Revival in Denmark

 

Four men, three youngsters and an old and wizened guy, came together in Silkeborg, Denmark to share about how God's people can reach out to minister to those who need the love, power and truth of Christ. On the left is Pastor Reuben of the Silkeborg Church. Next to him is Andy Niblock and then Danny Wilson from St. Thomas Church in Sheffield, England. I am on the right.

The St. Thomas Church has the most compelling and complex outreach program to the poor and needy that I have ever heard about. The church is a combination of Anglican, Baptist and House Church Movement and is very charismatic in experience. They set up "Missional Communities" in needy areas and encourage those groups to heard God's call to minister to the people they meet. Many homeless, immigrants,addicted and traumatized are coming to faith in Christ and getting their lives straightened out.

The congregation has over 3,000 members. If you are interested in Missional Movements, take a look at St. Thomas.

The Silkeborg Church along with Peder Poulsen and the Diakonea (Deaconing) Movement of personal ministry are cooperating to raise up hundreds of Missional Communities throughout Denmark. I spoke about how to reorganize a small group ministry to include an outreach ministry. I will post those ideas later.

Almost all of what God is doing to bring hope, healing and change in the world is hidden from view. The media rarely if ever report on the millions of human hours spent bringing the good news of grace and the good news of love to the hurting members of society. And that is not a bad thing. The Pearl of great price is hidden and only God really knows the depth of what the churches are doing.

Shalom,

Gary Sweeten

Billy Graham Association's Leader Declines Pay

An article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy today tells about Franklin Graham giving up his salary for one year but he still makes a lot.


By Noelle Barton

A prominent charity executive who leads two big charities in North Carolina decided this month to stop receiving pay from one of the organizations.

The Rev. Franklin Graham, who serves as chief executive at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, in Charlotte, as well as at Samaritan’s Purse, in Boone, will no longer receive compensation from the former.

Last year the Billy Graham association paid Mr. Graham $633,722, plus benefits of $36,060. Mr. Graham’s father, the Rev. Billy Graham, founded the charity in 1950, and Franklin Graham has been at the helm since 2001.

Also in 2008, Samaritan’s Purse paid Mr. Graham $308,206 and benefits of $174,547. He has served as that charity’s top executive since 1979.

“He just felt it was the best thing to do, given the current economic climate in the country,” said Mark DeMoss, spokesman for Mr. Graham and for both charities, in an e-mail message to The Chronicle. “He did not want his compensation to distract from the work of the two organizations.”

No Retirement Payments
Mr. Graham also directed both charities to suspend contributions to his retirement plans. That decision means the Billy Graham association will not contribute to his retirement in 2009 or 2010, and Samaritan’s Purse, which had already paid his 2009 contribution, will not make a contribution in 2010, Mr. DeMoss said.

“These are not necessarily permanent decisions and will likely be reviewed from year to year,” Mr. DeMoss said.

Both charities are listed on The Chronicle’s annual Philanthropy 400 list, just out this week, which ranks the top 400 charities in the country based on private donations.

Samaritan’s Purse, the larger of the two, ranked No. 59, and raised about $291-million in 2008, an increase of about 11 percent over 2007. Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, No. 258, raised about $83-million in 2008, which was down about 5 percent from 2007.



What do you think about this story?

Healing Minds/Touching Hearts

I am enjoying the good things happening as we cooperate with Tri-County Assembly of God. Pastor Brad Rosenberg went to Cincinnati Christian with my kids and is now Senior Pastor of one of the most influential congregations in the Tri-State region.

Here is a video on YouTube of a neat program called TCA Hope Fair being held next week. Take a look at it.

Go to TCA's home page to read about a seven week series I will be doing there on Wednesday nights starting in October. We will teach Christians how to "Take every thought captive to the mind of Christ" and put an end to their fears, anxieties, depression and anger. Sign up and attend all the classes you can.

Remember The Victims

Dr. Carol at the Medical Tent. She cared for a lot of people.








Carla and I are standing next to a mural of the Towers in one of the fifty story buildings down the street from Ground Zero. From the top of that building we could see first hand the rubble, destruction and chaos that was the result of the terrorist attacks.





I wept this morning while listening to the radio. I returned emotionally to that day and those weeks eight years ago. How do you feel?


I was there. In person, two weeks after the attacks. The Salvation Army asked Life Way Counseling to provide four Therapists to fly to New York so we could set up a Counseling and Pastoral Care Station for the first responders. We gave out food, clothing, drinks, medical care and TLC.

We met the first responders and listened to their pain, grief and sorrow. It was a privilege and a traumatic time for me but nothing like what was happening to the first responders who were looking desperately for friends and family members.

Carla and I were on from 1:00 AM until 1:00 PM for a week. The Cops and Fire fighters had been up for two weeks with no rest. I was able to listen to them, pray for them and encourage them. Some had break downs because the grief brought back so many old trauma memories. PTSD can last a long time.

