ŷ������

Study the instructions beforehand, know the synopsis you’ll follow for your own composition, and determine how you’re going to split up your own period. You merely need to say compose my article, and we are going to take your purchase and begin working on it instantly and in compliance with the directions and necessary. It’s not all that difficult since all you should impact would be to put your purchase and let’s just take good care of the essay writing process. It may appear tedious but this is the way the training works! There is a multitude of types of essays, therefore it becomes complicated for the pupils to determine the sort of text to be composed. After you’ve composed your encouraging suggestions and details, get back and think about if you need to write a simple introductory paragraph. Writing a perfect essay may appear difficult. Note that what constitutes a brilliant introduction may change founded on the type of paper you’re creating and the academic discipline in which you’re writing it. There is a multitude of advantages to utilizing composition samples. Since you can find many on-line article authors supplying samples of essays, you’ve got to be quite cautious with your alternative You could start by submitting your essay instructions through our user-friendly order form.

Research you have to additionally summarize properly about target market or your customers.

It is possible for You to write your article by utilizing the trial for a guide. Below you will detect some recommendations on the best means to write the best article in a short time period. Sometimes, your teacher might have the ability to supply you with some nicely written trials. Finally, though, remember that excellent creating doesn’t occur accidentally. Among the most frequent mistakes in college paper writing is always to assume the audience already knows the answer and, therefore, it really is enough should you simply touch at your own factors. You should modify your document to be sure the introduction, all the signs, and also the conclusion reflect the argument you mean. Some folks discover they have to compose some type of opening to be able to find the writing process began. The essay demands a placement on the matter and could offer an essential framework for discourse.

Login, visit: �� admin�� .

It reveals little or no comprehension of the undertaking. The composition demands a position on the matter but doesn’t supply a framework for discourse. It takes a position on the problem and could offer some context for discussion. All of your article is a remedy to the issue, along with your introduction is the initial stage toward that end. Your introduction is an essential roadmap for the remainder of your own document. First, create your theme along with the webpage. Restate human anatomy section dissertation within the context of thesis for a entire.

Afterall, not and you intend to be reasonable maple absent for a commitment that may never occur.

On the site it is going to assist one to write my papers problem in an concern of hrs. Your immediate reply to the assigned question is going to be your dissertation, along with your thesis may probably be included in your intro, therefore it is recommended to utilize the query as a jumping off point. When you are assigned a paper, the 1st action you will need to perform is decide this problem of the occupation. If you’re uncertain which type of introduction may be anticipated, request your instructor.

Secondly, writing essays is a recognised way to be a self-disciplined individual It really is a helpful strategy for your article done in very little moment in the slightest. Secondly, be sure you realize what you’re requested to do in your essay. Composing a fantastic composition needs an in depth study and a comprehensive knowledge of the topic. It requires a foresight and a superb command over vocabulary. The very first and most fundamental part of composing a terrific history essay is always to recognize the query. Simply II, you’re going to publish on a theme given to you. Firstly, you need to consider the topic in the duty. A Dissertation matter can be associated with any study region of your professors. You might have to practice this kind of article writing in an effort to master it.

It’s often recommended to start with inquiries you can certainly do easily.

There exists a variety of types of authorship. It’s quite a versatile sort of writing, but you will find a couple of general principles which you have to stay with. It’s feasible to locate lots of these pros on the world wide web, and you could easily get your appointments generated through them. Use business attireeven in case you are interviewing online. If you operate a haphazard search online, your research results comprise countless sites through which it is possible to put your order. The website provides you a topic where you have to begin composing your essay. There are various sites from where you’re able to get Dissertation help. Simply writing away the info is a good process to recall facts.

Utilize transitional phrases or phrases as required.

Our sources will give you the knowledge to prepare yourself for assessments, evaluations. Homework writing is a significant portion of a college curriculum. Every author wants a blog. Unique writers have the inclination concentrate on various places with this discipline. You might write the writers of the best papers are going to be able to use English to compose applications, and you may be good standards to enter the appropriate paper work. Get the most appropriate publications and preparation material while analyzing all on your own, you should get the most suitable books that will have the capacity to enable you to get ready for the challenging KITTY Exam. Composition writing becomes a fearing responsibility you must take. Pupils send the incorrect article. In actuality, they think about the digital classes towns where learning occurs.

