Brityank

How sad

2008-11-29T10:54:00.001-08:00

Wal-Mart Employee Trampled to Death Tension grew as the 5 a.m. opening neared. Someone taped up a crude poster: “Blitz Line Starts Here.”By 4:55, with no police officers in sight, the crowd of more than 2,000 had become a rabble, and could be held back no longer. Fists banged and shoulders pressed on the sliding-glass double doors, which bowed in with the weight of the assault. Six to 10

Diocesan Standing Committee Passes Unanimous Resolutions

2008-11-21T08:26:00.000-08:00

The following two resolutions were unanimously passed by the Standing Committee of South Carolina at our November, 2008 meeting:Be it resolved that the Standing Committee of the Diocese of South Carolina does hereby subscribe to as a standard of faith the Jerusalem Declaration as set forth at the GAFCON conference and affirmed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and further affirms the reforming

Why you need help in ministry

2008-11-21T05:20:00.000-08:00

This article showed up as a piece on youth ministry, but I think it's relevant to all in ministry:#1 You may not see that your ministry is disconnected from what God wants. In other words, what if your ministry stinks and you think its great because kids show up? Outside voices speak massive truths! You may know you’ve got some problems, but what if you’re headed towards failure? #2 Your

Interesting Interview with John Stott

2008-11-21T04:55:00.000-08:00

Read it all here:http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/8182.htm

Reading the Bible, by Rev. Rob Sturdy

2008-11-21T04:50:00.000-08:00

If you’ve ever visited my office you will have noticed fifty-five red and black volumes to the right of my computer on a bookshelf behind my desk. Those volumes are the American Edition of Martin Luther’s collected works. Of the fifty-five volumes, thirty are dedicated to Martin Luther’s verse by verse exposition of the Scriptures. Martin Luther’s commentary on Genesis alone is eight volumes long

Setting the Tone for Effective Meetings

2008-11-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

The start of the meeting generally sets the tone of the meeting. If people trickle in slowly, engage in extended small talk, and don’t have a plan, you’ve just set the tone for a bad meeting. Today, we’ll talk about how to set the tone for an effective meeting.* Assign a start time and honor it. If you don’t start on time, you’re communicating that the meeting isn’t important. * Ask your team

Network

2008-11-09T17:38:00.000-08:00

Watched this great movie last night thanks to the recommendation of Micah Mood. It's a satire on network news. Couldn't believe it when I got to this part and realized this was made 30 years ago!

Top Ten Stupid Things Americans say to British People, by Ricky Gervais

2008-11-09T14:39:00.000-08:00

What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church? A Parable

2008-11-09T14:28:00.000-08:00

Great expectations

2008-11-08T14:45:00.001-08:00

Nov 6th 2008From The Economist print editionBarack Obama has won a famous victory. Now he must use it wiselyReuters NO ONE should doubt the magnitude of what Barack Obama achieved this week. When the president-elect was born, in 1961, many states, and not just in the South, had laws on their books that enforced segregation, banned mixed-race unions like that of his parents and restricted voting

The Problem with Relational Ministry

2008-10-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

Andrew Root Andrew Root is assistant professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary, and he’s on the advisory board of The Journal of Student Ministries. Why Relationships Can’t be Solely about Influencing Young People “Get the f--k away from me!” That’s the reply I got

Bible-Based Youth Ministry Bumps Out Pop Culture

2008-10-27T13:53:00.001-07:00

Sugarcoated, MTV-style youth ministry is over, Time magazine reported. The current trend that is packing teens in pews: Bible-based worship.Youth ministers have tried to engage teens in the church with a message wrapped in pop-culture packaging to initially attract the young crowd. The approach has successfully drawn a large number of youths to the pews. But it has failed to keep them

Let Christians Vote As Though They Were Not Voting

2008-10-24T06:22:00.000-07:00

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Interesting new book

2008-10-23T04:25:00.000-07:00

Product DescriptionIn this practical book for church leaders, you’ll discover how to develop a healthy and sustainable student ministry that includes encouraging your youth pastor, engaging teens, and involving parents. Whether you already have a youth pastor or are just beginning your search, this book will help you set up your student ministry and youth pastor for

