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What an incredible, tragic week it has been for residents of the city of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, officials have been forced to do what has never been done before: evacuate the entire populace of a major American city. Our hearts go out to the thousands of families who have lost homes, jobs, and even family members due to the destruction along the Gulf Coast in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. It is hard to comprehend the enormity of the destruction and the impact this will have on so many lives. As church leaders, we can't help but think about the impact this will have on hundreds of churches in that region -- not only in terms of physical destruction to facilities, but also in the disruption of the lives of ministers and laity. For the foreseeable future there will be no services, no offerings, no salaries -- the list goes on. Just try to comprehend what it would be like for your church membership to be suddenly scattered, with no hope of being reunited for many months. Our good friend Joe McKeever (whose cartoons are seen regularly in Preaching magazine) is Director of Missions for the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans; click here to read his report on the aftermath of the storm. As we discover things you can do to help churches and ministers who have been affected, we will pass that along in this space. Perhaps your church can adopt a church in the Gulf Coast area and provide assistance to the leaders and members? (As we learn more about such opportunities, we'll post information at our website, www.preaching.com/relief.) We are also praying for our friends at New Orleans Baptist Seminary, where we had planned to hold one of our one-day preaching conferences on Nov. 29. Although we haven't heard from them -- nor would we expect to, since seminary faculty are scattered across the Southeast staying with families and in hotels -- we don't anticipate having that conference in New Orleans. (Officials are talking about four months or more before residents will even be able to return to the city.) Please keep these folks in your prayers, as well as the faculty, students and leaders of other Christian schools and agencies who have been impacted by Katrina. For now we pray, we give, and we trust that somehow out of this tragedy God will touch hearts and lives for His glory. http://www.joemckeever.com/mt/archives/000148.html Michael
Duduit, Editor Click here to visit "I Was Just Thinking" for insights and observations about faith and culture issues. Recent topics: How we talk about faith; Did Cindy Sheehan's son die in vain? Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox recently ran an article I wrote based on our interview with Ed Young, Jr. Click here if you'd like to read it. http://www.pastors.com/article.asp?ArtID=8575
Preaching moves to the iPod An article in the August 29 New York Times notes the growing trend toward churches offering sermons (or full worship services) via podcasting -- a method of publishing audio broadcasts via the Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed of new audio files (usually MP3s) which can be replayed on a digital audio player (like an iPod) or computer. The Times article features the National Community Church in Alexandria, VA, where "Rev. Mark Batterson, started podcasting, or 'godcasting' as he prefers to call it, last month to spread the word about his congregation. The hourlong recordings of his weekly service, available on theaterchurch.com, have already brought new parishioners to his church, he said. "'I can't possibly have a conversation with everyone each Sunday. But this builds toward a digital discipleship,' he said. 'We're orthodox in belief but unorthodox in practice.' "Just as Christian organizations embraced radio and television, podcasting has quickly caught on with religious groups. Since the beginning of July, the number of people or groups offering spiritual and religious podcasts listed on Podcast Alley (podcastalley.com) has grown to 474 from 177. "'Basically every church can have its own radio show,' Batterson said. . . . "Odeo (odeo.com), a podcast directory, plans to encourage more churches, synagogues and mosques to use them, said Adam Rugel, the Web site's director of content. Odeo lists a broad range of religious podcasts, including programs from Buddhists, Muslims and Jews. Despite the variety of religious podcasts, Christian programs make up by far the largest segment of the category. Shows range from recordings made at the kitchen table to slick broadcasts with pulsing music and crisp audio, like that of "RevTim" (www.godcast.org/categories/revtimPodcast/). The Rev. Tim Hohm, a Protestant minister from El Sobrante, Calif., makes two 15-minute podcasts a week about family and work issues. He said an average of 6,000 people downloaded the program from the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa. . . . "Most religious podcasts can be subscribed to using R.S.S. (Really Simple Syndication, a tool for condensing information into a feed), which enables automatic downloading of a new show to the listener's computer as soon it becomes available. For godcasters who record prayers or psalms, the function is especially appealing, because it offers their listeners easy access to daily devotional readings." (Click here to read the full article, which may require registration and may require a fee to access.) http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/29/technology/29godcast.html
Is there an 'Exodus' from the mainline? In his fascinating new book Exodus: Why Americans Are Fleeing Liberal Churches for Conserative Christianity (Sentinel), Dave Shiflett paints a portrait of the American church which will be distressing (but familiar) news to leaders in mainline Protestant churches. As he notes, "Americans are vacating progressive pews and flocking to churches that offer more traditional versions of Christianity." After interviews with Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Southern Baptists and others, he diagnoses the situation for progressive clerics: "Their sermons may be brilliant, and to their minds highly relevant, as they take up the most contentious subjects of the day: war and peace, homosexuality, economic justice, the importance of recycling. Yet they have made a profound miscalculation. Most people don't go to church to learn the minister's opinions on whatever happens to be in the headlines. They can get similar opinions sitting on their sofas watching television, quite possibly presented by someone much better-looking. "Most people go to church to get something they cannot get elsewhere. The consuming public -- people who already believe, or who want their children to believe -- go to church to learn about the mysterious Truth on which the Christian religion is built. They want the Good News, not the minister's political views or intellectual coaching. The latter creates sprawling vacancies in the pews." (Click here to learn more about the book Exodus.)
