Cherokee Legend

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally , after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

Top 10 Ideas for Clergy Appreciation Month

Clueless! That’s how many churches feel as they contemplate how to express gratitude to their cherished leaders for Minister Appreciation Day each October.

To the rescue! Diana Davis, author of Fresh Ideas: 1,000 Ways to Grow a Thriving and Energetic Church, offers her top ten suggestions.

Fresh Ideas

10. Lots of letters - On Sunday before Pastor Appreciation Day, distribute stamped envelopes addressed to the pastor. An instruction note invites each church member to write and mail a personal note of encouragement and appreciation to the pastor this week.
9. Award T-Shirt - Special order a “Best Pastor in _______” t-shirt,cap, or plaque, and present it with flourish.
8. Original Art - Laminate bookmarks created by the children in your church, featuring their art and signatures. Allow kids to present the bookmarks to the pastor personally.
7. Church in a frame - Prepare a beautifully framed photo or painting of the church building. Even better: take a group photo of church members in front of the building. Use extra wide matting and ask every church member to sign the mat before adding glass.
6. Very merry commentary - Purchase a full set of Bible commentaries. Allow various groups, such as Bible classes, committees or church organizations, to present one book of the set, individually wrapped with their personal notes of appreciation on the inside pages. You may consider buying individual copies of the Holman Old Testament Commentary the 12-Volume boxed set of Holman New Testament Commentary.
5. PowerPoint Presentation - Create a PowerPoint presentation of slides of the pastor(s) in action as a minister during this past year. Choreograph it to music, such as “Thank You for Giving to the Lord.” Play it as a pre-service video.
4. Public Thanks - Take out a full-page ad in your local newspaper, featuring a photo of your pastor and a declaration of your church's love and appreciation. Even better: Add every member’s signature on the ad.
3. While You Were Out - Do a surprise office makeover, with the pastor's wife's input, of course. Hanover Baptist Church in Indiana surprised their pastor with a new home office while he was out of town, complete with paint, décor, furniture, and computer.
2. Million M&Ms - Think of one small thing your pastor enjoys--M&Ms, fishing lures, coffee, etc. Ask each member to bring that item on Sunday, i.e. one bag, any size, of M&Ms. Supply extras for guests or forgetful members.
1. Thirty days of Appreciation - Use an October calendar to schedule volunteers for a month-long schedule of surprise treats. Each day of the month, the pastor will receive a surprise token of appreciation from a church member, committee or group within the church. The tributes will vary widely—a balloon delivery, a shoe shine, an apple pie, a gift. After a whole month of pleasant surprises, won't your pastor feel appreciated? And won’t God be honored by your acts of love for his servant? Don’t forget to include a sincere note with specific reasons you appreciate the minister’s spiritual leadership, dedication, time and commitment.

Honor God by honoring His servants, with a thoughtful, personalized encouragement that fits your unique church and pastor.

[By Diana Davis]

Clergy Appreciation Month is dedicated to uplifting and encouraging our nation's spiritual leaders

Pastors and their families face incredible pressures. They often feel overwhelmed by unrealistic expectations and demands and frequently battle burnout. So, while prayer support is important throughout the year, Clergy Appreciation Month is dedicated to uplifting and encouraging our nation's spiritual leaders.

The Rev. H.B. London, vice president of pastoral ministries at Focus on the Family — and cousin to Dr. James Dobson — was interviewed recently by CitizenLink about Clergy Appreciation Month and the importance of honoring your pastor.

Read More

The Largest and Fastest-Growing Churches in America

Outreach magazine has compiled its annual report of the largest and fastest growing churches in America and, for the first time, all 100 churches were listed with 7,000 or higher weekend attendees.

Topping the fifth annual list again this year was Lakewood Church in Houston with 43,500 attendees, followed by Second Baptist Church in the same city with 23,659 and then North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Ga., with 22,557. Although some of the most well-known churches still rank the highest, some actually dropped in attendance:
- Lakewood, led by Pastor Joel Osteen, dipped from 47,000 in 2007;
- Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., dropped from 23,500 to 22,500; and
- Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., led by Pastor Rick Warren, went down from 22,000 weekend attendees to 19,414.

Among the top 100 fastest-growing churches in the country, Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Ala., was ranked No. 1 with a growth of 72 percent — or 3,418 attendees — over the last year. The church was also the youngest church to qualify in the largest churches list, standing at No. 71 with 8,168 attendees.

Elevation Church in Charlotte, N.C., ranked second in the fastest-growing report, with Triumph Church in Detroit, Mich., following respectively.

Outreach magazine "celebrates" and studies the country's largest and fastest-growing churches once a year. But, it also recognizes that the average church in America is home to fewer than 100 people and stresses that "a passion for outreach is not defined by numbers alone."

Ed Stetzer, who conducted the study, said, "As raw data, numbers mean little. What brings meaning to the numbers are the stories behind them — the changed lives and transformed communities." He believes that pastors can still learn from larger churches, however. "Nothing can replace the work you do in your own church, your own community, among the lost in your own neighborhood," he said. "A pastor has to have a passion and a fire to reach, teach and disciple those near. But, we can also learn from others — many of whom were small churches themselves a few years ago."

