Does Abstinence Education Matter?

HHS Releases Abstinence Study

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has now released the full results of a government study that gives insight into how parental attitudes and social norms are key to promoting abstinence before marriage, rather than sex-ed programs. The Department of HHS had been criticized for releasing only the seven-page executive summary of the study's final conclusions.

The 196-page report titled, "The National Survey of Adolescents and Their Parents: Attitudes and Opinions about Sex and Abstinence," comes as critical funding for abstinence programs is set to end Sept. 30 — after the U.S. Congress and the administration canceled all abstinence-centered program grants for the FY2010 budget. Up until now, cash-strapped states reportedly have been "on the fence" about applying for federal abstinence-only sex education program funds. States have until Aug. 30 to apply.

The abstinence study, which was completed in February of 2009, and was based on interviews with 1,000 matched adolescent-parent pairs, indicated that:

- Seventy percent of parents agreed with the statement: "It is against your values for your adolescents to have sexual intercourse before marriage."
- Seventy percent of parents agreed with the statement: "Having sexual intercourse is something only married people should do."
- "While the majority of adolescents surveyed oppose pre-marital sex in general and for themselves, on average adolescents expressed less conservative general views about sex and abstinence than their surveyed parents."

Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association, was elated by the release of the study, but said, "We are greatly concerned that the sex education policy being implemented by this administration does not reflect the values of what most parents and teens clearly want." For the complete report go to The National Survey of Adolescents and Their Parents. [LifeNews.com, CitizenLink.com]

Christian Speed Dating Questions

Tonight was a get to know you time for the singles of a bunch of churches here in Beijing. They played games, wacky races, ate dinner, then played some more and last they had a sort of speed dating time.

The goal of this dinner party wasn't for them to find a girlfriend or boyfriend, but instead to get to know one another. We spoke clearly and directly about how Christians date and the purpose of dating. It isn't to have a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. It is more like finding a friend, someone to spend time with so that you can know if they will help you get to heaven.

Instead of trying to seek out a mate, first seek God, be satisfied with Him. Then when it is His proper timing, that person will appear at your side. As you run the Christian race, those who are beside you are the ones that would make a good match. They are running with you, not against you. They are seeking after the same goal - heaven. They are striving to be the same kind of person - like Jesus. They are frequently in the same locations - worshiping & serving the same God. This kind of person makes for a great friend and faithful mate.

Here are some of the questions we used for the speed dating time:

What is your favorite color? Why? How does it reflect your personality?

What is your favorite childhood memory?

What is something you would love for God to do in your life? (not money or marriage)

In your life, what are you most proud of?

How often do you watch the news or read the newspaper? What are you looking for? Why do you read/watch?

What is your most treasured possession and why?

What is your favorite month of the year and why?

Who was your hero, as a child?

What makes you laugh/cry?

Describe your perfect holiday.

Are you a morning person or a night person?

What was the last song you intentionally listened to? Why?

Would you like to climb a mountain or trek across a desert or swim in the ocean?

What is your favorite Bible verse and why?

How long have you been a Christian and who led you to Christ?

When choosing a movie to watch what are your criteria?

What is your favorite Bible story and why?

When was the last time you prayed (other than before a meal)? What or who were you were praying for?

What is your favorite vegetable?

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? (Don’t answer in the mirror!)

What is your least favorite food? Why?

What is more important to you, money or memories?

Who is more valuable to you; birth family, Christian family, or friends? Why?

What is your favorite Christian song? Why?

What is your favorite tourist site in Beijing? Why?

你最喜欢什么颜色？为什么？它是如何反映你的个性？

你最喜欢的童年记忆是什么？

你最喜欢上帝为你做什么？（不是金钱或婚姻）

在你的生活中，什么是你最得意的？

你多久看一次新闻或读报纸？你一般看什么内容？为什么？

你最珍爱的东西是什么，为什么？

你最喜爱的月份是哪个，为什么？

当你是孩子的时候，谁是你的英雄？

什么事情让你笑/哭？

描述一下你的完美假期。

你是习惯晚睡还是早起？

你有意去听的最后一首歌是什么？为什么？

你想爬山、横跨沙漠，或在大海游泳吗？
你最喜欢的经文是哪一句，为什么？

你做基督徒多久了，谁带领你成为基督徒？

在选择看电影时，你有什么标准？

你最喜欢的圣经故事是什么，为什么？

你最后一次祷告是什么时候（除了餐前祷告）？你是为什么事情或什么人祷告？

你最喜欢吃什么蔬菜？

你的5年期、10年期规划是什么？

你最不喜欢的食物是什么？为什么？

你认为金钱和记忆哪一个更重要？

出生家庭、教会家庭、朋友，你更看重哪一个？为什么？

你最喜欢的基督教歌曲是什么？为什么？

在北京你最喜欢的旅游地点是哪里？为什么？

10 Hard Questions June 3, 2010

by Perry Noble

Too many times we believe that being busy is equal to being godly…when the Bible says quite the opposite.

Psalm 46:10 SLAYS me every time I read it…CONVICTED!