ILLUSTRATION: Humanity, Image of God For several days recently, the London Zoo has displayed a new exhibit called "The Human Zoo" -- putting human beings on display with the rest of the animal kingdom. The human "captives" are identified by a sign that reads, "Warning: Humans in their Natural Environment." The London Zoo's Web site identifies "The Human Zoo" in these terms: "The four day event aims to demonstrate the basic nature of man as an animal and exhibit the impact that Homo sapiens have on the rest of the animal kingdom." The Associated Press reports, "The captives in the human zoo exhibit sunned themselves on a rock ledge, clad in bathing suits and pinned-on fig leaves. Some played with hula hoops, some waved. A signboard informed visitors about the species' diet, habitat, worldwide distribution and threats." Observing the scene, several children asked, "Why are there people in there?" Polly Wills, spokeswoman for the London Zoo, replied, "Seeing people in a different environment, among other animals . . . teaches members of the public that the human is just another primate." As R. Albert Mohler observes in his web commentary for August 29, "The idea that humans are 'not that special' is the central theme of the London Zoo's exhibit. Agence France-Presse reported that the zoo released a statement indicating that the purpose of the display was 'to highlight the spread of man as a plague species.' A plague species? Some visitors seem to be getting the point. Mark Ainsworth told the Associated Press: "I've lived in this country for nine years and have never come to a zoo. This exhibit made us come to the zoo. Humans are animals too." . . . Mohler says, "In reality, 'The Human Zoo' exhibit at the London Zoo is a perfect illustration of our contemporary confusion. The organizers may claim to be making a serious point, but their point can hardly be taken seriously once the slightest thought is devoted to what the exhibit truly means. The London Zoo may want its visitors to learn 'that the human is just another primate,' but the undeniable reality is that the humans are buying the tickets, orchestrating the event, volunteering for the exhibit, and going home to sleep in their own beds at night. "Do they really intend for this to be taken seriously? All this talk about human beings as mere animals--just like all the other animals in the zoo--is undermined by a single second's reflection on the fact that it is the humans who built the zoo, captured the animals, and came up with such a silly idea as 'The Human Zoo' in the first place. The humans on display at the London Zoo were not captured and placed there by apes or elephants. The signs identifying the various creatures were not produced by the inhabitants of the reptile house. The apes and other primates resident at the zoo may look upon the humans with curiosity, but they have no control over their own destinies -- and unlike their hairless counterparts, they stay in the zoo overnight. "The Christian worldview asserts the fact that human beings are not merely more highly developed animals, but are creatures specially made in the image of God. As such, humans are the only creatures to experience self-consciousness, and we are the only creatures able to know and glorify God. Human beings are characterized by a moral accountability that is completely lacking in the animal world and by a relatedness that exceeds anything found in the animal kingdom. . . . "'The Human Zoo' exhibit in London is yet more evidence of the confusion that inevitably occurs when human beings ponder their status only by considering themselves. In truth, we can only know ourselves after coming to know our Creator." (Click here to read the full commentary)
Preaching Truth Conferences Planned Across U.S. Our first one-day preaching conference for 2005 brought together about 30 pastors in Denver on Aug. 25. Now the schedule continues with nine additional events across the U.S. Using the theme "Preaching Truth in a Whatever World," each event will feature presentations by Dr. Michael Duduit, editor of Preaching magazine and PreachingNow, and an array of outstanding guest speakers. Here are dates and areas for fall conferences (exact church location/address is at our website, www.preaching.com/truth):
These conferences will offer insights into the unique preaching challenges of today, and will offer a toolbox of strategies and ideas for effective biblical preaching in today's "whatever" culture. Visit our information page (www.preaching.com/truth) for more information or to register.
