Interview - Virgil Amundson, AwakenUS

Virgil Amundson serves as the pastor of Shell Lake Full Gospel Church. He joined The Matt Friedeman Show to discuss the conclusion of the AwakenUS movement. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

What has AwakenUS done for your church?

We have really enjoyed the opportunity to call the people in the church in to a period of prayer and fasting. The movement has snowballed.

As we've continued to promote this every week, the thrust has begun to increase. Today, most of our people are on-board and committed.

Do you plan on keeping an emphasis on fasting?

Personally, I had gotten away from a consecrated time of fasting. We eat a lot in America, and we eat often. For me personally, fasting was a discipline I really needed to get back to.

Now that we've disciplined ourselves, and gotten into seeking the face of God, I think we're going to continue to build momentum.

What do you say to people who feel like their fasting didn't "work"?

Sometimes, fasting is a really dry time. Oftentimes it's not until we conclude our fast that we begin to see changes come.

People may find their fasting to be the driest times in their life. But when Jesus fasted, he was in the wilderness.

What stands between America and revival?

That question was asked to the pastor of the church in Cairo, Egypt that started all this. His answer was three things: Humility, Unity, and Intercession.

He said America had to humble themselves and fall on their knees before God. These are desperate times. We must all together seek the face of God.

Why is humility hard for us in America?

It's extremely difficult for us to bow down before God. Fasting is a breaking of our pride, it's a breaking of ourselves. There is a real humbling in the fasting itself. Humility comes with fasting.

Will this fast continue beyond today?

I think that initially, it was meant to conclude today. But there is a spirit of renewal that I sense even in our local church here. It's up to local pastors and leaders to hold this into place.

These are desperate times that aren't going to change tomorrow just because we fasted for the last forty days. We have to continue to call on the Lord to bring revival to America.

Ministry Spotlight - Willie Jordan

Willie Jordan is the President of Fred Jordan Missions, a ministry in inner Los Angeles. She joined The Matt Friedeman Show's Ministry Spotlight. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of her interview.

Who is Fred Jordan?

The man who founded the mission. I was honored to be his wife.

The Lord took Fred to heaven nearly 24 years ago, but he left me and my children a wonderful staff, and we have ministered to people on the streets of Los Angeles.

First, we give them the Bread of Life, and then we give them physical bread.

 Do you see lasting change in the people you minister to?

That's why we're here. The fact that we can see them and give them physical aid is good, but we are here to preach the gospel.

We don't see as many as we would like to see, but we're there to share the central message that Jesus came to seek and save the lost. So Fred Jordan Missions just shares Jesus.

What makes poor people poor?

Poor choices. That's the bottom line. People get into financial difficulties, many of them are alcoholics, and in the last 25 years, drugs. 

The biggest drug has been crack cocaine. Men and women will do anything to get that white rock. And once you get hooked on drugs, nothing is important. 

If you had a job, you lose it. If you had a wife and children, you walk away.

And then, in LA, we have so many immigrants who come in. They speak no English; they can't get jobs, or if they do, they're at the very bottom of the income level.

With some people, poverty causes crime. But on our streets, crime causes poverty. Jesus is the only way out.

How do you keep the transformation?

Well, they come to Jesus. We have follow-up and discipleship. I like to tell my guests that I would like to see them gone, away from the streets and temptations and addictions.

So when they come to Christ, we try to get them away from the streets, into churches.

Ministry Spotlight - Miriam Neff

Miriam Neff is the Founder and President of Widow Connection, a ministry that serves widows all over the world. She joined The Matt Friedeman Show to discuss her ministry. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of her interview.

What are you trying to do?

First of all, no one wants to start a widow ministry. 

I was married for 40 years to Bob Neff. He succumbed to Lou Gehrig's disease. 

When I was dealing with that, I couldn't find anything to help me.

I could clearly see from my faith walk that I was supposed to help widows. So now, 24/7 widows can go to my website and get help.

Then I began to look around and ask where the widows where who needed help. I had traveled to Africa with Bob, and seen the poverty there.

So what we do is we help the widows there, we teach them to sew, and they graduate with a certificate to be a tailor. They can hold their heads high again.

You have seven tips for helping widows. Tell us about that.

One of the important things is to stay connected. It seems so simple. But often a widow will kind of disappear from the picture. 

And I understand, because I am one, that you kind of want to fade away.

But as a friend of a widow, you have to realize that she's not going to pick up the phone and call you.

You have to take the initiative. That's a simple thing that anyone can do.

Is there a drop in finances when you are widowed?

Widows often end up in a much worse financial situation than they had when they were married. 

The income goes down with the loss of the husband. The need goes down some, but not as much as the income.

Is the local church doing enough to help?

In my situation when I became a widow, I could not find any ministry to widows in any church.

I had friends, but many of them did not understand what I was going through, which is normal.

I do think we're seeing an increase in churches waking up to what they need to be doing.

Dr. K.P. Yohannan - Gospel for Asia

Dr. K.P. Yohannan, President and Founder of Gospel for Asia, joined The Matt Friedeman Show to talk about the spread of Christ in India and how you can help.

What is the most significant thing happening with Gospel for Asia?

In the Indian subcontinent, 1/3 of the country — nearly 300 million people — are known as the untouchables, or the Dalit.

What is happening right now is that significant numbers of the Dalit are accepting Christ.

There is a whole new world with Muslims opening their hearts to the Lord. Especially the children; some 60,000 children are being reached. I am very excited.

Why is this happening now?

It's like in the book of Exodus, they lived in such slavery for such a long time, and finally God heard their prayer.

These people lived in these conditions for some 3000 years, and finally there is hope for them.

Now they realize that the only way out of slavery is to change their faith. Jesus offers hope and a new beginning. It is nothing short of a miracle for these people right now.

Tell us about Gospel for Asia's "Critter Campaign".

This is one of our high points of the year during the Christmas season. We identify people living in horrible poverty, with absolutely no hope.

We give them buffalo or cows or a sewing machine. When we give these things to them, it gives them incredible hope. They are able to find hope in Christ after we minister to them like this.

What does something like that do for a family?

I was just hearing a story from one of the remote areas of Nepal the other day.

It was this man and his wife and five children, and just looking at them you could tell they are broken. The whole family was so shocked that someone would bring them these things; they cried and cried and cried.

They said, "Don't leave us; tell us more about the Jesus who brought you here." They were so surprised when they learned that Jesus was not a politician; he was God. It was a beautiful thing.

What about clean water?

There are literally thousands of villages where people die from sickness just because they didn't have clean water.

When you dig these wells, it's not just one family that is helped; through one family, many families around them get clean water.

To help save a family in India, visit Gospel for Asia's website and click on the "Christmas Catalog".

Ministry Spotlight - Don Shenk

Don Shenk, joining the Ministry Spotlight, serves as director of The Tide, a radio ministry that broadcasts in India, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Nepal, and Romania. He came on The Matt Friedeman Show to talk about The Tide's outreach in other nations. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

What is The Tide about?

