How Will New Devices and Always On Internet Effect the Church?

This article talks about the paradigm shift that is happening in media especially with the advent of the iPhone and that the fact that for many they no longer "log on" to the internet but are "on continuously". That really is a seismic shift. If (more like when) Apple releases a tablet, the author is predicting another seismic shift. I continue to wonder how the church can use these technological shifts to engage people -- be a catalyst for their spiritual lives and help them connect to God. I see technological changes as opportunities for the church. Apple's Tablet PC Will Reinvent Computing | Newsweek Daniel Lyons | Techtonic Shifts | Newsweek.com: "I have no idea what the 'new news' will look like, but I know it will arrive. Look at how people have turned their creativity loose on the iPhone. In just 16 months, thousands of developers have created 85,000 applications for that device. The same will happen with tablets. These powerful devices with constant Internet access will enable us (and force us) to rethink media. What is a newspaper? What is a book? What is a movie? What is entertainment? Somewhere out there, the Orson Welles of the digital age is in grade school, or maybe high school. Soon he or she will be inventing a new language for telling stories. I can't wait to see what it looks like."

The AntiChristian Holiday

Vatican condemns Halloween as anti-Christian - Telegraph The Holy See has warned that parents should not allow their children to dress up as ghosts and ghouls on Saturday, calling Hallowe'en a pagan celebration of "terror, fear and death". The paper quoted a liturgical expert, Joan Maria Canals, who said: "Hallowe'en has an undercurrent of occultism and is absolutely anti-Christian." I'm not sure what's up with the funky spelling of Hallowe'en. They spelled it that way consistently throughout the article. A European thing? Really there is nothing wrong with dressing up. Certainly there is nothing wrong with candy. And that's all Halloween is for most folks. But I think the Vatican is on to something here. Occult and pagan religions practice October 31st as a holiday or holy day and the most common themes for the day are indeed terror, fear, death, the occult and in recent years Halloween has taken on a Mardi Gras atmosphere with more partying and sexual costumes. Why would a Christian want any part of that?

More Christian Unity: This Time it's Orthodox

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.com: Hopes rising for unifying Orthodoxy's U.S. churches The Roman Catholic Church just recently made easier the adoption of Anglicans, both clergy and churches. And there have been some discussions about Catholic and Orthodox unity. Now there are serious discussions within the various Orthodox entities globally to find a status of unity. Imagine, if you could, what would the church in North America look like if the Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans (not Episcopalians -- I can't imagine that) united as a church and found a way to become missional together. The important act here is not unity. The most important act would be repentance. Repentance is a precursor to revival. Will theses church repent of wounding each other out of pride and over grabs of power and prestige? Will they say "We are sorry for our actions." or like the Episcopalians in recent times just express their regret. The worst thing that could happen is they unify without acknowledging the sin of division, the pain caused by their declarations of anathema and in some cases, violence done to one another. Imagine a world where the dominating evangelizing force was a newly spiritually rejuvenated unified Catholic/Orthodox/Anglican Church.

VirtueOnline - News - Culture Wars - America Tolerates Anti-Christian Double Standard

VirtueOnline - News - Culture Wars - America Tolerates Anti-Christian Double Standard: "Recently in my ultra-liberal city of Portland, I found myself driving behind a car with just one bumper sticker. 'So many Christians,' it read, 'So few lions.' I wondered what could possess a person to adorn their car with this one homicidal sentiment-and then possess my community to let them drive around, unaccosted. A friend and I discussed later what other slogans might be put on a bumper sticker. What if it said 'So many Jews, so few gas chambers'? It could read, 'So many blacks, so few nooses.' Or 'So many Muslims, so few Abu Ghraibs.' How long would it take for a car with that sticker to be pulled over? Twenty minutes?" Indeed it is a morbidly interesting phenomenon to see our nation evolve into one that is derisive toward Christianity from one that favored it.

Christians Prepare For Jail

Obama signs 'hate-crimes' bill into law There are a lot of people who are gravely concerned about new "hate crime" legislation that is now law. Many feel it will be used to specifically suppress the free speach of Christians. A Hindu group already wants to use it to shut Christian mission web sites critical of them. And there are Christians who will be in danger of prosecution because of sermon content.

