VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 26, Friday Matthew 6:9-13 9 … Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 25, Thursday 1 Peter 2:15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 24, Wednesday Philippians 3:8 Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 22, Monday Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 22, Sunday 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial ? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
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Bill Lee, a Republican businessman running for governor of Tennessee, met briefly with Franklin Graham in Clarksville on Thursday to thank him for being an inspiration in his life. Lee and his wife, Maria, met with Graham on a tour bus for about 10 minutes to talk and pray. The Christian evangelist was in Clarksville as part of his Decision America Tennessee Tour. Lee told The Tennessee Star that he was moved last year when he heard Graham speak in Nashville. Graham encouraged Christians to become involved in politics and for Lee, already contemplating a run for governor, it was just what he needed to hear. It is Lee’s first run for political office. Lee said he is impressed with the whole Graham family and twice heard Billy Graham, Franklin Graham’s father, speak in Nashville. The family has a powerful message, Lee said. “It’s a legacy that impacts lives,” he said. Lee is chairman of Lee Company, a facilities and home services company. He also has a background in agriculture and continues to be involved in a cattle farm run by his family. He lives in Franklin and attends Grace Chapel, a nondenominational church in Leiper’s Fork. Faith is a…
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 20, Saturday John 10:10 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 2 Thessalonians 2:10 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
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Our country is in trouble, and so are our churches. That was the message Franklin Graham delivered Thursday evening in Clarksville. He pulled no punches in describing how Christians have compromised with a corrupt culture instead of adhering to Scripture and being a godly influence. A pilot for many years, Graham compared Christians who trust their feelings more than God’s word to pilots who trust their senses instead of their instruments, which can lead to a crash. “Many Christians in today’s churches are in a spiritual fog,” he said. “But they don’t know it. They’re being blinded by this godless corrupt culture of tolerance and political correctness.” The elder son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, Franklin Graham is president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He was in Clarksville as part of his Decision America Tennessee Tour. Graham is Southern Baptist but reaches across denominational lines. While he does not endorse candidates and is critical of both major political parties, Graham encourages political involvement and is seen as sympathetic toward conservative politics. He has spoken out against Islam and in defense of President Trump’s efforts to restrict immigration from some Muslim-majority countries, positions that…
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Larry Rye remembers going to tent revivals when he was growing up in Clarksville. There aren’t many tent revivals anymore these days, so when he heard that Franklin Graham was coming to town, he jumped at the chance to hear the Christian evangelist speak. Rye and his wife, Nece, are pastors for youth and children at Clarksville First Assembly of God. Their church heavily promoted Graham’s appearance Thursday evening at the Liberty Park amphitheatre. Rye and his wife were among those arriving early to the event. “We love America and would love to bring back the fire and desire for Christianity the way it used to be,” Rye said. If Rye and others were hoping for something that would bring back memories of tent revivals, Graham likely did not disappoint with his fervent warnings about sin, prayers of repentance and calls to accept Jesus. Rebecca Keene wasn’t sure what to expect. The Clarksville homemaker wasn’t very familiar with Graham, but came at the invitation of her mom, who drove from Knoxville for the event with a friend. “I figured I’d come out and see what it is about,” said Keene, who also was with two of her sons, ages…
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 19, Friday 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.
