Daryl Coley , Mary Alessi, visit to Montclair NJ 6/7-6/10

 

Christ Church Church Street & Trinity Place Montclair, New Jersey 07042

Click here: Christ Church New Jersey: Christ Church

For two decades the history of Christ Church has been filled with moving stories of service and transformation through an awesome journey of impacting, touching and healing the community by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Come join us for four memorable days to celebrate this 20 year journey featuring Spirit-filled parties, moving guest speakers, congregation members and friends.

There is no registration fee for this conference, however, a free-will offering will be taken at each service.

 Speakers and Musical Guests

Bishop Joseph L. Garlington, Sr., Ph.D

Bishop Garlington is the Senor Pastor of Convenant Church of Pittsburgh, which he founding with his wife, Barbara in 1971. As an accomplished musician, recording artist, author and scholar, he has touched thousands through his weekly television broadcast, international conferences and publicmedia.

Mary Ann Brown

Mary Ann Brown has shared her unique prophetic gifts for 30 years to local churches throughout the world. She also shares her leadership gifts serving on five church advisory boards across the country and teaches at two Bible colleges.

Bishop Kirby Clements

Bishop Clements is an associate pastor at Cathedral at Chapel Hill in Decatur, Georgia. In addition to his efforts in outreaching to hundreds of ministries around the world, Bishop Clements is an author of many books including, The Second - A Practical Guide to Establishing Church Structure. 

Mary Alessi

Mary Alessi is a worship leader, songwriter and co-founder of Metro Life Worship Center in Miami, Florida. She is also a recording artist, with her latest recording, More was released in 2005.

Floyd Flake, DMin.

Dr. Flake is the Senior Pastor of Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York, which is the home of over 20,000 members.  A former US Congressman of 11 years, Dr. Flake continues his leadership service as the President of Wilberforce University in Ohio and has been awarded numerous honorary degrees.

Paul Johansson

Paul Johansson serves in numerous leadership roles including, president of Elim Bible Institute, founder and chairman of the New York School of Urban Ministry in New York City. He and his wife, Gloria have served as missionaries in Kenya, Africa for eleven years.

Daryl Coley

Daryl Coley is a nationally renowned contemporary Christian recording artist and has given over 20 years of ministry service. Though he has recorded over 100 studio performances and featured on several high profile albums, Daryl's greatest impact in the Gospel has always been in his live performances.

 

 Conference Schedule

Wednesday, June 7

7:30PM

Thursday, June 8

9:30 AM                 7:30 PM

Friday, June 9

9:30 AM                 7:30 PM

Saturday, June 10

7:30 PM

 

 

     Directions  Click here: Christ Church New Jersey: Christ Church
Take the GARDEN STATE PARKWAY SOUTH to exit 148. (BLOOMFIELD AVE.)

Upon exiting, go to the first traffic light and make a RIGHT onto MONTGOMERY ST.
Travel on MONTGOMERY ST. through two traffic lights and make a RIGHT onto BLOOMFIELD AVE (Texaco Gas Station on right) and travel 2.1 miles, passing through the towns of Bloomfield, Glen Ridge and into Montclair.

Turn LEFT onto PARK ST. Travel one block and turnRIGHT onto Church Street. The cathedral is located on the left with off-street parking available through municipal lots.

 

The Father Factor: How Your Father's Legacy Impacts Your Career, by Stephan B. Poulter,

  How "Daddy" affects your job: psychologist

Essential reading for parents and anyone in business looking to move up the ladder and reach their professional potential

The Father Factor: How Your Father's Legacy Impacts Your Career, by Stephan B. Poulter, PhD., provides refreshing and non-intuitive insights into the elusive career and interpersonal challenges professionals?face most often in the workplace from a paternal relationship perspective.

The most common and debilitating professional struggles we experience ? interpersonal conflict, power-plays, gender issues, self-doubt — are directly connected to Five predominant fathering styles, which Dr. Poulter defines as:

• The Super Achiever Father
• The Time Bomb Father
• The Passive Father
• The Absent Father
• The Compassionate / Mentor Father

Dr. Poulter guides you through the process of understanding your Father Factor as an invaluable resource and necessary step towards achieving greater professional success and personal satisfaction with a series of tips and tools, Q&A, quizzes, first person accounts and analysis to uncover the following:

• What is your Father Factor and how does it affect your career?
• The Big 7 Father Factor issues in all careers.
• The Top 10 qualities and behaviors to get on the career fast-track.
• Your style of attachment and its impact in your professional life.
• How understanding your Father Factor will move your career forward.
• Your Professional Toolbox: 8 tools you need to reach personal and professional goals.

By becoming aware of how your father related to you, particularly in a destructive relationship, you'll understand how your career relationships in many ways mirror your degree of comfort with your father's emotional legacy. In this way, career roadblocks — often based on interactions with people on the job — will be more easily transformed into career building blocks that will lead to advancement and success.

Fri May 12, 2006 3:06pm ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Successes or failures of employees in the workplace can be traced to what kind of father they had, a psychologist argues in a new book.

In "The Father Factor," Stephan Poulter lists five styles of fathers -- super-achieving, time bomb, passive, absent and compassionate/mentor -- who have powerful influences on the careers of their sons and daughters.

Children of the "time-bomb" father, for example, who explodes in anger at his family, learn how to read people and their moods. Those intuitive abilities make them good at such jobs as personnel managers or negotiators, he writes.

By Ellen Wulfhorst

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Successes or failures of employees in the workplace can be traced to what kind of father they had, a psychologist argues in a new book.

In "The Father Factor," Stephan Poulter lists five styles of fathers -- super-achieving, time bomb, passive, absent and compassionate/mentor -- who have powerful influences on the careers of their sons and daughters.

Children of the "time-bomb" father, for example, who explodes in anger at his family, learn how to read people and their moods. Those intuitive abilities make them good at such jobs as personnel managers or negotiators, he writes.

But those same children may have trouble feeling safe and developing trust, said Poulter, a clinical psychologist who also works with adolescents in Los Angeles area schools.

"I've seen more people hit their heads on what they call a glass ceiling or a cement wall in their careers, and it's what I call the father factor," Poulter said in an interview. "What role did your father have in your life? It's this unknown variable which has this huge impact because we're all sons and daughters."

Styles of fathering can affect whether their children get along with others at work, have an entrepreneurial spirit, worry too much about their career, burn out or become the boss, Poulter writes.

Even absent fathers affect how their children work, he writes, by instilling feelings of rejection and abandonment.

Those children may be overachievers, becoming the person their father never was, or develop such anger toward supervisors or authority figures that they work best when they are self-employed, he writes

A lot of people say, 'I never knew my dad,'" he said. But, he added: "You knew the myth, you knew your mother's hatred, you knew your anger, you knew your dad was a loser. Trust me, you knew your dad.

"The father's influence in the workplace is really one of the best-kept secrets," he said. Poulter co-authored an earlier book on mothers and daughters called "Mending the Broken Bough." "The Father Factor" is set for release next month by Prometheus Books.

