December 24, 2007
Asher Scott Pilgreen
Asher Scott Pilgreen was born at 2:59 p.m. CST on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 to Ben and Shauna Pilgreen of Tuscaloosa, AL. Welcoming Asher into the family were his two older brothers, Elijah (4) and Samuel (2). Maternal grandparents are Harris and Phyllis Malcom of Americus.
December 3, 2007
The War on Christmas
Christmas is under attack. One of the two most sacred of days and seasons of the year to the Christian community is under the gun. In some sections of our country it is coming from the business sector, while in others from left wing liberals bent on removing Christ from Christmas. Terms like "Merry Christmas" is replaced with "Happy Holidays." The "Christmas Tree" is replaced with the "Holiday Tree." They call is trying to be "sensitive to the public."
Simon Maloy, posted the following on the website mediamatters.org, "This is both a confession and a call to arms. For the past several years, I have been secretly involved in a secret scheme to secretly force religion -- Christianity, in particular -- from the public square. This secret has been laid bare, however, so now I can publicly and proudly proclaim that I am a member of the secular-progressive plot pithily dubbed "The War on Christmas," and have been authorized by the founder and leader of this movement, George Soros, to acknowledge its existence and call upon our fellow Christmas-haters to make themselves known and to take our no-longer secret campaign to the streets. Down with Christmas!"
Fox News host Bill O'Reilly claimed that "it's all part of the secular progressive agenda ... to get Christianity and spirituality and Judaism out of the public square." He then added: "[B]ecause if you look at what happened in Western Europe and Canada, if you can get religion out, then you can pass secular progressive programs, like legalization of narcotics, euthanasia, abortion at will, gay marriage, because the objection to those things is religious-based, usually."
What do we do? Well we don't back down...that's for sure.
1. Greet those you encounter this year with a sincere "Merry Christmas."
2. Take every opportunity in conversation to tell what Christmas means to you and why.
3. Invite friends, neighbors, and work associates to attend church with you this year.
There are many opportunities like musicals, dramas, etc.
4. Decorate your homes to the Glory of God.
The world is "hell bent" (no apology coming) on removing His presence from society. We are called to be salt and light. Let's be who He has called us to be. Some may think that this will go away and that people like this have no hope of succeeding.
Remember,"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing."
Simon Maloy, posted the following on the website mediamatters.org, "This is both a confession and a call to arms. For the past several years, I have been secretly involved in a secret scheme to secretly force religion -- Christianity, in particular -- from the public square. This secret has been laid bare, however, so now I can publicly and proudly proclaim that I am a member of the secular-progressive plot pithily dubbed "The War on Christmas," and have been authorized by the founder and leader of this movement, George Soros, to acknowledge its existence and call upon our fellow Christmas-haters to make themselves known and to take our no-longer secret campaign to the streets. Down with Christmas!"
Fox News host Bill O'Reilly claimed that "it's all part of the secular progressive agenda ... to get Christianity and spirituality and Judaism out of the public square." He then added: "[B]ecause if you look at what happened in Western Europe and Canada, if you can get religion out, then you can pass secular progressive programs, like legalization of narcotics, euthanasia, abortion at will, gay marriage, because the objection to those things is religious-based, usually."
What do we do? Well we don't back down...that's for sure.
1. Greet those you encounter this year with a sincere "Merry Christmas."
2. Take every opportunity in conversation to tell what Christmas means to you and why.
3. Invite friends, neighbors, and work associates to attend church with you this year.
There are many opportunities like musicals, dramas, etc.
4. Decorate your homes to the Glory of God.
The world is "hell bent" (no apology coming) on removing His presence from society. We are called to be salt and light. Let's be who He has called us to be. Some may think that this will go away and that people like this have no hope of succeeding.
Remember,"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing."
December 2, 2007
Evel Knievel: The Rest of the Story
Robert Craig "Evel Knievel" died recently. As long as I can remember he has been an American Icon. A self proclaimed "Dare Devil," he brought a new dimension to the motor cycle. Some ride for pleasure, others for transportaion, still others for identity...He used it like Michael Jordan used a basketball.
I'm sure there are various opinions about him ranging from heroic to downright crazy. No doubt he defied death on many occasions. He definitely escaped death on numeous occasions.
Now, I would not normally be writing a blog on Mr. Knievel. However, months before his death a very important event happened in his life. He made a life changing decision. A decision that everyone needs to make before they die.
On April 1 of this year Evel Knievel publicly confessed faith in Christ. Before an audience of 4,000 and a world-wide audience of millions over Dr. Robert Schuller's "Hour of Power" broadcast.
Knievel told how he had refused for 68 years to convert to Christianity because he didn’t want to surrender his lifestyle of "the gold and the gambling and the booze and the women." He explained his conversion experience by saying, "All of a sudden, I just believed in Jesus Christ. I did, I believed in him!" Knievel said he knew people were praying for him, including his daughter's church, his ex-wife's church, and the hundreds of people who wrote letters urging him to believe.
Evel Knievel came to faith in large part due to Lee Strobel's book "The Case for Christ."
Quote from Lee Strobel:
"I'll tell you what, we have seen such a change in Evel Knievel. I mean I am so thrilled to be his friend now and to watch how similar to my story coming from a profane and immoral and drunken kind of a life, and finding faith, and watching a life change thanks to the work of God. And to see that in Evel Knievel it's just been thrilling.
The "Dare Devil" became a Christ follower. Praise the Lord.
I'm sure there are various opinions about him ranging from heroic to downright crazy. No doubt he defied death on many occasions. He definitely escaped death on numeous occasions.
Now, I would not normally be writing a blog on Mr. Knievel. However, months before his death a very important event happened in his life. He made a life changing decision. A decision that everyone needs to make before they die.
On April 1 of this year Evel Knievel publicly confessed faith in Christ. Before an audience of 4,000 and a world-wide audience of millions over Dr. Robert Schuller's "Hour of Power" broadcast.
Knievel told how he had refused for 68 years to convert to Christianity because he didn’t want to surrender his lifestyle of "the gold and the gambling and the booze and the women." He explained his conversion experience by saying, "All of a sudden, I just believed in Jesus Christ. I did, I believed in him!" Knievel said he knew people were praying for him, including his daughter's church, his ex-wife's church, and the hundreds of people who wrote letters urging him to believe.
Evel Knievel came to faith in large part due to Lee Strobel's book "The Case for Christ."
Quote from Lee Strobel:
"I'll tell you what, we have seen such a change in Evel Knievel. I mean I am so thrilled to be his friend now and to watch how similar to my story coming from a profane and immoral and drunken kind of a life, and finding faith, and watching a life change thanks to the work of God. And to see that in Evel Knievel it's just been thrilling.
The "Dare Devil" became a Christ follower. Praise the Lord.
November 30, 2007
More Filming
Last week we were on the set of Fireproof again. Weather seemed to affect Monday's schedule, but we don't complain about rain these days in South Georgia. We moved inside and pushed the outdoor plans ahead a day. Kirk (Caleb) and I took one of our walks in the woods. I am constantly amazed at what it takes to film just a portion of a scene. I have gained a new perspective as well as a new appreciation for cinematography in its purest sense.I am waiting for my next call to shoot more scenes. I have two to four depending of how they decide to shoot them.
November 20, 2007
Fireproof
Phyllis and I have had an extraordinary opportunity come our way. Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA where we are members are in the process of filming their third movie. Their first movie "Flywheel" has just been re-released on DVD and is available in stores. Facing the Giants, which was a box office hit was their second movie. "Fireproof" is their third film and we are playing the role of the lead characters parents. They needed two "old people."Kirk Cameron (The Way of the Master and Left Behind Series) is playing the lead character, "Lt. Caleb Holt". We are his parents, "John and "Cheryl Holt."
We have had the opportunity to meet people from Focus on the Family, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, New York Firefighters, people from American Family Radio, Lifeway Christian Resources and others.
One such personality was J.J. Jasper from American Family Radio. AFR did a live remote from the set on one of the days we were filming.
We are on a break for Thanksgiving, but will resume filming Monday, November 26. We have a 5:30 a.m. call time. Whew!
One of the blessings of working in this environment is that there are no "stars", just servants of Christ. From the production personnel to the make-up people to the cast and crew...it is all for the glory of God.
Oh...I just had to throw this one in...Phyllis getting her makeup applied. Yes...I wear it too, but amazingly no pictures could be found.
November 19, 2007
Giving Thanks
Thanksgiving is only a few days away. Families will gather around both traditional and non-traditional meals and pause to give thanks for the blessings and bounty of God on their lives.
The first thanksgiving was held by the pilgrims to give thanks to God for their safe passage from England to Plymouth Rock. Following a harsh winter, which resulted in the deaths of many of the pilgrim family, the survivors were befriended by a tribe of “native Americans.” Another Thanksgiving celebration was held to thank their new friends. Because of their help a harvest was reaped ensuring enough food to last the winter.
In 1777 Thanksgiving was an occasion to celebrate victory over the British.
Two years later, in 1789, the first national Thanksgiving occurred. The President of the United States was asked by Congress to issue a resolution stating: “Resolved, That a joint committee of both Houses be directed to wait upon the President of the United States to request that he would recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer ….”
“Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor … Now, therefore, I do appoint Thursday, the 26th day of November 1789 . . . that we may all unite to render unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection.”
Days of Thanksgiving were celebrated on varying dates throughout the nation for the next several years. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared a National Day of Thanksgiving in hopes of bringing healing to a land that had suffered greatly in Civil War.
He set aside the last Thursday in November, declaring: “We often forget the Source from which the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies come … No human wisdom hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God … I therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States … to observe the last Thursday of November as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”
In 1841, Congress established the fourth Thursday of November as a national holiday.
May we all take time this Thanksgiving to lift up an offering of praise to God. We all have so much to be thankful for. As the hymnwriter put it, “Count your blessings, name them one by one…and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.”
November 13, 2007
In Memory
I did not know him long, but he always had a smile of encouragement on his face. Robert "Chip" Monk, a cameraman on the crew filming "Fireproof" was tragically killed in a car accident on Sunday evening, November 11, while returning to Albany, GA from Orlando, Florida. He leaves behind his wife Sara (who is expecting their first child) and a host of friends and colleagues."The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit"
Psalm 34:18
"I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth."
Psalm 121:1-2
October 27, 2007
"Fireproof, the latest motion picture from Sherwood Pictures is in the middle of production. According to Stephen Kendrick, co-writer, Kirk Cameron will play the lead role of Lt. Caleb Holt. In the movie, Holt turns his life over to Christ, but has marriage troubles and spends a large portion of the movie trying to win back his wife’s heart. “It’s a movie about relationships. It’s good and it’s exciting,” says Kendrick. “The story follows an Albany firefighter at the Albany Fire Department and his wife works at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital as a P.R. representative.
