Seminars

I've been wanting to revise my booklet on "The Gifts of the Spirit," and must do so before I teach that seminar again the first week of May. But before I do that, I must prepare two other seminars and an address on Christian education.

I deliver the address on Christian education to a banquet for the community at Littlefield Christian Academy in Littlefield, Pennsylvania--right on the Maryland border just south of Gettysburg.

That same weekend, I teach a seminar on "How to Read the Old Testament as Christian Scripture" for the Littlefield community.

Also in early May I teach a three-night seminar on "The Biblical Theology of Missions" to Hillcrest Trinity Assembly in Boise, Idaho.

If you're interested in any or all of these as printed publications or as seminars I might teach in your church, contact me through this blog or directly by e-mail, and I'll get back to you as I complete them.
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The NAME

This week's news reported a story from Boca Raton, Florida. A hospice chaplain resigned, complaining that she was forbidden from using the terms "God" or "Lord" in public settings at work--to say nothing of "Jesus."

Outrageous, you say? Well, the hospice company's response makes me wonder. They said there was no such ban. Their story goes this way. Someone had invited this chaplain to do a brief motivational talk during a staff meeting. The guidelines indicated that it was to be a secular talk for the staff, which would have include people of every and no religious persuasion.

So which is the problem here? The ban, or the chaplain's willingness to be co-opted as a secular motivational speaker? The ban, or the chaplain's easy use of the divine name for a secular feel-good be-a-success moment? What of the command against taking the LORD's name in vain (Exod 20:7), that is, in any empty way--such as in a prayer over a secular motivation speech? Maybe the chaplain should concern herself more with that.

Facebook | Beside the Point

Here's a critique of Rush Limbaugh that I found pointed and worthwhile. I know that he's the favorite voice of a lot of people whose politics comes from the right, and that includes a lot of Christians. But the issue raised here ought to challenge Christians to build a politic that is consisitently Christian, and not to follow any other party line than that with uncritical loyalty.

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=58032088565&h=b0xmr&u=GX78m&ref=mf

On Dawkins' facile and dishonest dissing of Christian theology

An interesting blog taking on Richard Dawkins for his facile and dishonest dissing of Christian theological positions.

The Life and Opinions of Andrew Rilstone: Being for the benefit of people who want to link to this kind of thing

Hermann MO

We just visited Hermann, Missouri, a town established in 1837 by Germans from Philadelphia to be a German Athens on the plains. Its earliest settlers blamed all their troubles on the company agent named George Bayer, who thereupon "died of a broken heart." The settlers buried him in a distant corner of the town's cemetery and decreed that no one should be buried within 75' of his grave.

Not to worry. After a lengthy inquiry, a court exonerated Bayer--in 1986. Seems that Philadelphia Germans has badly miscalculated how tough it would be to make a life in the Missouri wilderness, especially during the winter. It also seems that rehabilitating Bayer rather added to the "nice" feeling of the towns' centennial celebration.

Go!

Don't be templed to opt out of your own responsibility to leave things behind and press on in obedience to the upward call--or to the outward call to the nations.



Go where God sends, you and go when God sends you. Do what God asks of you: Do it in God's way, do it in God's time, depend upon God's resources, and do it all for God's glory.

Send

Send those whom God ordains to go, just as the early church sent out Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:2-3). Failure to do this is a fatal link in the Gospel chain of responsibility that Paul describes:



"Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved." 14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!" 16 But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, "LORD, who has believed our message?" 17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. (Rom 10:13 NLT)





Challenge those around you to take up the mission, adopt an attitude of accountability for the worldwide mission of the church.



And give to support those you send. You pray that God will send out workers; now support those that you send in response to his sending. You pray that God will give them success; now support them with the necessary tools for aggressive work that tends toward success. And care for the whole curch, as the early church did when the Jerusalem church fell on hard times.