The National Day of Prayer and Nascar

Although we published this in our Shepherd's Covenant this past Monday we felt it important enough to send a reminder through our blog.  We hope you are spending time tomorrow commemorating the National Day of Prayer.

Do you follow NASCAR? I do — sort of. I'm a Jeff Gordon fan. Not sure why, but it is interesting to follow the progress of those scientifically designed race cars making left turns while traveling at speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour.

Sunday was a big day for the NASCAR fans who support the National Day of Prayer Task Force. Driver Joe Nemechek, and the #78 car, won the pole (best qualifying time) and eventually finished in 25th place at the Talladega Super Speedway. It was exciting because the one-car team, owned by the Furniture Row folks, was wrapped in the National Day of Prayer logo and colors.

Dr. Dobson held the chapel service before the race. And I noticed the announcers made a big deal about the #78 car and the fact that the National Day of Prayer will be held tomorrow, May 1st. It was a real serendipity.

Hopefully, you have made plans to commemorate NDP. Your participation does not have to be on a huge scale, but to be able to say "our church participated with tens of thousands of other groups" will be an encouragement to everyone. God will be glorified.

Here at Focus on the Family, we have organized a Prayer Marathon for our employees.

If you need more information, you can click into the NDP Web site at www.ndptf.org. Prayer guides are downloadable.

Sunday's NASCAR race was really exciting — so many lead changes. A lot like your life.

"How much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him" (Matt. 7:11).

Hope your week finishes well, and don’t forget to check out this week’s podcast on “The Power of Prayer and Fasting.”

Trends in Tithing and Giving

The following stats are very interesting. It would be helpful to know what percentage of your flock really do tithe 10% of their income. It would be interesting to know how many clergy tithe 10% of their incomes. It would also be interesting to know what percentage of your people give to organizations like Focus on the Family, Billy Graham, Benny Hinn, PTL, etc. Do you think 50% of your people do?

A new study from The Barna Group reveals that just five percent of American adults tithed (i.e., made donations of at least 10 percent of their income to religious institutions or other charities) in 2007. The most likely groups to tithe were evangelicals (24%); conservatives (12%); people who had prayed, read the Bible and attended a church service during the past week (12%); charismatic or Pentecostal Christians (11%); and registered Republicans (10%).

Among those least likely to tithe were people under the age of 25, atheists and agnostics, single adults who have never been married, liberals and downscale adults (less than $20,000 income and no college).

Among all born-again adults, nine percent contributed one-tenth or more of their income. Protestants (8%) were four times as likely to tithe as were Catholics (2%).

In 2007, 84 percent of all adults donated some money to churches or non-profit organizations, a figure that is consistent with recent years. The median amount of money donated during 2007 was $400; the mean amount was $1,308. About one-third of all adults (34%) gave away $1,000 or more during 2007; nearly one-fifth (18%) donated $100 or less. Evangelical Christians far surpassed other population groups with four out of five (83%) giving at least $1,000 during the year. The percentage of born-again adults who gave any money to churches dropped to its lowest level this decade (76%).

Christians tend to be the most generous donors. Evangelicals, the seven percent of the Christian population who are most committed to the Christian faith, donated a mean of $4,260 to all non-profit entities in 2007. Non-evangelical born-again Christians, who represent another 37 percent of the public, donated a mean of $1,581. The other 42 percent of the Christian population, who are aligned with a Christian church but are not born-again, donated a mean of $865.

Stress Awareness Month

I understand we in Christian leadership experience at least 2 "stress points" each month, not to mention the fact we live a stressful existence.  So if you're stressed, take note of the points below. If you know someone who's stressed get them started on the suggestions.

The Health Resource Network, a non-profit health education organization, has designated April as Stress Awareness Month for the 16th consecutive year.

Community Chaplains of America, which provides care for individuals during difficult and stressful situations, have offered 10 simple suggestions on how to provide care and essentially reduce stress, according to christianpost.com.