SYNOPSIS
Lt. Caleb Holt lives by the old firefighter's adage: Never leave your partner behind. Inside burning buildings, it's his natural instinct. In the cooling embers of his marriage, it's another story.
After a decade of marriage, Caleb and Catherine Holt have drifted so far apart that they are ready to move on without each other. Yet as they prepare to enter divorce proceedings, Caleb's dad asks his son to try an experiment: The Love Dare.
While hoping The Love Dare has nothing to do with his parents' newfound faith, Caleb commits to the challenge. But can he attempt to love his wife while avoiding God's love for him? Will he be able to demonstrate love over and over again to a person that's no longer receptive to his love? Or is this just another marriage destined to go up in smoke?
FIREPROOF is the third feature film from Sherwood Pictures and the Kendrick Brothers—the creators of FACING THE GIANTS. With hope-filled storytelling, the moviemaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church continues touching the world from Albany, Georgia.
Opening only in theatres in August 2008, FIREPROOF will have audiences of all ages laughing and crying as they are inspired by this story of perseverance and commitment.
MOVIE ROLE - CAST MEMBER
Caleb Holt - Kirk Cameron
Catherine Holt - Erin Bethea
Michael Simmons - Ken Bevel
Wayne Floyd - Stephen Dervan
Terrell Sanders - Eric Young
Eric Harmon - Jason McLeod
Robin Cates - Stephanie Makulinski
Latasha Brown - Renata Williams
Deidra Harris - Dwan Williams
Ashley Phillips - Amberly Marquard
John Holt - Harris Malcom
Cheryl Holt - Phyllis Malcom
Gavin Keller - Perry Revell
Tina Simmons - Carla Hawkins
Mr. Campbell - Ray Wood
Mrs. Campbell - Sue Holt
Mr. Rudolph - Bill Stafford
Erma Rudolph - Dot Majors
Anna Stone - Faye Sharber
Misty Harper - Deena Taylor
Bethany Wilson - Kelly Johnson
Kelsey Jackson - Melanie Tomlinson
Ross Spencer - Bailey Cave
Kyle Joiner - Tommy McBride
Carl Hatcher - Jim McBride
Mr. James Turner - Anthony Brown
Mrs. Turner - Allison Dawson
Megan - Taylor Glow
Joy Wilkins - Shannon Davis
Stephanie Mills - Blake Bailey
Pastor Strauss - Alex Kendrick
Dispatcher - Heidi Johnson
Annual Meetings
In my first year as Ministry Resource Consultant for Southwest Georgia I have had the opportunity of attending 7 out of 10 annual meetings. Our associations are healthy, visionary and most importantly focused on touching a world for Jesus Christ. We have some of the best AM's in the state. I thanks God for allowing me the privilege of serving Him here in this region.
Sunbelt Ag Expo
The 2007 installment of the Sunbelt Ag Expo is now behind us. Although I do not have previous experience to compare it to in my opinion it was a great success due in large part to PEOPLE. Not so much the people who came through the tent, but PEOPLE like you who gave a day (or days), provided a ministry or supported us financially. Let me say thank you.
Because we do not keep a count of how many people come through our tent we can only estimate. We distributed 1500 New Testaments, 1,000 Invitation CD’s and numerous tracts. Campers on Mission served cups of cold water in Jesus Name and sample bags of popcorn were available.
Barbara Waldron and Marcus Flanagan were once again with us every day. Barbara painting the faces of children and teens, Marcus creating all sorts of critters from balloons in addition to opening and closing the tent every day.
Legacy Ministries under the direction of Kyle Woodfin once again partnered with us to provide the archery tent. Kyle, Alanna, and their children are real troopers who unselfishly serve wherever needed. This year the Weaver Believers were with us blessing our hearts with their unique music, smiling faces and willing hands. Paul, Chris and the rest of the Weaver family (like the Woodfin’s) are servants who did whatever we need them to do. Woody and Sarah Woodfin (Kyle’s parents) cooked hamburgers and hotdogs daily for our workers.
I want to thank Andy Cashwell, Terry Alligood and the Men’s Ministry from Mt. Olive Church in Moultrie for putting up and taking down the tent. A huge thanks is due Carl Felts from Hopewell Baptist for tent delivery.
I want to thank all of our associations for their financial support. We could not do it without you. Please continue to support us both financially and with volunteers. I know that for some of you that a presence at the Expo is not possible because it comes during the Annual Meeting Season, but we appreciate you doing what you can do.
Then there is the Norman Park staff. We definitely could not do it without them. They store, maintain, deliver, erect and tear down the stage that we use each year. They provide tables, chairs, lodging and other things that we need. To Brian, Tim, Mike, Norma Jean and everyone at GBCCNP….THANKS!!!!
Last but surely not least I want to thank my Ministry Assistant, Ann Tomlinson, who does more to get ready for this than I know and reminds my of the stuff that I need to take care of. I also want to thank my wife Phyllis for being there all three days and doing whatever she was needed to do.
Pray for us. I believe this is a great ministry that we want to make better. My expectation level for next year is already rising.
September 5, 2007
PRAYING FOR YOUR PASTOR
One of the most important things the people of God can do for their pastor is to pray for him. We live in a day where the need is for the men of God to stand up and step out for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
These are desperate times. Our world needs to hear a clear and distinct sound. We need for the message of the Gospel to be sounded loud, clear, and unapolegetically.
As a pastor for almost 30 years I was always aware and appreciative of the prayers of my people. Now as a state missionary and encourager/mentor to pastors I see the need from a different perspective.
Your pastor is not perfect and neither are you. He needs your prayers. When you say, "I am prayer for you," make sure you are faithful to do it. Your overlooking to pray for him is no different than him overlooking a responsibility you think he has.
How can I pray for my pastor? Good question. Below you will find a link that I believe will be helpful in getting you started. You can add to it our make your own, but most importantly PRAY FOR HIM!
http://www.pastorjeff.com/PrayPastor1.html
These are desperate times. Our world needs to hear a clear and distinct sound. We need for the message of the Gospel to be sounded loud, clear, and unapolegetically.
As a pastor for almost 30 years I was always aware and appreciative of the prayers of my people. Now as a state missionary and encourager/mentor to pastors I see the need from a different perspective.
Your pastor is not perfect and neither are you. He needs your prayers. When you say, "I am prayer for you," make sure you are faithful to do it. Your overlooking to pray for him is no different than him overlooking a responsibility you think he has.
How can I pray for my pastor? Good question. Below you will find a link that I believe will be helpful in getting you started. You can add to it our make your own, but most importantly PRAY FOR HIM!
http://www.pastorjeff.com/PrayPastor1.html
August 25, 2007
Ridgecrest in Southwest Georgia
Several years ago four associations in Southwest Georgia partnered to bring a quality training experience to that area. Bethel, Bowen, Grady and Tucker Baptist Associations share the opportunity to host the event. This year James Holloway and the Bethel Association did a yeomans job. Somewhere in the vicinity of 175 to 180 people attended.
Conferences were provided for all age groups. I was able to attend the pastors meeting led by Benny Pate, Specialist in Leadership Ministries of the Georgia Baptist Convention. In addition to the quality conference led by Dr. Pate, the pastors provided great discussion of relevant topics.
A highlight for me was to see Barry and Kay Thompson of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Atlanta. The three of us (along with my wife Phyllis) were college students together. It was a great reunion.
Tucker Association will host next years event at First Baptist Church in Pelham, GA.
August 8, 2007
LifeWay Research Uncovers Reasons 18 to 22 Year Olds Drop Out of Church
Written by Staff
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—A new study from LifeWay Research reveals that more than two-thirds of young adults who attend a Protestant church for at least a year in high school will stop attending church regularly for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22.
As young people transition from high school into the workforce or college life, they are faced with many choices – including whether to continue attending church. Although this decision is a source of concern for parents and church leaders, discussion of the reasons young adults choose the direction they do has largely been speculative.
"Lots of alarming numbers have been tossed around regarding church dropouts," said Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research, the research arm of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. "We wanted to get at the real situation with clear research – and there is some bad news here, no question. But, there are also some important solutions to be found in the research. When we know why people drop out, we can address how to help better connect them."
To uncover the reasons young people leave church, LifeWay Research conducted a survey in April and May 2007 of more than 1,000 adults ages 18-30. Each indicated that they had attended a Protestant church regularly for at least a year in high school.
Should I stay or should I go?
According to the study, 70 percent of young adults ages 23-30 stopped attending church regularly for at least a year between ages 18-22.
In most cases, the decision to leave was not planned far in advance. Only 20 percent of these "church dropouts" agree that while they were attending church regularly in high school they "planned on taking a break from church once [they] finished high school."
Among those who predetermined to leave church, few told anyone about their desire. One reflected, "I just told my parents I didn’t like it," rather than sharing an intention to actually leave. Another said, "I kept my feelings secret for fear of losing my friends."
Why do most young people leave?
Life changes or life situations cause young people to leave the church. In fact, 97 percent of dropouts list one or more specific life-change issues as a reason they left church.
Six of the top 10 reasons church dropouts leave relate to life changes. The most frequent reason for leaving church is, in fact, a self-imposed change, "I simply wanted a break from church" (27 percent).
The paths toward college and the workforce are also strong reasons for young people to leave church: "I moved to college and stopped attending church" (25 percent) and "work responsibilities prevented me from attending" (23 percent).
In addition to moving to college, others simply "moved too far away from the church to continue attending" (22 percent) and, it can be assumed, did not find a closer church.
A previous LifeWay Research study of church switchers confirmed that a residential move is the most frequent reason adults switch churches. "A move beyond your local community breaks the existing ties to a local church," said Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research. "It requires intentional effort to search for a new church home that may not occur immediately, even for those interested in church."
How young people use their time and the relationships they choose can also lead them away from church. Twenty-two percent "became too busy, though still wanted to attend," and 17 percent "chose to spend more time with friends outside the church."
"In our three studies related to church attendance practices: The Formerly Churched, Church Switchers and now the Teenage Dropout study, one thing is abundantly clear," stated Brad Waggoner, vice president of research and ministry development at LifeWay. "Relationships are often the glue that keep people in church or serves as the attraction to begin attending again following a period of absenteeism. Many people are deeply influenced by friends and loved ones."
Waggoner advised, "Church leaders should passionately and consistently challenge church members to maximize their influence with youth and young adults. Frequent and intentional contact can either prevent or counteract the tendency of some to drop out of church."
Fifty-eight percent of church dropouts selected at least one church or pastor-related reason for leaving church. Most common was, "church members seemed judgmental or hypocritical" (26 percent). Another 20 percent "didn’t feel connected to the people in my church."
The final category of reasons, "religious, ethical or political beliefs," contributed to the departure of 52 percent of church dropouts.
Two reasons for leaving reflect this category: "I disagreed with the church’s stance on political or social issues" (18 percent) and "I was only going to church to please others" (17 percent).