Other harmful computer infections and also infections could be effecting your ability.

It may appear apparent to a number of the students, but tons of folks consider it is only unexpected writing. Pupils forget to submit the supplement. They utilize the wrong school address labels. Each pupil that must see the supplementary education from primary level must pass this check. Students may get many edges by utilizing such on-line support. This way, they get a fair proficiency test score using this assessment. The pupil will be provided a common daily lifestyle matter and he’ll be requested to create confirmed quantity of words with this matter. Pupils utilize the internet application but do not obtain info away of their high school consultant. With our help they could keep forward in the class of adversaries.

As you age, you might be absorbing less of it.

Now, various pupils embrace various processes of preparation. Many pupils do not achieve their grade since they don’t grasp the question and terminology employed.

[image error]

Whether you’re a��young church planter walking by faith, or a mature pastor experiencing the blessing��of God’s favor—wherever you are��on the spectrum of pastoral ministry, I hope these insights will��help you bear more fruit for His kingdom.

Take a few minutes to listen��in on my parting conversations with four men from��our —all gifted and growing pastors from last December’s��graduating class.

WORSHIP:��The relationship between worship and preaching��| Kareem Smith, planting in Cleveland, OH

CHURCH PLANTING: Dynamics of Harvest Bible Fellowship with planted churches�� | Aaron Walp, serving at Harvest Pittsburgh, PA

DISCIPLESHIP: Role of the Senior Pastor in biblical counseling��| Chris Crowe, planting in Reading, PA

CULTURE: Things that provoke God to show up in His church��| Omar Soto, pastoring at Harvest Mexico City, Mexico

Find other Church Planting Pastor Q&As .

If you or someone you know would like to be part of a core group in any of these locations, contact Harvest Bible Fellowship for more info.

From elevating the importance of prayer, to ‘pounding one nail’—here are four more ministry tips for church planting pastors. Watch these clips with a few of our most recent graduates, who are planting or serving at in North America and around the world.

If you or someone you know would like to be part of a core group in any of these locations, contact Harvest Bible Fellowship for more info.

CULTURE: Practical ways to elevate the importance of prayer | Dave Jacobson, planting in Madison, WI

LEADERSHIP: The value of telling ‘God-stories�� | Joe Cotroneo, serving at Harvest Bible Fellowship

PREACHING: Pound one nail in preaching | Johnny Periera, pastoring at Harvest Winston-Salem, NC

CHURCH PLANTING: Leveraging media ministry toward church planting | Miché Paul, planting in St. Vincent Island

Find other Church Planting Pastor Q&As .

“And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.�� 2 Timothy 2:2

Planting ‘church-planting churches�� is our most important next generation work. This past fall, I and other pastors in had the privilege and opportunity to train a class of 40 pastors from around the world, preparing them to plant, or in a few instances replant, Christ-exalting Harvest churches over the next year.

Planting ‘church-planting churches�� is our most important next generation work.

A few weeks ago, on their final day in our , I had some time with nearly all of these pastors to answer a question about a ministry matter that had resonated with them during their training here. In the hope that these brief conversations will be of benefit to you also, we’ll post the resulting Q&A clips several at a time over the next few months.

If you or someone you know would like to be part of a core group in any of these planting locations, contact [email protected] for more info.

DISCIPLESHIP: “There is much confusion about ‘discipleship.�� What is a mature disciple?�� John Fieck, planting in Odgen, Utah, fall of 2017

x

WORSHIP: “Is it the business of the Senior Pastor to be involved in the planning of high-impact services, or should that be left to the worship team?�� Arllen Ade, serving in biblical counseling at a Harvest in Toronto, Canada

x

PREACHING: “What are the elements of a high-impact service?�� Stuart Swicegood, planting in Morristown, New Jersey, fall of 2017

x

LEADERSHIP: “In leadership, we want to communicate a compelling state of affairs in a way that engenders followership. What is it that makes a ‘state of affairs�� compelling?�� Phil Eastman, serving at Harvest North Phoenix

x

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.��1 Timothy 2:1-2

What a great Scripture to put into practice, especially��following the election results of last week.��Like most Bible-believing Christians, I can think of many biblical convictions that I wish our President-elect had, and about which we must fervently pray. But today I think I will focus on obedience to the above Scripture and cultivate the kind of thankfulness that leads to a quiet, peaceable life.