ILLUSTRATION: Hearing, Listening The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." The guests responded with phrases like, "Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir." It was not till the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. The ambassador leaned over and whispered, "I'm sure she had it coming." What's the difference between hearing and listening? For our spiritual lives, it makes all the difference in the world - the difference between life and death, dark and light, hunger and satisfaction, disease and healing, hope and chaos, forgiveness and bitterness . . . the list goes on. How many of us are truly deceived because we don't truly listen; we don't experience the full riches of Christ? And when His own children fail to listen, then what chance does the world have? True listening results in obedience. (Scott Harris, Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood, TN)
ILLUSTRATION: Sin - Destructiveness of In his book The Journey to Spiritual Maturity, Joel Hunter writes, "To some extent the sinner is his sin. He cannot clearly be distinguished from it because it proceeds directly from his nature. "To this some might say, 'Well, if my sin springs from my very nature, how can I be condemned for being what I was meant to be?' Many people today seem to be basking in their iniquities, preferring to see their sin as 'liberating,' or as an expression of who they 'really are.' These people fail to understand the insidiousness of sin. They fail to grasp the extent to which their sinful nature is destroying them from within. "My brother-in-law, Mark Beeson, studied biology at Ball State University and once traveled to Belize to study the insects and wildlife there. A few weeks after he arrived, he got hooked up with a guide who took him through the jungle. As they were walking along the guide grabbed his shoulder and jerked him to the ground. Out in the open there was a tarantula being attacked by a huge insect known as a tarantula wasp. This wasp kept diving at the tarantula, and the tarantula kept fighting back in an attempt to catch it and get at it with its fangs. This went on for several minutes, until finally the tarantula wasp swooped down, flipped the tarantula onto its back, and stung it right in its abdomen. But this allowed the tarantula to grab the wasp and sink its fangs into it, injecting it with its venom. For a few moments, they both lay still. Then the tarantula turned itself over, shaking off the dead wasp, and crawled slowly away. "Mark looked at his guide and said, 'So the tarantula won.' "'That's the way it would seem,' the guide replied, 'But what you do not know is that when that tarantula wasp was stinging him, she was also depositing her eggs in his stomach. So where it seems as if he's won, those eggs will begin to grow inside of him until they eventually kill him, and out of him will hatch his enemy.' "What a graphic picture of the devastating effects of sin. There are some who seem to wallow in their sin, cherishing what they see as the freedom to "enjoy life." They operate under the assumption that they are in control of their own destiny, that they can "handle it," that they've won. What they fail to realize is that their sin is a malignancy which is gradually eating them up from inside. James 1:14;15 says: "Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death" (NIV). The notion of hamartia indicates a nature which is fatally flawed, and implies a continual struggle against its cancerous advance."
ILLUSTRATION: Worship Just before dismissing her class, a Sunday school teacher asked her preschoolers why it was important to be quiet in the morning worship service. One little boy raised his hand and replied, "Because people are sleeping." Real worship is never sleep-inducing. It's as dynamic as that Easter evening when Jesus suddenly showed up among His disciples. He is Emmanuel, which means "God with us." Even two or three believers meeting in His name can be assured of His presence with them (Matthew 18:20). (Turning Point Daily Devotional, 7/7/05)
ILLUSTRATION: Church Pastor W. Douglas Hood, Jr. sends us this story: Recently I returned a guest speaker for our church to his hotel room for the evening. Unfortunately, the hotel was located just beyond Krispy Kreme Donuts. Unfortunate, because I had disciplined myself to stay away from donuts until I had removed the one located around my midsection. Nevertheless, because it was late, I was tired and my discipline weak. I stopped in for a donut. Fortunately, I experienced a moment of truth, a moment of grace while enjoying that one donut. A mother came in with a young son who could not have been more than five years old. He broke free of her grasp and ran to the observation area where he could watch fresh, hot donuts coming down a conveyer belt from the oven. With delight he screamed, "God lives here! It is so full of goodness!" In that moment I heard the best description of the Church of Jesus Christ ever presented! (Hood is pastor of Lenape Valley Presbyterian Church, New Britain, PA.)