"Clearly the reasons young people leave are a reflection both of their past experience in church and the new opportunities they have as young adults," McConnell summarized. "To remain in church, a person must have experienced the value of the teaching and relationships at church and see the relevance for the next phase of life."
Why do some young people stay?
Although they only represent 30 percent of those who attended a Protestant church for at least a year in high school, young adults who stay in church through ages 18-22 see the relevance, benefits and purpose of the church now and for their future.
The two most frequent reasons young people stay in church relate to the relevance of church: "Church was a vital part of my relationship with God" (65 percent) and "I wanted the church to help guide my decisions in everyday life" (58 percent).
Half of those who stayed in church recognize benefits and say, "I felt that church was helping me become a better person" (50 percent).
Forty-two percent remained in church because they were "committed to the purpose and work of the church."
"The vitality and everyday relevance these young people experienced in church is a stark contrast to church dropouts who wanted a break from church and felt unconnected," McConnell said.
Already returning
Many of those who drop out do eventually return. Among church dropouts who are now ages 23-30, 35 percent currently attend church twice a month or more. Another 30 percent attend church more sporadically. Thus, about two-thirds of those who leave do return at some level.
This return to church after being gone for at least a year is primarily the result of encouragement from others. The most common reason for returning is "My parents or family members encouraged me to attend" (39 percent). Twenty-one percent attribute their return to "My friends or acquaintances encouraged me to attend." Combined, 50 percent of those who return were influenced by the encouragement of either family or friends.
Young adults also return to church when they feel the desire personally or sense God calling them back: "I simply felt the desire to return" (34 percent) and "I felt that God was calling me to return to the church" (28 percent).
Women are more likely than men to feel "the desire to return" (41 percent vs. 22 percent) and to feel "God was calling me to return to church" (34 percent vs. 18 percent).
In contrast to the life changes that drove many away from church, life events also bring young adults back to church.
Twenty-four percent return to church because "I had children and felt it was time for them to start attending." This reason is significantly more common for women than men (31 percent vs. 13 percent). Twenty percent "got married and wanted to attend with my spouse."
Turnover among attendees
Attendance patterns among teenagers and young adults reveal that each year many move in and out of consistent church attendance. Young adults were asked to indicate at which ages they attended church at least twice a month beginning with "under 14" through their current age.
Two out of three indicate they attended at the four youngest ages tested: under 14 (70 percent), age 14 (66 percent), age 15 (68 percent), and age 16 (68 percent). However, each year some began attending while others stopped attending twice a month. In fact, only 53 percent indicate they attended at all of these ages. This low level of loyalty through age 16 is a precursor to the declines that follow.
The percent attending twice a month drops sharply at ages 17, 18 and 19, with only 31 percent attending at age 19. Attendance remains low through age 22, and then slowly begins to climb.
"When, by God’s grace, young people see the church as essential in their lives and choose to continue attending, their loyalty remains strong," McConnell said. Among young adults ages 23-30 who stayed in church during ages 18-22, only 6 percent do not currently attend church.
Stetzer noted, "There is no easy way to say it, but it must be said. Parents and churches are not passing on a robust Christian faith and an accompanying commitment to the church. We can take some solace in the fact that many do eventually return. But, Christian parents and churches need to ask the hard question, ‘What is it about our faith commitment that does not find root in the lives of our children?’"
To listen to a podcast with Stetzer and McConnell discussing the research with leaders who serve in student and collegiate ministry, go to www.lifeway.com/insidelifeway. Inside LifeWay is the official news podcast of LifeWay Christian Resources. Read more about what these findings mean for church leaders by going online to www.lifewayresearch.com and www.edstetzer.com
Related Articles:
LifeWay Research: Parents, Churches Can Help Teens Stay in Church
© 2001-2007
LifeWay Christian Resources
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—A new study from LifeWay Research reveals that more than two-thirds of young adults who attend a Protestant church for at least a year in high school will stop attending church regularly for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22.
As young people transition from high school into the workforce or college life, they are faced with many choices – including whether to continue attending church. Although this decision is a source of concern for parents and church leaders, discussion of the reasons young adults choose the direction they do has largely been speculative.
"Lots of alarming numbers have been tossed around regarding church dropouts," said Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research, the research arm of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. "We wanted to get at the real situation with clear research – and there is some bad news here, no question. But, there are also some important solutions to be found in the research. When we know why people drop out, we can address how to help better connect them."
To uncover the reasons young people leave church, LifeWay Research conducted a survey in April and May 2007 of more than 1,000 adults ages 18-30. Each indicated that they had attended a Protestant church regularly for at least a year in high school.
Should I stay or should I go?
According to the study, 70 percent of young adults ages 23-30 stopped attending church regularly for at least a year between ages 18-22.
In most cases, the decision to leave was not planned far in advance. Only 20 percent of these "church dropouts" agree that while they were attending church regularly in high school they "planned on taking a break from church once [they] finished high school."
Among those who predetermined to leave church, few told anyone about their desire. One reflected, "I just told my parents I didn’t like it," rather than sharing an intention to actually leave. Another said, "I kept my feelings secret for fear of losing my friends."
Why do most young people leave?
Life changes or life situations cause young people to leave the church. In fact, 97 percent of dropouts list one or more specific life-change issues as a reason they left church.
Six of the top 10 reasons church dropouts leave relate to life changes. The most frequent reason for leaving church is, in fact, a self-imposed change, "I simply wanted a break from church" (27 percent).
The paths toward college and the workforce are also strong reasons for young people to leave church: "I moved to college and stopped attending church" (25 percent) and "work responsibilities prevented me from attending" (23 percent).
In addition to moving to college, others simply "moved too far away from the church to continue attending" (22 percent) and, it can be assumed, did not find a closer church.
A previous LifeWay Research study of church switchers confirmed that a residential move is the most frequent reason adults switch churches. "A move beyond your local community breaks the existing ties to a local church," said Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research. "It requires intentional effort to search for a new church home that may not occur immediately, even for those interested in church."
How young people use their time and the relationships they choose can also lead them away from church. Twenty-two percent "became too busy, though still wanted to attend," and 17 percent "chose to spend more time with friends outside the church."
"In our three studies related to church attendance practices: The Formerly Churched, Church Switchers and now the Teenage Dropout study, one thing is abundantly clear," stated Brad Waggoner, vice president of research and ministry development at LifeWay. "Relationships are often the glue that keep people in church or serves as the attraction to begin attending again following a period of absenteeism. Many people are deeply influenced by friends and loved ones."
Waggoner advised, "Church leaders should passionately and consistently challenge church members to maximize their influence with youth and young adults. Frequent and intentional contact can either prevent or counteract the tendency of some to drop out of church."
Fifty-eight percent of church dropouts selected at least one church or pastor-related reason for leaving church. Most common was, "church members seemed judgmental or hypocritical" (26 percent). Another 20 percent "didn’t feel connected to the people in my church."
The final category of reasons, "religious, ethical or political beliefs," contributed to the departure of 52 percent of church dropouts.
Two reasons for leaving reflect this category: "I disagreed with the church’s stance on political or social issues" (18 percent) and "I was only going to church to please others" (17 percent).
"Clearly the reasons young people leave are a reflection both of their past experience in church and the new opportunities they have as young adults," McConnell summarized. "To remain in church, a person must have experienced the value of the teaching and relationships at church and see the relevance for the next phase of life."
Why do some young people stay?
Although they only represent 30 percent of those who attended a Protestant church for at least a year in high school, young adults who stay in church through ages 18-22 see the relevance, benefits and purpose of the church now and for their future.
The two most frequent reasons young people stay in church relate to the relevance of church: "Church was a vital part of my relationship with God" (65 percent) and "I wanted the church to help guide my decisions in everyday life" (58 percent).
Half of those who stayed in church recognize benefits and say, "I felt that church was helping me become a better person" (50 percent).
Forty-two percent remained in church because they were "committed to the purpose and work of the church."
"The vitality and everyday relevance these young people experienced in church is a stark contrast to church dropouts who wanted a break from church and felt unconnected," McConnell said.
Already returning
Many of those who drop out do eventually return. Among church dropouts who are now ages 23-30, 35 percent currently attend church twice a month or more. Another 30 percent attend church more sporadically. Thus, about two-thirds of those who leave do return at some level.
This return to church after being gone for at least a year is primarily the result of encouragement from others. The most common reason for returning is "My parents or family members encouraged me to attend" (39 percent). Twenty-one percent attribute their return to "My friends or acquaintances encouraged me to attend." Combined, 50 percent of those who return were influenced by the encouragement of either family or friends.
Young adults also return to church when they feel the desire personally or sense God calling them back: "I simply felt the desire to return" (34 percent) and "I felt that God was calling me to return to the church" (28 percent).
Women are more likely than men to feel "the desire to return" (41 percent vs. 22 percent) and to feel "God was calling me to return to church" (34 percent vs. 18 percent).
In contrast to the life changes that drove many away from church, life events also bring young adults back to church.
Twenty-four percent return to church because "I had children and felt it was time for them to start attending." This reason is significantly more common for women than men (31 percent vs. 13 percent). Twenty percent "got married and wanted to attend with my spouse."
Turnover among attendees
Attendance patterns among teenagers and young adults reveal that each year many move in and out of consistent church attendance. Young adults were asked to indicate at which ages they attended church at least twice a month beginning with "under 14" through their current age.
Two out of three indicate they attended at the four youngest ages tested: under 14 (70 percent), age 14 (66 percent), age 15 (68 percent), and age 16 (68 percent). However, each year some began attending while others stopped attending twice a month. In fact, only 53 percent indicate they attended at all of these ages. This low level of loyalty through age 16 is a precursor to the declines that follow.
The percent attending twice a month drops sharply at ages 17, 18 and 19, with only 31 percent attending at age 19. Attendance remains low through age 22, and then slowly begins to climb.
"When, by God’s grace, young people see the church as essential in their lives and choose to continue attending, their loyalty remains strong," McConnell said. Among young adults ages 23-30 who stayed in church during ages 18-22, only 6 percent do not currently attend church.
Stetzer noted, "There is no easy way to say it, but it must be said. Parents and churches are not passing on a robust Christian faith and an accompanying commitment to the church. We can take some solace in the fact that many do eventually return. But, Christian parents and churches need to ask the hard question, ‘What is it about our faith commitment that does not find root in the lives of our children?’"
To listen to a podcast with Stetzer and McConnell discussing the research with leaders who serve in student and collegiate ministry, go to www.lifeway.com/insidelifeway. Inside LifeWay is the official news podcast of LifeWay Christian Resources. Read more about what these findings mean for church leaders by going online to www.lifewayresearch.com and www.edstetzer.com
Related Articles:
LifeWay Research: Parents, Churches Can Help Teens Stay in Church
© 2001-2007
LifeWay Christian Resources
July 27, 2007
Grady County
Phyllis and I had the privilege to be a part of the quarterly Ministers/Wives Fellowship in the Grady County Baptist Association on July 26. The significance of this was in part a changing of the guard. Dr. Paul Day is stepping down after over 5 years as Director of Missions and Rev. John Paul Hasik has been called to lead Grady County Baptists. Paul and Lucille Day have served Grady County faithfully. Best wishes Paul and Lucille. Welcome aboard John Paul and Sandy.
