A Little Humor

The Preacher's Lament

If I express myself on a subject, I'm trying to run things.

If I'm silent, I'm dumb or have lost interest.

If I'm often at my office (preparing sermons or studying), why don't I get out and learn what's going on.

If I'm out when they call, why am I not tending to business, or studying for a sermon.

If I'm not at home at night, I'm out having a good time.

If I'm home, I'm neglecting important outside contacts and activities.

If I don't agree with people, I'm bullheaded.

If I do agree, I don't have any ideas of my own.

If I don't do what I'm asked, I'm a poor pastor.

If I do agree, well, that's what I'm paid for.

If I give someone a short answer, I'm "too big for my britches."

If I attempt to explain the pros and cons of an issue, I'm a know it all.

If I'm well dressed, I'm a big shot.

If I'm not, I'm a poor representative of my office.

If I'm on the job a short time, I'm inexperienced.

If I've been there a long time, It's time for a change.

Shane Claiborne: The power of a name | Christian News on Christian Today

Shane Claiborne: The power of a name | Christian News on Christian Today

It's Not Always about the Money

When it comes to choosing a career and picking a college major that will help you achieve your goals, money isn't everything. Job meaning counts for a lot too. That's why PayScale asks everybody who takes our survey if they feel like their job makes the world a better place. This list ranks 207 college majors by the percentage of graduates in each major who answer that question with a resounding "yes."

The major that leads to the most meaningful work is pastoral ministry - 93 percent of respondents told us their work definitely makes the world a better place. Graduates who chose this path definitely sacrifice income potential for good karma, since the median mid-career salary for pastoral ministry majors is only $46,000.

That doesn't mean that all meaningful majors lead to salaries. The second most meaningful major on our list is nursing (85 percent), which results in a median salary of $73,600 - not too shabby. And people with the highest-pay major on our list, petroleum engineering, don't seem to feel like they've sold their souls for a high income - 70 percent of them report high job meaning.

In general, high job meaning correlates with majors whose grads work with people and/or really get to do the work they want to be doing, not with high pay. Clinical laboratory science majors and child development majors score high. We also see majors related with sports and fitness rank as very meaningful - athletic training and sports medicine majors are near the top of the list.

Which majors rank as the least meaningful? Advertising (30 percent), graphic communication (29 percent),fashion merchandising communication (20 percent), fashion design (27 percent) and film production (23 percent) round out the bottom of the list.

http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/most-meaningful-majors#explanatory

Pornography: The Secret Assassin By Ronnie Floyd

Sin is most powerful in the darkness. Sin’s power to operate in secret has destroyed many followers of Jesus. Open sin can be confronted, rebuked, challenged and repented. Secret sin eats away like acid on skin. Jesus warned us the most dangerous things to us come from inside ourselves (Matthew 15:16-20).

Sin is most powerful when secret
Sin is most powerful when unknown, and few sins among Christians are more destructive in secret than pornography. In Bible Studies for Life, Chip Ingram writes, “13 percent of all web searches are related to erotic content [and] almost 9 out of 10 young men (85 percent) and almost half of young women (48 percent) report viewing pornography.”
More troubling than the overall data is that related to followers of Jesus: 50 percent of men and 20 percent of Christian women regularly view pornography. Too many from the body of Christ are being eaten up from the inside by this secret sin. Marriages are suffering. Husbands do not love their wives as they should. Wives are looking for pleasure apart from their husbands. Single adults are allowing pornography to substitute for actual relationships rather than remaining mentally pure. Seven of 10 teens have accidentally been exposed to pornography online.² This exposure could permanently affect their ability to have deep relationships. It could torpedo marriages before the “I do’s” are even spoken.

Pornography wounds not just you, but others
As bad as those things are, pornography does not only affect the person consuming it. Pornography is “like shrapnel [which] will damage and wound those around us.”
The Old Testament hero of the faith, Job, recognized the need for purity saying, “I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I look at a young woman?”⁴ The Apostle Paul instructed us, “For this is God’s will, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality, so that each of you knows how to control his own body in sanctification and honor, not with lustful desires, like the Gentiles who don’t know God.”⁵ Mental and physical sexual purity are required by God. Physical impurity is always preceded by mental sin.

