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Unintended Consequences: How the “relevant” church and segregating youth is killing Christianity. I recently spent six-months doing a rotation as a hospital chaplain. One day I received a page (Yes, hospitals actually still use pagers). Chaplains are generally called to the rooms of people who look ill: People gray with kidney disease, or yellow with liver failure, discouraged amputees, nervous cancer patients. In this room, however, was a strikingly attractive 23 year-old young lady sitting up cheerfully in the hospital bed, holding her infant daughter and chatting with family and friends. Confused, I stepped outside and asked her nurse, “Why...

Vid at link.

U2 frontman Bono, who moonlights as an activist for the poor and sick in Africa, is crediting evangelical Christians and former President George W. Bush for saving 9 million from the ravages of AIDS, a campaign the musician said is blessed by God. "This should be shouted from the rooftops. This is a heroic American story," Bono said in a remarkable radio interview with Jim Daly, the president of Focus on the Family, to be broadcast by the group Tuesday. Talking freely about God, his marriage, and his relationship with Jesus in the interview provided in advance to Secrets, Bono...

A Christian group that once promoted therapy to encourage gays and lesbians to overcome their sexual preferences has closed its doors and apologized to homosexuals, acknowledging its mission had been hurtful and ignorant. Exodus International billed itself as the oldest and largest Christian ministry dealing with faith and homosexuality, operating since 1976. It announced it would cease operations in a statement on its website on Wednesday. The Irvine, California-based group’s board unanimously voted to close Exodus International and begin a separate ministry, the statement said. …

UPDATE: Hours after apology, Exodus International announces plans to close and begin a separate ministry. Melissa Steffan Update (June 19): Exodus International announced Wednesday night it will shut down and start a separate ministry for a "new generation." “We’re not negating the ways God used Exodus to positively affect thousands of people, but a new generation of Christians is looking for change – and they want to be heard,” said board member Tony Moore. The announcement came hours after issuing an apology to the gay community. At the time, Exodus leaders had shared little about their next steps, and the...

<p>On Wednesday, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin said President Barack Obama needed to clear up and "renounce" the "un-American" and "amoral" reports from the Pentagon that U.S. soldiers could be prosecuted for promoting their Christian faith. She called on Obama to do so "today, right now."</p>

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, an inter-denominational student ministry that builds communities across campuses in the U.S., revealed that one of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing was involved with their organization. Chinese national Lingzi Lu, 23, was one of the three people who lost their lives in last week's twin blasts that rocked the Boston Marathon, which also injured more than 170 others. "(Lu) was involved with the international student ministry we have at Boston University. She attended a retreat that we sponsored last fall. She was friends with people in the InterVarsity International Student ministry with the graduate and...

So I turn on the TV and this guy, with a horrible toupe' is talking about sowing and money. He keeps going on and on about anointing people with oil, as if it has any effect and Low and Behold "We got $400k and then we got a check a few days later for $1 million!" "Send me $1,000 now. I just received instructions from God that led me to more miracles in my life than I'd had in three years. In fact, I bought a Cessna Citation and a few weeks later I bought an even more expensive one!"...

There has been “an alarming rise in the number of attacks against Jewish targets” over the past year, according to a new report issued by the Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Ministry on Sunday. The 2012 report on anti-Semitism, which was presented to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu by Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein during Sunday’s cabinet meeting, indicated that the confluence of extreme rightwing political movements and Islamic radicalism have been responsible for a new wave of anti-Jewish sentiment in Europe. The report’s release was timed to coincide with the commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on...

Hamas is about to establish its own “Defense Ministry” in the Gaza Strip as part of lessons drawn from Operation Pillar of Defense, Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad announced on Wednesday. Hammad, who is in charge of the Hamas security apparatus in the Gaza Strip, made the announcement during a ceremony to honor policemen and security officers for their role during last month’s IDF air offensive. Hammad did not say when the new ministry would be established. This would be the first time that the Palestinians set up a Defense Ministry. The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank does not...