Basically, we're trying to share Jesus Christ and bring people into a relationship with him.

Our mission statement is "Creatively sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ worldwide through media and partnerships."

What is the power of radio overseas?

Here we have so many different mediums of media, but in other places people rely very strongly on the radio.

There's an element of authenticity to what they hear on air. That can be dangerous, if there is false teaching, but it gives us authority in their eyes when we preach the gospel.

The Tide doesn't own any broadcasting services, so we purchase air time from other broadcasters. We use indigenous speakers, not a translated program from over here in America.

We broadcast in the heart languages of the countries. It becomes culturally relevant to the people who hear it.

What is a heart language?

When we talk about a heart language, it is the language that they were born to speak, that they grew up speaking. 

The importance of that in radio is that they can identify with Christ as a God who knows them, rather than a foreign God

We are doing in Zimbabwe, the Tide has a daily program. So we have some programs there that target youth, others that are specifically for men.

We deal with issues that they are facing every day. In Zimbabwe, that is family.

There are many single-parent families, because a spouse often has to go into another country to earn a living. The Tide is focusing on how to help these families that are broken.

One of the things as a ministry, The Tide doesn't want to be guilty of sending out a ministry on the air and then just leaving the listeners hanging. 

We provide literature; we have Bible correspondence programs that they can enroll in.

When we have an area where we have received responses from many listeners, we will hold a Seekers Conference about what it means to accept Christ.

What is the area you are most excited about?

That's a hard one to answer. I would have to say right now I'm most excited about Bhutan.

We had a ministry there, and we had to withdraw. But another door opened, and by March we will be going back in and broadcasting.

Brain Trust - David Murrow

David Murrow, speaker and bestselling author, joined the Brain Trust to discuss the problem of men leaving the church, as expressed in his book Why Men Hate Going To Church. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

What is the disconnect with men and the church?

It's not that men don't like God or Christ, what they don't like is churchgoing. Getting up out of bed, singing the songs, hearing the sermon; it doesn't click with them.

Part of the reputation of the church among men is that it's a place for "women, weirdos, and wimps."

I think that comes out of the last hundred years, with the emphasis on Christians not smoking, drinking, playing cards; there's just been this extreme seriousness.

Does it depend largely on the pastor?

You're absolutely right. I say that 80% of the battle is the pastor.  

Women see their church as their fellow churchgoers. If they're in harmony with their fellow churchgoers, they're in harmony with their church.

But men tend to see the church through the lens of the pastor; if they don't like the pastor, they won't like the church.

Should churches focus on using men's gifts and talents?

That is so true. And I think one of the reasons that Southern Baptist churches are so prevalent in the South is that they have extensive relief networks.

It's a wonderful witness, and a great way to utilize men's talents.

When Jesus went out and started the Church, he created a core of 12 committed men.

Should we be following Jesus' example in teaching through activity?

That's definitely true. The Lord's discipleship method was not classroom teaching. I don't want to speak out against Bible studies, because those have been helpful in the lives of a lot of men.

But a highly verbal discipleship method tends to elevate the teacher. And while there's nothing wrong with that, it limits the men who decide they can't really help in the church since they can't speak and they didn't go to seminary.

Why do you say that prayer meetings aren't geared towards men?

There's a lot of things about the way we do group prayer today that makes it tough on men. Because the way we pray in groups is we make speeches to God.

It's generally easier for women, since women are more verbal than men. I have about ten or twelve pages in the book about how we can make prayer more real and inviting to men.

Do we have a misconception of Jesus that contributes to this problem?

We do. We tend to focus on the Lamb of God rather than the Lion of Judah.

We look at the incident of overturning the tables in the temple as an anomaly. We view the rest of his life as meek and gentle, always surrounded by children.

There are pictures of Jesus as a fighter in Scripture, and we need to focus on them.

You talk about fears that men have about church. Talk to us about "losing control."

In a lot of churches, there's a tendency to say, "Let's just give the Holy Spirit as much time as he needs."

There's no expectation for how long the sermon will go. The guy has no expectation, no idea of how long this will take. Men want to be in control.

Do men worry about having their wives fall too far in love with the church?

A lot of women do fall very hard for Jesus. I married a preacher's daughter, and she thought it was normal to spend six nights a week at the church.

She was in love with Jesus and in love with the church, to the point where she neglected the family.

Interview - Franklin Graham

Franklin Graham, son of renowned evangelist Billy Graham, came on The Matt Friedeman Show to talk about his father's newest book, Nearing Home. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

Is your father pleased with his legacy?

Of course, I would say yes. He loves his family.

At this stage in life, he takes time with the family; there's family coming to the home almost every day. He's still the head of the family.

What has been his least favorite thing about growing older?

Just not being able to do as much.

One of the unfortunate things is that he's lost the ability to read. Even in doing this book, he had to verbalize it so people could take it down. It was a little bit harder for him to do this.

But his mind is sharp.

What about the best thing?

I think he's got more time to reflect and more time to pray. This is one of the benefits of losing some of your strength; he's able to focus more than when he was fully capable.

He spends some time every day praying for family and friends. He prays for the nation. He's very concerned with the direction our nation is going in the last few years.

There's a chapter in this book called "Don't retire from life". What is that about?

There are a lot of people who just quit. They quit life. They retire and they don't do anything. He wants to encourage people to stay active.

Many older people feel like they're not needed, not wanted; it's important that they get involved.

How does your father feel about the explosion of the gospel in Asia and Africa?

He's just elated. Especially with technology today, we're able to go into countries and take the gospel where it would've never seemed possible.

The Billy Graham Evangelical Society is still pushing that as hard as we can.

Ministry Spotlight - Steve Seaton

Steve Seaton is the Executive Director of I Am 4 Kids, a faith-based program that provides one-on-one mentoring for teenagers. He joined The Matt Friedeman Show to talk about his ministry. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

Tell us about I Am 4 Kids.

It's so unique. Basically it's just going out and meeting the needs of the community.

We want to go in to these kids who are hurting and bring them wholeness all across the board.

The school system explained to us that they had 50 homeless kids in the high school; they had drugs in the homes, abusive parents.

We went in and just started eating lunch with the kids. After a while, when they found out I was a pastor, they ended up coming to church and giving their lives to Christ.

In 2007, we started to recruit other mentors to help us. Adults will leave work at lunch and go eat with a child in school.

The difference is amazing. The first thing that changes is the self-image. As their insecurity disappears, so do other problems. The truancy goes down.

Do schools not have a problem with your being faith-based?

The reason they don't have a problem is that we just establish relationships, without trying to push anything.

They don't have a problem because we're respecting their boundaries.

We just don't go in and hand them a tract. If we did that, that's proselyting. After several months of mentoring, a light will come on, and the child will ask, "Why are you doing this?"

If they ask, we get to share it. A lot of times, they'll say something and I can share a story about how God changed my life.

Is this something that can work in other places?

Definitely. I'm hoping and praying that once we have this established, we can help this start in other communities.