The Lockbox Theory

2008-10-22T05:29:00.000-07:00

By Meredith MillerAs a youth worker, you have probably noticed that teenagers live the seasons of the year differently than the rest of the population. Whereas the rest of the United States marks the year with fall, winter, summer and spring-or perhaps Labor Day, New Year’s, Tax Day, Memorial Day, and the end of the fiscal year-those in high school use other markers to commemorate the passing

Hindu Threat to Christians: Convert or Flee

2008-10-12T19:34:00.000-07:00

The New York Times BOREPANGA, India — The family of Solomon Digal was summoned by neighbors to what serves as a public square in front of the village tea shop. They were ordered to get on their knees and bow before the portrait of a Hindu preacher. They were told to turn over their Bibles, hymnals and the two brightly colored calendar images of Christ that hung on their wall. Then, Mr.

Can't get over how good these EPs are

2008-10-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot has released 4 EPs, Fall, Winter, Spring & Summer over the past year and I have just downloaded them all. It's funny to think that this is the guy who wrote Switchfoot songs as these are pretty different. Think more Sufjan Stevens and Derek Webb. You can listen to some of the tracks here:http://www.jonforeman.com/

(Not) Making it Happen

2008-10-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

I got off the phone this morning with John, a youth pastor, who will leave his church in 20 days because of the church’s financial situation. He’s built a big youth ministry with lots of kids and very few volunteers. “The church isn’t interested in working with teens,” he tells me. John is truly heart-broken for the kids and is reaching out to me to see if I can help the church in some way after

Tell No One

2008-10-04T05:08:00.000-07:00

Went to see this film with Melissa last night and would highly recommend it:Pediatrician Alexandre Beck still grieves the murder of his beloved wife, Margot, eight years earlier. When two bodies are found near the scene of the crime, the police reopen the case and Alex becomes a suspect again. The mystery deepens when Alex receives an anonymous e-mail with a link to a video clip that seems to

A musician I am currently enjoying a lot

2008-10-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

http://www.joshgarrels.com/

10 Blogging Commandments

2008-09-30T18:49:00.000-07:00

Ten cyberspace commandments are to be posted online to give bloggers a moral edge in a virtual age. Based loosely on the real Ten Commandments from the Old Testament, the revamped version for guidance in online communication emerged from an event reflecting on the ethics of today’s most popular form of public comment. The commandments are intended to cause bloggers to consider the social impact

Campaign '08

2008-09-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

Thinking About McCain function getSharePasskey() { return 'ex=1380168000&en=d2efc63ea09962b0&ei=5124';} function getShareURL() { return encodeURIComponent('http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/opinion/26brooks.html'); } function getShareHeadline() { return encodeURIComponent('Thinking About McCain'); } function getShareDescription() { return encodeURIComponent('What disappoints me about

In Honor of Tethered Preaching

2008-09-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

John Calvin and the Entertaining Pastor var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); var pageTracker = _gat._

Consumption (Part III)

2008-09-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

WALL•EReview by Josh Hurst | posted 06/26/08 | Christianity TodayWhen Toy Story opened in 1995, it was heavily marketed as the first-ever full-length computer-animated film—essentially, as a novelty. Anyone who saw the film, of course, knew that it was anything but a flash-in-the-pan or a gimmick, as Pixar's technical innovation was overshadowed only by the movie's exemplary storytelling. And

Consumption (Part II)

2008-09-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

From Sunday's sermon at church:The Parable of the Rich Fool 13Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." 14Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 16And he told

A Message from The Rt. Reverend Mark J. Lawrence

2008-09-29T12:26:00.001-07:00

A Report on the House of Bishops' MeetingSeptember 17-19, 2008 Dear Fellow Clergy and Members of the Diocese of South Carolina, We met in Salt Lake City, Utah to consider our experience at Lambeth and to carry out the business of the House, which in this instance was the deposition under Title IV.9 of The Rt. Reverend Robert Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh. I have known Bob for close to 20

The Gospel in 6 Minutes

2008-09-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

Consumption (Part I)

2008-09-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and

A Hope for America

2008-09-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

Where is America? America is on line at the airport. America has its shoes off, is carrying a rubberized bin, is going through a magnetometer. America is worried there is fungus on the floor after a million stockinged feet have walked on it. But America knows not to ask. America is guilty until proven innocent, and no one wants to draw undue attention. America left its ticket and passport in the

