Tag Archives: divorce

Jan 22 2013

this went thru my mind

 

Church: * 10 Reasons to Be Involved in a Church; * The Main Reason People Leave a Church by Thom Rainer [required reading]

* “… give church another chance. By getting involved, you’ll discover that what you once viewed as a chore is actually a blessing. Here are 10 reasons why.”

* “… the main reason people leave a church is because they have an entitlement mentality rather than a servant mentality.”

Computers & computing: Is Google Set to Kill Off the Password?

“The search giant [Google] is experimenting with USB keys, mobile phones and even jewelry that can act as a physical ‘key’ to give users access to their account. The firm’s security bosses are set to publish their findings next month – and say they could soon be commonplace.”

Divorce: How Divorce Affects Young Adults’ Religiosity

“… children of divorce make up the leading edge — or what she calls the ‘broken leading edge’ — of a growing number of adults who say they are spiritual, but don’t affiliate with a particular religion.”

Pornography: Chronicling Porn’s Damaging Effects

“It has never been easier to access pornography, and massive amounts of it.”

Racism: The Flames of Heaven by Jonathan Storment

“… I don’t think racism is really a white problem, or a black problem…it’s a human problem. … I would think the church would be the one group who could do something about this.”

Sep 29 2012

this went thru my mind

 

Alzheimer’s: Is Alzheimer’s Type 3 Diabetes? by Mark Bittman

“The idea that Alzheimer’s might be Type 3 diabetes has been around since 2005, but the connection between poor diet and Alzheimer’s is becoming more convincing … The studies are increasingly persuasive, and unsurprising when you understand the role of insulin in the body.”

Awe & creation: Which Is Greater, The Number Of Sand Grains On Earth Or Stars In The Sky? by Robert Krulwich

“If you took 10 drops of water (not extra-big drops, just regular drops, I’m presuming) and counted the number of H2O molecules in those drops, you’d get a number equal to all the stars in the universe.”

Christianity & culture: When Christianity is at its Greatest

“Sometimes the priorities and perspectives of American Christians who are striving to bring America back to its alleged Christian roots end up being against the gospel. An examination of the Christian faith before it was legal helps us to put things in proper perspective.”

Divorce & statistics: Curing Pastoral Stats Abuse: How Not to Be a Stats Abuser or Confuser by Ed Stetzer

“It is a mistake of category to take census Christians (those who identify as Christians on a survey form), and use statistical quotes as if they are representative of born-again genuine followers of Jesus Christ (in other words, not all who identify as “Christian” fit the description of a genuine believer).”

Ministry: Willingly Walking into a World of Pain by Dan Bouchelle [required reading]

“This is what congregational ministry is really like.”

Politics & poverty: VIDEO: Obama, Romney Answer Faith Leaders’ Call to Address Poverty in Election [required viewing]

“Christian leaders asked, and the presidential nominees answered. The poverty rate in America is still at a staggering 15 percent and 46.2 million Americans remain in poverty — what is your plan to address the problem? The Circle of Protection, composed of Christian leaders from across the religious spectrum, released President Barack Obama’s and GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s video responses today at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.”

Smartphones: 10 Smartphone Habits You Should Avoid

“The secret of a full life is to live and relate to others as if they might not be there tomorrow, as if you might not be there tomorrow. … This thought has made me more and more attentive to all encounters, meetings, introductions, which might contain the seed of depth that might be carelessly overlooked.

“This feeling has become a rarity, and rarer every day now that we have reached a hastier and more superficial rhythm, now that we believe we are in touch with a greater amount of people, more people, more countries. This is the illusion which might cheat us of being in touch deeply with the one breathing next to us. The dangerous time when mechanical voices, radios, telephones, take the place of human intimacies, and the concept of being in touch with millions brings a greater and greater poverty in intimacy and human vision.”

Suffering: Suffering, Tragedy and Doubt: 5 Mistakes Christians Make by Derek Flood

“Here are five things we Christians often get wrong, and what we can do to fix them …”

Time management: * Ministry Inside.94 by Jim Martin; * How to Avoid Procrastinating When You Feel Overwhelmed by Lucille Zimmerman

* “I have found the following practices to be helpful as I attempt to manage my time …”

* “Here are some tips we can all use in order to avoid procrastination …”

Vocation: 7 Tips for Finding Your Vocation by Brad Jersak

“A vocation is a ‘calling’ that can span over many careers.”

Aug 28 2012

this went thru my mind

 

Acts 5, Ananias, God, Sapphira & violence: How Do You Explain the Violent Judgment of Ananias and Sapphira? by Greg Boyd

“Knowing that God’s true character looks like Jesus voluntarily dying on the cross for his enemies, we will always know that something else is going on if God appears to act in ways that are contrary to this enemy-loving, non-violent character.”

Bragging, jealousy & rejoicing: Solving Your ‘You Problem’ by Sean Palmer

“I would only feel as if  they were bragging, if I felt something else first: JEALOUS!”

