Church nursery tips

Chidren's Ministry Magazine has a special section on the church nursery. It includes sample policies as well as articles on safety.

Mid-life crisis a good thing?

God does not intend for our lives to be humdrum, monotonous, same-old same-old, says Rev. Gregory Lee. So, he ponders, perhaps midlife crises are not such a bad thing after all if they get us to re-examine our lives.

• Read the full sermon, "The Heart of Worship"

Making church "relevant"

Midnight Oil Productiuons, which appears to be affiliated with Cokesbury, has a great article and excellent discussion (blog style) on being cultural and counter-cultural at the same time .

You're watching too much TV if...

You're watching too much TV if...

• You know all the names of the characters on "Desperate Housewives" but you can't name the thirteen apostles .
• You can guess ending of a "Boston Legal" episode, but you don't remember how the New Testament ends.
• Your cable bill each month is more than your contribution to your local church.

Supplementary reading: Stewardship of possessions

The problem with 'The Da Vinci Code'

Mark Gudgel, reviewer for Relevant magazine, says that the problem with the Da Vinci Code movie is that it is a movie. Movies let people not think ... just experience. Many people may blindly assume that the fiction is based on fact.

"Just as it is somewhat terrifying to realize that many people’s primary understanding of the final days of Christ, of the crucifixion and atonement, came to them courtesy of Mel Gibson, so is it equally frightening to think that perhaps The Da Vinci Code, in all of its mass-media splendor, may be some people’s foundation for understanding Church history or Christian belief." -- Mark Gudgel

Stewardship: Kiss snows of Kilimanjaro goodbye

The rise of just a few degrees in average world temperature will raise ocean levels about half a meter by 2100. So say nearly all scientists who've studied the issue, according to John Harte, University of California, Berkeley. Harte was speaking at the U.S.-China Symposium on Climate Change at UC Berkeley this week. Even Evangelicals agree that global warming is real and we need to act now.

But that's not all. Warmer air means less snow, including on snow-capped Mt. Kilimanjaro. By 2020, Kilimanjaro could have a bare top, and that's just the good news, Harte says.

A related issue is soot (black carbon particles). Liquid and most solid aeosols actually cool the air mass under them, but soot soaks up heat and warms the air mass . Diesel engines produce soot. Outdoor fires produce soot. Global warming will increase the amount of wildfires. Many nations are trying to encourage use of diesel in vehicles.

Carbon dioxide is the number one cause of global warming, yet soot doesn't stay aloft as long as carbon dioxide. So reducing soot has a faster cooling effect, though CO2 emissions need to be reduced drastically. The Kyoto Protocol is a great step forward, but Kyoto ignores black carbon problems. Does anyone see the problem here? Is delaying action on climate change a foolhardy gamble?

"An Inconvenient Truth", a film about the impact of global warming, has started playing in select theaters. Watch for it in your area.

More folks find religious left right

A recent Washington Post article, "Religious liberals gain new visibillity", appearing on MSNBC.com, reports that the religious left is gaining in popularity and influence. These Christians are fed up with conservatives incorrectly claiming that their views are the only morally correct ones. Followers of Christ who once wanted to stay "above the fray" may now be starting to speak out and get involved.

Church is not the same anymore

In his blog posting, "Difficult but not Impossible", Bishop Swanson of the Holston Conference says, "If there is one thing we know today about 'doing church,' it is that church is not the same today as it was 40, 30, 20, or even 10 years ago." Pastors (and congregations) need to adapt.

So maybe "gimme that ol time religion" is more for singing than following?

Discover religious shows

The Discovery Channel has a lot of prior show and news material online. Here are some related to religion:

• Climate cycle matched to biblical prophecy
• Rare scrolls reveal early biblical writing
• Evidence of David and Golliath?
• Ancient prostitutes went unpunished
• John the Baptist cave part of complex
• St. Paul's tomb found?
• Shroud of Turin over 1,300 years old
• Young Jesus visage gleaned from shroud
• Seal may bear early image of Jesus
• Coptic texts give new twist on Jesus
• Catacombs links Judaism, Christianity
• Did monks dabble in Alchemy?

UMM and UMW losing appeal?

United Methodist Men (UMM) and United Methodist Women (UMW) have experienced declines in many churches. Rev. Larry Hollon Larry Saunders, one of the many (and I do mean many) people who contribute to the Locusts and Honey blog, suggests that perhaps the traditional mission and purposes of these groups doesn't appeal to young adults. There are several comments.

I hate to say it, but the Web site for the General Commission on United Methodist Men is a very old FrontPage style with hover buttons and slowly displays on my screen despite the cable modem's ample speed. Is this just one more indicator of not being "with it"?

• Read Rev. Hollon's Larry's blog article, "UMM and UMW"