Shepherding a church comes with plenty of highs and lows. Some days feel like a roller-coaster ride right after eating two pounds of funnel cake. But leading a church isn’t just peaks and valleys. Plateaus exist. Plateaus can last for a long season. In fact, plateaus are more common for most leaders. The highs and lows are simply more memorable—they stand out more. We talk more about them.
These plateaus are not necessarily connected to the leader’s emotional state. These plateaus are not necessarily connected to the (spiritual or numerical) growth and decline of a church, though average attendance Sundays often elicit a “meh” type of response.
By plateau, I am referring to the tone of an entire congregation. While the church leader’s attitude will inevitably filter into the church with time, sometimes the attitude of the church hits pause. No church can sustain peak passion. No church should perpetually stumble in the valley. And most every church—rightly or wrongly—will experience a string of typical weeks, if not months. The collective sentiment of the church can stall between a high and low. And the people of the church may feel as if they’ve paused emotionally. What are some things leaders can do while leading on the plateau?
Avoid complacency and anticipate transformation. I took an epic road trip with some buddies a few years ago. We drove to the Grand Canyon to hike the backcountry. To get there, we traveled through West Texas. It’s a long…
Shannen Doherty is battling a recurrence of breast cancer that has progressed to stage four, telling fans “it’s a bitter pill to swallow.”
“I definitely have days where I say, ‘Why me?’ And then I go, ‘Well, why not me? Who else? Who else besides me deserves this?’ None of us do,” Doherty told “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. “I don’t think I’ve processed it. It’s a bitter pill to swallow in a lot of ways.”
The actress from “Charmed” and “Beverly Hills, 90210” first revealed she had breast cancer in 2015 and charted her battle with the disease and its remission on social media.
She said one reason she came forward to say it has returned is because her health conditions could come out in court. The actress has sued insurance giant State Farm after her California home was damaged in a fire in 2018.
“I’d rather people hear it from me. I don’t want it to be twisted. I don’t want it to be a court document. I want it to be real and authentic,” Doherty said. “I want people to know from me, I just didn’t want them to know yet.”
In a court filing Tuesday, her lawyers argue Doherty has been forced to pay out of pocket for losses she believes should be covered by her insurance policy. “Plaintiff Shannen Doherty is dying of stage 4 terminal cancer. Instead of living out her remaining years peacefully in her home, Ms. Doherty remains displaced and battling with her insurance company,” they argue.
“We empathize with Ms. Doherty’s health issues and wish her a full recovery,” State Farm said in a statement. “We strongly believe we have upheld our commitment to our customer and have paid what we owe on this claim. We are prepared to defend our position in court.”
Doherty, 48, has been working on the show “BH90210” and kept the diagnosis mostly secret. “People with stage four can work, too. Our life doesn’t end the minute we get that diagnosis. We still have some living to do,” she said.
Minnesota Methodists Say Rebooting Churches Can Be Helpful but Comes with Peril
(RNS) — Two years ago, Vineyard United Methodist Church was in trouble.
Attendance had been dropping steadily for years, and the handful of members keeping things running was growing exhausted. While the church was still making its budget, the writing was on the wall for the aging congregation of about three dozen in Hutchinson, Minnesota, a 90-minute drive outside of the Twin Cities.
Plans were made to welcome a pair of new pastors to lead Vineyard and merge the congregation with a larger church in town. When the merger fell apart, the young pastor-couple and their older congregants had a choice: change or close.
They chose to change. They pulled out pews installed by members’ grandparents. They cancelled events like an annual turkey dinner, a beloved community tradition, to focus on discussions about the church’s vision. They gradually tweaked services Sunday over Sunday.
The first few changes were the hardest, according to Hein. But each one built trust for the next.
“Everything we did, every meeting we had, every conversation we had, we just tried to be kind of like cheerleaders almost,” said co-pastor Jim Hein.
While painful for many longtime church members, advocates say a restart can help reverse shrinking numbers and breathe new life into congregations. But leaders have to be careful not to alienate older members of the congregation, who may feel they are…
Tim Tebow and his new wife Demi-Leigh Tebow have finished their honeymoon and have flown to Albania to host a rerun of the annual charity event where they first met each other.
The former NFL footballer, 32, and his pageant queen wife, 24, first met through Tim’s Night To Shine foundation in 2018 in South Africa.
The foundation seeks to throw a ‘prom night experience’ for teenagers with special needs.
This year, the first event of the year is being held in Albania.
‘Her sister has special needs, so we invited them to Night to Shine in South Africa,’ Tebow said of their first meeting in an earlier interview. ‘We kind of met and started talking through that and haven’t stopped.’
In a series on clips posted on both of the newlyweds’ Instagram stories, the couple can be seen dancing and playing with children at the event last night which was being held in Albania.
Tim starts by discussing outfits for the dance with one of the youngsters and checking out their artwork, while Demi hugs and plays with one of the babies.
The newlyweds have shared several photos on Instagram of themselves soaking up the lavish resort and island sunsets in recent weeks since they tied the knot in a glamorous South African wedding in January .