Pornography can be overcome
Victory over pornographic use or pornographic addiction should begin with the spiritual root. All sin is a result of wanting selfish desires rather than God’s desires. Sin is a not merely an unwise choice or unhealthy decision. Sin is the replacement of God’s authority with our own. This is why all sin, including the viewing of pornography, must be repented. Followers of Jesus must use the word of God to combat the temptation to indulge in viewing pornography. The power of God’s Word is the power to overcome sin, any sin. Reading it, meditating on it, memorizing it, and internalizing it lead to victory over sin. The work of the Spirit in the power of the Word is the power Jesus’ followers need to overcome temptation. He has not left his people defenseless against sin and temptation. The allure of pornography and the damage that comes from it can be overcome in the power of God’s Word. Saturate your life in every way with God’s Word. Be filled with the Spirit at all times. The Word and the Spirit together will lead you to overcome pornography.

http://pastors.com/pornography-secret-assassin/

On This Day in 1517

It was around two o’clock in the afternoon on the eve of the Day of All Saints, October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther, hammer in hand, approached the main north door of the Schlosskirche(Castle Church) in Wittenberg. There he nailed up his Ninety-Five Theses protesting the abuse of indulgences in the teaching and practice of the Church of his day. In remembrance of this event, millions of Christians still celebrate this day as the symbolic beginning of the Protestant Reformation. October 31 is not a day for the ghosts and ghouls of Halloween but a time to remember the Reformation, especially what Luther wrote in thesis sixty-two: “The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.”

What's the Church's Reputation?

Perhaps the greatest indictment on evangelical churches today is that they are not generally known as refuge houses for sinners—places where hurting, wounded, sinful people can run and find love that does not question, an understanding that does not judge, and an acceptance that knows no conditions. To be sure, evangelical churches are usually refuge houses for certain kinds of sinners—the loveless, the self-righteous, those apathetic toward the poor and unconcerned with issues of justice and race, the greedy, the gluttonous, and so on. People guilty of these sins usually feel little discomfort among us. But evangelical churches are not usually safe places for other kinds of sinners—those whose sins, ironically, tend to be much less frequently mentioned in the Bible than the religiously sanctioned sins.

It is rare indeed that a drunkard, drug addict, or prostitute would think of going to church because he or she just needed to feel loved and accepted. These people may go to bars, fellow addicts, drug dealers, or pimps to find refuge and acceptance, but they would not go to a church. In fact, as with the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, the church has generally represented everything people with these kinds of sins want to avoid at all costs. It has most often represented nothing but condemnation for these people. Indeed, churches frequently cultivate a reputation for “cracking down” on sins that fall into their “unsanctioned sin” category. To fail to do this, many have assumed, is to compromise our reputation for being set apart for holiness.

The sins we declare ourselves to be against are invariably selected to not target ourselves. If we were consistent in cracking down equally on all sins, we’d be cracking down on ourselves more than on those outside the church. And if we retained a system of evaluating sin at all, sins such as impatience, unkindness, rudeness, and self-righteousness—all indications that love is absent (1 Cor 13:4-5)—as well as prevalent “church” sins such as gossip, greed, and apathy would rank higher on our list than sins such as homosexuality or heterosexual promiscuity.

Striving for a holy reputation is also self-serving because the whole enterprise is unconsciously designed as a strategy for getting life for ourselves. Though it is mostly unconscious—indeed, though we uniformly deny it—we are feeding ourselves with our devised sin lists. We feel righteous and secure that we are “in” while others are “out” as we compare ourselves favorably with others who don’t measure up (according to our own biased measuring devise).

Above all else, love is that for which the church is called to be known. Sadly, in the name of acquiring for ourselves a reputation of holiness, we have often compromised the one reputation God calls us to have. Jesus was willing to forsake any possibility of having a holy reputation for the sake of loving those who were unholy.