July 15, 2007
Jekyll 2007
We're back again at what my brother-in-law calls "The Best Little Island in All the World." I will reserve judgement on that until I see Nassau in January. Nevertheless here we are. Twelve for the moment but at times this week we will expand to 17.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Phil and Bai are due in today. I could say that will add two (but she is carrying twins so technically that's four).
We are about to leave for church...Jekyll Island Chapel is a mission of FBC, Brunswick. They have a retired pastor on staff that pastors the island chapel. There were about 100 in attendance. About 18 were members and the rest visitors. There were a group of World Changers present.
We have been on our bikes for about 5 miles, but the serious biking will begin today...Ahh...satisfaction. Doug and I just returned from biking the entire island. 15.158 miles. That's right...we did it...and are proud of it.
Well, that's all for today...
Monday, July 16...
Doug, Lisa, Bella, Phyllis and I rode our bikes to the post office to mail cards. From there we went to the Historic District, wharf and took the short route home.
After lunch we went to the beach. We posed for a group picture.
Later in the afternoon, Doug, David, Jeremy and I rode through the marsh.
Phil and Bai came over for dinner and we gave Bai a shower. She is expecting twins around the first of 2008.
Tuesday, July 17
The day began with a round of golf at the Jekyll Island Golf Club. 18 holes on Pine Lakes with my brother-in-law Joe and his oldest son Jeremy. It was hot, humid and great. That's golf.
Some of the ladies went to "Barbara-Jeans" for lunch. Phil and Bai were there.
After a sandwich it was to the beach for a while. Tonight we are going to Owen and Peggy Rogers for a low country boil. The Rogers are the parents of our neice, Bethany Bagwell.
July 7, 2007
Childhood Friends
On June 20th I returned to my hometown of Monroe, GA to attend the funeral of the father of my childhood friend, Greg Butler. Growing up we were best friends. In those early years we were inseparable. Growing up two doors apart, we played cowboys, football and church together
Greg grew up in a musical family. His mom was a piano virtuoso at five. His dad was our song leader. Music came natural to Greg and is still a vital part of his life. He is an accomplished guitarist and has passed his love and passion for music on to his children.
After high school our paths went in somewhat separate directions, but we both ended up in gospel ministry. Greg began a church in our hometown of Monroe, GA and I have been able to serve in Georgia my entire ministry.
Greg's younger brother, Tim, is a pastor in Charleston, SC. And my brother Brian, pastors in Gainesville, GA. We are among a long list of pastors to come out of our home church Walker Baptist in Monroe, GA.
When together for their father's funeral we reminisced of your boyhood days. We counted our blessings of being raised in godly homes. Love, church, the Word of God and security characterized our lives.
June 28, 2007
Why I Am A Baptist
Drs. Tom Nettles and Russ Moore have written a great book entitled "Why I Am A Baptist." Not the first book by this title, but extremely timely. I run into Baptists often that do not have a clue as to why they are Baptist. It is a great question to ask and ponder.
Someone once said, "I a Baptist born and Baptist bred and when I die I will be Baptist dead!" Well, I am proud to be a Baptist. I am Baptist by choice, but I am a Christian by the grace of God. More important than being Baptist is being saved, because it is extremely obvious that you can be Baptist without being saved. I know people that convince me of that every week.
I had the great fortune of being born to Christian parents who were both Christian and Baptist. Therefore I was raised in a Baptist home and furthermore church. I was in "cradle roll" or so I am told. I was a Sunbeam, Royal Ambassador and participated in Bible Drills. I attended Baptist schools and my education was paid for in large part by the Cooperative Program. (I will not take time in this blog entry to discuss the Cooperative Program, but it is by far the best vehicle for financing Kingdom Work that I know of).
There came a time, however, where I made my choice to remain Baptist, be Baptist and promote Baptist work around the world.
There are 3 Reasons why I am Baptist.
1. Because of who we are DOCTRINALLY
We believe in the Word of God, the Son of God, the Spirit of God, the Plan of God and both the finished work of God on the cross, the sanctifying work of God in the believer and the continuing work of God in the world.
2. Because of who we are MISSIOLOGICALLY
God had one Son and He was a missionary. 3 John 7-8 says, "For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such men, so that they may be fellow workers with the truth."
We believe that the Great Commission commands us to go, the Great Commandment commands us to love and that the only way to satisfy both is to GO and GIVE and GIVE and GO!.
3. Because of who we are EVANGELISTICALLY
Not only does the Great Commission command us to go, it commands us to Make Disciples. We live in a world that grows more lost every minute. Lostness comes in all shapes, sizes, nationalities and persuasions. But lost is LOST! Baptists have always held high the banner of evangelism and preached Jesus...for Jesus Saves!
Baptists stand firm and "contend for the faith once delivered to the saints," and I for one am glad to be counted among my brethren.
Someone once said, "I a Baptist born and Baptist bred and when I die I will be Baptist dead!" Well, I am proud to be a Baptist. I am Baptist by choice, but I am a Christian by the grace of God. More important than being Baptist is being saved, because it is extremely obvious that you can be Baptist without being saved. I know people that convince me of that every week.
I had the great fortune of being born to Christian parents who were both Christian and Baptist. Therefore I was raised in a Baptist home and furthermore church. I was in "cradle roll" or so I am told. I was a Sunbeam, Royal Ambassador and participated in Bible Drills. I attended Baptist schools and my education was paid for in large part by the Cooperative Program. (I will not take time in this blog entry to discuss the Cooperative Program, but it is by far the best vehicle for financing Kingdom Work that I know of).
There came a time, however, where I made my choice to remain Baptist, be Baptist and promote Baptist work around the world.
There are 3 Reasons why I am Baptist.
1. Because of who we are DOCTRINALLY
We believe in the Word of God, the Son of God, the Spirit of God, the Plan of God and both the finished work of God on the cross, the sanctifying work of God in the believer and the continuing work of God in the world.
2. Because of who we are MISSIOLOGICALLY
God had one Son and He was a missionary. 3 John 7-8 says, "For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such men, so that they may be fellow workers with the truth."
We believe that the Great Commission commands us to go, the Great Commandment commands us to love and that the only way to satisfy both is to GO and GIVE and GIVE and GO!.
3. Because of who we are EVANGELISTICALLY
Not only does the Great Commission command us to go, it commands us to Make Disciples. We live in a world that grows more lost every minute. Lostness comes in all shapes, sizes, nationalities and persuasions. But lost is LOST! Baptists have always held high the banner of evangelism and preached Jesus...for Jesus Saves!
Baptists stand firm and "contend for the faith once delivered to the saints," and I for one am glad to be counted among my brethren.
June 26, 2007
Gr'baby 3 on the way
Mimi and Pops are getting excited because Gr'baby 3 is on the way. Shauna, our oldest daughter and mother to our other two gr'kids, is expecting in December.
And because of modern medical technology here is a picture...
And because of modern medical technology here is a picture...
June 6, 2007
Remember D-Day, Part 2
This post is lengthy, but necessary. You may be hard pressed to find this in the liberal media as we remember D-Day, but you will find some self-interested politician's slam on White House Administration. You will read about why we should bring our troops home from those who really don't care about our troops at all.
Read and remember that day in history when America was at her best and when those at home prayed and stood by them.
Remarks at the U.S. Ranger Monument
Pointe du Hoc, France
June 6, 1984
This speech was delivered at the site of the U.S. Ranger Monument at Pointe du Hoc, France, by then President Ronald Reagan, where veterans of the Normandy Invasion, and others, had assembled for the ceremony.
"We're here to mark that day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For four long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed for its rescue. Here in Normandy the rescue began. Here the Allies stood and fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history.
We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France. The air is soft, but 40 years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke and the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June, 1944, 225 Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs. Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns. The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of these guns were here and they would be trained on the beaches to stop the Allied advance.
The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers--the edge of the cliffs shooting down at them with machine guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After two days of fighting, only 90 could still bear arms.
Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before me are the men who put them there.
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war.
Gentlemen, I look at you and I think of the words of Stephen Spender's poem. You are men who in your "lives fought for life . . . and left the vivid air signed with your honor.''
I think I know what you may be thinking right now--thinking, "We were just part of a bigger effort; everyone was brave that day.'' Well, everyone was. Do you remember the story of Bill Millin of the 51st Highlanders? Forty years ago today, British troops were pinned down near a bridge, waiting desperately for help. Suddenly, they heard the sound of bagpipes, and some thought they were dreaming. Well, they weren't. They looked up and saw Bill Millin with his bagpipes, leading the reinforcements and ignoring the smack of the bullets into the ground around him.
Lord Lovat was with him--Lord Lovat of Scotland, who calmly announced when he got to the bridge, "Sorry I'm a few minutes late,'' as if he'd been delayed by a traffic jam, when in truth he'd just come from the bloody fighting on Sword Beach, which he and his men had just taken.
There was the impossible valor of the Poles who threw themselves between the enemy and the rest of Europe as the invasion took hold, and the unsurpassed courage of the Canadians who had already seen the horrors of war on this coast. They knew what awaited them there, but they would not be deterred. And once they hit Juno Beach, they never looked back.
All of these men were part of a rollcall of honor with names that spoke of a pride as bright as the colors they bore: the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Poland's 24th Lancers, the Royal Scots Fusiliers, the Screaming Eagles, the Yeomen of England's armored divisions, the forces of Free France, the Coast Guard's "Matchbox Fleet'' and you, the American Rangers.
Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet, you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief; it was loyalty and love.
The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge--and pray God we have not lost it--that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.
You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you.
The Americans who fought here that morning knew word of the invasion was spreading through the darkness back home. They thought--or felt in their hearts, though they couldn't know in fact, that in Georgia they were filling the churches at 4 a.m., in Kansas they were kneeling on their porches and praying, and in Philadelphia they were ringing the Liberty Bell.
Something else helped the men of D-Day: their rock-hard belief that Providence would have a great hand in the events that would unfold here; that God was an ally in this great cause. And so, the night before the invasion, when Colonel Wolverton asked his parachute troops to kneel with him in prayer he told them: Do not bow your heads, but look up so you can see God and ask His blessing in what we're about to do. Also that night, General Matthew Ridgway on his cot, listening in the darkness for the promise God made to Joshua: "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.''
These are the things that impelled them; these are the things that shaped the unity of the Allies.
When the war was over, there were lives to be rebuilt and governments to be returned to the people. There were nations to be reborn. Above all, there was a new peace to be assured. These were huge and daunting tasks. But the Allies summoned strength from the faith, belief, loyalty, and love of those who fell here. They rebuilt a new Europe together.