Before Sheldon Bruck told his orthodox Jewish parents he was gay, the teenager looked for a way out of homosexuality. His search led him to JONAH -- Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing -- which claimed on its website to help people "struggling with unwanted same-sex sexual attractions." JONAH co-director Arthur Goldberg promised Bruck, then 17, that "JONAH could help him change his orientation from gay to straight," according to a consumer fraud lawsuit filed Tuesday against JONAH, Goldberg and a JONAH counselor.

Ministries in Appalachia are bracing for a tough winter as hundreds of residents have been furloughed or lost their jobs because of cutbacks in coal production amid the nation's changing energy industry. A single employer, Arch Coal, laid off 750 workers across Appalachia in August. Other companies have been forced to idle employees or close operations.

Phoenix officials have until next Friday to apologize for the actions of a code enforcement officer after he stopped Christians from giving out water bottles to city festival participants on a day that reached 112 degrees. A legal team that fights for religious and civil rights is also demanding a commitment that the city will no longer interfere with the Christian group’s acts of charity. According to a letter to the city from the Rutherford Institute, the case developed in July during a “First Friday” festival when Dana Crow-Smith was giving “free bottles of cold water to passersby” on the...

Sent to me on Facebook by a pastor friend of mine.... **************************** Let me begin by saying I absolutely LOVE Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. (Gonna go ahead and tell you that Oatmeal Cookie Chunk is THE BEST flavor I’ve EVER had!!) A few years ago I went to Wal Mart (the closest thing to hell I can imagine…that and the DMV), found my favorite flavor and decided to tweet that I was purchasing some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream…and doing so “unleashed the hounds” in a sense. Honestly, I’ve never experienced anything like it, “Christians” began @ replying me...

Praise HIS holy name with all your might. Never give up.

Shocking Circumstances Surrounding the Death of Voice of the Martyrs Executive Director by Steve Eastman, Faith Issues It’s always shocking when someone dies before their time, especially if there are no apparent health issues. But shocking has been taken to a whole new level in the death of 64 year-old Tom White. To its credit, The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) is confirming much of what the media is reporting. You can find this statement on the ministry’s website: “Allegations were made to authorities this week that Tom had inappropriate contact with a young girl. Rather than face those allegations,...

......On board the ship that night was John Harper and his much-beloved six-year-old daughter Nana. According to documented reports, as soon as it was apparent that the ship was going to sink, John Harper immediately took his daughter to a lifeboat. It is reasonable to assume that this widowed preacher could have easily gotten on board this boat to safety; however, it never seems to have crossed his mind. He bent down and kissed his precious little girl; looking into her eyes he told her that she would see him again someday. The flares going off in the dark sky...

GOD's spirit pushes forth ministry, and not any force of a human's wants or needs; as they do not even match up with what GOD wants. That's why GOD came to them and changed their lives. We know that JESUS only came for the the lowly, not the righteous. We will confess HIS name and slowly live according to what we confess. The key to the those that do not believe is how they live and what they say, even if they may use GOD's holy name. Beware and watch all things in the spirit.

Here is another incredible ministry showing that the love of Christ heals the broken. Mercy Ministries’ free-of-charge, voluntary, faith-based residential program serves young women from all socio-economic backgrounds, ages 13-28, who face a combination of life-controlling issues such as eating disorders, self-harm, drug and alcohol addictions, depression and unplanned pregnancy. Mercy also serves young women who have been physically and sexually abused, including victims of sex trafficking. Using proven methods, a holistic approach and professional counselors in a structured residential environment, Mercy has helped thousands of young women be restored to wholeness. Mercy’s goal is to help these young women...

A journey to the diaconate   With his family at the helm, Deacon Marques Silva dives deeper into his faith By Gretchen R. Crowe | Catholic Herald   GRETCHEN CROWE | CATHOLIC HERALD   Deacon Marques Silva was hired recently as the director of the diocesan Office of Child Protection and Safety. Often, during our interview, when Deacon Marques Silva spoke, he used the word “we” when referring to his life. The permanent deacon, ordained in January and serving at St. Mary of Sorrows Parish in Fairfax, didn’t mean “we” the Church or “we” the Office of Child Protection...

