How James Bond got his name: Summarizing effective ministry in seven words

The trailer for No Time to Die, the latest James Bond movie, came out yesterday. The previous movies in the franchise have generated more than $7 billion in worldwide box office sales

Have you ever wondered how the iconic spy got his name? 

Ian Fleming, the writer of the novels that birthed the movie franchise, was an avid bird-watcher. On a trip to Jamaica after World War II, he noticed a book on birds of the West Indies by an ornithologist from Philadelphia named James Bond

Years later, Fleming wrote to Mr. Bond’s wife: “It struck me that this brief, unromantic, Anglo-Saxon and yet very masculine name was just what I needed, and so a second James Bond was born.” 

However, like a spy novel, there’s a twist to the story. It turns out, an intelligence officer named James Bond served under Fleming in a secret elite unit that led a guerrilla war against Hitler. James Charles Bond, a metalworker from Wales, died in 1995 without revealing his spy past

His family suspects that Fleming used the bird-watching James Bond to protect the identity of the real James Bond. 

What Avengers: Endgame earned overseas 

One of the reasons I pay attention to popular movies is that their popularity reveals so much about us. 

Sean Connery’s British secret agent first appeared during the height of Cold War paranoia and offered us the assurance in film after film that the West could defeat the Soviets. In the decades since, James Bond has taken on our most frightening enemies and saved the world with his unique mixture of brash courage and technological wizardry. 

The Westerns of the 1930s gave us solitary heroes who inspired us during the Great Depression. The comic-book superhero films of recent years typically make far more money overseas than they do in America, highlighting the global nature of our economy and the exporting of Western culture. (Avengers: Endgame earned more than $817 million domestically but more than…

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YouVersion Bible App names most popular verse of 2019

Around the world, the verse most engaged with on the app is Philippians 4:6: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

YouVersion founder Bobby Gruenewald said it’s a good sign to see that people are turning to the passage in tough times.

 

He said: “We’re encouraged to see so many people turning to the Bible in response to their worries, remembering what God has done in their lives, and choosing to trust in His faithfulness.”

YouVersion’s annual report showed it was a record-breaking year for how much people engaged with God’s word on the app.

People read and listened to the Bible 30 per cent more this year compared to last year. In total, YouVersion saw 5.6 billion chapters listened to and 35.6 billion chapters read in 2019.

People also made 2 billion highlights, bookmarks and notes to mark meaningful verses and more than 478 million verses were shared.

“What we are seeing in global engagement is exciting to us because with every verse highlighted, plan day completed or audio chapter listened to, that’s a person who is being transformed by knowing God more intimately through spending time in the Bible,” Gruenewald said.

“We’re humbled by the opportunity to see lives changed in every country around the world.”

The Bible App saw global increase in both installs and engagement this year. In…

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Former archbishop Desmond Tutu in hospital with ‘stubborn infection’

The 88-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner has been in hospital several times for a similar condition over the past few years, a statement by their joint foundation said.

Mr Tutu has been treated for prostate cancer for years and rarely makes public appearances.

 

He was seen in September during a visit by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their baby son Archie.

Mr Tutu was awarded the Nobel in 1984 for his efforts to end the system of white minority rule, or apartheid, and promote racial reconciliation in South Africa.

He has lent his moral stature to causes and campaigns around the world over the years.

 

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Cathedral chancellor accused of indecent assault on student

 Rev Dr Paul Overend, 53, who was appointed Canon Chancellor at Lincoln Cathedral in 2017, is accused of grabbing the woman and kissing her at a party while he was a chaplain at Cardiff University in 1997.

Neil Evans, defending, told Cardiff Magistrates’ Court his client denied indecent assault and said the case was a “fully contested matter”.

 

Mr Evans said: “The defence say this incident didn’t happen at all. No misunderstanding, it just didn’t take place.”

The case was sent to Cardiff Crown Court with a hearing set for 2nd January.

Rev Overend spent seven years as university chaplain in Cardiff before teaching philosophy and ethics at the university and at Liverpool Hope University.

He was given the full-time post of chancellor at Lincoln Cathedral in November 2017, leading the cathedral’s work on public theology and Christian education, before stepping down 14 months later when he was charged by South Wales Police.

Rev Overend , from Lincoln, was granted unconditional bail.

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Six Reasons Some Pastors Don’t Desire to Go to a Church Needing Revitalization

Revitalize & Replant is sponsored by the North American Mission Board and ChurchReplanters.com. More than 10% of churches in North America are at risk of closing and the North American Mission Board is committed to reversing this trend by decreasing the death rate of existing churches while simultaneously increasing the birth rate of new churches. To learn more about what it means to become a replanting pastor or to explore resources for replanting and revitalization in your own church, visit ChurchReplanters.com.

Do you have a question about church revitalization or replanting for us to use on the podcast? Visit the podcast page to submit your question. If we use it on the show, you’ll get a copy of Autopsy of a Deceased Church and Reclaiming Glory.

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Jerry Falwell, Jr., Charlie Kirk Launch Think Tank to Equip Christians to ‘Proclaim the Truth of Jesus Christ’

Jerry Falwell, Jr., Charlie Kirk Launch Think Tank to Equip Christians to ‘Proclaim the Truth of Jesus Christ’


Conservative activist Charlie Kirk and Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. have launched a think tank that they hope will be instrumental in defending both Christian values and American constitutional freedom.

On the non-profit’s website, The Falkirk Center For Faith and Liberty explains that its core mission is to “equip courageous champions to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ, to advance his kingdom and American freedom.”