There was first a great reconciliation among those who had been enemies, all of whom had suffered so greatly. The United States did its part, creating the Marshall Plan to help rebuild our allies and our former enemies. The Marshall Plan led to the Atlantic alliance--a great alliance that serves to this day as our shield for freedom, for prosperity, and for peace.
In spite of our great efforts and successes, not all that followed the end of the war was happy or planned. Some liberated countries were lost. The great sadness of this loss echoes down to our own time in the streets of Warsaw, Prague, and East Berlin. Soviet troops that came to the center of this continent did not leave when peace came. They're still there, uninvited, unwanted, unyielding, almost 40 years after the war. Because of this, Allied forces still stand on this continent. Today, as 40 years ago, our armies are here for only one purpose--to protect and defend democracy. The only territories we hold are memorials like this one and graveyards where our heroes rest.
We in America have learned bitter lessons from two World Wars: It is better to be here ready to protect the peace than to take blind shelter across the sea, rushing to respond only after freedom is lost. We've learned that isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to tyrannical governments with an expansionist intent.
But we try always to be prepared for peace; prepared to deter aggression; prepared to negotiate the reduction of arms; and, yes, prepared to reach out again in the spirit of reconciliation. In truth, there is no reconciliation we would welcome more than a reconciliation with the Soviet Union, so, together, we can lessen the risks of war, now and forever.
It's fitting to remember here the great losses also suffered by the Russian people during World War II: 20 million perished, a terrible price that testifies to all the world the necessity of ending war. I tell you from my heart that we in the United States do not want war. We want to wipe from the face of the Earth the terrible weapons that man now has in his hands. And I tell you, we are ready to seize that beachhead. We look for some sign from the Soviet Union that they are willing to move forward, that they share our desire and love for peace, and that they will give up the ways of conquest. There must be a changing there that will allow us to turn our hope into action.
We will pray forever that some day that changing will come. But for now, particularly today, it is good and fitting to renew our commitment to each other, to our freedom, and to the alliance that protects it.
We are bound today by what bound us 40 years ago, the same loyalties, traditions, and beliefs. We're bound by reality. The strength of America's allies is vital to the United States, and the American security guarantee is essential to the continued freedom of Europe's democracies. We were with you then; we are with you now. Your hopes are our hopes, and your destiny is our destiny.
Here, in this place where the West held together, let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Let our actions say to them the words for which Matthew Ridgway listened: "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.''
Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their value [valor], and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died.
Thank you very much, and God bless you all."
Read and remember that day in history when America was at her best and when those at home prayed and stood by them.
Remarks at the U.S. Ranger Monument
Pointe du Hoc, France
June 6, 1984
This speech was delivered at the site of the U.S. Ranger Monument at Pointe du Hoc, France, by then President Ronald Reagan, where veterans of the Normandy Invasion, and others, had assembled for the ceremony.
"We're here to mark that day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For four long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed for its rescue. Here in Normandy the rescue began. Here the Allies stood and fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history.
We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France. The air is soft, but 40 years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke and the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June, 1944, 225 Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs. Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns. The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of these guns were here and they would be trained on the beaches to stop the Allied advance.
The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers--the edge of the cliffs shooting down at them with machine guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After two days of fighting, only 90 could still bear arms.
Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before me are the men who put them there.
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war.
Gentlemen, I look at you and I think of the words of Stephen Spender's poem. You are men who in your "lives fought for life . . . and left the vivid air signed with your honor.''
I think I know what you may be thinking right now--thinking, "We were just part of a bigger effort; everyone was brave that day.'' Well, everyone was. Do you remember the story of Bill Millin of the 51st Highlanders? Forty years ago today, British troops were pinned down near a bridge, waiting desperately for help. Suddenly, they heard the sound of bagpipes, and some thought they were dreaming. Well, they weren't. They looked up and saw Bill Millin with his bagpipes, leading the reinforcements and ignoring the smack of the bullets into the ground around him.
Lord Lovat was with him--Lord Lovat of Scotland, who calmly announced when he got to the bridge, "Sorry I'm a few minutes late,'' as if he'd been delayed by a traffic jam, when in truth he'd just come from the bloody fighting on Sword Beach, which he and his men had just taken.
There was the impossible valor of the Poles who threw themselves between the enemy and the rest of Europe as the invasion took hold, and the unsurpassed courage of the Canadians who had already seen the horrors of war on this coast. They knew what awaited them there, but they would not be deterred. And once they hit Juno Beach, they never looked back.
All of these men were part of a rollcall of honor with names that spoke of a pride as bright as the colors they bore: the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Poland's 24th Lancers, the Royal Scots Fusiliers, the Screaming Eagles, the Yeomen of England's armored divisions, the forces of Free France, the Coast Guard's "Matchbox Fleet'' and you, the American Rangers.
Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet, you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief; it was loyalty and love.
The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge--and pray God we have not lost it--that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.
You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you.
The Americans who fought here that morning knew word of the invasion was spreading through the darkness back home. They thought--or felt in their hearts, though they couldn't know in fact, that in Georgia they were filling the churches at 4 a.m., in Kansas they were kneeling on their porches and praying, and in Philadelphia they were ringing the Liberty Bell.
Something else helped the men of D-Day: their rock-hard belief that Providence would have a great hand in the events that would unfold here; that God was an ally in this great cause. And so, the night before the invasion, when Colonel Wolverton asked his parachute troops to kneel with him in prayer he told them: Do not bow your heads, but look up so you can see God and ask His blessing in what we're about to do. Also that night, General Matthew Ridgway on his cot, listening in the darkness for the promise God made to Joshua: "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.''
These are the things that impelled them; these are the things that shaped the unity of the Allies.
When the war was over, there were lives to be rebuilt and governments to be returned to the people. There were nations to be reborn. Above all, there was a new peace to be assured. These were huge and daunting tasks. But the Allies summoned strength from the faith, belief, loyalty, and love of those who fell here. They rebuilt a new Europe together.
There was first a great reconciliation among those who had been enemies, all of whom had suffered so greatly. The United States did its part, creating the Marshall Plan to help rebuild our allies and our former enemies. The Marshall Plan led to the Atlantic alliance--a great alliance that serves to this day as our shield for freedom, for prosperity, and for peace.
In spite of our great efforts and successes, not all that followed the end of the war was happy or planned. Some liberated countries were lost. The great sadness of this loss echoes down to our own time in the streets of Warsaw, Prague, and East Berlin. Soviet troops that came to the center of this continent did not leave when peace came. They're still there, uninvited, unwanted, unyielding, almost 40 years after the war. Because of this, Allied forces still stand on this continent. Today, as 40 years ago, our armies are here for only one purpose--to protect and defend democracy. The only territories we hold are memorials like this one and graveyards where our heroes rest.
We in America have learned bitter lessons from two World Wars: It is better to be here ready to protect the peace than to take blind shelter across the sea, rushing to respond only after freedom is lost. We've learned that isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to tyrannical governments with an expansionist intent.
But we try always to be prepared for peace; prepared to deter aggression; prepared to negotiate the reduction of arms; and, yes, prepared to reach out again in the spirit of reconciliation. In truth, there is no reconciliation we would welcome more than a reconciliation with the Soviet Union, so, together, we can lessen the risks of war, now and forever.
It's fitting to remember here the great losses also suffered by the Russian people during World War II: 20 million perished, a terrible price that testifies to all the world the necessity of ending war. I tell you from my heart that we in the United States do not want war. We want to wipe from the face of the Earth the terrible weapons that man now has in his hands. And I tell you, we are ready to seize that beachhead. We look for some sign from the Soviet Union that they are willing to move forward, that they share our desire and love for peace, and that they will give up the ways of conquest. There must be a changing there that will allow us to turn our hope into action.
We will pray forever that some day that changing will come. But for now, particularly today, it is good and fitting to renew our commitment to each other, to our freedom, and to the alliance that protects it.
We are bound today by what bound us 40 years ago, the same loyalties, traditions, and beliefs. We're bound by reality. The strength of America's allies is vital to the United States, and the American security guarantee is essential to the continued freedom of Europe's democracies. We were with you then; we are with you now. Your hopes are our hopes, and your destiny is our destiny.
Here, in this place where the West held together, let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Let our actions say to them the words for which Matthew Ridgway listened: "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.''
Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their value [valor], and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died.
Thank you very much, and God bless you all."
Remembering D-ay
The following is a prayer by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States on the occasion of D-Day. There was a day when America prayed. There was a day when America understood that "separation of church and state" was designed to keep government out of religion and not religion out of government. Listen and read FDR's prayer for our soldiers and his challenge to his fellow Americans to stand tall on their knees.
My Fellow Americans:
Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our Allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.
And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:
Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.
Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.
They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest -- until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war.
For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.
Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.
And for us at home -- fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them -- help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.
Many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.
Give us strength, too -- strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.
And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.
And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keeness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment -- let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.
With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace -- a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.
Thy will be done, Almighty God.
Amen.
Franklin D. Roosevelt - June 6, 1944
My Fellow Americans:
Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our Allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.
And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:
Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.
Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.
They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest -- until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war.
For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.
Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.
And for us at home -- fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them -- help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.
Many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.
Give us strength, too -- strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.
And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.
And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keeness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment -- let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.
With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace -- a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.
Thy will be done, Almighty God.
Amen.
Franklin D. Roosevelt - June 6, 1944
May 30, 2007
Identifying Problems in the ‘Emerging Church’
Insider weekly newsletter to The Moral Majority Coalition and
The Liberty Alliance http://www.moralmajority.com
From: Jerry Falwell
Date: April 13, 2007
The late economist Peter Drucker said a few years ago: “Every few hundred years in Western history there occurs a sharp transformation ... Fifty years later, there is a new world. And the people born then cannot even imagine the world in which their grandparents lived.”
I believe we are witnessing a modern effort to transform the church into an institution that experiences broad cultural acceptance. This effort, known as the Emerging Church, is a much-talked about movement that has brought new challenges into the Church of Jesus Christ.
The so-called Emerging Church movement was formed out of frustration with dead and irrelevant evangelicalism. The problem is that it has decided to modernize and re-create the church so as not to offend sinners. This renders virtually meaningless the life-changing message of the Gospel.
John 8:32 tells us: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” This is not truth that can be modified to fit cultural whims; it is as relevant today as it was when John was inspired by God to write those words around AD 170.
However, the website of The Leadership Network, the headquarters of the Emerging (or sometimes Emergent) Church movement, states that their outlook on “truth” offers a “flexible approach to theology whereby individual differences in belief and morality are accepted within reason.”
The site further states that members wish to “reanalyze the Bible against the context into which it was written.”
This is very dangerous territory.
Such a view opens perilous avenues that enable suggestions that Jesus is not the Christ, that the Bible is not inspired by God Himself and that there are ways to heaven other than through Jesus. Such notions counter the very fabric of the Gospel.