Tebow, a devout Christian who vowed to stay abstinent until marriage, married his South African beauty in January at the La Paris Estate in Cape Town.
Their wedding followed a weekend of glamorous pre-wedding celebrations that the pair documented on social media.
Nel-Peters, who is a spokes model for David’s Bridal, wore a custom gown by the wedding dress giant and accessorized with Marion Rehwinkel Jewelery.
Meanwhile, Tebow suited up in Antar Levar.
The couple, who became engaged last January, met back in 2018 at an annual special needs charity event Tebow hosts.
His Night to Shine event is essentially a prom for people with special needs.
His future wife’s younger sister, Franje, was born with special needs. She passed away in May.
Nel-Peters attended the charity event and the pair quickly started emailing back and forth.
Tim, whose Christian beliefs convinced him to remain celibate until marriage based on Hebrews 13:4, detailed how the couple kept to that promise.
Forever and Always @timtebow • • 📸 @hanrihumanweddings
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‘It’s just a choice that we made that we both wanted to do that together and just try to make it as special as possible,’ he said prior to the wedding.
Before meeting his now-wife, Tebow previously dated Camilla Belle and Olivia Culpo.
Currently, the ESPN college football analyst is playing baseball in the minor leagues.
The New York Mets extended a spring training invitation to Tebow.
He has spent the past three seasons in the Mets’ organization and has a collective .223 average with 18 homers and 107 RBIs in 287 games across all levels.
I get to thank God each day the rest of my life that He gave me you. 1 Corinthians 13:7 – “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” @demileighnp, the best is yet to come and I can’t wait to charge after life head on with you as together we love, we hope, we believe and we endure whatever life brings. • Wedding Designer: @zavionk 📷: @hanrihumanweddings
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Tebow had four homers and 19 RBIs at Syracuse last season and struck out 98 times in just 239 at-bats. His season was cut short by a hand laceration suffered on July 21.
He was a star quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy at Florida in 2007. He spent four seasons (2006-09) with the Gators and passed for 9,285 yards, 88 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, while also compiling 2,947 rushing yards and 57 touchdowns.
He played in 35 NFL games with the Denver Broncos (2010-11) and New York Jets (2012) and passed for 2,422 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions while rushing for 989 yards and 12 scores.
Tebow was one of eight non-roster players invited to spring training by the Mets.
Rush Limbaugh Leaning on ‘Personal Relationship with God’ following Cancer Diagnosis
Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh told his audience Monday that he is relying on his faith in God as he battles an “advanced lung cancer” diagnosis that will force him to miss an unknown number of shows while undergoing treatment.
“I’ve had so much support from family and friends during this that it’s just been tremendous. I told the staff today that I have a deeply personal relationship with God that I do not proselytize about. But I do, and I have been working that relationship tremendously,” Limbaugh said, laughing, “which I do regularly anyway, but I’ve been focused on it intensely for the past couple of weeks. I know there are many of you in this audience who have experienced this, who are going through it yourselves at the same time.”
Limbaugh revealed he had an advanced lung cancer diagnosis that was confirmed by “two medical institutions” Jan. 20. He began sensing something was wrong with his health around Jan. 12, his birthday, when he had shortness of breath. Limbaugh is 69.
He initially thought it might be asthma or a heart problem.
“My heart’s in great shape, ticking away fine, squeezing and pumping great. It was not that. It was a pulmonary problem involving malignancy,” Limbaugh said. “So I’m gonna be gone the next couple days as we figure out the treatment course of action and have further testing done. But, as I said,…
Evgeny Nikitin will replace Bryn Terfel in the title role of the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Wagner’s “Die Fliegende Hollaender (The Flying Dutchman)” that opens March 2.
Terfel broke an ankle in three places during a fall last week, an injury that required surgery.
Nikitin, a Russian bass-baritone, withdrew from a Dutchman production at the Bayreuth Wagner Festival in 2012 following the appearance of a tattoo that appeared to be a swastika, seen during a program broadcast on German television. He later said Scandinavian mythology was the inspiration for the tattoo, which he said was a work in progress when the image was taken in 2008 that was seen on the broadcast.
The 46-year-old Nikitin has sung the Dutchman at the Mariinsky Theatre as well as at Baden-Baden and Leipzig in Germany plus Madrid, Toronto, Paris and Tokyo. He gave up four opera performances at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg plus concert operas of “Dutchman” in Moscow and Kazan in order to sing in New York, the Met said Tuesday.
Nikitin made his Met debut in 2002 and sang Scarpia in this season’s New Year’s Eve gala.
Warner Bros. Pictures has released a new trailer for the upcoming Ben Affleck sports drama “The Way Back,” highlighting the themes of hope, second chances and redemption.
From “The Accountant” director Gavin O’Connor, the movie tells the story of a troubled high school basketball coach (Affleck), who battles addiction and grief while also attempting to inspire and motivate his struggling team.
Reads the official film synopsis: “Jack Cunningham once had a life filled with promise. In high school, he was a basketball phenom with a full university scholarship, when suddenly, for reasons unknown, he walked away from the game, forfeiting his future. Now years later, Jack is spiraling down, triggered by an unspeakable loss, and drowning in the alcoholism that cost him his marriage and any hope for a better life.”
