span>to be followers but act otherwise can <span style="font-style: italic;">seem</span> in the majority unless … and until … the
majority speaks up! <br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Stand up and be counted!</span></div>
"Do unto
others…" is not just a nice catchy phrase to tell our kids. It's way past
time to actually <span style="font-weight: bold;">live</span> it!<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">[Reminder: This is a
<span style="font-style: italic;">moderated</span> blog. Posting is not
automatic. No "flames," cursing, or similar vicious or offensive
vitriol are allowed. Such comments won't be published.]</span><br />
<br />
<ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="disc">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 11pt;">"</span><a href="http://jaybookman.blog.myajc.com/2016/04/08/the-bigotry-that-dare-not-speak-its-name/"><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 11pt;">The bigotry that dare not
speak its name</span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 11pt;">"</span></li>
</ul>
CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-75703368217780245842016-04-02T15:57:00.000-04:002016-04-02T15:57:17.139-04:00Knowing GodMany, many moons ago, I came across a series of small (4" x 6") booklets from the Radio Bible Club (RBC). The Discovery Series included "Knowing God Through ___" and addressed several books of the Bible. Each was only 30 pages or so long and written in easy-to-read English.<br />
<br />
The organization is a conservative one, so that bias may come through in a few places, but I found the booklets excellent.<br />
<br />
Many (most?) of the booklets are no longer available in print but are still available as a PDF viewable online or downloadable.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://discoveryseries.org/?s=Knowing+God+Through&blog=1">Knowing God Through ...</a> [search results at the Discovery Series site]</li>
</ul>
CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-74702332788554456902013-05-25T16:06:00.003-04:002013-05-25T16:07:46.230-04:00Parts of Dead Sea Scrolls up for saleHere's a story that can tug you two ways ... the family that found the Dead Sea Scrolls is now selling small fragments that they still had in a safe deposit box in Switzerland.<br />
<br />
On the one hand, when you find something, you normally get to keep and sell it as you want. On the other the Dead Sea Scrolls are ancient relics. Many governments lay claim to any such relics and then pay the finder for them. The questions are, of course, who determines how much to pay and should such relics be allowed to leave the country -- or even stay in a private owner's hands?<br />
<br />
The family that found the scrolls is Palestinian. The Israeli government considers the scrolls a national treasure. Further complicating this situation, Jordanian and Palestinian governments have also laid claim to the scrolls.<br />
<br />
The owner says his family offered to sell them to the government but that they could not afford them. Should finders of ancient relics be allowed to put a financial "squeeze" on a country for its national treasures?<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/fragments-biblical-treasure-sale-19256644#.UaEU-LHD86I">Fragments of Biblical Treasure for Sale</a> (ABC News)</li>
</ul>
CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-43380166588354156942012-10-08T14:49:00.000-04:002012-10-08T14:55:02.140-04:00Anti-hate Ads Appearing In NYC SubwayThe United Methodist Women, Sojourners, and Rabbis for Human Rights, have joined forces to fund subway ads that counter the recent anti-Islam ones in New York City subways. Some ads appear next to the anti-Islam ones.<br />
<br />
One pro-tolerance poster reads, "Hate speech is not civilized. Support peace in word and deed". (The anti-Islam poster had used the phrase "civilized man").<br />
<br />
“We think that respectful dialogue is absolutely important and that the work for peace is very difficult,” said UMW CEO Harriet Olson in an interview with Transportation Nation. “Incendiary speech [as in the anti-Islam posters] is not the way to get there.”<br />
<br />
We cannot achieve true Shalom with hearts full of hatred.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umw/news/articles/item/index.cfm?id=949">United Methodist Women Unveils Ad Countering Hate Speech in New York City Subway</a> (UMW)</li>
<li><a href="http://transportationnation.org/2012/10/05/pro-muslim-ads-begin-appearing-in-nyc-subway/">Read the full article at "Transportation Nation"</a></li>
</ul>
CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-55270896753842380282012-10-05T15:17:00.000-04:002012-10-08T15:19:15.817-04:00UMC's path not sustainableThe final report of the <a href="http://umccalltoaction.org/" target="_blank">Call to Action Interim Operations Team</a>, says that the United Methodist Church's way of doing business is “unsustainable,” and that the changes made during and immediately after the <a href="http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.8029511/k.8489/General_Conference_2012__The_United_Methodist_Church.htm" target="_blank">recent 2012 General Conference</a> are not enough to deal with challenges the denomination faces.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=5259669&ct=12212387">Final report: UMC path unsustainable</a></li>
</ul>
CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-24431282538269462312012-08-01T21:57:00.000-04:002012-10-08T14:57:59.913-04:00New UMW web siteThe new web site design for the United Methodist Women is much nore attractive than prior ones. It's also organized well.<br />
<br />
One issue appears to be slow loading of images, especially on the mhome page. Visitors might think that the image link was "bad" and get a negative impression. But the overall design, organization, and information is excellent.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umw/">New UMW site</a></li>
</ul>
CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-9784629913051278012011-12-01T11:46:00.000-05:002011-12-01T11:46:00.963-05:00Quote of noteAlways keep your words soft and sweet ... <br />
<br />
just in case you have to eat them.CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-56789351878805646952011-11-01T11:45:00.001-04:002011-11-01T11:45:00.795-04:00Quote of note"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." <br />
<br />
- Michael AlthsulerCBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-48608291968410722972011-10-01T11:44:00.000-04:002011-10-01T11:44:00.701-04:00Quote of note"The highest reward for a person’s work is not what they get for it, but what they become because of it."<br />
<br />
-- John RuskinCBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-58992724296773545922011-09-02T11:41:00.002-04:002011-09-02T11:41:00.254-04:00Quote of note“To be a superpower is to be the champion of peace, freedom, and democracy, of human rights, environmental quality, and the alleviation of suffering.”<br />
-- President Jimmy Carter, PBS Newshour Interview, 19 Novemeber 1996.CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-37401690704951056622011-08-14T03:36:00.000-04:002011-08-14T03:36:53.208-04:00Open thoughtsAn upcoming sermon is about Christians acting with openness. Recent sermons have dealt with boldness and generosity. Below are a few "open thoughts" about openness.<br />
<br />
Are you:<br />
<ul>
<li><strong>Boldly</strong> open to new ideas?</li>
<li>Open to the Holy Spirit?</li>
<li>Open to constructive comments?</li>
<li>Open to people not like you?</li>
<li><strong>Boldly</strong> open to a different style of worship?</li>
<li>Open in a way that lets others "in" to know you better?</li>
<li>Open to forgiving others?</li>
<li>Open to <strong>not</strong> getting your way?</li>
<li>Open to focusing on helping others -- open to <strong>generously</strong> giving of your time, talent, and money when you have more than they do?</li>
<li>Open to letting others help you in your time of need?</li>
<li>Open to changing your mind?</li>
<li>Open to being a true <strong>servant </strong>leader?</li>
<li>Open to discovering new talents? (You have to <strong>try</strong> something new to discover a new talent).</li>
<li>Open to asking forgiveness when it's appropriate?</li>
</ul>
We may think we are "open" in many of the above ways, but would our friends, coworkers, and strangers agree?CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-70169619037386968392011-08-07T15:45:00.004-04:002011-08-14T03:37:23.365-04:00Shopping for a churchIn "<a href="http://blogs.bible.org/tapestry/jamie_lath/church_shopping_why_do_we_do_it">Church Shopping: Why Do We Do It?</a>", blogger Jamie Lath lists a few reasons:<br />
<ul>
<li>Fewer people are tied to a denomination. </li>
<li>More people are looking for a sense of community -- a place to feel at home.</li>
<li>There are more church choices today.</li>
<li>We fail to first go to God for direction.</li>
</ul>
A church friend told a business acquaintance and I that he and his wife were changing to a different church. The other guy said, "Wow! What did they do to make you change churches?" He was thunderstruck at the action. That was the way it used to be. Today, if we get upset at someone in a church, don't think a preacher's sermons will be YouTube hits, or decide that we want to be on a better church sports team, zoom -- off we go to a different church to fill our "needs".<br />
