Category: faith

Reaching out with high gas prices

People are driving less than they used to.
USA Today reports that the average American motorist has significantly cut back on their driving in the last 18 months for the first time in 25 years.
People are actually following through with their plans to reduce driving as gas prices rise. Consequently, this also means that most churches’ reach within their community is also shrinking. It poses the questions:
How many miles are people willing to drive to attend your church?
How many miles would an unchurched person be willing to drive to attend your church?
How can a church reach out to those beyond their “community” and those unwilling to drive further due to gas prices?
How about an expanded bus service, gas cards for visitors, or an Internet campus?

Via Church Relevance

Falwell vs. Warren

The NY Times has an interesting piece today comparing the late Rev. Jerry Falwell with Rev. Rick Warren.

The evangelical Christian movement, which has been pivotal in reshaping the country’s political landscape since the 1980s, has shifted in potentially momentous ways in recent years, broadening its agenda and exposing new fissures.
The death of the Rev. Jerry Falwell last week highlighted the fact that many of the movement’s fiery old guard who helped lead conservative Christians into the embrace of the Republican Party are aging and slowly receding from the scene. In their stead, a new generation of leaders who have mostly avoided the openly partisan and confrontational approach of their forebears have become increasingly influential….
Gabe Lyons, 32, is emblematic of the transformation among many younger evangelicals. He grew up in Lynchburg, Va., attending Mr. Falwell’s church. But he has shied away from politics. Instead, he heads the Fermi Project, a loose “collective” dedicated to teaching evangelicals to shape culture through other means, including media and the arts.
“I believe politics just isn’t as important to younger evangelicals as it has been for the older generations because we recognize from experience that politics does not shape the morality of a culture,” he said. “It simply reflects what the larger culture wants.”

And here’s an interesting article I found by Rick Warren on his personal website…

The Church – the greatest force on Earth
The Church is everywhere in the world.
There are villages that have little else,
but they do have a church.
Rick Warren
The Church is the most magnificent concept ever created. It has survived persistent abuse, horrifying persecution, and widespread neglect. Yet despite its faults (due to our sinfulness), it is still God’s chosen instrument of blessing and has been for 2,000 years.
The Church will last for eternity, and because it is God’s instrument for ministry here on Earth, it is truly the greatest force on the face of the Earth. That’s why I believe tackling the world’s biggest problems – the giants of spiritual lostness, egocentric leadership, poverty, disease, and ignorance – can only be done through the Church.
The Church has eight distinct advantages over the efforts of business and government:

  • 1. The Church provides for the largest participation.
  • 2. The Church provides for the widest distribution.
  • 3. The Church provides the longest continuation.
  • 4. The Church provides the fastest expansion.
  • 5. The Church provides the highest motivation.
  • 6. The Church provides the strongest authorization
  • 7. The Church provides the simplest administration.
  • 8. The Church provides for God’s conclusion.


Read more
This article gets me fired up for ministry. It makes me want to get involved full-time. Yet shouldn’t I be doing that regardless? Whether I’m working at a church, para-church organization or the city dump?

Branch Davidians believe TTC new government conspiracy

The famed Branch Davidians, known for their 1993 standoff with the Feds outside Waco, are taking up a new battle against the Texas Department of Transportation.
The Davidians see the Trans Texas Highway as a governmental conspiracy, with the planned super-highway running right over the middle of their Mount Caramel.
The property is right in the middle of the TTC 10-mile study area.

“It’ll go right through our buildings, where we live, right through this place I am standing – going to be a swath right through on this corner that runs right through our wellness center, our museum and even our cemetery,” Charlie Pace, the groups new leader said. “It is going to miss that neighbor’s house over here and that neighbor’s house over there. I think that is pretty strategic.”
“This is where the Lord puts the end to it,” he said. “God is going to judge this nation once and for all. And this is where the judgment begins, right here. We were judged here; the government is going to be judged here. That’s what God is saying.”

Listen to the story from NPR’s All Things Considered.

Update on Sally

Just received word from Jose that the doctors said Sally is doing amazingly well “considering she nearly died Sunday night.”
They said she is about 80% recovered and they’re now hoping for her eyesight to be restored completely. They believe she’ll be able to get up and walk around some today and be moved to her own room tomorrow.
Praise God for the continued progress and pray for continued strength and healing.

Update on Kari’s brother

From Kari:

My brother will make a full recovery and will be released from the hospital today. We thought we were walking into a life or death situation and come to find out he made a really stupid decision that landed him in the hospital. Please pray that the Lord would use this as a wake up call for him. thank you so much for your prayers.

TD Jakes says he’s looking for a leader

Dallas Pastor TD Jakes says he’s looking for a strong leader in the next president of the U.S., not necessarily faith.

One of the most influential black leaders today, Jakes has the ear of President George W. Bush and former President Bill Clinton. He says the black clergy faces big challenges as the 2008 presidential election draws near, as they weigh competing strategies on how to work effectively for the betterment of their community.
But the challenges extend beyond the black community, Jakes says.
“I think really religion in general is struggling with politics, not just African Americans. Many, many times we’ve allowed ourselves to be taken up under the control of this party or that party, and I think that’s dangerous when you do that,” he tells Michele Norris.
“I don’t think that God should be assigned to a party. When the party goes bad, then the clergy are embarrassed, and I think that faith should transcend politics,” he says.
“If you’re going to be an effective leader… you can’t just be the president of the Christians, you have to be the president of the United States which incorporates atheists, agnostics and all brands of faith. And many Christians don’t understand that. They see this as a Christian nation but I don’t see this as a theocracy, I see it as a democracy.”

Listen to the story from NPR