Thursday, January 3, 2013
What Does 60,000 People Worshiping Jesus Look Like at Passion 2013?
Thanks to my youth pastor Randy Wager for the video! AMEN JESUS!!!
L.A. Attorney Loans his House to a Homeless Family In Need
This Harvard Lawyer, Tony Tolbert, does the most incredible thing for a homeless family. He knows what being selfless and generous means. This is a wonderful act of compassion and sacrifice. He gives his home away to a homeless family in need. This story has touched millions.
Family Ministry Helped Save a Marriage Every 6 Minutes in 2012
By Jeff Schapiro , Christian Post Reporter
January 1, 2013|9:28 am
Focus on the Family (FOTF), a Colorado Springs-based Christian ministry which helps families through various forms of media, counseling and other resources, reports that it helped save a marriage every six minutes in 2012.
"The state of marriage is difficult, and I don't know of any Christians who aren't touched by divorce in some shape or form," John Fuller, married father of six and vice president of FOTF's audio division, told The Christian Post on Monday.But "for every marriage I know that's breaking down, it seems I know one that's hitting 40, 50 or 60 years of faithfully living out what marriage is all about," he later added.
Fuller, alongside FOTF President Jim Daly, is co-host of the ministry's Daily Broadcast, which has aired on the radio since 1977 and was named the 2012 Radio Program of the Year by the National Religious Broadcasters.
Over 65 percent of the show's airtime in 2012 was spent talking about marriage and parenting issues, an FOTF press release states, and Fuller says the program has covered topics that are pertinent to "pre-married" couples, newlyweds and long-time spouses alike over the course of the year. Those who find the broadcast helpful and want further assistance with their specific problems are also encouraged to call the ministry, consult with a counselor and get set up with a local, more permanent counseling solution when necessary.
"What we do in the broadcast is try to reach out...The broadcast in particular has great emotional impact on people, so they hear something, they resonate with what's heard, and what we try to tell them is: If you don't have someone to turn to, if you don't have a pastor or trusted friend that you feel comfortable confiding in or talking to about some steps to get where you need to be, give us a call," said Fuller.
Gary Haugen at Passion 2013: You Can Be the Generation That Ends Slavery in the World
By Ruth Malhotra , CP Guest Contributor
January 3, 2013|8:19 am
ATLANTA – Gary Haugen, president and CEO of International Justice Mission (IJM), told the 60,000+ Passion 2013 participants that 27 million people in slavery today is a massive problem of injustice in our world and that they must make this cause a priority, in what was both a plea for awareness and a challenge to take action Wednesday afternoon.
"As your brother in Christ I simply want to tell you that slavery is real, it's massive, it's brutal, and it's also in our own backyard," he said. "But you can be the generation that ends slavery in the world."IJM is an international human rights agency that rescues victims of violence, sexual exploitation, slavery and oppression worldwide, and in recent years the Passion movement has partnered extensively with their global initiatives raising significant finances in the fight to free those enslaved today.
Ten Common Things Church Members Communicate to Pastors
By Thom S. Rainer , Christian Post Guest Columnist
December 29, 2012|2:59 pm
Pastors are like information sponges. If they aren't studying, they are receiving a regular deluge of information from church members. I asked twenty-two pastors to share with me the most common items they hear from their church members. In the past, this information came in the form of letters, in-person conversations, and telephone calls. The digital age has made emails, texts, and social media more common.
Eleven of the pastors were above the age of forty, so an equal number were under forty years old. Here are their top ten responses in order of frequency. Each response is followed by a quote from a representative pastor in the interview.1.Requests for hospital visits and other visits to those who are ill. "If I said 'yes' to every one of these requests that I got, it would be a 60-hour a week job. I have to disappoint and even anger some folks, because I can't get to everyone."
2.Requests to attend events and meetings at the church. "I really wish I could be omnipresent. It seems like I'm supposed to be at every wedding, every church meeting, and every Sunday school class function. I do my best, but I sometimes disappoint some folks.
3.Criticisms. "The criticisms that bother me the most are those that begin with 'I love you pastor but . . .' The words that follow are usually anything but loving."