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By David Tulis / Noogaradio 1240 AM 92.7 FM CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Evangelist Franklin Graham spoke Monday in Chattanooga to a crowd of 2,000 that rallied in a park along the river as part of his Decision America tour through Tennessee. The son of famed evangelist Billy Graham presented the enthusiastic audience with a biblical analysis of the U.S. cultural decline, the fruits, he argued of de-Christianization of the country. Graham proposed Godly remedies for the country. Graham will be in Clarksville May 18, Jackson May 19 and Memphis May 21. A rock band, the Afters, gave a popular flavor to the gathering with its thundering technical effects and appeals to emotion. The raising of hand in the air, palms open to the sky, during the musical prelude indicated nearly everyone present was a practicing Christian. “Father, I pray that you would forgive the sins of our country, that you would heal our country, that you would bring us together spiritually, morally, politically at every level. But Father, it’s not going to happen unless we repent of our sins as a nation and turn to you and to your son, Jesus Christ,” Graham said. He prayed for “this community, the political…
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 18, Thursday Ephesians 6:10-18 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God,so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
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A former Pentecostal church in the small North Carolina town of Smithfield became a mosque on Saturday. Mosque organizer Ali Mohammad told the Raleigh News & Observer that there are plans for a worship and community center and a school. Smithfield is located in a rural county in the center of the state that is predominantly Christian. 1950s American film star Ava Gardner was born near Smithfield, which is now the location of the Ava Gardner Museum. Local Christian leaders were invited to a ceremony at the new Islamic Center of Smithfield on Saturday, where mosque organizers planned to give them crosses removed from the building’s steeple and facade. “We want to be friendly with all our neighbors and let them know we’re there,” said Mohammad, describing Islam as a “peaceful” religion that “teaches us to love our neighbor and be friendly with everyone.” As in most mainstream news stories featuring similar claims about the nature of Islam, Mohammad’s description was left unchallenged by the News & Observer despite continuing acts of violence around the world committed in the name of Islam and the persecution of Christian communities in the Middle East to the point of near extinction. Pastor Jim Melnyk…
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An Arkansas commission has approved a privately-funded display of the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the state Capitol. The Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission voted Thursday to approve the monument, which weighs more than 6,000 pounds and is more than 6 feet tall, according to the Associated Press. Last week’s approval was largely a formality. In 2015, the Arkansas General Assembly passed legislation allowing a display of the Ten Commandments to mark their influence in American law, but at no expense to the state. The Arkansas-based American History and Heritage Foundation raised more than $26,000 for the monument, which is set to be installed next month. “This is part of who we are, it’s history,” Republican state Sen. Jason Rapert told reporters at the Capitol. Rapert sponsored the 2015 legislation in the General Assembly. The monument is a replica of one at the Texas Capitol that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005. Even so, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas has threatened to sue.
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Christian evangelist Franklin Graham will be in Clarksville on Thursday as part of his Decision America Tennessee Tour. He kicked off the tour Monday in Chattanooga and after stopping in Clarksville, will be in Jackson on Friday and Memphis on Sunday. “Thousands of churches and tens of thousands of people are excited to come together this May to pray for their communities in the Volunteer State,” said Lawrence Swicegood, director of Decision America Tennessee, in a story on the website for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Franklin Graham is the son of Billy Graham. Each event will feature a time of praise and worship as well as special musical performances. Dove Award-winning singer-songwriter Jeremy Camp will join the tour in Clarksville, Jackson and Memphis. Each stop will also include worship music from guitarist and singer Dennis Agajanian, who has traveled the world alongside Billy Graham and Franklin Graham. This fall, Franklin Graham plans to tour Texas, stopping in seven cities. Last year, he traveled to all 50 state capitals as part of his Decision America Tour that encouraged people to pray, vote and engage in the political process. His new efforts are aimed at reaching people in smaller and mid-sized cities.…
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 16, Tuesday Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing. Psalm 139:2-3 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 14, Sunday Happy Mother’s Day to all women that have mothered a child or have shown motherly love to a child! You are a blessing to God’s Kingdom! Proverbs 31:25-31 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 27 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” 30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
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In today’s climate, the vitriol that Tennessee state Senator Mark Green faced for his orthodox Christian beliefs while being considered for Army secretary would surprise few. But there also was a conspicuous lack of a vigorous defense from his fellow Republicans and even his fellow Southern Baptists. With few exceptions, there was little in the way of significant pushback against the torrent of rage against Green’s past statements on LGBT issues, Islam and other topics of concern to biblically-minded Christians and other conservatives. Under intense pressure, Green withdrew his name from consideration May 5. “Green’s nomination drew immediate backlash from Democrats, and even some Republicans,” reported McClatchy DC Bureau. “His support was lukewarm at best, and few in Washington showed an appetite to defend his controversial comments.” Raymond Baker, a Franklin resident and retired Republican political consultant, told The Tennessee Star that what really hurt Green was that Tennessee’s two Republican U.S. senators, Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, did not fight hard enough on his behalf when the going got tough. Corker and Alexander, along with other “so-called Republican leaders” long ago sold their soul to liberal interest groups, Baker said. After President Trump nominated Green for the post,…