Visit outreachmagazine.com for the complete list of "The Outreach 100." [christianpost.com]

October is Clergy Appreciation Month

What is Clergy Appreciation Month?

Clergy Appreciation Month is a special time that congregations set aside each year to honor their pastors and pastoral families for the hard work, sacrificial dedication and multiple blessings provided by these special people. It is typically scheduled in October, but can be held at any time that is convenient for the church and the community. It is also important to remember that appreciation, affirmation and prayer support of our spiritual leaders is appropriate throughout the entire year.

Why is CAM necessary?

The nature of the service provided by pastors and their families is unique. God has entrusted to them one of the most precious of assignments — the spiritual well-being of His flock. When a pastor becomes ineffective, the very souls of his or her parishioners are endangered. When eternity is in the balance, we should all be concerned.

Pastors and their families live under incredible pressures. Their lives are played out in a fishbowl, with the entire congregation and community watching their every move. They are expected to have ideal families, to be perfect people, to always be available, to never be down and to have all the answers we need to keep our own lives stable and moving forward. Those are unrealistic expectations to place on anyone, yet most of us are disappointed when a pastor becomes overwhelmed, seems depressed, lets us down or completely burns out.

That's why God has instructed us to recognize His servants.

"The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching" (1 Timothy 5:17).

The good news is that we can make a difference! Clergy Appreciation Month is one way we can counter the negative erosion in the lives of our spiritual leaders with the positive affirmation they need.

What can we do?

There are two ways to help your pastors and their families feel appreciated:
1. Figure out what you can do personally to recognize and honor these leaders. A simple card, an invitation to lunch, a promise to pray for them or an offer to babysit, wash a car or mow a lawn make wonderful statements.
2. Share the concept of CAM with others in your congregation and challenge them to join you in some kind of formal planning. You might consider a special service of affirmation, a potluck event or planting a tree in their honor. The sky is the limit!

To help you in this process, Focus on the Family has developed the following resources:
- A Clergy Appreciation Month Planning Guide is available online with complete step by step instructions and pages of exciting celebration suggestions. It also includes long-term ideas for the proper care of your pastors and their families. This complimentary guide can be reviewed, downloaded or printed immediately.(Note: Adobe Reader is required to view this PDF file. Click on the image to the right to download the latest version for free. The CAM planning guide PDF file itself may take several minutes to load into your computer's memory with a modem, so please be patient.)
- There is also an online Spanish version of the planning guide for Spanish-speaking congregations and individuals. (También hay disponible una versión gratis de la guía de planificación para iglesias y personas de habla hispana.)
- CAM promotional artwork is available for use in fliers, bulletins and other promotional material.
- An audio greeting from H.B. London Jr. to your congregation and pastoral team can be reviewed, downloaded and copied to a CD that can be played during a time of celebration.

Don't your pastors and their families deserve this kind of recognition? Do something about it today!

Pastor Appreciation Day - October 12, 2008

Hebrews 13:7 (MSG) "Appreciate your pastoral leaders who gave you the Word of God. Take a good look at the way they live, and let their faithfulness instruct you, as well as their truthfulness."

Thank You, Pastor!

You work vigorously, often neglecting personal needs to give us comfort and direction. You do so much, yet you receive so little in return. This National Clergy Appreciation Day, we take time out to acknowledge and celebrate the efforts of your leadership.

Send an E-card! Show your pastors and leaders how much you care.

• E-cards from ChristianityToday.com
• E-cards from CTLibrary.com

Clergy Appreciation Day - October 12, 2008

Thank You, Pastor!

• Discover ways to encourage your pastor.
• Help your church's leaders stay focused.
• Find your own unique place in ministry.
• Come up with creative ideas for Clergy Appreciation month.

Iranian Parliament: Death to Non-Muslim Converts

Iran's parliament has passed the death penalty for apostasy, which is viewed in that country as converting to any other faith than Islam.

Thousands of Iranians have been converting to Christianity, and the underground church is thriving, according to reports. But other Iranians are returning to Zoroastrianism, which was the dominant religion in Iran at one time. Jonathan Rocho, with International Christian Concern (ICC), explains.

"We, as a Christian organization, are very much concerned about this because this means many Christians who converted from Islam are going to face death, simply because of their decision to follow Jesus Christ," Rocho laments.

He says Iranians are questioning the Muslim faith after living under the regime, which has been dominated by the religion since the revolution in the 1970s. "They have not seen any change in their lives," Rocho adds. "There is even more repression, more problems going on in the country, so they are very much confused about the Islamic faith."

Already, two Christian converts accused of apostasy have been given the death penalty. Since Iran does not easily succumb to international pressure, Rocho urges people to pray.

[Source: One NewsNow.com]

Cliffnotes For Busy Pastors

Are you busy? I don't know too many pastors and ministry leaders who have tons of bandwidth in their schedule- most are busy and time is a premium commodity.

