See You At The Pole

See You at the Pole™ is a student-initiated, student organized, and student-led event. That means this is all about students meeting at their school flagpole to pray — for their school, friends teachers, government, and their nation.

See You at the Pole™ is not a demonstration, political rally, nor a stand for or against anything.

See You at the Pole™ is scheduled annually on the fourth Wednesday in September, which is September 23 in 2009. The suggested starting time is 7 a.m. If that doesn't work for your school, choose a time that will work for your school, but let everyone at your school know!

Finances and Staff Issues Worry Pastors More Than Evangelism and Outreach, a New Survey Reveals

What do megachurch pastors think about late at night when they can't sleep? Not evangelism, outreach or impacting the community, at least not much, according to a report released in July by the Leadership Network.

In a survey of 232 pastors of large churches — congregations running more than 2,000 on a typical weekend — when asked what work-related issues caused them to lie awake at night, 19 percent said "finances," and an additional 19 percent said "staff issues." Only five percent said they ever lose sleep thinking about evangelism, outreach or ways to impact the community.

Also interesting in the report, which included input from pastors in 38 states and several countries, and also derived additional responses from 208 pastors of smaller churches, was the breakdown of how work hours are spent. In what is a typical 53-hour week, five hours are spent providing pastoral care; five hours are spent in prayer and meditation; and two hours are devoted to personal evangelism. A full 19 hours each week are spent in preaching, teaching and worship. Administration and meetings eat up another nine hours.

So how do senior pastors of large churches see their role? More than 80 percent described themselves as a "preacher/teacher." Fifty percent chose the term "directional leader," and 33 percent said their key role is "visionary."

Of note in the survey was the influence of one of Foursquare's own megachurch pastors — Wayne Cordeiro, senior pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu. When megachurch leaders were asked to list their most recommended books, Wayne's Leading on Empty (Bethany House) landed in the overall listing's top five most recommended volumes.

To download the entire survey, titled "Teacher First: Leadership Network's 2009 Large-Church Senior Pastor Survey," visit http://www.leadnet.org/.

[from www.foursquare.org - From the President]

Today's Quote

"Money problems are really vision problems. People give to vision, not to need. And, God supports HIS vision, not ours." Pastor Rick Warren

Financial Stewardship Tips

1. Keep Good Records - The great scientist Albert Einstein once said, "It takes a genius to see the obvious." What he meant by that is that sometimes the simplest things in life are the most powerful ... but because they are so simple, we tend to ignore them, and not let them work for us.

One of the simplest but most powerful money making ideas is this: keep a daily log of everything you spend. Go to the dollar store and buy a little notebook and carry it with you wherever you go. Write down every penny - every single penny - you spend. It's as simple as that.

If you do this, you will find something magic happening in your financial life in just a few weeks: you'll see what you spend, where, and how much can really be looked at as "necessary." It makes the flow of money through your life more real and exact. It shows you simply and clearly just where you are spending your money, on what and why. Once you know that, it becomes much easier to control your spending. Very powerful, indeed, and quite eye-opening.

For example, a person could realized through examining their notebook that they actually spent nearly $2,000 throughout the year on diet soft drinks, snacks and candy bars! Since their job only brings in $25,000 per year, they realized that 8% of their entire income was being frittered away on something entirely frivolous. The person gave up the snacks and drinks, and found they had enough money to take a vacation the following year! If you had the choice between snacks or a much needed vacation, which would you choose? Clarity that comes with this insight can help you gain much needed control of your finances.

2. Stop Credit Card Spending - otherwise known as deficit spending! We all know how much trouble Uncle Sam has been creating spending more money than our country takes in. It's called deficit spending. Well, don't fool yourself. The same rules apply to you. Using those evil little plastic cards may be the "American Way," but it's a poor way.

Today, the average credit card holder is carrying $8,000 in plastic debt!