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 12, Friday John 14:1-17 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?…
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 11, Thursday John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 10, Wednesday Psalm 25:4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
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“An Indonesian court sentenced the minority Christian governor of Jakarta to two years in prison on Tuesday for blaspheming the Quran, a jarring ruling that undermines the reputation of the world’s largest Muslim nation for practicing a moderate form of Islam,” the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. In announcing its decision, the five-judge panel said Gov. Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama was “convincingly proven guilty of blasphemy” and ordered his arrest. He was taken to Cipinang Prison in east Jakarta. At the court, supporters of the governor wept and hugged each other amid shouts of jubilation from members of conservative Islamic groups. Photos quickly appeared online of Ahok, who still commands immense popularity in Jakarta, the capital, being warmly greeted by prison staff. Ahok said he would appeal, but it was unclear if he would be released once that process is underway. By early evening, hundreds of angry supporters had gathered at the high-security prison, some pushing hard against a tall metal gate and others setting a tire alight. “Brothers and sisters, justice has died in this country,” said a man addressing the crowd with a megaphone. The stunning sentence flies in the face of recent claims by some Indonesian…
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 9, Tuesday Matthew 9:35-38 35 Then Jesus went to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. 36 When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples,“The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 8, Monday Psalm 62:5-7 5 My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. 7 On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 7, Sunday John 3:19-21 19 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
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I have often believed there is too much politics in public education, and that has hurt public education. Honestly I would resent having to support a political candidate because of a political label or designation, or an endorsement by an organization in which I was a member.
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 6, Saturday John 4:23-26 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
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The Family Action Council of Tennessee is calling President Trump’s signing of a religious liberty executive order on Thursday “a good first step.” But more is needed to shore up protections for people of faith, said FACT President David Fowler in a statement. Fowler said the executive order “addresses in a limited way the Johnson Amendment that has been used by the IRS to intimidate conservative ministers, but we call on the president to provide the leadership Congress needs to repeal it.” “We also join others in calling on the president to now take those additional steps necessary to fulfill the promise made during his campaign to fully protect religious liberty, particularly the liberty of those who believe in the sanctity of life and marriage,” Fowler said. Trump received widespread support from evangelicals in the November 2016 election and many have followed this issue closely to make sure he follows through on his campaign promise. In February, FACT joined with the Family Policy Alliance and its network of 40 state-based family policy councils in sending a letter to Trump asking him to reverse the tone set by the Obama administration. “We write to request that you firmly reject the systemic bullying…
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Church leaders have been giving Bibles to firefighters and police officers in Goodlettsville this week in a show of support. Some firefighters received their Bibles on Thursday – the National Day of Prayer, reports WKRN News 2. Fire Chief Kenneth Reeves told WKRN that his firefighters appreciate the support. “They get a real boost,” he said. “They get strength from being acknowledged every now and then.” Seven organizations are involved in distributing the pocket-size Bibles, which are imprinted before they are handed out. “We wanted to make sure that every policeman and every fireman gets a Bible with their name on it so it is something they can take with them,” said Pastor Joe Marlar. “We just simply want to say thank you for protecting our community.” Marlar said he also wants first responders to know that Christians are praying for their safety.
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The faculty at Samford University in Alabama has voted to give official recognition to a pro-LGBT student organization. The full faculty at the Baptist school voted April 27 to recommend approval of Samford Together, a student group that would offer a forum for discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in “an open-minded and accepting environment,” reports Baptist Press. The recommendation could have “serious implications” for the ties between the university and the Alabama Baptist Convention, according to a joint statement by the convention president and the executive director of its state board of missions. The statement said approval of such a group would go against Scripture. Meanwhile, Samford President Andrew Westmoreland is trying to find middle ground. He told the faculty before the vote that he holds to the biblical view of marriage between a man and a woman and said many of Samford’s constituents believe the same. Yet he did not take a position on Samford Together, according to the Baptist Press. “As you hear me today, some of you may be disappointed by my unwillingness to completely embrace contemporary views of human sexuality and the theology that is used to undergird them,” Westmoreland said in his remarks…
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 5, Friday Psalms 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 4, Thursday Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world,but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasingand perfect will.
