Why baseball’s highest paid player hasn’t played in four years: Four reasons to trust God’s providence with patience

Texas Rangers’ Prince Fielder smiles in the dugout during the first inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers Saturday, May 7, 2016, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Prince Fielder is owed $24 million in the final year of his contract with the Texas Rangers. This would put him nowhere near the top ten current salaries in the sport. But it’s not bad for a player who has not appeared in a game since 2016, when injuries forced his early retirement.

Here’s why Fielder’s salary is newsworthy: As Major League Baseball works on a plan to play a shortened season, current players could receive less than their salaries dictate. But because the sport’s collective-bargaining agreement seems to protect guarantees in contracts such as Fielder’s, he will probably receive the full amount. 

This is just one illustration of the fact that COVID-19 is affecting far more people than it is infecting. 

Here’s a tragic example: an American missionary pilot named Joyce Lin died in a plane crash Tuesday. She was transporting coronavirus rapid test kits and school supplies to a village in Papua, the easternmost province of Indonesia. A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, she was forty years old. 

The “principle of calculated risk” 

A fifty-five-year-old person from the Hubei province in China may have been the first person to contract COVID-19. The case dates back to November 17, 2019, nearly six months ago. As mortality from this horrible disease passes 302,000 deaths as of this morning, why is it taking so long to develop effective therapies? 

George Friedman is one of the most astute geopolitical analysts of our day. In a recent article, he discussed the medical system in the context of risk. He noted that “the moral foundation of science is that it must, first of all, do no harm.” As a result, “no drug is released until it is certain that it will do no…

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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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How to Make Worship Services BETTER Right Now – An interview with Jordan Richmond

Podcast Episode #641

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Today we welcome Jordan Richmond, worship pastor at West Bradenton Baptist Church. We discuss practical ways leaders can make worship services better right now. Jordan has been married to Heather for 14 years and they’ve led worship together for all of it. They have 4 children. 

How to Make Worship Services BETTER Right Now

  • Check-in with your people personally.
  • Dig into technical areas where you need to improve
  • Think intimate. Not big. 
  • Go shorter. Not longer.

Resources


Episode Sponsors

The mission at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission. The school offers more than 40 different degree programs, including the new Master of Arts in Church Revitalization in partnership with Church Answers and the Revitalization Network. This 37-hour degree is designed to help students move established churches from flatlining to flourishing.

Learn about this program and more by visiting sebts.edu. Where are you going? Southeastern will help you get there.


Feedback

If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Scrappy Church.

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Uighur Woman Hears From Father via Chinese Media After Advocating for His Release – Urban Christian News

Samira Imin during an interview in Boston on Feb. 9, 2020. RNS photo by Aysha Khan

BOSTON (RNS) — Samira Imin had been waiting three years to see her father’s face again.

She had been praying to hear his voice telling her that he missed her, that he was safe and healthy — that her public campaign urging China to release Iminjan Seydin, a prominent Uighur publisher and historian, had worked and her father was now free.

But when it finally happened, it was via a two-minute video posted on Twitter by Chinese state media on Monday (May 4) morning, in which her father states that Imin had been “deceived” by “overseas anti-China forces” into believing he had been detained.

“It was unbelievable to see him,” said Imin, a 27-year-old research assistant at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “I watched the video again and again, just seeing him sitting there alive. It was a relief, even though he seems like he has weakened a lot physically.”

“It looks like, obviously, he was forced to say that to me under threat,” Imin said. “We all know that. … They tried to silence me by having my dad say that to me, and they tried to discredit my words. If I didn’t speak up, I don’t think they would have released him and made this video.”

Imin and her father, 55, are part of the beleaguered Uighur community, the mostly Muslim ethnically Turkic minority concentrated in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region. At least a million Uighurs have disappeared into the Chinese government’s extensive detention camp network over the past few years.

Last year, she learned…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Urban Christian News

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Outrage Ensues after Price Is Right Special Raises Nearly $100k for Planned Parenthood

Outrage Ensues after Price Is Right Special Raises Nearly $100k for Planned Parenthood


Nearly $100,000 was raised for Planned Parenthood on CBS’ The Price Is Right special, sparking debate online.

As Christian Headlines previously reported, the special The Price is Right at Night was hosted by Drew Carey with popular drag queen RuPaul, as the special guest.

The special was aired on Monday, May 11, which was recorded prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was noted that all of the winnings would go to Planned Parenthood.