David said in Psalm 23 that the Lord makes him lie down in green pastures and leads him beside still waters.

The LONGEST, most detailed command in the 10 commandments is the one on rest.

Yet, all of us…especially those in the ministry…wrestle with this. One of our MAIN temptations is being busy…here are a few questions we can wrestle through to see how busy those of us in ministry are…

#1 – How many times a day do you check your email? Is there really any reason to check it as often as we do?

#2 – How many times a day do you check twitter?

#3 – How many times a day do you check your facebook page?

#4 – When you go home to do spend time with your family…or merely “tweet” about how you are spending time with your family?

#5 – Do you tell your kids you are too busy to go to their game…but then go to the game of the church members kid so you don’t get into hot water with them? (BTW…good luck explaining that one to your kids in 20 years!)

#6 – Do you have a time during the day when you turn off your cell phone so that you can uninterrupted study time, prayer time and time with your spouse?

#7 – Do you always have to have noise around you…such as do you always have to have the radio on in the car OR the TV on at home, even if you are not listening to/watching it?

#8 – How much time do you spend commenting on blogs and social media sites? (honestly, don’t know too many certified blog commenters that are actually changing the world!)

#9 – Are you accessible at any time of the day by anyone who needs you? (LOTS of pastors LOVE to make this claim…usually at the expense of their family and their own walk with God. If you want to walk with Jesus you can’t do it by always having a crowd around…you’ve got to have some time set aside.)

#10 – Are you willing to make the adjustments that you need to make based on the nine questions above? If not then you are most likely addicted to noise and being busy…which looks good to others but absolutely destroys our walk with God.

PSALM 46:10!

ONE MORE THING…this is absolutely the most convicting blog post I’ve ever written…He’s PRESSING into me to make some major adjustments in regards to the noise in my life, would appreciate your prayers as I try my best to fully obey Him.

Why is Atheism increasingly popular and what can we do about it?

By Holly Ordway

At the heart of atheism is an appealing premise: “My will be done, not Yours.” If atheism is true, and there is no God, then everything really is all about me, and what I want, and what I can get.

No wonder it strikes such a chord in our self-obsessed culture.

Put your finger on the pulse of modern culture: it throbs with “me, me, me.” Advertisements tell me: “Indulge yourself! You deserve it!” I can buy my lunch and my coffee made “my way.” I flip open a magazine, or browse the best-sellers, to find ten easy tips on how I can have what I want, right here, right now.

Put one way, this is selfishness. But the spin on it in our post-Christian culture is that it’s empowerment, self-actualization. We are told to follow our hearts, seek our deepest desires, do what feels good. Indeed, if atheism is true, there is no ultimate purpose to life, so we might as well go for self-indulgence, whether through hedonism or through constructing one’s own “meaning” in life.

In contrast, if the Triune God is real, then such a focus on the self is ultimately destructive. Christians believe that we are alienated from God by the Fall, and damaged by our own sins; if we are left to our own devices, we will go wrong. To follow our own whims is to wander without guidance farther away from the path that leads to true self-knowledge in relationship with God who knows us completely.

If God is who Christians say He is, then our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, not toys for abuse or pleasure. If God is who He has revealed Himself to be in Christ Jesus, then the path to true selfhood is the narrow way, the way of the Cross, the way of denial of self and love of God.

In other words, the God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a significant obstacle to self-indulgence.

No wonder atheism is so popular.

Yet atheism is a curious hybrid. On the one hand, it provides for a rejection of civilization entirely. If there is no God, then there is no ultimate source of objective values, and we can make or break rules as we please; good and evil are reduced to preferences. I like chocolate ice cream and laws against murder. You like vanilla and enjoy killing small children. Sure, why not?

On the other hand, atheists don’t generally advocate anarchism and a return of barbarism. (Who would run the publishing houses to print their books?) In fact, atheists show a remarkable streak of optimism about human nature. The atheist feels, almost as an article of faith, that the human race is perfectible. Despite all the colossal failures of utopianism, especially the ones of the 20th century that ended in mass slaughter, there remains the idea that this time, we can get it right all by ourselves. We can perfect ourselves through legislation; through restructuring society; through genetic manipulation; through drugs. We can make ourselves be happy – or so we think; it never works, but the atheist can only try again.

Atheism claims that we are in control of our selves, and thus our own destiny; it is the perfect faith for a culture that is obsessed with both perfection and self-will.

If we allow our Christian faith to be described in terms of personal gratification, we are buying what the world is selling, just under a different brand name. Christ did not die for us so that we would be comfortable and happy today. He died for us so that we would be saved.

To die to self, to die to sin, is not a comfortable experience. Confronting one’s own sin and repenting of it yields sorrow, not happiness. Hope and peace lie on the other side of that repentance, but we must go through pain to get there – not around it.

If we allow Christianity to be all about fulfilling my needs, getting my prayers answered, feeling good about myself and my family, and improving my relationships, then we are making the same pitch as the atheists: it’s all about me.

