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CHURCH, CHINESEShow-and-TellDate: 2/2009.101 Beliefnet - joke - humor A kindergarten teacher gave her class a "show and tell" assignment. Each student was instructed to bring in an object to share with the class that represented their religion. The first student got up in front of the class and said, "My name is Benjamin and I am Jewish and this is a Star of David."The second student got up in front of the class and said, "My name is Mary. I'm a Catholic and this is the Crucifix." The third student got in up front of the class and said, " My name is Tommy and I am Baptist and this is a casserole." (I am a Chinese...)
CHURCH, COMMUNITYAccountabilityYancey “What Good is God?” P 237 George told me that when he first stumbled into an AA meeting on a bitterly cold night some twenty years ago, a group of total stranger welcomed him with open arms and told him to ‘keep coming back’. George had hit bottom, his life was a mess and since nobody else was telling him that in thos days, he accepted their invitation. George sometimes gets a different response from his church friends, “Aren’t you done with the issue yet?” they ask. And this is what George says, “I realize that for the rest of my life, I can go to AA meetings and nobody will ask me, “Aren’t you finished with all this talk about your alcoholism?” They will just say, “Keep coming back – glad you could make it.” May the church learn. Accountability – FamilyAug 20 2017 QBC Chi [Christ and Community] Ro 12:9-13 Loving Body Sept 10 2017 QBC Eng [Christ and Community] Ro 12:9-13 Loving Body Samantha and Samuel began attending Grace church after they discovered they were pregnant and that the baby, their second, would have significant birth defects. The congregation welcomed the young couple and prayed with them as they shared their fears and questions. The congregation's encouragement helped assure them that abortion was not the only option for such a pregnancy. How should the church help them? Oh! By the way, they are not married! When little James was born, with misshapen legs and a compromised immune system, the congregation prayed him through the treatments and surgeries, and brought meals and baby outfits to the family and toys for older brother Peter. Within months Samantha had committed her life to Christ and was in a women's Bible study, eager to grow in her faith. Samuel, however, did not find close connections at church. One day one of the elders asked Samantha if she and Samuel planned to get married. "Oh, I would love to get married!" she said. "But he says we can't afford it. If we got married, his insurance premiums would more than triple. Baby James still needs treatments and medical supplies. We're barely making it on Samuel's paycheck as it is. Someday we can get married, but not right now. Friends, if Church is family, how would you respond? If we are focus on coming to church, then it is easy – either say, “No! They are in sin and reject them! Or “Forget it, let’s be loving and not confront their sin!” But if we see each other as family, then we would confront the sin, but walk with them! We would confront in a gentle manner, knowing that I ma just like you, I am just as liable to fall into the same sin, if not for the grace of God. The men of Grace Church walked with and speak truth to Samuel as he explores the claims of Christ. The church also helped them become wise stewards of their financial resources, potentially even removing the financial impediment to marriage. AddictionThe Opposite Of Addiction is Connection Do Stronger Human Connections Immunise Us Against Emotional Distress? Right now an exciting new perspective on addiction is emerging. Johann Harri, author of Chasing The Scream, recently captured widespread public interest with his Ted talk Everything You Know About Addiction Is Wrong, where he concluded with this powerful statement: The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is connection. – Johann Harri These sentiments are augmented by a growing number of experts, including addiction specialist Dr Gabor Maté, who cites ’emotional loss and trauma’ as the core of addiction. Compare this ’emotional loss’ to Johan Harri’s idea about lack of connection and it is clear they’re talking about a similar emotional condition. Limbic Resonance If connection is the opposite of addiction, then an examination of the neuroscience of human connection is in order. Published in 2000, A General Theory Of Love is a collaboration between three professors of psychiatry at the University of California in San Francisco. A General Theory Of Love reveals that humans require social connection for optimal brain development, and that babies cared for in a loving environment are psychological and neurologically ‘immunised’ by love. When things get difficult in adult life, the neural wiring developed from a love-filled childhood leads to increased emotional resilience in adult life. Conversely, those who grow up in an environment where loving care is unstable or absent are less likely to be resilient in the face of emotional distress. How does this relate to addiction? Gabor Maté observes an extremely high rate of childhood trauma in the addicts he works with and trauma is the extreme opposite of growing up in a consistently safe and loving environment. He asserts that it is extremely common for people with addictions to have a reduced capacity for dealing with emotional distress, hence an increased risk of drug-dependence. How Our Ability To Connect Is Impaired By Trauma Trauma is well-known to cause interruption to healthy neural wiring, in both the developing and mature brain. A deeper issue here is that people who have suffered trauma, particularly children, can be left with an underlying sense that the world is no longer safe, or that people can no longer be trusted. This erosion (or complete destruction) of a sense of trust, that our family, community and society will keep us safe, results in isolation – leading to the very lack of connection Johann Harri suggests is the opposite of addiction. People who use drugs compulsively do so to avoid the pain of past trauma and to replace the absence of connection in their life. Social Solutions To Addiction The solution to the problem of addiction on a societal level is both simple and fairly easy to implement. If a person is born into a life that is lacking in love and support on a family level, or if due to some other trauma they have become isolated and suffer from addiction, there must be a cultural response to make sure that person knows that they are valued by their society (even if they don’t feel valued by their family). Portugal has demonstrated this with a 50% drop in addiction thanks to programs that are specifically designed to re-create connection between the addict and their community. Personal Solutions To Addiction “Ask not why the addiction, but why the pain.” – Gabor Maté Recreating bonds is essential in the long term, but human connection is crucial in in the immediate task of clearing trauma. When a person decides to finally face and feel the pain that they may have been avoiding for years or decades, the first steps cannot be done alone. “You have to be with that pain, but you have to have support.”