4.Updates on someone's health. "I have to say that I appreciate those in my church that keep me updated about how someone is doing. Now, some of them go overboard with the details, but it does help me set priorities to visit and call."
Ten Most Popular Bible Verses of 2012 Announced
WEBWIRE – Thursday, January 03, 2013
Austin, Texas (January 2, 2012) – King James Bible Online today released its most viewed Bible verses in 2012. From its Bible-reading website, 6,956,633 website visits were tracked in 2012 and these ten verses were found to be the most popular. The full list of Bible verses and images are listed here on kingjamesonline.org.READ MORE
Billy Graham Among Most Admired 56th Time
For the 56th time since 1955, Billy Graham has made the USA Today/Gallup Top 10 list of Most Admired Men in the World.
Mr. Graham tied for third in this year’s voting, along with presidential candidate Mitt Romney, former President George W. Bush and Pope Benedict XVI. President Obama topped the list, followed by Nelson Mandela.
According to Gallup, the survey began in 1946 and simply asks Americans an open-ended question to name, without prompting, the most admired person living in any part of the world. This year's survey took place Dec. 19-22.
The founder of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in 1950, Mr. Graham was one of three in this year’s Top 10 without ties to the U.S. government or politics.
After releasing his 30th book, Nearing Home, in October of 2011, Mr. Graham is currently working on his 31st book, expected to be released this year.
READ MORE
Mr. Graham tied for third in this year’s voting, along with presidential candidate Mitt Romney, former President George W. Bush and Pope Benedict XVI. President Obama topped the list, followed by Nelson Mandela.
According to Gallup, the survey began in 1946 and simply asks Americans an open-ended question to name, without prompting, the most admired person living in any part of the world. This year's survey took place Dec. 19-22.
The founder of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in 1950, Mr. Graham was one of three in this year’s Top 10 without ties to the U.S. government or politics.
After releasing his 30th book, Nearing Home, in October of 2011, Mr. Graham is currently working on his 31st book, expected to be released this year.
READ MORE
Church on cutting edge of technology
When Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene holds Sunday services, people around the world can watch.
Capturing and broadcasting its sermons with six cameras and thousands of dollars' worth of cutting-edge equipment, the technology-friendly church streams services online, as well as through Internet-connected Roku boxes, which many customers use to stream Netflix movies on TV.
Churchgoers can pick up a DVD or Blu-ray copy of the service after it's over, and can go to the church's website (ovcn.org) to watch broadcasts.
Under the direction of Pastor Craig Coulter, Worship Pastor Larry Vinyard has led the church's transformation into a technological dynamo.
"We use four to six cameras per service, and we try to capture the crowd response from time to time," Vinyard said.
"We try to video in such a way that those watching feel they are part of the congregation and not just a person at home on a computer watching a sermon or small group on stage performing. I'm not sure how successful we are with this, but it is definitely one of our goals."
Vinyard said the efforts are all about spreading the church's message to as many people as possible.
"It adds another way people can access our services if they're not able to come," Vinyard said. "We have an older lady who's a shut-in, and we set up Internet at her house. Now she streams with us Sunday mornings."
READ MORE
Capturing and broadcasting its sermons with six cameras and thousands of dollars' worth of cutting-edge equipment, the technology-friendly church streams services online, as well as through Internet-connected Roku boxes, which many customers use to stream Netflix movies on TV.
Churchgoers can pick up a DVD or Blu-ray copy of the service after it's over, and can go to the church's website (ovcn.org) to watch broadcasts.
Under the direction of Pastor Craig Coulter, Worship Pastor Larry Vinyard has led the church's transformation into a technological dynamo.
"We use four to six cameras per service, and we try to capture the crowd response from time to time," Vinyard said.
"We try to video in such a way that those watching feel they are part of the congregation and not just a person at home on a computer watching a sermon or small group on stage performing. I'm not sure how successful we are with this, but it is definitely one of our goals."
Vinyard said the efforts are all about spreading the church's message to as many people as possible.
"It adds another way people can access our services if they're not able to come," Vinyard said. "We have an older lady who's a shut-in, and we set up Internet at her house. Now she streams with us Sunday mornings."