And trust me, atheism is a lot less demanding than Christian faith. I’ve been there; I know.

But in our frantic consumer culture, as we become less real and less present to each other, and even to ourselves, as we desperately project ourselves outward into the media to remind ourselves that we exist -- we may slowly realize that atheism may promise easy self-fulfillment, but it delivers nothing but despair.

Christian faith is harder. It costs more; in fact, it costs everything. It also happens to be true. Jesus told his disciples to count the cost. Why are we afraid to recognize that there is a cost?

In the face of atheism, let us not be afraid to speak the truth: the Christian life is the way of the Cross. Let us reject the idolatry of personal fulfillment. Let us remember that Christ calls us to come and die.

Then those who have sought to find themselves, searching high and low, grasping after all the good things of the world only to find them slipping from between their fingers, may be ready to listen when they hear something new: the hard, true words of our Lord: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25)

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Love as Being (my title)

Apologetics: Good or Bad? (Written by Peter Mosley, 05/2010, taken from Facebook.)

"My most recent faith struggle is not one of intellect. I don't really do that anymore. Sooner or later you just figure out there are some guys who don't believe in God and they can prove He doesn't exist, and some other guys who do believe in God and they can prove He does exist, and the argument stopped being about God a long time ago and now it's about who is smarter, and honestly I don't care."

--Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz

How important is apologetics?

Many have sentiments like Donald Miller and claim that it doesn't really matter what you know about theology and apologetics when you talk about God. God will use the words you say to help the other person. So because it doesn't matter that much what we say, we don't need to really worry that much about what we say. What we should do instead is help people in more practical ways instead of theologizing things and believing we can convert them with a "formula."

I think this thinking can encourage the same principles it tries to condemn, because many times I hear people use this way of thinking to say something like, "Forget about the apologetics -- do enough good deeds, and you'll convert people to follow God." That sounds similar to, "Know enough apologetics, and you'll convert people to follow God." Both ways of thinking are missing something.

I Corinthians 13 shows this. In the first few verses, Paul says that you can be the best speaker imaginable (speak in the tongues of men and of angels), or be the most generous and sacrificing person imaginable (give all you possess to the poor and become a martyr), or have a strong faith and thorough knowledge of God (can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and have a faith that can move mountains) -- and yet still be nothing because you don't have love.

Which means that it is possible to be a great speaker, a generous person, a sacrificing person, an individual with strong faith, and someone who knows everything there is to know -- and still not have love.

That's a pretty big deal. I mean, that means that you can be doing service projects until you're blue in the face and still not be showing love.

What is love?

It's patient, kind, doesn't envy, doesn't brag, isn't proud, isn't rude, doesn't look out for number one, doesn't get angry easily, and doesn't keep a ledger of things that other people do wrong. It doesn't rejoice at evil, but takes deep joy when someone approaches truth. It always protects the other person, always trusts that there is hope for the other person, and doesn't give up on the other person (according to I Corinthians 13).

Here's my point: There's a lot more to loving people than merely reading a book on theology. There's also a lot more to love than giving money to a homeless person. There's definitely more to love than handing someone a tract.

These things should be done as MANIFESTATIONS of love, not as replacements for it. Otherwise, they don't count for squat (at least, according to the first few verses of I Corinthians 13).

And that's how theology and apologetics matter. They doesn't matter as pure information. But if the person studying is genuinely motivated by love for others, then it is of immense value.

And now, a page from my diary...

I don't want to be a Pharisee, but I want to get to know the God I love better. Because of this desire I really treasure old memories of conversations late at night with me and another person debating a theological issue. I enjoyed it most when it wasn't about who was smarter, but when our motivation for talking was our love for God. We both loved God so much that we wanted to get to know Him better. And we also cared enough about what the other person thought to take that person's thoughts seriously. It wasn't about one-upsmanship. It was a way of showing we cared.

I wasn't always that way. Believe it or not, there was a time in my life when I would avoid theological debates. That changed when I realized that when I get really serious about following God's command to love someone, I can't help but care deeply about the relationship between what they think and what I think and what God thinks.

I'm finding out that love isn't a one-trick pony. It's an internal motivation for all your external actions. It's the blood running through the veins of your thoughts, actions, conversations, and so on. When we say "love is physical action, not intellect," then we are cutting off the bloodflow of love that is keeping us alive by basically telling love: "You can be involved in these actions, but leave my way of thinking alone."

I mean, you are commanded to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. You can't focus on just loving God with your strength and leave your heart at the wayside. And you can't love God with your heart and leave your mind at the wayside.

That's because whatever part of your life you don't strive to love God with, Satan will use for his purposes. And, as I John 2:9 and 4:20 makes clear, you can't love God without loving people. If you love God, then what He thinks becomes important -- but if you love God, you also love people. If you love people, then what they think becomes important.

Here's what I'm getting at: If you don't care about what other people think, you don't love them, and if you don't love other people, you don't love God.

That's why apologetics is important. It's not about being seen as smart. It's about loving people enough to care about what they think, and loving God enough to think about his relevance to what people think.

