Speaking at TED in 1998, Rev. Billy Graham marvels at technology’s power to improve lives and change the world — but says the end of evil, suffering and death will come only after the world accepts Christ.
37 Best Gifts for Pastors
Are you searching for a gift for your pastor? Pastor Appreciation Month may have passed but with Christmas coming up soon, here are 37 suggestions that would make great gifts for pastors.
1. A notebook
Notebooks are great for jotting down ideas for sermons, journaling or reflecting on Scripture. You can choose a leather journal with a cross (pictured above), a journaling Bible that allows notes to be written next to the scriptures, a simple journal with numbered pages and a table of contents, a refillable one that’s embossed with a Bible verse, or a personalized notebook.
2. Books
Pastors read — a lot. You can simply ask your pastor what books are on his or her wish list or offer a gift card to a bookstore.
Here are some new and upcoming releases: The Luckiest Man: How a Seventeen-Year Battle with ALS Led Me to Intimacy with God by John R. Paine, Radical Wisdom: A Daily Journey for Leaders by Regi Campbell, Always in God’s Hands: Day by Day in the Company of Jonathan Edwards by Owen Strachan, and Everything to Lose: Doing the Right Thing When the Stakes Are High by Steve Carter.
3. Subscription to audio book service
When pastors are driving, traveling, or exercising, listening to audiobooks could be a better option for them. You can purchase a subscription to an audiobook service, including audible.com or christianaudio.com.
4. Music streaming service
A subscription to a music streaming service would also make a great gift for pastors who like to be inspired by, relax with or even dance to music. Services include Apple Music, Spotify,…
Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.
Are ‘thoughts and prayers’ a ‘cruel joke’?
Dana Milbank is a columnist for the Washington Post and a bestselling author. He has also been characterized as “extravagantly contrarian” and “one of the most extreme ideologues in the business.”
Consider, for example, the title of his column following last weekend’s shootings: “Republicans’ thoughts and prayers have become a cruel joke.” Milbank cites dozens of such statements responding to the tragedies. He notes that “thoughts and prayers are always welcome,” but then claims that this “reflexive response to the endless massacres has become a cruel joke, as effective as a Hallmark sympathy card.”
Milbank believes that offering prayer is “what people say when they plan to do nothing.” To those who criticize his criticism, he responds: “We criticize prayer in lieu of action.”
I agree with Milbank that if we promise to pray but do nothing else, we have not done enough. As James notes, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).
However, like so many in our secular culture, Milbank seems to think that we must choose between “prayer” and “action,” that if we pray for victims, we are not acting on their behalf. And he believes that until Republicans act as he thinks they should, “We don’t have a prayer.”
“Our community came together through prayer”
Last Sunday morning, as the horrific news was still breaking from El Paso and Dayton, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott was on CBS’s Face the Nation. He was asked about the massacre four years ago when a white racist murdered nine African Americans at the Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston.
Sen. Scott began his response to the weekend shootings: “What a challenging time. Our prayers and thoughts are certainly with both communities.” After describing the tragedy that happened in his state, he then declared: “The good news for our community was that our community came together through prayer.”
Here’s why I’m quoting from his interview today: the senator…
… Read More
—
Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Denison Forum.
Church accused of making an ‘unholy racket’
Music from the Christ Apostolic Church in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent’s monthly late night worship meetings start at 11pm and reportedly go on until the early hours of the morning.
On Friday 2nd August worship continued until around 4am the following morning. Frustrated locals went to the church in the middle of the night in their pyjamas to confront the parishioners about the ‘unacceptable’ noise levels but said their pleas fell on deaf ears.
One resident said: “It woke up half of Hamil Road and could be heard at Stanfield. A lot of people couldn’t get back to sleep, especially the elderly.
“A couple of people, including myself, went over to ask if they could please lower the music and close the door and the reply was ‘no, we have a licence so we will carry on.
“The last person to leave the building was at 6.25am on Saturday. I have no problem with religion but there is a time and place to worship. I’m sure God would not want us to go without sleep.”
Councillor Lesley Adams said: “I have listened to concerns and agreed this was unacceptable in a residential area.”
Pastor Amos Nuga said he was aware of complaints and would cooperate with the council.
Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.
… Read More
—
Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.
Monks homebrew pays for monastery
Mount Saint Bernard Abbey, near Coalville, which used to produce beer in the 19th century, has revived the tradition and now produces around 300,000 bottles of Tynt Meadow English Trappist Ale every year.
Psalm 104 “You make the grass grow for the cattle and the plants to serve man’s needs, that he may bring forth bread from the earth and wine to cheer man’s heart,” is quoted on the Monastery’s website.
The monks took on the venture as a means of earning their own income, with profits going towards the monastery’s upkeep and local community projects.
“We depend on reliable sources of income to continue our life of contemplation, to welcome guests, and to help those in need,” a statement on their website says.
It continued: “For monks, work is one part of the contemplative endeavour. A way of praising God, and experiencing solidarity with the rest of mankind. Performed in Christ’s name, the act of work can itself become simple, silent prayer.”
The brewery was installed in 2017, and has exported its ale across Europe, after sales from their dairy farm dwindled.
The beer, which is produced entirely by the monks onsite, is now one of the only 14 official Trappist Breweries in the world.
Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.
… Read More
—
Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.
Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heaven 8 August 2019
The post Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heaven 8 August 2019 appeared first on Flatimes.