Spending yourself into debt with a credit card is unbelievably easy, as many of you already know. The reason is psychological. When you give that clerk a credit card, it's just not the same as handing over a stack of green dollar bills. Would you as readily hand over a fistful of ten dollar bills as flip a credit card across a counter? Probably not.

Credit cards put you in the hole and keep you there. Even for people with good incomes, paying your credit card debt down to zero is amazingly difficult. And make no bones about it, credit card debt will sap your financial strength just as readily as an open vein will deplete your physical body of its very life force. Using a credit card by choice can quickly turn to using it for need. Once you get to that point, you are already in trouble.

There is no secret to freeing yourself from the credit card game. You must take out a pair of scissors today, cut your cards in half, and begin paying them back, slowly butsurely. Be careful: closing the account could affect your credit score negatively, so you may want to keep the card open - just stop using it! Be sure to always pay more than the minimum amount due, even if it is just $10 more. Once you stop adding to the debt, even small payments will eventually add up. You can get out of debt if you are patient and disciplined. Once your card debt is history, you must adopt a strict pay-as-you-go policy. Instead of buying now and paying later, save now and buy when you have the full amount.

Once again, this is not rocket science, but stopping credit-oriented consuming is one of the most powerful financial tools available to anyone today. Why not pick up this tool and use it?

3. Sell Your Junk - That's right, it's high past time for a major yard sale. Search through your house or apartment for every single item you don't need, and could sell at a flea market or yard sale.

Take an inventory. The truth is, most people are astounded by what they own - and how much money they have tied up in useless stuff. Why let it collect dust in your attic while it could collect interest in a savings account? Good question, huh?

You could easily be $500, $1,000 ... even $3,000 richer by the end of the week. As an added bonus, you'd have your place cleaned up, and you will have a fresh feeling of starting over. A garage sale is an excellent way to not only clean out your house, but it often gives a psychological boost that helps people get control of their life and money.

(by John Tesh)

Today's Quote

"If you have to strong-arm people to get your way, you are not a leader. You are a bully. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. (John 10:11)" - Pastor Rick Warren

Improving Your Church Calendar

Here are some great ideas from the book Missional Renaissance by Reggie McNeal:

The church calendar usually starts with, “What do we want to do this year?” or, “What did we do last year?” In order to create a missional mindset and community focus, your calendar should start with the community’s calendar.

- Look first for community events, festivals, and rhythms (county fair, back-to-school, art festival, etc…)
- Make sure there are links within your calendar, and perhaps elsewhere on your website, to those events
- Then put in church events
- Reduce the number of church-centric events on the calendar, making sure your people aren’t too busy in church programs to be involved as missionaries in the community

If members feel that the church calendar is somehow different from the calendar of their community life, they will always feel that the community comes in second. By making sure that community events are calendared and not just church year stuff, you support your external focus.

[from Planting Space by Bradley]

Simple Goals

Vision will never be realized without measurable goals. Could it be as simple as follows?

1. Praying the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers.

This one is interesting because continually we see God answering this prayer request. I could share scores of examples, but will give you a recent one: Upon joining with other believers for a day of prayer for our city, a pastor came up to me and shared that he wanted to sit down and talk with me about small groups. On the spot I invited him and his wife to join us for lunch the following week. After the meal we began to share our hearts. One thing led to another and before they left the house we set up a time to begin training in his church.

After only a few weeks they now have opened 3-4 new house churches (their goal is five by year's end!) If Jesus himself commanded us to pray the Lord of the Harvest for laborers, it is because it is a prayer he wants to answer!

2. Every church plant a church every year.

Can you imagine what would happen if every one of our churches simply reproduced itself once per year? How hard can this be, and yet year after year our churches get involved in all kinds of programs and another year goes by without planting new works. We need to use all our influence, every opportunity given us to get across to our pastors, churches, leaders to start new works. We aren't talking about planting hundreds of churches; just start ONE this year. Multiplication will take care of itself if we will do our part of working towards one new church plant each.