If you practice apologetics without loving people -- whether you're doing it with a Ph.D. in Philosophy or a simple five-step tract -- you're missing the point. And something else I've observed is that you may not have a very effective ministry -- people aren't often convinced by those they think don't really care about them, no matter how much they know. If you aren't loving people, chances are you aren't really loving God (see I John 2:9 and 4:20), and if you aren't loving God, you may need an evangelist more than the people you're "ministering" to.

If your discussion on apologetics is motivated by loving people -- whether you're doing it with a Ph.D. in Philosophy or a five-step tract -- you've got the right idea. And I think people notice this. I've seen people give tracts half-heartedly, and not make an effect on me. But I can also remember people giving out tracts who seemed to genuinely care about me -- and the effect was powerful.

And when I say "care," I'm not just talking about a fuzzy feeling. I'm talking about people who lean over and listen and sincerely want to hear and interact with what you say. Not as a contest of wits, but as a manifestation of genuine love and concern.

So apologetics are important because God can use us most when we strive to love people practically, emotionally, and intellectually. But how can we love people if we don't care about what they think and feel? And if we avoid apologetics in our Christian walk by doing things for people without wanting to hear and interact with their lives and the beliefs they have, how much can we really say we love people? And if we don't really want to bother striving to love people emotionally, physically, and intellectually, then how much can God really use us?

I try to keep these questions in mind when I live my life. I don't always do the best job, but these questions motivate me and tell me that what I'm learning to do for living doesn't force me to become a heartless intellectual. One the contrary, love is my fundamental motivation -- love for God and love for people.

As a side note -- intellectual struggles concerning God are, I think, God's challenge for us to dedicate our minds to understanding him better and loving people more -- that's my direct answer to Donald Miller. More to say about that -- perhaps in a seperate note.

Great Churches Use Holy Spirit Model of Missions

I figure some folks aren't as likely to click links, so I like to provide some the best stuff on my blog/website/Facebook. Here is Mark Woodward's latest!

http://markwoodward.org/2010/04/26/great-churches-use-holy-spirit-model-of-missions/

Great Churches Use Holy Spirit Model of Missions

April 26, 2010 by Mark Woodward

In our fellowship, fulfilling the Great Commission is the responsibility of local congregations, not a large sending agency or mission board. Let me put it another way: for the most part, men (elders and missions committees) who have never done foreign missions nor received special training of any sort are deciding who goes to the field, how they will work when they get there, how long they will stay, how much they will receive for personal support and for working funds, and if they are doing a effective work. Does this make sense to you?

These good men—all volunteers who can be commended for their willingness and the best intentions—are put in untenable positions of controlling large amounts of money, the lives of numerous individuals whom they may or may not know, and are answering to a congregation that usually knows even less about both the people and the mission efforts.

What these men naturally do is fall back on a model they are familiar with from their own experiences. Most are business people so they use one of the following models:

• Business model: you hire a person that convinces you they can do the job, you pay them enough, but not too much, you give them time to prove themselves, and if they don’t produce, you let them go and look for somebody else.
• Investment model: You invest in either a person or a site! You put what you can afford into the investment (which changes often with your priorities), you watch it for a while, and if it produces good results, you hold onto it—until a better investment comes along
• Venture Capital Model: You find a young entrepreneur who has a good business plan, you decide whether you like the person or the plan enough to put money into it. You establish timetables and benchmarks to evaluate the work, and if you are displeased with the person or they do not meet the pre-established conditions, then you simply stop funding them.

Granted, some better congregations actually attempt to educate themselves about missions, usually by either attending missions conferences or bringing in missions consultants. No doubt these churches do missions better—for a while, but what I see is that there is such high turnover in missions committees and/or elderships that all it takes is one new person on a committee or one experienced person dropping off for the whole mission program of that congregation to be tossed into the air and reinvented.

Here are some positive suggestions for great churches:

1. Search out people in church (men and/or women) who have mission experience—the longer the better–and give them the mandate to coordinate your mission program.
2. If no one in your congregation has mission experience, then give up the desire to control some mission work until God gives your church someone with the gift of missions. Instead, send some of your members to the field on short-term mission projects to work with established missionaries and contribute directly to works that you have experienced and trust—with no strings attached.
3. When looking at new mission work, consider creating a spiritual relationship with this work instead of a financial relationship! The two key words here are spiritual andrelationship. When your church figures out what it means to have a spiritual relationship with a missionary or site first, then the financial side of it will be framed completely differently. Completely rid yourself of the employer/employee relationship model. That one does not work well.
4. Base the length of your congregation’s spiritual/financial commitment on something other than results. If you believe that “God gives the increase” (1 Cor. 3:6), then are you not trying to evaluate God’s own work. The planting and watering are all your missionaries can do, and for that they should be evaluated.