To be sure, Christians are called to be a holy people, set apart by their good works. This is what transforming love looks like as it takes hold of people. But this is not a reputation we should seek to acquire or protect. The one reputation we are called to acquire is identical to the one reality we are called to live in: We are to be, and to be known as, a people who receive and give love in an outrageous, impartial, unconditional way.   —Adapted from Repenting of Religion, 102-104, author Greg Boyd.

- See more at: http://reknew.org/2014/09/what-kind-of-sinners-feel-welcomed-by-your-church/?utm_source=Website+Signup&utm_campaign=86e5766273-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0de6226b5c-86e5766273-28050201#sthash.jMzlns9W.dpuf

Testifying our Faith

Russell Moore says - We ought to be reminded that in a racially divided world, the church of Jesus Christ ought not simply to advocate for racial reconciliation; we ought to embody it. The quest for racial reconciliation comes not just through proclamation but through demonstration.

The church, the Apostle Paul said, is a sign of God’s manifold wisdom, to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places (Eph. 3:10). When God joined together in one church, those who are both Jewish and Gentile, he was doing more than negating the bad effects of ethnic strife. He was declaring spiritual warfare. When those who the world thinks should hate each other, instead love each other, the church is testifying that our identity is in Jesus Christ (Col. 3:11). We cannot be pulled apart from each other, because we are one body, and a body that is at war with itself is diseased.

If we start to see more churches so alive to the gospel that they are not segregated out as “white” or “black” or “Hispanic” or “Asian” or “white collar” or “blue collar,” we will start to reflect something of a kingdom of God made up of those from every tribe, tongue, nation, and language (Rev. 5:9). And as we know one another as brothers and sisters, we will start to speak up for one another, including in the public square.

Leadership

Courageous leadership is like courageous parenting. Don’t do what your kids want you to do; do what you believe is best for them in the end. Eventually, many of them will thank you.

Thoughts on Ferguson, MO

As Christians, we ought to weep for the loss of life in this situation, and we ought to pray for peace in the streets of Ferguson and for justice to be done in this case.

We ought to be reminded though that in a racially divided world, the church of Jesus Christ ought not simply to advocate for racial reconciliation; we ought to embody it. We ought to speak to the structures of society about principles of morality and righteousness, but we also ought to model those principles in our congregations. The quest for racial reconciliation comes not just through proclamation but through demonstration.

The church, the Apostle Paul said, is a sign of God’s manifold wisdom, to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places (Eph. 3:10). When God joined together in one church, those who are both Jewish and Gentile, he was doing more than negating the bad effects of ethnic strife. He was declaring spiritual warfare. When those who the world thinks should hate each other, instead love each other, the church is testifying that our identity is in Jesus Christ (Col. 3:11).

-excerpt from article "Ferguson and the Quest for Racial Justice" by Russell Moore.
 http://www.russellmoore.com/2014/08/14/ferguson-and-the-quest-for-racial-justice/

Our Riches in Christ

This comes from one of my favorite preachers and authors, Timothy Keller:

Imagine you're a billionaire, and you have three ten-dollar bills in your wallet. You get out of a cab, and you hand the driver one of the bills for an eight-dollar fare. Later in the day you look in and find out there's only one ten-dollar bill there, and you say, "Either I dropped a ten-dollar bill somewhere, or I gave the taxi driver two bills."

What are you going to do? Are you going to get all upset? Are you going to the police and demand they search the city for the cabdriver? No, you are going to shrug. You're a billionaire. You lost ten dollars. So what? You are too rich to be concerned about that kind of loss.