Looking at the influence of fathers fits with other recent research on workplace behavior, said William Pollack, a psychology professor and director of the Centers for Men and Young Men at McLean Hospital, part of Harvard Medical School.

"There's been a good deal of research to show not only that our family-life experience and our experience with our parents affects our personality, but it affects our corporate personality, both as leaders and followers," said Pollack, author of "Real Boys."

"There's also good research to show that for men and women, the way they identify with their father and their father's role may well affect how they interact as a manager or leader in the workplace."

Poulter, by the way, describes his own father as the absent type. After this book, he said, "my dad won't even talk to me."

Gladys Knight The missionary of Gospel music

 

GLADYS KNIGHT, EX-BAPTIST SINGS FOR MORMON UNITY: Singer is using gift
to minister to fellow Mormons

     Gladys Knight was speaking the universal language of music to unite
the races as the featured act in two concerts recently.  People did not
spend triple digits to see her perform at the Flamingo on the Vegas
strip.  She did not sing any of the songs that elevated her to world
class entertainer status.  On the weekend of May 20-21 the R&B darling
used the stage at the Suitland Stake Center in Suitland, Maryland as a
platform to share God’s gospel with 3,000 on-lookers, many who are her
sister and brothers in the Mormon Faith.

     Suitland Stake Center is the headquarters for 12 Morman
congregations in the DC, Southern Maryland area.  The Mormons sponsored
the “Fireside” concert as a community outreach effort that was held
purposefully to bring the races together.

     The Fireside Concert emerged from the free concerts that Knight and
her racially mixed, multi-denominational choir Saints Unified Voices
would offer in Las Vegas. (Singers were schooled on the basis of the
director’s beliefs, but accepting Mormonism was not a pre-requisite to
participation.) Joining the ranks of the famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir,
as creator and director of SUV, they earned the golden statue at this
year’s 48th Annual Grammy Awards for the Gospel Choir of the Year for
their debut recording, “One Voice.”

     Although she has been an entertainer for five decades, the 61
year-old is now ministry minded.  She realizes she has a higher calling
as a singer and is so dedicated to the call she was not present at the
Grammy’s to receive the coveted award.  She and the 100 member choir
were preparing for an event. In an interview with The Meridien ( a
publication of the LDS church) she remarked, “ we count it our greatest
privilege to share the message of the restored gospel through music and
through the testimonies we bear during each fireside.”  Adds Gladys,  
“Everyone involved with this choir make sacrifices."

     The missionary of music has been a devoted member of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  since her 1997 metamorphosis.  Raised
Baptist, the seven time Grammy-award winning singer was converted by her
son Jimmy (who was introduced to the religion by a neighbor) and
daughter Kenya who Jimmy led to the faith after she became curious about
the scriptures he studied that were not in the Holy Bible. 

     The Walk of Fame honoree is one of a surprisingly increasing number
of African American converts, which now includes her husband William
McDowell whose upbringing in segregated North Carolina made him deeply
skeptical about Mormonism. 

     The singer had to confront the church’s history of racial
exclusivity before she committed to the scrutinized church organization.
She told the audience, “When I came to this church, I asked, 'Do y'all
like Black people or not?' "

     It was not until 1978, under prophet Spencer W. Kimball, that the
Mormon Church admitted Blacks into full membership, allowing them to
hold the priesthood, marry in the temple and receive the same privileges
as other members. Since then, the aggressive work of the bike-riding
missionaries to be inclusive, has contributed to the church in the
Washington area significantly.

     The Washington Post reports that Ken Page, president of the
Suitland Stake, said 20 percent of the 4,500 Mormons in his stake are
African American.

     In her testimony, Knight, 61, said: "I am grateful for the
missionaries on those bicycles. When they knock on your door, let them
in."

Born Again Kimberly Elise opens up about her divorce

 

By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices

Not 'Mad' At All

Esssence

Kimberly Elise opens up about her divorce in the latest issue of 'Essence' magazine. "For me it was purely a spiritual necessity,' the 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman' star said.”When it’s being driven by something like that, there’s a great euphoria. There has been far more joy and happiness than tears and regret because I took the time to make sure it was the correct decision."

Born Again

Kimberly Elise opens up about her divorce in the latest issue of 'Essence' magazine, on stands now.

"There’s a great tragedy in that part of my life being over," the 39-year-old 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman' star tells 'Essence' contributor Lisa Teasley, about ending her 16-year marriage to Maurice Oldham -- the father of her two daughters.

Oldham reportedly followed Elise to Hollywood, as she pursued an acting career. According to the article, she made the decision to separate through five yeas of "inner work," which led her to believe that to become her bestself in the next phase in life, she had to "commit to growing solo."

While no official reason was given for the separation and the subsequent divorce, it was reportedly "amicable"

"I’m proud of our marriage and what we created," she said. "I by no means feel as if we failed. There’s no shame. It just ended. And that’s a big difference. For me it was purely a spiritual necessity. When it’s being driven by something like that, there’s a great euphoria. There has been far more joy and happiness than tears and regret because I took the time to make sure it was the correct decision.

Your Voice

"It’s been like a rebirth, really," she said. "I feel like a newborn baby in the world."

Elise, who has starred in 'Set It Off,' 'Beloved' and 'John Q,' plays a no-nonsense prosecutor on the CBS legal drama 'Close to Home' -- which was just picked up for a second season. She was recently cast in 'P.D.R.' starring Terence Howard, Bernie Mac and Evan Ross.

 

Woman Hit By Lightning While Praying in Storm

 

Woman Hit By Lightning While Praying in Storm

DAPHNE, Ala. (May 29) - Worried about the safety of her family during a stormy Memorial Day trip to the beach, Clara Jean Brown stood in her kitchen and prayed for their safe return as a strong thunderstorm raged through Baldwin County.

Suddenly, lightning exploded, blowing through the linoleum and leaving a pockmarked area on the concrete. Brown wound up on the floor, dazed and disoriented by the blast but otherwise uninjured.

"I said, 'Amen,' and the room was engulfed in a huge ball of fire," she said. "I'm blessed to be alive."

Brown, 65, was hit by a bolt of lightning that apparently struck outside and traveled into the house Monday afternoon. She doesn't know how much time passed while she remained disoriented on the floor before Jamie Matthews, her 14-year-old granddaughter, discovered her after returning from the beach.

"I was just standing there when a huge ball of fire engulfed this whole room. I don't remember much after that," Brown said hours later as her family helped clean her home. "Concrete was everywhere."

 

 

"I said, 'Amen,' and the room was engulfed in a huge ball of fire."
-Clara Jean Brown

 

 

Brown was at home alone when the storm hit, while her husband, James Brown, was at the store and her son and his family were on their way back from the beach.

James Brown said fire officials told him lightning likely struck across the street from the couple's home and traveled into the house through a water line. The lightning continued into the couple's backyard and ripped open a small trench, James Brown said. Pieces of concrete were scattered throughout the family's kitchen - ruining day-old brownies sitting on the stove.

