Medical Miracles Confirmed

Some 200 Christian doctors and medical professionals from more than 38 nations say medicine alone cannot deal with some of today’s worst illnesses and that “spiritual healing” is the remedy needed in the 21st century.

Medics from places like Bolivia, Brazil, Burundi, China, Indonesia, the U.S. and Vietnam gathered in Trondheim, Norway, May 14-25 for the 5th International Medical Conference organized by the World Christian Doctors Network (WCDN ). The theme of the event was “Spirituality and Medicine,” and the medical professionals examined actual case studies of miracles that were presented by various respected doctors as well as some patients.

The case studies of miracles they had experienced were flashed onto a big screen and then, after each presentation, were closely analyzed by their colleagues. The cases ranged from a man being raised from the dead to a detached retina being healed and a woman who received healing after being incapacitated when she was kicked by a horse.

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We Need One Another

So there I am, trying to avoid the pain of my cardio exercise at the health club by watching TV, fighting back tears as I watch the news story. Last week in a brand new softball stadium, a female player hit her very first home run. But in powering the ball over the fence, she tore something in her leg, which caused her to stumble to first base and stop, writhing in pain. She couldn't stand, let alone run. Her teammates ran from the dugout to help her around the bases, but the umpire stopped the girls and warned them that if they did this, her home run wouldn't count.

Then from the other side of the field, two girls from the opposing team came to the girl on the ground and asked the umpire, "What if we helped her?" Apparently, there's no rule against that. Perhaps the softball rule makers never thought it would happen. The pictures showed two girls in the opposing team's uniforms carrying their opponent around the bases, so that she could experience her first home run.

Even now I'm tearing up, replaying the story as I write. What a great metaphor for ministry leaders -- even when we hit a home run, we're still limited in our time, gifts, experience, and know-how. None of us has the ability it takes to get around the bases the way God wants. But there are others who can help us. Sometimes we may have kept them at arm's length because we feel they're incompetent, less spiritual, or non-gifted. But they have something to give.

Together, we can do it (that's what "synergy" means)!

Moses had his Aaron and Hur. Jesus had the Twelve and the 72. Who do we think we are to do so much of our ministry by ourselves? The greatest achievements in history and ministry have been accomplished by teams, in community. Perhaps if more of us would pull a ministry hamstring, we'd embrace our need for others. Today what can you do to engage the aid of others, perhaps some of whom might not even be on your radar? Go ahead -- the game's at stake.

[Alan Nelson]

Pastors' Wives Respond

COGOP North America Presbyter's Mother-In-Law Passes Away

Laura Cathy, the mother of Linda Clements, wife of COGOP North America Presbyter Bishop Sam Clements, died last night around 10:00 PM.

Visitation will be:

Saturday, May 17th, from 7pm-9pm
Sunday from 10am-9pm

Visitation on Saturday and Sunday at:
Taylor Funeral Home
214 N Main St
Dickson, TN 37055
(615) 446-2808

Funeral services:
Monday at 2:p.m. at the Crossroads COGOP

Please join me in prayer for the family.

United Methodists Serious About Leadership Development

About USD 642 million will be invested by the United Methodist Church in various programs to be developed worldwide in the 2008-2012 period, according to Bishop Gaspar João Domingos.

The amount was approved by participants to the United Methodist Church General Conference that took place in Texas under the theme “Future with Hope.”

According to the bishop, this amount will cover every program of the church worldwide, in the next four years, with USD 12 Million being allocated to the “Africa University” in Zimbabwe, from which USD 2 million will be in vested in theology courses.

During the meeting, several topics were analyzed such as “leadership for the challenges of the millennium,” “development of the church,” “ministry with the poor,” and “mission associated to global health” among others.

The conference brought together 992 delegates from various countries, with Angola represented by the church`s West and East conference.

A Tribute To Pastors

Pastors are unique individuals who carry a lot of responsibility. They often live their lives in a fish bowl with members of society watching their every move waiting for direction or to pass judgment.

One of the primary purposes of this Blog is to give tribute to pastors, encourage them, and provide resources for them. A pastor’s work often goes unnoticed for those unfamiliar with the behind the scenes life of a pastor.

Here is a list, or tribute so to speak, about why pastors are so special:

Pastors Teach

Most likely a pastor’s most important trait is that they teach the word of God. We all need teachers when it comes to learning and growing in Christ. Discipleship is a critical need in the Body of Christ today. This is a huge responsibility for pastors.