This week, somebody criticized you. Something you bought or invested in turned out to be less valuable than you thought. Something you wanted to happen didn't go the way you wanted it to—these are real losses. But what are you going to do, if you're a Christian? Will this setback disrupt your contentment with life? Will you shake your fist at God? Toss and turn at night? If so, I submit that it's because you don't know how truly rich you are. If you're that upset about your status with other people, if you're constantly lashing out at people for hurting your feelings, you might call it a lack of self-control or a lack of self-esteem, and it is. But more fundamentally, you have totally lost touch with your identity. As a Christian, you're a spiritual billionaire and you're wringing your hands over ten dollars.

Tim Keller, The Two Advocates (Encounters with Jesus Series) (Penguin Group, 2014), Kindle Locations 242-244

Finding Calcutta

Mother Theresa is best known for serving the poor for many years in Calcutta. As other missionaries would come to see her work, they would often want to stay and work alongside her. Here was her response:

“Stay where you are. Find your own Calcutta. Find the sick, the suffering, and the lonely right there where you are — in your own homes and in your own families, in your workplaces and in your schools. You can find Calcutta all over the world, if you have the eyes to see. Everywhere, wherever you go, you find people who are unwanted, unloved, uncared for, just rejected by society — completely forgotten, completely left alone.” Mother Teresa (1910-1997); Founder Of The Missionaries Of Charity

Recently 15 people from Bellwood Church served in Hindman, Kentucky with a ministry called SWAP; "Sharing With Appalachian People". It is a home repair ministry that serves low-income families in several counties of southeastern Kentucky and West Virginia.We spent a week getting to know homeowners who have called that area home all of their lives. We did work for them such as repair roofing, flooring, and painting. It wasn't always easy or the best working conditions but it was great to serve and connect with the folks.

It was an amazing contrast - the beauty of the mountains surrounding the poverty of the people. I would do it again in a heartbeat because I have  found my Calcutta.

3 Signs That God is Moving in Your Church

There’s no way to manufacture a move of God. Yes, we follow God’s heart and the Spirit’s leading to plan, pray and prepare in faith that God will move though all we do, but only He can make the move.
At times, we may be tempted to “hype” things up to give the appearance that God is moving, (nothing wrong with passion and excitement) but how do we know it’s God? We see these 3 things:
1- Tears
When God moves in a church, there are outward signs of what is occurring in the hearts and lives of those we’re pouring into. And one of the most obvious, is tearful responses to the truth that is given in it’s many forms. Have the kleenex handy!
2- Talent
When God is moving, or about to move in a church, He breaks the ground with new spiritual talent. God understands His church needs leaders and workers to hold the Kingdom harvest that He is about to unleash.
So watch and listen closely for others God is “planting” among you, even if they sound or look different than what you wanted or expected.
3- Time
The fire and passion that accompanies a “God Vision” brings the sacrifice of time to the equation. Enthusiaism creates buy in to the point others are willing to serve and give of their time sacrificially because they see the manifestation of their labor not just the desired outcome.

This article is attributed to Artie Davis; Pastor at Cornerstone Community Church in Orangeburg, SC.

Lessons from Mayberry

One of my all-time favorite shows is "The Andy Griffith Show". I own all of the episodes on DVD and watch them with my family. We have memorized many of the lines and now have our "Mayberry language". I came across this piece that I found interesting. It is "Seven Tips for the Church from Mayberry"

1. Never carry a gun
Andy could keep the peace, protect the innocent and catch the bad guys…without a gun.
In the church world, we could learn from that. People don’t respond very well to force or a show of force. If we are patient and let others “catch it” and not force it, we will see a greater return.
2. Be loyal to your right-hand
Andy was very loyal to Barney. It didn't matter how many mistakes he would make, Andy believed in him, and Barney became better because of Andy’s investment in him.
3. Don’t be defensive
I never saw Andy get offended when someone didn't go with his idea or would out right criticize it. Being defensive is a sure sign of immaturity and pride. If it’s God’s thing, then let Him take an offense at the lack of faith on the part of some, we aren't given that right.
4. Be Deeply involved in the community
No matter what was going on, Andy showed his support. In doing so, he earned the right to lead others outside and inside the community. People go to where they are loved. The more involved we are in the lives of those around us, who aren't in the Kingdom, the more likely it is they will become members of the kingdom!
5. Befriend the “crazies” 