You Can Become A God

UK Telegraph: Immortality only 20 years away says scientist Eternal life here on earth. You don't even have to change religions. "Scientist Ray Kurzweil claims humans could become immortal in as little as 20 years' time through nanotechnology and an increased understanding of how the body works."

What Really is Shocking ...

FOX News - Opinion - Where Have All the Christians Gone? FOX News is reporting on the decline of Christians in the population. It's really not shocking that people are leaving church. So many are mind boggling boring. What is really shocking is the incredible indifference amongst Christian leaders and especially Christian lay people of the boomer generation and older that people are leaving. When does the plummeting church attendance and the stats that FOX quotes become an emergency to the church?  I'm continue to remain stunned that so few seem to notice or are worried.  How long until North American Christianity becomes European Christianity?

Why Arguments against Women in Ministry Aren't Biblical - Ben Witherington on the Bible and Culture

The future Bishop of Durham, Scott Emery, posted this article on Facebook moments ago: Why Arguments against Women in Ministry Aren't Biblical - Ben Witherington on the Bible and Culture Witherington is a great Biblical scholar. Agree with him or not, he offers some detailed exegesis and well reasoned and researched scholarship in his arguments. His scholarly influence continues to grow.

Sinners, Bars and Jesus

So Catalyst Church recently did a sermon on "Do You Think Jesus Would Hang Out At A Downtown Bar?"  And then I read this article about a church having an Alpha course in a pub:  Go on, have a pint with the Lord - The Globe and Mail. I keep hearing, "Sure Jesus would go to a bar.  He always hung out with sinners in the Scriptures."  A reference to, at least, Luke 15:1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” Just a point of reference:  Not everyone in a bar is some moral reprobate that doesn't go to church, alcoholic, addict, looking for a hook-up who is drinking away their kids food money.  Let's not paint with such a broad brush and stereotype people.  Let's know them and love them. Jesus is the creator and author of this entire universe.  I don't think there are any places that are off limits to Him.

FREE! Scholarly Resources

And for my less Pentecostal friends, who are worried about my salvation because I'm listening to Jack Deere and Rick Joyner, I don't want you to feel unloved. Here is a more scholarly resource with Tim Keller, Os Guinness, William Lane Craig, Alvin Plantinga, etc. The Veritas Forum: Media

FREE Sermons! For the Pentecostal in You

I listen to a variety of different sermons and messages from Dave Ramsey and Dan Miller to Mark Driscoll or NT Wright internetmonk.com or Roger Olson or Lee Strobel or Craig Groeschel to Rick Joyner and Jack Deere. I cover a pretty broad theological spectrum. I particularly like to listen to the Pentecostal guys that swim in the prophetic streams. They are inspiring and hope bearing. Below is a brief list of sites that offer free mp3 sermons. Some are from conferences and some are just small collections. You'll find guys like Steve Thompson, Jack Deere, Rick Joyner, Bob Jones, Dutch Sheets, Randy Clark and Mike Bickle but plenty of others ... David Wilkinson, Jim Cymbala, John Bevere ... I listened to Graham Cooke last night and he was extremely funny but very insightful.  What if Osama Bin Laden is the modern day Saul of Tarsus? love God! Look in the left menu for mp3.  A couple of the talks require you to download several segments of it to listen to the whole thing, which is a real pain, but well worth it. He Burns For Me Holy Desperation International House of Prayer : Resources

Tim Keller: Ministry Idolatry

Redeemer Church Planting Center | Counterfet Gods - The Personal Story | Tim Keller Tim Keller tells the story of how ministry accomplishment and personal sacrifice became idolatry. And it became neglect of his wife and children and the sabbath. If that's you. Stop, drop and roll. Go home now and tell them you love them. Be present with them.

Married Catholic Priests? More on the way.