The show has aired similar broadcasts in the past where money was raised for organizations such as Seth Rogan’s charity, Hilarity for charity and for the Headstrong Project which was raised by members of the television series SEAL Team.

In light of Monday’s broadcast, Fox News reports that the contestants won $97,266 in prizes which meant that the abortion giant would receive the same amount in cash donations.

Planned Parenthood applauded the award-winning game show’s efforts on Twitter Monday evening, as reported by The Hill.

“RuPaul ‘coming on down’ to play for Planned Parenthood on @PriceIsRight is what we NEED right now! Thank you @RuPaul,” Planned Parenthood penned.

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

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Christian Film Production Company Launches New Streaming Platform to Help Those Battling Brokenness

Christian Film Production Company Launches New Streaming Platform to Help Those Battling Brokenness


A Christian film production company has launched a new streaming platform to assist churches in helping their members heal from addiction, trauma and brokenness.

The new service, called Soul Refiner, offers churches and individuals cinematic classes for those battling a variety of issues, including anxiety, ponography, betrayal, grief, PTSD, addiction, divorce and depression.

KingdomWorks Studios – the same company behind the Conquer series – launched it. 

Jeremy Wiles, the co-founder of Soul Refiner, said the company has been working on the platform for seven years. It can, he said, “totally transform the church.”

“Wounded and broken people are flooding our pews, enslaved to addictions,” Wiles said. “Marriages, families, lives are falling apart. So we decided to come alongside the church and do something about it.”

KingdomWorks Studios calls Soul Refiner the “world’s first video streaming platform that offers churches and individuals cinematic classes on inner-healing – anywhere, any time.” 

“The essence of Soul Refiner is sanctification,” said Tiana Wiles, co-founder of Soul Refiner. “It’s to disciple men, women and children to become conquerors, overcomers and leaders in Christ.”

The Soul Refiner platform, according to a promotional video, includes original content and “top Christian teachers and experts” who “provide…

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

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‘LGBTQ+ Studies’ Class Gets Approval for Maryland School District: ‘It Will Open a Lot of Minds’

‘LGBTQ+ Studies’ Class Gets Approval for Maryland School District: ‘It Will Open a Lot of Minds’


High school students in Maryland’s largest school district soon will have a new elective option: LGBTQ+ studies.

The Montgomery County Public Schools board approved a plan Tuesday to develop a “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ+) Studies pilot course” that will be offered at two high schools in the 2020-21 school year and the remaining eight high schools during the 2021-22 school year.

WTOP in Washington, D.C., reported the LGBTQ+ course is believed to be the first in the region and one of the first in the nation. 

“It’s been a long time coming and I believe it will open a lot of minds,” board member Rebecca Smondrowski said, according to WTOP.

The class will be for juniors and seniors who have completed U.S. history. 

The course description and purpose/rationale passed by board members says the goal is “to increase the awareness of students to the history, culture, and challenges of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ+) community in America.” 

“The LGBTQ+ community faces enduring discrimination that has resulted in a rise in hate crimes against them, higher rates of depression, suicide, and addictive drug use,” the document approved by the board reads. “The course aims to bring acceptance, support, and a stronger sense of shared community among our students of all sexual and…

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

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Dining with pandas: Reframing isolation as an opportunity to manifest the life of Jesus

The Maison Saigon restaurant uses stuffed panda dolls as space keepers for social distancing to help curb the spread of the coronavirus in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, May 5, 2020.

A restaurant in Thailand has found a unique way to ensure it meets social distancing guidelines while providing lonely diners with some company: it is seating stuffed pandas at its tables.

Earlier this month, Thailand relaxed some restrictions on businesses as the number of coronavirus cases slowed. Restaurants were allowed to reopen, but strict rules were enacted to reduce the risk of the virus spreading.

One restaurant owner said, “Earlier we had only one chair for the tables where the customer came alone. But for me, it felt strange, so I thought I’d give them some company.” He filled some of the empty chairs with panda dolls, to the gratitude of his customers.

“The doll makes me feel less lonely eating by myself,” one said. Another agreed: “It’s a lot easier to understand compared to other restaurants where people always get confused about where to sit and end up sitting too close to each other.”

Thailand’s new rules seem to be working. Yesterday, it reported zero new cases of coronavirus for the first time since early March, before the lockdown began.

Reframing isolation as an opportunity to manifest the life of Jesus

After God created the first man, he said, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). We were made to love our Lord and our neighbor (Matthew 22:37–39). Every image of the church in the New Testament is collective—a vine with many branches, a body with many members.

