Today's Word

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:32-34

Today's Preaching Insight...

Good Grief

n many ways our experiences with grief are all the same. We all go through the same stages of shock, denial and guilt.

First we say: "It couldn't happen."

Then we say: "It didn't happen."

Then we say: "Oh, if only I had . . . Oh, why didnt I. . . . do this or that?" We somehow feel responsible for everything. We take the whole thing on our heads. We even imagine we somehow could have leaped into the breech and changed everything, if only . . .
When an office-holder in Washington, DC died in 1917, a perennial office seeker hurried to the White House to tell President Woodrow Wilson that he would like to "take the deceased's place." The President answered, "If it's all right with the undertaker, it's all right with me."

No one can take the place of someone else in their death. But we dont have to. Jesus did it once and for all for all of us.

But no one can take the place of someone else in his life either. And when we experience a loss in our lives and have to go on living ourselves, we experience every emotion we know in that grief: anger, love, fear, hope, insecurity, abandonment — you name it. And we all have our losses. They come in many different forms. They come as separation, children leaving home, moving, conflict, job change, retirement, aging, disappointment. And these are all experiences in which we feel real grief, and all our strong emotions rise up in us and flow over us like the deep waters that Isaiah talks about going through.

And we wonder: If we start to cry, will we ever stop? Or will the flood tide take us with it. We hold back and hide our grief because we imagine that once we begin to really feel it, we won't be able to bear it.

Many people hide their grief for years, and it gnaws away at them from the inside. Then comes the torrent: 2 months later, 5 years later, 20 years later. But eventually our grief catches up with us, and we know that thing could, and did, happen, and there was nothing we could do about it.

You know the scripture story about Jesus' dear friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus. The 2 sisters had sent word to Jesus that their brother was dying. But Jesus had been busy and couldn't come immediately. By the time He got there, Lazarus was dead. And as Jesus looked at those people He loved and saw their suffering, He felt all the same things you and I feel when someone we love dies. And He wept. The people said: "See how He loved him." But others said: "If He loved him so much, why didn't He save him from this death?" And that's the question we all ask in that situation: If God loves us, why did He let this happen? Why didn't He get here sooner? And why wasn't our love enough to save this person?

"If only I had known," we say. But do we think Jesus didn't know? Do we really think the Lord didn't know all of that? Not a sparrow falls without the Lord knowing it. He knows the number of all our days, and He is there.

Now that doesn't mean things don't go wrong or that there will not be evil that effects our lives and our deaths. The Lord has told us that there is evil. But He has also assured us that before it even happens He has already overcome all of it and is able to bring good out of all of it for those who love Him.

He is there before and during and after. "As you pass through the deep waters, I will be with you, and they shall not overwhelm you." For the person who has died, no matter what the cause, there are green mansions on the other side, where the lawn is not so hard to mow. So let us be clear that when we grieve at the death of someone, we grieve mainly for ourselves, for our loss, because, as Paul said: "For me, to die is gain."

(To read the entire article "Good Grief" by Kathleen Peterson at Preaching.com, click here)

Today's Extra...

Thanksgiving
by Jimmy Gentry
Temple Baptist Church, Carrollton, Georgia

A church had gathered to pray for a needy family around Thanksgiving. The family needed food, and concerned folks from the church got together to pray for them. While the prayer meeting was going on, a young boy came and knocked on the door of the home where members had gathered, entered into the house and told them, "My father said to tell you that he can't come tonight to pray because he is too busy unloading his prayers at the Jones' house. He said to tell you that he is taking a side of beef, a sack of potatoes, a bushel of apples, and some jars of jam. He said he could not be here to pray, but that he has taken his prayers and unloaded them at their house."

Thanksgiving by way of daily thanks-living demands that we pray, yes; but it also demands that we "unload" our prayers at the doorsteps of those who are hungry, lonely and just plain without.

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
Psalm 100:4

Today's Preaching Insight...