James Griffiss

2008-09-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

How easy it is for us to be deceived about hope. What we want to believe is that God will work out everything for our good in the end. The way may be difficult; things may get bad at times, but in the end all will be well. And sometimes, indeed, it does happen that way, and we are deceived all the more. We even try to do it with Jesus himself. We interpret his death according to our own

On the Grand Canyon Bus

2008-09-25T20:21:00.001-07:00

The Christian life is about the journey as well as the destination. Philip Yancey | posted 9/25/2008 10:07AM In may, exactly three months before the Democratic National Convention in Denver, I spoke at a state prayer luncheon in the convention center that would soon be filled with delegates wearing silly hats and blowing noisemakers. City officials were anxiously organizing squads of policemen

Elfed

2007-12-12T07:30:00.001-08:00

Christmas greetings to you all...http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1327236046

Communication

2007-10-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

I'm rubbish at this blogging thing. It seems I can only manage short bursts of energy followed by long periods of producing nothing... analogies with certain sports players come to mind. And as for Facebook, thank goodness that I get e-mailed whenever something happens on that, although I am bewildered by the many different applications that I am given the opportunity to add to my page! I only

Weekend

2007-05-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

Spent the weekend 'partying' with Middle and High Schoolers. We had our end of year parties this weekend - a beach party on Friday for the Middle Schoolers on the Isle of Palms and a Creek Party in Awendaw at the Wolf's home. School is out in two weeks but we end a little earlier to give us a break before the busy summer program begins.I also joined about 10 other guys to watch the FA Cup Final

By the power of Greyskull!

2007-05-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

I went with Melissa to finally see 'Hot Fuzz', and what a funny movie it was! We laughed loudly and a lot! There are some great movie references and some hilarious lines. I particularly enjoyed hearing the Heman line quoted in the title - I guess it won't be long before they make that into a movie... I presume all the UK readers have already seen this?Currently we are looking after Jonny Keys at

Champions once again

2007-05-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

Here it is! The end of year table, and amazingly we finished top despite losing one of the games (a crazy game that we forfeited with 10 minutes to go after two players were seriously injured and the awful referee had lost complete control of the game...) and then winning last night 6-5 after having been 5-3 down with 11 minutes left! It was the best game I have ever seen, although

Good news and bad news... only 3 seasons to go...!

2007-05-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

Though this might interest any Lost fans. I have lost interest due to the endless nature of this show. At least there is now an end date. Unfortunately it is three years away!"ABC has set an end date for "Lost."The Emmy-winning adventure series will run for 48 more episodes over three seasons. Each season will consist of 16 episodes, which will air uninterrupted."Lost" executive producers/

The Mormons

2007-05-03T12:39:00.000-07:00

Fascinating new PBS (Brits, think American BBC but with a lot less money!) documentary on The Mormons that is well worth checking out. You can watch it online in the US, but I'm not sure about the UK. Click on the link below:www.pbs.org/mormons

Current standings in our league

2007-05-01T16:49:00.000-07:00

2 games to go before the play-offs and we are well poised after a 3-1 win last night!DIVISION II Win Loss Tie Points Gulfstream Mudslingers 6 2 0 18 Holy Terrors 5 1 2 17 Moes 4 2 2 14 Spoccer 4 2 2 14 KB Home Swamp

My daughter is so ghetto...

2007-04-24T16:47:00.000-07:00

Great new pictures of Hannah!

Derek Webb interview

2007-04-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

Derek Webb is no stranger to controversy. His self-described “protest songs” that tackle issues from politics and war to wealth and the American dream have earned major media attention, garnering features in USA Today, RELEVANT and NPR. His latest album, The Ringing Bell, (which hits stores on May 1) offers more insight about American Christianity and why, when it comes to big ideas, it’s

Letters from Iwo Jima - Relevant review

2007-01-29T16:41:00.000-08:00

It is a rare and beautiful thing to have two pieces of art that explore one single event or idea from two such vastly different—but ultimately complimentary—points of view. Literature has typically been the medium for this sort of multi-perspectival landscape, though modern film has toyed with the form many times in

Hannah's 1st Birthday

2007-01-24T18:51:00.000-08:00

Check out www.jonnykusa.blogspot.com for some great pictures of Hannah's birthday party last weekend!