Maybe God is calling you to pray, to really intercede—to kneel down and pray for��our President-elect, the selection of his Cabinet, and our Congress; to pray for��your country, because it has great needs.

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.��Romans 13:1

Remember where power ultimately comes from—seek the Lord for His will, our families & our country.

That’s good to know, isn’t it?��Our President-elect needs our prayers—for strength to maintain the convictions he holds which are in keeping with God’s will for our nation, for the wisdom to realize where his beliefs are not according to God’s plan, and for the courage to change. May he—and might we all—remember where power ultimately comes from, and seek the Lord daily for His will and everything we need, for our families, and for our country.

I wrote those words 8 years ago this week, in regard to the first election of President Obama—and it is as true today as it was then. Parties come and parties go. Some people are thrilled with the outcome of the election and some are distraught. But we are to be above all of that, because kings and rulers are nothing except as they submit themselves to the sovereign hand of Almighty God.

Whether you believe God has appointed the current outcomes to judge our country or to bless our country, does not matter that much in the end. We are called to pray and to keep our focus on the Lord.

We prayed this together as a church this weekend, and I invite you to make it your own.

x

Father, we come before You because we acknowledge that the needs of our country are very great. We love You, we love our families, we love this nation—and we realize that among the peoples on the face of this earth, we are greatly blessed to be Americans.

Yet, we wouldn’t be entirely transparent if we didn’t say what You already know. Much that has happened in these many months has grieved us and caused us uncertainty. There are those who are absolutely elated at the election results—and I pray that You would protect their hearts from an undue pride or confidence in men who always disappoint, when our confidence is to be placed in You.

And there are others who are deeply grieved by this election and believe that a different outcome was the only hope for our country. I pray You would grant to them a sense of humility, that You are so much bigger than our perceptions and our thoughts of how things should be.

Whether you believe God is judging our country or blessing it, we are called to pray & focus on Him.

How glad we are and how glorious it is to worship a sovereign God who is in control of everything. Your Word says that promotion does not come from the east or the west—that You are the judge who sets up one and puts down another (Psalm 75:6-7). As I said eight years ago, we say again: Your will has been done. Now we await the unfolding of Your purposes. Sometimes You appoint rulers to bring judgement; sometimes You appoint rulers to bring change; but always You are the Rock upon which we stand.

Forgive us, God, for the ways we have placed our hope in anything other than You. Forgive us for the times we should have been that rock to others, but instead we have been a source of anxiety as we vented our own fears and frustrations. Forgive us for when we should have been leading and expressing faith, but in expressing our doubt and dismay, we may have caused others to wonder whether You are a God in whom we can trust. And You most assuredly are.

Make our faith stronger. Make our focus greater. We look to no man, but we do pray for our President-elect. We pray for a peaceful transition of power to take place, for the team to be built, for the decisions to be made. We pray for those who have the ear of our President-elect, and that those who know You personally will not fear to speak what is true and what represents Your Word and Your heart.

Whatever turn is next in the road, or the turn after that, or the turn after that—we pray that our faith would be stronger for what we have seen and endured. We pray that our tethering to You would be closer, so that our hearts would not wander and our faith would not grow dim.

Let us love and give and serve and trust and spend ourselves for what really matters. Let us remain prayerful, grateful, and hopeful because of the promises You have given us. We consecrate ourselves, our church, our families, our country, and our future, again, to You . . . in Jesus�� name, amen.

As a recovering addict of overstatement, I want to be careful in the words I choose to warn fellow ministers about the danger of reductionism in our preaching and teaching. Dictionary.com defines reductionism as: “The practice of simplifying a complex idea, issue, condition, or the like, especially to the point of minimizing, obscuring, or distorting it.�� Few things discourage young Christians, or those considering the faith, more than an over simplification of the many complex issues current residents of this planet are grappling with.