Church & faith: Together by William Willimon [21 min. sermon video clip; required viewing]

“Where the heck did you get the notion we wanted you to be comfortable? … The way of Jesus Christ is just too difficult to attempt it by yourself. …. the only way that you can be saved is by bringing all of us along with you. It’s together.”

Church & generations: A Head, Heart, or Hands Church? by Dan Bouchelle [truly required reading; as in "if you read only one thing this month"]

“I grew up in a church designed for the head. That is not a criticism. It is just a description. We did not trust emotions because they were easily manipulated and clouded thinking. Actions were important and we believed ‘good works’ were essential to faithfulness, but what really mattered was getting your theology straight. … The church of my heritage lost many of the boomer generation who walked away looking for a church with a heart. … Ironically, now that boomers make up the majority of leaders and have the most control in our churches, the emerging adult generation has shifted the criteria for validity again. Young adults today, and the culture in general, are not looking for a powerful experience of God or ballast for a head-heavy church. … What this generation longs for is not more heart but something to do with their hands. … While the young adult generation is not anti-logic or emotionless, they just aren’t impressed with their church options. They may show up for the show and agree with most of the teaching, but they will give their time and money to something that changes lives in tangible ways.”

Church & phones: The Cold, Hard Truth About Phones in Church by Jon Acuff

[I won't spoil it for you here. Go look at it. There's a powerful parable here, not just a smile.]

Leadership & worry: 7 Encouragements for Leaders Who Worry by Ron Edmonson

“Having a strong faith is no guarantee your emotions won’t play tricks on you at times.”

Mar 21 2012

this went thru my mind

 

Bible reading: New Research: How American Adults Read the Bible by Ed Stetzer

“After compiling the research though, we can unfortunately conclude that among American Bible readers, owning multiple Bibles is much more prevalent than regularly investing time in reading it.”

Church problems: Three Tough Church Situations by Joe McKeever

“… here are three ‘case studies’ or problem scenarios that occur with alarming frequency in our churches. And my suggestions on what the leadership should do in handling them.”

Consumerism: Rescuing Our Churches from Consumerism by John Johnson

“It looks something like this–worship is reduced to excellence on stage, with passive observers expecting something more next week; fellowship gets reduced to giving units; obedience gets reduced to legalism; sacrament gets reduced to an efficient prefilled communion cup with wafer; and the Bible gets reduced to a sermon extracted from its metanarrative–e.g. “7 tips to Marital Happiness”).”

Corruption: 50 States and No Winners by Caitlin Ginley

“State officials make lofty promises when it comes to ethics in government. They tout the transparency of legislative processes, accessibility of records, and the openness of public meetings. But these efforts often fall short of providing any real transparency or legitimate hope of rooting out corruption. That’s the depressing bottom line that emerges from the State Integrity Investigation, a first-of-its-kind, data-driven assessment of transparency, accountability and anti-corruption mechanisms in all 50 states. Not a single state — not one — earned an A grade from the months-long probe.”

Divorce: Divorce Advice by Russell Moore

“My wife and I are at an impasse. There’s been no abandonment, no sexual immorality, and no abuse. We just don’t get along. We shouldn’t have married. We should have known we are incompatible. I know God hates divorce but I don’t have any other option. My pastor and some Christian counselors have told me that while God hates divorce, this is the lesser of two evils because God doesn’t want me to be miserable. What do you think?”

Giving: Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don’t Give Away More Money

“… pursue the question of why American Christians donate relatively small amounts of money. This issue can be perplexing to church leaders, given that most churches teach Christians to “give generously for the work of God’s kingdom.”

Happiness: 7 Steps to Becoming a Happy Person Others Want to Be Around by Michael Hyatt

“… I realized how destructive complaining about others is.”

Moral decline?: Our Great Moral Decline

“When considering America’s moral decline, my first instinct was to …”

Numbers & success: * Should a Pastor Evaluate His Ministry by Numbers? by Brian Croft * It’s All About the Numbers: Changing How We Measure Success in the Church by Kurt Willems

* “There is an epidemic in the American Church. It is an obsession with basing fruitfulness in ministry on a numbers game. The American way is bigger and better and I am troubled that the church in many ways has bought into this method of evaluation, and continues to do so.”

* “Instead of measuring success by numbers and quotas, what if we measure success by stories of how God is at work through various signs of the kingdom that we see in our context? In other words, in ministry and in any church function, what is our primary goal?”

Self-righteousness: Pastoral Idolatry: 10 Common Forms of False Righteousness in Ministry by Eric McKiddie

“If Calvin was right when he said that our hearts are idol factories, and he was, then pastors are no exception. Which insufficient form of righteousness are you guilty of seeking from ministry? Or – if you are like me – which one are you not guilty of seeking?”

Small groups: The Difference Between Huddles and Small Groups…and Why Many Churches Use Both by Doug Paul

“Most of the churches we have seen be very successful at discipling people well and who are missional sending centers for Missional Communities and other missional vehicles tend to have small groups (and/or other discipling vehicles).”