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The top court of the United Methodist Church has ruled that the consecration of an openly gay bishop violates church law but the bishop for now still has her job. In a somewhat convoluted decision, the judicial council, convening in Newark, New Jersey, said that Karen Oliveto “remains in good standing” pending the completion of another administrative or judicial process, according to a UMC news story. The decision, made public on Friday, said, “It is not lawful for the college of bishops of any jurisdictional or central conference to consecrate a self-avowed practicing homosexual bishop.” Oliveto was consecrated in July 2016 by officials in the Western Jurisdiction. She is the episcopal leader for an area covering Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and one church in Idaho. A church lay member from Kansas in the South Central Jurisdiction formally challenged Oliveto’s elevation to bishop. The denomination’s high court rejected an argument from the Western Jurisdiction counsel made during an oral hearing last week that Oliveto’s same-sex marriage in 2014 to another woman was not a public statement about her sexual practices. “A same-sex marriage license issued by competent civil authorities together with the clergy person’s status in a same-sex relationship is a public…
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 3, Wednesday 1 John 5:3-4 For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden, 4 because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 2, Tuesday 1 John 1:8-9 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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Members of an LGBT group at Belmont University were upset recently with a documentary shown on campus that promoted biblical sexual ethics, an event also criticized by the university provost. The documentary and a discussion that followed on April 6 were sponsored by University Catholic, another group at the Christian liberal arts college in Nashville. Called “Desire of the Everlasting Hills,” the film relates the story of three people with same-sex attraction who used to be part of the LGBT world but now practice chastity because of their Christian faith. One member of Bridge Builders, the campus LGBT group, told the student newspaper Belmont Vision, that Belmont “has been very accepting as of late” but that this event made Belmont “look really bad.”Another said, “We were just appalled by the documentary.” Both told the student newspaper that they are Catholics themselves. Several students were also upset with comments made following the film by psychologist Stephen Hopkins who described circumstances in a child’s upbringing that could contribute to same-sex attraction and said homosexual relationships are inherently more unstable than heterosexual ones. Members of the LGBT group were angered that university leaders allowed the film to be shown without first consulting with LGBT…
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Raul Lopez quickly discovered when he began helping Republicans with Hispanic outreach that he wasn’t working on a level playing field. He was far outnumbered and outspent by Democrats trying to reach the same audience. Lopez tried to make inroads in the Hispanic community for former President George W. Bush and for Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell when she chaired the Tennessee Republican Party. The frustrations he experienced prompted him to start Latinos For Tennessee, a conservative political advocacy group. The group champions limited government and free markets, fiscal responsibility, immigration enforcement and traditional values. “We’re a counter voice,” Lopez told The Tennessee Star. Started four years ago, the group was organized as a political action committee with an outreach and educational wing. The group is based in Nashville and plans to expand its presence in other parts of the state. Lopez, a native of Cuba who came to the U.S. when he was five years old, is the executive director. In addition, there is an eight-member board of directors. The board chairman is Tommy Vallejos, a Clarksville pastor and Montgomery County commissioner who has announced his intention to run for state Sen. Mark Green’s vacated seat pending Green’s confirmation…
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing May 1, Monday Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.