"Never in my life did I think something like this could happen," James Brown told the Press-Register. "I always thought if you're in a house that you're safe. That's not the case."

Mrs. Brown said paramedics suggested she go to the hospital, but she chose to stay at home with her family.

"I'm blessed. That's the good news," she said.

Eric Esbensen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mobile, said dime-sized hail and wind gusts of up to 45 mph were reported in coastal Baldwin County. As much as 3 inches of rain fell in some areas in three hours, he said.

 

05/30/06 12:47 EDT

 

Dr Chuck Pierce in NYC June 16 and Saturday, June17

Click here: New Hope Fellowship

257 Bay Ridge Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11220
Telephone - 718.921.HOPE
Fax - 718 680 9733
Email - newhope257@aol.com

 

"Growing in the Apostolic"
                                                                 Guest Speaker - Dr. Chuck Pierce

Date: Friday, June 16 and  Saturday,  June17

Place: New Hope Fellowship
257 Bay Ridge Ave
Brooklyn, New York 11220

Time: Friday, 7:30PM to 10:00PM
            Saturday, 9:00AM to 3:00PM

Phone: 718 921 HOPE

Email: WLINYC@aol.com
For more information contact: Dora Rossi

Cost: $50.00
Registered WLI-NYC Students $40

Sponsored by Wagner Leadership Institute-NYC Training Units Available

About Dr. Chuck Pierce -    

Click here: Glory of Zion International Ministries

   ministers with a prophetic anointing to help individuals, churches, businesses and other mission organizations understand how they can move in intercession, spiritual warfare and revival, and establish vison of God in their areas.  He has a degree in Business from Texas A&M, Master's work in Cognitive Systems from the University of North Texas and currently is involved in the Doctorate program of the Wagner Leadership Institute. He has co-authored three books along with Becky Wagner Sytsema.  Chuck presently serves as Vice President of Global Harvest Ministries in Colorado Springs, Colorado and President of Glory of Zion International Mnistries in Denton, Texas.  He and his wife Pam, live in Denton TX , they have five children

 

16-17

 

 

 

 

Wagner Leadership Institute - Presents Dr. Chuck Pierce
Prophetic Seminar
"Growing in the Apostolic" [MORE INFO]

18
Dr Chuck Pierce
Dr. Pierce has been used by God to intercede and mobilze prayer throughout the world. [MORE INFO]

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Click here: Grace Fellowship's Podcast

Tue, 18 October 2005

GOIAM 2005 - Thursday Morning Session 1

Date: 10-13-05. Speaker: Chuck Pierce. Title: GOIAM 2005 Thursday Morning Session 1.

Direct download: Thursday_Morning_1_GOIAM_2005.mp3
Category: 2005 GOIAM Conference -- posted at: 7:47 PM

Comments[0]

Mon, 17 October 2005

GOIAM 2005 - Wednesday Morning Session 2

Date: 10-12-05. Speaker: Chuck Pierce. Title: GOIAM 2005 Wednesday Morning Session 2.

Direct download: Wednesday_Morning_2_GOIAM_2005_1.mp3
Category: 2005 GOIAM Conference -- posted at: 6:57 PM

Comments[0]

Mon, 17 October 2005

GOIAM 2005 - Wednesday Morning Session 1

Date: 10-12-05. Speaker: Chuck Pierce. Title: GOIAM 2005 Wednesday Morning Session 1.

Direct download: Wednesday_Morning_1_GOIAM_2005.mp3
Category: 2005 GOIAM Conference -- posted at: 6:54 PM

Comments[0]

 

Dr Chuck Pierce in NYC June 16 and  Saturday,  June17

Britney Spears quits church

Brit Quits Church 25/05/2006 Britney Spears quits church

Britney Spears has stopped following Kabbalah because leaders of the controversial church kept pestering her for money, according to reports.

Britney wrote on her website, “I no longer study Kaballah, my baby is my religion.”

However insiders say it’s because the church kept asking Britney to ‘tithe’, which is to donate a percentage of her earnings to the church.

Britney Spears has stopped following Kabbalah because leaders of the controversial church kept pestering her for money, according to reports. Britney wrote on her website, “I no longer study Kaballah, my baby is my religion.” However insiders say it’s because the church kept asking Britney to ‘tithe’, which is to donate a percentage of her earnings to the church. A source tells MSNBC’s The Scoop: “She’s tired of the way [Kabbalah leaders] kept hassling her for money. Actually, it was mostly her mother’s decision. They were always asking Britney to tithe. There was a lot of pressure, and finally her mom said, ‘Enough is enough’.” Meanwhile, husband Kevin’s is continuing with his rap career. The lyrics to his latest track have been revealed, with Kev boasting about how much money he’s got: "All these model chicks wanna do me... I got 50 mill, I can do whatever I want." Err, shouldn’t that be your wife’s got 50 mill Kev?

Must Jesus bear the Cross Alone?

Must Jesus bear the Cross Alone?

May 2006
Madonna kicked off her Confessions tour at the Los Angeles Forum by crucifying herself on a mirrored cross and wearing a crown of thorns. The pop provocateur's antics enraged the Catholic League but surprised nobody, as her two-decade-long career has been full of firestorms. She joins Kanye West, Nas, and Marilyn Manson in the pantheon of musicians who have recently hung themselves from the cross and/or donned the crown of thorns.

Now I ain’t sayin' he's a God digger....

Wait a second. I thought Nas declared himself God's son. Well, now another king of hip-hop has imagined himself to be the King of Kings. Kanye West is gracing the cover of the February Rolling Stone, and, oh Lord, look at the fashion statement he’s making. I didn't realize the kids on the street have dropped flat-billed ball caps with bandanas in favor of crowns of thorns. And when you roll as big as Kanye, you gotta represent the savior with the best prickly tiara God’s kingdom has to offer. Note: This is Kanye’s second appearance in Jesus of the Week.

In Marilyn Manson "Holy Wood" CD, he mocks the crucifixion of Christ, by appearing on it's cover "nailed" to a cross. He commits more blasphemy by calling this, "Jesus Rotting On A Cross." The songs such as "Born Again" and "Lamb of God" are full of hateful blasphemy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nas [Chorus 2X: Nas]
I carry the cross, if Virgin Mary had an abortion
I'd still be carried in the chariot by stampeding horses
Had to bring it back to New York
I'm happy that the streets is back in New York
For you rappers, I carry the cross

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joe Pace INTERVIEW: Joe Pace, One Man, Two Ministers

INTERVIEW: Joe Pace, One Man, Two Ministers - Part II

      Mix together leadership and discipline, fold in a generous portion
of keyboard and writing talent, an immeasurable love for worshipping God
and a dash of business expertise. Then, bake for ten years or until
fiery darts come out snuffed when inserted in the middle. Once cooled to
room temperature, layer with the Holy Spirit to your own taste. A recipe
this personalized could only have been conceived and  prepared by the
hands of God to yield choir director, worship leader and producer,
Minister Joseph Pace, II, which He has served to all who hunger and
thirst after righteousness for the last decade.