And yet, in our busyness, you know how important it is to digest tons and tons of reading material. It is important that we are well read and informed.

Christian Book Summaries are FREE and may be the solution you need.

Christian Book Summaries (CBS) is a FREE service that provides several page abstracts of both current releases as well as classic Christian writings. All of the summaries are available for download in PDF format.

CBS can be used as a substitute to reading the book or as a companion as you read the book in full.

CBS is a great tool, check it out!

[from Ministry Best Practices by Bill Reichart]

Church Humor

[ChristianityToday.com]

Calculating Your Return on Ministry

Here’s the link to a brand new Fellowship Technologies tool called Retun on Ministry.

As always, Fellowship Tech turns out valuable and beautiful products to help your church facilitate ministry. How can you improve what you can’t measure?

More on measuring ministry over the next 10 days but for now type in the name of any church - and check out what happens next on your whiteboard!

[Curtis Simmons]

Free Worship Study Series

Have you heard about Dwayne Moore's generous offer currently available on his personal blog?

For a limited time only, you can download one FREE complete copy of all nine weeks of Moore's soon-to-be-published Pure Praise: A Heart-focused Bible Study on Worship!

American Idol Clay Aiken Comes Out of The Closet

American Idol Clay Aiken has finally announced that he is gay. The Southern Baptist, who also has a son out of wedlock, says he is still a born-again Christian.

READ MORE

There is a strong push by the American gay rights movement, supported by heavy funding and the ACLU, to not only gain acceptance by calling all opposition homophobes, but their agenda includes being accepted as Christians. They are funding new church plants that support the gay agenda, and pushing the publicity of famous "Christian" gays.

The Internet has recently been flooded with web sites generated by gay rights activists advocating gay Christian rights. They argue that the Bible is also against adultery and for tolerance.

Gay books are being published as quickly as the printing can be done. A gay study Bible has also been published. Also, a Michigan gay "Christian" is suing two Bible publishers over verses labeling homosexuality a sin and causing him emotional pain and estrangement from his family.

Is there such a thing as a gay Christian? Can someone be a Christian who practices homosexuality? What does the Bible say about it? Is it sin? Does it separate one from God?

I'm sorry, but Clay Aiken, Ray Boltz, "Pastor" Jeff Minor, Marsha Stevens, Kirk Talley, and all other singers and entertainers can practice homosexuality and say that it is OK, but that does not make it so.

The first reference to homosexuality in Scripture is in the infamous account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19. The wickedness of the men of that city is obvious and is of such a severe nature that it brought divine destruction upon the entire city. Both Peter and Jude make reference to it and describe the sin of homosexuality as " ungodly, lawless, unnatural and extreme immorality" (see 2 Peter 2:6, 8; Jude 7).

In Leviticus 18:22 and 24 homosexuality is described as an "abomination" and "defiling." It is reprehensible and unclean.

In Leviticus 20:13 it is again described as an "abomination" but here as one worthy of the death penalty!

Deuteronomy 23:17 forbade the presence of a "sodomite" in the land of Israel.

An incident similar to that of Sodom and Gomorrah is seen again in Judges 19. Again the sin of homosexuality is described as "wickedness."

In 1 Kings 14, 15, and 22 the removal of male prostitutes from the land of Israel is viewed as a sign of much-needed spiritual reformation.

The prohibition in Deuteronomy 22:5 of women wearing men's clothing appears to be a specific condemnation of transvestism.

In Romans 1:18-32 the apostle Paul condemns the practice in the severest terms. Homosexuality is "unclean," "impure," "dishonoring to the body," "vile," "degrading / disgraceful," "contrary to nature," "unseemly/ obscene," "improper activity of a depraved mind," "unrighteous," "wicked," etc. Of particular importance to the apostle in this passage is the fact that homosexuality is "unnatural"--contrary to nature. In other words, nature itself teaches that the practice is wrong; we all know it intuitively. Homosexuality is, then, a particularly rebellious sin.

In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 the apostle Paul speaks of homosexuals as "effeminate" and "abusers of themselves with mankind" who "shall not inherit the kingdom of God." The terms he uses here seem to be specific references to both active and the passive participants in a homosexual relationship. Such people are "unrighteous," he says, and if they remain in that practice they will be condemned.

Top Ten Reasons Church Dropouts Stopped Attending Church

1. Simply wanted a break from church.
2. Church members seemed judgmental or hypocritical.
3. Moved to college and stopped attending church.
4. Work responsibilities prevented me from attending.
5. Moved too far away from the church to continue attending.
6. Became too busy though still wanted to attend.
7. Didn’t feel connected to the people in my church.
8. Disagreed with the church’s stance on political or social
issues.
9. Chose to spend more time with friends outside the church.
10. Was only going to church to please others.

[From Essential Church by Thom S. Rainer and Tom S. Rainer, III]

Today's Quote

"If you can't feed 1,000 people, then feed one."

~ Mother Teresa