Can You Emphasize a Theme Too Much?

Reductionism is where you make a main thing into the only thing or make a partial thing the whole thing. To be sure, effective preaching does not demand we untie every knot of human depravity, and main gospel themes should always punctuate biblical sermons. However, at��the end of a difficult message on an important subject, we don’t assist the Holy Spirit in applying the Word by jumping to the conclusion: “It all comes down to the cross.�� Yes, the cross—yes, the cross lifted and central, and God forbid that I should glory in anything other than the cross. And yes, Jesus Christ crucified and risen at the center of our faith and every sermon. YES! Those are sentences that affirm the gospel as the main truth about Christianity.

We do not advance cross centrality by reducing the main thing to the only thing.

However, we do not advance cross centrality by reducing the main thing to the only thing. The cross is not the only message in the Bible, and it is therefore not the only thing God wants us to preach. Roles in marriage, instruction on conflict resolution, patterns of behavior that God affirms or condemns, the importance of grief in loss, the reality of emotional cycles, the importance of selfless service to a King and a kingdom, and why that matters, are just a few of the many biblical messages that cannot be neglected. Asking the cross to epitomize and carry the application for all biblical content makes the cross smaller not larger,��because that degree of emphasis is not actually biblical—it’s reductionism! We are guilty of reductionism when we force main biblical themes onto all subjects or preach only a preferred portion of God’s Word on a complex subject.

We’ve All Made This Mistake

Let’s say you have been teaching on marriage and a particular couple who really needs help sees you pull up from your sermon on roles in marriage by ending with: “It all comes down to the cross.�� Really? The guy who’s cheating on his wife, because she has been defrauding him sexually for years, because he’s verbally abusive, because she’s unappreciative, because he got her pregnant and she feels immense regret and unresolved guilt, because he won’t discuss it meaningfully or go for counseling as she frequently pleads, because she embarrassed and shamed him in front of the last counselor, because he was lying to the counselor and saying things were much better than they actually were, because . . . “It all comes down to the cross��? Really?

Why Is Reductionism Such a Hard Problem to Correct?

Why then are we frequently guilty of reductionism in many forms? As pastors, in our efforts to persuade we easily lose sight of the ‘reasonable man�� and what he knows about the totality of God’s Word. When we’re not careful, we slip into arguments that inflame the passions of those who are less familiar with the Bible but never seem to tire of punchy, overly-simplistic sermon conclusions. The biblically reductionistic sermon arouses passion in the false clarity achieved by over simplification, but runs the risk��‘private interpretation�� (2 Peter 1:20) by ignoring the many passages of scripture that contradict the reductionistic simplification.

Money: A Common Example of Reductionism in Preaching.

Few subjects are as consistently distorted by reductionism on all sides as preaching on money. If your text is Ecclesiastes 10:19 by itself, you can preach money as the ‘answer to all things.�� Add in a couple of verses like Proverbs 10:22,��“The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.�� Next, make a couple of biblical terms like “favor�� and “blessing�� synonymous with money (which they are not) and blammo! Before you know it, you are falling fast into a prosperity theology (a fairly obvious error) that promises things God doesn’t, fails to reckon with the serious biblical warnings about materialism, and pushes your people into “many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction�� (1 Timothy 6:9). Prosperity theology may be fertilized and grown��by the sin of materialism, but it germinates��in the soil of reductionistic preaching to people who don’t know their Bibles.

More subtle, because it is not equally dangerous, is the increasingly common ‘poverty theology sermon.�� Here the pastor is not typically looking at an urban-poor church that seeks biblical insight on financial freedom. In poverty preaching the pastor is more frequently standing before a suburban congregation that is already sinking in the morass of materialism. Further, because the most common New Testament teaching on money is to warn of its danger, the pastor is on solid ground, provided he doesn’t stay there exclusively and never preach anything else about money.