• Provide a listening ear. Often, those who are going through stressful times simply need someone to talk to. Make an extra phone call or meet a friend for coffee and offer the opportunity for them to talk.
• Send an encouraging note. Words are powerful. In the age of emails and text messages, handwritten notes show that you took time and effort to show you care.
• Say "thank you." Offer your gratitude for people. Thank a coworker for his or her hard work or a waiter for serving you dinner. Everyone wants to feel appreciated.
• Laugh with someone. A good hearty laugh can relax you both and mentally lighten your load. Tell a joke or rent a funny movie with a friend.
• Perform a random act of kindness. Surprise someone with the unexpected. It can be as simple as paying for a friend's coffee or offering to watch the kids so a mom or dad can have that extra time to relax.
• Help someone organize. When the places and things around us are in order, we feel a little more put together. Take time to help a friend clean out a closet or scrub the bathtub.
• Take a walk. Exercise releases endorphins and makes us feel better all around. Walk around the mall with a coworker on your lunch break or meet a friend at a park after work and enjoy the fresh air.
• Share a smile. This contagious act can easily brighten someone's day. Smile to a passing stranger; it may make a big difference in his or her day.
• Get away. Get away from the everyday circumstances that may be causing stress. Plan a weekend getaway or a day trip with a friend.
• Pray. Say a quick prayer for your friend and put his or her stress in the hands of the Ultimate Provider and Healer.

Now don't you feel better? Could you please give me some feed back on something .. please? 

What is your #1 stress related challenge in your ministerial profession? Let me know. I think we could help one another.

So — on we go!  HB London

Daring To Dream Along With Martin Luther King

Am I overreacting when I say our nation is still racist?  Do you live in a racist area of the USA? If so .. why is it?  If not, what has made the difference?  Please note the following article I wrote for our last Shepherd's Covenant and give us your response by posting a comment back. 

I think back several decades to my boyhood days in Little Rock, Arkansas. I was a white boy in a racist society, but sheltered from all of that because I lived in an all-white world. As a youth, I'm not sure I ever really knew of a black/white segregation. Both races just kind of stayed to themselves. I played against, but never with, African-Americans. Now I work side-by-side every day with African-American colleagues who are also close friends.

Last Friday, I asked them if they thought Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the greatest African-American to come along in their lifetime. They both said yes. Why? Because Martin Luther King dared to face injustice peacefully, and he gave his life for a cause that lives on to this day: racial equality.

As I travel, I run across schools and highways named after Dr. King, but I'm not convinced that my "pastor" colleagues, Alex and Ralph, would feel comfortable in all churches — just as I might not. Why? Racism still exists.

I remember Dr. King's speeches — "I Have a Dream" and "I've Been to the Mountaintop," which was preached the night before he died. I marveled at his oratory and celebrated his courage.

True integration is not an event or an occurrence. It does not happen when you hug a brother of another race at a Promise Keepers event or pray together at a civil rights celebration. To be integrated is to be sensitive to the needs of others, and a seeker of greater understanding for a brother's situation.

We have very few African-American clergy at our pastoral ministries events; therefore, we have been intentional in going to them. We have a small percentage of African-Americans who work at Focus on the Family — even though we have attempted to recruit those of every race. Bottom line: we have a long way to go — all races do.

I pray that we all might dream along with Dr. King and that some day, arm in arm, we might all stand on the mountaintop with our Lord Jesus knowing that we have fought the "good fight" for racial unity and have received His well-done.

We just can't wait for the next colleague to do something. We must take the initiative. Who will be the next Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? And is it necessary that they also be African-American? Equality is every race's opportunity.

Ministering Through The Rain

"April showers bring May flowers."  Isn't that how the saying goes?

In life it takes some cloudy, dreary times to cause you to appreciate the sunshine and its warmth. I imagine that some of you who read these words are feeling the effects of cloudy times. Perhaps your family is going through a difficulty, or "joy robbers" in your congregation are draining your mental resources. If you're like me, some days you don't feel like you're making much difference, and the clouds of discouragement hover around you. 

Well, to paraphrase the apostle James, "It's OK if there is a little rain in our lives — because the rain tests our faith and in turn causes flowers to grow. Don't resent the rain or even a flood. Through these experiences, not only will you grow stronger in the truth, but you will also see firsthand the fruits of your labor in His time."

How do you successfully work through rainy periods?

1. Pace yourself.
2. Be around positive people.
3. Have a dream.
4. Settle unresolved conflicts in your family.
5. Maintain consistent time with Christ.
6. Read an encouraging book every few weeks.
7. Don't forget that God called you, and He will sustain you.
8. Make the most of your days off.
9. Minister to those whose problems will put yours into the right perspective.
10. Remember that the mountains are still behind the clouds. In Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak dominates the landscape. You can see Pikes Peak from anywhere in the city, but at times the clouds lay low, obscuring the mountain. I recall what an old pastor told me at the beginning of my ministry: "Behind the clouds, the mountain is still there, and one day soon you will see it again."

I hope that as you reflect on your life in the ministry, you can see God's hand during the rainy seasons.

By the way, we've enjoyed the comments you have been posting lately.  Please keep them coming!