Also from President G.W.:
- a video on Small Groups
- a video on Children's Workers
HT: Darryl Wilson
President G.W. Bush addresses Church Workers
A great short video from President G.W. Bush to encourage service within the church....
Also from President G.W.:
HT: Darryl Wilson
Also from President G.W.:
HT: Darryl Wilson
Quote - Bruce Demarest
"It is significant that Jesus spoke more about the sorrows of hell than of the joys of heaven."
Bruce Demarest - The Cross and Salvation p. 30
Bruce Demarest - The Cross and Salvation p. 30
Quote - Ronald Reagan
"I've noticed that everybody that is for abortion has already been born."
Ronald Reagan, quoted in New York Times, September 22, 1980
HT: Angie Carl
Ronald Reagan, quoted in New York Times, September 22, 1980
HT: Angie Carl
Humility
Embeded below and linked HERE is a great video interview by James MacDonald of C.J. Mahaney titled "Grace Through the Humble to the Humble" (available through The Gospel Coalition).
Cohabitation Statistics - The Consequences
In "Together Too Soon" in World Magazine, author Mike McManus presents some saddening statistics concerning the growing trend of cohabitation.
Hebrews 13:4 "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous."
- "The average cohabitation last 18 months"
- "Only 30% [of cohabitations] 'transitioned into marriage'"
- "the 70% of couples who separate after living together experience a 'premarital divorce,' which can be as painful as a real divorce"
- "Marriages that are preceded by living together have 50% higher disruption rates than marriages without premarital cohabitation"
- "those who cohabited even only for one month displayed poorer communication and problem solving skills than those who had not lived together first"
- "the majority of non-marital births (52%) occurred within cohabiting unions...13 million single-parent families cost taxpayers $20,000 per family in 2004, a total of $260 billion. Half of that total comes from unwed births to cohabiting moms"
Hebrews 13:4 "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous."
The Gospel Coalition - Interview with Francis Chan
What's Next for Francis Chan? A Conversation with Mark Driscoll and Joshua Harris from Ben Peays on Vimeo.
The Gospel Coalition Council members Mark Driscoll and Joshua Harris ask Francis Chan why he stepped down as senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California, and what he plans to do next.
Quote - Edward Griffin
"For your own sake, and your children's sake, cherish and revere him whom you have chosen to be your pastor. Already he loves you; and he will soon love you as ‘bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh.' It will be equally your duty and your interest to make his labors as pleasant to him as possible. Do not demand too much. Do not require visits too frequent. Should he spend, in this way, half of the time which some demand, he must wholly neglect his studies, if not sink early under the burden. Do not report to him all the unkind things which may be said against him; nor frequently, in his presence, allude to opposition, if opposition should arise. Though he is a minister of Christ, consider that he has the feelings of a man."
Edward Griffin, "A Tearful Farewell from a Faithful Pastor," 1809
HT: Jamie Dunlop at 9 Marks Ministries
Edward Griffin, "A Tearful Farewell from a Faithful Pastor," 1809
HT: Jamie Dunlop at 9 Marks Ministries
Missions Statistic
"Out of the global increase of 77,000 affiliated Christians every day, 70,000 (or 91%) can be found in Africa, Asia, or Latin America." --David Barrett, "Missiometrics 2008"
HT: Dr. George Martin, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
HT: Dr. George Martin, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Quote - Dr. Chuck Lawless
"More than 80 percent of the churches on this continent are plateaued or declining. Despite having more than 350,000 churches, the United States is now one of the top four lost nations in the world" - Dr. Chuck Lawless in "Becoming a Great Commission Church"
Motivational Bible Verses - For Evangelism
These Bible verses motivate and inspire me in my Christian walk...especially when it comes to evangelism!
1 Peter 2:4-5,9-12 “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
Romans 12:1-2 “1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Matthew 25:21,23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'”
Luke 10:2,16 “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field….He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
1 Corinthians 9:24b-27 “Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
1 Peter 3:14-15 “14But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." 15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect”
2 Timothy 4:6-7 “6For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”
Mark 4:20 “Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown”
Matthew 13:23 “But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
1 Peter 2:4-5,9-12 “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
Romans 12:1-2 “1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Matthew 25:21,23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'”
Luke 10:2,16 “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field….He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
1 Corinthians 9:24b-27 “Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
1 Peter 3:14-15 “14But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." 15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect”
2 Timothy 4:6-7 “6For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”
Mark 4:20 “Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown”
Matthew 13:23 “But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Top 5 Research Tips & Tricks
I took a research class a few weeks ago and had several people asking for me to share some lessons learned (some of which I wish I learned 10 years ago!). Some of this is tailored towards seminary-type research but the same principles apply no matter the discipline...hope it helps!