Do you remember Earnest T. Bass? The little crazy guy always running around throwing rocks? It seemed no one liked him but Andy. And Andy was the only one he would listen to. Love the un-loveable.
6. Never show partiality
Andy never spoke ill of anyone, rather he accepted all as equals no matter their beliefs or creed, or color. People are drawn to those that accept the just as they are! Now there is a huge difference between acceptance and approval. We must accept everyone, even though we may not approve of their decisions or lifestyle. Jesus did that very thing!
7. Always love first
Andy was a great example of not just loving in word, but also in deed. If we are to radically change our communities and grow the Kingdom of God, Love will be preeminent. Love is at the core and essence of God’s heart.

Being the Church

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Anti-Violence in Book of Revelation

Ever wonder why all the violent images are in the book of Revelation? If we believe God is love, how do you make sense of the "blood-bath" that is pictured? Biblical scholar, Greg Boyd gives an eye-opening understanding:

All the violent scenes in Revelation are symbols for the battle of truth and deception.  They never involve literal violence. In fact, they symbolize ANTI-VIOLENCE. The ingenious way John helps us get free of deception of trust in violent power is by taking a standard violent symbol and juxtaposing it with a symbol that undermines its violence and reverses its violent meaning. 

An interesting example of this is when John introduces the mysterious 144,000, which represent the army that fights with the Lamb. They are introduced in Revelation 7: 4: “Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.” The 144,000 was a well known Jewish symbol of the army that would accompany the Messiah in a violent uprising against Israel’s foes to restore Israel to its place as a sovereign nation. But this image of violence gets turned on its head. 

One example of this is found in Revelation 7:14: “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” If you read Revelation literally, you have to wonder how washing a robe in blood could make it white. Taken literally its absurd, but interpreted symbolically its profound because this washing of the robes is a Jewish military metaphor. To be covered with another’s blood rendered you ceremonially unclean, so when Jewish warriors came back from battle covered with the blood of their enemies, they had to go through a purification bathing process before they could reenter society. Instead of washing OFF the blood of foes to become clean, these warriors are made clean by being washed IN blood – and it’s the blood of the one they followed into battle!

Many scholars believe John is not simply saying their sins are washed away by the blood of the lamb, though that is of course true. He is also saying that this army wears white linen because they shared in the blood of the Lamb. They were willing to suffer with Christ.  As it says in chapter 14, this 144,000 was willing to “follow the lamb wherever he goes,” even to the cross. While the standard image of the army of 144,000 following their messiah into battle was based on Babylon’s sword power, John has turned it on its head to communicate slain lamb power — the power of self-sacrificial love.

We are indeed part of an army, but not one that wins by shedding blood: we win by shedding our blood, just as Jesus did.

- See more at: http://reknew.org/2014/03/how-revelation-uses-violent-images-in-an-anti-violent-way/?

Is America God's Favored Nation?

This blog post comes from one of my favorite pastors, Greg Boyd of Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, MN. Is money a sign of God’s blessing? If so then the more you have the more blessed of God you are. If a church has more money, then more of God’s favor is on it. If a country is wealthy, then we can claim God’s favored status. But is this the way God sees things? In the following, Greg offers a different perspective:
________________
“Jesus once told a parable about a rich farmer who “yielded an abundant harvest” (Lk 12:16). His crop was so plentiful he didn’t have enough space to store it. After thinking about the matter, the farmer decided he’d simply tear down his barns and build bigger ones to store his surplus food. He could then “[t]ake life easy; eat, drink, and be merry (vss. 16-19). In other words, with his stored-up wealth he could retire and live “the good life.”

I suspect most Western people would have thought the same way. The man frankly seems like nothing more than a good capitalist. What should you do if you receive an unexpected inheritance or win the lottery? Quit work, buy nice stuff, save for the future, and enjoy life. It’s the “American Dream.” It all makes perfect sense (if you’re thinking like a good capitalist). Yet, God called the man a fool (Lk 12:20-21).