It's so simple, because all you have to do is find out where there is need, and how you can meet it.

 Your core values are unashamedly Christian. How does sharing your faith work in this situation?

When these kids truly see love, they're going to ask where the source is, and that's when you can share your faith.

Mentoring is imparting character. I want to make sure my mentors are Christians, so they're imparting the right values.

Ministry Spotlight - Al Proo

Al Proo is Executive Director of Happy Hands, a Oklahoma-based Christian school for children with hearing problems. He joined the Ministry Spotlight to tell us about Happy Hands and their outreach. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his segment.

Tell us about your ministry.

We serve children from birth to age 6. This is something the Lord showed me I needed to do when I was pastoring a church.

Many of the deaf people I served didn't bring their bibles to church, not because they didn't want to read it, but because they couldn't.

Why do you start so young?

Statistics have proven that 99% of all deaf children are born to hearing parents.

Here's the real gist of the whole matter, is that the child's brain is being mapped. Most parents do not find out their child is deaf until age two and a half.

By that time, the brain has been mapped already.

How do you teach deaf children?

What we do is no different than what we would do with hearing children, except that we make it visual.

How early can they learn sign language?

I know some infants at 8 months who were signing before they can talk.

Science has proved that the children who can sign before they can speak have higher IQs and better reading skills.

Have you seen successes later on in your children's lives?

Some of the children who have graduated high school and gone to college are actually on the student council with hearing students.

Some of them are on the marching bands, and the football and swimming teams.

How can churches do a better job of serving the deaf?

Churches can be familiar with the deaf, make them feel comfortable.

Give them an opportunity to sit close to the pulpit. If they can provide an interpreter for the service, that would be fantastic.

The problem is churches serving children our age, that's where it's more difficult.

That's where Happy Hands comes in. We're not here as Baptists or Methodists, we're simply here to tell them about Jesus.

How do you stay afloat?

90% of our income comes from donations. We are always working hard to get scholarships for our children.

We don't take government funding. We're living in a Red Sea miracle here at Happy Hands.

One reason Happy Hands is here is for us to say, "God did this."

Brain Trust - Dave Kinnaman

David Kinnaman is the President of Barna Group.  He is the author of the best-selling book, unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity, and the Barna report, Teens and the Supernatural.

We have a drop out problem with our youth with regards to church participation, talk to us about it.

Based on our research, of demographics and life span we have found that the least religiously active group is our late teens to early twenties. 

6 out of 10 young people drop out of their faith in between the ages of 18 and 22.

Most of these kids say they loved youth group. What's the deal with that?

We have found that active participation isn't a good indicator as to whether they will stay.  We have found that active discipleship and training is much more significant. 

Many youth groups are simply a social club, in spite of the best intentions of churches and youth leaders.

We need to work harder at understanding how to connect with young people in ways that make a difference.

How important is the parental unit in all of this?

It is the most important factor.  The level of seriousness with which the parents view their faith is the primary factor.  It isn't a foregone conclusion that strong faith of a parent will rub off on a kid.   

Due to our culture changing so much in the past 50 years we are now reaping what we have sown many decades ago. 

How should parents navigate this new cultural reality?  How can we make young people make sense of their faith in this day?

What are some of the things that we can do differently?

Most of these drop outs told us that they never had a solid adult relationship with anyone other than the youth pastor.   

Many do not understand how the Bible applies to their professional abilities or calling.  How do we mentor in terms of vocation or calling?   

Most of this demographic didn't have an understanding of a personal interaction with a real relationship with a Living God.

What are some of the negative perceptions of young people with regards to the faith?

Sometimes, they see the church as anti-science, as anti-intellectual. Sometimes the church just is not cool enough for them. 

 "In the world but not of the world" was how Jesus' prayer for his followers says it.

 I don't think the church is doing a good job of teaching them to be "in but not of the world" with this generation.   

Over-protection often goes against what we are really trying to do.  

We need to have more confidence with this next generation as they face these new challenges.  We must push them toward Christ and a real relationship with him

What is one thing that parents should be doing?

Treat your young people with respect.  They are just as intelligent as you are.  Don't fight wars that God doesn't want us to, but trust Him to work in their lives.

Brain Trust - Bruce Wilkinson

Bruce Wilkinson is a popular speaker and author of over 60 books. He joined The Matt Friedeman Show to discuss his latest volume, The God Pocket. Here are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

What is the idea behind this book, and why did you write it?

The basic idea of The God Pocket is that God, when He hears people praying with a financial need, wants to help them. He could make money and float it down from heaven, or he could send an angel with some extra cash, but he doesn't do either of those. He wants to partner with people to move in their hearts to give.

The basic idea comes from 1 Timothy, when Paul tells Timothy he wants people to be ready to give and willing to share.

Most people don't understand that God alerts us from heaven of what he wants us to do. 10 out of 1000 people will respond to God's nudging. That's 9990 times that we don't respond.

How do you tell a "God nudge"?

That's a good question. I was speaking on that last night. If you don't know what methods God uses, you'll miss what he's trying to tell you.

A nudge is God moving you to do something unexpected. There are nudges all over Acts. A nudge interrupts you life. It makes you wish you had more information. It's very clear. It makes you uncomfortable. Those are the characteristics of a nudge.

People everywhere have them, a lot, because God is trying to tap on their hearts. God will interrupt your thoughts, to let you know that it wasn't your thought.

People are afraid it might be Satan, but unless it's something sinful, it's not Satan.

Do we need to get more accustomed to God nudges?

We do. And we need to understand the fact that nudges make everyone feel uncomfortable.

Because when you understand that this is how God interacts with people, you are more likely to respond.

The Bible says it is more blessed to give than to receive. When people understand that it wasn't exaggerating, that it really is more blessed to give, they're going to do great things.

You can learn more about Bruce Wilkinson and his ministry at his website.

"These children need to be in families, because that's where they're going to thrive. "

Stephanie Scott, who joined the Ministry Spotlight, is the Recruitment Administrator for Camelot Care Centers in Tennessee. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of her interview.

Tell me about Camelot Care Centers.

There are 42 Camelot Care Centers across the country. Our services vary according to what part of the country you're in. I work in the area of child welfare.

For those children who have been removed from the home, our job is to find foster homes for them to live in until they can go back home or until they're adopted.

My hope is to reach out to the faith community to see if we can't do some collaboration to find homes for these children.

Where do you find foster families?

A lot of foster care agencies have been around for a while, and of course the best source for marketing is the foster families themselves.

They have families and friends, and whatever fears those people may have, they're more willing to do it because they see that it's successful.

What makes a good foster parent?

A lot of different characteristics. Some of them are more common-sense. Being flexible, being open-minded. Having a willingness to work with an agency.

Having your friends describe you as confident and self-assured. Being spiritual or religious. All those things are important.

It's also important that you are able to delay gratification, because a lot of these children come in and they're not grateful for the service that you're providing. You have to be able to understand that this is not about you.