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President Trump swept into office with a broad base of evangelical support and he has made sure that evangelicals find positions in his administration. Among them is former Republican governor of Georgia Sonny Perdue, who was sworn in as secretary of agriculture on Tuesday. A veterinarian by training, Perdue has a background in agribusiness and was a captain in the U.S. Air Force. Perdue has said he believes God has called him to his cabinet post. He is a member of Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins, Georgia, where his son Jim Perdue is the pastor and where he has served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher. The church plans to hold a worship service commissioning the elder Perdue and his wife Mary to their new field of service, Baptist Press reports. “When people ask him, ‘How can we pray for you?’ one of his first responses is, ‘Pray for my obedience.’ He wants to be obedient,” Jim Perdue told Baptist Press, adding that’s what he believes led his father to accept Trump’s nomination. When Perdue was nominated in January, rounding out Trump’s cabinet picks, Charisma News reflected on what once would have seemed an unlikely scenario. “Two years ago,…
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing April 30, Sunday Proverbs 4:18-23 18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. 19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. 20 My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. 21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing April 29, Saturday John 15:5-7 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
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The United Methodist Church appears once more to be on the verge of a split over LGBT issues. The mainline Protestant denomination, which has a large presence in Tennessee, has experienced internal divisions for years over homosexuality, but tensions are at a fever pitch with the elevation of the first openly gay bishop. The UMC’s top court in Newark, New Jersey, heard arguments this week in the case of lesbian Karen Oliveto, who was elected as bishop last July for an area which includes Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and a church in Idaho. The area is in the denomination’s Western Jurisdiction. Oliveto is married to a woman who is a UMC deaconess. Oliveto’s election was contested by a church lay member from Kansas in the South Central Jurisdiction whose legal representative maintained Tuesday that homosexual practice is incompatible with the denomination’s book of discipline. However, a representative for Oliveto’s Western Jurisdiction argued that someone from another region has no standing to bring a case and that the book of discipline does not specifically prohibit same-sex marriage, according to a UMC news story about the hearing. The United Methodist Queer Clergy Caucus on April 16 sent an open letter to the UMC in…
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing April 28, Friday Jeremiah 3:15 “Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens
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Many Americans say they own a Bible and have a positive view of it, but not many make a habit of reading it, a new LifeWay Research study has found. Church leaders have become increasingly worried about biblical literacy and the results show why. “Most Americans don’t know first-hand the overall story of the Bible—because they rarely pick it up,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, in a news release. “Even among worship attendees less than half read the Bible daily. The only time most Americans hear from the Bible is when someone else is reading it.” LifeWay Research, which is based in Nashville and is part of the Southern Baptist Convention, surveyed 1,000 people for the study. Few have a systematic plan for reading the Bible and more than half of Americans have read little or none of the Bible, the study shows. Not surprisingly, the study found that those who attend church regularly are more likely to read the Christian scripture daily. Women are more likely than men to read the Bible and Protestants are more likely than Catholics to read it. Evangelicals are more likely to read the Bible than those without evangelical beliefs. People in…
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing April 26, Wednesday Matthew 11:28-30 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
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Through the ups and downs of her life, Chonda Pierce has found a way to connect with others and make them laugh. Known as the “Queen of Clean,” the Christian comedian and Middle Tennessee resident doesn’t shy away from opening up about her struggles and heartache. She’s doing that once again with “Enough,” a documentary showing Tuesday only in 850 theaters across the U.S. The 90-minute film continues her story chronicled in a 2015 documentary called “Laughing in the Dark.” The Kentucky native got her start years ago portraying Minnie Pearl at the Opryland Theme Park. She went on to perform as a comedian across the country and author books. In 2013, the Recording Industry Association of America named her the top-selling female comedian in history, a category that included Christian and secular comedians. She endured through one of the hardest times of her life in 2014, when her husband David, an alcoholic, died of a stroke related to his drinking. The two had been together since becoming high school sweethearts decades earlier in Ashland City. Pierce has also been transparent about her struggles with the loss of her mother and problems with her estranged daughter. Through her comedy and…
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing April 24, Monday 2 Timothy 3:1-17 1But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. 10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to…
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing April 23, Sunday Romans 7:6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. 2 Corinthians 7:16 I rejoice, because I have perfect confidence in you. 2 Timothy 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing April 22, Saturday Psalm 34:13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing April 21, Friday Jeremiah 33:3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
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