      Through schedule interruptions I was able to interview the
Director of the Grammy and Stellar award-holding Colorado Mass Choir (C
Mass) extensively in two parts and have combined the breadth of our
conversations. It was a stop and go visit down memory lane as I delved
into the essence of Alabama-born artist and he divulged the experiences
that have brought him to this milestone period.

Mona Austin: Joe, congratulations on "Mighty Long Way".

Joe Pace: It was a long time coming.

MA.  “Mighty Long Way” is the culmination of your 10 year ministerial
journey.  What has been the most fulfilling part of the journey?

JP: I think finally stepping into when you really get it, when you
figure out what you’re supposed to do and you feel you’re operating in
your call. Because a lot of the time it’s hit and miss. . .so, when you
finally get to that point when this is where you’re supposed to be and
you get the opportunity to flow in that, that’s such a blessing and so
rewarding.

MA: Do you feel that you’re living in your purpose right now?

JP: Not in its entirety, but I feel I’m walking in my call with purpose
and focus.

MA: What has been the most challenging aspect of your career?

JP: I think the industry can be challenging. With C Mass it happened so
quickly, I don’t know that I was prepared. . .lot of things, no one was
giving you money for. ..lot of tearful days, lonely days.

MA: Sounds like birthing.

JP: Indeed it is.

MA: “Mighty Long Way” is a monumental project--how would you rate it in
comparison to all of your work?

JP: It’s a little different to rate and compare because I went through
so much in making it happen. So I don’t think I’ve fully been able to
step back and appreciate everything that’s been involved with it.  Like
any project there are things that I wished I had done that I didn’t do
that could be better.  I do think overall it’s a good representation of
who I am and the DVD will flesh that out even more as you see it unfold
visually. . .it’s a representation of the ministry and the call that is
me which is what we wanted to do. . .combine C Mass and the praise and
worship stuff that people aren’t as familiar with.  The album gave us an
opportunity to pull that all together under one covering. . .and I’m
proud of that.

MA: Do you have favorites from your musical collections?

JP: C Mass is always near and dear and always will be. The closest to me
would be “Speak Life” because it’s the most personal.

MA: You kind of get a sense, vis a vis the sound, of the atmosphere
changing.  When I hear “Speak Life,” I know that the atmosphere in that
place changed when that song was ministered.

JP: It was moment that was frozen in time. . .We had K& K Mime
ministering the song simultaneously.  For me it’s almost the pinnacle
moment.

MA:  Tell me about the night.  Everything you did leading up to that
point came to fruition.  What was that night like for you?

JP: Crazy.

MA: How so?

JP: Everything that could happen did.  There were so many logistics and
like a construction project, when you’re in it when the overruns begin
to happen, when you’re in it, there’s nothing you can do. . .Usually I
have a template that I follow and this was just throwing out every
template and took on a life of its own. . .you just have to say God take
it, it’s yours.  It’s almost like and our-of body experience People had
to tell me this happened and this happen. . .it was certainly an
historic moment for me spiritually, professionally. I learned a lot
about myself as a minister. . .

MA: Do you think it was a “God-thing” that some of these things
happened, maybe to get your attention?

JP: Oh it certainly was.  A lot of times (we use it in church often) --
how sometimes a lot of things happen because the enemy is coming against
it and when the enemy comes, that means you gotta work harder and that’s
when youKNOW you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing.  But, do
you have the wisdom to know when perhaps the opposite is true.  Maybe
some of the things are happening like God is trying to show you—you
idiot, go over here!

MA: What do you think God was trying to tell you?

JP: Oh, some of those lesson, Mona, I’m still learning. Some things
about location, timing, maybe giving myself a little more time. . .all
of those were powerful lessons.

MA: You turned out some good work.

MA: You turned out some good work.  When you think back over the last
ten years, I think you said the project, Just speak Life was the most
significant one. Elaborate on that.

JP: Well . . .“Speak Life” was the most personal project that I’ve ever
done and probably the most, what I would say, complete project from
start to finish that I have done.  The theme was complete, the message
was complete, the steps we took; the progression throughout the entire
project. Their wasn’t any fat.  Oh, and often when projects are done
your kind of like “that’s good, that’s great…and that one’s is good”. 
That particular project for me didn’t have that and everything in there
was personal and poignant.  It pertains to my life and what I also
perceived God was speaking and saying perhaps through me to so many
others who were dealing with those same scenarios.  And, it was for me
the ultimate album of encouragement and hope and faith.  So, that for me
still to this day has been a powerful moment for me in terms of my call
in terms of the local church and what I am called to do there.  The last
project we did, “The Sunday Morning Service”, was certainly the pinnacle
for that.  It was certainly one of those moments where you clearly heard
God and clearly heard what God said do.  He gave the concept. He gave
the material for the concept.  “I want you to write songs that the
church can do in every part of the Sunday morning service.  Give them a
new offering song and a communion song and an altar call song.”  I knew
without a shadow of a doubt that it was exactly what I was supposed to
do.  That certainly, up front, from a professional call standpoint, is
why we’re going to make it a series and we are going to be doing more of
those.

MA: You’ve had some major accomplishments (Grammy and Stellar award
wins) in your career.  What will be the pinnacle of success for you?

JP: My call is to the local church and when I can impact people where
they live. .  .when the songs are facilitating worship in the church. .
.to me that’s success.

MA: How would you like people to remember you when this life is over?

JP: That he had a heart of worship, heart for God, for ministry.  Left a
legacy of worship for the local church opened up opportunities for
others to reach their dreams and potential. . .He was real and true to
the call.

      Joe Pace is the father of one fifteen year old son, Joe Pace III. 
His latest release on Integrity Gospel, “Mighty Long Way” is in stores
nationwide.  He is in the process of developing new talent under his own
entity, Pace Production.  Stay locked to EUR Gospel for the scoop!

MADONNA PULLS A KANYE:

MADONNA PULLS A KANYE: Catholics, Christians enraged by latest concert
shenanigans
      Prince (a practicing Jehovah's witness), the former king of
provocative concert performances cleaned up his act due to religious
conversion and does not perform some of his old songs with lyrics that
he believes would be too mature for some in his cross-generational
audience. He should have advised Madonna befor her world tour kick off
last Sunday.
     
      Madonna may have the same name as the Mother of Jesus, but she is
nothing like The Virgin.  In Kanya-esque fashion, at the kick-off of her
Confessions tour at the Forum in Inglewood, CA, she bore a crown of
thorns as she was lowered to the stage suspended from a blinged-out
cross—a shocking mockery of the “crucifixion” that has enraged some
Catholics.

      The diamond and Swarovski-crystal encrusted cross was described as
“disco-fied” and will be a centerpiece for the world tour.  It is
rumored to have cost $10 million, befitting the budget of a material
girl.

