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The tenth Annual Day of Prayer for Children at Risk is Saturday, June 4, 2005. This day of prayer is a call to Christians everywhere to pray for the 1.2 billion vulnerable children of the world and those who minister to them. Please join us in praying specifically for needs of children around the world. 1. Every day 30,000 children under five will die of preventable diseases like diarrhea, measles, and malnutrition. 2. AIDS has orphaned fifteen million children; by 2015 there will be 40 million (UNICEF). Without parents to care for and protect them, they are at increased risk for neglect, abuse, and malnutrition. 3. Every year 1 million children are forced into the commercial sex trade, to join the 10 million children already trapped in it. 4. There are 246 million children engaged in exploitative child labor (International Labor Organization). 5. Around the world there are 150 million street children (UNICEF). 6. Alcoholism and divorce are on the increase in many world areas; children are the most vulnerable and hurt by fractured families. 7. Worldwide there are approximately 46 million abortions each year (Center for Bioethical Reform). 8. More than 674 million children live in absolute poverty (lacking resources to meet basic human needs). In sub-Saharan Africa, 65% of children live in absolute poverty (UN Child Poverty Report, 2003). 9. Ninety percent of casualties in armed conflict around the world are civilians, and half of these are children (UNICEF). (data from Nazarene Compassionate Ministries) Even as we celebrate God's blessings, let's pray for the most vulnerable among us. Michael
Duduit, Editor Click here to visit "I Was Just Thinking" for insights and observations about faith and culture issues. If you missed this year's National Conference on Preaching, click here to learn about ordering audio cassettes and CDs of conference sessions and workshops. And mark your calendar for April 24-26, 2006 — the 16th annual National Conference on Preaching at Fellowship Church in suburban Dallas, where our theme will be "Preaching Creatively."
It's all about sales In 15 years, Adam Hamilton has led his new church to an attendance of more than 13,000. In his delightful new book Selling Swimsuits in the Arctic: Seven Simple Keys to Growing Churches (Abingdon), Hamilton shares insights he believes are essential to growing churches. The first principle he shares is: It's all sales. "Over the last twenty years, serving in multiple roles in four different churches, there is not one position I've held in the church that did not involve sales in order to be successful. As a youth pastor, associate minister, and founding pastor of a new church, I've spent the last twenty years in sales. In devising strategies to reach teenagers and persuade them to follow Christ, in reaching out to new visitors to the church, in teaching Bibles studies in which I sought to encourage people to actually live what the Bible was teaching, in ministering to people in the hospital, seeking to help them find peace before surgery, and in starting a new congregation, trying to persuade people to become a part of a church that had no building, no established programs, and no history, I was pursuing my work in sales. "I've come to see that every sermon I preach is, in a way, a sales presentation. I am trying to convince a congregation of people of their need for the particular spiritual truth lifted up in the scripture passage of the day and then to motivate and inspire them to actually do something in response to the word. My invitation at the end of the sermon is my attempt to 'close the sale' each week. "Regardless of your area of leadership or ministry in the church, you are in sales." (Click here to order a copy of Selling Swimsuits in the Arctic)
Arithmetic doesn't solve funding needs Brian Kluth reminds us that when we are trying to raise funds for a major project, one strategy to avoid is simply dividing the total goal by the number of prospects and asking each to give equally. "A ministry that wanted to raise $9,000,000 sent a letter to the 3,000 households on their mailing list asking everyone to send in $3,000 over the next three years. Some of the wealthy quickly sent their money and decided they had done everything they needed to do to help with the project. But for many of the people, giving $3,000 was an impossible task. "In the Scriptures, God teaches that people are to give according to how God has blessed them. In many major building projects, 10-20 percent of the givers will provide 80-90 percent of the funds. If you do not recognize this truth, you will have a recipe for disaster and humiliation in trying to meet your funding goals." (A variety of fund-raising articles and resources are available at Brian's website, www.maximumgenerosity.org.)