“When he is asked to coach the basketball team at his alma mater, which has fallen far since his glory days, he reluctantly accepts, surprising no one more than himself. As the boys start to come together as a team and win, Jack may have finally found a reason to confront the demons that have derailed him. But will it be enough to fill the void, heal the deep wounds of his past, and set him on the road to redemption?”
Hitting theaters on March 6, “The Way Back” also stars Al Madrigal (“Night School”), Michaela Watkins (“Casual”), Janina Gavankar (“True Blood”), and Glynn Turman (“Bumblebee”).
The new trailer begins with Jack walking on a basketball court. A young player says to him, “You know what my dad told me last night? He said you got a full ride to Kansas and you just quit. Why?”
Jack responds, “My father didn’t like me very much. And someone told him I was good at basketball, he paid a lot more attention to me. And I realized it wasn’t me he love, it was what I could do.”
Warner Bros. Pictures has released a new trailer for the upcoming Ben Affleck sports drama “The Way Back,” highlighting the themes of hope, second chances and redemption.
From “The Accountant” director Gavin O’Connor, the movie tells the story of a troubled high school basketball coach (Affleck), who battles addiction and grief while also attempting to inspire and motivate his struggling team.
Reads the official film synopsis: “Jack Cunningham once had a life filled with promise. In high school, he was a basketball phenom with a full university scholarship, when suddenly, for reasons unknown, he walked away from the game, forfeiting his future. Now years later, Jack is spiraling down, triggered by an unspeakable loss, and drowning in the alcoholism that cost him his marriage and any hope for a better life.”
“When he is asked to coach the basketball team at his alma mater, which has fallen far since his glory days, he reluctantly accepts, surprising no one more than himself. As the boys start to come together as a team and win, Jack may have finally found a reason to confront the demons that have derailed him. But will it be enough to fill the void, heal the deep wounds of his past, and set him on the road to redemption?”
Hitting theaters on March 6, “The Way Back” also stars Al Madrigal (“Night School”), Michaela Watkins (“Casual”), Janina Gavankar (“True Blood”), and Glynn Turman (“Bumblebee”).
The new trailer begins with Jack walking on a basketball court. A young player says to him, “You know what my dad told me last night? He said you got a full ride to Kansas and you just quit. Why?”
Jack responds, “My father didn’t like me very much. And someone told him I was good at basketball, he paid a lot more attention to me. And I realized it wasn’t me he love, it was what I could do.”
President Donald Trump vowed last week to grant “extensions” to stay in the United States to some Iraqi Christians that his administration had earlier sought to deport despite concerns they could face persecution upon return to the Middle East.
He made the promise to grant extensions to a community of Chaldean Catholic immigrants during his speech last Thursday at an auto parts manufacturing plant in Warren, Michigan.
Hundreds of Iraqi Christian immigrants live in the Detroit area. In the last few years, they have lived in fear of deportation as the administration focused on enforcing outstanding deportation orders.
“We’re going to make sure that we do everything we can to keep people who have been good to this country out of harm’s way,” Trump said. “When I get back [to Washington], we’re going to give those who need it an extension to stay in our country.”
Many of the Iraqi Christian immigrants in Detroit had lived in the U.S. for decades. With the community leaning conservative, many of them were pulling for Trump in the 2016 election.
The administration had sought to deport as many as 1,400 Iraqis nationwide as part of a reported deal with the Iraqi government in 2017. The Iraqi government previously did not accept Iraqis returned by the U.S. until the deal was reached to keep Iraq off the administration’s travel ban list.
The administration’s plans to deport hundreds of Iraqi Christians back to a land where Christians were recently victims of genocide by the Islamic State drew concerns from evangelical leaders affiliated with the Evangelical Immigration Table and other human rights activists.
Swiss Airline May Have Dropped Christian Chocolate Company over Its Pro-Life Stance
Swiss Airlines will no longer give sweet treats made by the Christian company Läderach.
According to Life Site News, Swiss Airlines ended its partnership with Läderach in November. The chocolate treats will be phased out by April 2020.
Läderach has provided the airline with chocolate boxes for more than 10 years.
Swiss Magazine Beobachter, says the contract may have ended because the chocolate maker has long supported pro-life rights and marriage between a man and woman.
Swiss Airlines also employs many members of the LGBT community, the magazine reported.
A spokesperson for Swiss Airlines said suppliers for the airline are selected based on “quality, various economic aspects as well as brand fit.”
“In general, we work together with various Swiss chocolate manufacturers and regularly review our product portfolio,” the spokesperson said. “The cooperation with Läderach was terminated in November. Quality, various economic aspects as well as brand fit are decisive for the selection of a supplier. Entering into or terminating a cooperation is thus part of a standard business practice.”
Läderach chocolate company’s CEO Johannes Läderach is also president of the Swiss branch of Christianity for Today. The group advocates for the protection of a Christian life and education.
“I understand it if people value a woman’s right to choose more than an unborn child’s right…
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