Christian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is facing a death sentence in Iran. This 34-year-old husband and father of two sons was arrested in 2009, charged with apostasy, or renouncing Islam. Nadarkhani refuted the charges, saying that he had never embraced Islam. After appealing an initial conviction and death sentence, a lower court found that Nardarkhani had not practiced Islam as an adult, but ruled that he was still guilty of apostasy since he was born into a Muslim home. Since his conviction, Iranian officials have pressured Nadarkhani to recant Christianity, including an ultimatum in December. They offered the pastor his freedom if he would say that the Muslim prophet Mohammed was a messenger sent by God. Nadarkhani refused.
(From WORLD magazine, March 10, 2012 issue.)
Please join me and pray for Youcef and his family.
Grace, Kathy
April 3, 2012
April 2, 2012
Pastor Will Not Offer Confirmation
Had a disturbing conversation this morning. It seems that the pastor of my friend's church has decided not to hold confirmation class for the children of this church. I was beyond shocked. Here's the background. The church is a small-membership church and has about 8 children in all. Of these, however, 5-6 are confirmation age--6th grade and up. While the pastor has promised to offer confirmation, he has not done so and has made no effort to see that these children receive instruction for church membership, despite being specifically asked.
I don't know about you, but to me this should be a chargeable offense for clergy. Statistics tell us that if children are not confirmed, the chance of them ever becoming active church members is great diminished. In other words, this pastor is actually pushing these children away from the church.
Not only that, but this little church really wants to grow in ministry and in numbers. It wants to pay 100% of its apportionment's--and does. It wants to be a station church again, but none of these things will ever happen if the pastor and leadership don't act.
There is just so much more that good preaching that goes into being a pastor. Care for the congregation--visiting, equipping, educating--also play a major role. We wonder why small churches struggle. Could this a reason? Where is the DS? How does the bishops' Call to Action address this?
Kathy
I don't know about you, but to me this should be a chargeable offense for clergy. Statistics tell us that if children are not confirmed, the chance of them ever becoming active church members is great diminished. In other words, this pastor is actually pushing these children away from the church.
Not only that, but this little church really wants to grow in ministry and in numbers. It wants to pay 100% of its apportionment's--and does. It wants to be a station church again, but none of these things will ever happen if the pastor and leadership don't act.
There is just so much more that good preaching that goes into being a pastor. Care for the congregation--visiting, equipping, educating--also play a major role. We wonder why small churches struggle. Could this a reason? Where is the DS? How does the bishops' Call to Action address this?
Kathy
March 22, 2012
When the One You Love Is Gone
My mother died the day before yesterday. It still seems such an odd thing to say--so final, matter of fact, and ordinary. But my mother was never ordinary. That was her gift and her burden. As a pastor's spouse, I have been with many grieving people. And although I experienced the death of my dad a few years ago, I guess we never get used to it.
I've never been one for ritual. Even in church, I tend to think of ritual as an excuse not to truly engage and do something more meaningful. But I have to say that for me, going through the rituals associated with loss of a loved one have been helpful.
The rituals of people bringing food, offering condolences, sending cards and flowers. But also the rituals associated with visitation and the funeral service. All these have been comforting and needed. And I appreciate them in a new way.
I also have an increased gratitude for life itself and the gift of Christian community. While I walk in grief it helps to know that there is a well-traveled path toward healing.
Grace, Kathy
I've never been one for ritual. Even in church, I tend to think of ritual as an excuse not to truly engage and do something more meaningful. But I have to say that for me, going through the rituals associated with loss of a loved one have been helpful.
The rituals of people bringing food, offering condolences, sending cards and flowers. But also the rituals associated with visitation and the funeral service. All these have been comforting and needed. And I appreciate them in a new way.
I also have an increased gratitude for life itself and the gift of Christian community. While I walk in grief it helps to know that there is a well-traveled path toward healing.
Grace, Kathy
March 7, 2012
They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love?
I admit it, I like watching the Comedy channel. On a recent show, a girl(about 16) was asked if she was a Christian. "No," she said "They don't accept everybody." "Don't they love other people?" The interviewer said. "No, they don't accept gays, so I worship Satan."
