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Prayer doesn't work, if you can believe a pair of medical researchers whose paper appears in today's edition of the American Heart Journal. Then again, what it may instead prove is that the Templeton Foundation's grant review process isn't working quite as well as it should. A March 30 Associated Press reports on the $2.4 million study which involved 1,800 patients at six medical centers. Apparently, the research team decided to test the effect of having three groups of Christians pray for particular patients, "starting the night before surgery and continuing for two weeks. The volunteers prayed for 'a successful surgery with a quick, healthy recovery and no complications' for specific patients -- their identities known only by first name and first initial of the last name." What was the result? "The study looked for any complications within 30 days of the surgery. Results showed no effect of prayer on complication-free recovery. But among patients who did receive prayers, 59 percent of the patients who knew they were being prayed for developed a complication, versus 52 percent of those who were told it was just a possibility." (Click here if you'd like to read the AP article.) The primary outcome of the study is actually the recognition that some people don't understand prayer. Apart from a few televangelists who may describe prayer as a magical or mechanical process that can be turned on and off (if you've got the right prayer cloth to lay atop your TV), most believers know that prayer is an intimate communication with God, and that the God we serve doesn't participate in research studies. I like the way Dr. David Stevens, executive director of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, put it: "Do we control God through prayer? Theologians would say absolutely not. God decides sometimes to intervene, and sometimes not." However, if the Templeton folks have another $2.4 million burning a hole in their bank account, I'm sure we can come up with a comparable study of preaching and its effect on the Sunday lunch business. In fact, I can probably pull that one off for less than $2 million and send them some change. http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/thrive/2006/mar/30/033003874.html Michael
Duduit, Editor Click here to visit "I Was Just Thinking" (Michael’s blog) for insights and observations about faith and culture issues. Recent topics: Discrimination against vets; Telling the Story; Church vs. Culture? Thanks to all those readers (at least 20 of you!) who let me know that the story about John Wooden in last week's PreachingNow was written by Rick Reilly, who writes "The Life of Reilly" column for Sports Illustrated. The Wooden column originally appeared in the March 20, 2000 edition; click here to read the full article.
Plan for Easter excellence In a recent edition of his CreativePastors.com newsletter, Ed Young, Jr. talked about some of the things he and the Fellowship Church team have learned about using Easter as a way to reach people for Christ. Among Ed's suggestions: "Easter is a team effort. Your entire staff should be focused on preparing for Easter services throughout the church. What songs will you use? How will you encourage children who are visiting for the first time to come back? How are you mobilizing extra volunteers? Are your service times on your website yet? Now is the time to start planning the worship, brainstorming the graphics for videos and the bulletin, recruiting extra help, and developing the message -- as a team. "Be strategic with your service times. If you've never added extra service times before, you might want to try offering expanded options for Easter this year. Keep your fingers on the pulse of your community and you'll have the best information to guide your planning. If everyone in your area works on Good Friday, then that afternoon might not be the best time to offer an additional service. Take into account the local school and workplace schedules as you target the times when most people will be able to attend. At Fellowship Church, we've learned that evening services leading up to a major holiday are our peak opportunities. And don't go overboard in adding services; plan strategically for maximum attendance at each one." (To
learn more go to www.creativepastors.com.
And plan to be part of this year's National Conference on Preaching,
where Ed Young, Jr., will be presenting the keynote address. See
the next item for more information.)
Still
time to register for the "Preaching Creatively" is the theme of the 2006 National Conference on Preaching, scheduled for April 24-26 at Fellowship Church in Grapevine, TX (suburban Dallas). (Visit the new and expanded conference website at www.preaching.com/ncp.) Learn about creative preaching in a postmodern age, how to do creative exposition, ways to use story, and much more. A remarkable team of speakers will be on hand for NCP 2006, including: Ed Young, Jr., Haddon Robinson, Calvin Miller, Dieter Zander, Jack Graham, Doug Pagitt, Steve Wende, Bryan L. Carter, Mike Glenn, Leroy Armstrong, Jr., Rick White, Timothy Warren, David Allen, Reg Grant, Oscar Lopez, Calvin Pearson, Steven Smith and many more. You'll draw insights and encouragement from the theme-related addresses on preaching creatively, plus great sermons and many practical workshops. Mark your calendar now to be part of the conference. Click here for additional information or to register (or call 800-288-9673). Don't wait -- hotel rooms are filling up fast!
