Mentor Series: The Burning Bush

Mentor Series: The Burning Bush by Scott Stanley

Would you marry someone without knowing if it was God’s will for your lives? Few Christians would say “yes” to that question. But how do we know when marrying someone is God’s will? Could it be that our requests for “a burning bush” of proof might reflect our desire to avoid the risks of stewardship God expects of us?

In this last installment from our interview with Dr. Scott Stanley, we discuss how men can address one of the primary obstacles that keeps them from jumping into a marriage.

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Steve: Let’s talk about an issue we hear a lot from Christian men. It’s the idea that any decision as important as marriage — like where to live or where to work — is something so fundamental to the rest of our lives that surely God cares about it and would want to reveal His perfect will for us. In a world of overwhelming choices, how’s a guy supposed to go about discerning whether or not someone is a good match and also God’s perfect will for them?

When Things Get Ugly – LeadershipJournal.net

When Things Get Ugly
What’s a leader to do when followers are revolting?
by Gordon MacDonald

My first crack at shepherding a congregation came during seminary days when a group of twenty families, ranchers and farmers living on the Kansas-Colorado border, offered a parsonage and a small paycheck if I would be their pulpit-guy. My wife, Gail, and I enthusiastically entered the rural culture to serve the people. They taught us much, and we loved them in return.

A few months into this experience, the deacons convened a meeting to resolve a business issue. I can’t remember the subject matter, but I do recall that people I really cared for began to say things to each other that left Gail and me devastated. It was like being parents of children fighting in the back seat. It sounds prideful, but we couldn’t believe that people under our ministry influence could act so unpleasantly.

Leadership Wired – 9 Things You Simply Must Do
By Dr. John C. Maxwell

TOP 10 BOOKS FOR CHURCH PLANTERS

Top 10 Books for Church Planters

Some Great Products and Downloadable Resources

http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/

LeadershipJournal.net – 3 Surprises on What Pastors Get Paid

“If you want to earn more, change denominations” What kind of advice is that?!

Before I moved, DSL was fine. Now it is WOW!

Landmark study: Change for homosexuals is possible

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–In what some are calling groundbreaking research, a new four-year study concludes it is possible for homosexuals to change their physical attractions and become heterosexual through the help of Christian ministries.

The data was released Sept. 13 at a news conference in Nashville, Tenn., and is published in the new book, “Ex-Gays?” (InterVarsity Press) by psychologists Stanton L. Jones and Mark A. Yarhouse. Thirty-eight percent of the subjects followed in the study said they had successfully left homosexuality, while an additional 29 percent said they had had only modest successes but were committed to keep trying. In another significant finding, Jones and Yarhouse said attempts at conversion do not appear to be psychologically harmful.

Experts in the field call it the first scientific study performed on a sample of individuals undergoing Christian counseling, monitoring their successes and failures from the beginning. A follow-up study is being conducted and will be released in the future.

Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox

Why pastors need to embrace technology
by Manda Gibson

Brad Powell – senior pastor of NorthRidge Church in Plymouth, Mich. – says that ministers must be driven by two things: revelation and relevance. And he says few churches get both right.

Revelation has to do with God’s truth, and he says that most churches do a good job of communicating truth. But almost all churches struggle with relevance, he says.

“For me, revelation is the value, but it’s only valuable to people if they understand it,” he said. “Relevance deals with speaking the language of the culture; it’s the conduit through which all communication takes place.”

For Powell, a major part of being relevant is being savvy about technology. The language of today’s teens and 20-somethings is MySpace, Facebook, iPhones, and iPods, he said.

“We are in a technologically based culture,” he said. “If we don’t learn to embrace technology, we will never be able to communicate to this culture and generation.”

Cyber Sexuality – Newsletter – ChristianityTodayLibrary.com

Cyber Sexuality
Maintaining real purity in a virtual world.
Rich Tatum

posted August 29, 2007

I recently received an e-mail from a friend. She wrote:

Do you know of any Christian articles dealing with internet flirting or cybersex? I can’t seem to find anything I can relate to, and I know there must be other folks who’ve encountered the same thing.

Indeed. A search for cybersex within the CT Library archives turns up over 40 articles that cover the struggle with and against various forms of sexual sin online. But this issue also falls under other categories for which some very useful articles have been written.

Modesty ablaze

Good review of books by Wendy