This support is essentially the reintroduction of the care and support which is so important in creating the neural structure of emotional-resilience in early life. By doing so, we begin to replace what was missing, and thanks to the revelations of neuroplasticity we now know that you can in fact teach an old dog new tricks; neural rewiring is possible in adult life. Though it is essential for addicts to feel supported in order to finally face and feel the pain they have been trying to avoid, this is ultimately an inner journey that must be taken by the individual. “Whatever you do, don’t try and escape from your pain, but be with it. Because the attempt to escape from pain creates more pain.” – The Tibetan Book Of Living And Dying The Roots Of Healing When we are young, our parents care for us until we are able to do it for ourselves, after all they won’t be there to do it for us forever. Perhaps, on an emotional level this is also true: our parents love us so that we may learn to do it for ourselves. The programs in Portugal have demonstrated that addicts do remarkably well when they feel valued by their community. Whether they realise it or not, the Portuguese are creating positive limbic modelling by valuing the addicts so they can learn to value themselves. When people are there to provide loving support for an addict wishing to face the emotional pain they carry, they are loving them and caring for them until they can learn do love themselves. With this in mind, perhaps the neural-wiring of emotional resilience developed through the loving reflection of another, once fully developed, could simply be called self-love. http://upliftconnect.com/opposite-addiction-connection/
Modeling of FaithJan 17 2016 QBC Chinese Deut 6:4-9 – The third chair: Bible centered identity Feb 14 2016 QBC English Deut 6:4-9 – The third chair: Bible centered identity Once, my family went out with some young adults. My wife and kids were in the car in front and I was riding in the car behind. Suddenly, the car in front made an emergency U-turn, came back against traffic and came to a sudden stop – eeehhhhh! Right in front of an old man. Alright, I used my artistic license ok! I was like, “Wow! Why did that brother drive so dangerously?” The sister beside me said, “Oh! He is like that! Whenever, he sees old people walking on the street, he would stop and ask if they needed a ride!” OH! That’s nice. So later that night, I spoke to my wife about it and she said, “You know when the brother was talking to that old man, your son was asking what happened. SO I explained to him, you know what Jayden said? “Coool! When I grow up and have a car, I will do this too!” Hmmf! I was so touched! …but did he really have to drive so dangerously? I mean my whole life was in his car!! Showing GraceYancey “What Good is God?” P 221 I asked George why most of his friends in AA avoid church. He told me about people who have experienced rejection and who see church as a place to underscore their failures. “When I invite friends, they feel uncomfortable in church. They feel like misfits, Church people are so together, they think. They dress nice and have families and jobs. Their lives work out. Our lives are a mess. We’d rather sit in our blue jeans and T shirts and smoke cigarettes or drink coffee and be totally honest with each other. In Church, when someone comes in late, people turn and look at the latecomer. Some scowl, some smile a self satisfied smile – See, that person’s not as responsible as I am. In AA, if a person shows up late, the meeting comes to a halt and everyone jumps up to greet the latecomer, aware that his tardiness may be a sign that the addict almost didn’t make it. Social Media's Isolation EffectAug 20 2017 QBC Chi [Christ and Community] Ro 12:9-13 Loving Body Sept 10 2017 QBC Eng [Christ and Community] Ro 12:9-13 Loving Body Police say Taiwanese woman killed herself while chatting with Face book friends, none helped
