Support Education. Support your Local Library.

Live in Ohio? campbelllibrary

Care about books?

About education?

Why not exert a little energy to save your local library.

Below is an email alert I recently received:

ACT NOW to SAVE OUR LIBRARIES

Governor Strickland proposes to fill Ohio’s $3.2 billion shortfall in the
state budget by eliminating $200+ million from the Public Library Fund over the next two years.  His proposal will have a drastic impact on all 251 public
libraries in Ohio and on Columbus Metropolitan Library in particular.

 This proposal by the Governor cuts library funding by 50% beginning July 1,
2009.

 We only have days to have an impact.

1. Today, contact your legislators.  We’ve made it easy to do.  Go to: http://columbuslibrary.org.

2. Call Governor Strickland’s office at 614-466-3555.

 The Governor’s proposed funding cuts come at a time when Ohio’s public
libraries are experiencing unprecedented increases in demands for services. In
every community throughout the state, Ohioans are turning to their public
library for free job help, children and teens are beginning summer reading
programs and people of all ages are turning to the library for information and
assistance during this economic downturn. That is no truer than here at CML.
We cannot allow these cuts to succeed, cuts which will drastically reduce
services and access.

Act now.

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It’s true -there’s more than corn in Indiana

The amazing people at BMH just published an inspiring article which I icdi_africa_shophad to re-post.

Enjoy and more importantly, stop in and spend some cash. Christmas will be here before you know it. And these gifts will help sustain impoverished people:

This shop, on Pierceton Road in Winona Lake, Indiana, just west of county road 250E, is the newest place to find authentic central African arts, crafts and rare artifacts for sale. All proceeds go to the benefit of micro-enterprise community development projects in the Central African Republic.

Many different types of items make up the display and icdi_africa_shop_interiorinventory. Each item represents a viable business trade in central Africa and each artisan is able to generate a ‘fair trade’ income from the sale of these items.

The shop has opened to help Integrated Community Development International (ICDI), a non-denominational, non-governmental, and non-profit faith-based organization presently working in the Central African Republic and other surrounding countries. Its vision statement is to“Empower Central Africans to give hope to the poor in Jesus’ name”

ICDI focuses on developing local leadership and empowering local communities to overcome difficult problems on their own. Drilling wells, providing for orphans, AIDS/HIV awareness and prevention, shortwave radio community development broadcasting, agricultural development, and microenterprise development are the primary areas of focus for ICDI.

More information is available at http://www.icdinternational.org

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Exploring the Emergent Church

I’ve been invited back to my place of origin (where beer and cheese flow freely – {that would be Wisconsin} and I’m not a fan of either {beer and cheese that is}).

I’ll be presenting a free one day seminar called ALTERNATIVE TO EMERGENT. New Tribe Bible Institute is sponsoring this event for their student body and they’re making the event available to anyone who adam1wants to come.

I sat down with my host Adam Demark, (the rep who invited me), in order to learn more about New Tribes and their rationale behind the event.

  1. What is your role NTBI? I am involved in student discipleship, teach Bible classes, and function as the school registrar.   My wife Jena and I and our three kids have ministered with New Tribes Mission since 1997.
  2. NTBI trains students to minister in other cultures. Why did you want your students to be educated about the pros and cons of the emergent church? New Tribes Mission specializes in communicating the gospel in a way that is relevant to the people group that we are targeting.  Being relevant in that context and within that culture is the key to effectively communicating God’s Word.   We want to communicate in the “heart language” of the people.   As I have observed our students in their own culture, I feel that many are possibly missing the balance of relevance and truth.   One of the cries of the emergent movement is the cry for relevance.  People are searching for what is relevant in their lives.  The answer is Jesus Christ, and I want our students to understand that there are positive aspects to this movement as well as some aspects to be cautious about.
  3. Why is it the “right time” for this one-day event – alternative to emergent? The rejection of absolute truth in a postmodern worldview has overflowed into the church.  Jude exhorts us to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”  It is important that we understand the times that we live in.  It is the believer’s responsibility to “walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”   The time is now before we lose an entire generation to irrelevance. 

More about this special FREE one day event =

April 23, 2009 – Alternative to Emergent:

Navigating the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Movement

 

9:00 – 9:15 am:  Worship

9:15 – 10:30 am:   Session 1

Navigating the Conversation: A Brief History Concerning What & Why
This session introduces vocabulary, origins, and motivations for the movement.

11:00 – 12:15 pm:  Session 2

Unintentional Atheists: 4 Reasons why you’re Probably an Atheist without even Knowing it & what to do About it
This session demonstrates the strengths of the movement which return us to a biblical, methodological, embodiment of the Gospel.

6:00 – 6:30 pm:   NTBI Campus Tour

6:30 – 6:45 pm:  NTBI DVD

6:45 – 7:15 pm:   Session 3

The Fine Line: Alternative to Emergent
This session presents the Third Way – a balanced and bold approach of integrating Christ with Culture.  

7:30 – 8:00 pm:   Session 4

A Faith of Substance: Clarification and Commitment to Orthodoxy
This session presents a confident affirmation of Truth and the doctrines not up for negotiation.

 

* Please join us for dessert and coffee in the NTBI Dining Hall following last session

For more information about this special event, please contact me at adam_demark@ntm.org.  More details to follow.   Visit us online at www.ntbi.org 

The event is free to the public. Seating is limited. Relevant resources will be available for purchase onsite.