Lesson # 1 - Citation/Reference Management Software
• These programs will help you pull bibliography information off of library search engines or online bookstores (Amazon through Zotero). They then store this info so when you make a citation they can generate endnotes, footnotes, and bibliographies in the format/style you need.
• FREE – http://www.zotero.org/ , www.tinyurl.com/zoterosummary
• PC Purchase – http://www.endnote.com/ , http://www.refworks.com/ (note: some of these work on Macs as well)
• Mac Purchase – Sente (http://www.thirdstreetsoftware.com/ ) , Bookends ( http://www.sonnysoftware.com/ )
• Wikipedia Comparison
Lesson # 2 – Meet with your Librarian
• Ask your librarian to help you. Schedule an appointment with them. Often they can direct you to specialized dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc. that might be a good starting point for your paper. They can also assist you with searching their catalog or in borrowing resources from other libraries.
• Residents of Kentucky can check out from any public library (i.e. UK, UL) in Kentucky with a KY Driver’s License.
Lesson # 3 – Online Library Resources
• Invest some time online in searching your library’s website. Often you will find things prior to your library trip that can save you valuable time. Depending on your school’s library, you may be able to find entire journal articles, book texts, and dissertations that you can read and search from the comfort of your own home.
• My library has a great explanation online of how to do quality research
• Free online books catalog
Lesson # 4 – Google Books & Scholar
• Google has done an incredible job, despite lots of opposition and legal troubles, at scanning and uploading tons of articles and books. You can search against the text, and if you do it well (see lesson # 5), can find exactly what you are looking for. If you search for a particular book and keep scrolling beyond it on the search page, you will also see citations of other works to it…which then provides you other relevant works applicable to your paper topic.
• Google books & Google scholar
• Google search - “google limiters”
Lesson # 5 – Searches – Boolean & Subject
• Use Library of Congress subject headings to search for works (sometimes easily found on online searches of your website...if not, ask your librarian)
• Use Boolean logic to search online and within your library’s search engine
Some other Boolean tips:
• Boolean search: AND OR NOT (all caps)
AND = + (plus sign)
AND = & (ampersand)
OR = | (pipe sign)
NOT = ~ (tilde)
( ) – multiple searches simultaneously, nesting
" " – exact phrase
without quotes assumes ("word" AND "word")
• e.g. (dictionary OR encyclopedia) AND (ecclesiology OR sanctification)
Truncation:
o Instead of “mentoring” -> “mentor*”
o All words with “mentor” as root will show
Proximity Searching – use % plus a number (sometimes use ‘NEAR’ plus a number)
o Family %3 Discipleship (words w/in 3 words of each other)
# symbol can be used to find variant spellings, eg. arch#eology will find both archaeology and archeology.
Examples:
o (“Spiritual Warfare” AND evangelism AND missions)
o (“Spiritual Warfare” AND evangel* AND mission*)
o (“Spiritual Warfare” AND (evangelism OR missions))
o ((“Spiritual Warfare” AND (evangelism OR missions)) NOT (charismatic OR Pentecostal)
o ((evangelism %4 missions %4 “church growth”) AND (“Spiritual Warfare”))
o ((missions OR evangelism) AND (demonology))
o ((missions OR evangelism) AND (supernatural))
Lesson # 1 - Citation/Reference Management Software
• These programs will help you pull bibliography information off of library search engines or online bookstores (Amazon through Zotero). They then store this info so when you make a citation they can generate endnotes, footnotes, and bibliographies in the format/style you need.
• FREE – http://www.zotero.org/ , www.tinyurl.com/zoterosummary
• PC Purchase – http://www.endnote.com/ , http://www.refworks.com/ (note: some of these work on Macs as well)
• Mac Purchase – Sente (http://www.thirdstreetsoftware.com/ ) , Bookends ( http://www.sonnysoftware.com/ )
• Wikipedia Comparison
Lesson # 2 – Meet with your Librarian
• Ask your librarian to help you. Schedule an appointment with them. Often they can direct you to specialized dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc. that might be a good starting point for your paper. They can also assist you with searching their catalog or in borrowing resources from other libraries.
