John Piper Reveals What Made Him Suffer ‘Inexplicable Depression’

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John Piper Reveals What Made Him Suffer ‘Inexplicable Depression’

(Screenshot: DesiringGod)Theologian John Piper explains what it means to give Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.

Reformed theologian John Piper says 30 years ago he went through an unexpected crisis that left him in a state of “inexplicable depression.” 

Speaking about midlife crises on his desiringGod.org podcast Monday, Piper revealed that he was around 40 years old when he and his wife, Noël, were vacationing in California.

“Ben Patterson, who was at that time the pastor of a Presbyterian Church in Irvine, asked me to preach for him and offered me his house for some days of vacation while they were away. And so, we took him up on it. Two things happened which were remarkable and probably a wake-up call — a warning for me in midlife to hold fast to Jesus,” he recalled.

“One was that I felt inexplicably depressed while I was there. One morning I was sitting on the stairway to the second level of their house, crying. My wife found me and was startled because that’s not typical. She asked me, ‘What’s wrong?’ And I simply said, ‘I don’t have any idea.'”

Piper noted that after he preached at Patterson’s church, he was approached by Jim Conway, the author of Men in Midlife Crisis, who counseled the theologian on what he might be going…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

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Christian brain-damaged boxer attacked and threatened with acid

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Christian brain-damaged boxer attacked and threatened with acid

Michael Watson, who was left partially-disabled after suffering a near-fatal brain injury in a fight with Chris Eubank in 1991, was attacked last year by two men who tried to steal his car near his home in Chingford, East London.

The former middleweight champion was with his carer and best friend Lennard Ballack, who was doused with ammonia, it is alleged.

 

The pair were hospitalised for two days.

Simon Luck, 28, and Paul Samuels, 31, were allegedly behind the attack and, with 23-year-old Anselm Legemah, carried out another carjacking a fortnight earlier.

The court heard the suspects targeted Mr Robinson after he drove his white Audi into a petrol station 4th February.

All three men deny conspiracy to rob and applying a corrosive fluid with intent.

The boxer, known as ‘The People’s Champion’, has been very vocal about his faith.

Speaking to The Forgiveness project, he explained he became a committed Christian after regaining consciousness in hospital after his fight with Eubank.

“From the moment I regained consciousness in hospital I took refuge in God.

“I prayed for strength, and I prayed for Chris Eubank. I knew he was suffering. If you’ve got a heart – and he has – you can never be the same after something like this happens. I didn’t feel any anger toward him because it could have happened either way. You have to let bygones be bygones. Getting angry won’t correct…

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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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Kentucky Considers Law Instituting Annual Day of Student Prayer

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Kentucky Considers Law Instituting Annual Day of Student Prayer


Kentucky Considers Law Instituting Annual Day of Student Prayer


The Kentucky Legislature is considering mandating an annual day of student prayer.


House Bill 40 would make the last Wednesday in September “A Day of Prayer for Kentucky’s Students” and would require the state’s governor to proclaim it as such every year.


The bill passed the Kentucky House last week by a broad margin and is now in the state Senate.

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

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Maryland High School on Lockdown after Shooting is Reported

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Maryland High School on Lockdown after Shooting is Reported


Maryland High School on Lockdown after Shooting is Reported


A shooting has occurred at a Maryland high school. FoxNews.com reports that the shooting was carried out at Great Mills High School, about 60 miles from Washington D.C.


The school is reportedly on lockdown and students are being transferred to a nearby school for parents to pick up.


Officials say they do not yet know if anyone has been injured or killed, but the situation is contained.


The St. Mary’s Sheriff’s Office tweeted following the shooting:


 


Information is still coming out in this incident, but Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan tweeted that he and his office are “closely monitoring the situation at Great Mills High School.”


 


 


CNN.com talked to a student, Jonathan Freese, who was at Great Mills. “I’m still a little shaken up,” said Freese, who was in his math class…

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Can the Chasm Between .tics and Cessationists Be Bridged? Scholars, Pastors Weigh In

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Can the Chasm Between .tics and Cessationists Be Bridged? Scholars, Pastors Weigh In

Of all the theological squabbles that have plagued evangelical Christianity over the years, especially in the West, a particularly profound division centers on the power of the Holy Spirit and the ways in which He is at work today.

.tics and noncharismatics who spoke with The Christian Post all concurred that steps can be taken toward mending this division, even as differences remain.

Those who believe that the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit — such as prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues, the working of miracles, and the others listed in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 — have continued to this day, called continuationism, are often associated with Pentecostalism or the “charismatic movement,” as it is often called.

Some say that at long last, Pentecostals and charismatics are finally maturing theologically, after many years of being regarded as Bible-lite emotionalists, and that the growing presence of the supernatural in Christian churches is part of a great, worldwide move of God’s Spirit that is in keeping with the witness of Scripture.