Daniel-like Consistency

The single characteristic of those who succeed in the challenges of life is [the] element of consistency. Joseph, in an Egyptian dungeon, did not give up. Paul, in a Philippian jail, did not give up. Daniel, in Babylonian captivity, did not give up. And God did not forget any of them.

So often in a culture that is crumbling like ours we're tempted to ask, "Where is God?" He was there with Daniel and He is here with us. Note the quote, And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand. (Dan. 1:2) Note that God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. (Dan. 1:9) Note that God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom. (Dan. 1:17). God was in control of every one of Daniel's circumstances and situations.

I love what the Bible says in Daniel 1:9, Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. When we establish standards like Daniel, God shows up on our side. Daniel had purposed in his heart. Daniel had made his choice. Daniel had set his mind. In the very next verse we find God intervening. It was not Daniel's stand that influenced the chief of the eunuchs, it was God Himself. Remember, God has the remote control in His hand. He can turn us up or turn us off. He can change our channel or mute us if He so desires. He is in control.

Many are prone to give up what they stand for when they're out in the culture. Some of us seem to be geared to think that if we do not compromise we might lose our position or even our promotion. Daniel had figured out who he wanted on his side. It was not his boss, it was his God. He knew the truth of Proverbs 16:7, When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

So, what is the point? If we're going somewhere in life we need to learn some lessons from our friend Daniel. Don't play politics. We should live our lives in such a way that they line up with the Word of God and please him in the process. And then we can watch Him work on those around us as he did in Daniel's day. It is not enough to simply be resistant if we're not consistent. Some start well but give up and go with the crowd around them.

Oh that we could grasp Daniel's spirit.

(To read the entire article "Don't Give Up... Be Consistent" by O.S. Hawkins at Preaching.com, click here)

Today's Extra...

This Week's Laugh

Picnic

Two good ol' boys are riding around looking for a place to have a picnic. One of them says to the other, "Hey, lets have a picnic over there under that tree."

The other good ol' boy says, "No, no, let's have it in the middle of the road."

They fought about this for the longest time and came to a decision to have it in the middle of the road.

Not long afterwards a car came speeding towards them, swerved off the road, and ran into the tree.

The second good ol' boy says, "See if we'd a-been over there we would be dead right now."

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:20

Today's Preaching Insight...

Grand-Slam Christians

When I was in the seventh grade, I played little league baseball in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The name of our team was the Seals. What a name for a baseball team, especially out in the plains of Oklahoma. We were worse than the Bad News Bears, and we intended to prove it. Out of eighteen games, we had lost eighteen games. On the final game, the Bad News Seals pulled together. We smelled victory, and we wanted to win. I had gotten several hits in the game already, but in the final inning, I came up to bat. The pressure was on. I hit the ball deep along the sideline in right field. It was a fair ball. I ran to first. I charged to second. I headed to third. By this time, the right fielder threw the ball to the first baseman. We needed that extra run. It was great to get a single. It was wonderful to get a double. It was fantastic to get a triple, but it was more important to hit a home run.

With all my might, I raced towards home plate. My parents and brothers were screaming. The Bad News Seals in the dugout were cheering me on, and I made my way towards the hall of fame in the legendary history of the infamous Tulsa Seals. Unfortunately, the first baseman threw the ball to the catcher before I got to home plate. It was too late for me to head back to third. The catcher caught the ball high, and I dived in the catcher's breadbasket. Our WWF (World Wrestling Federation) fans would have been proud of me.

The catcher dropped the ball, and I was scrambling in the whirlwind of dust and dirt to find home plate. The catcher and I were wrestling in the dirt trying to touch home plate first. Luckily, I touched home plate before the catcher did, and I scored my first and last infield home run. I also brought in a couple of runs at the same time.

Folks, making a single, a double, a triple is unbelievably exciting, but nothing can compare with a home run. Yet in the Christian life, too many of us are content to become Christians and stay at first base as a Christian and as a church member only. Too many of us are content to stay at second: to study our Bibles, pray, worship in spirit and truth, and get plugged into a small group. Too few of us discover our spiritual gifts and get involved in ministry at third base. An even smaller percentage of Christians are home run hitters who make it all the way around the bases and come home. At First Baptist Church, my deepest desire is that many of you would get involved in missions and become grand-slam Christians.

