Sample Letter to Mature Leaders

Dear Mature Leader,

I’m very proud of you. I remember when you first started your leadership journey - you seemed so eager and passionate about your vision. Over time, I’ve seen you deal with being overwhelmed and being on the outside. There have been times when you seemed to be driven by your sinful nature, but thankfully you overcame that through wisdom and counsel. Now I see a mature leader that has learned a lot.

I have only one more thing to teach you - it is time to teach other leaders. As I have taught you, it is time for you to teach someone else in the ways of leading volunteers in the church. You may not think you have a lot to say. You may not think you have a lot to teach. You do.

Each of us takes a different journey. No matter which path you have taken to get here, it is time to train the next generation. The leaders God provides to you to train will need your honesty. They will need your guidance when times get confusing. They will need your shoulder when times get tough. They will need your prayers, both when they are around and when they come to mind.

Please invest yourself into another leader. The church is begging for leaders that are willing to sacrifice some of their personal time to lead. You don’t have to be in full-time ministry to train leaders. You also don’t need to be a best selling author. You just need to be willing to let God shape you into a leader of leaders, one leader at a time.

Let me know what you decide.

Your Friend

[from Agile Ministry by James Higginbotham]

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Don Brock (DGBrock)

The Snake

5 Lies of the devil message video, the snake from NewSpring Production on Vimeo.

A Gentle Response

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." (Prov 15:1)

I receive a fair amount of communication, announcements, snail mail, email, forwards, voice mail, text messages, and phone calls. I read a lot of newsletters, Blogs and web sites. I hear a lot of interaction in person.

I am exposed to many situations both inside and outside the church. And, I do understand human emotions and the challenge of conflict resolution. I've seen so many situations where a conversation gets out of control and hurtful words are said in a moment of anger -- all because a leader didn't know how to (or chose not to) defuse the situation with a gentle answer. I have learned from my own mistakes.

I wonder how many staff members have been fired and friendships completely severed because neither individual knew how to minimize the damage through carefully chosen words? I meet people all the time who won't even speak to a former leader because of the pain.

If you were able to reverse time and observe the conversations that preceded a broken relationship -- I wonder how many times we would find that this one Bible verse was ignored.

How great would it be if leaders could remember:

- You don't have to say everything that comes into your head.
- You don't have to have the last word.
- It actually helps if you seek first to understand ... rather than to be understood.
- Email is a very bad tool for resolving conflict. It almost always escalates the tension.
- Phrases like "you always" and "you never" are rarely helpful.
- Questions are almost always better than statements.
- You really don't know it all.
- God has the ability to speak to others also.
- The issue is probably not the presenting issues. If you listen, you might learn the real issue.
- It doesn't matter how obvious it seems, you do not know everyone's heart.

[from LeadingSmart by Tim Stevens]

Pastor Warning - Church Security

Church security has become a serious issue in recent years. But, it has just been taken up a notch.

Authorities have now warned clergy in Anadarko, Okla., to be vigilant days after a Pentecostal pastor was found brutally slain in her own church. An autopsy determined Carol Daniels died of "multiple sharp force injuries" but police have not released further details. "This is the most horrific crime scene I've ever witnessed," District Attorney Bret Burns said.

Authorities are now warning pastors that they should take precautions at their buildings, even as police refused to say exactly what happened.

District Attorney Bret Burns, who described the killing as "horrific," held a closed-door session with about two dozen pastors, along with members of law enforcement. Several pastors who were there said authorities did not discuss any facts of the case.

"We talked about security issues within their churches and their congregations," Burns said. "We asked them to remain vigilant and be aware of their surroundings and their church locations." He did not say why the meeting was held just with pastors rather than the community at large, or what kind of a threat the clergy might face.

The body of 61-year-old Pentecostal Pastor Carol Daniels was found Sunday in the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko. A preliminary autopsy found she died of "multiple sharp force injuries," but law enforcement declined to elaborate and have been tight-lipped about details of the crime or a possible motive.

Burns did not rule out the possibility that the killer specifically targeted a pastor or a church.
"There are a lot of things we're not prepared to rule out," he said. "I'm concerned about the nature of this crime. I'm concerned about the community."

No arrests have been made, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Tracy Schumpert, pastor of the town's First United Methodist Church where the meeting was held, met afterward with a worker from an alarm company.

"I think we'll take precautions," she said. "But I don't feel overly fearful.