What is the biggest challenge foster parents face?

I just got back from attending a conference in Franklin, TN for adoptive parents. I was stunned how many of them said their biggest challenge was a lack of support from their own family. A lot of times they had to rely on each other or their case worker.

And of course, there are some frustrations with the legal system. Some children are returned to the birth family, or have extended visits with the birth family, and that can be a demand.

What motivates foster parents.

I think most importantly is for them to realize that these are children in their communities, right around the corner or several miles down the road, whose needs aren't being met.

Every child deserves a home. And there is someone in that community who can provide that home. It's one of the best things for your own children to see you reaching out like that.

Do you see this working?

We do. That's why I do this work. I was in this for 15 years, and then I took a break before coming back. Most of what's important, the healing that occurs in families, is still the same.

These children don't need to be in group homes. They need to be in families, because that's where they're going to thrive.

Low view of the Bible...gets you this

Insight from one of my online students a few summers ago:

I was in a church of a main line denomination last February in East Dayton, OH. The congregation had shrunk from over 1,000 in the 90's to 14 in 2007. The main sanctuary was locked up because they could not light it or heat it for the lack of funds. While I was waiting in the church library I found hundreds of monogrammed and embossed Bibles that were left in the church. I initially thought that they were of old saints that had passed on. I was wrong. These were Bibles that living people had just abandoned as they left the church. It was like an Army, whipped in the field, throwing away their personal equipment to run faster. These people had thrown away their Bibles and left faith period. It is a sad commentary as to the general state of faith outside of evangelical oriented churches. (SG)

Discount the Bible, discount people, discount evangelism. But where there is a high view of scriptural authority (otherwise known as biblical inerrancy) you see spiritual vitality spreading around the world.

"It's important to make your values implicit by the way you live your family life."

Parenting expert John Rosemond is an author, speaker, and columnist who takes a counter-cultural and common-sense approach to parenting.

He came on The Matt Friedeman Show to talk about several parenting topics, including the television and social media. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his segment.

When is the best time to have the "sex talk" with your child?

That is probably the most bombshell topic you could've brought up. The answer is that it all depends. It depends on at what age your child begins showing interest in the opposite sex, it depends on what peer pressure your child is exposed to.

It's important to make your values implicit by the way you live your family life, the sort of media you allow into your home. You set the example in your relationships with people of the opposite sex.

Does the peer group play a large part in this?

Absolutely. That's what I meant earlier, with the peer group your child associates with. The child who attends today's typical public school needs a talking-to about these issues much earlier than a child who is homeschooled.

What role does TV play in sexuality?

The "between the lines," the subtle, unspoken agenda of the Hollywood crowd is to sexualize children at a very early age. You see that reflected in the content of programs, even those that are advertised as suitable for families.

I am not a television watcher. My wife and I use our TV to watch Fox News and movies. People ask how I get my information, and I'm amazed at the question. Have you ever heard of reading?

What does the emotion of TV do to children?

I think that the emotionality of it, the drama of it, is a factor in the fact that today's young women are so dramatic about their lives. The young teenage girl today has a life characterized by drama.

The dramatic infusion of the lives of today's young teenage women is a great concern to me. It reflects the attitude that their lives are only important when there is drama swirling in their life.

I also think that has a lot to do with their interaction with social media. I think that these media ought to be very closely monitored by parents. 

People say, "When should a child get a Facebook account?" If you want to improve your child's social skills, you don't let them get a Facebook account.

Why do parents struggle with taking strong stances like that?

They believe in the myth that their children will have no friends if they don't allow their children some exposure to the internet, social media, and so on. That is a complete myth. Your child will have better social skills if you don't allow them social media.

Tell me about parent-centered homes.

Children need to learn to pay attention to adults. And you don't pay attention to adults who are constantly paying attention to you. The more attention you pay to your child, the less attention your child will pay to you.

Today's parents don't realize their duty to their child is supervision, not interaction.

 You can find out more about John Rosemond and his work on his website.

Disparity of the Gospel (World Christian Encyclopedia)

Cost per baptism:

Africa 13,888
Antartica 1,677,852
Asia 61,071
Europe 933,371
Latin America 144,910
Northern America 1,518,991
Oceania 634,479

Full-time Christian workers per million

Africa 1,018.3
Antartica 6,666.7
Asia 185.0
Europe 2,482.6
Latin America 890.7
Northern America 5,399.2
Oceania 3,285.1

A good bit to analyze here. But, for starters - seeing how ripe the mission field in Africa is should we not be spending more laborers to that harvest? North America has more than its fair share of workers with precious little receptivity to the gospel to show for it.

Other points to be made?

Interview: Shawn Carney, 40 Days for Life

Shawn Carney is the executive director of the Coalition for Life, a pro-life organization consisting of 60 churches and thousands of people. He joined The Matt Friedeman Show to promote the ongoing 40 Days for Life. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

What is 40 Days for Life?

It started as one simple campaign.  We decided to do 40 days of prayer and fasting, and as a result, the abortion numbers in that community dropped by 48%.

We've been doing it ever since. We have a fall campaign and a spring campaign. It's built on prayer, and going to the places where the abortions actually happen. 

We've had 53 abortion clinic workers have conversions and leave their jobs. We've seen a lot of people overcome that natural fear of going out to pray outside of abortion clinics. It's been a joy.

And all you're asking people to do is show up and pray?

Absolutely. I think it's been the prayerful approach that's been the success of 40 days for life. We're not there to judge the women, we're not there to yell at them. We're there to give them a better option for their baby. And we're there for the workers as well.

It's wonderful to see what God is doing. We have a record 301 cities this year. 46 of those are new, including cities in Puerto Rico, Argentina, and Germany.

You can learn more about 40 Days for Life, including how you can get involved, at their website.

Author Interview: Dr. Paul White

Dr. Paul White is a psychologist, author, speaker, and consultant who specializes in workplace relationships. He joined The Matt Friedeman Show to discuss his latest book, The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. Here are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

Does this book have any connection to The Five Love Languages?

It does. Dr. Chapman and I wrote this book together. We've been working for the past year to work the love languages around the workplace. 

We wanted to provide practical resources to help managers and coworkers relate to one another better.

How can we show appreciation in the workplace?

There's a big issue going on right now in that over 65% of people say they haven't heard any appreciation in the last six months, whereas managers say they're making efforts to affirm them. The messages that are being sent aren't getting there.

Different elements have to be there in order for people to feel appreciated. The five love languages in the workplace have the same names; Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.

We've developed an inventory that goes along with the book, so people can find out what their languages are. We then get that to their supervisor so they can take that information and use it to build up the employees.

Could it be adapted for use in the church?

Absolutely. We wrote it with that in mind. We wrote a chapter on encouraging volunteers. We want to apply this to churches, to ministries, non profit organizations, to schools. We know that we can encourage and show appreciation in ways that make them feel valued.

One of the things we've done is work this in a way that doesn't cost a lot of money. What matters are just small things that let them know you care about them. If they're sports fans, get them an SEC magazine. Buy them a cup of Starbucks.