(To read the entire sermon "Grand-Slam Christians" by Edward Erwin at Preaching.com, click here)

Today's Extra...

Hunting, Preferences
By Cybersalt Digest

Dad loved the outdoors, and because of his passion for hunting and fishing, the family ate a considerable amount of wild game. One evening as Dad set a platter of broiled venison steaks on the dinner table, his 10-year-old daughter looked up and said, "Boy, it sure would be nice if pizzas lived in the woods."

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
Psalm 95:3-7

Today's Preaching Insight...

Elements of Good Preaching

In an article on "How to Preach a Good Sermon," Kent Anderson describes four elements that should be part of any sermon:

"Tell a Story: Every text in Scripture has a story because it is always written in the context of real people and real situations. Preachers need to help their listeners connect with the humanity in the Bible in order to see the relevance of what God wants to say. Good preaching, then, places the sermon in the context of real human experience. It tells the stories of actual people in real time so that contemporary listeners can locate their own life in the context of the sermon.

"Make an Argument: The Bible is also about ideas. Good preachers will teach the listener the truths that can help them live in accordance with God's will. God challenges people with an alternative approach to understanding and living life. People will grow in their faith if they are led to understand the propositions of God's Word. Preachers need to work to help listeners appreciate the reasons for their faith.

Solve a Mystery: Preaching needs to respond to the deep-seated questions people have for God. We can't accept that just because listeners understand what we are saying that they are prepared to give their lives for them. While we might not always like the things we hear, preachers need to help their listeners struggle with the mysteries.

"Paint a Picture: Sermons ought to offer listeners a compelling vision of the future. Preachers need to show listeners how their encounter with God's Word can change their lives forever. What will it actually look like in our lives because we have heard from God and responded to Him in faith? Can we motivate listeners to a faithful response to the things we have heard from God?

"Preaching that integrates these four features will offer the authority of God's Word while respecting the dignity of the human listener." (Click here to read the full article.)

Today's Extra...

Thanksgiving
By J. Michael Shannon
Academic Dean and Professor of Preaching, Cincinnati Bible Seminary, Cincinnati Christian Unversity, Cincinnati, Ohio.

A fourth-grader stood up in his public school class, giving a report concerning the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday. Here's how he began:

"The pilgrims came here seeking freedom of you know what.
When they landed, they gave thanks to you know who.
Because of them, we can worship each Sunday, you know where."

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.
Psalm 89:1

Today's Preaching Insight...

Mistakes Churches Make

In an article for Church Central, consultant Bill Easum writes about the most common tactical mistakes made by church leaders and notes they are usually "hallmarks of declining congregations." Here are four from his list:

1. Failure to combine evangelism and social justice into the fabric of the church. The entire debate between traditional and emergent churches stems from this failure. Any form of reductionism truncates the Gospel.

2. Putting a long section of announcements at the beginning of the worship service. It's like tuning into the beginning of a sitcom only to find all of the commercials loaded up front before anything else happens. Instead, begin worship with a rousing piece of music that says, 'Something great is going to happen here today.' If you have to do announcements, don't lead off with them. Please.

3. The lead pastor in a church under five hundred in worship does not personally contact first-time guests within 48 hours. I know much of the prevailing wisdom is people are more likely to return to your church if the laity visits them. It's just not so. Pastor, if your church is under five hundred in worship, visit your first-time guests within 48 hours.

4. Hiring Associate Pastors who are generalists rather than specialists. The day of generalists is coming to an end."

(Click here to read the full article.)

Today's Extra...

This Week's Book

The Gospel-Driven Life
By Michael Duduit
Editor, Preaching Magazine
Michael Horton's new book The Gospel-Driven Life (Baker) asserts that the only thing the church can provide that is unique is the gospel. That's why Horton urges churches to depart from their own agendas and focus on the good news that Christ is our only source of hope

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Psalms 19

Today's Preaching Insight...