Two new preacher biographies Two recently-issued biographies introduce readers to the lives and ministries of a pair of gifted proclaimers of God's Word. Love Worth Finding (Broadman & Holman) combines a brief biography of Adrian Rogers with a section discussing his approach to preaching. The book is written by Joyce Rogers, his wife, and provides a survey of his life and ministry, with special emphasis on his years as pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, now one of the nation's largest congregations. Anyone who has enjoyed Rogers' powerful biblical preaching will enjoy this volume. (Click here for more information about Love Worth Finding.) J. Sidlow Baxter: A Heart Awake (Baker Books) by E.A. Johnston is the story of one of the past century's most gifted expositors and authors. A powerful preacher who once pastored Scotland's largest Baptist church, Baxter is best known to contemporary readers through his many outstanding books. This book will help introduce Baxter to a new generation of pastors and Christian leaders. (Click here for more information about A Heart Awake)
ILLUSTRATION: Power of God, Persistence Linda Down discovered real power and she needed it. She had dealt with the limitations of cerebral palsy all her life. One day, she got this crazy idea of running the New York Marathon. But Linda walked with difficulty, so running seemed out of the question. She used Canadian canes with arm clamps to steady her arms. On top of this she was 25 pounds overweight and jobless. In a state of depression, she began reading in the scriptures about the power of God at work in people's lives. She read Phil. 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." While training, she listened for God. She thought as she was running in the dark at night: "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction about things not seen" (Heb. 11:1) She thought about her limited dreams, her inability to see beyond the obstacles of life. Faith, she said to herself, was running in spite of the insurmountable obstacles. As the NY Marathon began that cold morning, some ten years ago now, she wore gloves on her hands to soften the impact of the crutches. It was windy on the bridge and uphill. She had not expected the beginning to be so difficult. As she finished the mile-long Verrazano Narrows bridge, there were no runners in sight ahead of her. Spectators were gone for the most part. But one little girl ran out into the street and cheered her on, "You can do it!" Others on the curb later applauded and cheered and shouted. They brought tears to Linda's eyes and helped her to keep going. Ten hours later Linda was still running in the dark through dangerous neighborhoods. Some admiring spectators walked with her for safety. Then an ABC-TV camera crew showed up and followed the story of her courage. She continued to run. She wore a hole in one sneaker from dragging it across the ground; her hands ached and throbbed; her arms became black and blue and swollen; she couldn't speak to anyone because of fatigue, but she continued to run because she prayed: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me . . . I can do all things." Then two parks and recreation trucks in Central Park came by and stayed with her to light the way. After 11 hours of struggle and over 27 miles, Linda crossed the finish line. People were crying — even the TV crew was crying — and Linda was crying at the response and support that she had received from God and these people. She thanked God for the power to do such a miraculous thing. Later she was invited to the White House and was pictured on the front page of the New York Times. Her story was not just a story of a noble effort, it was the story of the power of God at work. (Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com. Adapted from a sermon by Gary Ritner)
ILLUSTRATION: Salvation, Transformation Back in the 50's there was a well known radio host/comedian/song writer in Hollywood named Stuart Hamblen who was noted for his drinking, womanizing, partying, etc. One of his bigger hits at the time was: "I won't go hunting with you Jake, but I'll go chasing women." One day, along came a young preacher holding a tent revival. Hamblen had him on his radio show presumably to poke fun at him. In order to gather more material for his show, Hamblin showed up at one of the revival meetings. Early in the service the preacher announced, "There is one man in this audience who is a big fake." There were probably others who thought the same thing, but Hamblen was convinced that he was the one the preacher was talking about (some would call that conviction) but he was having none of that. Still the words continued to haunt him until a couple of nights later he showed up drunk at the preacher's hotel door around 2 AM demanding that the preacher pray for him! But the preacher refused, saying, "This is between you and God and I'm not going to get in the middle of it." But he did invite Stuart in and they talked until about 5 AM at which point Stuart dropped to his knees and with tears, cried out to God. But that is not the end of the story. Stuart quit drinking, quit chasing women, quit everything that was 'fun.' Soon he began to lose favor with the Hollywood crowd. He was ultimately fired by the radio station when he refused to accept a beer company as a sponsor. Hard times were upon him. He tried writing a couple of "Christian" songs but the only one that had much success was "This Old House," written for his friend Rosemary Clooney. As he continued to struggle, a long time friend named John took him aside and told him, "All your troubles started when you 'got religion,' Was it worth it all?" Stuart answered simply, "Yes." Then his friend asked, "You liked your booze so much, don't you ever miss it?" And his answer was, "No." John then said, "I don't understand how you could give it up so easily." And Stuart's response was, "It's no big secret. All things are possible with God." To this John said, "That's a catchy phrase. You should write a song about it." And as they say, "The rest is history." The song Stuart wrote was "It Is No Secret."