"You want your church to be accessible, but you also are aware of what the world is like and you're aware of the people you minister to and take precautions."

Ben Sullivan, executive director of the Christian Center of Anadarko, which runs a soup kitchen and food pantry, said he's not fearful of another attack but plans to tighten security at his facility a few blocks away from where the killing happened. He said the center will probably close before dark and volunteers will work in pairs.

"We're always keeping our eyes open because of the work we do. We deal with people that aren't in the best of situations," he said.

Daniels, who lived in Oklahoma City, made the 60-mile drive to Anadarko every week, even though the small, weather-beaten church had no regular congregation.

On Wednesday, a makeshift memorial of stuffed animals, flowers and a candle stood at the front door of the church, where a sign with Daniels' name read: "God Loves You!"

Police are warning local religious leaders to secure their churches telling pastors, "be safety-conscious with their staff and their surroundings."

Our Focus is the Harvest (Evangelism), Not the "End" of This Generation

You might remember Edgar Whisenant. He wrote a best-selling book called 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988 — and a much less popular sequel, The Final Shout: Rapture Report 1989.

The second book said Jesus didn't come back in 1988 because the author, who was a former NASA engineer (!), missed his mathematical calculations by a year.

The mood of the 1980s was uneasy. After Ronald Reagan was elected president, some Christians began to surmise that Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev was the Antichrist. When he died they gave the title to the next Soviet leader, Yury Andropov, and then to his successor, Konstantin Chernenko. When Chernenko died unexpectedly, people were certain that Mikhail Gorbachev was the Antichrist because he had that awful red birthmark on his forehead.

But Jesus didn't return during Gorbachev's tenure. In fact the Soviet system crumbled and Christian missionary activity began to blossom all over the cold Russian landscape. The people who expected the sky to fall any minute found someone else to fill the Antichrist's shoes. First it was Bill Gates, then Osama bin Laden. Today it's a toss-up between Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuelan despot Hugo Chávez.

Through the years there have been gloomy rumors about computer chips and global conspiracy. I remember one story warning us that JCPenney credit cards carried the mark of the beast. Today if you believe everything you read on the Internet, that same evil mark is on President Barack Obama's birth certificate.

All this date-setting and foolish prognostication bothers me because Jesus said it is strictly off-limits. He told His disciples before His ascension, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority" (Acts 1:7, NASB). That means we don't have the right to predict the date of His return or to make guesses about the timeline of final judgment.

The apostle Paul also warned the early church to stay away from date-setting. He told Timothy: "But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels" (2 Tim. 2:23). Paul wanted his followers to keep their focus on the main thing — the spreading of the gospel — so they wouldn't get sidetracked.Christians hold different views of the last days. Pre-millennialists focus on the imminent rapture of the church — an event that is described in the New Testament. Post-millennialists focus on the triumph of Christ through history — something that is also reinforced in the book of Revelation. Preterists emphasize the ever-increasing government of God — which Isaiah and other prophets spoke of.

I am not writing here to push a particular view of the end times. When people ask me about my eschatological position I tell them I am a "pan-millennialist" — as in: "It will all pan out in the end." I know Jesus will return in triumph. But we can't figure out these things beforehand. Anyone who claims to be an "expert" in the mysteries of Christ's return has forgotten that Jesus Himself said, "Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone" (Matt. 24:36).

What concerns me most about an unhealthy focus on eschatology is that it distracts us from the ultimate priority of evangelism.

Read More

[by J. Lee Grady]

Pastor Found Dead in Church

ANADARKO, Okla. — A pastor in southwest Oklahoma was killed and her body was found inside her church, but authorities had few leads in the investigation, officials said.

The body of Carol Daniels was found Sunday inside the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko. The small A-frame building sits along a main road in the Caddo County town of about 6,600 people, which is about 60 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown said Daniels had trauma to her body, but officials did not disclose details about the killing, including how, when or where she died.

Investigators said they have no suspects in Daniels’ death and few leads to follow. Officials on Sunday spoke with several people who gathered around the building after word about the slaying spread. Many of them wept and hugged each other.

Brown said Daniels, who was in her mid-50s, lived in Oklahoma City and drove to the church each Sunday for services.

Mitchell Pendarvis, who lives next door to the church, was surprised to hear about the killing.
“I don’t know what to think and I’m trying to think,” Pendarvis said. “I mean, who would do this to this woman?”

[from Church Security Member by Glen]

Investigating the CIA?