      In a statement from the Catholic League for Religious and Civil
Rights, condemning the superstar's behavior,
Madonna was asked to stop "Jesus bashing."

      Disgust with the shenanigan has crossed the waters.  According the
hte Associated Baptist Press, in England, an evangelical Protestant
leader also condemned the display. David Muir, public policy director
for the Evangelical Alliance, said Madonna's use of Christian imagery
"is an abuse and it is dangerous," according to the Times of London.
"She should drop it from the tour, and people need to find their own
means of expressing their disapproval."

     Bishop Kenneth Ulmer of Faithful Central Bible Church, which owns
and conducts worship services at The Forum, had not responded to our
request for comment by press time.

      This is not the first time Madonna has come underfire for her
risque creative choices.  Christians squirmed over radical concepts she
used in the “Like A Prayer Video” years ago.

      Other stars have used Christian imagery metaphorically as well,
including Michael Jackson who simulated the crucifixion at a concert in
London and Kanye West who posed as Jesus on the cover of Rolling Stone,
for example. 

      More than for shock value, it is possible that her intent was to
make social commentary about political figures (i.e., her views about
the president, Adolf Hitler and Tony Blair whose images were flashed
across the screen.)  However, the talented 47-year-old pop icon's
messages may have been diminished by her acts that followed--
being surrounded by men performing S and M like gestures before a cross
generational audience.

      Why she is drawn to Christian symbols is not certain.  Raised
Catholic, Madonna professes to practice Kaballah which claims insight to
divine nature and access to all wisdom and knowledge in the universe.

Bono calls on African leaders to stamp out corruption

  Back to Music Ministry Revival part 84

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Bono calls on African leaders to stamp out corruption

By MOHAMMED BASHIR

AP

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - Irish rocker and activist Bono has decried corruption in Africa, telling finance ministers that they must strive for "more transparency, not more bribes."

The 46-year-old U2 frontman spoke to reporters Sunday at a meeting of finance ministers from across the continent in Nigeria's capital of Abuja. His comments came just a few days after the U.S. State Department called on Nigeria to make anti-corruption efforts a priority.

Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer, but many of its people say the oil profits fail to trickle down.

U.S. State Department official Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a House committee Thursday that anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria have met with some success - particularly in recouping money from former officials and in narcotics - but the "corrosive impact of corruption" continues to hinder the government.

Bono said: "Every corrupt transaction involves two parties, maybe more."

Bono added that Western nations need to keep their pledges of debt relief, malaria eradication and education for African nations.

"We make promises that we fail to keep. That is our corruption," Bono said, saying U.S. funding for AIDS drugs in Africa could fail to pass the Senate.

Bono is on a 10-day tour of Africa that's already included stops in South Africa, Rwanda, Lesotho and Tanzania. He also plans to visit Mali and Ghana.

 

On last Africa stop, Bono pledges fight over trade

By Lesley Wroughton

Reuters

ACCRA (Reuters) - After a successful campaign to cancel the debts of some of the world's poorest countries, rocker-activist Bono is about to take on the world's powerbrokers to improve the terms of trade for Africa.

On the last stop of a six-nation African tour, Bono said on Wednesday there was a new mood of optimism on the continent and new entrepreneurs were emerging, but farm subsidies and other trade barriers in large markets like the United States and Europe were blocking progress.

In an interview with Reuters, Bono said he recognized taking on the trade issue on behalf of Africa was not going to be easy.

"We're up against vested interests and big powerful lobby groups," he said after touring a market in the capital Accra.

He also said he and other trade activists would need to get better at explaining to U.S. and European farmers how their agricultural subsidies were hurting African producers.

Bono hopes his involvement will help give Africa a voice at the World Trade Organization's global Doha Round of talks, currently stalled over agricultural issues.

"The social movements will give us political muscle and that makes it doable, but it is going to be a big fight," he added.

On the Africa tour Bono has visited textile and apparel factories in Lesotho and Tanzania where businesses have closed and jobs were lost because of the phasing out of the Multi-Fibre Agreement, which gave Asian producers greater access to developed markets as quotas under the agreement were scrapped.

In Mali, he visited a cotton-growing community to see the direct impact of U.S. cotton subsidies, which African cotton producers say depress world prices and ruin their economies.

"SWORD OF DAMOCLES"

In Ghana, Bono said uncertainty over the future of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which gives developing countries preferential access to the United States market, was hanging like a "Sword of Damocles" over the head of African countries.

Earlier in the day, the rock star met Ghanaian businesspeople to better understand constraints on businesses.

"People need aid because there is still poverty but more important for everyone is the need for trade," he told his audience. "Africa should be able to create an alternative to the sort of Chinese domination of the apparel sector," he added.

The U2 lead singer played a key role in marshalling popular support for debt forgiveness for some of the world's poorest countries and used his fame to influence world leaders in personal meetings.

In June last year the Group of Eight industrialized countries agreed to write off the debts of 18 countries, most of them in Africa, and double aid to the continent by 2010.

At a meeting with Bono on Wednesday, Ghana's President John Kufuor praised the rock star's work for Africa but told him that increased trade had to go hand-in-hand with aid to address the continent's underlying poverty.

"Our part of the world is in transition and it will take some muscle to keep up the changes," he told the rock star after a meeting. "With the right policies and some encouragement, we will be able through partnerships to compete. For Ghana to get to such a position we will need some aid," he added.

Jamaican Ska Great Desmond Dekker Dies

Jamaican Ska Great Desmond Dekker Dies

AP

Desmond Dekker

Ivan Keeman, Redferns

Born Desmond Dacres in 1941, Desmond Dekker worked as a welder in Kingston before signing with Leslie Kong's Beverley's record label and releasing his first single, "Honor Your Father and Your Mother," in 1963. It was followed by Jamaican hits including "King of Ska."

• Hear Desmond Dekker Songs

LONDON (AP) - Desmond Dekker, who brought the sound of Jamaican ska music to the world with songs such as "Israelites," has died, his manager said Friday. He was 64.

Dekker, who lived in England, collapsed from an apparent heart attack at his home on Thursday, manager Delroy Williams said.

"It is such a shock, I don't think I will ever get over this," Williams said.

Dekker's 1969 song "Israelites," a Top 10 single in both Britain and the United States, was the first international hit produced by Jamaica's vibrant music scene. With its haunting vocals and irresistible rhythm, it introduced the world to ska, a precursor to reggae.

"Desmond was the first legend, believe it or not," Williams said. "When he released 'Israelites' nobody had heard of Bob Marley - he paved the way for all of them."

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Born Desmond Dacres in 1941, Dekker worked as a welder in Kingston before signing with Leslie Kong's Beverley's record label and releasing his first single, "Honor Your Father and Your Mother," in 1963. It was followed by Jamaican hits including "King of Ska."

Some of his most popular songs celebrated the culture of violent street toughs, or "rude boys" - "Rude Boy Train," "Rudie Got Soul" and "007 (Shanty Town)," which featured on the soundtrack of the seminal Jamaican film "The Harder They Come."