Our inventory helps specify what each person needs, so you can hit the mark and help them feel appreciated.

Does this increase job satisfaction?

Absolutely. We increase customer satisfaction. We decrease staff conflict. Employees report that they enjoy coming to work more.

To learn more about Dr. Paul White and his work, you can visit his website.

Pastor's Circle - Randy Frazee

Randy Frazee is the senior minister of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, TX. He joined the Pastor's Circle to discuss his newest book, The Heart of the Story. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

Tell us about your book.

I think that one of the biggest drives for me to write this book is that we've discovered that biblical illiteracy is a growing epidemic among Christians. As we've gone into the 21st century, research shows that Christians are more illiterate about their faith than agnostics or atheists.

Christians often see the Bible as a set of disconnected stories. This book tries to connect the dots, so everything is connected in one overarching love story of God.

Tell us about that "overarching" story.

There's two "stories" going on with the Bible, the upper story and the lower story.

For instance, in the story of Joseph, you may get a great lesson on forgiveness, or resisting temptation. But God uses Joseph in the upper story, to save his family from famine and continue to live the plan for God's people.

This is one of the greatest applications. We are characters in God's unfolding upper story. If we align our life to that upper story, everything will come out for good.

What is the "heart of the story"?

I would say that the heart of the story is what you see in Genesis 1 and 2. God coming down and doing life in community with Adam and Eve. If you fast-forward to the end of Revelation, you again see the Tree of Life, and God coming down to live among us.

God's upper story plan is going to happen. The only question is whether we will participate with blessing or without it.

A lot of the time, the lower story gives you practical advice for the day, while the upper story gives you the long view of God's vision for us.

 You can learn more about Randy Frazee and The Heart of the Story on his website.

Author interview: John Townsend, Beyond Boundaries

Dr. John Townsend, Clinical Director for the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), joined The Matt Friedeman Show live from the AACC World Conference in Nashville, TN. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview about his new book Beyond Boundaries.

What is Beyond Boundaries?

A long time ago Henry Cloud and I wrote a book about the fact that sometimes you have to say no and guard your heart.

You have to do what God does, which is speak the truth in love.

The thing I'd notice, though, was that people would be able to say no, but there was a 'what now' going on. They had confusion about how to trust again in a relationship. That's what Beyond Boundaries is about.

What relationships are you talking about?

Every relationship that someone could have a difficulty in. We all encounter these "speed bumps" in relationships when someone is being hard to deal with. This book is about reconnecting, and learning to trust again.

The hardest part is to take the first risk. God is a risk-taker. He always takes the first step. He's a great model, because even when it hurts, he reaches out.

There's no way to have a better relationship unless one person is taking the risk. That's what the book is about.

What is a hurt that comes out a lot in your counseling?

There's the hurt of putting out a need and being pulled away from. If that happens in an important relationship, it is really devastating.

Then there's control. When someone says "If you love me you'll do this."

The third is judgment and condemnation. When someone is condemning or shaming someone, the other person is on eggshells all the time.

Those are the three main ones.

Is it okay to risk our health on unhealthy relationships?

Jesus said to be innocent as doves and wise as serpents.

We're supposed to be mature, but we'll always be around people with toxicity.

But you must always be guarding your heart.

Is there an element of evangelism?

There's lots of Christians that aren't healthy either. I'd say it's a both/and. There is an evangelistic element to it, but we have to help ourselves as well.

Jesus came to seek and save the lost. The best relationship we can have is to be as loving and as redemptive as we can. We are supposed to be the salt and light.

You can learn more about Dr. Townsend and his ministry here.

"All the self-help advice in the world won't help if God's not in it."

Chuck Huckaby, pastor of St. Andrew's Church in Lawrenceburg, TN, joined the Pastor's Circle to talk about his recent article on how the Church does ministry. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

You compare "kerygmatic" and "therapeutic" ministry. What are the two?

"Kerygmatic" is a greek word, and it's used to describe the preaching in the book of Acts. It's about how this blessing that was meant for Israel is calling the nations to repentance and renewal at the foot of Christ.

I'm using "therapeutic" in the dumbed-down way. When it comes to the pastor as a "therapist", it's like someone in a cardigan and a goatee, some smooth-worded preacher who's there to work you through whatever problems you have, without bringing up the Cross.

The surface things we do, the self-help advice that pastors are trained to give people, that doesn't reconcile people to Jesus Christ. Like when the hospital visit we give is just chit-chat about the football game, never getting around to the ultimate purpose of the

All the self-help advice in the world won't help if God's not in it.

What has this "therapeutic culture" done to us as the Church?

A lot of times it just makes fools of us. Maybe you have the best advice in the world about a certain problem, and either people don't listen to it or it didn't apply to the situation, and then you're the idiot pastor guy who thinks he knows everything.

What did that have to do with our calling? Our calling is to help people reconcile with Jesus Christ. We're not auditioning to be the next Oprah. We confess that there's no true help in this world, there's no true path that doesn't take God at His word.

What would happen if we kept our focus on kerygmatic ministry?

When you go to that hospital room, and you point them into union with Christ, you don't know what that's going to mean.

What it would do in the Church is that pastors at least would be taken more seriously.

[What we want] is a kerygmatic ministry that leads to true therapy. When everyone else gives up hope because their tools are exhausted, it's the Christian visitor who can point to the Christ who rose from the dead.

Pastor's Circle - Kyle Idleman

Kyle Idleman is the teaching pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY. He joined The Matt Friedeman Show to discuss the ideas behind his book Not A Fan. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

What's the difference between a fan and a follower?

We understand the idea of a fan as a fan of a celebrity or a sports figure. We cheer for them from the sidelines. I've seen this mentality slip into the faith.

Fan is defined as "an enthusiastic admirer". Jesus wasn't into gathering enthusiastic admirers so much.

How do we fall into becoming mere "fans"?

It's natural in the sense that we don't want to completely commit because we're afraid of what it will cost us. In romantic relationships, there are plenty of people who are afraid to go all the way in.

When it comes to a relationship with Christ, we tend to not want to go too far. That scares us. But Jesus says that when we die to ourselves, that opens us up to life.

How many Christians today are fans instead of followers?

I think there are some stats that give indications of that. If you look at statistics that talk about what people think about Jesus being the only way, or the morality of Christianity, I think it becomes clear that a lot of people are "fans". They like Jesus, but they don''t want to go all the way.

One of the things I try to do in the book is go through a list of more objective indicators. It's a hard question to ask of yourself.

One thing you suggest is taking an "honest diagnosis." What does that entail?

I think what we're talking about in that is how we measure our relationship with Christ. What I've really tried to do in the book is go through and look at different examples of how Jesus measured people. 

One example would be in John 6, when Jesus has just finished feeding the multitudes. He has lots of fans. The next morning, they go to Him for more, and he essentially tells them that the free bread line has closed. He makes them decide if He is enough.

