How dangerous can it be to let a famous personality express their religious views?
We saw what happened with Obama when his minister grabbed the spotlight...
Now, look at what Oprah's been doing!
Jesus warned us that there would be false leaders who would try to lead the church away from God! How many examples do we need before we get down on our knees...and pray!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
Talking with friends...
I got a call from an old friend, just a little while ago. He had a joke to share (don't worry, I won't subject you to his form of humor) and we ended up talking for an hour! We used to do prison ministry together before I started expanding volunteering at a different prison and he had to spend more time in his business! We have the kind of friendship that seems to be ongoing, even if we don't keep in touch that often.
It only took a few minutes for us to catch up on where each of us were in work, in family activities, and in our church lives. We talked about our successes and our ongoing "character-building" moments. We laughed and we commisserated. We remembered shared times together, and we shared new memories.
Isn't that what we wish our relationship with God could be like? I think He does to! In Genesis chapter 2, it said that the Lord God came to the Garden to walk in the evening suggesting that this was something He liked to do. Even when He found His children to be disobedient, he clothed them - and continued to approach them throughout the history of the Bible, even to the point of sending His Son, Jesus, to die on a cross so He could overcome death for our sakes! Jesus called us brother and he called us His bride - intimate forms of relationships showing His love for us and His desire for close friendship!
Who's stopping us from having that kind of a friendship? All we have to do is talk to him! Talk to him whenever we encounter problems or we encounter joys! Include Him in our lives; get comfortable in His presence! Remember the old song, What a Friend We Have in Jesus? Listen to how that song came into being:
It only took a few minutes for us to catch up on where each of us were in work, in family activities, and in our church lives. We talked about our successes and our ongoing "character-building" moments. We laughed and we commisserated. We remembered shared times together, and we shared new memories.
Isn't that what we wish our relationship with God could be like? I think He does to! In Genesis chapter 2, it said that the Lord God came to the Garden to walk in the evening suggesting that this was something He liked to do. Even when He found His children to be disobedient, he clothed them - and continued to approach them throughout the history of the Bible, even to the point of sending His Son, Jesus, to die on a cross so He could overcome death for our sakes! Jesus called us brother and he called us His bride - intimate forms of relationships showing His love for us and His desire for close friendship!
Who's stopping us from having that kind of a friendship? All we have to do is talk to him! Talk to him whenever we encounter problems or we encounter joys! Include Him in our lives; get comfortable in His presence! Remember the old song, What a Friend We Have in Jesus? Listen to how that song came into being:
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Finances
One of the most difficult aspects of developing your own ministry is attracting donations to it. My brother, David Foster, started his own ministry and spent years writing to rich people in the hopes of their sparking an interest in his ministry - Sexual Brokeness. David's ministry is called Mastering Life Ministries (http://masteringlife.gospelcom.net/) and has been in operation since 1987. His need for funding is ongoing due to the production of Pure Passion - a television broadcast which looks at sexual brokenness from a Christian perspective!
My own particular ministry is based on Christian chaplaincy - a noncongregational approach to supporting those who are not always identified by Christian churches. The main thrust of my ministry is towards working with those who are incarcerated. The state prisons in Florida have an ongoing project of identifying the factors responsible for increasing and decreasing the recidivism rate over a 3 to 5 year period of time. Recidivism describes the rate at which an inmate returns to an incarcerated state after being released. When I first started volunteering in prisons, the recidivism rate in Florida was over 75%, meaning that within a 3 year period of time, 75% of those who had been released would commit another crime and re-enter a prison! This was in spite of the rehabilitation programs that were funded by the state and federal governments!
I was approached to join a team of lay people and clergy who would become trained by an organization called Kairos Prison Ministry, a volunteer-based, ecumenical retreat based on the Catholic Cursillo movement. What was then observed by many different prisons, a sharp decrease in recidivism occurred, sparking an ongoing study of the effect of volunteer religious programming. (http://www.kairosprisonministry.org/templates/System/default.asp?id=23761) Recidivism rates plummetted down to below 25% even among the more aggressive, youthful offenders. Their success was attributed to the regular visitation of outside volunteers who interacted in nonjudgmental ways with the inmates, regardless of their offense!
Once my foot was in the door, so to speak, my ministry expanded beyond the role of Kairos volunteer to being a volunteer chaplain, Bible study leader, and Bible Institute liaison. Having just graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary's Dunnam campus in Orlando, FL, I began enriching the Bible studies of the prison systems with not only information but newer approaches to learning. Prospective students began asking me to expand my video-based Bible study materials into helping them get more understanding from their Bible studies. I was even approached to teach Koine Greek, which I did for two years. I explained my funding difficulties to the authors of the books I would later use - and they both donated a set of books for my students to use. One of them, Robert Mounce, even supplied me with workbooks and his lecture series on CDs! Focus on the Family donated my video-based study materials!