READ MORE
Open Doors to Release 2013 Worst Persecutors List Jan. 8 at D.C. Press Conference
Compelling 'The Insanity of God' Book to Be Introduced during Event
SANTA ANA, Calif.,
Jan. 3, 2013
/Christian Newswire/ -- Open Doors will release its 2013
World Watch List of 50 countries that are the worst persecutors of
Christians on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013 during a press conference in
Washington, D.C.
The press conference will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. at the National Press Club, First Amendment Lounge, 529 14th St. NW.
"The annual World Watch List has raised awareness of the plight of persecuted Christians for many years," says Open Doors USA interim President/CEO Steve Ridgway. "It is important to get this information out to the public so it can look beyond the headlines and be a voice for those who are often voiceless in places such as North Korea, Syria and Somalia. Even on Christmas Eve in northern Nigeria, suspected Islamic extremists killed a reported 12 Christian worshippers and even more after Christmas."
For the past 10 years, the hermit communist country of North Korea has topped the list. Last year Afghanistan was No. 2, followed by Saudi Arabia. Rounding out the top 10 were Somalia, Iran, Maldives, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Iraq and Pakistan.
Expert speakers at the press conference include veteran journalist Ron Boyd-MacMillan, chief strategy officer for Open Doors International, and Nik Ripken, author of the inspirational new book "The Insanity of God" (B&H Books, 2013). Both Boyd-MacMillan and Ripken have travelled worldwide to meet with those persecuted for their faith.
For more information on "The Insanity of God," go to www.nikripken.com. There will be opportunity for media members to ask Boyd-MacMillan and Ripken questions regarding persecution.
The World Watch List ranks countries according to the intensity of persecution Christians face for actively pursuing their faith.
An estimated 100 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with millions more facing discrimination and alienation. Open Doors supports and strengthens believers in the world's most difficult areas through Bible and Christian literature distribution, leadership training and assistance, Christian community development, prayer and presence ministry and advocacy on behalf of suffering believers. To partner with Open Doors USA, call toll free at 888-5-BIBLE-5 (888-524-2535) or go to our Website at www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.
For more information regarding the World Watch list press conference and requests for interviews, contact Open Doors USA Media Relations Director Jerry Dykstra at 616-915-4117 or email JerryD@odusa.org.
Christian Newswire
Pro-life Students Announce New Book and Webcast Launch
WASHINGTON, Jan. 3, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- Today, Students for Life of America announced the release of its first book, Courageous: Students Abolishing Abortion in this Lifetime, and the Courageous National Book Release Webcast on January 7th at 9pm Eastern Time. Participants can register and tune in for the webcast at www.courageousthebook.com.
"It is the stories of this pro-life generation that will make Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry shake in their boots," said Kristan Hawkins, author of Courageous and President of Students for Life. "Yet their stories, which are real and messy, won't make the news headlines. However, they must be told because it will be their stories that inspire and encourage others to join the cause of abolish abortion in this lifetime."
Joining Kristan on the Courageous National Book Release Webcast will be Jason Jones, co-executive producer of the pro-life movie Bella, who wrote the foreword to Courageous, along with several of the young people featured in the book. Participants who join the live webcast will receive a free chapter from the book as well as a 20% off discount code.
Written by Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins (www.studentsforlife.org), Courageous tells the heartwarming stories of pro-life students who have answered the call to abolish abortion. These are the faces of the pro-life generation.
Readers will be inspired by these young people whose stories will no doubt resonate in their own lives as they continue their fight against abortion. Readers will hear from:
- Melissa, a woman who survived unimaginable abuse at home and ended up living with nuns to escape her father, who forcibly aborted her siblings and had wanted her to succumb to the same fate,
- Julia, a girl who knows no fear and reaches out to women every day at abortion facilities, always offering help and the option to choose life,
- Amanda and Andrea, courageous birth mothers who placed their babies with adoptive parents,
- Steve, an ordinary guy who just went to a rock concert that changed his world view and ended up facing a recall election as student body president because he refused to back down from his pro-life beliefs, and
- Rebekah, a young girl who was raped and courageously chose life for her son.
To speak with Kristan Hawkins, please contact Alexa Combs at acoombs@studentsforlife.org and to order a book, please go to www.courageousthebook.com.
Christian Newswire
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