Lessons for pastoral longevity Bob Russell is about to retire after 40 years as senior pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY. During that time the church has grown from 140 members to more than 24,000. Speaking to a recent pastor's luncheon, Russell shared some observations about thriving in ministry over the years, as reported in the March 23 edition of The Southeast Outlook newspaper. One reason he has lasted, Russell says, is that he has learned to cope with criticism. He recalls with a smile: "One man said to me, 'You know, you look a lot younger from a distance.'" He asserts, "Usually criticism doesn't knock you down but it does weaken the structure. You have to learn to cope with criticism." Russell said another key to longevity in ministry is keeping your eye on the big picture. "I've remained optimistic about this church despite its problems," he said, noting his impression that 95 percent of the church is great, four percent is not so hot, and one percent is "down right nasty." The key is not spending time on the negative. An important counsel he offered pastors is to put their families first. "When it's all said and done, the people standing by your side will be your family and the Lord. Don't neglect them for the ministry." He also advised pastors to insist on times of rest and renewal: "If you're going to stay in the ministry a long time, you need to have times when you can be rejuvenated." [The May-June issue of Preaching will feature an interview with Bob Russell and Dave Stone, the new senior pastor at Southeast Christian.]
Profanity more common As if you needed to be told, profanity is on the increase in American society, as reflected in a recent AP-Ipsos poll. According to the survey, 74 percent of respondents encounter profanity in public frequently or occasionally, and two-thirds said they think people swear more than they did 20 years ago Young adults admit to using bad language more often than older people; 62 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds acknowledged swearing in conversation at least a few times a week, compared to 39 percent of those 35 and older. The survey also showed that women more than men hear people swearing more now than 20 years ago -- 75 percent, compared to 60 percent. Also, more women said they were bothered by profanity -- 74 percent at least some of the time -- than men (60 percent.) And more men admitted to swearing: 54 percent at least a few times a week, compared to 39 percent of women. Judith Martin, who writes the syndicated Miss Manners column, believes part of the problem is that people who are offended at all this swearing aren't speaking up about it. "Everybody is pretending they aren't shocked," Martin says, "and gradually people won't be shocked. And then those who want to be offensive will find another way." (Click here to read the full news article.) http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060329/D8GKU61G0.html
Illustration: Bravery, Sacrifice The film Ladder 49 is about average, everyday fireman Jack Morrison (Jaoquin Phoenix). He has a wife, kids, close friends, doubts about the risks he takes, but ready to be courageous when duty calls and lives are in danger. Jack Morrison's wife, Linda, is observing her kids as they watch TV and laugh. She notices a red car pull up and two men get out. She realizes what this means, puts her hand in front of her mouth, and begins to cry. The scene immediately switches to the funeral in a large church. The camera pans Jack's family as well as his fellow firefighters. His captain, Mike Kennedy (John Travolta) is standing in the pulpit saying the eulogy: "It's never an easy thing, saying good bye to a brother firefighter. It's not. And this time particularly is difficult for me because I watched Jack grow into a, well, into one of the finest firefighters I've ever known. He joined this department because he wanted to help people. Who knows how many homes are still standing because Jack was there, or how many lives were spared? He gave his life for that cause. We'll never forget you, Jack. And we're better for having known you. But I make you this one promise: Tomorrow, when the bell rings, we will be back on the truck because you were the bravest of the brave. People are always asking me, how is it that firefighters run into a burning building when everyone else is running out? Well, Jack, you answered that question by saving another man's life. Your courage is the answer." (submitted
by Jerry De Luca; DVD Time: Scene 12 "Saying Good bye".
1:42:56 to 1:45:06. Jerry has a free website featuring illustrations
from movies and other sources; you can visit at http://deluca77.tripod.com)
Illustration: Change, Excuses In 1986, as a fifteen-year-old, Tommy Moe was invited to be part of the U.S. ski team. But he was caught sneaking out of camp to smoke marijuana and kicked off the team. Tommy's father, an Alaskan construction worker, ordered him to come home. After a few months of laboring twelve to sixteen hours a day in the Arctic summer, his father asked him if he'd rather be a construction worker or part of the ski team training in Argentina. "It humbled me up pretty fast," Tommy said. And it showed. At the 1996 Olympics, he took gold in the men's downhill. How do you respond to your heavenly Father's correction? If we are not willing to confront our own sin, or be confronted by others, we are not yet as spiritually mature as we should be. God may correct us through a friend, a boss, a coach, a pastor -- or He may put the need for self-correction in our own heart. Just think what would have happened to the gospel message if the apostle Paul had not responded to Christ's confrontation on the Damascus road (Acts 9). When God shows you that change is needed in your life, don't make excuses. Instead, make the change. An excuse is nothing more than an argument disguised as a reason. (Turning Point Daily Devotional, 3-14-06)
Illustration: Serendipity, Surprises In the March 15 edition of the Dallas Seminary Daily Devotional, Chuck Swindoll writes: "It had been a long time since Horace Walpole smiled. Too long. Life for him had become as drab as the weather in dreary old England. Then, on a grim winter day in 1754, while reading a Persian fairy tale, his smile returned. He wrote his longtime friend, Horace Mann, telling him of the "thrilling approach to life" he had discovered from the folk tale. "The ancient tale told of three princes from the island of Ceylon who set out on a pursuit of great treasures. They never found that for which they searched, but en route they were continually surprised by delights they had never anticipated. While looking for one thing, they found another. "The original name of Ceylon was Serendip, which explains the title of this story -- 'The Three Princes of Serendip.' From that, Walpole coined the wonderful word 'serendipity.' And from then on, his most significant and valued experiences were those that happened to him while he was least expecting them. "Serendipity occurs when something beautiful breaks into the monotonous and the mundane. A serendipitous life is marked by "surprisability" and spontaneity. When we lose our capacity for either, we settle into life's ruts. We expect little and we're seldom disappointed. "Though I have walked with God for several decades, I must confess I still find much about Him incomprehensible and mysterious. But this much I know: He delights in surprising us. He dots our pilgrimage from earth to heaven with amazing serendipities."