We need a new model for missions! I don’t have this worked out, but I believe it is probably the Acts 13 model:

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

Let me just put this verse into my own words:

As the Antioch church was together, worshipping the Lord and fasting, it became clear to them that two of their leaders Barnabas and Saul were called by God’s Spirit to go out from them to deliver the Good News to others. They knew these men, one who had been their mentor at the establishment of the congregation and the other who was a fairly new convert from Judaism, but had been gifted by God to work with non-Jews. The both wanted to go to their home regions, but they didn’t really have a specific schedule, route, or cost estimate for the time afterwards. After further prayer and fasting, the church still recognized these as God’s plans, so they sent them with all they needed that the church could gather, they put their hands on them as a symbol of their relationship, and with great love and anticipation, they sent them off.

Great churches will use the Holy Spirit Model for missions. I cannot fill in the details of this model for you, but I believe God will—if you will!

Are you driven by Emotion? Or Character?

This is so very true and important! I have seen it played out in my own life and those around me thousands of times.

From John Maxwell's blog:

Are you driven by Emotion? Or Character?

April 20th, 2010 · 28 Comments

Earlier this week on Facebook and Twitter, I shared this statement from Dick Biggs:

The greatest gap in life is the one between knowing and doing.

Life would certainly be easier – and success more simple – if all it took to achieve was to KNOW the right things and DECIDE to do them, right? But I think it’s more accurate to say that a decision is just one bookend of achievement. The other is discipline. Decisions can only help us start. Discipline helps us finish.

That’s where character comes in. Emotion might drive us to make a decision. But character is what keeps us going, even when it gets hard.

In Developing the Leader Within You, I wrote about some differences between character-driven and emotion-driven people:

Character-driven people…

1. Do right, then feel good.
2. Are commitment driven.
3. Make principle-based decisions.
4. Let action control attitude.
5. Believe it, then see it.
6. Create momentum.
7. Ask, “What are my responsibilities?
8. Continue when problems arise.
9. Are steady.
10. Are leaders.

Emotion-driven people…

1. Feel good, then do right.
2. Are convenience-driven.
3. Make popular decisions.
4. Let attitude control action.
5. See it, then believe it.
6. Wait for momentum.
7. Ask, “What are my rights?”
8. Quit when problems arise.
9. Are moody.
10. Are followers.

The late Louis L’Amour is one of the best-selling authors of all time, with over 300 million copies of his popular western novels and short-story collections sold. When asked the key to his prolific writing, he responded, “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”

Great Churches GO!

I am so encouraged by Mark Woodward's post, I just had to repost it in its entirety!

From Mark Woodward's blog: http://markwoodward.org/2010/04/14/observations-on-great-churches-10-great-churches-go/

Observations on Great Churches #10 – Great Churches GO!

April 14, 2010 by Mark Woodward

One of my favorite heroes of faith is the Thai minister of a church in Bangkok, who truly understands that there is not a distinction between mission field churches who are “receivers” of missions and churches who are “doers” of missions. Although working in Thailand, itself a Buddhist country and the object of mission work, the Thai churches that he has planted are reaching out in Laos and Myanmar—and he has plans and dreams for preaching to the 40 million Thai-language Chinese people.

We know a church in Moscow, less than twenty years old itself, who is launching a mission effort into Istanbul, Turkey. Singaporean Christians are sending missionaries into Cambodia and China, while Christians from Ghana have planted large congregations in Western Europe.

One of the most impressive examples of great churches focusing outside, not in, is the Back To Jerusalem movement among Chinese Christians. Christians from Mainland China have committed to send each other into ALL the countries of the countries, where 90% of the non-Christians of the world live.

If you go to the question and answer pages for mission efforts like Back To Jerusalem, the first question is always: why are you sending people other places; don’t you have enough to do at home? Every missionary and every mission-minded church has been confronted with the same question. Here is my answer: Of course, the Great Commission includes home, but who will share the Good News with the billions who have never heard of Jesus, if the biggest churches with the most Christians in every country all stay home??

Great churches—wherever they are and whatever size they may be—understand that they are a part of the call to the Body of Christ to “go into the entire world.” Here are some practical suggestions for leading your church to go into the entire world:

1. Put the whole world on display. What do your members really know about your own mission work? What do they know about the persecuted church? What do they know about the inspiring mission efforts of Christians around the world? If your members are ill-informed, then they are uninspired. What can you do to change this?
2. Talk about world Christians. Many of my personal heroes of faith are men and women that are virtually unknown in the United States. They do not make the lectureship circuits, they are not widely published, they are not center page spreads for Christian newspapers. If you are a church leader, you should get out, meet these unknown heroes, then come home and talk about them!
3. Avoid protectionism. The era of allowing foreign evangelists and missionaries to talk, to preach, to show their slides in our assemblies has been over for decades. Most leaders decided their members needed protecting, although it may have been more motivated by efforts to keep their contributions at home. Don’t be afraid. Raise the vision for global work by providing platforms—often—for those who are going out from among us!! Don’t be afraid. The local work will grow as people’s vision for the world grows.
4. Abandon the idea of “mine” and “God’s”: Our members travel. We fly, we cruise, we RV, we camp, we hike, we backpack, we tour. How can we give this part of our lives more to the Will of God instead of thinking of it as OUR special time? At LST, we hear constantly from adult Christians who take their two-week vacation and go somewhere to share their faith that it was work, BUT it was the most re-creational activity they have ever done. Great churches help their members give all of their life in God’s work.
5. Great churches have leaders who GO! I really believe that every preacher/minister, every church leader would be a greater leader and better able to inspire if he/she would regularly be personally involved in evangelistic mission efforts—preferably outside of their own culture.