3. Every believer winning/discipling four others to Christ in a year's time.

Part of the difficulty we encounter is fierce competition from many good and noble emphasis going on all the time. There is a continuous stream of programs, conferences, concerts, etc. All these are good, but they have a way of terribly distracting us from the "main thing." What we shpuld be saying to our people is FOCUS ON ONE THING and that is winning four people to the Lord this year and discipling them so that they become reproducing disciples themselves.

4. Repeat the above.

Concentrate on a few things and do a few things well. Try not to be reactionary to what comes along, but be pro-active in a few things. Focus on the above three goals, repeat them over and over, and leave the results up to God.

[from The M Blog by GuyMuse]

How much is retained from various learning methods?

[from The M Blog by GuyMuse]

16 Signs That A Leader Has Lost His Mind

1 – He refuses to admit his mistakes.
2 – He begins to blame the problems on people or circumstances rather than actually seeking out what the problem might be.
3 – He refuses to listen to the team assembled around him.
4 – He fights every idea that isn’t his own, thinking his originality is what must keep the church afloat.
5 – He refuses to face reality.
6 – He is unwilling to make the necessary changes because it would be highly unpopular.

7 – He tries to listen to what everyone has to say about every situation.
8 – He begins to believe that God’s favor on his life is because of how good he is rather than because of how good God is!
9 – He believes that he can’t learn anything from churches that are smaller than his. (This would be arrogance!)
10 – He abuses his staff to accomplish his agenda rather than leading them to accomplish God’s.
11 – He fears asking for commitment because of how people may perceive him.
12 – He becomes obsessed with the way things are rather than how they should be.
13 – He views himself as an expert.
14 – He tries to motivate with fear rather than vision.
15 – He doesn’t seek fresh revelation from God and often goes back to what has been done instead of seeking direction for what has never been done.
16 – He stops taking risks and becomes obsessed with playing it safe.

[from Perry Noble dot com by perry]

Vision

What is the vision of the Church? That was the sermon topic one Sunday a dozen years ago or so when I visited a friend’s church. But as I listened, I found my mind wandering. I had just signed a contract to write a book on Christian worldview, and I was experiencing writer’s remorse. Did this book really need to be written?

Suddenly the pastor’s words caught my attention. The mission of the Church, he said, is to prepare for Christ’s return in five ways: prayer, Bible study, worship, fellowship, and evangelism. In that instant, all doubts about writing the book vanished. Of course, these five spiritual exercises are central to the Church’s life, but we can never overlook our responsibility to redeem all of culture as well. Though well-intentioned, the pastor’s words were a prescription for the continued marginalization of the Church.

Just like this pastor, many evangelicals define faith strictly in terms of personal salvation. Yet soul-winning is not an end in itself. We are not only saved from sin, we are also saved to something -- to the task of cultivating God’s creation. Genesis teaches that on the first five days, God did the work of creating. But on the sixth day, He made human beings in His image to carry on His work-to develop the raw materials of the world He had created.

This is called the “cultural commission,” just as binding as the “Great Commission.” It means our faith is intended to encompass every part of life, every sphere of work, every aspect of the world.

In short, our faith must be a complete worldview, the basic set of beliefs that function as a set of glasses helping us to see all of reality through God’s eyes. If God is creator and sovereign over everything, as we confess He is, then everything finds its identity and meaning in relationship to Him -- not only our spiritual life but also our work, politics, science, education, the arts, etc.

Developing a Christian worldview is not some ivory-tower exercise. It is crucial for every believer -- affecting every choice we make. The doctrine of creation tells us that God made the world with a moral and physical order -- that there are God-given norms for every aspect of creation.

If we don’t know the norms God as ordained for every area of life, then we will drift with the tide of this postmodern age, and, instead of transforming the culture, as we’re supposed to, we will transformed by it.

The mission of the Church is indeed prayer and evangelism, just as that pastor said that Sunday. But to be effective, we must also develop a comprehensive worldview. And that, too, is the urgent mission of the Church in a post-Christian world.