Illustration: Cross Calvin Miller wrote, "Our God is no masochist with an odd need to suffer. He tasted death not to enjoy it but to stare it down. The glory of the Cross, as Henri Nouwen pointed out, is that Jesus was a wounded healer. He does not heal by waving a magic wand above the hurting. Nor does he traffic in prayer cloths. His healing power derives from his own pain, from having iron spikes driven through his body. Wounds become a loving God. Only with such triumph can he offer the world his healing life."
'Preaching Truth' conferences resume in May A new series of Preaching Truth in a Whatever World events are planned for May 2006. These one-day preaching conferences explore strategies for effective biblical preaching in a postmodern world. Led by Preaching editor Michael Duduit and a variety of guest speakers, these conferences offer a valuable time of insight and refreshment for those who proclaim the Word. Preaching Truth conferences will be held in the following cities: Ontario,
CA -- May 2 For more information or to register, call (800) 288-9673, or visit the website at www.preaching.com/truth
"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." (Mother Teresa)
From the sponsor of this week's edition: Would you like help as you prepare to teach? Like most of us, you likely are time bankrupt . . . you wish you had more time to dedicate to the important commitments in your life. One way thousands of pastors have better invested time is by using Bible Navigator study software. Now one of the best-selling electronic biblical resources, Bible Navigator has a huge variety of materials and capabilities to enrich your sermons. It enables instant access to Scripture, commentaries, illustrations, Greek & Hebrew audio pronunciations and so much more. See what thousands of your colleagues depend on each week. Select from four editions of Bible Navigator starting at only $19.95.
Illustration: Easter Behind a church in the small town of Flint Hill, Virginia, you will find the grave of a young seminary student named Albert Gallatin Willis who died on October 14, 1864. Albert Willis' story is unusual. Albert Willis served with the famed command of Mosby's Raiders during the Civil War. Because of Mosby's harassment of Federal supply trains, wagons, and stores, General Phil Sheridan ordered that Mosby and any of his men be hung on capture. In October 1864, Willis and an unnamed comrade were captured by the 2nd U. S. Cavalry and sentenced to die by hanging. However, Willis was offered a Chaplain's exemption as a ministerial student. But because his companion was married, young Willis offered himself as a substitute for the comrade and died in his place so that the other might go free. Willis professed his "Christian Readiness To Die," prayed for his executioners, and was hanged. (Larry Vaughn, SermonCentral.com) That is an amazing story of sacrifice. More amazing yet is that God's own Son gave up His place in heaven to take on flesh, live among, us, then go to a cross to die in our place.
"Why did Christianity arise, and why did it take the shape it did? The early Christians themselves reply: We exist because of Jesus' resurrection. . . . There is no evidence for a form of early Christianity in which the resurrection was not a central belief. Nor was this belief, as it were, bolted on to Christianity at the edge. It was the central driving force, informing the whole movement." (N.T. Wright)
Feeling better? Even
highly-trained medical professionals sometimes get in a hurry when The
baby was delivered, the cord clamped and cut, and handed to the The skin was moist and dry. The patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch. The
patient was in his usual state of good health until his airplane
ran I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy. Patient was alert and unresponsive. When she fainted, her eyes rolled around the room. The
patient lives at home with his mother, father, and pet turtle, who
is She is numb from her toes down.
And finally . . . An Australian nudist found what he thought was a deadly funnel web spider's hole, and he decided to deal with it, according to an April 3 Reuters story. So the 56-year-old man poured gasoline down the hole, then lit a match to try to kill the "offending arachnid." When the gas fumes exploded, the man was left with burns over 18 percent of his body, primarily the upper leg and buttocks area, according to medical technicians who treated him. Medical officials said the man's "lack of clothing probably contributed to the extent of his burns."
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