<br />
We don't want to help establish or even improve a children's ministry at a church, we want it all provided already. We want a concert every Sunday -- with music that fills our exact preferences. We want to be handed a multimedia extravaganza week-after-week. We want to be fed a perfect sermon every Sunday, but we hesitate to spend any time to "feed ourselves" though personal and group Bible study. We don't care as much about a church's theology; it's more important that we"feel good" about being there.<br />
<br />
Jamie's last point may be the most important. It seems that many shop for churches because they are not looking upward (going to God about their choice) or looking inward (examining our motives) or looking outward (how their spiritual life might improve by focusing on and helping others) but rather about their personal wants without regard to any of that.<br />
<br />
Our modern society has changed quite a lot in the last 50 years. Is it much of a stretch to think that these changes have had an impact on church selection and even church attendance?<br />
<ul>
<li>Families live further apart thanks to ease of transportation. Some rarely see each other. Some rarely talk to each other.</li>
<li>Mobility of the workforce means more changes of location due to job changes.</li>
<li>Two-parent families are declining.</li>
<li>More kids are left on their own at a much younger age due to working parents.</li>
<li>We may not even know the people who live next door.</li>
<li>Computers, which were supposed to give us more free time, have really just added stress -- we can get more work done in the same period. We work faster and as hard or harder. Computers have added stress to the workplace.</li>
<li>We multitask more and think we are being more efficient. Yet studies show that multitasking actually reduces efficiency.</li>
<li>The explosion of use of the Internet has resulted in a lot more communication, but in a much less personal fashion and with a drastic increase in trivial communication. </li>
<li>We tend to fill our days, adding stress upon stress. Many people feel bad if they are not always busy.</li>
</ul>
Easier, faster transportation has "freed" us to travel wider in attending a church. We can no longer assume that someone will attend the nearest church of "their" denomination. Parents can no longer assume that their children will be the same denomination or even religion as they are.<br />
<br />
Another issue is denominational identity. With the glut of types of churches, it's sometimes hard to see how they differ.<br />
<br />
There is also significantly less relating to people face-to-face today (... no, Skype or Facetime don't really count as "in person" communication). An online "friend" may be someone we have never met, don't really know, and have no deep personal relationship with. We don't even know for sure the gender or age of most people we "meet" online (as some teenagers find out the hard way). Perhaps this lack of personal contact is part of what leads some people to prioritize community in selecting a church.<br />
<br />
Our hectic lives remind me of a fire ant mound that someone has just stepped on -- swarming all over the place in a seeming random pattern. So we get home and collapse -- grab a meal and become a couch potato to try, often in vain, to relieve the day's stress. Many may lack the energy to delve into Bible study or church work of any sort. <br />
<br />
We work hard to feed ourselves food, but we fail to put as much effort into feeding our souls. Jamie Lath suggests that we need to become less hedonistic in selecting and supporting a church. The result could be great soul food. That's food for thought!CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-12018020720385148132011-08-01T11:40:00.002-04:002011-08-01T11:40:00.553-04:00Quote of note"The emptiest lives are those stuffed with motion from morning to night," <br />
<br />
-- pastor David HendersonCBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-65274042469665829582011-07-20T11:55:00.000-04:002011-07-20T11:55:00.138-04:00Don't repeat wrong 'facts'We may fall into a trap of "assuming" that what someone claims is factual really is a fact -- that is, completely true. That's how we get led astray and repeat bad information.<br />
<br />
Below are a few "facts" that many believe to be true yet are not (I've repeated a few of these errors myself). These come from an article at Ministry Matters.<br />
<ul><li>Mary Magdalene was <strong>not</strong> a prostitute</li>