Vatican creates new structure for Anglicans Many do not realize there are already a handful of married Roman Catholic priests. These are generally former Episcopalian priests who have "crossed the Tiber" as the expression goes. However, an announcement today by the Vatican saying it will provide easy access for Anglicans wishing to come to Rome yet maintain certain Anglican worship traditions, also included the provision for married Anglican priests to become Roman Catholic priests, though not bishops. It is believed that Rome has been besieged by Anglicans desiring a theologically orthodox home whilst maintaining their traditions. "Pope Benedict XVI has created a new church structure for Anglicans who want to join the Catholic Church, responding to the disillusionment of some Anglicans over the ordination of women and the election of openly gay bishops. " Of particular interest is the fact that this creation by the Vatican does not seem to be born out of ecumenical dialog. That itself could be perceived as a great slap in the face to the Church of England. Just another embarrassing chapter in the life of Rowan Williams. I do not think history books will be kind to him. We're watching the demise of the worldwide Anglican Communion under his leadership, or lack thereof.

Serving the Covenant Church

Churches Seeking Staff - Evangelical Covenant Church 26 Senior pastor positions available in the Evangelical Covenant Church right now, including 1 part-time and 2 interim positions. What looks good to you? I'll have to get out an atlas for some of these and figure out which are closest to the ocean. CENTRAL CONFERENCE: Glen Ellyn, IL 303/359 Machesney Park, IL 84/64 Northbrook, IL 160/130 Iron River, MI 186/122 EAST COAST CONFERENCE: Cromwell, CT 122/85 Woodstock, CT 360/249 Bronx, NY 959/500 Berlin, CT 512/455 (Interim Pastor, effective 12/1/09) Cromwell, CT 122/85 (Interim Pastor, part-time) GREAT LAKES CONFERENCE: Grand Rapids, MI 571/750 (Thornapple) Northport, MI 58/75 MIDSOUTH CONFERENCE: San Juan, TX 54/40 (Part-time. Parsonage available) MIDWEST CONFERENCE: Castle Rock, CO 101/145 Decorah, IA 64/154 Omaha, NE (Community) 208/135 NORTH PACIFIC CONFERENCE: Portland, OR 177/131 (Irvington) NORTHWEST CONFERENCE: Fairmont, MN 141/183 St. Louis Park, MN (Emmaus Road) 43/140 PACIFIC SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE: Arnold, CA 299/281 Fremont, CA 612/354 (South Bay) Pasadena, CA 372/286 (Pasadena) Sacramento, CA 89/181 (River Life) Stockton, CA 224/186 SOUTHEAST CONFERENCE: Birmingham, AL 125/202 Orlando, FL 57/66 Cary, NC 122/197 Madison, NC (Kallam Grove) 97/80

Today We Honor Jacob Arminius

ARMINIUS 400: The Legacy of Jacob Arminius | Society of Evangelical Arminians

Servant Evangelism

I'm in Ashtabula, OH this weekend at First Covenant Church with Pastor Bruce Wyand.  Nice group of people tonight for our first sessions.  Tomorrow, one of the things I'll talk about is Servant Evangelism:  small acts of kindness to show God's love in tangible ways.  Here's an intro video with Steve Sjogren:

Giffordslist in Syracuse, NY

Giffordslist The site is a great resource for non-profits in our community. It allows organizations to buy, sell, and trade resources and services amongst each other. Organizations can post wants, advertise events, and solicit board members and volunteers. If your organization is looking for ways to go “Green” this is a great tool. The site is free to use! You can post listings of items and materials you no longer use or request items you are in need of. Please visit the site at http://www.giffordslist.org/?site_id=34

Spiritual Disciplines (Habits)

Many Christian people are working changing their habits and behaviors for purposes of holiness and closeness with God. Some are trying to eliminate certain behaviors, others are trying to start new ones or follow through with a spiritual discipline. Sometimes we simply pray and hope that God takes over and miraculously instantaneously changes us. That happens. Rarely. More often than not we struggle against the flesh and sin and wrangle our ways to new paths and disciplines. In doing so, don't disregard less 'spiritual' approaches of developing new habits. Take a look here at: Zen Habits: The Habit Change Cheatsheet: 29 Ways to Successfully Ingrain a Behavior. Yes, by all means pray for God's help but by all means work diligently toward the goals God has set for you. Fight for His calling in your life. From Zen Habits: The simple steps of habit change: 1. Write down your plan. 2. Identify your triggers and replacement habits. 3. Focus on doing the replacement habits every single time the triggers happen, for about 30 days.