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ILLUSTRATION: Revenge The woman was standing at the checkout stand to pay for her purchases. As she fumbled for her wallet, she took a TV remote control out of her purse and set it out to the side. "So, do you always carry your TV remote?" the cashier asked. "No," she replied. "But my husband refused to come shopping with me, and I figured this was the meanest thing I could do to him legally."
Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said.
LeaderLinks is a web-based publication for Christian leaders. The September issue features an interview with Samford University President Thomas Corts, an article by John Maxwell, and much more. The issue is now available (at no cost) 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.
ILLUSTRATION: Preaching In his book In His Image, William Jennings Bryan writes, "I beg you to prepare yourselves to proclaim the Word of God by voice as well as with pen. You have a mighty message for a waiting world -- a message worthy of all your powers of heart and mind and tongue."
ILLUSTRATION: Work, Quality "The
best preparation for tomorrow is to do today's work superbly
well." (Sir William Osler)
Kids on the Bible The following statements about the Bible were written by children and have not been retouched or corrected (i.e. bad spelling has been left in): In the first book of the Bible, Guiness, God got tired of creating the world, so he took the Sabbath off. Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. Noah's wife was called Joan of Ark. Noah built an ark, which the animals come on to in pears. Lots wife was a pillar of salt by day, but a ball of fire by night. Samson was a strongman who let himself be lead astray by a Jezebel like Delilah. Samson slayed the Philistines with the axe of the Apostles. Moses led the Hebrews to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread which is bread without any ingredients. The Egyptians were all drowned in the dessert. Afterwards, Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten ammendments. The first commandment as when Eve told Adam to eat the apple. The seventh commandment is thou shalt not admit adultery. Moses died before he ever reached Canada. Then Joshua led the Hebrews in the battle of Geritol. The greatest miracle in the Bible is when Joshua told his son to stand still and he obeyed him. David was a Hebrew king skilled at playing the liar. He fought with the Finklesteins, a race of people who lived in Biblical times. Solomon, one of David's sons, had 300 wives and 700 porcupines. When Mary heard that she was the mother of Jesus, she sang the Magna Carta. When the three wise guys from the east side arrived, they found Jesus in the manager. Jesus was born because Mary had a immaculate contraption. St. John, the blacksmith, dumped water on his head. Jesus enunciated the Golden Rule, which says to do one to others before they do one to you. He also explained, "a man doth not live by sweat alone." It was a miracle when Jesus rose from the dead and managed to get the tombstone off the entrance. The people who followed the Lord were called the 12 decibels. The epistles were the wives of the apostles. One of the opossums was St. Matthew who was also a taximan. St. Paul cavorted to Christianity. He preached holy acrimony, which is another name for marriage. A
Christian should have only one spouse. This is called monotony.
And finally . . . He ain't heavy. He's my driver. According to an August 31 Reuters story, a German court has decided that Mercedes must release a man from his car lease deal because he is too heavy to drive the luxury vehicle. Mercedes had originally refused to release the 37-year-old insurance salesman (who weighs 352 pounds) from a lease agreement on his S-320 CDI model. The company insisted that the multiple car breakdowns (13 shop visits for 21 different malfunctions) caused by his weight were insufficient grounds to break the deal. The Stuttgart court, however, ruled that the car should have been able to take his weight. Thus, they released him from the lease for the $81,000 luxury vehicle. "I could hardly fit behind the steering wheel," the man told a German newspaper. "Then I had to take the car back to the shop for repairs 13 times for 21 different malfunctions in the first 20,000 km." The salesman has now switched to a Volkswagen.
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