Neither the OT nor the NT are against wealth itself. The problem was that this wealthy man was not “right toward God.” He did not submit his wealth to God but instead considered only how he and his family could benefit from his fortunate harvest.

All indications point to the conclusion that most Americans have become entrapped in this view of wealth. Studies have consistently shown that the richer we’ve become, the more we’ve kept for ourselves and the less we’ve given away. This isn’t to say that all Americans are greedy. Many individuals are incredibly generous. But as a nation, we’ve become entrapped by our wealth.

Many people claim that America is a nation uniquely favored by God. We are ‘blessed,’ they say, as is evident from the fact that we have an unprecedented amount of wealth. But consider how we spend enough on entertainment each year to feed all of the hungry people on the planet for a year. Almost two thirds of Americans are overweight, while close to a billion people on earth are malnourished, with 40,000 people dying each day from illnesses related to malnutrition and extreme poverty.

Jesus said, [W] to you who are rich…” And, “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.”
Perhaps we should be careful about making claims about the favored status of our nation. One could argue that America is a nation positioned to be uniquely judged by God.

We’re conditioned to think that living with as much luxury and convenience as possible—the “American Dream”—is what life is all about. Whatever we may theoretically believe about God, we’re conditioned to find happiness, worth and security in things.

We who are committed to living under the reign of God are called to revolt against the consumer culture and the powers that fuel it. Though Jesus was rich, he made himself poor (2 Cor 8:9).

True joy, peace and wholeness is found in sacrificing for others. This shouldn’t surprise us since we are made in the image of the servant-God who divested himself of his privileged status to identify and sacrificially serve impoverished humanity. We are most fully human, most fully alive, when we reflect this image.”

Who is The Church for?

Too often we act as though the church is a country club; that it is only for the elite, prominent and successful ones in society. Jesus did call successful business people to be part of the church (see Luke 5). He called fisherman to be part of his "ekklesia" to help change the world. Luke follows with three stories that show who else Jesus calls to be part of the church. He reaches out and engages with people who would never be country club material – one is a leper, one a paralytic, and the third a tax collector. The first two Jesus miraculously heals and  word gets out. Crowds appear from all walks of life: needy people, poor people, sick people. And the third one is a "good-for-nothing" tax collector named Levi who invites Jesus to a party he is throwing with his friends.

The religious "country club" members, are disgusted with Jesus. They start saying to His disciples, "Hey, what's Jesus doing inviting them to be part of our club? He's one of us - not them. How dare He!" Ever felt this way about people whom God calls to be part of the Church? What is Jesus' answer? "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance." Jesus is saying, "Open your eyes to see that these are the very people I want in my movement. They realize their need for me - sadly you don't".

Country clubs are founded upon the concept of private membership and exclusion of the general public. Churches who ostracize people because of race, gender, sexual orientation, income-level (or any other reason) do not understand Jesus’ mission. Everyone is invited to accept God’s gracious offer to be saved and added to His church. A self-sufficient and satisfied church is only mentioned once in Scripture—the church of Laodicea.  And Jesus wanted to spew that sort of lukewarm church out of His mouth.

Be sure to read the parable of The Life Saving Station as a challenge to stay on mission with Jesus' intent for His Church.

Our Standing in Christ

If you need some encouragement today, take 5 minutes to watch this - The Mind of a Saint

Something's Stirring Within

I had the privilege of attending a LeadWorship workshop this weekend at Lincoln Berean Church (along with Tammy, Joy, and Paula). It was great! Well-known Christian artist and songwriter, Paul Baloche led it. He has written songs such as "Open the Eyes of My Heart", "Hosanna", "Your Name", "Today Is The Day", and "Above All". Here is a link to some of his video songs. Click here

You never know when you attend something like this. Will they try to teach you "how to do it right" or will they kinda show off and make you feel inadequate 'cause your church isn't able to pull off what they are doing? I'm happy to say there was NONE of that. Paul has such a humble, spirit-led, biblical  approach to leading the church in worship. He referenced 1 Chronicles 16:4 which says, "David appointed the following Levites to lead the people in worship before the Ark of the LORD by asking for his blessings and giving thanks and praise to the LORD, the God of Israel". The rest of the chapter is a song of praise that was sung to the Lord.

