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There are some
events you?d just rather not be a part of. Their web site doesn?t explain what the plan will be in case of inclement weather; after all, ?acts of God? might be hard to explain. Michael Duduit,
Editor
Several Dallas-area churches are planning a joint service in conjunction with the first anniversary of the September 11 events. Ron Scates, pastor of Highland Park Presbyterian Church, reports: ?HPPC, Park Cities Baptist, and Park Cities Pres. will tri-host a community-wide prayer service at noon at PCBC. Our 3 churches are continually exploring ways to bring our congregations together as a Kingdom witness, and this will be our next opportunity.? Is your church planning anything special as part of the 9/11 anniversary? Share your ideas with others by sending it to us at michael@iexalt.net.
Illustration: Worship involves personal surrender ?In
our competitive world we?re taught to never quit trying, never
give up, and never give in - so we don?t hear much about
surrendering. If winning is everything, surrendering is unthinkable.
Even Christians would rather talk about winning, succeeding,
overcoming, and conquering than yielding, submitting, obeying, and
surrendering. But surrendering to God is the heart of worship. ?Offer
yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated
to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship
that you should offer.
Changing lifestyles present new challenge to churches Increasingly segmented lifestyles, religious pluralism and even the "worship wars" within today's church are among the most significant challenges Robert E. Reccord sees ahead for evangelical Christians in the 21st century. Reccord, president of the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board, in speaking to state evangelism, church planting and media leaders, said Southern Baptists must emulate the capacity for rapid change of the B-52 bomber to be effective in reaching a rapidly changing culture. The aircraft first flew in 1954 but because it is refitted every four years with the latest technology it is expected to have a life expectancy through 2030. "At every step of the way [the B-52] adapted and changed to meet the conditions, while never losing sight of its mission," Reccord said. "That sounds pretty much like Jesus said you and I ought to be. . . . We must prepare and equip ourselves for the challenges and the opportunities that are out there before us." One of those challenges, Record said, is the modern trend toward segmented lifestyles, much like a newsmagazine is divided into news, entertainment, sports and even religion. Christians are often expected to keep the sacred and secular aspects of their lives separate, he said, when in reality the sacred should be a part of everything. "If we are going to be the light of the world, we cannot be the light of the world just to the church," Reccord said. "If we are going to be the light of the world, that means the men and women of your church have got to go to their world and take the message they heard on Sunday morning." (from ?Reccord: Gear up for rapid change to be effective in coming years? by James Dotson, Baptist Press, July 31, 2002. To read complete story go to: http://www.baptistpress.com/bpnews.asp?ID=13941 ). | ||
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ILLUSTRATION: Your sins will find you out! According to a July 31 Associated Press story, police in Silver Spring, Maryland, can thank a forgetful robber for some good evidence: his picture. Officers say the bandit robbed a camera store after asking for a passport picture. When the clerk opened the register, the suspect drew a gun and demanded money. While he got away with some cash and the photo, police say he forgot about the negative. Detectives have made new prints and are distributing the photo to the media. ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Popular author and speaker Calvin Miller will be one of the featured speakers at the National Conference on Preaching, May 6-8, 2003. The conference will be held at the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. The theme is on preaching and worship. Plan to bring your entire worship team for a time of new insights, refreshing worship and spiritual renewal. For more information visit our web site at http://www.preaching.com. ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ILLUSTRATION: Service requires action A man fell into a pit and couldn't get himself out. A subjective person came along and said, "I feel for you down there." An objective person walked by and said, "It's logical that someone would fall down there." A Pharisee said, "Only bad people fall into pits." A mathematician calculated how deep the pit was. A news reporter wanted the exclusive story on the pit. An IRS agent asked if he was paying taxes on the pit. A self-pitying person said, "You haven't seen anything until you've seen my pit." A fire-and-brimstone preacher said, "You deserve your pit." A Christian Scientist observed, "The pit is just in your mind." A psychologist noted, "Your mother and father are to blame for your being in that pit." A self-esteem therapist said, "Believe in yourself and you can get out of that pit." An optimist said, "Things could be worse." A pessimist claimed, "Things will get worse." "Jesus, seeing the man, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the pit." (from Internet for Christians newsletter, July 29, 2002)
AND FINALLY . . . An argument over who was going to heaven and who was going to hell ended with one Texas man shooting another to death, according to a July 30 Reuters story. Johnny Joslin, 20 was allegedly shot by Clayton Frank Stoker, 21. The two had spent Saturday night with two other men bar-hopping in Fort Worth. The four men were sitting at a table outside a trailer park after their night on the town and started arguing about religion. The talk became heated when the subject turned to who would go to heaven and who would go to hell. Stoker said he would settle the argument and went into a house and returned with a shotgun, which he loaded and placed in his mouth. Joslin then took the gun out of Stokers mouth, saying, 'If you have to shoot somebody, shoot me."' The shotgun went off, hitting Joslin in the chest and killing him. At
least Mr. Joslin can now give an accurate answer to that particular
eschatological question. ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Not a current subscriber to Preaching magazine? Wouldn't you like to share PreachingNow with a friend? |
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PreachingNow is a publication of Preaching
magazine and preaching.com. Editor: Dr. Michael Duduit.
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