In this era of diversity and political correctness, we can ill afford to weaken the very foundations of the Gospel.
But the Emerging Church has determined that core doctrine and theology are sometimes roadblocks to converting the lost.
This is the epitome of contradiction.
Further, Emerging Church groups have decided that profanity and vulgar talk from the pulpit and elsewhere is acceptable because it is relevant to the culture. Such teachings counter the biblical teachings that Christians are “new creatures in Christ.”
Another problem of the Emerging Church is that its leaders, who no doubt started out with good intentions, have very little theological training. Their emphasis has been on appearances. Many of its leaders have been to “conferences” that tell them how to do things, but they don’t know why they are doing them. Thus, they have a little bit of knowledge, but no wisdom.
Dr. James McDonald spoke my feelings when he said: “I resonate deeply with much of the criticism flowing from the Emerging Church against current Western Christianity, but I am deeply grieved to see the emergent remedies accepted so uncritically by those who feel gratified by the accuracy of their critiques.”
While I have no problem with the church adapting to the culture, we must ensure that we remain painstakingly true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that we remain obedient servants to His truths.
As Jesus stated: “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me …” (John 14:21).
The Liberty Alliance http://www.moralmajority.com
From: Jerry Falwell
Date: April 13, 2007
The late economist Peter Drucker said a few years ago: “Every few hundred years in Western history there occurs a sharp transformation ... Fifty years later, there is a new world. And the people born then cannot even imagine the world in which their grandparents lived.”
I believe we are witnessing a modern effort to transform the church into an institution that experiences broad cultural acceptance. This effort, known as the Emerging Church, is a much-talked about movement that has brought new challenges into the Church of Jesus Christ.
The so-called Emerging Church movement was formed out of frustration with dead and irrelevant evangelicalism. The problem is that it has decided to modernize and re-create the church so as not to offend sinners. This renders virtually meaningless the life-changing message of the Gospel.
John 8:32 tells us: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” This is not truth that can be modified to fit cultural whims; it is as relevant today as it was when John was inspired by God to write those words around AD 170.
However, the website of The Leadership Network, the headquarters of the Emerging (or sometimes Emergent) Church movement, states that their outlook on “truth” offers a “flexible approach to theology whereby individual differences in belief and morality are accepted within reason.”
The site further states that members wish to “reanalyze the Bible against the context into which it was written.”
This is very dangerous territory.
Such a view opens perilous avenues that enable suggestions that Jesus is not the Christ, that the Bible is not inspired by God Himself and that there are ways to heaven other than through Jesus. Such notions counter the very fabric of the Gospel.
In this era of diversity and political correctness, we can ill afford to weaken the very foundations of the Gospel.
But the Emerging Church has determined that core doctrine and theology are sometimes roadblocks to converting the lost.
This is the epitome of contradiction.
Further, Emerging Church groups have decided that profanity and vulgar talk from the pulpit and elsewhere is acceptable because it is relevant to the culture. Such teachings counter the biblical teachings that Christians are “new creatures in Christ.”
Another problem of the Emerging Church is that its leaders, who no doubt started out with good intentions, have very little theological training. Their emphasis has been on appearances. Many of its leaders have been to “conferences” that tell them how to do things, but they don’t know why they are doing them. Thus, they have a little bit of knowledge, but no wisdom.
Dr. James McDonald spoke my feelings when he said: “I resonate deeply with much of the criticism flowing from the Emerging Church against current Western Christianity, but I am deeply grieved to see the emergent remedies accepted so uncritically by those who feel gratified by the accuracy of their critiques.”
While I have no problem with the church adapting to the culture, we must ensure that we remain painstakingly true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that we remain obedient servants to His truths.
As Jesus stated: “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me …” (John 14:21).
Why The Local Church Is Important
David Jeremiah
(The following story was carried by Baptist Press on May 25, 2007)
EL CAJON, Calif. (BP)--Today millions of Americans carry a Triple-A roadside assistance card. It's worth its weight in platinum when you blow a tire or run out of gas on a darkened road. The church also exists, in part, so its members can encourage each other by lending a hand. God planned for His local churches to offer roadside assistance.
The church does that primarily by providing the uplift of worship. In the Gospels, the disciples gathered behind locked doors on the evening of the first Easter, insecure and uncertain. But Jesus suddenly appeared among them, and they saw Him with 20/20 vision; for John 20:20 says, "Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord."
"Glad" is a great description of the church in worship. The psalmist said, "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord'" (Psalm 122:1).
When we walk through the doors of our church, we're there to focus on who Jesus is. He's alive, and we are glad. We can be joyous people, worshippers who stand and sing His praises, and who sit at His feet to hear His word.
That's why there's exuberance in our services. Sunday morning is a time of celebration. The church is a house of happiness, rejoicing because Jesus is among us and we are glad. It's not manufactured joy, but a natural, normal response to who He is. We lift up Jesus first and foremost, and when we lift Him up, we get excited and we can't help but rejoice.
As we lift Him up, we receive the uplift of praise. We encourage one another with the contagious joy of the Spirit. We dare not miss that. Hebrews 10:25 warns against neglecting "the assembling of ourselves together." The book of Acts says the early Christians gladly received the Gospel, were baptized, were added to the church, and "they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:41-42).
FRIENDSHIP
That suggests another element of roadside assistance: friendship and fellowship. The church is a place where people get together -- they assemble. The very word "church" is a translation of the Greek term "ecclesia," meaning those who have been "called out" of the world and into a gathering of God's people where we can assemble and find commonality.
If we're going to have congregations that make a difference, we must focus more on people than on programs, and more on relationships than on rituals. We're going to have to find ways of bringing people together in small groups, support groups, Bible studies, ministry teams and fellowship circles.
The church needs to be a place that knows how to hug. Love is manifested and relationships are built in church.
PARTNERSHIP
The church also assists us by providing opportunities to partner with Christ in accomplishing the greatest work in the world. It's a place where you can influence others for Christ. We can change the world one person at a time.
One of the problems with today's church in America is that we've become consumer-based. We want to take in, but we've forgotten that the purpose of getting is to give out. Yes, the church is here to meet our needs, but if we turn our attention simply on ourselves and are always thinking about what we can get out of church, then our whole philosophy and purpose is wrong.
We're called to be partners together with God, and sometimes that involves hard work. God has a ministry for you in His church, and finding it adds a sense of purpose and fulfillment to your life.
Cities and societies are built up and torn down, but the church remains steadfast through the ages to assist God's people along the road of life.
Don't neglect your roadside assistance. Don't forsake the assembling of yourselves together. Be in church Sunday and discover the worship, fellowship, and partnership of being part of a group that says, "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord.'"
--30--
David Jeremiah is the founder of Turning Point for God, senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, Calif., and chancellor of San Diego Christian College (formerly Christian Heritage College). For more information on Turning Point, visit www.TurningPointOnline.org.
May 15, 2007
A HERO GOES HOME
I was traveling when my wife called to inform me of the death of the Reverend Jerry Falwell. My first thought..."another giant has left us." W.A. Criswell, Adrian Rogers, Manley Beasley, Bertha Smith and now...Jerry Falwell. Although each of the aforementioned had different gifts and ministries in the Kingdom, God used them mightily. Jerry Falwell stood for righteousness. He stood toe to toe with liberals, athiests and militants.
Several years ago, he led his church (Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, VA)traditionally independent to affiliate with the Southern Baptist Convention. Conservative, before conservative was cool, he liked what he saw in the resurgence of the largest evangelical denomination in the world.
The news media is calling him a television evangelist. I suppose in some regards he was, but he was more. He was a pastor first and foremost. He was a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ and he did not waver one bit in his commitment to the gospel. He was an educator, apologist and visionary. He was a husband, father and grandfather. And I must not leave out that he was a lover of pastors.
Frank Page, SBC President said, "His ministry must be seen from the perspective of being a pastor. Dr. Falwell never aspired to be anything other than a pastor who spoke prophetically the Word of God. Not everyone agreed with his stances, but all should admire his passion and commitment to the cause of Christ to the end. He desperately wanted our culture to understand God and to understand where obedience and disobedience lead."
Dr. Richard Land is quoted saying, "A true giant of the faith has gone on to his heavenly reward. Our grief at our loss of his witness, energy and giftedness for the kingdom is mitigated by the fact that he is now with his Savior for eternity. Dr. Falwell’s home-going leaves an enormous gap in the leadership ranks of evangelical Christianity in America and around the world. He will be greatly missed."
Dr. Morris Chapman, SBC Executive Director said of Falwell, "Jerry Falwell leaves a spiritual legacy that is lasting. During a tumultuous time in our culture, he took a stand on the Word of God that emboldened evangelicals to come together to speak in a common voice for the protection of our country’s moral and spiritual values. He will be known not only for his leadership on issues debated in the public square, but also for his tireless work to establish ministries to the hurting and those in need."
In 1998, Phyllis and I had the privilege of going to Israel with Him. You haven't lived until you run where Jesus walked with Jerry Falwell. Unlike the liberal media would characterize him, he was charming, witty, adventursome and fun to be around. What a great guy.
All three of our daughters attended Liberty. Yes they were Jerry's kids and the impact that the school and Dr. Falwell had on their lives is immeasurable. They will be forever grateful for the opportunity to attend and blessed to be LU grads.
Thank you Jerry. I know you have already heard it from Him, but "well done."
May 11, 2007
Moral Decadence
J.J. Jasper is the host of a radio program for American Family Radio. The following letter was posted on his blog. It is from a listener from Branson, MO.
"While I was visiting the Ukraine, our group had the opportunity to tour six prisons, speak to large groups of inmates and have meetings through the country with prison administrators. The goal of our visit was to educate prison authorities of the importance of faith-based programs in the prisons. At each correctional facility, we began by meeting with the warden. At one of the units, a warden, after learning that I had 25 years of experience in corrections, asked me a challenging question. He asked, “As great as the United States is, why do you incarcerate more men and women than any country in the world?” I felt that I had to answer him honestly and frankly. I shared that I believed our prison population is a reflection of our society. I explained by saying that we have had a breakdown of the home; for example: divorce, domestic and child abuse, etc. We have removed Bible study and prayer from our schools. We have permitted abortions any time, any place and under almost any circumstances. We are permitting same sex marriages. We promote violence through our media outlets. Pornography is a billion dollar a year industry in our country. After these brief statements to this warden, I concluded by saying that it is no surprise that we incarcerate more people than any other country. I restated that our prison population is a reflection of our moral breakdown in society. He surprised me when he responded by saying, “That is what I thought [too]. I was just wondering if that is what you believed.”
Isn't it interesting that there are those in other parts of the world that know our problem better than we do? Sometimes we "can't see the forest for the trees."
