The post MFM Daily Devotional 19 May 2019 – The Lord’s Great Commission appeared first on Flatimes.
DCLM Daily Manna 19 May 2019 – Much Ado About Nothing
The post DCLM Daily Manna 19 May 2019 – Much Ado About Nothing appeared first on Flatimes.
Open Heaven 19 May 2019 – A Benefit of the Elect
The post Open Heaven 19 May 2019 – A Benefit of the Elect appeared first on Flatimes.
Christian millionaire, inspired by faith, gives business to staff
Julian Richer, who speaks openly about how his faith guides him, has transferred 60 per cent of his holding in the business into an employee ownership trust, following in the footsteps of retail giant The John Lewis Partnership.
The move will see him land £9.2 million for the stake, although £3.5 million will be handed straight back to staff as loyalty bonuses.
Each of its 522 employees will pick up £1,000 for every year worked at the firm, meaning an average payout of £8,000.
But there are 39 long-serving staff who have clocked up more than 20 years at the group who will pick up hefty windfalls.
Mr Richer said the “time was right” to hand over the ownership of the business to staff – an announcement that also came as he stepped down from the day-to-day running of the firm.
He said: “I have always planned to leave my company in trust on my death for the benefit of the colleagues in the business.
“Having hit the ripe old age of 60 in March, I felt the time was right, rather than leaving it until I’m not around, to ensure that the transition goes smoothly and I can be part of it.”
A philanthropist, Richer has worked with the Archbishop of York on projects which enable other people to give to those in need.
He came to faith later in life. Speaking to the Guardian, he said: “I was baptised when I was 47 and I’m very proud of that.”
“I call my faith practical…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.
Cathedral bans controversial UKIP candidate from election hustings
He was due to take part along with others standing in the South West of England on Wednesday but cathedral bosses have claimed his appearance could pose a risk to public order.
Benjamin hit the headlines when he joked about the rape of Labour MP Jess Phillips – something he refused to apologise for.
Recent public appearances have seen protests against him.
A spokesperson for Exeter Cathedral said: “Under the rules of the Electoral Commission, we may exclude candidates from a non-selective hustings for a number of reasons, including concerns about public order.
“In this case, the cathedral believes that the presence of one particular candidate may cause a risk to public order, given a number of incidents over the last few weeks.”
The cathedral has invited UKIP to find a replacement.
UKIP says the decision is “outrageous” and an affront to democracy.
A full list on candidates standing in the South West elections can be found here.
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.
Notable Voices and the Week in Review: May 18, 2019
4 Questions to Ask the Pastoral Search Team — If You Dare — Jared Wilson
There are questions every pastoral candidate ought to ask a search committee or hiring team when evaluating possible relocation, and then there are the questions every pastoral candidate ought to really ask.
14 Non-Traditional Classes Your Church Should Consider — Facts & Trends
While most churches will want to continue their Bible study options during primary small group times, some may seek to take advantage of increased flexibility to offer something else during other times.
Learning to Choose Conformability Over Comfortability — Gary Moritz
I have learned one thing throughout the years working in local church ministry. God does not call us to be comfortable. Instead, He calls us to be conformable, which can be the direct opposite of comfortable.
8 Reasons It’s Increasingly Difficult to Raise Pastor’s Kids Today — Chuck Lawless
Pam and I are not parents, so I’m always hesitant to write about parenting. Nevertheless, I want you to know what I hear anecdotally about the difficulty of raising PK’s today. At the end of this post, though, I’m also asking pastors to let us know what’s worked well as they’ve parented their kids.
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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Thom Rainer.
Clergy provide training to Home Office staff after asylum gaffe
The letter turning him down, stated the Bible is “filled with imagery of revenge, destruction, death and violence” and therefore inconsistent with the Iranian’s claim.
Many church leaders criticised the decision while Home Secretary Sajid Javid said it was “totally unacceptable”.
According to the Church Times the training was introduced after the All Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief claimed Home Office staff were making poor decisions.
Speaking to the newspaper, Revd Mark Miller from Stockton who attended the first training session said: “Home Office case-workers have a really difficult job. But there have been a number of bad decisions over the years, highlighted as far back as 2004 by an Evangelical Alliance report, All Together for Asylum Justice.
“I have been involved in training to share some of my experiences of working with Christian conversion, and how to go about assessing whether someone is genuine. In the session, I asked staff what they thought was basic knowledge, but most of what they suggested back to me wasn’t basic knowledge, it was ‘Name the Ten Commandments’, rather than the significance of a faith in Jesus.”
In a statement responding to the training, the Home Office said: “The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need our protection. We are committed to improving the quality and accuracy…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.
Where did God come from?
The following article is excerpted from chapter 9 of Dr. Jim Denison’s latest book, How Does God See America?
Request Dr. Denison’s new book today.
The biblical writers presupposed the existence of God, as did their readers (“In the beginning God . . .”). But this informal, unexamined belief will not do for those who question the reality of God. We cannot have a real relationship with people who do not exist except in our minds. We can have a dream, hallucination, or fantasy about them, but we’d be schizophrenic to spend much time worshiping or serving our imaginary friends.
This is precisely what atheists claim: God exists only as a dream, hallucination, or fantasy, a belief which cannot be proven or even rationally defended.
Creation without a creator?
One way to respond to people who reject the existence of God is to ask how there can be a creation without a Creator. (This argument from cosmos to Creator is known to scholars as the “cosmological argument for God’s existence.”) If the universe began as a Big Bang, where did the Big Bang come from? If you think life started as a cell floating in a pool of water, we can ask what or who made the water. Since we live in a world where every effect has a prior cause, it’s easy for us to reason that the world came from somewhere or Someone. This “First Cause” (to use Aristotle’s term) we can call God.
Unfortunately, for those of us who like this approach, it doesn’t prove as much as we might think it does.
For instance, scientists say that the universe is running down (the Second Law of Thermodynamics). Someday, perhaps 10150 years in the future, all energy will be converted to matter and everything will collapse on itself. Scientists call this “heat death” and say that it will make the entire universe into one “black hole.” This is a rather pessimistic way of stating the Third Law of Thermodynamics.
Skeptics then ask, could this be how…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Denison Forum.
Islamophobia, finance and politics all on Church of Scotland General Assembly agenda
More than 700 ministers, deacons and elders will meet in the capital to make decisions on Kirk policy and governance.
The week-long gathering will see the appointment of a new Moderator, Reverend Colin Sinclair, who succeeds the Rt Rev Susan Brown in the role.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is expected to attend the opening day before addressing the General Assembly on Wednesday.
Scottish Labour MSP Anas Sarwar has been invited to discuss Islamophobia at the Church’s Heart & Soul festival in Princes Street Gardens on Sunday.
Over the course of the week commissioners will debate and vote on proposals to create a 12-person trustee body to hold responsibility for the Church’s finances.
They will also be asked to consider plans to reduce administration costs by 20 to 30% and merge four of the Church’s Councils into two.
Rev Dr George Whyte, Principal Clerk to the General Assembly, said: “This General Assembly will be asked to make bold plans for the future of the Church of Scotland.
“There will be proposals to invest in growth, to work in new ways and to put mission right at the top our priorities.
“If Commissioners accept the proposals the Church will see a radical shift of resources and energy towards the local church.”
The Assembly was first held in 1560, the year of the Scottish Reformation, which marked the beginning of the Protestant Church of Scotland.
Stay up to…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.