A single message or even a series on “Jesus is our treasure, give it all away, love of money is evil, run for the hills�� is no doubt needed to get the attention of hardened hearts. However, an exclusive diet of this message��paints the biblical portrait of money with a single color—when the palette available scripturally is a kaleidoscope. It��overlooks the New Testament teaching on stewardship (1 Corinthians 4:2), shrewdness (Luke 16:8), providing for your own (1 Timothy 5:8), and our Master Jesus�� insistence that He get a return on His investment (Matthew 25:14-30). Poverty theology may be fertilized and grown��by the sin of fear, but it germinates��in the soil of reductionistic preaching to people who are apparently not aware that a much fuller view of money flows from the pages of God’s revelation on the subject.

Don’t Over Correct

Now don’t get all fired up and run in the opposite direction. It would be reductionistic of me not to add that the opposite error is equivocation, where we can’t stand firmly on any truth without running to the other side of every subject. To be sure, equivocation can be as damaging to a message as reductionism. Pastors who circle endlessly, gathering up perceived objections and interpretive options, are damaging the power of simple proclamation. Concern that people will misunderstand because I didn’t tie up every lose end damages the impact in preaching by limiting��clarity. So let’s not over correct and run to obfuscation as our new wrap up this weekend, okay?

Let’s just be careful about reductionism. Praise God for the main things—the gospel, the cross, Christ as Lord—but remember those are not the only things in the Bible. Reductionism may make you popular, but it won’t make you faithful. Let’s preach every passage just as it is written, without equivocation. But let’s be sure over time we are preaching the whole counsel of God, not indoctrinating our people into little sectarian backwaters that favor our preferred emphasis.��We can do better than that for our people and for the Lord, and we must.

2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.��

I am not a politician or a pundit. I am a preacher and a pastor, so I am praying for revival in America—and God can do it through any economic policy, any configuration of the Supreme Court, and any person in the White house, if they and we all repent. That is my faith counsel for Mr. Trump and for myself, for my congregation and constituency, and for our nation.

Integrity of the Faith Council

I wrote to describe the way the Faith Council formed and how the dedicated Trump campaign staffers seemed, at times, caught between two agendas.

It’s sinful to assert we know motives—but we can form conclusions based upon words and actions.

I did not mean to suggest or infer that the Council members themselves were ‘brokering influence��; rather, that the campaign staff seemed to struggle to stay on seeking our counsel to help Mr. Trump, which we agreed to do, and away from rallying our influence to elect Mr. Trump, which we did not agree to do. Frankly, that is why I was bothered this summer by the frequent online assertions that members of Donald Trump’s Faith Council were enamored with the association and proximity to power. The actual conversations have been prayerful and truthful, without any apparent concern beyond faithfulness to the task of giving ‘faith counsel�� to Mr. Trump as requested. It is always sinful to assert we��know the motives of others. What we can do is form conclusions based upon words and actions, for “out of the heart the mouth speaks�� (Luke 6:45).

Something Changed

My only point of divergence from the Faith Council due to conscience came following last Friday’s revelation of Mr. Trump’s reprehensible 11-year-old recording, which is now familiar to all but cave dwellers. Over the weekend, I wrote to various members of the Faith Council and Trump campaign staff, expressing my view that Mr. Trump’s Friday night video “confession�� was quite far from genuine repentance. My use of terms like ‘worthless�� (1 Samuel 2:12) and ‘lecherous�� (which is similar to the biblical term licentious) was in reference to the content of the recording we were all hearing—not descriptive of Mr. Trump today, if in fact he has changed in a way the words of his confession did not convey. Further, it seemed possible that those Mr. Trump did consult might have muddied his intent, or that he simply failed to convey what was in his heart, something I know I have done under great pressure on several occasions. The strong consensus from members of the Faith Council, able to get on Sunday’s quick call, was that Mr. Trump’s words fell short, needing to come further in expressing why and how he has actually changed. Even CNN’s Anderson Cooper during Sunday’s debate, clearly no fan of Mr. Trump, drilled deeper on the actual content of the recording. Sadly that effort deteriorated into debate over what Mr. Trump had or hadn’t actually said/meant and the opportunity for clearer ownership of his failure and its implications was lost.