Great churches understand that they are not exempt from going into the entire world.

Next: Great churches understand the relationship between benevolence and evangelism!

Chun-Xiao Shares the Blessing of Spring

Chun-Xiao is our new sister! She speaks here for her new appreciation of Spring as she has become a child of God. She is such a blessing, so positive, we pray God continues to use her to bless those around her with the Good News.

God created everything. Of course the four seasons are God’s wonderful creation too. I don’t know what your favorite season is. Mine is Spring.

I like Spring. I was born in the morning on a spring day. So my parents gave me the name “spring morning”.

I like Spring. It gave me a curious childhood. Remember when I was a child, every early spring, when I saw the budding grass from the corner of the wall and the side of the road, I would run to them with joy, keel down to watch it in wonder for a long time. The surrounding area was still yellow and dry. The wind was still cool. But the grass extended their head to welcome the first spring wind and the first warm sunshine.

I like Spring. It brings me hope. As I grew up, I realized that not long after I saw the first grass, the whole earth would be clothed in green. The yellow flowers would show their smiling face. I knew that before long mom would put the long-waited flower dress on me.

I like Spring. It represents new life and symbolizes hope. After I went to the middle school, I learned the essay from Mr. Zhu, Ziqing “Spring”. He described Spring so beautifully that I liked it more. I knew that it will bring the new life and hope.

I like Spring. I was married in Spring. I knew that he was not the best man in the world. But he was the best one for me.

Now I like Spring more. In this spring, I gained new life and became a child of God. I was so happy, and so proud. I know that God create everyone. But not everyone can become his child. I thank God for loving me so much and choosing this spring to give me a new life!

When I came out of the water, I knew all of my sins were forgiven and I was saved. I became a Christian and a new member of God’s family.

Before this, I was like a blind person. I didn’t know God and didn’t understand God. My education from my childhood, my family, my friends and co-workers prevented me from knowing God sooner. Every time when I had difficulties, I was lost and alone. I tried to solve the problems on my own. But I couldn’t. Sometimes I just thought, everyone had their own problems, not just me. But when the problems got bigger and bigger, I had no choice and I was in a dead end. What was the purpose of my life? What was the meaning of life? How should I resolve my problems?

Earlier this year I met Andrew. He brought me to God. At first he didn’t push with a big theory. He just gave me a Bible and told me that it could help me. I was in doubt. But after I read just a few pages, I was grabbed by it. I read the Bible every day to get more from it. At the same time I saw many people’s sermons on the website. They helped me a lot. I felt I was a dry sponge trying to absorb every drop of water (just like the dry land trying to absorb the rain drops). At that time, I asked myself why I hadn’t read the Bible earlier and why I didn’t know there were many sermons on the Internet. Was I too late? But I believe all these were arranged by God. He let me to know him when I needed him the most. After that, I had many questions when I read the Bible. Every time when I asked Andrew, he would explain it to me in great details and encourage me to learn more. He told me that we can’t understand everything in Bible. Some people still have questions after a whole life of studying. But it doesn’t affect their love to God and God’s love to them. I participated some activities from the local church. The Sunday sermons helped me to understand more about Bible. The sisters’ singing often touched me deeply. Sometimes I felt that I was lack of confidence and belief. I asked Andrew to pray for me. He told me that he had already prayed for me many times. He said I could pray to God also and God will hear my prayer because He loves me. I’m so thankful for God’s love. I’m thankful that God didn’t abandon me. Gradually I learned to pray to God, just like a child talking to the father. I admitted my past mistakes and sins. I asked for His forgiveness. I told Him my problems and difficulties. I asked Him to help me. Little by little I saw the changes happened in my life. It was a true joy to see that. The joy reminded me of the feeling when I saw the first grass in the early spring days of my childhood. I believe and I know that there will be greater change in the future. Thank you God! Thank you for loving me!

Now I am a new born baby. I know that Satan knows about my weakness. He will attack me at any time. So when I ask God to protect me, I also need to learn more about how to fight Satan’s attack.

Thank you Andrew and Jaime, thank you the brothers and sisters in JingSong church! Thank God for He loved us!

Easter Sermon

Thought I'd share with you all my Easter Sermon. Well, my part of it anyway. I've got the intro and the wrap up. I'll start with Genesis and the creation to get us into the understanding of sin and the initial hint of a Savior. Then other brothers will hit the plagues and Passover, Isaiah 53, Jesus' Passover with disciples and his prayer, then I'll conclude with Romans 6:1-14. This is all in Chinese, thanks to Wang Yu. I wrote English, he translated and edited.

(Something happened to the text & background, don't know what's up with that.)