<li>John Wesley <strong>never said</strong>, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.” </li>
<li>John Wesley <strong>never said</strong>, “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity."</li>
<li>Gehenna was <strong>not </strong>a garbage dump.</li>
</ul>So what can we do? Don't automatically "assume" that because a person you like or trust makes a claim that it's really true. Be willing to check out "facts" before you repeat them. <br />
<br />
With another election season coming up this fall, that trait will stand you in good stead. It seems that many politicians hope we will just trust what they claim and repeat it as fact. The result can be voting against our own best interests. Check out the facts from reliable sources. Repeat only truths.<br />
<ul><li>"<a href="http://www.ministrymatters.com/teach/article/entry/1127/checking-our-facts">Checking our Facts</a>" at Ministry Matters by Josh Tinley.</li>
</ul>CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-15802863988988583012011-07-15T12:39:00.003-04:002011-08-12T01:47:17.103-04:00Religion led to cities?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLpddHuRyorrCrZo6GmrqSkCwg84mqC2Ky20yo2HjJ-tgwD46EZo__W-tnVUsG6q0hdLZeE1BG_Xi7l5yFLSibzSqnn4B1SWI2_A1-zsAiOegoji1jEGP7tTDOANBgIzJl2ljY/s1600/ancient_temple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLpddHuRyorrCrZo6GmrqSkCwg84mqC2Ky20yo2HjJ-tgwD46EZo__W-tnVUsG6q0hdLZeE1BG_Xi7l5yFLSibzSqnn4B1SWI2_A1-zsAiOegoji1jEGP7tTDOANBgIzJl2ljY/s1600/ancient_temple.jpg" /></a></div>
Did the urge to worship together spark civilization? The June 2001 National Geographic magazine has an interesting article on "The Birth of Religion".<br />
<br />
The author says we used to think that increased agriculture moved humans from a nomadic society to one using cities. An archaeological dig in Turkey makes those assumptions suspect, though.<br />
<br />
The dig's implications lead him to conclude that wonder at the changes in the natural world led to religion. The earth's warming after the last ice age led to this wonder. The author suggests that gathering together for worship created a need for food. This in turn led to increased farming and cities.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/gobekli-tepe/mann-text">The Birth of Religion article</a> (National Geographic)</li>
</ul>
CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-37736904850014627212011-07-08T11:38:00.003-04:002011-07-08T11:38:00.463-04:00Quote of note“When we advertise the gospel in terms of the world’s values, we lie to people. We lie to them, because this is a new life. It involves following Jesus. It involves the Cross. It involves death, . . . We give up our lives.”<br />
<br />
-- Eugene Peterson, author of The Message, expressing concern about using the language of our culture to interpret the Gospel.CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-65369830000960282422011-07-06T11:23:00.000-04:002011-07-06T11:23:00.591-04:00Babies born helpfulAre we born helpful by nature? Could altruism bebuilt into our genes? Why do we seem to lose that focus as we age? <br />
<br />
Digging through some old web links I had collected, I came across one to an article about research indicating that babies are naturally helpful.<br />
<br />
Children can also be selfish, but Dr. Michael Tomasello says that we can encourage the almost reflexive behavior to help others. How? By inductive parenting -- telling children about the effect of their actions on others and stressing the logic of cooperating with others.<br />
<br />
Don't you wish that more politicians had received good inductive parenting?<br />
<ul><li>"<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/science/01human.html">We may be born with an urge to help</a>", NY Times article</li>
<li><a href="http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=11864">"Why We Cooperate" book synopsis</a>, MIT Press</li>
</ul>CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-14777844892952283972011-07-01T23:25:00.000-04:002011-07-01T23:25:00.611-04:00Constitution writers were ChristiansAn interesting factoid, derived from a posting by Bill Federer in "<a href="http://www.themoralliberal.com/2011/06/20/the-u-s-constitution-and-the-religious-upholding-of-it/">The Moral LIberal</a>" blog. The religious composition of the 55 writers of the U.S. Constitution was: <br />
<ul><li>26 Episcopalians</li>
<li>11 Presbyterians</li>
<li>7 Congregationalists </li>
<li>2 Lutherans</li>
<li>2 Dutch Reformed Christians</li>
<li>2 Methodists</li>
<li>2 Quakers</li>
<li>2 Roman Catholics</li>
<li>1 Deist Christian – Dr. Franklin, who called for prayer during the Constitutional Convention, June 28, 1787.</li>
