Al-Qaida Claims Responsibility for the Murder of Christopher Leggett, a Christian Aid Worker from Cleveland, TN

Al-Qaida’s North Africa branch on Thursday said it killed an American aid worker in Mauritania this week for allegedly trying to convert Muslims to Christianity, according to the Associated Press (AP).

In an audio statement released to Al-Jazeera TV, al-Qaida of the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the murder of 39-year-old Christopher Ervin Leggett of Cleveland, Tennessee. Witnesses said he was shot several times on Tuesday by at least two gunmen who rushed up to him on a street in Mauritania’s capital, Nouakchott.

“Two knights of the Islamic Maghreb succeeded Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. to kill the infidel American Christopher Leggett for his Christianizing activities,” al-Qaida said in its statement, according to the AP. Authorities are trying to verify the statement.

Although Mauritania is considered a moderate Muslim nation, extremist violence has increased there in recent years.

Legget, who grew up in Cleveland, Tenn., had been living in the North African nation with his wife, Jackie, and their four children for six years. He did humanitarian work while teaching at a school specializing in computer science in El Kasr, a lower-class neighborhood in Nouakchott, according to relatives in Tennessee.

The Rev. Jim Gibson, co-pastor of First Baptist Church of Cleveland, said Leggett was a church member but worked in Mauritania independently. He said Leggett’s family is returning from Mauritania, and a funeral may be held at the church on Tuesday.

Mauritania’s Interior Ministry told the AP on Thursday that it was investigating Leggett’s death and security forces were doing “all they can to catch the criminals.”

[Source: Charisma on-line]

Today's Leadership Quote

"Power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love. It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life." - Henri J. M. Nouwen

[From Larry Duncan]

I Am Rejoicing Today!

To rejoice is a choice. The longer I live, the more I’m convinced this is true. We will express joy only as much as we are determined to do it.

It’s commonly believed that rejoicing is simply a response. Certainly, there is some truth to that perspective. If my team wins the game, I rejoice. If I receive some unexpected money, I rejoice. If I experience a happy event (such as a marriage or birth of a new baby) I rejoice.

However, rejoicing goes far beyond the emotional response to life’s happenings.

If it’s only a response to the moment’s event – then it comes and goes – rises and falls – depending on what’s happening now. That kind of thinking makes our attitude a roller coaster – up one minute and down the next.

The Bible says to “Rejoice evermore” (I Thessalonians 5:16.) It also says, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and I say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4.) Now, the Bible does not command us to do the impossible. These verses of Scripture tell us to rejoice continuously – so it must be possible to do so.

The Bible assumes that rejoicing goes deeper than our circumstance and situation. Take a look sometime at the verses in the Bible that speak of joy and rejoicing. It permeates the whole Book!

As C. S. Lewis said, “Joy is the serious business of heaven."

I’ve noticed that the folks I know with the deepest joy are people who have gone through a lot of heartache and suffering. They have learned the secret of choosing an attitude of rejoicing rather than one of grumbling and complaint.

If you want to find something to complain about – you’ll find it.

If you want to find something to rejoice over – you’ll find it.

You get what you look for!

To rejoice is a choice.

Look beyond the present difficulty to the future hope. Seek the solution rather than the problem. Focus on what IS rather than what ISN’T. Whatever comes, make the choice to rejoice today!

Helen Steiner Rice captures this concept with these words that I recently shared at a friend’s funeral:

After the clouds, the sunshine,
After the winter, the spring.
After the shower, the rainbow.
For life is a changeable thing.
After the night, the morning,
Bidding all darkness cease.
After life’s cares and sorrows,
The comfort and sweetness of peace.

To rejoice is a choice.

[from Revitalize Your Church by Mark O. Wilson]

Michael Jackson Dead at 50

Born seven years after me. I never knew him personally. But as a musician, I admired his work.

Another reminder that life is temporary for all of us.

(Hebrews 9:27) "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"

A Statement Released by Jenny Sanford

I would like to start by saying I love my husband and I believe I have put forth every effort possible to be the best wife I can be during our almost twenty years of marriage. As well, for the last fifteen years my husband has been fully engaged in public service to the citizens and taxpayers of this state and I have faithfully supported him in those efforts to the best of my ability. I have been and remain proud of his accomplishments and his service to this state.