My Expertise is Clearly Not Politics

I don’t know much about the economy, and I certainly don’t claim the wisdom to govern or assist whomever wins this election. But I have studied, and learned through great travail, the nature of true repentance and the evidence that always accompanies this condition of heart and mind. Jesus exhorted those who heard him to����bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance����(Luke 3:8), and late in life Paul, before King Agrippa, summarized the message of his missionary efforts with the words “repent and turn to God performing deeds in keeping with repentance�� (Acts 26:20). But what are these fruits, or deeds that accompany repentance? Answering that question has been the subject of my doctoral thesis, the central theme of my own spiritual journey, and a focal point of my preaching and writing both locally and around the world.

Isn’t Donald Repentant Enough?

The reason evidence of full repentance matters so much is that if Mr. Trump is not entirely��repentant for the content of that recording, he cannot have��changed. And if Mr. Trump has not truly changed (because that is what repentance actually is: change), then we do not have a rational reason to anticipate different behavior in the future. And we have lost the ‘better of the two’��argument that brought so much evangelical support to Mr. Trump in the first place. Of course, it is possible that in his confession he merely misspoke or failed to get his true heart across, as we have all done. But if Mr. Trump is satisfied with what he offered in terms of regret, it is unlikely he has changed and, sadly, we can only expect similar behavior in the future. Drawing his attention to this is not an abandonment of my role as a faith counselor but an effort to fulfill it, regardless of how it is viewed.

Repentance is Learned by Doing

Economists are familiar with matters related to the Federal Reserve. Issues of constitutional law are obvious to those who sit on the nation’s highest courts. What is easily discernible to a forgiven sinner and lifetime minister to others needing the same, is the difference between a contrived admission under pressure and a genuine expression of contrition that alters that person’s��future. What Mr. Trump appears to have given, at least so far, is the former and I cannot not see the latter simply because I wish it to be so. To be more specific, the deficiency in Mr. Trump’s confession thus far centers around:

Calling the recording of his words and reported actions “locker room talk,�� versus actual immoral, deplorable, and in one case, criminal behavior.
Attempting to avoid responsibility for his failure by shifting our focus to the sin of others, i.e. Bill Clinton, the media, etc.
Failing to specifically name and seek forgiveness from the people directly injured by his actions, i.e. women he groped, pressured to have sex, or otherwise objectified.

First Things First

I have served in public ministry for more than 30 years, and I would have to deny my Lord and my calling to certify Mr. Trump as repentant, based on what he has told us. I am too personally acquainted with the need for repentance (due to relational and other leadership failures in my life) to withhold from Mr. Trump the grace he could experience if he did some deeper and less defensive reflection.

What if Mr. Trump’s former view of women isn’t former?

I do not condemn Mr. Trump and I repudiate those who twist my words into ammunition to harm him. Foolish assertions by well meaning people that I want to ‘stone him,�� or that I am failing to offer forgiveness is simply nonsense. I have nothing to forgive Mr. Trump for, as he has not wronged me. I am not judging his motives or unseen heart, I am exposing his deficient confession as evidence that his former deviant view of women might not be former. I am saying so with the same sadness a medical doctor feels as he reports terminal test results. I am not seeking a platform or to be known beyond those I am blessed to minister to already.��I do not think my opinions matter more than others, even turning down kind interview requests from folks at Fox, CNN, and MSNBC, because I don’t want to take advantage of a role given to me by the Trump campaign.��I do not believe Mr. Trump is worse than Hillary Clinton (who is less than believable as some modern��Joan of Arc). I am not abandoning my role on the Faith Council; with these words I am seeking to fulfill it. If Faith Council members find my insistence unhelpful or uncharitable, I will gladly resign this little bit of influence to their greater combined wisdom.

The True “High Road��

Imagine the result if Mr. Trump actually had a ‘change of mind’—the literal meaning of repentance. Imagine if tomorrow or in the next debate he owned his behavior by saying, “I was wrong, I have no one to blame but myself, anything that anyone did does not justify my own failure, I have no excuse, I am sorry.�� Imagine if that line of thinking extended to every regrettable pettiness he has pursued at the expense of his own electability. Just think for a moment, if Mr. Trump showed true humility and contrition, converting once and for all to the high road of what only God can make great.

What if instead of calling for Donald or Hillary to repent, we repented?