Pastors Are Creative In Getting Our Attention

I have been fortunate in the past with some of the best pastor/teachers who have gone out of their way to prove a point. One pastor had a pizza delivered during service to prove a point about being hungry for God. He also made us wear hairnets as a reminder of how we should be servants. That took time and effort and creativity when he could have just gone on stage and read.

Pastors Pray

Pastors spend hours praying for their members, friends, community, etc. Whatever the need, pastors are bringing it before God. It is nice to know that despite all our troubles, we have someone who cares and prays for us.

Pastors Give

Pastors are constantly giving. They give their time, their money, their energy, etc. They work continually to share God’s love and God’s word. They plan so much time trying to meet the needs of the church and community. They give food, they give hope, they give money, facilities, entertainment, worship, etc. It often goes unnoticed how much a pastor gives.

Pastors Show Love

Pastors are some of the most loving people I know. They love the unlovable. They give their love to a messed-up humanity who seldom loves back.

Pastors Counsel

Pastors spend a lot of time counseling. When people are hurting, a pastor is there to help them get through this low in their life. In our marriage, pastors have provided tremendous counsel to help us be better husbands and wives by teaching us areas of improvement in God’s word. They provide every kind of counseling available from financial to spiritual to marriage to fears, etc. They will stop everything to be of assistance in times of need.

Pastors Cry and Laugh With You

Pastors are there to celebrate births, praises, miraculous recoveries or any joy with you. But pastors are also there when you are sick, dealing with loss of a loved one or just having a hard time.

This is just touching the tip of the iceberg when it comes to documenting all the great things pastors do for our society. So don’t forget to say a simple “Thank You" to your pastor. Never criticize your pastor unless you have walked a mile in their shoes. If your pastor was not there every time you wish they had been, just realize the pastor can only be in one place at a time.

Today's Quote

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." -- Thomas Edison, Inventor

Top 68 Benefits of Children's Ministry

• 14 Ways Children’s Ministry Helps Kids


• 8 Ways Children’s Ministry Helps Families


• 24 Ways Children’s Ministry Helps The Church


• 8 Ways Children’s Ministry Helps Everyone


• 14 Ways Children’s Ministry Helps Kid’s Learn

Heart To Heart

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” Prov. 4:23 (NIV). At first, this Scripture seems pretty self-explanatory until you start to dig deeper and realize that the “suggestion” from King Solomon was really not that at all. It was a warning, an admonition. Our hearts are the "wellspring of life," and you know what happens when a wellspring is contaminated by impurities: sickness, even death for those who depend on the wellspring for their sustenance. If you don’t guard the purity of your heart, you risk losing your life. With all the madness that is available to you today — on television, on the newsstand, on billboards, on the Internet — not guarding your heart can lead you horribly astray.

I have known this scripture for most of my adult life but it never came into focus until our children came along. Having a kid in the house — or in your car — suddenly makes you hypersensitive to everything. That guy is driving too fast. Those teenagers are cursing. That magazine in the store is disgusting. And when your new sensitivity alarm starts blaring, you are struck with the realization that somewhere along the way you stopped noticing all the inappropriate material in the world. You got used to it.

Have you ever driven into work and tuned in to Fluffy and Zippy and the Morning Zoo only to realize that all they’re doing is being horribly cynical, making fun of helpless people, talking about sex all morning and going right up to the edge of what the permissive FCC will allow? Have you also noticed that you brought a lot of that same cynicism into your workplace with you? Into your home?

There is a great line from The Untouchables movie when Elliot Ness realizes he has lost his pure heart in his quest to "nail" Gangster Al Capone. He says, “I have become what I beheld.”

Distracted by the prize of putting the legendary Capone behind bars, Ness uses tactics that he would never have considered before engaging Capone. He became that which he most despised, because he spent every waking hour (and many sleeping hours) gazing straight at it.

The danger we face by not “guarding our hearts” is that we can become what we behold.

Gossiperss and backstabbers get desensitized to a lot of pretty rotten stuff. They no longer realize the terrible harm they do.

[John Tesh]

What Are You Passionate About?

In John 15:11, Jesus said he came so that our joy may be complete and in John 16:33 he says that he has overcome the world.

If we trust Jesus we can trust that he has an answer to all our fears. We, then, need to get busy about assessing where we are.