What's Your BHAG?

Do you have a BHAG for your church or ministry?

In the online Open Forum for Small Business, Matthew May writes: "In the 1940s, Stanford University's goal was to become the 'Harvard of the West.' In 1950, Boeing wanted to become the 'dominant player in commercial aircraft and bring the world into the jet age.' Nike's goal in the 1960s was to 'Crush Adidas.' In 1986, Giro Sport Design wanted to become the 'Nike of the cycling industry.' And Wal-Mart, in 1990, wanted to become a '$125 billion company by the year 2000.'

"These are all examples of what Jim Collins and Jerry Porras called a BHAG--Big Hairy Audacious Goal--in their 1994 book Built to Last. According to Collins and Porras: 'A true BHAG is clear and compelling, serves as a unifying focal point of effort...It has a clear finish line, so the organization can know when it has achieved the goal. It is tangible, energizing, highly focused. People get it right away; it takes little or no explanation.'" (Read the full article here.)

What BHAG might you and your ministry team envision for your church or organization? What would be a worthy Kingdom vision--something that will only be possible with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit?

Too many churches never reach great goals because they never imagine they are possible. For churches with no vision, they aren't.

So what about your church? What's your BHAG?

Today's Extra...

This Week's Laugh

Accents

About a year ago my sister, who lives in Virginia, was talking with her four year old son, Brent.

He was asking her why all their relatives from Wisconsin talk funny and sound like their noses are plugged up.

"They think we have an accent," she replied.

"But they have an accent, right?" Brent asked.  "They talk funny."

"Everybody talks in different ways" she tried to explain.

"To them, we sound like we talk very slow and all our words are d-r-a-w-n out."

His eyes got big, and he whispered seriously, "Oh, no.  You mean they hear funny too?"

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.
John 3:21

Today's Preaching Insight...

Faith makes a difference

Americans who help religious congregations not only give more time and money than people working with secular causes, but provide three-quarters of secular charity as well, according to a study that was reported in The Washington Times.

The study found that "religion-giving households" in 2000 gave 87.5 percent of all charitable contributions in the nation, for an average of $2,100 for each household. "Givers to religious congregations are dramatically more generous than others," said the report, issued by Independent Sector, a nonprofit research organization, and the National Council of Churches.

Six in 10 American households give to a religious congregation and more than 85 percent of those also gave to secular organizations, said the study . . .

"The influence of faith extends to volunteering," the study said, noting that 54 percent of regular worshippers also volunteer. That compares with a volunteering rate of 32 percent by Americans who do not attend a house of worship. Religious givers volunteer for secular charities as much as secular Americans, averaging about 10 hours a month. And the most actively religious people work the most volunteer hours. "In round numbers, one-third of the people give two-thirds of the time," the report said.

For more on this topic, check out The Grace of Giving by Bill D. Whittaker at http://www.preaching.com/resources/from_the_lectionary/11547537/faith%20giving/.

Today's Extra...

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2

Today's Preaching Insight...

Diversity

"The Church is called to be a Christ-centered community of diversity. Its very life proclaims the power of God to overcome the divisions that set people against each other. In his letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul announced, 'In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus' (v. 3:28). The church is to live as a people touched by Gods grace and no longer defined by the divisions that plague the world.

At least that's what God expects. But that is not what we find in far too many cases. Too often the divisions of the world are brought right into the church. Instead of reflecting the light of Christ, we mirror the broken world. Women are discriminated against, racial segregation persists and whenever an international conflict arises, those in the church are frequently uncritical cheerleaders for our nation's side in the hostility. But on top of all that, the church has its own problems with diversity. Differences in practice and opinion become occasions for distrust and fragmentation.



Among ecumenically minded Christians, unity in diversity has been one of our strong values. But as I recently heard it said, we sing our hosannas to the principal, but in practice too quickly we hear the cries, 'Crucify him, crucify him.' No matter how much we claim that we value diversity, living with it is tough work."