I personally believe that the greatest legacy I will leave behind in this world is not the job I held on Wall Street, or the campaigns I managed for Mark, or the work I have done as First Lady or even the philanthropic activities in which I have been routinely engaged. Instead, the greatest legacy I will leave in this world is the character of the children I, or we, leave behind. It is for that reason that I deeply regret the recent actions of my husband Mark, and their potential damage to our children.

I believe wholeheartedly in the sanctity, dignity and importance of the institution of marriage. I believe that has been consistently reflected in my actions. When I found out about my husband's infidelity I worked immediately to first seek reconciliation through forgiveness, and then to work diligently to repair our marriage. We reached a point where I felt it was important to look my sons in the eyes and maintain my dignity, self-respect, and my basic sense of right and wrong. I therefore asked my husband to leave two weeks ago.

This trial separation was agreed to with the goal of ultimately strengthening our marriage. During this short separation it was agreed that Mark would not contact us. I kept this separation quiet out of respect of his public office and reputation, and in hopes of keeping our children from just this type of public exposure. Because of this separation, I did not know where he was in the past week.

I believe enduring love is primarily a commitment and an act of will, and for a marriage to be successful, that commitment must be reciprocal. I believe Mark has earned a chance to resurrect our marriage.

Psalm 127 states that sons are a gift from the Lord and children a reward from Him. I will continue to pour my energy into raising our sons to be honorable young men. I remain willing to forgive Mark completely for his indiscretions and to welcome him back, in time, if he continues to work toward reconciliation with a true spirit of humility and repentance.

This is a very painful time for us and I would humbly request now that members of the media respect the privacy of my boys and me as we struggle together to continue on with our lives and as I seek the wisdom of Solomon, the strength and patience of Job and the grace of God in helping to heal my family.

A Vision Problem

Southern Baptist president Johnny Hunt delivered an impassioned and fiery message to fellow Baptist leaders on Tuesday, imploring them to get out of the lukewarm state found in many of America's pulpits.

Referring to the recent national spelling bee word that had puzzled many, Hunt said, "America has not heard of the word 'laodicean' but I'm afraid that the Church has not perceived it."

His address during the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Louisville, Ky., was a challenge to a denomination that has begun to see decline in membership.

"How do you feel you're doing?" Hunt posed. "How do you feel the Southern Baptist Convention is doing?"

According to statistics recently released by LifeWay Research – the research arm of the SBC – Southern Baptist membership will fall nearly 50 percent to around 8.7 million by the year 2050 if the current trend continues.

Membership dipped by 0.2 percent in 2008. While losses only began in 2007 after years of growth, Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay, said the rate of increase had been declining by 0.06 percent every year.

Titling his message "The State of the Southern Baptist Convention from Where I Sit," Hunt cited a passage from Revelation and indicated that many have become apathetic, indifferent and have lost enthusiasm.

"You can walk to the pulpit, you can lead the music, you can teach a Sunday School class and the attitude is 'I've been there and I've done that.' There's no tear in your eye, there's no fire in your soul, and there's no anticipation after delivery," he said.

"You can get to the point [where] you're so strong you can get up, read through your devotion, have this brief prayer and go. We become professionals. We know how to do it," Hunt added, lamenting how many have lost their dependence on the grace and Holy Spirit of God.

One of the greatest needs of the pulpits of America, he pointed out, is "more emulation of the truth of almighty God to match the exhortation of the proclamation of almighty God's word."
Southern Baptists this week will consider adopting the Great Commission Resurgence declaration, which reaffirms core Christian doctrines and aims to renew a passion for evangelism and church planting in America.

But Hunt is not concerned with simply adopting a document. After all, talk is cheap, he said.
What he's concerned with is seeing true commitment among Southern Baptists to the Great Commission Resurgence.

"I really do believe we need revival in the Southern Baptist Convention," said Hunt. Revival, he indicated, must first happen in the more than 43,000 Southern Baptist pulpits in America.

"If God were to break the hearts of us, the pastors, and we would ... realize out there in those pews there's gold in them there pews! It's amazing how God's people will rise up and take a challenge," he highlighted. "They're not looking for a program to follow. They're looking for a vision to embrace."

He stressed that they don't have a money problem, for God has been good to them. "We have a vision problem," he said.