Peshawar, 22 September 2011, Provincial government of Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa has make contact with federal government for the compensation of the killed levies force cops. 2 week back a twelve levies force cops were killed in terrorist attack near chitral check post. Letter which was sent through Ministry Saferon and Treasury the Provincial government has demanded that Federal government compensate the Malakand Levies force cops and give them Shuhada Package. These Levies forces cops were killed with encounter with Militants in chitral. Provincial Government also announced for Shuhada Package for the 4 police cops for Chitral police, which was also killed...

Special Correspondent, Jul. 15. KOLKATA, (C.M.Paul) - Mother of 15 children died at the age of 94 on 14 July in her home in Kerala after an illness due to old age complications which lasted two years. The deceased, Mrs. Elizabeth Anikuzhikattil, affectionately called Aleykutty, a devout Syro-Malabar catholic woman, gifted ten of her children to the Church. Of her eight boys, six are priests and one a bishop. Among her seven girls, four are religious, two Sacred Heart Sisters (Kerala) and one each Salesian Sister and Franciscan Missionary of Mary. Mrs Elizabeth`s eldest child Annie is a Daughter of...

Don’t let anyone tell you that they play the game of golf because they love it. This is a game that even the most proficient find exasperating. Only a few among the millions of its advocates consistently meet the standard of basic expectation – par. The vast majority will spend hours upon hours, dollar upon dollar, swinging away at a 1.680-inch diameter ball, in some of the most beautiful settings on earth. Their motivations may be varied, but it can’t be because they love the game. This game wasn’t designed to be loved but endured! Don’t confuse my rant with...

As the pastor of an evangelical church in the Seattle, Wash., area, I am amazed at the lack of unity of the church in the United States. Up here in the Northwest, we will never have a problem with running out of constituents. Next to Oregon, we are, I believe, the most unchurched state in the country. For years, it has been a problem to get the church to do one simple thing, and that is to believe the Word of God does not change, to believe that what the Word of God demands has not changed. In 1 John...

The word on the street is simple – “church sucks.” Plastered throughout one city in northern California are signs stating the same message, stirring some controversy among the local residents. But it’s all part of the plan, according to Stu Streeter, the lead pastor of Disciples Church in Folsom. Using the slogan as a way to attract those who have stopped attending church, Streeter, along with Adam Adams, his connection ministry director, have teamed up to ironically bring people back into the church, reported El Dorado Hills Telegraph.

I recently had the opportunity to hear this extraordinary young man speak on the radio program MoneyLife recently. You can listen to the interview here : No Limbs, No Limits with Nick Vujicic. I was amazed and humbled by what I heard, so much that I went home that evening and spent some time on his website. You can read Nick's story on his site, and hear him speak, here: lifewithoutlimbs.org I just wanted to give my FRiends the opportunity to get to know this young man, as I think he has a wonderful spirit and love for Christ, and...

CalvaryChurchPO | September 17, 2010 | 0 likes, 0 dislikes Pastor Kevin Lea presents Dr. Walt Brown's Hydroplate Theory, examines the Genesis account of the flood and answers the questions: Where did the water comefrom? Where did it go? Where did the comets come from? ...and many other important questions.

The prophetic has been taken captive by strange voices, strange fire and strange operations. There are no watchman standing on the walls of our nation warning us of impending danger. Could it be that God through this economic crisis is shaking things that aren’t of Him, including false prophetic ministry? …there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. (1 Kings 17:1) Why did the Lord God command Elijah to prophesy this word? Was it His judgment on the people because of their sins? No, it wasn’t the people whom the Lord was holding accountable....

Divided from NCFIC on Vimeo.

Homilies from the Heart The Life of John Chrysostom By: Gregory K. Roa Lent of the year 387 was an anxious season for the Christians of Antioch. They lived in one of the largest, wealthiest, and most magnificent cities in the Roman Empire, and their numbers had multiplied since Peter and Paul’s missionary work there. Their main church was one of the city’s most beautiful buildings.Antioch’s archbishop made two fateful decisions. First, he raced to the capital to plead for mercy. Second, he left behind his assistant, John, with the charge of calming the terrified citizens.Homilies from the Heart....