"While I was visiting the Ukraine, our group had the opportunity to tour six prisons, speak to large groups of inmates and have meetings through the country with prison administrators. The goal of our visit was to educate prison authorities of the importance of faith-based programs in the prisons. At each correctional facility, we began by meeting with the warden. At one of the units, a warden, after learning that I had 25 years of experience in corrections, asked me a challenging question. He asked, “As great as the United States is, why do you incarcerate more men and women than any country in the world?” I felt that I had to answer him honestly and frankly. I shared that I believed our prison population is a reflection of our society. I explained by saying that we have had a breakdown of the home; for example: divorce, domestic and child abuse, etc. We have removed Bible study and prayer from our schools. We have permitted abortions any time, any place and under almost any circumstances. We are permitting same sex marriages. We promote violence through our media outlets. Pornography is a billion dollar a year industry in our country. After these brief statements to this warden, I concluded by saying that it is no surprise that we incarcerate more people than any other country. I restated that our prison population is a reflection of our moral breakdown in society. He surprised me when he responded by saying, “That is what I thought [too]. I was just wondering if that is what you believed.”
Isn't it interesting that there are those in other parts of the world that know our problem better than we do? Sometimes we "can't see the forest for the trees."
WHERE WILL WE BE IN 100 YEARS?
?? THE YEAR 1907??
This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!
The year is 1907.
One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some statistics for the Year 1907 :
************************************
The average life expectancy was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles
Of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
The average wage in 1907 was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year .
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .
Ninety percent of al doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which
Were condemned in the press AND the government as "substandard."
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used
Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from
Entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea
Hadn't been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
( Shocking? HUH! )
Eighteen percent of households had at least
One full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE ! U.S.A. !
Now I forwarded this from someone else without typing
It myself, and sent it to you and others all over the United States,&Canada�
Possibly the world, in a matter of seconds!
Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.
This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!
The year is 1907.
One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some statistics for the Year 1907 :
************************************
The average life expectancy was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles
Of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
The average wage in 1907 was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year .
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .
Ninety percent of al doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which
Were condemned in the press AND the government as "substandard."
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used
Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from
Entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea
Hadn't been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
( Shocking? HUH! )
Eighteen percent of households had at least
One full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE ! U.S.A. !
Now I forwarded this from someone else without typing
It myself, and sent it to you and others all over the United States,&Canada�
Possibly the world, in a matter of seconds!
Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.
April 9, 2007
The Masters
Through the generosity of a good friend Phyllis and I were able to attend the 3rd and final rounds of the 2007 Master's in Augusta, GA.Zach Johnson was the winner posting a 3-under par 69 on the final day to a two stroke victory over Tiger Woods, Retief Goosen and Rory Sabbatini. It was his first win since the 2004 BellSouth Classic his rookie year and his first major.
What makes this even more special...he's a believer. PTL!
Here are some pictures.
March 28, 2007
Training our Children
I am thankful for three daughters who love the Lord. The Bible exhorts us to train up our children. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).
I am a Southern Baptist. I also live in the south. We are big on evangelism and missions, Sunday School and Discipleship. We believe that the Bible is the innerant and infallible Word of God. Like other denominations we have our way of doing things.
The Presbyterians have the Shorter Catechism. They would do well not to forget it and we would be better off learning it.
The following article is quite lengthy, but well worth the read.
Is the Shorter CatechismWorth While?
Benjamin B. Warfield
The Shorter Catechism is, perhaps, not very easy to learn. And very certainly it will not teach itself. Its framers were less careful to make it easy than to make it good. As one of them, Lazarus Seaman, explained, they sought to set down in it not the knowledge the child has, but the knowledge the child ought to have. And they did not dream that anyone could expect it to teach itself. They committed it rather to faithful men who were zealous teachers of the truth, "to be," as the Scottish General Assembly puts it in the Act approving it, "a Directory for catechizing such as are of a weaker capacity," as they sent out the Larger Catechism "to be a Directory for catechizing such as have made some proficiency in the knowledge of the grounds of religion."No doubt it requires some effort whether to teach or to learn the Shorter Catechism. It requires some effort whether to teach or to learn the grounds of any department of knowledge. Our children — some of them at least — groan over even the primary arithmetic and find sentence-analysis a burden. Even the conquest of the art of reading has proved such a task that "reading without tears" is deemed an achievement. We think, nevertheless, that the acquisition of arithmetic, grammar and reading is worth the pains it costs the teacher to teach, and the pain it costs the learner to learn them. Do we not think the acquisition of the grounds of religion worth some effort, and even, if need be, some tears?For, the grounds of religion must be taught and learned as truly as the grounds of anything else. Let us make no mistake here. Religion does not come of itself: it is always a matter of instruction. The emotions of the heart, in which many seem to think religion too exclusively to consist, ever follow the movements of the thought. Passion for service cannot take the place of passion for truth, or safely outrun the acquisition of truth; for it is dreadfully possible to compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, to find we have made him only a "son of hell." This is why God establishes and extends his Church by the ordinance of preaching; it is why we have Sunday schools and Bible classes. Nay, this is why God has grounded his Church in revelation. He does not content himself with sending his Spirit into the world to turn men to him. He sends his Word into the world as well. Because, it is from knowledge of the truth, and only from the knowledge of the truth, that under the quickening influence of the Spirit true religion can be born. Is it not worth the pains of the teacher to communicate, the pain of the scholar to acquire this knowledge of the truth? How unhappy the expedient to withhold the truth — that truth under the guidance of which the religious nature must function if it is to function aright — that we may save ourselves these pains, our pupils this pain!An anecdote told of Dwight L. Moody will illustrate the value to the religious life of having been taught these forms of truth. He was staying with a Scottish friend in London, but suppose we let the narrator tell the story. "A young man had come to speak to Mr. Moody about religious things. He was in difficulty about a number of points, among the rest about prayer and natural laws. 'What is prayer?,' he said, 'I can't tell what you mean by it!' They were in the hall of a large London house. Before Moody could answer, a child's voice was heard singing on the stairs. It was that of a little girl of nine or ten, the daughter of their host. She came running down the stairs and paused as she saw strangers sitting in the hall. 'Come here, Jenny,' her father said, 'and tell this gentleman "What is prayer." ' Jenny did not know what had been going on, but she quite understood that she was now called upon to say her Catechism. So she drew herself up, and folded her hands in front of her, like a good little girl who was going to 'say her questions,' and she said in her clear childish voice: "Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies." 'Ah! That's the Catechism!' Moody said, 'thank God for that Catechism.' "How many have had occasion to "thank God for that Catechism!" Did anyone ever know a really devout man who regretted having been taught the Shorter Catechism — even with tears — in his youth? How its forms of sound words come reverberating back into the memory, in moments of trial and suffering, of doubt and temptation, giving direction to religious aspirations, firmness to hesitating thought, guidance to stumbling feet: and adding to our religious meditations an ever-increasing richness and depth. "The older I grow," said Thomas Carlyle in his old age, "and now I stand on the brink of eternity, the more comes back to me the first sentence in the Catechism, which I learned when a child, and the fuller and deeper its meaning becomes: "What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and to enjoy him forever." Robert Louis Stevenson, too, had learned this Catechism when a child; and though he wandered far from the faith in which it would guide his feet, he could never escape from its influence, and he never lost his admiration (may we not even say, his reverence) for it. Mrs. Sellars, a shrewd, if kindly, observer, tells us in her delightful "Recollections" that Stevenson bore with him to his dying day what she calls "the indelible mark of the Shorter Catechism"; and he himself shows how he esteemed it when he set over against one another what he calls the "English" and the "Scottish" Catechisms — the former, as he says, beginning by "tritely inquiring 'What is your name?,' " the latter by "striking at the very roots of life with 'What is the chief end of man?' and answering nobly, if obscurely, 'To glorify God and to enjoy him forever.' "What is "the indelible mark of the Shorter Catechism"? We have the following bit of personal experience from a general officer of the United States army. He was in a great western city at a time of intense excitement and violent rioting. The streets were over-run daily by a dangerous crowd. One day he observed approaching him a man of singularly combined calmness and firmness of mien, whose very demeanor inspired confidence. So impressed was he with his bearing amid the surrounding uproar that when he had passed he turned to look back at him, only to find that the stranger had done the same. On observing his turning the stranger at once came back to him, and touching his chest with his forefinger, demanded without preface: "What is the chief end of man?" On receiving the countersign, "Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever" — "Ah!" said he, "I knew you were a Shorter Catechism boy by your looks!" "Why, that was just what I was thinking of you," was the rejoinder.It is worth while to be a Shorter Catechism boy. They grow to be men. And better than that, they are exceedingly apt to grow to be men of God. So apt, that we cannot afford to have them miss the chance of it. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it."
I am a Southern Baptist. I also live in the south. We are big on evangelism and missions, Sunday School and Discipleship. We believe that the Bible is the innerant and infallible Word of God. Like other denominations we have our way of doing things.
The Presbyterians have the Shorter Catechism. They would do well not to forget it and we would be better off learning it.
The following article is quite lengthy, but well worth the read.
Is the Shorter CatechismWorth While?