The documents released Monday clearly demonstrate that the individuals subjected to Enhanced Interrogation Techniques provided the bulk of intelligence we gained about al Qaeda. This intelligence saved lives and prevented terrorist attacks. These detainees also, according to the documents, played a role in nearly every capture of al Qaeda members and associates since 2002.

The activities of the CIA in carrying out the policies of the Bush Administration were directly responsible for defeating all efforts by al Qaeda to launch further mass casualty attacks against the United States. The people involved deserve our gratitude. They do not deserve to be the targets of political investigations or prosecutions. President Obama’s decision to allow the Justice Department to investigate and possibly prosecute CIA personnel, and his decision to remove authority for interrogation from the CIA to the White House, serves as a reminder, if any were needed, of why so many Americans have doubts about this Administration’s ability to be responsible for our nation’s security.

[Vice President Dick Cheney]

Social Security Frozen

This administration has announced that there will be NO cost of living increase in Social Security checks to the elderly this year nor next.

I'm sorry, but I just don't get it.

We are going to stimulate the economy by pumping $600 billion into it. That money can't be spent fast enough. But the elderly will now loose their annual increases?

Instead of giving billions to large corporations, why not help the little people? I thought the Republicans were for corporations and Democrats were for the little people.

We can afford cash for clunkers, but we can't afford to help the elderly? Am I the only one confused?

Has the next generation now come into power and decided to get rid of the aging generation? Managed health care that determines if the aged is worth the cost? Before my Mom died, I bought her meds for her because there was no drug benefit for an 85 year old widow.

I don't see anything being fixed.

Sample Letter to New Leader

Dear New Leader,

First, I want to thank you for your willingness to commit to being a leader. There are many that are too busy or too afraid to step up and lead others in the church. Your leadership is greatly appreciated and I look forward to how God will use you to positively impact your church and community.

Next, I want to give you a word of encouragement. There may be times when you doubt your ability to lead. There may also be times when you doubt that God truly called you to be a leader. Don’t let this doubt get you down - we all go through it. The important thing to remember is that God wants 2 things from you: a surrendered life and a willing heart. If you remember that, you will be able to get through the tough times that are ahead.

Finally, I want to remind you that your team will need a vision. God says that where there is no vision, the people perish. This means that your vision must carry them through the tough times and the fun times. The vision needs to be God-given and something that people will rally around. If you define your team’s vision, share the vision with the team often, and remind them of the vision during the busy times, your team will continue to grow and be effective.

That’s all for now. I’ll write more when I have time.

Your Friend

[from Agile Ministry by James Higginbotham]

Putting Others First

When you meet people, is your first thought about what they’ll think of you or how you can make them feel more comfortable? At work, do you try to make your coworkers or employees look good, or are you more concerned about making sure that you receive your share of the credit? When you interact with family members, whose best interests do you have in mind? Your answers show where your heart is. To add value to others, you need to start putting others ahead of yourself in your mind and heart. If you can do it there, you will be able to put them first in your actions.

But how can anyone add value to others if he doesn’t know what they care about? Listen to people. Ask them what matters to them. And observe them. If you can discover how people spend their time and money, you’ll know what they value.

Once you know what matters to them, do your best to meet their needs with excellence and generosity. Offer your best with no thought toward what you might receive in return. President Calvin Coolidge believed that “no enterprise can exist for itself alone. It ministers to some great need, it performs some great service, not for itself, but for others; or failing therein it ceases to be profitable and ceases to exist.”

[from Failing Forward]

Runaway Teen Convert Will Stay in FL for Now

The 17-year-old girl who ran away from her Muslim family last month can stay in Florida with a Christian foster family until her next court date, a judge decided Friday.

Circuit Judge Daniel Dawson had been told by the lawyer of Fathima Rifqa Bary that the born-again teen, who goes by Rifqa, wants to stay with her foster family in Florida until she turns 18 next year.

During the hearing Friday, Rifqa told the judge that she loves Jesus and wants to be able to worship freely without fear of physical violence. Rifqa has publicly said in the court and to the media that she fears her life is in danger for leaving Islam.

“If I had stayed in Ohio, I wouldn’t be alive,” Rifqa told Orlanda, Fla.-based WFTV, in an interview. “In 150 generations in family, no one has known Jesus. I am the first – imagine the honor in killing me.

“There is great honor in that, because if they love Allah more than me, they have to do it. It’s in the Quran,” she added.