Big Ed's Church Planting Mistakes

Ed Stetzer Shares 7 Big Church Planting Mistakes | churchrelevance.com 1. Forgetting the mission. 2. Being married to a model. 3. Not taking care of yourself. 4. Arrogance. 5. Not taking believers deeper. 6. Ignoring hidden agendas. 7. Afraid of finances. What mistakes have you made?

My Soul Finds Rest - Psalm 62 - Aaron Keyes

My Soul Finds Rest Psalm 62 Lyrics from Aaron Keyes My soul finds rest in God alone, My Rock and my salvation, A fortress strong against my foes, And I will not be shaken. Though lips may bless and hearts may curse, And lies like arrows pierce me, I’ll fix my heart on righteousness, I’ll look to Him who hears me. O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward; Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God. Find rest, my soul, in God alone Amid the world’s temptations; When evil seeks to take a hold I’ll cling to my salvation. Though riches come and riches go, Don’t set your heart upon them; The fields of hope in which I sow Are harvested in heaven. O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward; Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God. I’ll set my gaze on God alone, And trust in Him completely; With every day pour out my soul, And He will prove His mercy. Though life is but a fleeting breath, A sigh too brief to measure, My King has crushed the curse of death And I am His forever. O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward; Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God. O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward; Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God. O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah, hallelujah, O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah, hallelujah, O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah! hallelujah! O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward; Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God. O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward; Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God. O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah, hallelujah, O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah, hallelujah, O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah! hallelujah! O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah! hallelujah!