I found this wonderful website while doing a websearch for "ministering to muslims." I was glad to see that there really was such a website. I have read a few pages of this and find that it can be very useful towards understanding Islam and ministering to Muslim people you may know without being confrontational. This website is worth keeping on your favorites and passing around to friends and ministers.

Tonight The ANDREA SHEA KING SHOW 9p ET http://www.blogtalkradio.com/askshow/2010/09/17/the-andrea-shea-king-show With as much as we're hearing from media giants like Glenn Beck about restoring and returning to the Judeo-Christian values America was founded upon... You and your pastor are invited to join us this tonight at 9 pm ET for a very special edition of The ANDREA SHEA KING SHOW when Jerry Williams, popular Christian singer/songwriter and counselor-to-pastors  joins us. Jerry has been writing and performing contemporary Christian worship and patriotic songs to audiences around the world with the music group "HARVEST" for the past four decades. He is the founder and former president of Harvest Ministries,...

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) -- Germany's government said Friday it will cut off aid to Zimbabwe unless illegal and violent occupiers are removed from a farm owned by a German national. In a Friday protest note to the Zimbabwe foreign ministry, Germany noted the occupation of the eastern Zimbabwe property owned by German investor Heinrich von Pezold violates a decade-old investment agreement between the two countries.

You have always been so faithful to pray for Ken and me – especially for my health. But today I bring before you a new concern. I have breast cancer. Ken and I have been assured by our doctors that there are many new treatments for breast cancer, and we are very hopeful for a successful surgery and a full recovery.You have heard me often say that our afflictions come from the hand of our all-wise and sovereign God, and although cancer is something new, I am content to receive from God whatever He deems fit for me – even...

Recent discourse concerning the Chinese People’s Liberation Army's (PLA) modernization has principally focused on technological advances and less on the human dimension of PLA force transformation. In particular, a review of these discussions revealed the absence of a publicly available database of Chinese military leaders with the rank of full general (shangjiang). Against the backdrop of the PLA’s stated intention to reorient the armed forces as part of its modernization efforts, an analysis of promotion patterns of the 118 PLA generals (1981 - 2009) may yield important insights into the foci of PLA force transformation. PLA to Build Up Navy...

A Phoenix-based youth pastor is worried that his ministry could face legal troubles under Arizona’s new immigration law. “We don’t ask people for their documents to come hear about Jesus,” said Ian Danley, youth pastor at Neighborhood Ministries, during a conference call with immigration reform advocates Wednesday afternoon. The evangelical pastor said regular ministry work, such as driving teens to worship events, could be “criminalized” under the new Arizona law if a church worker knowingly transports youths who are illegally residing in the United States. “The local community here feels under attack,” Danley said. “Recent high school graduates in my...

What's Bringing So Many Catholics Home? (Part 2) Interview With Campaign Founder Tom Peterson By Andrea Kirk Assaf ROME, MAY 5, 2010 (Zenit.org).- When God chooses a methodology to bring fallen away Catholics back to the Church, he can certainly choose to spread the success from one country to another. That seems to be his plan with a campaign started by Tom Peterson, an American former advertising executive, who has put his expertise and experience at the service of the Church through the creation of the Catholics Come Home ad campaign and Web site. ZENIT spoke about the future of...

4/7/2010 - JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (AFNS) -- As the final rotation of the 732nd Air Expeditionary Group chaplain office draws to a close, the two-person team went on a final mission to neighboring forward operating bases around Baghdad International Airport. Although the purpose of this last trip was to provide pastoral care and help facilitate the best means of continued chaplain corps care for joint expeditionary tasking Airmen, Chaplain (Capt.) Steve Fisher and Staff Sgt. Dewey Landers, a chaplain assistant, focused on one squadron in particular, a group of individuals who put their lives in danger every time they...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, February 24, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – After 33 years at Focus on the Family, psychologist Dr. James Dobson bids farewell on Friday to the Christian ministry he founded, and brings his radio presence at the organization to an end. But the famous Christian commentator is not finished with the airwaves, as he has announced plans for a new, independent radio ministry following his departure. Focus on the Family CEO and President Jim Daly told listeners of Focus on the Family’s radio program Wednesday that "this week marks the completion of a transition period that probably started more than...