Admittedly her logic was a bit flawed, but my heart broke. That small exchange speaks to so many issues in the Church today. Are there limits and should there be limits as to how Christians reach out in love? What does it mean to accept another person? How do we live by a code of Cristian ethics in a world that often doesn't seem to any ethic at all? What does the world see when Christians disagree among themselves, because not all Christians believe homosexuality is wrong. Why would a young person prefer Satan to Jesus? Do Christians need better PR? What will it take to bring the world to the saving love of God through Jesus?
When I heard that girl speak, I couldn't help think about what her parents must think. Maybe that is part of the problem. But we have a problem too, no matter what her background is. Too many people believe Christianity is not accepting, kind, or loving. What are we going to do about it?
Kathy
Clarksville
Admittedly her logic was a bit flawed, but my heart broke. That small exchange speaks to so many issues in the Church today. Are there limits and should there be limits as to how Christians reach out in love? What does it mean to accept another person? How do we live by a code of Cristian ethics in a world that often doesn't seem to any ethic at all? What does the world see when Christians disagree among themselves, because not all Christians believe homosexuality is wrong. Why would a young person prefer Satan to Jesus? Do Christians need better PR? What will it take to bring the world to the saving love of God through Jesus?
When I heard that girl speak, I couldn't help think about what her parents must think. Maybe that is part of the problem. But we have a problem too, no matter what her background is. Too many people believe Christianity is not accepting, kind, or loving. What are we going to do about it?
Kathy
Clarksville
TSA Humilates Mother
Friends, I thought long and hard about posting this, because it's a little outside the usual fare. But it just seemed too important to let slide.
A number of years ago, I traveled to the Holy Land and saw how countries in the Middle East treat their citizens. In Jordan airport, in particular, local people were herded like sheep and treated like dirt. I thought to myself, "Thank goodness I live in a place where that can't happen." Seems I was wrong.
A young mother was traveling through airport security...and the story goes downhill from there. The story is disturbing and shows extreme ignorance about security in general, and about what is takes to pump milk specifically. To shame a woman--a mother--in this way is worse than anything that Rush Limbaugh said or has ever said. Pumping milk, if you've done it, is difficult under most circumstances. A woman is not a cow. She cannot simply pump on demand, at least I never could, especially in a stressful situation, like this one surely was.
One thing I still don't understand is that TSA won't let a person take more that 3 oz. of liquid on a plane. You would think that empty bottles would have been better than full ones.
Read it for yourself. Here the story link from the CNN website: 'I wanted to cry': TSA makes mom pump milk.
http://www.hlntv.com/article/2012/03/05/tsa-breast-pump-hawaii-bathroom-amy-strand?hpt=hp_t3
I even sent a letter of complaint to the TSA. You can too. Here's the address:
TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov and I got a response.
As Christians we are called to transform the world. This is another reminder of how far we have to go.
Kathy
Clarksville, TN
A number of years ago, I traveled to the Holy Land and saw how countries in the Middle East treat their citizens. In Jordan airport, in particular, local people were herded like sheep and treated like dirt. I thought to myself, "Thank goodness I live in a place where that can't happen." Seems I was wrong.
A young mother was traveling through airport security...and the story goes downhill from there. The story is disturbing and shows extreme ignorance about security in general, and about what is takes to pump milk specifically. To shame a woman--a mother--in this way is worse than anything that Rush Limbaugh said or has ever said. Pumping milk, if you've done it, is difficult under most circumstances. A woman is not a cow. She cannot simply pump on demand, at least I never could, especially in a stressful situation, like this one surely was.
One thing I still don't understand is that TSA won't let a person take more that 3 oz. of liquid on a plane. You would think that empty bottles would have been better than full ones.
Read it for yourself. Here the story link from the CNN website: 'I wanted to cry': TSA makes mom pump milk.
http://www.hlntv.com/article/2012/03/05/tsa-breast-pump-hawaii-bathroom-amy-strand?hpt=hp_t3
I even sent a letter of complaint to the TSA. You can too. Here's the address:
TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov and I got a response.
As Christians we are called to transform the world. This is another reminder of how far we have to go.
Kathy
Clarksville, TN
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