"God help us to get a vision of the lostness of the world," said Hunt, who is still convinced that the Gospel will be "taken and penetrate the lostness and the darkness of all nations" in his lifetime.

Hunt was re-elected for a second, one-year term as president of the SBC – the largest Protestant denomination in the country.

[from The Christian Post by Lillian Kwon]

Aid worker from Tennessee Murdered in Mauritania

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (AP) - Gunmen in the African nation of Mauritania killed an aid worker from Tennessee during an attempted abduction.

Law enforcement officials said Christopher Leggett of Cleveland was fatally shot early Tuesday while resisting two men trying to kidnap him.

Leggett headed a school for computer science and languages.

Cleveland Rotary Club President Michael Cole told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that news of the slaying is shocking and "not something that you'd expect to happen to somebody you know."

Cole said Leggett spoke to the Rotary Club several months ago about his work in Africa.

[Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press, http://www.timesfreepress.com and The Associated Press]

Obituary - Gerdia Mae Shewmaker

Gerdia Mae Shewmaker
Born on May 11, 1929
Departed on Jun. 22, 2009 and resided in Orange, TX.

Visitation:
Wednesday, Jun. 24, 2009
Service:
Thursday, Jun. 25, 2009
Cemetery:
Hillcrest Memorial Gardens
(Please click on the links above for locations, times, maps, and directions.)

Gerdia Mae Shewmaker, 80, of Orange, died June 22, 2009, at Harbor Hospital in Orange.Funeral services will be at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, June 25, 2009, at Harvest Outreach a ministry of the Church of God of Prophecy in Orange under the direction of Claybar Funeral Home with Reverend Joe Raiborn officiating.

Burial will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens near Bridge City.

Visitation will be 5:00-8:00, Wednesday, at the church.

Gerdia was born on May 11, 1929, in Morgan City, Louisiana. She was the daughter of Lawrence W. Trahan and Gertrude (Robicheaux) Trahan. Gerdia received her ministers licensed from the Church of God of Prophecy in 1952. She served as a missionary who traveled all over the world. She also severed as pastor of several churches and retired four years ago from Harvest Outreach a ministry of the Church of God of Prophecy in Orange. Everyone who knew Gerdia loved her.

She was preceded in death by her husband, LeRoy Shewmaker; son, Allen Lee Shewmaker; sisters, Mable Stansbury and Marie Perry; and brothers, J.W. Trahan and L.W. Trahan.

Survivors include her sisters, Belvia Jowell and her husband E.C. of Orange and Shelia Marburger of Orange; and a host of nieces and nephews.

Serving as Pallbearers will be Joseph Delk, Donald Delk, Steve Hatfield, Leon Marburger, John Cordova and Glen Williams. Honorary Pallbearers will be James Stansbury and Leon Marburger.

For more information, CLICK HERE.

Church of God and Church of God of Prophecy Cooperative Efforts

Dr. David Roebuck of the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center, Hugh Carver with the Church of God Men & Women of Action, and Paul Holt the Church of God of Prophecy Heritage Ministries Director, have announced a cooperative effort to refurbish the First Assembly House near Fields of the Wood in Murphy, NC.

The Church of God (Cleveland, TN) and the Church of God of Prophecy share the same history until 1923.

The "First Assembly House" is the site of the first General Assembly, January 26 & 27, 1906.

Today's Quote

"You can't be a smart cookie if you have a crummy attitude." John Maxwell

Why Are Some Leaders Poor at Resolving Conflict?

If you are in leadership, conflict is inevitable. Whether you are a pastor or an overseer, conflict can deteriorate to such an unmanageable level, that barring a miracle, a major rupture within the church, or serious injury to Innocent people is inevitable. Calling upon the services of a conflict resolution specialist before the conflict goes beyond the point of no return may be pivotal to the church's health, well-being, and functional survival.

So why don't some church leaders who feel conflict avail themselves of the help sanctioned by Jesus (Mat. 5:9)? Here are three answers.?