Imagine if Mr. Trump abandoned all the finger pointing and blame shifting and truth twisting��that has flowed like a river from all directions in this election cycle. Imagine if all of us descended from our various perches of imagined superiority and self righteousness and joined Mr. Trump in that repentance, as a people who have spoken and acted impulsively and foolishly both in the wrong we have done and in the good we have selfishly left undone. Imagine if a true majority stepped forward in repentance as the fallen people we are and embraced collectively the many failures and follies that have brought us to the sad state we saw as Sunday night’s debate began . . . ��That would be a true repentance that God Himself could bless. That would be a real and sustainable path to making America great again. Only God made America great in the first place and only God can make America great again. Even now the windows of heaven are bursting with the grace and mercy God would shower upon America if we would stand without fear for life and liberty as a repentant people under God. I am praying for revival in America, and God can do it through any economic policy, any configuration of the Supreme Court, and any person in the White house, if they and we all repent.��That is my faith counsel for Mr. Trump and for myself, for my congregation and constituency, and for our nation.��Lord, send a revival, and start with me. �� ��

2 Chronicles 7:14 “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.��

Did You See the Presidential Debate?

I watched the debate last night, every single word—did you? Beyond what was said,��I was tuned in to the format, the non-verbal��of each presidential candidate, and the seeming unfairness of the moderator. I’m sure it’s not easy to remain silent when maligned, especially when all or part of the malignant words are false. Without breaking down the individual occurrences, I must say that Mr. Trump was interrupted by the moderator, where Secretary��Clinton was not. Mr. Trump was confronted about apparent issues related to his candidacy, i.e. the “birther�� controversy, the non-publicizing of his tax returns, his original view on the Iraq war, his dishonorable statements about certain women, payment of contractors on various projects over five decades, etc. Lester Holt’s biased moderation and Mrs. Clinton’s petulance made for a 90-minute injustice that was difficult to watch, let alone for Mr. Trump to stand and take without lashing out.

In that respect, I think Mr. Trump showed a ton of restraint and a ‘godliness,�� if you will, that surpasses many I have known who would consider themselves better but have behaved worse without contrition.��Jesus really did set the bar high “while being reviled, he did not revile in return�� (1 Peter 2:23). I sincerely pray that someday soon we will see genuine evidence/fruit that��the rest of that verse is��Mr. Trump’s capacity for patience when reviled, “but kept entrusting himself to Him who judges righteously.�� Yes, as the debate progressed,��Donald Trump��began to appear rattled. Yes, he interrupted too frequently as the debate wore on—no doubt he said some unfair things, too. But in my opinion, the totality��was really not that far from Mr. Trump’s frequent refrain of “The system is��rigged.�� This seemed especially evident when three of the four networks immediately proclaimed Mrs. Clinton the clear winner of this first Presidential Debate. Even the folks at Fox News��invited Clinton campaign advisors on the air to give their pro-Hillary spin.

“My hope is in the Lord”—that is the phrase that keeps coming to mind.

Wow! Are you as weary as me with the one-sided lack of objectivity flowing from our pathetic, “fangs showing, nails ready�� media?��There are major risks and negatives in getting fully behind either candidate. Sadly, Christians have lined up on the side of ��and arguing without much nuance or even allowance that Christ followers��might see some of this��differently. As always,��most grievous in such circumstance, is when true followers of Christ abandon our overarching mandates about loving each other, to assert “there is only one way to see this non-salvific issue—my way, the right way, today.�� And, subsequently, the cause of Christ’s kingdom and the Father’s glory��loses��in a way that, I believe,��transcends��any particular election result.

Meeting Mr. Trump Personally

I have been a big fan of “The Apprentice�� reality show simply for its entertainment and unveiling of so many human nature complexities. Further, I had written a blog, not so much endorsing Mr. Trump as saying that it was Jerry Falwell, Jr.’s right to do so. All that to say,��no one was surprised when��I was the first among my friends to predict that Donald Trump would win the Republican primaries and was asserting it��strongly in private conversation more than a year before it actually happened. Now, saying he��would��win is a whole lot different than saying, he should win and in that respect I have always felt very torn. I like a lot of things that Mr. Trump stands for, and in other ways, not as much of late—his seeming volatility has raised issues and elevated concerns that are not normally in play in a presidential election.