[By Chuck Colson]

Which of the Following Can Be Said About Your Church?

- Our sermons run an hour plus and our pews aren't padded: You do the math.
- We work our volunteers to death. Then grumble when they want a break.
- Drums are evil.
- Our Sunday morning service is a major production. Sit back and enjoy the show.
- Our people probably won't talk to you until you volunteer for something and even then don't hold your breath.
- We pay lip service to social justice.
- We stand up and sit down a lot, so try to keep up, OK?
- Our sermons have more movie clips than Bible quotes.
- You're going to get lost in our sprawling campus. Bring a map or hire a guide.
- We believe homosexuality is...
- The only diversity you'll find here is in our stock photography.
- We're so heavenly minded that we're no earthly good.
- We plan more social events than Bible studies.
- Nothing ever starts on time at our church.
- Our pastor is a minor celebrity with an ego to match.
- We think the role of women in leadership is...
- We're really old.
- Churchese spoken here. Translators are not available.
- We're good people but we're going to judge you.
- Our children's ministry is an after thought.
- We hug.
- On Sunday morning you'll never/always see an altar call.
- Our people talk more gossip than gospel.

- We lift up our hands and get a little crazy when we worship. It's going to freak you out.
- That's how we've always done it is how we'll always do it.

[from Church Marketing by Kevin D. Hendricks]

Today's Quote

“Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.” – Spencer Johnson

Christians Pray for Spiritual Awakening on 9/11 Anniversary

Thousands of Christians were expected to gather today at county courthouses nationwide to declare that America needs God's help now.

Billy Wilson, co-organizer of Cry Out America, sponsor of the noontime prayer gatherings, said more and more Christians believe the nation is in a spiritual crisis that is escalating. He said participation this year doubled over the 2008 events, with more than 700 gatherings planned nationwide, including in all 38 of the nation's most populous counties.

"Every day's news is saying to us that we are in a deep spiritual battle," Wilson told Charisma. "And what we're finding is there is a very faithful, hungry remnant in the American church who is stepping to the public square to say, ‘We need God's help now, and the church needs to be reformed, and America needs to find Jesus.'"

Cry Out kicked off Thursday night with a Sacred Assembly in New York City at Crenshaw Christian Center East. Speakers included 9/11 survivor and evangelist Sujo John, New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera, Luis Cortés Jr., president of the Hispanic evangelical network Esperanza; Teen Mania founder Ron Luce, Eagles' Wings Robert Stearns and Charisma editor J. Lee Grady.

CONTINUE READING ARTICLE

[By Adrienne S. Gaines]

Georgia Pastor Shot by Drug Agents

The brother-in-law of a young Baptist pastor who was fatally shot this past week during a drug sting believes that the plain-clothes officers who approached him had “scared him” when they pulled up in a black Cadillac Escalade and came out with guns drawn.

“I’ve rerun it in my mind,” Matt Carpenter said following the death of his sister’s husband, Jonathan Ayers.

“He had used an ATM inside, got into his car and then a black Escalade pulled up and [they] jumped out ... If they ID’d themselves, he couldn’t hear them because his windows were up,” he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Carpenter also said it was possible that Ayers didn’t know the woman who he dropped off at the gas station, noting that Ayers was the type to help out strangers in need.

"He is one of the Godliest men I've ever known," the Gainesville, Ga., resident told The Associated Press. "We (family members)'re all shocked and absolutely do not believe he was involved in anything illicit or illegal there."

Though Ayers was not the initial target of Wednesday's sting, officers confronted the 28-year-old minister after they saw him drop off a woman who they say had twice been seen selling drugs in the small town of Toccoa, Ga.

The officers said they approached Ayers’ vehicle and yelled “Police. Stop” as he was pulling his car out of the spot he was parked in. Despite the shouts, Ayers stepped on the gas, hitting one officer, who then fired into the car, believing his life was in danger, according to Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) spokesman John Bankhead.