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (BP)--A reported 40,127 Haitians have made professions of faith in Jesus Christ since a major earthquake hit the impoverished nation in January, according to pastors and directors of missions within the Confraternite Missionaire Baptiste d'Haiti (CMBH). "Haiti is ripe for a spiritual movement from God," said Craig Culbreth, director of the Florida Baptist Convention's partnership missions department, which coordinates the work of the CMBH, upon his Feb. 22 return from Port-au-Prince. During a Feb. 16-17 citywide holiday observance in Cap Haitien, Haiti's second largest city, Culbreth saw "thousands upon thousands filling the streets where people are seeking God...

N. Pierce: “Great metropolitan regions...not nation-states--are starting to emerge as the world’s most influential players.” Cities are growing in the ‘Third World’ at an enormous rate and are regenerating in the U.S. and Europe. In the U.S. even smaller cities have seen a renaissance of their downtown cores, as professionals, immigrants, international business leaders, empty-nest baby-boomers, artists, and the ‘young and hip’ move back in. The coming world ‘order' will be a global, multi-cultural, and urban order. So globalized city-centers are the strategic ‘leading edge’ of world culture. So what are they like? Would we say that young city-center dwellers...

As you finally turn off the light and roll wearily into bed every night, do you ever think about the billions of people who are just starting their day? Do you ever consider the fact that as you sleep, millions of other people will be experiencing the same trials and challenges that you faced during your day? Skin colors,climates,altitudes,foods,languages,family structure,dwellings,financial status - these aspects may be completely different but yet we all have so much in common...

This is a thread for the live streaming of Heart of the Matter an outreach to the LDS. A link with the archive will be posted when it is up.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — Two men ministering on the streets of Boynton Beach were allegedly gunned down by an 18-year-old man. Police say 24-year-old Tite Sufra and 23-year-old Stephen Ocean were preaching to Jeriah Woody for about 15 minutes, until he got a phone call. Woody left, but then allegedly started walking toward the two. When Sufra approached, Woody allegedly shot him in the head. Ocean ran, and police say Woody shot him in the back, then walked up and shot him again — this time in the head at point-blank range.

Should local churches support and equip young men in their congregation who feel called to ministry, or should they be sent to seminary? It's a rare church that would be able to provide all the training that, I think, a pastor needs in our day, alone in their church without the help of a seminary. So, yeah, I really believe in seminaries. I believe in what seminaries offer. I believe in systematic theology, I believe in church history, I believe in Greek and Hebrew, I believe in preaching, and other kinds of courses: apologetics, philosophy of religion, etc. I think...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The Saudi Interior Ministry says an investigation has shown that three Saudi militants were killed in a Sept. 14 blast outside the country. The official Saudi Press agency quoted a ministry statement as saying Monday that DNA tests showed the three were militants who had fled the country to join militants abroad. It did not say in which country the blast took place.

Fledgling group ministers to Muslims behind bars By Frank Green A seven-year-old prison chaplain group recently was awarded a one-of-its-kind, $25,000 state subcontract to minister to a rapidly growing faith behind bars: Islam. But the all-volunteer Muslim Chaplain Services wants more state funding... The Chaplain Service of the Churches of Virginia, a Protestant group established in 1920, has the full, $780,000 contract... Relations between the two chaplain groups are cordial... So, too, do some secular experts... Mark Hamm ... said that "Islam, by all accounts, is the fastest-growing religion among prisoners in the Western world, including the United States." And...

Pastor Paul Sheppard, senior pastor of the large Bay Area Church, Abundant Life Christian Fellowship, abruptly resigned this past weekend. Sheppard who is widely credited for growing the church from 300 members to well over 6,000 resigned due to a "moral crisis" in statement read to the congregation on Sunday. According to sources who were in attendance at the church on Sunday, an associate pastor stood up for the morning announcments and read a letter from Pastor Paul Sheppard to the church. In the letter, Sheppard admitted having an extra marital affair. In addition, he asked forgiveness from his wife,...

This video is arranged with a short instrumental medley of the hymns; Softly and Tenderly, Lord I’m Coming Home! Also with an animated hummingbird!

Animated tropical puffer fish with a inspiring message!