Rifqa’s father, however, in an interview with Ohio news station WBNS-TV has denied ever threatening his daughter and claims she has been “brainwashed” by the pastor who has been sheltering her.

In court Friday, Mohamed Bary said if his daughter is returned home, she can practice whatever religion she wants, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

The Barys’ lawyers say they are even willing to allow her to stay in a foster home if she returns to Ohio.

Rifqa’s lawyer, however, said the real threat is the radical Muslims in Columbus, Ohio – said to be a center for suspected terrorists. Some, the lawyer claimed, have already made the girl their target.

Following Friday’s hearing, Judge Dawson ordered the teen girl to remain in the state while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement determines whether her home is safe as her parents claim.

In response to the judge’s decision, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist released his first statement Friday, saying: "I am grateful to Circuit Judge Daniel Dawson for his decision to grant Fathima Rifqa Bary the right to remain in Florida.”

"We will continue to fight to protect Rifqa's safety and wellbeing as we move forward," he added.

It has been about a month since Rifqa ran away from her home by boarding a bus and traveling 1,000 miles to Orlando.

Rifqa – whose case is complicated by the fact that she is a minor and not a U.S. citizen – says that while she converted years ago, her parents did not discover her new faith until friends at their mosque recently alerted her parents about her Christian postings on Facebook.

The Bary family emigrated from Sri Lanka, where the population is mainly comprised of Buddhist (69.1 percent) with small communities of Muslims (7.6 percent), Hindus (7.1 percent), and Christians (6.2 percent).

All parties are expected to return to court on Sept. 3.

The Fowlers Snare

All of my life I have been in Church and since childhood I have been aware of missions and missionaries. As it is with many people, impressions from my childhood have been lasting ones. My early impression of the mission field would always bring to mind the jungles of Africa where we sent the gospel message, food and medicine to those who were lacking in these areas. Of course, once a person is enlightened by biblical training, there is a realization that God intended missions to be to unbelievers in all nations. This I believe is confirmed by the twelfth chapter of Genesis that explains our missionary efforts or “proclaiming his plan” is the basis for receiving God’s blessings. Exodus 19 further confirms on six occasions the calling of God’s people to be missionaries as the calling to be “kingly priest” or to participate in the priesthood is made. In addition, this chapter has the element of missions which are being ambassadors and God’s portable treasure. Psalms 67 exhorts us to be a witness through our daily life style so that that earth’s harvest is reaped to the ends of the earth. The New Testament confirms the continuation of the Old Testament’s call of missions to all nations in the Great commission, Matthew 28:18-20 and Jesus’ promise of empowerment in Acts 1:8.

As the years passed I kept hearing all nations and all people, but images of the poor and indigent in far away lands seemingly stayed in my mind. Then one October day in 2007 God opened my eyes to the extent of the meaning of ALL. I am a member of the Gideons International, an international association of Christian business and professional men with one purpose, winning souls for the Lord Jesus Christ. We have two methods of accomplishing our mission, personal witnessing and placing the Word of God in different places such as hotels, motels, hospitals and several other strategic locations. In October, we generally carry out what is one of my favorite parts of the Bible distribution ministry, placing copies of The New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs into the hands of fifth grade students. It has always been rewarding as I watched young students’ eyes light up as they receive a copy of God’s word, and I have heard many testimonies throughout my thirty one years in the ministry of this being the only Bible in a home.

On this particular day in October 2007, I visited two schools in Gadsden, Alabama. The schools were Floyd Elementary and the Episcopal Day School. It had been my assignment for the past seven or eight years to distribute testaments in these schools, so this was a familiar environment. Floyd Elementary is a title one school, in the state of Alabama that is a school for children from low income families. The Episcopal Day School is quite different; it is private and has enrollments of four to seven students per grade. As you can imagine, the students from these schools are from very different socio-economic levels. I prepared myself prayerfully as always prior to a Bible distribution, thanking God for the open door to place his word and praying that his word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11).

My first stop was Floyd Elementary. When I arrived the two fifth grade classes, which totaled around fifty five to sixty students, were in the computer lab. I was led there to make the distribution. As customary, the teacher allowed me to explain who the Gideons are and our purpose. Students were then invited to come forward and take a testament from the box. As the line dwindled to the last of the students, I heard the teacher say,”I didn’t hear thank you Mr. Weaver.” The children expressed their gratitude, but a little girl named Tianna was much more expressive than the others. Tianna jumped forward and threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly and said, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” When she released her embrace, she danced backwards waving her testament in front of her face as she exclaimed, “I finally got one of my own!” I left the school praising God and “floating”. After twenty-nine years and distributions in four states I had just witnessed someone receive their first Bible.