By the way . . . the friend was John Wayne. And the young preacher who refused to pray for Stuart Hamblen? That was Billy Graham. (submitted by Derl Keefer)
ILLUSTRATION: Suffering, Disabilities Fletcher Tink writes: "Six weeks into life, she catches a cold and her eyes become slightly inflamed. A medical imposter shows up, puts a poisonous medication on her eyes and blinds her for life. He escapes without legal penalty. As a young lady, she passes through a cholera epidemic and over half her classmates die. She too, almost succumbs. "At age 37, she marries a musician who is also blind. Together they have a child who dies in infancy. Because of different career interests, the couple lives apart for the rest of their lives. At age 44 she still hasn't started on the career that would eventually make her famous. "And yet this incredible woman penned the words we all know and sing: "Visions of rapture, now burst on my sight." Blind? Not according to her testimony, written out in different ways in thousands of hymn tunes. "Of course, I'm speaking of Fanny Crosby (1820-1915), the most prolific hymn writer ever. She wrote at least 8,500 lyrics, after age 44, so many that she created over 200 pseudonyms so as not to overwhelm the music industry. Her fame not only reached throughout the Christian world, but touched the lives of kings and presidents in a way few evangelicals have ever known. "About her disability, she says, 'I have not for a moment in more than eighty-five years felt a spark of resentment against him [imposter], because I have always believed . . . that the good Lord . . . by this means consecrated me to the work that I am still permitted to do.' What a refreshing attitude in a contentious world!" (from "Fanning the Flames of Creativity" for Nazarene Compassionate Ministries; Click here to read the full article.) http://www.ncm.org/CLN/vol5iss5may_cover.html
ILLUSTRATION: Resurrection A recent 20/20 special on ABC focused on the resurrection of Jesus. In an unusual approach for a major network, evangelicals were given significant opportunity to talk about why Christians believe that Jesus rose on the third day. One of those who was not quoted was New Testament scholar (and Bishop of Durham) N.T. Wright, whose book The Resurrection of the Son of God is a powerful discussion of the reality of the resurrection. Wright points out: "The early Christians envisaged a body which was still robustly physical but also significantly different from the present one. If anything — since the main difference they seem to have envisaged is that the new body will not be corruptible — we might say not that it will be less physical, as though it were some kind of ghost or apparition, but more. "Not unclothed, but more fully clothed." As historians we may have difficulty imagining such a thing. But, equally as historians, we should not hold back from affirming that that is what the early Christians were talking about. They were not talking about a non-bodily, "spiritual" survival. Had they wanted to do so, they had plenty of other language available to them, as indeed we do today. We should not project onto others the limitations of our own imagination." (Click here to learn more about the book The Resurrection of the Son of God. Click here to visit the ABC News story about the 20/20 presentation.) |
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From the sponsor of this week's Preaching Now: The Seeds of Heaven: Sermons on the Gospel of Matthew This wonderful collection of sermons by renowned preacher and author Barbara Brown Taylor is based on the Gospel of Matthew. Each of the fifteen sermons is based on a reading from Matthew, including Exceeding Righteousness (Matthew 5:17-20), The Problem with Miracles (14:13-21), Family Fights (18:15-20), Once More from the Heart (18:21-35), Beginning at the End (20:1-16), and On the Clouds of Heaven (24:29-44). Barbara Brown Taylor is an Episcopal priest, a popular speaker and workshop leader, and the author of numerous books. Paper $14.95 ISBN: 0-664-22886-0, Westminster John Knox Press. www.wjkbooks.com)