He also had a hit with "You Can Get It If You Really Want," written by his label-mate Jimmy Cliff.

The songs made Dekker a hero of British youth, and he moved to the country in the 1970s.

Dekker's career suffered after the 1971 death of his mentor Kong, and he was declared bankrupt in 1984. But he retained a strong British following until his death and performed regularly. Dekker had been due to play across Europe over the summer, including dates in Ireland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

Dekker, who was divorced, is survived by a son and a daughter. Funeral details were not immediately available.

Tribute to Katherine Dunham (1909-2006)

Tribute to the Doyenne of Black Modern Dance

By Valerie Gladstone, Special to AOL Black Voices

Katherine Dunham (1909-2006)

Stephen Chernin, AP

• More on Katherine Dunham
• Timeline: Dunham's Life and Art

• Watch Oprah's Tribute to Dunham

The choreographer, Katherine Dunham, who died on May 21 in New York at the age of 96, lived a robust life, never losing the passion and dramatic flare that won her worldwide fame and adulation. Into her 90s, she welcomed visitors at her apartment on Manhattan’s West Side, still beautiful in her vivid, African head-wraps and dresses, bracelets of jade and cowry shells dangling on her arms and silver rings on her fingers. "We're all put on earth for a reason," she said. "The wise person discovers it early. I always knew there was something driving me."

A conversation with Dunham was a tour through some of the most significant cultural and social movements of our time. By introducing African, Caribbean and black American movement, dress and music to the American and European stage, she influenced almost every choreographer working today and brought the world’s attention to the richness of those cultures. By refusing to perform in segregated theaters or bend to Hollywood’s racism, she furthered civil rights for black Americans.

Photos: A Diva's Life

See AOL BV's pictorial salute to Dunham.

• View: Dunham's Life and Art Over the Years

And by taking part in a hunger strike in 1992 to protest US policy that called for the deportation of Haitian boat refugees, she helped save thousands of lives. She affected both the famous like Marlon Brando, Eartha Kitt and James Dean, who studied her dance technique to improve their performing skills, and the not so famous, like the hundreds of children who discovered the redeeming power of the arts at the Performing Arts Training Center she established in impoverished East St. Louis, Ill. In fact, some did become famous, like Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the Olympic long jumper, and the filmmakers Reginald and Warrington Hudler among them.

The choreographer Alvin Ailey often remarked that it was a photograph of Katherine Dunham’s company outside a theater in Los Angeles that gave him his first realization of what black people could achieve in the performing arts. He honored her in 1987 by dedicating an entire season and tour to her works. "As long as there are young people on stage of color, her impact and name will not be forgotten," said Judith Jamison, artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

"Her passing is a monumental loss," said Garth Fagan, the artistic director of Garth Fagan Dance and choreographer of the Broadway hit 'The Lion King,' "but happily she leaves a legacy of true courage and invention. When she first saw my company perform, she told me to keep breaking rules … It's up to us to keep her legacy alive and to put quality dance on stage that truly speaks to the Diaspora and is at the same time cognizant of the entire world."

Dunham had to overcome great hardships, among them the early death of her mother, years with a physically abusive father and arthritic knees that pained her all her life. But once free of her unhappy household, she began studying at the University of Chicago, diving "voraciously," she said, "into anthropology." She fell in love with theater and music, too, soon creating her own student dance company, the Ballet Negre. When unable to maintain her troupe, she pursued a grant from the Julius Rosenwald Foundation for anthropological study in the Caribbean. "When I met the foundation board," Dunham said, "I didn't know whether to present myself as an anthrolopologist first or a dancer or visa versa." Hoping to have it both ways, she decided to wear a conservative tweed suit over a leotard and calf-length black skirt. “When they asked me what I would study if I had the funds,” she said, “I stepped out of my suit and performed a series of ballet steps followed by standard movements from modern dance, explaining that these were the techniques being taught in most American dancing schools.”

To illustrate the contrast between those styles and what she wanted to learn, she then performed a sizzling Afro-Caribbean dance, which left the entire board speechless. Shortly thereafter, she received a grant to study in Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique and Trinidad, places she chose because music and dance still played a part in almost every aspect of people's lives.

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Dunham chose Haiti as her base, fascinated by its African traditions, especially voodoo, and she eventually became a voodoo priestess. A talented writer, she chronicled her Caribbean experience in three books, 'Journey to Accompong,' 'The Dances of Haiti,' and 'Island Possessed.' She purchased Habitation Leclerc, an estate in Haiti, as a refuge for her company, when they were not on tour.

"When we were really hard up," said Dale Wasserman, her stage manager and accountant from 1940 to 1956, "we’d go there and happily live on rum and coconut." In 1961, she opened a medical clinic on the estate to serve the community. By then, she had married the theater designer John Thomas Pratt, with whom she lived until his death in 1986. "He was so lovable," she said. "His sense of humor saved me from many unhappy times." In 1948, they adopted their daughter Marie Christine, a dance teacher now living in Rome.

When Dunham returned to Chicago from the Caribbean in 1937, she established the Negro Dance Group, later renamed the Katherine Dunham Dance Company and America’s first professional black concert dance company. Using everything she had learned on the islands, she choreographed an exciting repertory based on Caribbean movement. In 1940, she made a splash on Broadway with the musical “Cabin in the Sky,” and then starred in the films 'Carnival of Rhythm' and 'Stormy Weather.' Later the impresario Sol Hurok began managing her company, which toured as “Tropical Review.”

During her heyday as a performer, from the 1930s through the 1950s, Dunham beguiled audiences in fifty countries on six continents, with her fluid movements, extravagant African-inspired costumes, and keen sense of theatricality. Reviewers lost their objectivity. "There is an indescribable something about her, a bewitching subtlety in her every movement," wrote a critic in the Providence Journal in 1944.

Quick Facts: Katherine Dunham

1. - Born: Joliet, Ill.
2. - Studied at the University of Chicago
3. - Merged Interest in Anthropology and Dance
4. - Lived in the Caribbean; Studied Dance There
5. - Was Civil and Human Rights Activist
6. Brought African Movement to American Modern Dance
7. Performed on Broadway in 'Cabin in the Sky'
8. Produced 90 Single Dances and Five Revues
9. Won an Honor From the Kennedy Center
10. Trained Disadvanted Kids in East St. Louis, Ill.

In 1945, she started the Dunham School of Dance and Theater in New York, offering a wide range of classes in anthropology, art appreciation, philosophy and psychology. By then she has devised her unique technique founded on a series of exercises derived from primitive rhythms that emphasized isolation of various parts of the body. Today its influence pervades modern dance and even ballet borrows many of its movements.

By the early 1960s, her company and school became too much of a financial drain and she had to close them. During these difficult years, she became the first black choreographer for the Metropolitan Opera, overseeing a new production of “Aida” and she also spent a year as cultural advisor to the president of Senegal. But a new mission soon captured her when she visited the neglected community of East St.Louis while teaching at Southern Illinois University. "I had to do something about it," she said. Within a year she had opened the Performing Arts Training Center, and could brag, "I got the warlords to come to classes by offering them martial arts and conga drumming."