By looking at some different examples in the Gospels, I think we can get an understanding of what we should look like.

You talk about passionate pursuit. What does that mean?

The invitations of Jesus to follow. The imagery is sometimes used of a young man courting a woman, where there is passionate pursuit. We began that journey as a family and a church family. We really began looking at what it meant to follow Jesus in that way.

Some things are more dramatic. People will write in to tell us that they sold their car to help a single mom. Some friends of ours decided to sell their business and move to the Dominican Republic to do water projects. 

Some things are more radical in nature, and other times it's just going across the street to help your neighbor. On our website, you can read testimonies about how God has been working.

What are you doing to make these disciples?

It's a big question. We want Jesus to be our model. We want to follow in His steps. His model of disciple-making was to build relationships. We try to imitate that.

We tend to want to do discipleship by way of programs and classes, and there's a place for that, but it all really needs to be about relationships. We believe that's how the multiplication process works. We want to make disciples who will make disciples.

Pastor's Circle - Albert Haase

Father Albert Haase, a Franciscan priest, came into the Pastor's Circle to talk about the Prayer of St. Francis. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview. You can learn more about  Father Haase and his ministry here.

Where did the Prayer of St. Francis come from, and what does it mean?

It is known as the "peace prayer" of St. Francis of Assisi.  It's a very famous prayer that has been used in many significant settings - funerals of important religious and political leaders, inaugurations, etc.  However, it was not even written by St. Francis himself. It had been around for quite awhile before he lived.  It was actually popularized as a product of St. Francis' pen by a protestant minister.

There are two parts to the prayer, but the key thing stands out immediately to me is the idea that we belong to someone else.  Our life belongs Jesus Christ.  

Secondly, there is a clear presentation of a biblical understanding of peace or shalom.  As people who live in the reality of Easter Sunday we need to realize and live out that shalom today.

We here at the Matt Friedeman Show think of ourselves as people that are "in the fight". In this prayer I get the idea that if we are on a mission we must be proactive.

I think you're right.  We must take love, joy, peace to the places that need it the most.  Proactive is a great way to put it.

So there is a necessary awakening...

Yes, the "Peace Prayer" also challenges our ego.  Perhaps the ego is the biggest enemy of the Christian life.  In this prayer we are going to bump up against the real issues of the heart.  Experience tells us that those people who live lives of service are the happiest people in the world.  

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, 

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Evangelism/Discipleship Smackdown, ii

E. Stanley Jones

"I believe that the discovery of the facts, when they are facts and not half-truths, is leading in one direction and in only one direction - in the direction of Christ.  Let the scientist, therefore, begin with the facts, and let him go far enough with those facts, and he will come out at the fact of Christ.  He may not get to Christ; he may stop short; but at least his facts will be point in the direction of Christ as their fulfillment."  (Christ of the American Road, 159)

Something old

In 1675 Phillip Jacob Spener published a booklet that criticized the regular church.  Titled Pia Desideria (Heart Longings) it contained the following for overcoming the weaknesses in the church.  He prescribed the following:

1)  The more general circulation of the Scriptures, with meetings in private for a thorough study of their meaning.

2)  The improvement and faithful exercise of the pastoral office; the laity to cooperate with the pastors in edifying one another, especially by means of family religion and prayer. 

3)  The serious truth that to know is not enough in religion; practical experience must be added. 

4)  Correct relations with errorists and unbelievers; controversy in the true spirit of love, with a wish not simply to convince, but to benefit, the one opposing. 

5)  Some way of studying theology which will make students as earnest in living Christian lives as in studying their books. 

6)  Some way of preaching, which will present as the chief truth that Christianity signifies a new man, the essence of his life being faith, and its activity consisting in bringing forth good fruits.    

Something new

Lifeway:  'Unchurched adults interested in finding a congregation aren’t nearly as likely to visit one in person as a church member who is shopping for a new congregation. That means effective evangelism must begin outside the sanctuary in relationships between Christians and unbelievers, according to research from several recent studies from LifeWay Research...

"The location of our evangelism needs to shift if we want to reach the unchurched and not just move sheep around," said Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research. "At LifeWay Research we want to encourage churches to grow through conversion. To do that, they must not rely only of the unchurched visiting our churches. Church switchers are primarily the ones who visit churches. The unchurched stay home...

"So, if you build your outreach on recruiting and reaching church visitors you will often build a church on church switchers," he said.

Stetzer continued, "For several decades we have focused on come and see, invest and invite, bring your friends to church by attracting them with a great program. We call that attractional ministry. Now we are facing the reality that fewer unchurched people are willing to visit a Christian church.

"This will compel us to embrace a go and tell – or incarnational – approach," he said.

"Should we invite our friends to church? Sure. But should we be, do, and tell the Gospel to people in culture? You bet. It is not only biblical, but it is even more essential today as our culture grows increasingly resistant to the church."  More here.

Stop it with the numbers?

The late Richard John Neuhaus in First Things seems to think so:

A priest on Long Island tells me that, when he was newly ordained, he had the chance to visit with the legendary Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, who was famed for, among other things, winning many converts to the Catholic Church. Sheen was in the hospital and, as it turned out, on his deathbed. “Archbishop Sheen,” my friend said, “I have come for your counsel. I want to be a convert-making priest like you. I’ve already won fifteen people to the faith. What is your advice?” Sheen painfully pushed himself up on his elbows from his reclining position and looked my friend in the eye. “The first thing to do,” he said, “is to stop counting.”

Another Perspective on Counting...

"It took 18 centuries for dedicated believers to grow from 0% of the world's population to 2.5% in 1900, only 70 years to grow from 2.5% to 5% in 1970, and just the last 30 years to grow from 5% to 11.2% of the world population. Now for the first time in history there is one believer for every nine people worldwide who aren't believers...we're talking about Bible-reading, Bible-believing stream of Christianity." (Ralph D. Winter and Bruce A. Koch/Perspectives)

Why we don't make disciples

1. Our world view is all wrong. "Be holy as I am holy" is not a core conviction.

2. We prefer the things that are "more exciting" - like worship, harvesting tithes, building buildings, getting on the latest trendy movement of evangelicalism.

3. Not intentional enough. We think Sunday school or the regular programming dynamic of the local church will do the trick to transform lives.

4. We read the gospels for many reasons but not to find the methodology of Jesus for changing the world.

5. Hard to brag about discipleship in the statistics manual of district conference.

6. It is hard work.

7. We were not discipled therefore we don't have a clue what And meant by discipleship or how to do it.

8. American society is a time stealer, and discipleship, alas, takes time.

9.  In Acts, they made disciples.  The secret was the infilling of the Spirit.  Do we take the third person of the Trinity serious anymore?


Luther

"Beware!  God will not ask you at your death and at the Last  Day how much you have left in your will, whether you have given so and so much to churches...he will say to you, 'I was hungry, and you gave me no food; I was naked, and you did not clothe me' (Matt. 25:42-43).  Take these words to heart!  The important thing is whether you have given to your neighbor and treated him well."  (Luther's Works  45:286)

Who said anything about safe?