This is why I was happy to be invited to a small gathering of pastors and Christian leaders last June, in Donald Trump’s boardroom. When I heard about the meeting, I called a friend who told me that��Mr. Trump was gathering a group of ‘faith advisors,�� and I was welcome to participate. The room was so jammed with luminaries of evangelicalism that I have to be candid and say Mr. Trump didn’t make��the top 5��people I was hoping to meet in that boardroom.��What did impress me was Mr. Trump’s authenticity (he didn’t pose or pretend to be evangelical), his listening (he listened intently and with great humility to many, many people—some who spoke at length in matters they wanted him to hear), and most of all, his common sense view of economics, judicial philosophy, Supreme Court nominees, and the importance of church/state separation—including his promise to repeal the Johnson Amendment, which is said to restrict a minister’s freedom of speech��in matters political campaigns. As the meeting ended, I got to shake Mr. Trump’s hand, meeting him personally, and I left feeling thankful for the invitation to be listed among those on his ‘Faith Council,�� which we were adamantly told was not an endorsement.

Since that meeting late last June, I have been waiting for the ‘�� to become a place where counsel is given about faith, or at least where people of faith offer��counsel. So far, there has��been none of the former and only a wee bit of the latter. There are regularly scheduled phone calls, through which we have relayed��messages to Mr. Trump—including a strongly-worded letter during his post-convention relapse into reactive rhetoric. He actually wrote back to us appreciatively and seemed to correct course, no doubt in response to others more influential than the ‘Faith Council.�� Apart from that, we have migrated toward a grass-roots effort to ‘get out the vote,�� where we are exhorted on each conference call��to register people to vote, recruit other Christian leaders to recruit people to vote, etc. We did have a wonderful, extended phone conversation with Mr. Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence. Mike is such an outstanding, unapologetically pro-life, biblically-based man of integrity that the entirety was worth it just to meet him a little more personally. (I am told he attends a ‘sister church�� of ours, College Park in Indianapolis, which tells me everything I need to know about his legitimate faith in Christ.) Interestingly though, as Mr. Pence’s��faith in Christ was so authentic and contagious over that phone call, I found myself wondering, what more ‘Faith Council�� does Mr. Trump even need?

Is There Hope for America?

“My hope is in the Lord”—that is the phrase that keeps coming to mind. I have called our church to prayer as the culmination of .��Every day this week my wife, Kathy, and I are attending two of three prayer meetings on each of our campuses, and I’m seeing our congregation crying out to the Lord in ways I have not seen in our previous 28-year history. Really, a new high water mark in biblical, fervent, selfless, faith-filled, loud, crying out to the One who said, “Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and hidden things that you have not known�� (Jeremiah 33:3).��It’s not the teaching—in fact, my belief is that this unprecedented attendance and passion��in prayer is unrelated to anything��going on inside our church. I believe it is the situation in the world all around us. From police shootings, to a disrespect for the rule of law that borders on anarchy, to blatant examples of vicious racial profiling (which is great wickedness), to the terrorist attacks, mass shootings, general laxity and self-interest among God’s people, to the ongoing and everyday family, finance and health kinds of issues,��people are just very, very overwhelmed and are sensing a need to cry out to the Lord as never before. After preaching and praying all weekend through Monday night, my voice is completely shot, so my prayers are quiet today but still heartfelt. For maybe the first or second time ever, I can truly say,��“I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched�� (Psalm 69:3). This is a blog primarily for pastors, and��I hope��you’re seizing this opportunity to lead your people to prayer as never before. What choice do we have?

Psalm 11:3 says, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?�� So we work on the foundations,��“stand firm in the faith�� (1 Corinthians 16:13),��and refuse to be budged from the place of quietly confident biblical obedience—in anticipation of��Proverbs 12:3, which says: “No one is established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved.”��Here is a link to a song we wrote that helps us stay centered right there, in times like these.

james

Nothing more satisfying than a growing discipleship relationship with the men in our own church. After five Act Like Men “serious as a heart attack�� Sunday-night discipleship events �� this is how the faithful attenders from September ��15–May ��16 rewarded each other �� with an Act Like Men Palooza, dubbed “the greatest event in human history.��