Paul said that leading worship needs to flow from our relationship with Christ. It is first "ministering to the Lord" before you can minister to others. What he means is that we can't lead others into something we aren't practicing ourselves. Worship at its best is when we do publicly what we've been doing privately. I attended a workshop called, "The Journey of the Song". This was about songwriting and the motivations you might have. If you only want to write in order to get your song published and recorded, probably not going to happen - but instead write a song to help keep your heart connected to God. Also write songs for your local congregation. This is a great way for the community to draw closer together as they are drawn closer to God.

I have to tell you, something within me is definitely stirring. Music is such a powerful way to worship and "minister to the Lord".

New Consequence of Online Porn

I wanted to share this because it continues to have a HUGE impact on both male and female, young and old:

One of the most devastating repercussions of pervasive online porn use by young men is its distorting effects on relationships. Men are finding that "real life" women are not as sexually satisfying to them as digital women. Some women feel pressured to act like porn stars to meet expectations. Damian Thompson, author of The Fix: How Addiction is Invading Our Lives and Taking Over Your World, writes about this 21st century malady:

Some women are finding it increasingly difficult to satisfy men, particularly those under 30. It's not their fault. Short of digitizing themselves, there's no way they could fulfill the needs of their porn-obsessed partners. Why? Because, to put it bluntly, their boyfriends [or husbands] no longer want to have sex with human beings. Their brains have been conditioned by fantasy. Sex with another person can no longer produce the same rush of dopamine and endorphins that [come from looking at online porn]. This is the logical endpoint for both sexes of an addiction to internet pornography ….

In ???? We Trust

Once again, Gallup has examined who Americans regard as the most honest and ethical person in their lives—and found that the answer is not their pastor...

In fact, recorded public trust in clergy has now reached an all-time low, with only 47 percent of Americans rating clergy highly on honesty and ethics (compared to 82 percent saying the same about nurses). The previous low since Gallup began asking the question in 1977: 50 percent in 2009.

In 2013, Americans rated six professions more trustworthy than clergy: nurses, pharmacists, grade school teachers, medical doctors, military officers, and police officers. Meanwhile, engineers, dentists, and college teachers—three professions which surpassed clergy in 2012—dropped below clergy in 2013. (Grade school teachers and military officers rose above clergy from 2012 to 2013, while nurses, pharmacists, medical doctors, and police officers topped clergy in both years.)

However, clergy members were nowhere near the low rating of members of Congress, with only eight percent of Americans vouching for lawmakers' trustworthiness. Congress ranked second to last behind lobbyists (6%), while car salespeople ranked ahead of both groups (9%).

The Goal of Preaching

Last Sunday I said that the whole goal of preaching was transformation. That understanding came to me in my Preaching Class at Hesston College while we were studying material from Rick Warren (author of the Purpose Driven Life). In a recent blog, here is what Rick wrote:

"If God’s objective for every believer is to transform us into total Christlikeness, then the objective of preaching is to motivate people to develop Christlike convictions (to think like Jesus), Christlike character (to feel like Jesus), and Christlike conduct (to act like Jesus). Every other objective of preaching is secondary. At the end of the sermon, if people aren’t being transformed in how they think, feel, and act, I’ve missed the mark as a preacher."

"To put it another way, the ultimate goal of preaching is not information. In fact, giving people a greater knowledge of the Bible can cause pride to develop in our hearers rather than humility if that information isn’t translated into obedience. And the goal if preaching is not merely instruction either. Preaching certainly includes instruction, but there is more to preaching that mere behavior modification. The goal of well-rounded preaching is transformation and obedience."