• Residents of Kentucky can check out from any public library (i.e. UK, UL) in Kentucky with a KY Driver’s License.
Lesson # 3 – Online Library Resources
• Invest some time online in searching your library’s website. Often you will find things prior to your library trip that can save you valuable time. Depending on your school’s library, you may be able to find entire journal articles, book texts, and dissertations that you can read and search from the comfort of your own home.
• My library has a great explanation online of how to do quality research
• Free online books catalog
Lesson # 4 – Google Books & Scholar
• Google has done an incredible job, despite lots of opposition and legal troubles, at scanning and uploading tons of articles and books. You can search against the text, and if you do it well (see lesson # 5), can find exactly what you are looking for. If you search for a particular book and keep scrolling beyond it on the search page, you will also see citations of other works to it…which then provides you other relevant works applicable to your paper topic.
• Google books & Google scholar
• Google search - “google limiters”
Lesson # 5 – Searches – Boolean & Subject
• Use Library of Congress subject headings to search for works (sometimes easily found on online searches of your website...if not, ask your librarian)
• Use Boolean logic to search online and within your library’s search engine
Some other Boolean tips:
• Boolean search: AND OR NOT (all caps)
AND = + (plus sign)
AND = & (ampersand)
OR = | (pipe sign)
NOT = ~ (tilde)
( ) – multiple searches simultaneously, nesting
" " – exact phrase
without quotes assumes ("word" AND "word")
• e.g. (dictionary OR encyclopedia) AND (ecclesiology OR sanctification)
Truncation:
o Instead of “mentoring” -> “mentor*”
o All words with “mentor” as root will show
Proximity Searching – use % plus a number (sometimes use ‘NEAR’ plus a number)
o Family %3 Discipleship (words w/in 3 words of each other)
# symbol can be used to find variant spellings, eg. arch#eology will find both archaeology and archeology.
Examples:
o (“Spiritual Warfare” AND evangelism AND missions)
o (“Spiritual Warfare” AND evangel* AND mission*)
o (“Spiritual Warfare” AND (evangelism OR missions))
o ((“Spiritual Warfare” AND (evangelism OR missions)) NOT (charismatic OR Pentecostal)
o ((evangelism %4 missions %4 “church growth”) AND (“Spiritual Warfare”))
o ((missions OR evangelism) AND (demonology))
o ((missions OR evangelism) AND (supernatural))
GREAT Bible Fellowship ( Sunday School ) Leader Tips & Reminders
This is an excellent training video of "the Largest Sunday School training event EVER" that all teachers (of all ages) and leaders will want to watch. It is a wonderful investment of your time to watch this entire conference (around two hours)!
Great Expectations LIVE from LifeWay Productions on Vimeo.
Your class can have even greater impact on your church, in your community, and in the lives of its members when you raise your expectations and enlarge your thinking. “Great Expectations: Live” will help you do that. This event will be inspirational and is designed to help you build a God empowered, focused, and connected Sunday School class.
Based on David Francis’ book, Great Expectations, the training is intended for Sunday School teachers ranging from pre-school to adults, Sunday School directors, class leaders, and church staff.
Great Expectations LIVE from LifeWay Productions on Vimeo.
Your class can have even greater impact on your church, in your community, and in the lives of its members when you raise your expectations and enlarge your thinking. “Great Expectations: Live” will help you do that. This event will be inspirational and is designed to help you build a God empowered, focused, and connected Sunday School class.
Based on David Francis’ book, Great Expectations, the training is intended for Sunday School teachers ranging from pre-school to adults, Sunday School directors, class leaders, and church staff.
Bible Fellowship ( Sunday School ) Teacher Tips #7 - Ambassadors for Christ
Bible Fellowship ( Sunday School ) Teacher Tips #7 - Ambassadors for Christ from Jonathan Carl on Vimeo.
2 Corinthians 5:11-21 “11Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. 13For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
16From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Quote - D.A. Carson
"People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated." - D.A. Carson
HT: The Village Church
HT: The Village Church
Twilight: A Helpful Christian Response - A Mom's Perspective
Mary Kassian has written on her blog a helpful response to the latest Twilight movie...'Shedding Some Light on Twilight'
Here are her concerns regarding the relationship modeled by Bella & Edward...