</ul>CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-67976889392786104162011-06-27T23:11:00.000-04:002011-06-27T23:33:11.982-04:00Bad religion causes lost faithUp to his death Darwin insisted that the Christian faith and evolution were compatible. It was bad religion that caused Darwin to lose his faith says Rev. Martin Thielen, a United Methodist writing in <em>The Tennessean </em>newspaper.<br />
<br />
And, says Thielen, there's a lot of bad religion causing people today to lose their faith.<br />
<blockquote>"... closed-minded religion, arrogant religion, intolerant religion and judgmental religion. You can add to that list religion that tells women they are inferior to men and religion that says science is the enemy of faith."</blockquote><ul><li><a href="http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110528/NEWS/305280016/Message-of-the-Week-Bad-religion-still-causes-people-to-lose-their-faith">Read the full article</a></li>
</ul>CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-24363857728754544552011-06-22T13:59:00.000-04:002011-06-22T13:59:46.477-04:00Violence grows in SudanSamaritan's Purse reports that fighting has increased along the border of North and South Sudan. This is happening just before the July 9th date for independence of South Sudan. Meanwhile, the people living in the Nuba mountains are caught in the crossfire.<br />
<br />
Among targets in the attacks were two churches in the south -- ones that Samaritan's Purse had built. A church partner has said, <br />
<blockquote>"...we have lost everything of the church. The house where my staff lives was looted, and the offices were burned. Many people fled from town, but some stayed. There is no food or water now for them. There are only soldiers all over the streets. We need prayers and support.</blockquote>Samaritan's Purse President Franklin Graham urges Christians to pry for our brothers and sisters in Sudan.<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/articles/crisis_in_sudan">More details</a></li>
</ul>CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-33131051783483406742011-02-05T17:12:00.000-05:002011-02-05T17:12:34.852-05:00Black history is American HistoryThe status of Black Americans has improved over the years, but prejudice against them in both word and deed is still around -- just more hidden. An article at the Black Voices web site states that Black History Month is still relevant, but then adds "for now". There is disappointment yet hope in that statement.<br />
<br />
The article mentions the comment of Rochelle Riley, a columnist for the Detroit Free Press, "Having a special time to celebrate the contributions of African Americans to American history is wonderful, but when it is used as a substitute for teaching black history to all students all year round, we are stunting the educational growth of students of all colors and backgrounds." <br />
<br />
Black History is an integral part of American History. But until history books and teachers include Black Americans in schools, we need Black History Month to help remind more people about the wonderful contributions of Black americans.<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://black-history.blackvoices.com/2011/01/14/black-history-month-still-relevant-for-now/">Black History Still Relevant -- for Now</a></li>
<li><a href="http://apmethodist.org/resources/black-religious-leaders.htm">Black religious leaders</a></li>
<li><a href="http://apmethodist.org/resources/black-musicians.htm">Black leaders in sacred music</a></li>
</ul>CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-46307256508849457922010-07-11T18:29:00.000-04:002010-12-11T14:30:09.515-05:00Cooking based on the BibleCooking based on Bible foods and passages can "get you into" Bible stories and be fun at the same time. Try it out.<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://cookingwiththebible.com/">Cooking with the Bible</a></li>
</ul>CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-36513659440454271742010-04-20T14:59:00.002-04:002010-08-28T13:50:11.804-04:00Is the ministry a vocation?Most of us think of a "vocation" meaning a job, or at least a field of interest. An age-old complaint from church members is that their pastor treats the ministry as a job, not a calling. But the word "vocation" comes from the Latin verb "vocare", meaning "to call out". <br />
<br />
How ironic! Not only that, but we tend to view "vocational schools" as ones not leading to a profession. A job hopefully, but not a profession. Professionals go to college, right?<br />
<br />