Finally, a student found an organization that specialized in Bible-based instruction, especially for inmates. They required an outside church to sponsor their course of instruction, so the Oak Grove Church of God (Anderson, IN) (http://www.ogchog.org/incharge.htm) agreed to sponsor a Baptist written, 3-year program of instruction for the inmates located at Zephyrhills Correctional in Zephyrhills, FL. I am the liaison administrator for the program and support the program through supplying instructional materials, grading lessons, and recording their grades. This program, The Foundation Institute for Biblical Studies started out as a 3-year program for incarcerated persons, (http://www.thefoundationinstitute.com/). It has expanded to an accredited, degree program leading to a Bachelor's degree in Biblical Studies. Of the four leading students in this program, two believe they have been called by God into professional ministry as pastors and one believes that God is strengthening his abilities as a Christian teacher! One of those called to be a pastor is also pursuing another bachelor's degree in theology at the same time!
Where do I get the money to fund these endeavors? Most of it comes from my own pocket, but my pocket has its own limitations. God wants us all to be good stewards of the resources He gives us, AND He wants us all to do the Great Commission! For those of you who cannot visit or evangelize those in prison, you can do so through your giving and your praying! Whether you give to me or to a ministry much closer, remember that one of these days, the incarcerated will get out. Your money can help them live a better life and not commit a crime against you! Give generously through prayer and resources. The next life you save may be your own...
My own particular ministry is based on Christian chaplaincy - a noncongregational approach to supporting those who are not always identified by Christian churches. The main thrust of my ministry is towards working with those who are incarcerated. The state prisons in Florida have an ongoing project of identifying the factors responsible for increasing and decreasing the recidivism rate over a 3 to 5 year period of time. Recidivism describes the rate at which an inmate returns to an incarcerated state after being released. When I first started volunteering in prisons, the recidivism rate in Florida was over 75%, meaning that within a 3 year period of time, 75% of those who had been released would commit another crime and re-enter a prison! This was in spite of the rehabilitation programs that were funded by the state and federal governments!
I was approached to join a team of lay people and clergy who would become trained by an organization called Kairos Prison Ministry, a volunteer-based, ecumenical retreat based on the Catholic Cursillo movement. What was then observed by many different prisons, a sharp decrease in recidivism occurred, sparking an ongoing study of the effect of volunteer religious programming. (http://www.kairosprisonministry.org/templates/System/default.asp?id=23761) Recidivism rates plummetted down to below 25% even among the more aggressive, youthful offenders. Their success was attributed to the regular visitation of outside volunteers who interacted in nonjudgmental ways with the inmates, regardless of their offense!
Once my foot was in the door, so to speak, my ministry expanded beyond the role of Kairos volunteer to being a volunteer chaplain, Bible study leader, and Bible Institute liaison. Having just graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary's Dunnam campus in Orlando, FL, I began enriching the Bible studies of the prison systems with not only information but newer approaches to learning. Prospective students began asking me to expand my video-based Bible study materials into helping them get more understanding from their Bible studies. I was even approached to teach Koine Greek, which I did for two years. I explained my funding difficulties to the authors of the books I would later use - and they both donated a set of books for my students to use. One of them, Robert Mounce, even supplied me with workbooks and his lecture series on CDs! Focus on the Family donated my video-based study materials!
Finally, a student found an organization that specialized in Bible-based instruction, especially for inmates. They required an outside church to sponsor their course of instruction, so the Oak Grove Church of God (Anderson, IN) (http://www.ogchog.org/incharge.htm) agreed to sponsor a Baptist written, 3-year program of instruction for the inmates located at Zephyrhills Correctional in Zephyrhills, FL. I am the liaison administrator for the program and support the program through supplying instructional materials, grading lessons, and recording their grades. This program, The Foundation Institute for Biblical Studies started out as a 3-year program for incarcerated persons, (http://www.thefoundationinstitute.com/). It has expanded to an accredited, degree program leading to a Bachelor's degree in Biblical Studies. Of the four leading students in this program, two believe they have been called by God into professional ministry as pastors and one believes that God is strengthening his abilities as a Christian teacher! One of those called to be a pastor is also pursuing another bachelor's degree in theology at the same time!
Where do I get the money to fund these endeavors? Most of it comes from my own pocket, but my pocket has its own limitations. God wants us all to be good stewards of the resources He gives us, AND He wants us all to do the Great Commission! For those of you who cannot visit or evangelize those in prison, you can do so through your giving and your praying! Whether you give to me or to a ministry much closer, remember that one of these days, the incarcerated will get out. Your money can help them live a better life and not commit a crime against you! Give generously through prayer and resources. The next life you save may be your own...
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