My Letter to a Friend

My old time friend from the Jesus Movement, Michael Cristiani, is a compassionate Believer who feels the hurts and pains of people in need. He often writes about our Christian responsibility to care for the hurting among us. Below is a note I sent to him tonight in response to an article he sent me.

My response to Michael is partially in response to an article I read by Ron Sider of Evangelicals for Social Action. Ron is a wonderful man who has worked to help the poor for generations. He believes strongly that high earners should be taxed at very high rates to give directly to the poor. He calls it "biblical justice" but I call it "forced charity" which is not charity at all.

Dear Michael,

It seems to me that the very worst thing a government can do is to give direct payments to poor people without also interacting with them in an up building manner. For over forty years I have tried to help the poor, the broken hearted and downtrodden. I learned very early in the process that poor people are of two types. The situation ally poor and the chronically poor.

We can assist the person with money who is poor because of sickness, job loss or a weather catastrophe. However, the chronically poor ought not receive direct payments from taxpayers. They must also have someone work with them to teach them better living and financial habits. Otherwise they will not be able to alter their lifestyle and, as Jesus said, "You will always have them with you".

This is the same with an addict. Direct aid to an addict moves them deeper into the addiction. They will simply ingest more of the toxic substance. Change from addiction to sobriety can rarely be achieved unless loving persons enter into the world of the addict and walk with them through the pain of recovery. This is also true of the chronically poor.

When we over function for the poor, the addicted or the under performing we condemn them to further pain. The current Obama Socialism approach to helping the poor is poorly conceived and will move poor people further into poverty. Placing higher taxes on workers to pay the poor directly is stealing from the productive to place higher burdens on the unproductive chronically poor.

IWW. (It Won't Work!)

Gary Sweeten

Pres. Obama Expands Faith Based Office

President Obama yesterday announced the creation of his faith-based outreach office, expanding its agenda beyond funding social programs to work on policies aimed at strengthening family life and reducing abortion.

Read the Washington Post article.

Maybe the Lord has a plan to open the doors of the government to the people who are doing the most to promote healthy families and prevent divorces and abortions.

President Bush was assailed by the Left for his approach to promote faith based ministry in the community. Mr. Obama has immunity from much of that criticism.

Gary Sweeten

Statistics the Speak Loudly

5% Increase in the U.S. suicide rate since 1999.
16% Increase in the U.S. suicide rate among those ages 40-64

The most distressed and hopeless among us are single, white mothers who do
not attend church. Would church attendance reduce suicide?

Do you know what to do to help a suicidal friend or family member?

Would you like to help?
Gary Sweeten
www.sweetenlife.com

Who Contributes More, Left or Right

Nicholas Kristof, a writer for the New York Times has a very controversial column on giving and generosity. He is looking at the data on politics, religion and generosity and comes to some painful conclusions.

Look at his blog and tell me what you think.

When the Skies are Unfriendly

Last night at about 12:30 I wrote the previous post. Now I am following up on it with a few comments.

The flight attendant on my plane from Minneapolis to Tokyo was nice as could be before I asked for help with my chest pains. After that, she tried her best to care for me but I was reminded of the nurses' prayer, "Just don't die on my shift." This gal put on all kinds of protective gear and carried an oxygen tank and a first aid kit with her mask tightly tugging her face, better to cover the panic theron.

The captain was calling for a Doctor to come to the Business Class I was riding with my hard earned frequent flier points. Before long a man showed up and introduced himself as Doctor X. He peered over me with his arms neatly behind his back as if by touching me he was afraid he would get the AIDS Virus that bounced off the attendant's face mask.

(It was a wonder I didn't have to sign a HIPPA form about my privacy. Since I have to sign one to get my teeth cleaned it makes sense that the Feds would make it illegal to get emergency assistance unless I was protected against some kind of electronic surveillance. The crazy HIPPA laws show what happens when the Feds get ahold of something to "protect us".)

I asked, "Are you afraid I will sue you if you touch me?

"Well" , he said, "you never know what will happen." (That was a resounding "YES" to the uninitiated.)

"Oh" the flight attendant exclaimed, "the Federal 'Good Samaritan Law protects medical personnel from suits if they come to the aid of a passenger."

The Doc showed great surprise and said, "I did not know that. Give me the blood pressure cuff. Did you give him anything? Give him an aspirin..."

Isn't it nice that God got a nod here? The Good Samaritan story is remembered all over the earth. Nobody calls a law after an atheist or an ACLU suit to stop Docs from administering assistance. I am thankful that the traditions of my Saviour Jesus Christ, The Great Physician prevail around the world and the ill are treated with no fear of persecution.

More on this drama later.

Gary Sweeten

www.sweetenlife.com