TAIPEI, Taiwan - A woman in Taiwan killed herself by inhaling poisonous fumes while chatting with friends on Face book and none of them alerted authorities, police said Tuesday. Claire Lin killed herself on her 31st birthday, March 18, and family members who reported her suicide were unaware of the Face book conversations that accompanied it, Taipei police officer Hsieh Ku-Ming said. Lin's last Face book entries show her chatting with nine friends, alerting them to her gradual asphyxiation. One picture uploaded from her mobile phone depicts a charcoal barbecue burning next to two stuffed animals. Another shows the room filled with fumes. One friend identified as Chung Hsin, told Lin, "Be calm, open the window, put out the charcoal fire, please, I beg you." Lin replied: "The fumes are suffocating. They fill my eyes with tears. Don't write me anymore." A few of the Face book friends chatting with her tried to stop her and track her down on their own, but none called police. Chung did not respond to attempts to reach him for comment. Lin's last words, in Chinese, were: "Too late. My room is filled with fumes. I just posted another picture. Even while I'm dying, I still want FB (Face book). Must be FB poison. Haha." Lin's Face book postings indicated she was unhappy because her boyfriend was ignoring her, and had failed to return home to be with her on her birthday. Her boyfriend found her body the next morning and alerted her family, Hsieh said. Hsieh said he regretted that none of her friends called police to help her during the 67-minute episode, but he added it may have been difficult for them to know her whereabouts because of the nature of social media. "It could be true that it would be hard to track down a Face book friend without her address or phone contact," Chen said. Chai Ben-rei, a sociologist at Taiwan's Feng Chia University, said the incident reflected social isolation in the Internet age. "People may have doubts about what they see on the Internet because of its virtual nature, and fail to take action on it," he said.
CHURCH, DOUBT OFChurchDate: 8/2007.101 16 March 2008 DCFC English - Mark 12:28-34 - A Mountaineering Guide Choice Contemporary Stories & Illustrations for preachers, teachers & writers - Craig Brian Larson #28 People should no more asses the church or the gospel by looking at hypocrites than they should test the value of diamonds by looking at a counterfeit. The question is, "What is true? not how have people failed to live up to the truth." Every Good Church is MessyMAY 13, 2017 http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/every-good-church-is-messy Article by Keith Welton Pastor, Alpharetta, Georgia I have been in the church for over twenty years now. I’ll never forget my first experience in a real Bible-believing, Spirit-filled, grace-singing church. I was surprised people enjoyed being there, floored that they knew the words to the songs, and freaked out that they talked about their faith when they weren’t at church. I saw spouses doting over each other, kids being respectful, and college students staying sober. It had a tremendous effect on me — I was sold on the church. Twenty years later, I have felt the pains of being in church. I have felt the pain of getting ground up in the gears of church politics, leaders leaving members in the dust on decisions, friends uttering harsh words, members ruining their lives in sin, and congregational meetings that almost seemed like an episode of Jerry Springer. Church hasn’t always been pleasant. But while I’ve watched many people give up on the church and flee from it like a haunted house, nevertheless, I still love the church and even decided to move my family to rebuild a struggling church. What I am doing may confound people, but despite the imperfection and sin we see in the church, we still love the church.