We'd do well to remember the Latin root and realize that the "vocation" or "job" of the ministry is indeed a calling. On the other hand, we do expect ministers to do their best to see beyond the daily grind and to give their vocation a more spiritual emphasis than we congregatiuon members do. It's not fair, perhaps, but we do seem to expect that. You might say that we expect members of the clergy to make us think that their vocation is not a job. What?<br />
<br />
Vocation -- job -- calling -- profession. It's all quite confusing once we stir the colloquial pot, mix up their use, and ignore their root meaning.CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-51524971736592756262010-04-18T13:41:00.026-04:002010-06-24T14:25:46.473-04:00Spiritual VelocityThis is the first of an intermittent series of notes on sermons I hear.<br />
<br />
Why intermittent? I don't always get to be at my home church every week, some sermons don't seem to lend themselves to my note-taking, and sometimes, I confess, I "drift". What do I mean by "notes"? Summaries, a few bullet points, or whatever else strikes my fancy.<br />
<br />
These will not be complete sermon outlines -- I'd have to pay way too much attention for that. As it is, I worry about missing a good point as I jot down my notes. My hope is that as I force myself to take sermon notes, not only will I pay better attention, but I'll also have more "take home" nuggets of spiritual wisdom. I post them here for both you and me.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQhHGZ73gVm7-8Pl7YyLyGcXse2Woao6QU01S1uoyXbZH5TFkEfiMkfMpYVtCTAMG2xiK7PSq3R4ZcnzGH435Lc5Yueo88FZC0B5WgU_4rHScpiiXqG722_EaChk2TRnct74I/s1600/spiritual_velocity-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQhHGZ73gVm7-8Pl7YyLyGcXse2Woao6QU01S1uoyXbZH5TFkEfiMkfMpYVtCTAMG2xiK7PSq3R4ZcnzGH435Lc5Yueo88FZC0B5WgU_4rHScpiiXqG722_EaChk2TRnct74I/s320/spiritual_velocity-1.jpg" /></a></div><h4 style="clear: both;">Velocity</h4><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Many people think of velocity as how fast you are going. But that's speed. Velocity is both the speed of an object plus the direction in which it's headed.</div><h4 style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </h4><h4 style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Spiritual velocity</h4><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A few related thoughts:</div><ul><li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Where are you on the line from Sinner to Saint?</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Are you headed in the right direction?</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">How fast are you progressing?</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Are you even moving?</li>
</ul><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Mark Twain once said, "Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just stand there." </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Saul was not headed in the right direction, but when he experienced the "intervention" on the road to Damascus, he "saw the light". He made strong change in spiritual velocity. He was blinded but he finally "saw". Physically he was still heading to Damascus, but spiritually he had done a "180" and would rush onward in the right direction, changing both his name and his outlook. The fervor he once spent in persecuting followers of Jesus he now channeled into boldly proclaiming the good news of Christ's resurrection.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Looking at the ministry of Jesus, his Passion, his crucifixion, and the resurrection, we can see his high spiritual velocity ... moving strongly and in the right direction.</div>CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22368218.post-35420090724913834452010-04-04T16:55:00.000-04:002010-04-04T16:55:33.483-04:00Spiritual drought"Spiritual dry times accompany many and diverse situations. Sometimes those droughts have nothing to do with us. A dust bowl descends, and all we can do is remain faithful, waiting upon God. At other times, however, spiritual dryness can be traced back to something for which we are responsible.<br />
<br />
Sometimes sheer soul-neglect is to blame. Perhaps we have let the busyness of life or the blur of entertainment squeeze out margins for quiet reflection, regular prayer, and Bible study. Whether out of fear or laziness, pride or sin, we squander our best on lesser things."<br />
<ul><li>Read more of "<a href="http://www.navpress.com/magazines/archives/article.aspx?id=10759">The Surprising Fruit of Spiritual Drought</a>", <br />
by David Henderson, Discipleship Journal.</li>
</ul>CBruleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607767373605474904noreply@blogger.com0