I Want You To Grow Spiritually 16: The Examen

On one of my travels to northern MN I bought a delightful book, Sacred Listening: Discovering the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola by James L. Wakefield, who teaches at Salt Lake Theological Seminary.  The beauty of this book is that it takes an historically Roman Catholic spiritual exercise and makes it accessible to Protestants both in it's language and more pragmatically, it's format for individuals and groups. Let me say to you:  Wusses do not pursue the Ignatian exercises. No wimps allowed.  It is a rigorous pursuit of God in journaling, meditation and spiritual friendship.  It's not that it is intellectually challenging or some how only for "spiritual giants" (whoever they might be).  It's just that it takes constancy, persistence and endurance. This book piqued my interest in what is simply known as The Examen.  An ancient spiritual exercise of the Jesuits that is practiced by many twice day:  at lunch and before bed time.  A short practice of reviewing your day with God and looking for his work in your life.  IgnatianSpirituality.com describes The Examen: The Daily Examen is a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and discern his direction for us.  The Examen is an ancient practice in the Church that can help us see God’s hand at work in our whole experience. A quick Google search will bring you a plethora of results and a variety of descriptions of The Examen.  What they all have in common are that it is essentially a 5 step process that helps people to have a moment of immediacy with God, recognizing his immediate presence and willingness to talk with you about your day.  You review together -- with God -- your day, allowing the Holy Spirit to bring to your attention certain aspects, showing you where you were in concert with Him and other places where you were not so much. I think that Charismatics Evangelicals and Pietists would like Ignatius.  Again, from IgnatianSpirituality.com: St. Ignatius encouraged people to talk to Jesus like a friend. End the Daily Examen with a conversation with Jesus. Ask forgiveness for your sins. Ask for his protection and help. Ask for his wisdom about the questions you have and the problems you face. Do all this in the spirit of gratitude. Your life is a gift, and it is adorned with gifts from God. End the Daily Examen with the Our Father. Again from the multitude of Google links you can find several versions of The Examen questions or movements and each of them have distinctive traits that are helpful.  Two stand out: IgnatianSpirituality.com:  The Examen  This is an extraordinarily useful page with a couple short videos and mp3's that could be put on your iPod.  It also where I find a link to a cyberspace treasure: Examen.me (see below).  A related page, IgnatianSpirituality.com:  How Can I Pray, gives further explanation. Examen.me is an extremely well done site giving you the opportunity to do 6 different types of Examen right at your computer.  While IgnatianSpirituality.com says it only offers "only one being close to the traditional Ignatian version", the other ones are equally useful.  It offers "Scripture Examens [which] will guide you to mediate on scripture with the goal of life-obedience." I can't say enough good things about this sacred portal in cyberspace. You can create an account at Examen.me which will allow you to journal your answers for each movement of The Examen and keep an archive.  I personally like journaling with pen and journal.  But anyone who has journaled knows the value of being able to review previous journal entries to see where God has taken us, or answered prayers, or interacted with us.  Examen.me gives you just that privately online. Here are a couple of different versions of The Examen for your use.  The first one is from IgnatianSpirituality.com and I like it particularly for #5 "Look forward to tomorrow."  That is hope giving. Become aware of God’s presence. Review the day with gratitude. Pay attention to your emotions. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. Look toward tomorrow. Recalling we are in the presence of God Looking over the events of the day with gratitude for the day’s gifts Inviting the Holy Spirit to help us evaluate our actions and attitudes with honesty and patience Reviewing the day making yourself aware of where Christ assisted your decisions and where you should have paused to receive his instruction A heart to heart talk with Jesus sharing your thoughts on your actions, attitudes, feelings and interactions. New Orleans Jesuits BeliefNet:  The Prayer of Examen METAmorpha:  Look here for links to Ignatian prayer and Prayer of Examen.  Sponsored by IVP. The Examen is not really about trying harder in your faith.  It is primarily about living with God with immediacy.  I like that.  It is hope giving and Christ centered.  I like that too. Please note that I have only scratched the surface of explaining The Examen and have not at all delved into the riches of further Ignatian spirituality and exercises.  But there is a rich spiritual ancient tradition for you in this in greater depth.  Go deep. ———————————— This is part 16 in a 20 part series on spiritual growth. If you feel like you are not growing deeper in your faith or relationship to God, if you are not loving and serving others more, if you have a sense of 'stuckness' in your spiritual journey, and you really want to grow, the answer might not be to try harder. All too often I have heard the same solutions offered over and over, 'All you have to do is have daily devotions, pray more, read more of the Bible, be in worship every week and get more involved in the church.' In other words try harder. Sometimes that doesn't work and I'm going to offer some suggestions that might help you move forward. Previous Installments: I Want You To Grow Spiritually 1: Give Up Daily Devotions I Want You To Grow Spiritually 2: See A Counselor I Want You To Grow Spiritually 3: Spiritual Direction I Want You To Grow Spiritually 4: Get A New Church I Want You To Grow Spiritually 5: Go On Retreat I Want You To Grow Spiritually 6: Fight A Spiritual Battle & Win I Want You To Grow Spiritually 7: Take A Seminary or College Class I Want You To Grow Spiritually 8: Take Communion Weekly I Want You To Grow Spiritually 10: Observe The Daily Office & Church Year I Want You To Grow Spiritually 11: Get Tough on Sin I Want You To Grow Spiritually 12: Start Journaling I Want You To Grow Spiritually 13: Time For Fasting I Want You To Grow Spiritually 14: Forgive Yourself I Want You To Grow Spiritually 15: Participate in an Alpha Class Note: Part 9 isn't published yet. I'll get to it eventually.

Anglican Mission in Brunswick, OH

Anyone interested in being part of an Anglican Mission church plant in Brunswick, OH?