 Dunham received numerous awards acknowledging her contributions, including the Albert Schweitzer Music Award for a life devoted to the performing arts and service to humanity (1979), a Kennedy Center Honor’s Award (1983), and Induction into the Hall of Fame of the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs (1987). Oprah Winfrey named her a legend, and one of her personal heroes.

To the end, Dunham remained playful, steely, and incandescent. "It takes nerve to stick around so long," she said. "You need durability."

Music Ministry Revival part 84

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Music Ministry Revival part 84

Music Ministry Teamwork and the Movement of God 

Music Ministry Revival is at hand! Music Ministry Revival is the stealth movement of God in the Music Cosmos. Music Ministry Revival will occur when the Music Ministry Teams manifest strategies to exegete the Music Cosmos. Musexegesis is the word for Music Ministry exegesis. It is astounding and astonishing that the Music Ministry who is able to exegete the biblical text in music, struggle to Musexegeis the Music Cosmos.  "Every Music Ministry singing about heaven ain't going there." In addition, Every Music Ministry singing about heaven ain't talkin bout the environment, poverty, war, political scandal, familiar relations. drugs, global warming, pollution..

Do we assume the Music Cosmos ain't going there? Yet, the Music Cosmos  prophesy to the environment, war, political scandal, familair relations. Here is  a partial list: Bob Dylan: Blowin' in the Wind , Marvin Gaye What's Going On, EDWIN STARR  - "War", War, huh, yeah What is it good for Absolutely nothing Uh-huh War, huh, yeah What is it good for, Babyface "Wake Up Everybody," Bungalo, Producer Babyface corralled a hip-hop/R&B all-star team—including Mary J. Blige, Ashanti, Musiq, Eve, Wyclef Jean, Jadakiss, Fabolous, and a melisma-crazed Brandy—who give the original a slick makeover, adding rapped interludes, a bit of Jamaican-style toasting, and the inevitable gospel choir singalong. Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie "We Are the World" is a 1985 song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, produced and conducted by Quincy Jones and recorded by a supergroup of popular musicians billed as USA for Africa. The charity single was intended to raise funds to help famine relief efforts in Ethiopia.

Christ is the answer!  Christ is the answer to the environment, war, political scandal, familiar relations. drugs, global warming, pollution. Does the Music Ministry have Christ, while the Music Cosmos has the right questions. Does THE music cosmos like Bono have the questions? Irish rocker and activist Bono has decried corruption in Africa, telling finance ministers that they must strive for "more transparency, not more bribes."  Click here: Bono calls on African leaders to stamp out corruption. I am perplexed that the Music Ministry has struggled to receive the Direct Divine Download from God concerning the environment, war, political scandal, familiar relations. drugs, global warming, and pollution. Music Ministry Revival occurs when the Holy Spirit informs the Music Cosmos thru the Ministry Ministry.

Music Ministry Revival is at hand!  Music Ministry Revival means that the Music Ministry is able to exegete the Music Community (Musexegesis). "Exegesis...is an act of love. John 3:16 (Amplified Bible) 16For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the Music Cosmos that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

   

Music Ministry Revival is at hand! It is at hand at the  Direct Divine Download from God. Music Ministry Revival occurs when the Holy Spirit informs the Music Cosmos thru the Ministry Ministry. Music Ministry Revival is an outrageous phenomenon. It is outrageous that God will intervene in the Music affairs of the Music Cosmos. It is beyond our belief that effectual Music Ministry Prayer, Message and weeping between the porch and the altar will manifest a direct download from heaven.  Music Ministry Revival is a wireless divine download from heaven to your spirits' hard drive. You then execute the Musexegesis (Music-Exegeis) program without the fatal error-flaw. Music Ministry Revival is when the Music Ministry says The Music passages I play are not my own but the Father's John 8:28. Music Ministry Revival occurs when God the Father says: "This is the Music of my son and daughters in the Music Ministry... Listen to Them!" Matthew 17:5. We must exegete the Music community as well as we exegete the Biblical text.

It is outrageous that God will intervene in the Music affairs of the Music Cosmos. It is outrageous that God will intervene in the Music affairs of Whitney Houston.  Music Ministry Revival means that the Music Ministry is able to exegete the Music Cosmos Click here: Must Jesus bear the Cross Alone?   Music Ministry Revival means that the Music Ministry is able to exegete Whitney Houston. Music Ministry Revival means that the Music Ministry is able to exegete the Music Community (Musexegesis). "Exegesis...is an act of love. It means loving the one who speaks the words enough to want to get the words right. It is respecting the words enough to use every means we have to get the words right. Exegesis is loving God enough to stop and listen carefully." -- Eugene Peterson, in *Theology Today*, April 1999, p.10.  

Exegesis : In its simplest meaning, it means finding out what the Spirit originally said in the passage of Scripture through its author.  (author, date written, audience (who it was written to address), where it was written, the historical setting, language it was written in, what the book is about, what themes exist)

• historical (using the style, form, word choices, editing work, historical context, main themes, and so on, to find what it meant back when it was written or when it happened),

• canonical (treating Scripture as an whole document designed to be what a specific community lives by),

• symbolic/allegorical (figuring out what each character and event represents),

• rational (thinking it through using logic and deductive technique).

It is common that Music Cosmos intervene in the Music affairs of human kind. In addition, “the Music  Ministry assumes its customs, jargon, taste, aesthetics, and style are superior to those of the members of the Music Cosmos.” Musiceisegesis is the human intervention in the Music Cosmos without God. Eisegesis : This is what's being done when someone interprets Scripture according to notions that were born outside of Scripture. It's when we read stuff into Scripture. (For instance, the idea of the Music Ministry Music as a "Christian Music" or the Music Cosmos Music as the Devil's Music-Secular Music. Direct  brass download without God is a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 1IF I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God's love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

Teamwork and the Movement of God

The Music Ministry Revival will sink or swim based on its teamwork. Could teamwork among the Music Ministry solve:

• The music Ministry assignment The Music Cosmos

• World Hunger

• A common agenda for Music Ministry Convention-leaders

• Lower the increasing divorce rate among Music Ministry couples in their 40s, 50s, 60s and even the 70s

• Music Ministry and AIDS and drug dependency

• Control, Distribute , Produce CD for the general Music Ministry

• Sexism, classism, racism in the Music Ministry

• Affordable Senior Housing for the Music Ministry

• Music Ministry pension funds

• Retooling the the Music Ministry from Industrial Pipe Organ, organic Piano to electronic instruments

• Institute Remedial music education program for the Music Ministry

• Updating resume service for the Music Ministry who is out of work

• Redeem rap music into Christ-centric rap Music

Keith Wonderboy Johnson & The Spiritual Voices

"Institute of Black Preaching Celebrates 100th Anniversary"