ILLUSTRATION: Teachers Being interviewed by the school administration, the eager teaching prospect said: Let me see if I've got this right. You want me to go into that room with all those kids, and fill their every waking moment with a love for learning. And I'm supposed to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity, modify their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse and even censor their T-shirt messages and dress habits. You want me to wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, check their backpacks for weapons of mass destruction, and raise their self-esteem. You want me to teach them patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship, fair play, how to register to vote, how to balance a checkbook, and how to apply for a job. I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment, recognize signs of anti-social behavior, make sure all students pass the mandatory state exams, even those who don't come to school regularly or complete any of their assignments. Plus, I am to make sure that all of the students with handicaps get an equal education regardless of the extent of their mental or physical handicap. And I am to communicate regularly with the parents by letter, telephone, newsletter and report card. All of this I am to do with just a piece of chalk, a computer, a few books, a bulletin board, a big smile and on a starting salary that qualifies my family for food stamps. You want me to do all of this, and yet you expect me not to pray? (Pastor Tim's Sermon Illustrations and Inspirations List)
"Patriotism is as much a virtue as justice, and is as necessary for the support of societies as natural affection is for the support of families." (Benjamin Rush)
Leader Links is a free, monthly web-based publication for Christian leaders. The May issue is now available at www.leaderlinks.com. Interested readers can also go to the site (or just click here) and subscribe to LeadingNow, a monthly e-mail newsletter featuring ideas and resources for Christian leaders. LeaderLinks is a publication of American Ministry Resources, which is the publisher of PreachingNow, Preaching magazine and preaching.com.
"During my 87 years, I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions; but none of them has done away with the need for character in the individual, or the ability to think." (Bernard Baruch)
Best T-shirts of the Summer This was in the "Bob Levey's Washington" column in the Washington Post. Every year he compiles and prints the "Best T-shirts of the Summer": • (around a picture of dandelions) I Fought the Lawn and the Lawn Won • So Many Men, So Few Who Can Afford Me • I Suffer Occasional Delusions of Adequacy • God Made Us Sisters, Prozac Made Us Friends • If They Don't Have Chocolate In Heaven, I Ain't Going • At My Age, I've Seen It All, Done It All, Heard It All . . . I Just Can't Remember It All • My Mother Is A Travel Agent For Guilt Trips • I Just Do What The Voices Inside My Head Tell Me To Do • If It's Called Tourist Season, Why Can't We Hunt Them? • Princess, Having Had Sufficient Experience With Princes, Seeks Frog • No, It Doesn't Hurt (on a "well-tattooed gentleman") • (on the back of a passing motorcyclist) If You Can Read This, My Wife Fell Off • I Used To Be Schizophrenic, But We're OK Now • Veni, Vedi, Visa: I came. I Saw. I Did a Little Shopping. • What If The Hokey Pokey Really Is What It's All About? • I Didn't Climb to the Top of the Food Chain to Be a Vegetarian • Coffee, Chocolate, Men . . . Some Things Are Just Better Rich • Liberal Arts Major . . . Will Think For Money • Growing Old is Inevitable; Growing Up is Optional • IRS — Be Audit You Can Be • Gravity. It's Not Just a Good Idea. It's the Law. • If You Want Breakfast In Bed, Sleep In the Kitchen • The Old Pro. Often Wrong — Never in Doubt • If At First You Don't Succeed, Skydiving Isn't For You • Old Age Comes at a Bad Time • In America, Anyone Can Be President. That's One of the Risks You Take. • First Things First, but Not Necessarily in That Order.
And finally . . . This woman really wanted her pizza. An 86-year-old woman was arrested after she continuously called 911 dispatchers — 20 times in a little more than 30 minutes — to complain that a local pizza parlor wouldn't deliver to her Charlotte apartment. According to a May 25 AP story, the woman called 911 to report that a local restaurant would not deliver a pizza to her. She also complained that someone at the shop called her a "crazy old coot," according to police. The elderly woman wanted shop employees arrested. Instead, when police came to arrest her for misusing the emergency number after being repeatedly warned to stop calling, the 5-foot-tall, 98-pound woman attacked the police officer — scratching him, kicking him, and biting his hand. That's when she was jailed. It was not reported if pizza is served at the Charlotte city jail.
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