(From Diversity: Living with Diversity, Romans 14:1-9 by Craig M. Watts. To read the entire article on Preaching.com, click here).

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

Today's Preaching Insight...

In Ministry: It's an Online World

By Michael Duduit
Editor, Preaching Magazine.

As computers and the Internet consume more and more of our waking hours—from writing sermons to managing membership to keeping up on Facebook—another digital dimension is confronting pastors and church leaders: online education.

Mention "training for ministry" and most people likely still think of a traditional seminary classroom with a professor standing in front of students. While that continues to be the mode in which most ministry education takes place for now, that may not be the case for long. As in so many other disciplines, theological education is moving online in a big way.

According to am Aug. 19, 2009, story on The New York Times Web site, online education is increasingly catching up with traditional classrooms in student performance outcomes. Steve Lohr writes: "Until fairly recently, online education amounted to little more than electronic versions of the old-line correspondence courses. That has really changed with arrival of Web-based video, instant messaging and collaboration tools."

Lohr adds: "The real promise of online education, experts say, is providing learning experiences that are more tailored to individual students than is possible in classrooms. That enables more 'learning by doing,' which many students find more engaging and useful."

Seminaries and divinity schools are shifting major attention to online courses, reflecting growing interest from students who want the training but not a move away from their current locations or ministry positions. If you are considering online education as an option, be sure to keep a few things in mind:

Make sure the program is fully accredited. Lots of "seminary degrees" are available online, but many are from unaccredited institutions. If you are going to invest time and money in education, be sure the school you attend is regionally accredited (recognized by one of the major regional accrediting agencies authorized by the federal government to offer such accreditation).

Why does accreditation matter? First, because such agencies verify that institutions actually provide what they promise in terms of curriculum, faculty, resources and quality. It's a quality check to know you aren't paying for a degree from a "school" that meets out of someone's garage and that could close its doors at any time.

Second, if you decide you'd like to do additional study, such as pursuing a Doctorate of Ministry, only an accredited degree will be a adequate for admission to quality schools. As dean of a graduate program in ministry, I've already encountered a number of pastors who have realized they made terrible mistakes by pursuing bachelor's degrees from unaccredited schools and now can't get accepted into accredited graduate programs.

Find out how much of the program can be done online. Some programs offer all of the degree online while others only offer a part of the program and require you to come to campus for a significant portion of the degree. Before you start, find out how much, if any, you will need to do "in residence" on campus; and decide if that will work for you. If it's a problem, it's better to know before you start the program.

Learn about how the courses are taught. Online courses are not one size fits all. Many require you to acquire the content for the course primarily through reading material posted online. Some hybrid courses provide a portion of the content online while requiring you to come to campus for a day or two each semester. Still others provide course content through video materials via DVD and/or streaming video.

So know what you are signing on for before you mail that tuition check!

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
Romans 8:13

Today's Preaching Insight...

Planning Preaching Series

In an interview with pastor Mark Batterson, he talks about how they plan preaching series: "We do series the entire year. Occasionally in between--just to take a little bit of a creative breather--we'll do a buffer Sunday. Sometimes we'll call it PBJ Sunday, peanut butter and jelly. We'll kind of strip it down, not a whole lot of creativity. We'll often celebrate communion those weekends and do kind of a back-to-basics message, but by and large it's sermon series.

"We do a staff retreat in November and we begin strategizing our sermon series for the next year. By the time we're done with that meeting, we will have a rough strategy of those series that we're going to do throughout the next year.

"By the way, this might be really kind of a helpful tip: We do an annual survey every year before that retreat, and one of things I do in that survey is pitch a dozen sermon series ideas to our congregation and say, 'Which one of these series would be most helpful to your spiritual growth?' We track those numbers--the ones that come back with a very high percentage; it's a pretty good bet that we're going to do those series. Then, interestingly enough, the ones that come back very low--in other words, the series that people don't want to hear--those series often will end up making the cut, too; because we're wondering, 'Why don't you want to hear about this?'"