In his book The Will to Live On, Herman Wouk tells of a meeting he had with modern Israel's first president, David Ben-Gurion, and how Ben-Gurion urged him to move to the newly planted nation of Israel.

The president:  "You must return here to live," he said. "This is the only place for Jews like you. Here you will be free."

"Free?" I ventured to reply. "Free? With enemy armies ringing you, with their leaders publicly threatening to wipe out 'the Zionist entity,' with your roads impassable after sundown—free?"

"I did not say safe," the old man retorted, "I said free."     Citation: Gordon MacDonald, speaker and author; source: Herman Wouk, The Will to Live On, (Cliff Street Books, 2000)

Author Interview: Kara Powell, Sticky Faith

Kara Powell is the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute and a faculty member at Fuller Theological Seminary. She speaks regularly at youth ministry conferences and has authored a number of books,. She joined The Matt Friedeman Show to discuss her latest work, Sticky Faith. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of her interview.

One of the first things you say is that parents need to talk with their kids about their own faith.

According to some really good research , 40 to 50 percent of kids who graduate from good homes, good churches, and good youth groups leave the faith.

 What many of us tend to do is ask our kids questions about their faith. Depending on your kid's mood and personality, you might get an answer, and you might just get an eye-roll.

We need to keep asking those questions, but we also need to share about our own faith journeys, what God is doing in our lives.

Another thing you say is that some students believe in a "works" faith.

This is another really interesting finding. We asked these college juniors, who we studied over three years, what it meant to be a Christian.1/3 of these students didn't mention Jesus in their response. They listed behaviors, good behaviors, that they think a Christian should live up to. But when they fail to live up to those behaviors, they lose their faith

If you look at Paul's epistles, what's interesting is that the commands that God wants us to live out are generally at the end of Paul's epistles, after he has laid a solid theological basis of God's love. If we don't frame God's commands in His love, we end up with a "gospel of sin management."

Another thing we have to talk about with our teenagers is that Jesus is bigger than any mistake. What we would love to see is for high school and college students to know that when they mess up, the first place to turn is God, and the second place to turn is the Church.

Pastor's Circle - Sam Shaw

Sam Shaw is the pastor of the Memphis, TN Orchard Fellowship, which recently celebrated its first anniversary. He joined the Pastor's Circle to discuss the role forgiveness plays in families. Here are the "CliffsNotes" of his segment.

Why is forgiveness such an important topic?

I don't know anything that gets families stuck like this does.

All families have sin, sin causes pain, and pain requires forgiveness.

My four kids, my wife and I all lived together, which means you have six sinners all living under one roof.

I think there's a lot of confusion about what forgiveness is and what it is not.

It is not excusing sin, diminishing sin, denying sin.

Does overcommitment play a role in the breakdown of familial relationships?

That is absolutely part of the problem.

Sports are a major thing. If you have a kid playing sports, it's all the time.

At some point you have to decide not to let the tail wag the dog.

There really is a craziness. It's an overload, and the kids feel it. I think you have to decide what is important in your family.

It's about growing together and experiencing life together.

Pastor's Circle - Steve Blakemore

Steve Blakemore is the Professor of Philosophy at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, as well as the newly appointed pastor of Wesley Chapel. Here are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.
 
How should a pastor talk about politics from the pulpit?

I think the first thing we should keep in mind when we talk about politics is that Christians do not have an investment in either political party.

We have to speak in such a way that the people in the pews understand that the political process can be good or bad, but it's not ultimate.

I can get really wrought up about the direction of the country, but I have to remind myself that if I'm not careful I can sound like the Republican party is the ultimate hope for America.

That's the first thing that can keep us from being able to proclaim the Kingdom values in this.

How can a pastor keep his balance?

The first thing is this. We need to make sure that we do not spend time demonizing individuals.

We need to speak strongly against policies that are obviously immoral, like abortion or same-sex marriage. When a party is advocating those policies openly, we need to speak against it.

But when individuals endorse those policies, we cannot demonize those people and elevate others.

That seems to me to cross the line. We have to proclaim the truth, but always remember that Christ died for these people.

It's not easy.

It certainly is hard. I heard a bit of your devotional today, talking about how Jesus challenges us to do things that are hard.

I think that doesn't just involve going to the abortion clinic, or standing outside of the strip club.

It also involves the rigor of thinking compassionately without getting mushy about things that matter.

Jesus is the one who said to us, "Love your enemies." I don't think that command goes away.

What are we to make of the whole Ted Haggard situation?

I can't tell you how deeply, incredibly sad this makes me.

It's almost unbelievable how this kind of ministry can unravel in someone's life.

It seems to me, though, that if we ratchet it back a little bit, that every pastor may not have that big of a name, that big of a following, but every pastor has to be on guard against celebrity.

Even if it's just in your own church.

What are the antidotes to celebrity?

I think that something you talk about a lot is the first antidote.

You've got to have a group of men who will keep you accountable. Guys who are not impressed with you. Guys who will speak the truth to you.

The celebrity problem is more easily avoided if you have that kind of accountability.

The second thing is that pastors need to be out somewhere in the hard places of ministry. To be reminded again and again of the suffering that goes out in the world.

Evangelism/Discipleship Smackdown, i

The Problem
Edward Gibbon:  The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire...Gibbon's conclusions for the downfall of the Empire:

1)  The rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis of human society.

2) High and higher taxes and the spending of public monies for free bread and circuses for the populace.

3) The mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal.

4)  The building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy is within, the decadence of the people.

5)  The decay of religion - faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life and becoming impotent to warn and guide the people. 

and...

Arnold Toynbee's A Study of History...studied the life-span of twenty-one civilizations...those that failed to survive went through a cycle:

Slavery... faith in the divine... courage... emancipation and independence... prosperity... selfishness... apathy... dependence on the welfare state...slavery. 

So...Let the Church, Be the Church

"This is the original design of the church of Christ. It is a body of men compacted together in order, first, to save each his own soul, then to assist each other in working out their salvation, and afterwards, as far as in them lies, to save all men from present and future misery, to overturn the kingdom of Satan, and set up the kingdom of Christ. And this ought to be the continued care and endeavour of every member of his church. Otherwise he is not worthy to be called a member thereof, as he is not a living member of Christ."  (John Wesley, “The Reformation of Manners,” The Bicentennial Edition of the Works of John Wesley, (34 vols., Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1985), 2:302.)

A Price to Be Paid for This Nation...and any Nation

"China is not to be won for Christ by quiet, ease-loving men and women … The stamp of men and women we need is such as will put Jesus, China, [and] souls first and foremost in everything and at every time—even life itself must be secondary."  ("Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret"...here is a great Christian History piece on him.)

Beware

If you make disciples by sitting around and talking, don't be surprised if your disciples sit around and talk. 