1. Bad Boy Attraction
2. Shared Dark Secrets
3. “Us” versus “Them” Mentality
4. Isolation and Seclusion
5. Mismatched Interests and Values
6. Neediness and Obsession
7. Rationalization and Justification
8. Failure to Seek & Heed Input
Here are her concerns regarding the relationship modeled by Bella & Edward...
1. Bad Boy Attraction
2. Shared Dark Secrets
3. “Us” versus “Them” Mentality
4. Isolation and Seclusion
5. Mismatched Interests and Values
6. Neediness and Obsession
7. Rationalization and Justification
8. Failure to Seek & Heed Input
Quote - A.W. Tozer
"Few are they who by faith touch Him; multitudes are they who throng about Him." - A.W. Tozer
Women & Ministry - Great Resources from 9marks.org
Women and ministry is a sensitive topic in today's church and whenever I find a biblical and helpful resource on the topic, I like to share it due to help others consider the biblical guidance on these issues.
Here are two well-written articles on women and ministry from http://www.9marks.org/ (a website on biblical guidance for churches). If you've ever struggled with or gotten riled up about this topic, I'd encourage you to read the below articles and the Scriptures they reference.
Titus 2:3-5 "Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled"
1 Timothy 2:12-14 " I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13For Adam was formed first, then Eve 14and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.
2 Timothy 1:5 "I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well."
Genesis 2:18 "Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."
Here are two well-written articles on women and ministry from http://www.9marks.org/ (a website on biblical guidance for churches). If you've ever struggled with or gotten riled up about this topic, I'd encourage you to read the below articles and the Scriptures they reference.
- 'How Pastors Can Equip Women for Ministry' by Bob Johnson
- 'May Women Serve as Pastors?' by Thomas Schreiner
- PASTORING WOMEN: UNDERSTANDING AND HONORING DISTINCTNESS
- WOMEN’S MINISTRY IN THE LOCAL CHURCH
- RESOURCES FOR TODAY’S BIBLICAL WOMEN
Titus 2:3-5 "Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled"
1 Timothy 2:12-14 " I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13For Adam was formed first, then Eve 14and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.
2 Timothy 1:5 "I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well."
Genesis 2:18 "Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."
Bible Fellowship (Sunday School) Teacher Tips #6 - Christian Websites & Online Bible Resources
Bible Fellowship ( Sunday School ) Teacher Tips #6 - Christian Websites & Online Bible Resources from Jonathan Carl on Vimeo.
Here are my top 5 online, free Bible Study Resources:
http://www.gotquestions.org/ – Answers over 195,000 tough bible questions
http://www.biblegateway.com/ – A great way to compare translations or search for keywords in the Bible
http://www.4truth.net/ – An SBC website on interfaith, evangelism & apologetic resources
http://www.biblestudytools.com/ – FREE intralinear and parallel Bibles, commentaries, dictionaries, concordances, enyclopedias, lexicons, histories, and more!
http://www.bibleplaces.com/ – Amazing photos and descriptions of Bible places (some free, more extensive collections for sale)
Can There Be A Christian Nation? - Dr. Michael Youssef
I recommend reading a succinct and helpful article by Dr. Michael Youssef that answers the question, 'Can There Be a Christian Nation?'
Some excerpts:
Some excerpts:
- "A country, or even a culture, cannot be Christian — only individuals can be Christians. However, when people speak of America's Christian heritage, they often are referring to the moral character of our nation which is reflected in its laws and ordinances — both of which bear the distinct markings of Christianity."
- "the moral character of a nation, as expressed in its policies and laws, can evoke God's response"
- "After September 11, our nation appeared to go through a soul-searching process...and superficially, the nation appeared to enter into a spiritual revival...But that repentance was cheap and short-lived. It was merely a reaction emanating from fear."
- "Our economic woes and national disasters, as well as our nation's security, will only be healed and protected when we get our relationship with God on the right track. Our personal cleansing, repentance, and intercession can determine our country's future."
The Pursuit of God - A.W. Tozer - FREE Audio Book (July 2010)
You can get your copy of A.W.Tozer's The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine for FREE as an audiobook download during July 2010 at http://christianaudio.com/free
Quote - D.L. Moody
"Oh, young man, character is worth more than money, character is worth more than anything else in this wide world." D.L. Moody
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