 

New Tribes Bible Institute

915 N. Harwell Ave.

Waukesha, WI 53186

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Unfashionable is IN

Who hasn’t endorsed this new book by Billy Graham’s grandson? Here’s just one of them:

Tullian Tchividjian, one of today’s brightest young Christian leaders, makes a refreshing call for unfashionable_cover300dpi5x7orthodoxy. He does not apologize for the Gospel; he wears it like a red badge of courage. Read this book to recover the faith once for all delivered to the saints in fresh, courageous terms.
– Chuck Colson, Founder of Prison Fellowship and author of The Faith

I feel blessed to have received an advance copy  of Unfashionable.In the early chapters, I’ve been impressed with the blend of scholarship, vulnerability, and cultural  savvyness  in which this book is written. I believe Tullian’s message harmonizes well with where The Fine Line ends. No wonder Amazon pairs our books together. I encourage you to pick up this new work which gives ample rationale as to why Christ followers need to be different in the world in which they live.

Official Release date: April 21, 2009
Unfashionable—Making a Difference in the World by Being Different2008_tullian_head_shot6x8300dpi2
By Tullian Tchividjian
Publisher: Multnomah Books, a division of Random House Inc.
ISBN-13: 978-1-60142-085-5
SIZE: 5 x 8
PAGES: 224, Hardcover
PRICE: $17.99 US/ $19.99 CAN

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5 Questions with Gabe Taviano – A Leadership Profile

Ministry-minded.gabetaviano

Servant-heart.

We push these cliches around in the church world without even defining them. Because of this tendency, I vowed to refrain from ever using them. JUNK. I just did though. You see, Gabe Tavino is both of them…minus the cliches. And I’m going to define these words so you understand Gabe a little better.

Ministry minded = His life flows out of his relationship with Christ. He doesn’t compartmentalize his faith. Servant’s heart = He’s not in it for the applause. He puts others first regardless of the perks.

Keep reading in order to learn more about Gabe,  God’s Mac and his famous author wife Marla. Here’s the interview:

  1. How did you get from there to here? I was blessed to be the first individual in my father’s family to achieve a college degree. That degree led our family through 11 moves (all in Ohio) and some nice corporate jobs. God showed me that making lots of money doesn’t bring satisfaction to life. I’ve personally come to an understanding that retirement is an American dream, but doesn’t have to be the finishing point for our efforts. Glorifying God should be our primary goal in everything. I’m thrilled to work from home now, assisting ministries with websites and graphic design, and being content with paying the bills and serving the clients God has given me.
  2. What’s the Big Idea behind Digital Disciples? I work with lots of ministries around digitaldigital12009marchthe world, utilizing technology to make the church go round. I sometimes feel like a hamster, spinning web magic as I speed the wheel faster and faster. We’re not called to DO. We’re called to BE. And the first thing we need to BE is a disciple of Christ. With as much excitement and anticipation that I’ve had in years, I have started forming a group of individuals in Columbus, OH. We focus on sharpening our talents with creativity and technology, and are offering that training for free to the public. Each session is concluded with a Bible study and time of prayer, with the goal of reaching our local community for Christ. I’m now eager to help start other groups in locations around the world.
  3. What is God’s Mac and how has it connected you to unbelievers? God’s Mac is a podcast that consists of three segments in each episode. Technology review, an interview godsmac100_regularwith a special guest, and concluding with discussing how God wants us to use technology. It started in August of 2006, and there are over 50 episodes now available online. I’ve been blessed with an awesome friend and co-host in Lee Love, and am happy with how it has encouraged the faith community. We’ve interacted with secular listeners and guests, even a few atheists. It’s my prayer that people see God through our discussions, but I’m more focused now on Digital Disciples and taking technology offline with personal interaction.
  4. What are some God-sized dreams He’s placed in your heart that you have yet to see accomplished?This year God has started letting some dreams start to come true! I have a big desire to challenge the church to stop focusing on becoming like the world through our media and entertainment pursuits. Sure, we have to be great at what we do, but there is a shift back to service and discipleship that needs to take place. The church needs to once again leave the building, and as much as it hurts to say it, leave the internet and truly be social again. I am now speaking across the country about this, and am working on a book that I pray will hit the nail on the head. God is shaking the introvert out of me, that’s for sure!
  5. In the circles you run in, what does it mean to be in the world and not of it…to integrate Christ AND culture?  I was once told by a friend that God couldn’t use the internet to reach people. Partially true, but mostly false. There is a shift going on where the church believes that it can do the work of the Lord virtually. I am sure the Spirit can move online as well as offline (I’ve witnessed it). But I’ve seen myself and so many other Christians get hooked with the online world, even becoming blind to the fact that God also wants them to have a life away from the desk. It’s time to physically wake up and not cop out of being bold for the Lord in our communities!

As I sign off, I wonder one thing about you…how have you integrated technology and evangelism. I’d like to know. Shoot me a comment below.

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New Study Shows Greater Ambivalence to Christianity

An excerpt from my article in Charisma last week:

Although twice as many Americans say they have no faith compared to 1990 there’s a new hope on the charismahorizon.

Are Americans becoming disillusioned by religion?

According to a new study, detailed in the new American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), released last week, traditional religion is playing less of a role in American life. More people are opting for non-religious weddings and funerals (30 and 27 percent respectively).

In just 18 years, the swing is significant, revealing that despite nearly 50 million adults added to the U.S. population by growth and immigration, almost all religious denominations have lost ground since the first ARIS survey in 1990.

Read more.

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