So take some time and ask God for answers as you ask yourself a few questions:

1. What am I passionate about?
2. What am I good at?
3. Who knows me better than anyone?
4. How would that person answer #1 & #2 about me?
5. Is that what I’m currently doing?
6. If not, what changes do I need to make to get there?

Once you have done this, you must put your faith in action and trust God to protect you and provide for you as you follow him in fulfilling your divine purpose. Trust that He’ll make a way for you and trust that He’ll move the heart of whoever leads you to help you get there.

[From Shane]

Can You Relate?

After much reflection over the past few months and an attempt to determine where we go from here, I have concluded the following:

• I don’t want to live a life full of regrets.
• I don’t want to live a life that causes me to weep in front of my family in 30 years and apologize to them for not being there.
• I don’t want to live a life where I am controlled by critics and naysayers.
• I don’t want to live a life where I fear what man may think more than what God may think.
• I don’t want to live a life that is not marked by generosity.
• I don’t want to live a life in which my wife considers the church to be my mistress.
• I don’t want to live a life that causes my daughters to hate God and the church.
• I don’t want to live a life that allows those closest to me to disrespect me because I am not real.
• I don’t want to live a life in which I have no fun because I am all work and no play.
• I don’t want to live a life in which I look back and HATE the man I have become.
• I don’t want to live a life in which church becomes normal and routine and the person of Jesus becomes boring and dull.

[From Perry Nible]

Study Shows Students Want Spiritual Fulfillment

Though many students drop out of church during the college years, a new study suggests their longing for meaning and purpose only intensifies.

Church attendance among participants in the UCLA study dropped from nearly 44 percent to about 25 percent between the students freshman and junior years. During that period, emotional distress deepened. The number of students who said, "My life is filled with stress and anxiety," shot up from 26 percent during the first year of college to more than 41 percent as a senior. The percentage that felt "overwhelmed" increased from 31.8 percent to 46.3 percent, while depression jumped from about 9 percent to more than 12 percent.

This was accompanied by an apparent rising interest in moral and spiritual matters. While 41.2 percent of first-year students in 2004 reported they considered developing a meaningful philosophy of life "very important" or "essential," in 2007 more than 55 percent agreed.

Additionally, the perceived importance of "integrating spirituality into my life" increased from 41.8 percent in 2004 to more than 50 percent in 2007, and the desire for "attaining inner harmony" climbed from 48.7 to 62.6.

"What I see in local Chi Alpha groups nationwide confirms the findings of the study," says Dennis Gaylor, Assemblies of God national director for Chi Alpha Campus Ministries. "Students are hungry for dynamic worship, authentic relationships and vibrant spirituality. They want to make a difference in the world. Their life stage is ground zero for finding meaning and purpose and making decisions that will last a lifetime."

[For more information about Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, see http://www.chialpha.com/. Christina Quick, Today's Pentecostal Evangel .]

Dottie Rambo Dies In Bus Wreck

Another person who influenced my life has gone on to be with the Lord.

I worked in Gospel Music radio in my early years. One of the most spiritual groups I ever spent time with was Buck, Dottie and Reba Rambo. They always stood in a circle, held hands, and prayed together before going on stage. I will never forget the occasions they asked me to stand in with them and pray for them. I was not really their pastor, but I appreciated the opportunity to pray with them.

"Dottie" died early this morning when her tour bus ran off the highway and struck an embankment. She was 74.

Seven other people on the bus were injured in the wreck about two miles east of Mount Vernon on Interstate 44, the Missouri Highway Patrol said. They were hospitalized in Springfield with moderate to severe injuries, according to the patrol.

It was unclear whether the crash was related to the severe storms and tornadoes that hit the region yesterday. Storms also swept through the area later in the night, according to the National Weather Service.

"Dottie," who lived in Nashville, Tenn., was on her way to a Mother's Day performance in Texas.

"She was a giant in the gospel music industry," said Beckie Simmons, Rambo's agent. "Dolly Parton recorded some of her songs."

Parton sent condolences to "everyone involved in this terrible tragedy."

"I know Dottie is in heaven in the arms of God right now, but our earth angel will surely be missed," Parton said in a statement. "Dottie was a dear friend, a fellow singer, songwriter and entertainer, and as of late my duet singing partner."

Dottie Rambo was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame last year and the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

She has had more than 2,500 published songs, including gospel classics such as "He Looked Beyond My Fault and Saw My Need" and the 1982 Gospel Music Association Song of the Year, "We Shall Behold Him."