How to be a Disciple (Stephanie Grant)

2007-01-10T16:42:00.000-08:00

So you want to change the world? You want to accomplish great and mighty things for God? I don’t blame you. In fact I’m with you. I want to too. But you know what I realized? I can’t. Hmm… sounds pessimistic, doesn’t it? Actually it has been some of the most freeing news I have ever heard. I cannot do great things for God. I cannot reach people. I cannot even bear the fruit Jesus says we are

Christmas Letter '06

2007-01-06T05:21:00.000-08:00

The Bennett Family1459 Caldwell Ct.Mt PleasantSC 29466 Tel: 001 (843) 884 6187 E-mail: jandmbennett@bellsouth.net Dear family and friends, The American TV schedule leaves me with no doubt that Christmas is nearing, with reruns of Christmas classics being the norm each evening. The weather for once is also helping us get in the mood with thick frosts over the past week or so, although

The Myth of Redemptive Violence

2007-01-05T07:10:00.000-08:00

Thursday, January 04, 2007 Shane Claiborne: Communicating Through a Noose "What do you think of that man?" the old guy asked in a raspy voice as I settled in next to him on the plane. He pointed to the face of Saddam Hussein on the front of his newspaper with a headline

2006-12-13T18:25:00.000-08:00

It's been to long once again, perhaps it was the devastation of losing the Mt Pleasant Div III Co-Ed Soccer Final 3-2, or perhaps I'm just slack...Anyway, it's been a good month, particularly as I had an old college friend from my NTC days, Gordon Weir, come and stay for a week. It was great catching up and reminiscing about old times.We're heading back home for Christmas, and I can't wait! e

2006-11-22T06:04:00.000-08:00

Off to Jacksonville for Thanksgiving today. Looking forward to a bit of a break, albeit a short one as we'll be back Saturday. Monday we won our semi-final game, 3-1, although that is a flattering scoreline as we could easily have lost 5-3. We just didnt gel well on the night, but hey, you know what they say about good teams - they win even when they play badly! The final is this Monday at 7.45pm

Terrors top the Mt Pleasant Co-Ed III Division 'Soccer' table!

2006-11-07T17:42:00.000-08:00

Would you believe it! We are seeded 1 for the play-offs after an amazing 8 game unbeaten run. Here's hoping we can take the championship. Quarter finals are next Monday at 7pm. Watch this space for results...1) Holy Terrors 22 points2) Charleston Classic 19 points3) Spoccer 16 points4) Mudslingers 13 points5) Moe's

November already

2006-11-02T05:12:00.000-08:00

Can't belive that Christmas is just around the corner, and Thanksgiving is only 3 weeks away. For the Brits amongst you, Thanksgiving is definitely something we need to introduce. It's a bit like a Christmas without the presents, which isn't as bad as it sounds! Most people get an extra long weekend (Thurs-Sun) and spend time eating, watching movies, watching sports (football mainly, of the

Success vs Faithfulness

2006-09-09T05:05:00.000-07:00

One of the toughest things about doing youth ministry is measuring how successful you are being. As I taught a bunch of youth ministers this week though, it's our job to be faithful, not successful. God is the one who grants success.However, there is always this nagging question of how well are we doing? The trap that is all to easy to fall in to is to use numbers as a guage for how well your

Great free music!

2006-09-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

Go to www.freederekwebb.com to download his latest album for free.

September already!

2006-09-01T04:53:00.000-07:00

Can't believe it's been a month since I last blogged. In that time I:1. Finished all our summer programs for students2. Took an awesome week's vacation right here in Mt Pleasant3. Saw Hannah learn how to sit up, and now nearly crawling4. Picked up Jonny Keys (see pics here of all the apprentices) from the airport to begin his year apprenticeship program here5. Began all our programs for the

MySpace

2006-07-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

Check out this link for a funny video on MySpace...

This week

2006-07-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

It's been a good week and I'm now enjoying my day off which gives me some time to catch up on blogging. Currently enjoying listening to Mike's new tunes on My Space (you can also listen here - www.purevolume.com/liketheracecourse).We just had a really enjoyable lunch with a guy from El Paso, New Mexico who is here in Summerville with his wife visiting family. He runs what sounds like an excellent

What has 20six done??!!

2006-06-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

I can't even access my own blog for some reason. Oh well...