 

 

 

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Pursuing God's Active Presence

Pursuing God's Active Presence

In 1971, the great 20th century preacher, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, brought these remarks to an annual Minister’s conference:

“We must not be content until we have had some manifestation of the activity of God. We must concentrate on this. This is my plea, that we concentrate on this, because it is the great message of the Bible, so substantiated by the lessons of history. That is obviously today the only thing that gives us any hope as we face the future. And God seems to be saying that to us. 'Prove Me now. Try Me. Risk your everything on Me. Be fools for My sake. Cast yourselves utterly upon this belief.' Let us put it like this: Do we really believe that God can still act? That is the question; that is the ultimate challenge. Or have we, for theological or some other reasons, excluded the very possibility? Here is the crucial matter. Do we individually and personally really believe that God still acts, can act and will act - in individuals, in groups of individuals, in churches, localities, perhaps even in countries? Do we believe that He is as capable of doing that today as He was in ancient times - the Old Testament, the New Testament times, the book of Acts, Protestant Reformation, Puritans, Methodist Awakening, 1859, 1904-5? Do we really believe that He can still do it? You see, it is ultimately what you believe about God. If He is the great Jehovah - I am that I am, I am that I shall be, unchanged, unchanging, unchangeable, the everlasting and eternal God - well, He can still do it.” (I originally found this quote on Adrian Warnock's site, but you can read the full sermon here.)

What does a manifestation of the activity of God look like? How do we know God is present to act? The most significant evidence of God’s activity is conversion, when a defiant rebel is miraculously transformed into a forgiven lover of God through the Gospel and the power of the Spirit. Lavish generosity and humble servanthood can also be evidences of God’s activity. People who no longer live for their own glory but for the glory of the Savior display God’s power at work. I’m among those who believe that the giftsof the Spirit described in various New Testament passages (1 Cor. 12, 14, Eph. 4, etc.), such as prophetic impressions and healing, continue to this day. They, too, are a sign that God is active in our midst.

However, I’m sobered and challenged by Lloyd-Jones’ question: “Do we really believe that God can still act?” He is asking if we have faith for God to move among us in clear, distinct, and powerful ways. He is asking us to consider if we are settling for an "appearance of godliness, but denying its power?" (2 Tim. 3:5) At the end of the day are we placing more trust in God’s activity or ours? I find that I can still approach congregational meetings in a way that expecting God's active presence is almost an afterthought. Maybe you've had the same experience.

Scripture explains God’s presence in different ways. Psalm 139 and other passages teach that He is present everywhere at the same time. Quite a feat. But, there are many Scriptural examples of God making his presence known in a unique way. Some of these are expected, as when we gather to share the Lord’s supper or sing His praise (1 Cor. 11:23-32; Eph. 5:18-20). Other times, God reveals his presence and activity in ways that are startling and affecting. In 1 Cor. 14:23-25 Paul seems to assume that will be a regular occurrence in our meetings if we are responding to the Spirit’s leading. Unbelievers will fall down and proclaim, “God is really among you!”

Why Does God Bless Some Churches and Not Others?

Monday, May 22, 2006 Things That Make You Go 'Huh'?: Why Does God Bless Some Churches and Not Others?

Do you ever wonder why one church grows and another doesn't?  Why God seemingly puts His hand of blessing on one local church body, while leaders in another church across town are nothing but frustrated?  I often find myself wondering these things for some reason.  In Ed Stetzer and David Putman's new book "Breaking the Missional Code," they look at a number of case studies and simply ask the question "What Happened"...

CASE STUDY #1
Mountain Lake Community Church was planted by Shawn Lovejoy in 2000.  It is located just north of Atlanta.  In 2000 it started in a primary sc hool cafeteria with a handful of mostly unchurched people.  From the primary school, the church moved into a high school, where it grew to nearly five hundred in worship attendance.  After moving into its first building (built to accomodate approximately 500 adults and children), the worship attendance exploded to nearly two thousand in less than two years.  What happened?

CASE STUDY #2
Northwood church was planted by Bob Roberts.  Over the past fifteen years, it has grown to over two thousand in attendance while planting eight churches within two miles of their main campus.  On any given Sunday, over five thousand people are in worship within this two-mile radius as a result of their efforts.  In addition to this local growth, they have planted over fifty-seven churches, with another ninteen scheduled to be planted this year.  Recently, this group of daughter and granddaughter churches has joined together to forum GlocalNet, a group of churches committed to seeing the first global church-planting movement by planting churches around them and around the world.  As a result of the network, over one hundred churches per year will be planted around the world. What happened?

CASE STUDY #3
Neil Cole, founder of Church Multiplication Associates, began planting Awakening Chapels in Long Beach, CA.  He focuses on reaching out relationally to those disconnected from Christ in an urban coffeehouse setting.  His goal has been to see disciples and churches reproducing quickly.  By the end of 1999 there were nine Awakening Chapel churches; by the end of 2000 there were fifty!  From 2000 till 2005 three hundred more relation-based churches have been planted "with the number now doubling each year.  These churches focus on small, communal, reproducible structures and target unreached 'pockets of people,' mostly in America's southwest.  What happened?

CASE STUDY #4
For its first 150 years, Woodstock's First Baptist church was like most country churches.  That changed when Johnny Hunt became pastor in 1986.  He emphasized preaching, visitation, and Sunday school.  When he came, attendance was around two hundred...  Johnny is an enthusiastic country preacher (lots of yellin' and stompin' and sweatin') who presents a clear and complelling message -- and thousands come to Christ each year.  He has broken the North Georgeia cultural code, and he is effectively reaching the unchurched, both in the upper and lower socioeconomic strate.  Since Johnny's arrival, Woodstock has grown over 1,300 percent and recently completed an 8,000-seat auditorium.  Their 13,500 membership is larger then the city of Woodstock.  The church is consistenly one of the top 100 churches in baptisms within their denomination.  They offer many outreach-oriented ministries for the unchurched in their community, have planted a number of significant churches, have a variety of compassion ministries, and have an incredible global impact through their mission efforts.  What happened?

Each one of these leaders represents a new bread of pastors in North America who see their contect through missional lenses.  They have the ability to read the culture and translate ministry into a biblically faithful and culturally appropriate expression of church.

Many churches that break the code will look similar -- particularly if they are in similar areas.  There is nothing wrong with learning from other churches.  What is different is the process.

Sometimes a pastor will get excited about a model or a method learned at a conference.  Then the pastor will come home and import that model into the community.  Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't  Most of the time, it does not work as well.  Why?  Because the methods and models that Goduses in one place does not mean He will use them in another place.  The fact that a missional breakthrough occured in Sattle does not mean that God will use the same methods in Sellersburg, IN. 

Here is a better process to learn from others:

1.  Calling from God
2.  Exeteting the Community
3.  Examining Ways God is Working in Similar Communities
4.  Finding God's Unique Vision for Your Church
5.  Adjusting that Vision as You Learn the Context

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