1. It Costs Too Much. With all due respect, this can't be the real reason. If just two or three families leave the church because they are weary and wounded from conflict, the church will lose more income than the cost of bringing in a church conflict resolution specialist. "It cost too much" can't be the real reason.
2. It Will Create More Conflict. "Better to ignore a backyard hornet's nest than try to remove it and really stir things up." This is the way some people think about church conflict. But why don't we say the same thing about people in sin? "Leave her alone. She will steal more clothes at the mall tomorrow if you confront her about the clothes she stole today." The first and most effective way to deal with reality is to name it. Hence, to acknowledge the existence of conflict in the church doesn't magically create more of it. To the contrary, it is the essential first step toward containing it.
3. The Leader is Embarrassed to Admit that He Really Doesn't Know What to Do. Deep down, this is a core reason why church leaders won't avail themselves of the help of a peacemaker. They are reluctant to acknowledge that they haven't been able to manage the conflict, and that the conflict itself, like a tornado, is moving in a direction of its own making, not theirs. But there is absolutely no shame in such an admission. The real failure is not naming that reality and acting accordingly.

Keep in mind that in organizational life of any kind, leaders tend to blame those directly engaged in conflict without realizing that their own actions, or lack thereof, contribute to the workings of the entire system. If, out of frustration, leaders act rashly or with a heavy hand to quell conflict, the division quickly deepens. Conversely, inaction or a "wait and see" attitude is the tinder by which the conflict steadily grows. As Edmund Burke noted, "the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."

So what should church leaders do? They should take the one step that offers the best chance of resolving the conflict in a manner that preserves the fellowship of the church. They should utilize the services of one trained in helping people make peace! Jesus sanctioned the work of peacemakers by calling them "blessed." Church leaders, therefore, have no reason to be embarrassed by allowing the people they serve to share in such blessing. Indeed, being open to and following the will of God is what exemplary church leadership is all about!

[from MMI Weblog by Todd Rhoades]

Today's Quote

"The size of your dream determines the size of those who will be attracted to it." - John Maxwell

Death Announcement - Gerdia Shewmaker

Gerdia Shewmaker passed away today. She underwent open-heart surgery a couple of weeks ago and just wasn't able to recover from it.

ClayBar Funeral Home will be in charge of the arrangements. Her obituary will be posted here later. The funeral is expected to be at the Orange Church of God of Prophecy (Texas), Thursday at 10:00 AM.

Gerdia Shewmaker was a long-time trans-local minister in the Church of God of Prophecy.

CLICK HERE for more information.

Today's Quote

“If we take all the goodness, wisdom, and compassion of the best mothers and fathers who have ever lived, they would only be a faint shadow of the love and mercy in the heart of the redeeming God.” (Brennan Manning in The Signature of Jesus).

[From Larry Duncan on FaceBook]

Why Some Leaders Make Really Bad Decisions

Why do potentially good leaders sometimes make really bad decisions? Why do some leaders get caught up in an unending narcissistic cycle? Why do good leaders eventually go bad, mistreat people, and hinder the Kingdom of God?

A bad decision starts with at least one influential person making an error of judgment. But normally, the decision process will save the day: facts will be brought to the table that challenge the flawed thinking, or other people with different views will influence the outcome. So the second factor that contributes to a bad decision is the way the decision is managed: for whatever reason, as the decision is being discussed, the erroneous views are not exposed and corrected.

Drawing on the findings of brain research, our brains use two processes that enable us to cope with the complexities we face: pattern recognition and emotional tagging. Neither of these is inherently bad, in fact they are quite helpful and necessary much of the time.

The problem is when we are faced with new types of input that do not match up with our previous experiences. This most often leads to flawed thinking.

There are four conditions under which flawed thinking is most likely to happen. The first two are pattern recognition problems and the latter are emotional tagging issues.

- Misleading Experiences: If we are faced with unfamiliar inputs — especially if the unfamiliar inputs appear familiar — we can think we recognize something when we do not.
- Misleading Pre-Judgments: When we connect previous judgments or decisions that are inappropriate or inaccurate with our current situation, they disrupt our pattern recognition processes causing us to misjudge the information we are receiving.
- Inappropriate Self-Interest: The reason why self-interest is such a pervasive influence is that it is particularly difficult for decision makers to be self-aware about how their personal interests are affecting their choices. We are particularly prone to screening the effects of self-interest from our conscious mind.
- Inappropriate Attachments: While attachments add greatly to our lives, they can also trap us without realizing it. This includes inappropriate attachments to colleagues when cuts must be made or to a strategy we have an emotional investment in.

[From Sydney Finkelstein, Jo Whitehead and Andrew Campbell’s book, Think Again.]