One of the most debilitating aspects of the pandemic is the isolation it has forced on the world. But when we reframe solitude as an opportunity for spiritual growth, we can not only turn a negative into a positive—we can find comfort and the community we long for.

The example of Jesus makes clear the benefits of solitude…

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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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‘Knowing That We Have the Peace of Jesus’: Justin, Hailey Bieber Share How God Is ‘Anchoring’ Them through the Pandemic

‘Knowing That We Have the Peace of Jesus’: Justin, Hailey Bieber Share How God Is ‘Anchoring’ Them through the Pandemic


In the fourth episode of “The Biebers on Watch”, popstar Justin Bieber and his wife, model Hailey Bieber, played Jenga while sharing how their faith in Christ has kept them grounded “regardless of what’s going on in the world.”

The couple started off the video by sharing a little bit about what they’ve learned about themselves and each other amid global lockdowns because of the coronavirus.

As the game progressed, Justin asked Hailey what’s been keeping her anchored throughout the pandemic, noting that for himself, his love for “Jesus and His forgiveness [and] His salvation” have helped carry him through these uncertain times, Faithwire reports.

“Do you think that like having your anchor in your spirit, knowing that regardless of what’s going on in the world, you have the security?” the singer asked his wife. 

Hailey answered, “Not only knowing that we have the peace of Jesus and we can lean on Him during this time, we have the Bible, we can read, we can do so many things, we also have our church community that has been constant through this whole thing.”

Hailey continued, “being able to, every Wednesday, we watched our church services and there’s still that real sense of community even in isolation.”

“I think that’s honestly helped a lot and staying in touch with the people that we love and care about and…

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

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American Missionary Pilot Dies in Plane Crash While Delivering Humanitarian Aid

American Missionary Pilot Dies in Plane Crash While Delivering Humanitarian Aid


On Tuesday morning, an American missionary pilot perished in a plane crash.

According to The Christian Post, Joyce Lin, 40, was en route to deliver supplies to remote Indonesian villages battling the novel coronavirus when her plane went down.

Lin worked as a pilot for The Mission Aviation Fellowship delivering humanitarian aid, Bible translators and missionaries to some of the world’s most remote areas. She also worked as an IT specialist for the ministry.

“The Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) family is deeply saddened by the loss of their colleague and friend, Joyce Lin”, MAF said in a statement Tuesday.

Reportedly, Lin had taken off from the Sentani, Papua, Indonesia airport Tuesday morning to deliver goods to “the village of Mamit in the Papua highlands.” The plane was carrying “COVID-19 rapid test kits for the local clinic.”

Despite travel restrictions in Indonesia due to COVID-19, MAF was granted permission in flying cargo and helping people with medical emergencies.

According to the statement from MAF, “within minutes of takeoff, [Lin] reported an emergency and the aircraft descended into Lake Sentani. Joyce was the only person on the airplane.”

According to police spokesman Ahmad Musthofa Kamal Papua, Lin reported having technical issues two minutes after takeoff, NBC 4 reports.

The pilot had requested to return to the airport, but the control tower had…

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

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49 Percent of Weekly Churchgoers Say Trump Was ‘Anointed by God’ to Be President

49 Percent of Weekly Churchgoers Say Trump Was ‘Anointed by God’ to Be President


Roughly half of weekly churchgoers in the United States believe President Trump was “anointed by God,” according to a new survey that also shows many weekly churchgoers also believe “all presidents” are anointed by God.

The survey by Paul A. Djupe of Denison University and Ryan P. Burge of Eastern Illinois University shows an increase from 2019 among white Protestant churchgoers who believe Trump was “anointed by God to become president of the United States.”

Last year, 29.6 percent of white Protestants who attend church weekly affirmed the statement, while this year, 49.5 percent of the same group said they believe Trump was anointed by God.

But this belief isn’t confined to white Protestants. A total of 49.1 percent of weekly churchgoers who are not white Protestants in this year’s survey said they believe Trump was anointed by God. The survey was conducted in March.

“White Protestants are NOT distinctive in their beliefs in Trump’s anointing,” Djupe and Burge wrote in a May 11 blog. “… The religious significance of the presidency is swelling across the board for the religious, indicating further polarization along religious and partisan lines is continuing.”

Still, many churchgoers apply this belief to all presidents – not just Trump. Although 49.5 percent of white Protestants who attend church weekly believe Trump was anointed by God, 34…

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

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