Jonathan Pitts Opens Up about How He and His Kids Are Doing following His Wife’s Sudden Death

Jonathan Pitts Opens Up about How He and His Kids Are Doing following His Wife’s Sudden Death



When Jonathan Pitts hit the send button on his computer the afternoon of July 24, 2018, to send the book that he and his wife Wynter had worked on, he felt a sense of relief. He can remember the day like it was yesterday. The family was in Dallas, visiting family and friends. The Pitts had just moved to Nashville where Jonathan had accepted the role of executive pastor at City Church and they were eager to begin their new life.


Four hours after sending the book to the publisher, Jonathan was faced with the overwhelming heartache of losing his wife suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 38.


Jonathan and Wynter had been married for 15 years. Wynter—the niece of influential pastor Tony Evans—was a successful author, speaker, and entrepreneur who had overcome her own odds. Their best days were ahead of them, with four beautiful girls representing their love for one another.


In a rare interview with Christian Headlines, Jonathan speaks candidly about being a widower and brings us up to date on how he and the girls are doing.


CH: How are you doing?


JP: There’s a hopefulness that I’ve had, even in the moments of thinking that my wife might be leaving this earth. There’s a hopefulness I’ve had—and continue to have—because what I believe is what I believe. It’s been the most difficult moment of my life. I, however, believe that for…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

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Six Reasons Why Churches Should Not Abandon the Boomer Generation

Podcast Episode #545

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The Baby Boomer generation, one of America’s largest generations, has shaped our churches for the past 75 years. Today, we discuss how to better reach them as they entire retirement.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

  • For the most part, the Boomers brought the low-expectation church into vogue.
  • The Boomer generation has remained static numerically because Boomer immigration has basically replaced Boomer deaths.
  • We cannot abandon trying to reach the Boomer generation with the gospel.
  • Churches shouldn’t treat Boomers like ATM machines, but churches should discuss planned giving with them.

The six additions we discuss are:

  1. There are still a lot of Boomers.
  2. There are still 76 million living Boomers
  3. 10,000 Boomers retire every day.
  4. Of the Boomer generation, approximately 50 million are not Christians.
  5. The immigrant Boomers are not like the U. S.-born Boomers.
  6. The Boomers are becoming increasingly receptive to giving to non-profits.

Resources mentioned in today’s podcast

Rainer on Leadership is a member of the LifeWay Leadership Podcast Network


Episode Sponsors

Today’s episode is sponsored by Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Midwestern offers more than 25 degrees at both undergraduate and masters level that are fully attainable online. From Business to Bible, Counseling to Christian education, prepare for your future at your own pace and in your own…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Thom Rainer.

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Nicole Brown Simpson, Ron Goldman, and my father’s death: Trusting God when we don’t understand

Wednesday marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Their families are focusing less on O. J. Simpson than on their grief for those they lost.

In other news, we are learning more about the woman who was killed when a crane collapsed on her apartment building in Dallas, Texas, last Sunday. Kiersten Smith was a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University and had recently been promoted to a new position in Tenet Healthcare. She was engaged to be married this September. Her family describes her as “a selfless, thoughtful and loving daughter, sister, fiancée and friend to many.”

Further north, two men died while competing in an Ironman triathlon in Madison, Wisconsin, over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Associated Press is reporting that the Islamic State has expanded its reach in Afghanistan and is plotting attacks against the US and other Western countries.

And news that the suicide rate in the US is at an all-time high continues to trouble me. I had a good friend in high school who hung himself. I’m sure his family is still marked by his death. It’s hard to imagine the suffering so many families are facing today.

Does God have only three answers to prayer?

It’s been said that God has only three answers to prayer: “Yes,” “Not yet,” and “I have something better in mind.” If he does not meet a need as I wish him to, I can conclude that he has “something better” for me instead.

But what do we do when the “something better” seems so awful?

Every time I return to Israel, I am reminded that the Holocaust is a present-tense reality for millions of Jews who still grieve for the family members they lost.

After Jon Stewart’s impassioned testimony, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed a bill this week providing funds for 9/11 first responders and other victims.

My father would have been ninety-five years old yesterday. His death at the…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Denison Forum.

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DR Congo pastor ‘likely to have sparked ebola outbreak spread to Uganda’

That incident underlines the problems in tracking the virus as a WHO expert panel on Friday is set to discuss whether to declare a global health emergency

As a second person infected with Ebola died in Uganda, WHO emergencies chief Dr Mike Ryan told The Associated Press he did not believe the man had been on any list of high-risk Ebola contacts that health workers use to track infections and contain the outbreak.

 

Three of the pastor’s family members were infected with Ebola when they travelled from Uganda to DR Congo to visit him.

His five-year-old grandson became the first Ebola case in Uganda and the first death after several family members quietly returned home on footpaths that bypassed border screening for Ebola.

The boy’s grandmother also died after their return, Ugandan officials said on Thursday.

“It’s an unfortunate occurrence that a pastor who’s taking care of people and providing care to people is himself infected in the line of his own work and then ultimately goes on to infect others,” Dr Ryan said.

The pastor’s positive test for Ebola came back only after he was buried, Dr Dominique Kabongo, coordinator of Ebola response teams in Kasindi, said.

Family members traditionally wash and dress the corpse.

More than 80 people attended the burial, Dr Kabongo said.

The first cross-border cases in this Ebola outbreak – the second-deadliest in history – have…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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