No one should be surprised that the church is made up of sinners — it’s one of the admissions that opens the membership door in the first place: we are not perfect and never will be in this life. At its best, the church in this age consists of sinners who are sincerely but imperfectly following Christ. And inevitably, the church also has people who are not truly following Christ. Even the earliest churches in the New Testament were this way. People were proud of their gifts (1 Corinthians 12:21), unloving, unwilling to associate with other races (Galatians 2:11–12), some were involved with lawsuits (1 Corinthians 6:1), some were getting drunk during communion (1 Corinthians 11:21), some were living in sexual immorality and even sleeping with their own family members (1 Corinthians 5:1)! Paul actually told one church their meetings did more harm than good (1 Corinthians 11:17) — that’s amazing. Paul was not derailed by any of these things. And he certainly didn’t give up on the church. He said these differences are necessary to prove who is genuine in their faith (1 Corinthians 11:19). The mess was in line with what the apostles expected, and it should be with us, too. So, why do I love the inconvenient, messy, and sometimes painful local expression of Christ’s body? 1. We are humbled by those who are hard to love. God is bringing people of different backgrounds, nationalities, socioeconomic statuses, and spiritual maturity levels together (Ephesians 3:10). The church’s diversity is a beautiful thing, and part of the beauty is that it grows us by bringing us into orbit with people unlike us — sometimes with people who are hard to love. Loving lovable people is easy. Associating with unlovable people in unlovable situations will always make us marvel at the love of Christ. It forces us to grow in knowing and sharing that love. In the mess, we will find beautiful displays of forgiveness, compassion, humility, and reconciliation. These never would have been seen apart from the mess. 2. We are warned by those who fall away. Some of the worst things I’ve seen in the church were caused by people who had fallen away (or were falling away) from the faith. Seeing the results of their actions was sobering. When I first saw the problems in the church, I thought Jesus was the problem. I thought his work in our church was insufficient, or at least incomplete, and that he was the reason we faced the issues we did. Then I realized most of those people causing scenes were struggling in their faith. This aroused compassion in me, rather than judgment, and it made me want to pray for and help them (Matthew 18:12). If I had left the church at the first glimpse of trouble, I would not have understood the root issue of the problems — or the vital importance of striving in faith side by side with other Christians (Philippians 1:27). 3. We are prepared to love outside the church. I have become more gracious and less judgmental. I have learned to work through disagreement when it occurs. This lesson has been massive, not just in church settings, but for how I act at the office and with my family. I have learned to love better, more fervently and consistently. If you have not had a reason to question loving the church, then your love has not been tested. Great lessons happen in the life of the church. 4. We learn to love what God loves. The greatest and most important reason why I love the church is that Godloves the church. Christ loves his bride, his holy ones for whom he died to purchase them with his own blood (Acts 20:28; Ephesians 5:22–23; Revelation 21:2, 9–10; 22:17). If the one who had to die to make us holy is not ashamed to call us brothers, how could we refuse to love those who are sinners like us (Hebrews 2:11)? God’s plan to make his grace known to the world is not for a bunch of perfect people to live together in perfect harmony, but rather, for sinful people to cling desperately to Jesus, even in the hardest instances. God’s light may not shine in every corner of the church, but it still shines all around. When the church looks to Jesus for help in our weaknesses, powerful things can happen. Paul saw the mess in each of the churches, and he still gave his life to building them (Acts 20:24). The reason we love the church, and all its mess, and all its baggage, is because it’s there that we see God’s amazing grace conquering our sins and transforming us to look like his Son. When the world sees that, even the mess of the church can make Jesus look great. Keith Welton is the lead pastor at Bridgeway Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. He is the author of Finding Reasons to Believe and Working for Glory. He and his wife Amanda have four children.
CHURCH, FAMILY OF GODPull Buddy!Date: 8/2006.101 Hot Illustrations For Youth Talks 4 P23 A man from the big city was enjoying a relaxing drive in the country when a dog ran in front of his car. He swerved to miss it but lost control of his car and ended up in a ditch. After a few unsuccessful attempts to get his car out, the man sat on his bumper and waited for help to arrive. He didn't have to wait long. A farmer who lived just down the road came to his aid with a big powerful looking horse. The watched as the farmer hitched the horse to the car's bumper. When the rope was secured, the farmer yelled, "Pull, Nellie, pull!" But the horse didn’t move. Then the farmer yelled, "Pull, Buster, pull!" But the horse didn’t move. Next the farmer yelled, "Pull, Cococ pull!" But the horse still didn't move. Finally, the farmer said, "Pull, Buddy, pull!" And the horse dragged the car from the ditch with very little effort. The motorist was very appreciative - and a little curious, "Why did you call out four names when your horse only responded to one?" he asked. The farmer smiled. "Oh, Buddy is blind," he explained, "and if he thought he was the only one pulling he wouldn't even try!" Applications: Just like Buddy, we need other people to bring out the best in us. As the Scripture says, "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:12) That's why God created us to be part of a community, part of a family, part of the church. It's very difficult to live the Christian life alone. It can be done, but like the verse says, one can be overpowered. The devil will find you easy prey. When you have others who are standing with you - even though they are not physically present - you can draw strength and encouragement from their prayers and support. We all really need each other. Directory: cfs-filesystemfile.ashx -> key -> CommunityServer.Components.PostAttachments CommunityServer.Components.PostAttachments -> General editors john baillie key -> Eternity! Eternity key -> Annotated Bibliography key -> [The first seventeen verses of Matthew consists of Jesus' family tree CommunityServer.Components.PostAttachments -> Apr 24 2011 dcfc english Worship [The Master & The Disciple] Luke 24: 28-36 CommunityServer.Components.PostAttachments -> A box of treasure by beverly carradine key -> The life and times — of — benjamin franklin, — by — joseph franklin, and key -> The flying inn Download 1.22 Mb. Share with your friends:
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