The new initiative will be based out of Lynchburg’s Liberty University – the largest Christian university in America. The center’s mission is to “equip courageous champions to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ, to advance his kingdom, and renew American ideals,” Kirk explained in a Saturday meeting with more than 60 Christian leaders.

“It’s sort of sad that we have to do something like this,” Falwell later told Fox & Friends of the project.

He continued, “It’s just to provide basic education on American history … because so many universities have become liberal indoctrination camps, the public schools have not taught U.S. history in so long, and young people don’t understand that the whole idea of the American experiment was based on the Judeo-Christian ethic.”

That ethic, Falwell argued, is based on the core ideas of “free enterprise, limited government, and the idea that all of our…

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Justin Bieber Shares Guided Prayers on Instagram: ‘They Have Really Been Helping Me’

Justin Bieber Shares Guided Prayers on Instagram: ‘They Have Really Been Helping Me’


Celebrity songbird Justin Bieber, who has used his social media platform to talk about his faith, took to Instagram once again over the weekend to share several guided prayers with his 122 million Instagram followers.

The video prayers are generally 4-6 minutes long, contemplative in style and are led by Bieber’s pastor, Judah Smith. Bieber first mentioned the prayers in a September post.

“Here’s a guided prayer,” he wrote at the time. “When you have a quiet moment get into a comfortable position and listen. They have really been helping me and thought I would share.”

His most recent posts are brief, similarly encouraging his followers to get comfortable and enjoy. One focuses on Romans 8:28, the verse that reminds believers that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

The video starts with Pastor Judah reading the Scripture and leading viewers into reciting three statements pertaining to the Scripture reference. He then models meditative breathing often used in the ancient practice of contemplative prayer, FaithWire reports.

The video then shifts into an extended prayer.

“God, thank you we are loved,” Pastor Judah prays. “We are loved not because of our own doing, our own earning or deserving. . . but because of who you are. You are love and you love us unconditionally and endlessly.”

“And we thank you for that.”

Smith then uses the imagery of…

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Democrats Release Impeachment Report, Republicans Respond

Democrats Release Impeachment Report, Republicans Respond


House Democrats released their 300-page impeachment report yesterday, claiming that Trump misused his power to bribe a foreign leader to interfere in the 2020 election and that he obstructed impeachment hearings.

“President Trump’s scheme subverted U.S. foreign policy toward Ukraine and undermined our national security in favor of two politically motivated investigations that would help his presidential reelection campaign,” the report said, according to Fox News

Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who led the Intelligence Committee in the hearings, tweeted shortly after the report was released: “The impeachment inquiry uncovered overwhelming and uncontested evidence that President Trump abused the powers of his office to solicit foreign interference in our election for his own personal, political gain. No one is above the law.”

The report accused the president of ignoring democracy for political gain and endangering the country. It also shed light on new details of Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani’s frequent phone calls to the White House and implicated other high-level leaders, such as Vice President Mike Pence; Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; energy secretary Rick Perry; and, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, in either knowing or being involved with bribing Ukraine, as reported by the New York Times.

“[The phone call] was a dramatic crescendo within a months-long campaign driven by President…

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Israel Folau Reaches Settlement after Being Fired for Biblical Instagram Post

Israel Folau Reaches Settlement after Being Fired for Biblical Instagram Post


After being fired for an Instagram post condemning homosexuality, Australian rugby player Israel Folau has reached a settlement with Rugby Australia.

Faithwire reported that he and Rugby Australia agreed on an undisclosed sum, but both parties released a joint statement to end the public, bitter lawsuit.

“While it was not Rugby Australia’s intention, Rugby Australia acknowledges and apologizes for any hurt or harm caused to the Folaus,” it said. “Similarly, Mr. Folau did not intend to hurt or harm the game of rugby and acknowledges and apologizes for any hurt or harm caused.

“Mr. Folau wants all Australians to know that he does not condone discrimination of any kind against any person on the grounds of their sexuality and that he shares Rugby Australia’s commitment to inclusiveness and diversity.”

As Christian Headlines previously reported, Folau’s lawsuit came after Rugby Australia terminated his four-year, four million dollar contract when an independent panel ruled his Instagram post breached his employment terms. The post warned “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists, idolaters” to repent and turn to Jesus.

After the panel’s ruling, the rugby star fought back with a $10 million lawsuit—which later became $14 million—claiming discrimination for his beliefs.

The news sparked a wider discussion in Australia and…

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Pete Buttigieg Invokes Matthew 25 in Latest Campaign Ad

Pete Buttigieg Invokes Matthew 25 in Latest Campaign Ad


As the 2020 election heats up, Democrat presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg released a commercial earlier this week invoking Matthew 25 to stir up potential voters in South Carolina, according to the Christian Post.

“In our White House, you won’t have to shake your head and ask yourself: whatever happened to ‘I was hungry and you fed me. I was a stranger and you welcomed me’?” Buttigieg said, referring to Matthew 25:35.

The only gay candidate continued to lay out his plans for unification in the country.

“We have to unify the American people. It doesn’t mean pretending that we are all the same,” he said. “It means unifying around issues from wage and family leave to gun violence and immigration.”

Buttigieg hopes that his administration would encourage “an American experience defined not by exclusion but by belonging.”

The $2 million ad started airing Tuesday to spark discussion in South Carolina voters who head to the polls on Feb. 29 for the state’s primary. According to CBS News, the southern state, where black voters dominate the Democratic primary electorate, is considered “a gateway to African-American voters.”

The millennial hopeful ranks fourth in South Carolina behind Vice President Joe Biden (35 percent), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (16.3 percent) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (12.8 percent). Though Buttigieg launched a compressive plan to fight racism called the Douglass…

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