Next, I went to the Episcopal Day School, still floating. I was escorted to the fifth grade classroom, which held approximately five students and again made the presentation and distribution. As I was leaving, I passed the student closest to the door, a young boy named Jason. He said something in a low voice that I could not understand. I asked him to repeat what he had said, he replied, “This is my first Bible.” Now I was floating, two times in less than one hour.

After I was away from the school and some time had passed, the experience of the morning went through my mind again and I thought of the two very different neighborhoods, but with the exact same need. In addition, the image of Africa as “the” mission field was finally broken and the new image of ALL has since been in its place. In the absence of disease, polluted water, and hostile environment, a mission fields seems less dangerous, especially when surrounded by scapes of peaceful neighborhoods and upscale homes. But is any mission field ever void of dangers? What about the desire for upward social mobility? In consideration of this, I would like to refer to the story of Gideon in the book of Judges.

When Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land, they reveled in military victories and began possessing the land of milk and honey, which God had promised them. Prior to their entry into the Promised Land, God’s instruction to the Israelites was to rid the land of the Canaanites. Scholars have developed different interpretations of the meaning of “ridding the land of the Canaanites”. Some interpret a more literal theory of exterminating all of the inhabitants while others believe only the leadership. It is not the purpose of this article to debate or take a position on this issue. The issue at hand is that many of the Canaanites remained and the Israelites did not evangelize them as the holy scriptures confirm that Abraham’s people were to do by “blessing all nations” (or people). Instead the opposite happened; the Israelite people were evangelized by the Canaanites and began worshiping Baal with them. The attraction was so strong, Gideon’s last two pleas to God for confirmation of his calling to be deliverer of Israel involved dew, Baal supposedly controlled the dew.

What caused the attraction to Baal? First, let us take a brief look at history: God sent Moses to deliver His people from Egyptian bondage and harsh slavery; provided for them throughout their forty year journey; totally destroyed what was at the time the world’s most powerful army by miraculously redirecting the forces of nature; gave them the land of Canaan and military victories to possess it; sent them deliverers every time they called up on Him to save them. However, these were still poor nomadic Jews coexisting with the Canaanite people who were wealthier. Instead of accepting their promise from God and living with faith in Him, the Hebrew people were diverted to an existing culture that was appealing to them. In short, they were victims of lust for upward social mobility.

Certainly, upward social mobility is a much more subtle danger than what is generally thought of when considering the dangers of the mission field. This danger is also hidden in comfort and beauty and viewed by most as the “good life”. My intentions here are not to criticize upper class society, but to warn that God sends us to places that may be different and appealing to us and we must take care not to be snared by lust. (After all who would seek someone else’s poverty?) In conclusion, we are all called to serve as missionaries at some level or to some degree, but we must always be aware that in some form the fowler’s snare is always there.

Jack G. Weaver, Jr.
Collinsville, Alabama
August, 2009

Today's Quote

"A TRUE man of God is known by HOW HE TREATS those who DISAGREE with him. He refuses to quarrel and is kind to EVERYONE." (2Tim.2:24) - Pastor Rick Warren

Obama Administration Claims the Defense of Marriage Act Discriminates Against Homosexuals

The Obama Justice Department today filed court papers claiming the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act discriminates against homosexuals.

Gary Bauer, president of American Values, says President Obama is committed to repealing DOMA -- but does not want to take the political flak that would come along with it.

"What the White House wants is for a court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act so that the White House and the president don't have to take the political damage for undermining a law that protects normal marriage," he explains. Bauer argues Obama is contradicting a campaign pledge. "President Obama ran promising he would be open and transparent, and no longer practice the usual politics of Washington, DC," he notes. "Millions of people voted for him because they thought he would be more honest and more open in the way he governed."

According to Bauer, that is not happening. "What we're seeing here is something more reminiscent of the way they do politics in the wards of Chicago -- saying one thing and then doing something else behind the scenes," he states. If the Defense of Marriage Act is overturned by White House maneuvering or a federal court, every state would be forced to recognize same-sex "marriages" that are now legal in states like Massachusetts.