Do You Think Jesus Would Play The Mega Million$

Anglican Church in Oneida County, NY

My new friend George of Rome, NY attends church every Sunday an hour away in Syracuse at St. Andrew's Anglican Church, an Anglican Mission in America parish.  He is hoping to shorten his drive by starting a church right in his own backyard.  He's organizing meetings and calling all his friends to be part of a new church.  He had 13 people at his first meeting last week including me to talk about how churches are planted. Here is the yet to be published press release for the next meeting: New Oneida County Anglican Church Informational Meeting Rome, NY – October 8, 2009  The Anglican Mission in America (AMIA) will hold an informational meeting about starting a new Anglican church in Oneida County on Monday, November 2, 2009, 7:00 pm at the Carriage House in the rear of the VFW, 315 N Washington St., Rome, NY.  The meeting is free and open to the public and will be led by The Rev. Robert Hackendorf, Rector of St. Andrew's Anglican Church in Syracuse, NY, The Rev. Steven Evans of Liverpool, NY and Rome resident George Wakulik, a parishioner of St. Andrew's.  Presentations will be made regarding the AMIA's history, vision and values and about the process of planting new churches.  Refreshments will be served. George is 84.  When I'm 84 years of age I can only hope to have such vision and passion for God.  If you are interested in being a part of this church plant contact me.  Here is the press release for our most recent meeting: RomeSentinel.com - Anglican church formation topic Oneida County, NY City-Data.com: Oneida County

The Ultra Rev @ First Covenant Church of Ashtabula, OH

Next weekend, October 16-18, I will be leading an evangelism seminar in Ashtabula, OH.  Pastor Bruce Wyand is a friend and I look forward to seeing him and serving his congregation. We'll talk about the process of evangelism, God the primary evangelist, cooperative evangelism, telling your story and sharing the gospel. Here is their press release: Rev. Steven Evans, formerly a Festival Director with the Steve Wingfield Evangelistic Association and a pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church will lead an evangelism seminar at First Covenant Church, 3300 Carpenter Road in Ashtabula the weekend of October 16, 17, and 18, 2009. "Bringing Our World to Christ: Learning to Share God's Good News" is the theme that has been selected for this event. The opening session will begin on Friday evening with a dinner at 6:00 p.m. at First Covenant Church to be followed by the first session. The second session will continue on Saturday after a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Lunch will be served at NOON and the third session will follow at 12:45 p.m. to close at 3:00 p.m. The concluding session will be held Sunday morning from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. to be followed by worship service at 11:00 a.m. Call First Covenant Church at 964-0146 for more information. Participants are asked to please call the church by October 9th to reserve materials and meal reservations. I also hope to meet up with the famed Bishop Doc Loomis the of Anglican Mission in America HONA Network that weekend.  This page: HONA Network -- Church Planting Resources has an extensive list of resources for church planters and a list of church plants looking for pastors.

The Ultra Rev @ Redeemer Covenant Church in Liverpool

I'll be preaching this Sunday, October 4 at Redeemer Covenant Church in Liverpool, NY filling in for Pastor Mark Mosher.  It will be a great privilege to preach at what I consider my home church.  It's been a long time since I stood in front of there.  I think we have visited a handful of time since we left from there to seminary in 1992 but I have never preached there. My wife and I were married there in 1991 by Pastor Bill Anthes.  I was Sunday School Superintendent, on the CE Board, a youth group leader, played on the softball team, a VBS leader, in a small group and overall deeply nurtured in my faith.  They supported us generously while we were in seminary. Worship is at 10:30 am.

David Crowder and the Evil Squirrels

I have problems with squirrels and my garbage cans. They chew holes right through the plastic. Last week I went out and the squirrel is in there when I'm about to put the garbage in. Normally they just jump out and run away. Not this guy. We just had a stare down. I then dropped the garbage on him and he didn't budge. He just went back to eating. David Crowder is having squirrel problems also: David Crowder Band - Foreverandever Etc.

Memory and Spiritual Growth

Scientists Develop Nasal Spray that Improves Memory I would bet if you asked most evangelicals, if not most Christians in general, you would discover they hold the value of knowing and/or memorizing Scripture. They would see this as a good and important thing regardless as to whether they practice it or not. While they might not think of it this way immediately, a good memory might be key to being spiritually mature or having a vibrant relationship with Christ. The ability to recall Scripture and have it influence decision making would seem to be an important part of healthy faith formation and spiritual maturity. So I was wondering as I read this article about German scientists developing a memory enhancing nasal spray if this would be good for the spiritual lives of Christians. Secondarily, I wondered if churches and Christians needed to take a greater interest in brain health and memory enhancement overall. What do you think?