Jesus called His disciples to Himself, and then moved.  He taught, and preached, but His instruction was in the context of movement to the least and lost, the untouchables of His culture.  If we make our disciples by doing anything less, then what we will get is disappointing disciples, families, small groups, churches.  Get moving.  Much is at stake.  (MF)

Charles Wesley's Hymn:  Lovers of Pleasure

‘Lovers of pleasure more than God,
For you He suffered pain;
Swearers, for you He spilt his blood;
And shall He bleed in vain?

Misers, for you his life He paid,
Your basest crime He bore:
Drunkards, your sins on Him were laid,
That you might sin no more.

The God of love, to earth He came,
That you might come to heaven;
Believe, believe in Jesus’ Name,
And all your sin’s forgiven.

Believe in Him that died for thee,
And, sure as He hath died,
Thy debt is paid, Thy soul is free,
And thou art justified.’

Pastor's Circle - Greg Surratt

Greg Surratt is the founding pastor of Seacoast Church, located in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. He joined the Pastor's Circle to discuss his newest book, Ir-rev-rend. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

Tell us about your book.

Ir-rev-rend refers to what a lot of people think about me. I'm real, raw, and probably different from what you would expect in a pastor.

It's a bunch of stories of real-life people that I've met, and how we met God.

Do you think we put on a "pretense"?

I definitely do. We try to put on an image to impress each other, and sometimes even to impress God.

Sometimes I think that's what stands between us and a real-life image of God to other people.

What kind of facade do we put on?

Sometimes we pretend like everything's perfect all the time. We get up in the mornings and say the wrong things.

I think with parents there's a huge pressure to produce the perfect child.We put pressure on them that God doesn't put on us.

How can we get real?

We do it in several ways. In the context of a large gathering, we try to be as real as we possibly can.

One thing I've discovered about this generation is they just want to be real.

In our church, the small group is definitely the core.

Is there a tension between going for excellence and being raw?

You've gotta be discerning with who you share the biggest flaws of your life with, which is why we have small groups in our church.

I believe God made us in His image. We do everything the best we can possibly do, but remember that the outcome doesn't depend on us, it depends on Him.

You talk about money in the book. Tell us about that.

You've got the balance between the concepts of generosity and prosperity.

I deal with that in the book. Jesus talks about money more than anything else.

There's a nerve that connects our heart to our wallet. Oftentimes our wallet is the last thing to get saved.

My dad's motto was always "Err on the side of generosity."

Out of all the areas, what's the one you deal with the most?

To me, it's probably discouragement. There are things that happen every day when the Enemy tries to get us off track and discouraged so God can't use us.

Ministry Spotlight - LUC Boys Ranch

Ken Ortman, Founder and Administrator of Lives Under Construction Boys Ranch, was a guest on The Matt Friedeman Show's Ministry Spotlight. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of the segment.

Tell us about your ministry.

We work with the tough kids who have been diagnosed with various disorders.

Frankly, I think oftentimes those disorders are used as excuses for holding them to a lower standard, both by parents and teachers and by the boys themselves.

They're put in our family atmosphere, and since we have a working ranch, the guys care for the animals. We teach them trades, which gives them a feeling of satisfaction after they master them.

Do the boys use the trades you teach them?

Two things happen. We work in the community a lot, mowing lawns and such. A lot of guys say to me that the last thing they'll ever do for a job is mowing lawns.

Invariably, in the first year after they leave our ranch, they end up getting a job mowing lawns.

The same thing happens with the trades. The guys have gone from here into trade schools knowing as much as their graduates do after the first year. They get to be used as tutors, which is just great for them.

What kind of families do they come from, and how do they get referred to you?

The families are generally solid families, who have tried the medication, the short-term programs, and the child just keeps on manipulating or bullying their way out.

We recognize that only God can change a heart. But they will generally not respect God's authority until they respect their earthly father's authority.

References come mostly from parents whose child has come through our program and had good results, and also from our website.

What's the most transforming thing you do?

They are accepted unconditionally. We are not going to kick them out, no matter what.

There's always some testing initially, to see if we'll stand by that, and then they settle in.

That develops the basis of them trusting us.

How long is a kid normally there?

The average is about 19 months. It takes about 6 months to get the bad habits out, and then about a year to get good habits in their place.

It changes for every boy, but that's the average.

Pastor's Circle - Rick Scarborough

 Dr. Rick Scarborough, Founder and President of Vision America, joined the Pastor's Circle today to discuss Ohio's "heartbeat bill" and the upcoming "Pulpit Freedom Sunday". Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview. 

Tell us about the "heartbeat bill" in Ohio?

It's a bill that has already passed through the house. Governor Kasich has already pledged to sign it.

If it passes through the senate and the state legislature, it will be the first bill of its kind in the country.

We believe this bill will be challenged; we believe it has the possibility of going all the way to the Supreme Court, and possibly overturning Roe v. Wade.

This bill will immediately save tens of thousands of babies lives the moment it's signed into law.

This is a chance to keep chipping away at this horrific crime.

Pulpit Freedom Sunday is coming up. What is it, and why is it important?

Alliance Defense Fund is encouraging pastors to preach a politically-themed message on the first Sunday of October.

Typically, historical preachers were better educated and had more opportunity to meet the candidates.

That's what Alliance Defense Fund is encouraging pastors to move toward again.

It is not only the right, but the responsibility of Christians to get involved in the political process.

Anything the Church pulls out of becomes corrupt. We are the Salt. We are the Light.

The whole theory that you can't mix church and politics is a lie.

Pastor's Circle - Gil McKee

Gil McKee, Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Tuscaloosa, joined the Pastor's Circle today to discuss discipleship. Here are the "CliffsNotes" of his segment.

Define discipleship for me.

The basic meaning of being a disciple is being a learner.

One of the things we're trying to learn right now is what the difference is between being a "Christian" and being a genuine follower of Christ.

That's something we're trying to work through.

What are the characteristics of a disciple?

We first of all talk about the attributes and characteristics of Jesus. We need to have the mind of Christ, the attitude of Christ, the behavior of Christ.

We're on a 9-week series right now about reading Scripture carefully. We're really learning how to dive into God's Word.

Last night  we were dealing with how to read the Bible through its proper historical context, cultural context, and  literary context. Those are things that the average Christian probably never addresses, but as you know, it's so important.

Tell me about the "attitude of Jesus."

When I think of the attitude of Jesus, I immediately go to the Fruit of the Spirit. I think Jesus fleshed out in human daily life what we're supposed to be.

I don't think the problem for us is not that we don't know what we're supposed to be, I think the problem is allowing the Spirit to work in our lives. It's a daily challenge, and a daily submission to Him.

What about the "behavior of Jesus"?

I guess we could begin with our habits. What are we doing in our daily life that is drawing us closer to Him?

And an even bigger question than that, to my mind, is what comes out of that? What is that producing in my life?

One of the things we have to do is to ask ourselves is whether this is what Jesus would do.

If it matches with the life of Christ as seen in Scripture, then so be it. If not, then it's our job to allow ourselves to be conformed.