Genesis 1-3 as related to Chinese Characters

我们从创世之初讲起，很有趣吧？我们将从开始讲到最后，来看看复活节和创世之初上帝救赎计划的关系。我们会讲到：亚当和夏娃、以赛亚的 预言、耶稣与逾越节、耶稣被钉十字架、耶稣在周日复活、以及这些事件与我们今生和来生的关系。

圣经的第一句话是：“起初神创造天地。（创1：1）”这句话非常重要。为什么呢？因为圣经就是上帝与我们人类分 享的关于爱的信息。

他造(土＋口＋丿＝ 告 ＋ 辶＝ 造)了我们，是为了和我们分享他的爱。 神在第六日以他的形象创造了我们。亚当是第一个(丿+ 土 ＋ 儿 ＝ 先) 被造的人。他使那人管理园子（田），并和他在一起，那 人就被称作有福。 (礻＋ 一 ＋ 口 ＋ 田 ＝ 福)

当神把人类放置在伊甸园中的时候，他是这样说的：我给你们两种选择—你可以爱我和我永远在一起，或者选择不爱我，离开 我。我给你们两颗树作为你们选择的标志—一 颗是生命树，吃这颗树上的果子，你们就可以获得永生；另一颗是分别善恶的树(木 ＋ 木 ＋ 示／礻＝ 禁)，吃那颗树上的果子，死亡就会来临，最终你们会死去。

当然了，我想大家都知道接下来发生了什么，对吧？他们吃了禁果！为什么会这样呢？因为他们被蛇欺骗了。他们听从的魔鬼的谎话，起了贪婪(木 ＋ 木 ＋ 女＝ 婪)的心，想拥有上帝一样的能力。（创3:6-8）

那，蛇又是谁？蛇就是魔鬼 (丿＋ 厶 ＋ 田 ＋ 儿 ＝ 鬼) (广 ＋ 木＋木 ＋ 鬼 ＝ 魔)

他们偷食了禁果，用神本给他们做食物的果树的叶子遮盖自己，并且躲进树林里来遮蔽他们裸体的羞愧。 (衣 ＋ 果 ＝ 裸)

结果他们受到了上帝的惩罚。夏娃要忍受生产的苦楚，而亚当要忍受终身劳作，荆棘刺身的苦楚。 (古＋艹 ＝苦 —— 正＋ 木木 楚 －苦楚)

然而悲哀的是，自人类第一次失败受罚以来，我们仍然试图使我们自己成为上帝。只有当我们认识到我们不是神，我们才能得到神的宽恕，重新 获得上帝的祝福。

此外，创世纪3章 还提到了非常重要的两点内容：一是神的宣判里救赎的承诺。上帝说：“蛇会伤他的脚跟，而你的后裔要伤他的头”。二是上帝用皮子（羔羊 的皮）做衣服给他们穿。上帝在将人类赶出园子以前，为他们预备了皮子做的衣服。神为什么要给我们做衣服穿？是为了提醒我们 是上帝在保护我们，我们犯了罪，我们的罪需要被遮盖。

(手＋戈 ＝ 我 ＋ 羊 ＝ 義 ／义)

Romans 6:1-14
在罪上死，在基督里活（罗6:1-14）

通过洗礼，我们与耶稣同死，我们也与耶稣同活。

罗马书是保罗写罗马的教会的书信，鼓励他们更全面深入 地了解福音，与众人分享福音，使他们转变，为上帝而活。

在罗马书的一开始他写道：“（罗1:16）我不以福音 为耻;这福音本是神的大能，要救一切相信的，先是犹太人，后是希腊人（外邦人） 。“保罗明确地告诉我们，福音来自犹太人：耶稣是犹太 人，众先知是犹太人，摩西是犹太人... ...甚至耶稣最初的追随者大都是犹太人，最初的5000个基督徒也都是犹太人。

保罗随后说，如果你不认识上帝，那么上帝就不认识你。 上帝会任凭你在罪恶中堕落，但这并不意味着在末日他不会审判你。因为人们心里其实明白神的存在，借着所造之物就能晓得，叫人无可推诿（罗1:20）。神 是信实的，他会审判那些不尊重他的人，而会把喜乐加给荣耀他的人。然而，事实上我们都不能真正的尊重上帝，因为我们都是罪人，因此 我们都需要一个完美的救主。信（信心，信仰）是我们接触这位救主的唯一途径。亚伯拉罕因着信被称为义人，得到了上帝的救赎。只有耶稣是救主！耶稣是后来的 “亚当”，第一个亚当带来了罪，而后来的“亚当”带来了救赎。

第6章1节的意思是：既然耶稣是完美的，而我不是，那 么，我是不是可以多犯罪，然后使我得到的恩典更多吗？这是一种危险的逻辑：上帝在伊甸园中创造了完美的人类，而人类犯罪了，上帝将死亡作为对他们的 惩罚。但耶稣的到来使我们脱离死亡，所以我们应当多犯一些罪，使耶稣的救赎显得更有价值。