Benjamin B. Warfield
The Shorter Catechism is, perhaps, not very easy to learn. And very certainly it will not teach itself. Its framers were less careful to make it easy than to make it good. As one of them, Lazarus Seaman, explained, they sought to set down in it not the knowledge the child has, but the knowledge the child ought to have. And they did not dream that anyone could expect it to teach itself. They committed it rather to faithful men who were zealous teachers of the truth, "to be," as the Scottish General Assembly puts it in the Act approving it, "a Directory for catechizing such as are of a weaker capacity," as they sent out the Larger Catechism "to be a Directory for catechizing such as have made some proficiency in the knowledge of the grounds of religion."No doubt it requires some effort whether to teach or to learn the Shorter Catechism. It requires some effort whether to teach or to learn the grounds of any department of knowledge. Our children — some of them at least — groan over even the primary arithmetic and find sentence-analysis a burden. Even the conquest of the art of reading has proved such a task that "reading without tears" is deemed an achievement. We think, nevertheless, that the acquisition of arithmetic, grammar and reading is worth the pains it costs the teacher to teach, and the pain it costs the learner to learn them. Do we not think the acquisition of the grounds of religion worth some effort, and even, if need be, some tears?For, the grounds of religion must be taught and learned as truly as the grounds of anything else. Let us make no mistake here. Religion does not come of itself: it is always a matter of instruction. The emotions of the heart, in which many seem to think religion too exclusively to consist, ever follow the movements of the thought. Passion for service cannot take the place of passion for truth, or safely outrun the acquisition of truth; for it is dreadfully possible to compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, to find we have made him only a "son of hell." This is why God establishes and extends his Church by the ordinance of preaching; it is why we have Sunday schools and Bible classes. Nay, this is why God has grounded his Church in revelation. He does not content himself with sending his Spirit into the world to turn men to him. He sends his Word into the world as well. Because, it is from knowledge of the truth, and only from the knowledge of the truth, that under the quickening influence of the Spirit true religion can be born. Is it not worth the pains of the teacher to communicate, the pain of the scholar to acquire this knowledge of the truth? How unhappy the expedient to withhold the truth — that truth under the guidance of which the religious nature must function if it is to function aright — that we may save ourselves these pains, our pupils this pain!An anecdote told of Dwight L. Moody will illustrate the value to the religious life of having been taught these forms of truth. He was staying with a Scottish friend in London, but suppose we let the narrator tell the story. "A young man had come to speak to Mr. Moody about religious things. He was in difficulty about a number of points, among the rest about prayer and natural laws. 'What is prayer?,' he said, 'I can't tell what you mean by it!' They were in the hall of a large London house. Before Moody could answer, a child's voice was heard singing on the stairs. It was that of a little girl of nine or ten, the daughter of their host. She came running down the stairs and paused as she saw strangers sitting in the hall. 'Come here, Jenny,' her father said, 'and tell this gentleman "What is prayer." ' Jenny did not know what had been going on, but she quite understood that she was now called upon to say her Catechism. So she drew herself up, and folded her hands in front of her, like a good little girl who was going to 'say her questions,' and she said in her clear childish voice: "Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies." 'Ah! That's the Catechism!' Moody said, 'thank God for that Catechism.' "How many have had occasion to "thank God for that Catechism!" Did anyone ever know a really devout man who regretted having been taught the Shorter Catechism — even with tears — in his youth? How its forms of sound words come reverberating back into the memory, in moments of trial and suffering, of doubt and temptation, giving direction to religious aspirations, firmness to hesitating thought, guidance to stumbling feet: and adding to our religious meditations an ever-increasing richness and depth. "The older I grow," said Thomas Carlyle in his old age, "and now I stand on the brink of eternity, the more comes back to me the first sentence in the Catechism, which I learned when a child, and the fuller and deeper its meaning becomes: "What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and to enjoy him forever." Robert Louis Stevenson, too, had learned this Catechism when a child; and though he wandered far from the faith in which it would guide his feet, he could never escape from its influence, and he never lost his admiration (may we not even say, his reverence) for it. Mrs. Sellars, a shrewd, if kindly, observer, tells us in her delightful "Recollections" that Stevenson bore with him to his dying day what she calls "the indelible mark of the Shorter Catechism"; and he himself shows how he esteemed it when he set over against one another what he calls the "English" and the "Scottish" Catechisms — the former, as he says, beginning by "tritely inquiring 'What is your name?,' " the latter by "striking at the very roots of life with 'What is the chief end of man?' and answering nobly, if obscurely, 'To glorify God and to enjoy him forever.' "What is "the indelible mark of the Shorter Catechism"? We have the following bit of personal experience from a general officer of the United States army. He was in a great western city at a time of intense excitement and violent rioting. The streets were over-run daily by a dangerous crowd. One day he observed approaching him a man of singularly combined calmness and firmness of mien, whose very demeanor inspired confidence. So impressed was he with his bearing amid the surrounding uproar that when he had passed he turned to look back at him, only to find that the stranger had done the same. On observing his turning the stranger at once came back to him, and touching his chest with his forefinger, demanded without preface: "What is the chief end of man?" On receiving the countersign, "Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever" — "Ah!" said he, "I knew you were a Shorter Catechism boy by your looks!" "Why, that was just what I was thinking of you," was the rejoinder.It is worth while to be a Shorter Catechism boy. They grow to be men. And better than that, they are exceedingly apt to grow to be men of God. So apt, that we cannot afford to have them miss the chance of it. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it."
March 14, 2007
REVIVAL
It All Began With a Tea Party
In 1856 in Ulster, Ireland, James McQuilkin was invited to tea. There a visiting woman skirted the civilities of discussing the weather and spoke openly on a subject McQuilken found uncomfortable: the condition of the soul. After another guest at the tea party described the nature of her Christian experience, the visitor said, “My dear, I don’t believe you have ever known the Lord Jesus.” McQuilken later wrote, “I knew that she spoke what was true of me. I felt as if the ground were about to open beneath me and let me sink into hell. As soon as I could, I left the company. For two weeks I had no peace day or night. At the end of that time I found peace by trusting the Lord Jesus.”
The following year McQuilken felt burdened to pray for his neighbors. He asked three friends to join him. Once a week the four men gathered at the village schoolhouse to pray for each person in their community by name. The town was Ahogill, County Antrim, Ulster, Ireland. The date: September 1857.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, God was laying the same burden on many hearts, and similar prayer groups started throughout northern Ireland. Pastors began preaching about revival.
In December 1857 McQuilken’s group rejoiced to see the first conversion in Ahogill. But widespread revival did not come. Still, God’s people prayed – for 19 more months. Then one morning in the city of Ballymena, just six miles from Ahogill, a young man fell prostrate in the crowed marketplace and called out, “Unclean! Unclean! God be merciful to me a sinner!”
The night of March 14 1859, the McQuilken group responded by inviting Christians to a prayer meeting at the Ahogill Presbyterian Church. The church was so crowded that they moved the meeting out into the street. There hundreds of people knelt in the mud and rain, confessing their sins and praising God. They were the first of one hundred thousand people God called to himself in 1859 in what became known as the Ulster Revival.
There was a great spiritual movement among young people. It was not uncommon for teenage boys to hold street meetings to reach their peers for Christ. At one such street metting an Irish clergyman counted forty children and eighty adults listening to the preaching of twelve-year-old boys.
The results of the revival were remarkable. In 1860 in County Antrim the police had an empty jail and no crimes to investigate. Judges often had no cases to hear. With their owners converted, pubs closed and alcohol consumption fell so drastically that whiskey distilleries were sold. Gambling at horse races fell off by 95%.
A visitor to Ulster reported “thronged church services, abundant prayer meetings, increased family prayers, unmatched scripture reading, increased giving, converts remaining steadfast.” The Ulster movement touched off similar revivals in England, Scotland, and Wales.
God drew hundreds of thousands of people to himself, and it all began with a woman unafraid to speak spiritual truth over tea.
(The above story appears in the One Year Book of Christian History, compiled by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten, pp. 148-149, Tyndale House Publishers.)
In 1856 in Ulster, Ireland, James McQuilkin was invited to tea. There a visiting woman skirted the civilities of discussing the weather and spoke openly on a subject McQuilken found uncomfortable: the condition of the soul. After another guest at the tea party described the nature of her Christian experience, the visitor said, “My dear, I don’t believe you have ever known the Lord Jesus.” McQuilken later wrote, “I knew that she spoke what was true of me. I felt as if the ground were about to open beneath me and let me sink into hell. As soon as I could, I left the company. For two weeks I had no peace day or night. At the end of that time I found peace by trusting the Lord Jesus.”
The following year McQuilken felt burdened to pray for his neighbors. He asked three friends to join him. Once a week the four men gathered at the village schoolhouse to pray for each person in their community by name. The town was Ahogill, County Antrim, Ulster, Ireland. The date: September 1857.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, God was laying the same burden on many hearts, and similar prayer groups started throughout northern Ireland. Pastors began preaching about revival.
In December 1857 McQuilken’s group rejoiced to see the first conversion in Ahogill. But widespread revival did not come. Still, God’s people prayed – for 19 more months. Then one morning in the city of Ballymena, just six miles from Ahogill, a young man fell prostrate in the crowed marketplace and called out, “Unclean! Unclean! God be merciful to me a sinner!”
The night of March 14 1859, the McQuilken group responded by inviting Christians to a prayer meeting at the Ahogill Presbyterian Church. The church was so crowded that they moved the meeting out into the street. There hundreds of people knelt in the mud and rain, confessing their sins and praising God. They were the first of one hundred thousand people God called to himself in 1859 in what became known as the Ulster Revival.
There was a great spiritual movement among young people. It was not uncommon for teenage boys to hold street meetings to reach their peers for Christ. At one such street metting an Irish clergyman counted forty children and eighty adults listening to the preaching of twelve-year-old boys.
The results of the revival were remarkable. In 1860 in County Antrim the police had an empty jail and no crimes to investigate. Judges often had no cases to hear. With their owners converted, pubs closed and alcohol consumption fell so drastically that whiskey distilleries were sold. Gambling at horse races fell off by 95%.
A visitor to Ulster reported “thronged church services, abundant prayer meetings, increased family prayers, unmatched scripture reading, increased giving, converts remaining steadfast.” The Ulster movement touched off similar revivals in England, Scotland, and Wales.
God drew hundreds of thousands of people to himself, and it all began with a woman unafraid to speak spiritual truth over tea.
(The above story appears in the One Year Book of Christian History, compiled by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten, pp. 148-149, Tyndale House Publishers.)
February 12, 2007
Doing God's Work
I did not know Perry Goad, Ric Mason or Martha Fuller. I have never traveled a Honduran road, though I know many who have. On Tuesday, February 6 the three were killed-- when their truck tumbled off a rugged, remote mountain road and into a ravine during a weeklong mission trip to Honduras. "They were doing the work of God when death came," said Don Hattaway, Goad and Mason's pastor. Yes they were.
I read an article this morning in the AJC. It was a story of a meeting between a couple headed for the Super Bowl with Honduran (and glory) bound Goad. Some would call it a chance encounter, others divine. I'll let you figure out my take. Goad owned a heating and air conditioning company, but took time off to serve as a volunteer missionary from his church. Les and Kim Kuykendall were from Alpharetta on their way to a big football game when they met at Hartsfield International Airport and sat together on the plane.
The AJC writer spoke of how this encounter changed the Kuykendall's "outlook on life." They spoke of the peace of Goad and how he had no fear for his life in this country outside of American soil. The Kuykendall's eventually contacted Goad's family after they heard the news. My prayer is that it will change more than their outlook, but their entire lives.
None of us are promised tomorrow, nor do we know what tomorrow holds. We do however have the promise that God is Sovereign and in complete control. Nothing takes Him by surprise.
Check out the related link: http://www.christianindex.org/2977.article
I read an article this morning in the AJC. It was a story of a meeting between a couple headed for the Super Bowl with Honduran (and glory) bound Goad. Some would call it a chance encounter, others divine. I'll let you figure out my take. Goad owned a heating and air conditioning company, but took time off to serve as a volunteer missionary from his church. Les and Kim Kuykendall were from Alpharetta on their way to a big football game when they met at Hartsfield International Airport and sat together on the plane.
The AJC writer spoke of how this encounter changed the Kuykendall's "outlook on life." They spoke of the peace of Goad and how he had no fear for his life in this country outside of American soil. The Kuykendall's eventually contacted Goad's family after they heard the news. My prayer is that it will change more than their outlook, but their entire lives.
None of us are promised tomorrow, nor do we know what tomorrow holds. We do however have the promise that God is Sovereign and in complete control. Nothing takes Him by surprise.
Check out the related link: http://www.christianindex.org/2977.article
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)