Other believers are just beginning to explore the supernatural more deliberately, admitting that while they believe in the continuation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit they don’t actively use them. Yet others continue…

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Should pro-life pregnancy centers be forced to advertise abortion services?

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Should pro-life pregnancy centers be forced to advertise abortion services?

The Supreme Court will hear arguments today on a California law that requires pro-life pregnancy centers to display a public notice informing clients about free or low-cost abortion services. Advocates of the law argue that all women deserve to know all their options regarding pregnancy. Critics say that the law violates pro-life providers’ freedom of speech.

One attorney summarizes the issue: “Can the government impose and compel a faith-based ministry to proclaim a message that they are fundamentally opposed to with the risk of being fined or shut down?”

In other news, Time magazine asked sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer, “Is Porn Healthy for Me and My Relationship?”

Dr. Ruth replied that some pornographic material “can be helpful to a sexual relationship and some harmful.” She concluded: “If it’s just the occasional use of erotica, then maybe it’s not worth examining too closely. Just chalk it up to one more way to add some variety to your sex life so that it doesn’t become boring.”

Of course, her opinion violates the clear teaching of Scripture.

Jesus was blunt: “Everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). We are warned to “flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18). Scripture calls us to “let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous” (Hebrews 13:4).

Given Dr. Ruth’s moral worldview, her opinions are not surprising. But it is a sign of the times that Time, one of America’s most respected news magazines, would include such immoral material. I can remember a day when such a topic would not be dignified or endorsed by any non-pornographic media.

Will God judge America?

I am sometimes asked if I believe that God will judge America for our sins. My response is always the same: How could he not judge us?

Measure our culture just by the last five of the Ten Commandments (Exodus…

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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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Church of England introduces contactless payment terminals

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Church of England introduces contactless payment terminals

As of today, the CofE is making portable card readers available to more than 16,000 churches, cathedrals and religious sites with the aim of making donations and transactions faster and easier for congregations.

The readers can take contactless payments, Apple Pay and Google Pay, as well as chip and pin transactions.

 

Each reader, whose technology is run by the London-based fintech company SumUp, needs a “merchant”, most likely a Church worker, to input each transaction, and a probable scenario will see members of the congregation walking past a manned device as they enter or leave a service or event.

The readers, which were tested during a trial involving 40 churches last year, are capable of supporting 500 transactions without recharging, although the vast bulk of regular donating is expected to continue by standing order.

Chris Marsh/SumUp/PA Wire

 

The Church said it had been looking at how to update how congregations make donations, to a total of around £580 million every year, in an increasingly cashless society.

It has also been investigating how to offer payment options to visitors at events such as weddings, funerals, christenings, church fetes and concerts, who are not necessarily prepared for the collection plate.

John Preston, national stewardship officer at the Church of England, said: “There is a clear need for our parishes to…

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Actor Jim Carrey under fire over 'so-called Christian' painting

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Actor Jim Carrey under fire over 'so-called Christian' painting

Actor Jim Carrey has caused a Twitter storm after sharing online a portrait he painted that is widely believed to be of White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

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Culture Wins, featuring William Vanderbloemen

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Podcast Episode #416

SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • iHeart Radio

William Vanderbloemen joins us today to discuss the importance of workplace culture in the church.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

  • The bigger your staff gets, the harder it is to maintain a good workplace culture.
  • Millennials want to like the culture of the place at which they work.
  • You need to set your own workplace culture. Don’t try to copy the culture of another church or ministry.
  • The people of an organization or ministry or church set the culture.

About William Vanderbloemen

William Vanderbloemen is an entrepreneur, pastor, speaker, author, and CEO and founder of Vanderbloemen Search Group, an executive search firm serving churches, ministries, and faith-based organizations. He is a regular contributor to several major publications including Forbes where he covers topics about having a strong faith and building a business, Fortune, and Outreach magazine. He has also been published through Fast Company, Entrepreneur, and Inc.

Under his leadership, Vanderbloemen Search Group has won several culture awards and was named #24 on Forbes’ Best Executive Recruiting Firms in America. In 2015 and 2016, Vanderbloemen Search Group placed in the top 5 of Entrepreneur.com’s Top Company Culture – Small Business Category in the nation and top 6 of Houston’s Best Places to Work by Houston Business Journal.

Culture Wins is William’s third book following NEXT:…

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

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Joyce Meyer’s Daily 20 March 2018 Devotional: Enduring Like Jesus

CM Editor
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Topic: Enduring Like Jesus [Joyce Meyer’s Daily Tuesday March 20th, 2018] [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and…

The post Joyce Meyer’s Daily 20 March 2018 Devotional: Enduring Like Jesus appeared first on Flatimes.

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