A second shot was fired when Ayers put his car into drive and maneuvered it toward the officer in a “threatening manner,” added Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley.

Ayers drove for only a short distance before crashing into a utility pole, wounded from a shot to the liver.

The pastor would later die at a local hospital about an hour after going into surgery. Carpenter claims that Ayers’ last words to the paramedics were “who shot me?” - a statement that could imply that the minister was oblivious to the identity of the two men who confronted him.

The GBI is currently investigating the incident while the two plain-clothes officers are on administrative leave.

Ayers, who leaves behind his 16-weeks-pregnant wife, was pastor of Shoal Creek Baptist Church in Lavonia.

The woman who was in the car with Ayers was taken into custody and faces drug charges. Her name has not yet been released because she is still being questioned about Wednesday's incident.

[By Lawrence D. Jones - Christian Post Reporter]

Being a Person of Honor

Honor is a concept of life (a value if you will) that we are losing in today's value-free society. Very few seem to have any idea of honor either in their daily lives, their relationships or their work. Webster's Dictionary defines honor as: "... official dignity, repute, esteem - a keen sense of right and wrong - adherence to actions or principles considered right - integrity - to bring respect .... to show regard ..."

In the Old Testament, the Bible uses several different Hebrew words that are translated "honor." These carry the idea of magnificence or splendor. In the New Testament, the main Greek word translated "honor" means "to praise or to revere." It has its origin in a Greek word meaning "valuable." In fact the Greek word for "without honor" literally means "no value."

Honor, used in the sense of how one lives their life means "BEING TRUE TO WHAT IS RIGHT." Since many today have no concept of what is right or what is wrong (including many of our country's leaders unfortunately, both the spiritual and the legislative ones) it should be of little surprise that people today have no honor. From what is coming out of our educational institutions it makes one wonder if many of our teachers or professors have any honor.

In today's society those who would live honorably are often looked upon as being weirdo's or fanatics.

Honor is a many-sided virtue and includes:
- Self-Discipline--disciplining or training oneself.
- Responsibility--being accountable to ourselves and to others.
- Courage--standing our ground in the face of impossible odds.
- Perseverance--keeping on keeping on when it would be much easier just to quit.
- Honesty-being genuine, real, in everything we do.
- Loyalty--being faithful to others.
- Duty - doing what's right whether or not it's popular and whether or not we win.
- Faith--reaching beyond ourselves and our own abilities.

Each of these, by the way, is a sermon in itself.

Honor involves being true to our word. This is found among all races of man. Of the Sioux Indian it has been written by those who lived with them "... honesty was an absolute, and lying was sure to bring the direst consequences. The straight stem of the pipe a man smoked represented the need to speak straightly ... so that it might never be said of him that he spoke with two tongues ..." (The Mystic Warriors of the Plains, pg. 69)

In the early days of the West a person was judged by how true they were to their word. Many a cattle contract worth thousands of dollars were concluded simply on a handshake. If a man gave his word he was expected to keep it.

This concept has its roots in the Judeo-Christian ethic, though it can be found among many other cultures. Psalm 15 in the Old Testament describes the solid, unmovable man who will enjoy God's blessing as one who "... keeps a promise even if it ruins him ..." (Ps 15:4, The Living Bible)

To live honorably means to remain true to what is right in spite of pressure to do otherwise. Even if no one is watching! The life thus lived is of great value. To die with honor means that we must first live honorably. To live honorably, and to die honorably. The life so lived counts for something. It has purpose. It is valuable.

This to me is a mark of a real Christian. A man or woman of honor. To a person of honor you can entrust your property, your possessions, your family your marriage, or your life and know they are looked after. You would not have to worry about them.

Live honorably. It will attract those who have a similar honor and you will stand out from among the ordinary. Who knows what life you may influence? In the end, if someone says of me, "He was an honorable man." I will count it as the highest compliment.

[by Jim Taylor]