The Best Christian Places To Work

The Best Christian Workplaces Institute (BCWI) announced the 33 Certified Best Christian Workplaces in the US for 2008 at the Christian Leadership Alliance (CLA) conference.

Parachurch & Mission:
- Apartment Life - Hurst, TX
- Coalition for Christian Outreach - Pittsburg, PA
- Crown Financial Ministries - Gainesville, GA
- EQUIP - Duluth, GA
- Joni and Friends - Agoura Hills, CA
- MOPS International - Denver, CO
- New Mission Systems Int. - For Myers, FL
- Open Doors with Brother Andrew - Santa Ana, CA
- Tacoma Rescue Mission - Tacoma, WA
Christian Schools:
- Bellevue Christian School - Bellevue, WA
- Christian Heritage Academy - Northfield, IL
- Indian Rocks Christian School - Largo, FL
- Lenawee Christian School - Adrian, MI
- Stoneybrooke Christian School - Ladera Ranch, CA
- Wheaton Academy - West Chicago, IL
Higher Education:
- Evangel University - Springfield, MO
- Huntington University - Huntington, IN
- The Master's College - Santa Clarita, CA
- The Master's Seminary - Santa Clarita, CA
- Olivet Nazarene University - Bourbonnas, IL
- Phoenix Seminary - Phoenix, AZ
Publishing:
- Harvest House Publishers - Eugene, OR
- Howard Books - West Monroe, LA
- Urban Ministries, Inc. - Calumet City, IL
- INJOY Stewardship Services - Duluth, GA
Service and Product:
- Alliance Defense Fund - Scottsdale, AZ
- DeMoss Group, Inc. - Duluth, GA
- Envoy Financial - Colorado Springs, CO
- Logos Research Systems Inc. - Bellingham, WA
- Samaritan Ministries Int. - Peoria, IL
Churches:
- Crossroads Community - Cincinnati, OH
- Southland Christian Church - Lexington, KY

The survey, administered by the Best Christian Workplaces Institute (BCWI), involved more than 7,834 employees in 67 organizations across the US to identify great workplaces with a Christian mission and/or values.

Based on the survey, people love to work for the Best Christian Workplaces for two reasons: the cause and the culture. As one staff member said, "I get to use my skills to help thousands of the poorest children in the world ... and work at a place where people care about me." "This is a good example of why people are measurably more engaged and fulfilled in their jobs working for these Christian organizations," says Al Lopus, President of BCWI.

The Best Christian Workplaces Institute has surveyed more than 65,000 employees across North America in the past six years. BCWI is a research based organizational and human resources consulting firm based on Mercer Island, Washington.

"With the tight labor market, organizations are more concerned than ever about finding and keeping their talent. Having high levels of employee engagement not only leads to superior results but is like a magnet for attracting loyal staff," says Lopus. For more information about the survey log on to http://www.bcwinstitute.com/ or contact Al Lopus, (206) 230-8111 or alopus@bcwinstitute.com.

Best Christian Workplaces Institute's purpose is to serve faith-based organizations by creating processes of discovery, facilitating organizational effectiveness and encouraging practices that build healthy workplaces.

[Source: Christian Newswire]

Why Preach?

Since the goal of preaching is that God may change lives through His Word, preaching is the ultimate tool for church growth. But how can you be effective in communication through preaching? Listed below are eight questions to ask about your preaching.

1. Who will I be preaching to?

Asking questions like, "What are their needs?", "What are their hurts?", and, "What are their interests?" will help us focus on where the people are. Why ask? Because although there are three things that always get one's attention:

- Things that threaten us.
- Things that are unusual.
- Things that we value.

"A preacher can only consistently keep people's attention by focusing on what people value."

2. What does the bible say about their needs? Since the Bible is the Book of Life, is will have the answer to peoples needs! The preacher's task is to show the Bible to be relevant for today's needs.

3. What is the most practical way to say it? Application is the central task in preaching. So, preaching must be practical enough for people to know what to do. How to make preaching more practical?

- Always aim for action.
- Tell the people why.
- Show them how.

Exhortation without explanation leads to frustration. Too often people respond to a message with the expression, "Yes, but how?" In other words, I agree with what you're saying, but "how do I do it?"

4. What is the most positive way to say it? Jesus never tried to convert anyone with anger. Although the Scriptures clearly warn of judgment, negative preaching only produces negative people.

Read the entire article here