是这样吗？多犯罪可以让上帝高兴吗？这是他牺牲耶稣的 目的吗？或者我们这样问：你问什么要给自己和他人带来更多的痛苦呢？保罗在第二节就明确地告诉我们：断乎不可！

我们在受洗的时候，首先是全身浸入水中，代表我们与耶 稣共同经历了死亡。而当我们从水里出来的时候，代表我们与耶稣一同复活。我们既然在耶稣的救赎中脱离了罪，就不应当再次陷入罪中。

那么，为什么我们必须经历死亡，耶稣才能成为我们的救 主？因为我们充满了罪，耶稣正是为了这些罪才在十架上为我们受死。

耶稣就是逾越节的羔羊。他除去了自亚当以来人类的罪， 使我们恢复到伊甸园时期人类的纯洁。这样，我们的罪就被耶稣“遮盖”，披戴上基督了（加拉太书3 :26 - 29），就像亚当犯罪后用羔羊的皮做衣服来遮盖自己的罪一样。

耶稣的复活打败了罪和死亡，这样我们就不必害怕死亡， 而应当为了荣耀上帝而活着，因为上帝恩赐我们活在耶稣基督里，和他同享永生！

实际上，中国的春节和逾越节的道理是一致的：传说春节 期间，有一种叫做“年”的怪兽会从山上下来，偷吃百姓家里的牲畜和小孩子。只有在家的门框上贴上红纸（春联），才能摆脱怪兽，才能“过年”。而我们知 道，逾越节的时候，上帝派来的“死亡天使”会杀死不信仰上帝的埃及人家头生的孩子和牲畜，因为他们不按上帝的吩咐将羔羊血涂抹在门框和门楣上。

今天，我们知道是耶稣的宝血使我们获得自由。十字架同 样也是门框的象征：十架横边和竖边涂满了耶稣的血。这就是以赛亚书53章所提到的“神受苦的仆人”。

所以，我们都应当称赞耶稣，敬拜他，因为他使我们脱离 了罪的束缚，使我们充满了上帝的荣耀。他使上帝在我们的心中说话，告诉我们：“你们不再肮脏，你们不再有罪，因为我已经除掉了你们的罪。来吧，与我同在 一起，享受永生的欢乐！”

Christopher Hitchens Gets It Exactly Right!

During a recent trip to Portland, Oregon, noted atheist Christopher Hitchens laid down some seriously good theology. Most people recognize Hitchens as the author of the bestselling book God Is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything. Since the book's publication in 2007, Hitchens has toured the country debating a series of religious leaders, including some well-known evangelical thinkers. In Portland he was interviewed by Unitarian minister Marilyn Sewell. The entire transcript of the interview has been posted online. The following exchange took place near the start of the interview:

Sewell: The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I'm a liberal Christian, and I don't take the stories from the Scripture literally. I don't believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make any distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?

Hitchens: I would say that if you don't believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you're really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.

Sewell wanted no part of that discussion so her next words are, "Let me go someplace else."

This little snippet demonstrates an important point about religious "God-talk." You can call yourself anything you like, but if you don't believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross for our sins and then rose from the dead, you are not "in any meaningful sense" a Christian.

Talk about nailing it.

In one of the delicious ironies of our time, an outspoken atheist grasps the central tenet of Christianity better than many Christians do. What you believe about Jesus Christ really does make a difference.

http://preachingtoday.com/illustrations/weekly/10-03-29/7032910.html

Praying in Mandarin

This is my first written prayer in Mandarin Chinese, now with corrections. God knows my heart and my intent, and a dear brother helped me to fix it up. I pray it is also a blessing to you!

我们在天上的亲爱的阿爸父。。。
Our precious Abba Father in heaven...

我们都赞美你，因为你是上帝，你是创造者，所以我们要一直感谢你。
We all worship you for being God, the Creator God, and because of who you are we are always thanking you.

感谢你给我们这个机会可以一起赞美你，也可以 来到你的面前跟你说我们自己的事情。
Thank you for giving us this opportunity to come together and worship you, and to be able to speak before you all the situations that concern us.

请祢赦免我们的罪，我们都太自私。。。我们常常不知道我们有多自私，因为我们一直就这么自私，好 像在自私中游泳。
Please continue to forgive our sin. We are too selfish... we are so selfish we often cannot see the depth of it, because we are always swimming in it.

神啊，我们常常渴慕你的祝福，但是求你更要 给我们一颗渴慕你的心。我们都是你的仆人，愿意效法耶稣基督去服事人，荣 耀神。
God give us a heart that thirsts for you, more than we desire your blessing. We are all your servants imitating Jesus Christ's service.

我 们都赞美感谢你，奉耶稣最宝贵的名祷告，阿门！
We all praise and thank you, in the most precious name of Jesus we pray, amen!

Yes, the English sounds strange, but that is because I'm translating from Chinese; that is, I didn't write it first in English.

Maybe you'd like to offer additional thoughts on this prayer, please add on, please help me to pray for all of us.

Blessings to you in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord!