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Thursday, August 1, 2019

The Gleaner’s Edge

How an Old Testament practice can transform the way we do business today.

Gleaning, the Old Testament practice whereby farmers left an unharvested margin around their fields and the poor came and picked from it, was at the heart of the Book of Ruth. Was gleaning only an ancient agricultural regulation, Stumberg wondered, or did it also apply to how he should steward a modern-day tech business?

“I was contextualizing what Boaz did,” said Stumberg, who sees God as the ultimate owner of his business and its office space. “The story of Boaz helped me name something the Lord was moving in my heart.”

Stumberg’s growing company, TengoInternet, was in the process of enlarging its offices, and he had been wrestling with a question: How much space do you need? Even though he was not farming grain, Stumberg felt compelled to follow the example of Boaz and leave margin for others.

“It’s like hospitality,” he said. “When we expanded our space, we built a couple extra offices and deliberately set them aside for others to work.” Allies Against Slavery, a nonprofit startup working to stop human trafficking, moved into one office. An Anglican priest occupied the other. Stumberg did not charge rent or supervise them. He simply invited them in, and they set to work.

What Stumberg would eventually discover is a less-discussed side of gleaning. Scripture describes gleaners as the poor, widows, orphans, and foreigners (Lev. 19:9–10, Deut. 24:19–22)—in other words, those society has relegated to a lower social status due to ethnicity, religion, gender, ability, or other economic disadvantage. At the most basic level, it was a practical way to help provide for those in need and to remind everyone of God’s own provision.

Yet these gleaning ...

from Christianity Today Magazine https://ift.tt/2LTAUDr

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Rural Youth Ministry: Are We Ready for the Next Wave?: Part 1

There is some spiritual energy starting to build in the youth of our rural communities.

In October of 2015, the movie “Woodlawn” was release and it is based on a true story about a school that was transformed through a move of God in the youth on the football team.

The transformation then moved to another school in town and eventually it impacted the entire community of Birmingham, Alabama, because of what was happening in the lives of these teenagers. It is a powerful movie that gives us a glimpse of how God has moved in and through teenagers to transform communities.

As I sat and watched this movie in the theater with my family, I was struck with the realization that the rural youth ministry I oversee started around the same time that this was happening in Birmingham. So how did this movement make it all the way to rural Kansas in the late 1960s and early 1970s?

I would have only been around 2-years-old at the time, but Lay Witness Mission meetings were happening in Phillipsburg, Kansas in the early 1970s and several teenagers accepted Jesus through these events.

This group of 15-20 teenagers decided to start a Bible study and they called themselves “Reach Out.” Randy and LeAnn Hunt were newly married young adults who had just moved back to Phillipsburg in 1971 and they were asked to come alongside this group to guide it.

The Reach Out group grew to the point that Randy and LeAnn were hosting around 75 teenagers in their home every week, which is pretty significant in a community of approximately 3,200 people at that time. In the Woodlawn movie, they reference the Explo ‘72 event that took place in Dallas. A group of young adults from Stockton, Kansas (a town of approximately 1,800 people 20 miles south of Phillipsburg) went to that event and came back “on fire” for God. ...

from Christianity Today Magazine https://ift.tt/2SYG5To

Pete Buttigieg Brings Proverbs Into the Democratic Debate

Searches for the lesser-known verse tripled on Bible Gateway.

During the first of two Democratic presidential debates on CNN this week, candidate Pete Buttigieg quoted from the Old Testament in his remarks on the economy.

“Minimum wage is just too low,” the South Bend, Indiana, mayor said. “So-called conservative Christian senators right now in the Senate are blocking a bill to raise the minimum wage when Scripture says that whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker.”

Buttigieg, an Episcopalian, was referencing Proverbs 14:31 (NIV): “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” Other translations such as the NASB use the wording “taunts their Maker.” Proverbs 17:5 has a similar line: “Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.”

Believers across the political spectrum pay attention when a candidate evokes Scripture, and searches for Proverbs 14:31 on Bible Gateway tripled after Buttigieg’s remarks. Even for Christians, the verse does not rank not among the most-quoted Proverbs (the top being Prov. 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…”), and other passages (such as the Sermon on the Mount) tend to come up more regularly when discussing the Christian call to care for the poor.

Just over half of Americans (55%) support raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, according to a survey by The Hill. Evangelicals watching this week’s debates are about as likely as voters overall (18% compared to 19%) to consider economic policies like wages as the top issue for candidates to address, per a Morning Consult-Politico poll.

Fellow Christians have evoked other passages as a biblical ...

from Christianity Today Magazine https://ift.tt/2ysNT6q

I Called Off My Engagement at the Spirit’s Prompting

Looking for the right fit in a spouse is often less important than praying for God's peace.

I gave the ring back on a warm night in November. My boyfriend and I had just returned from a weekend of camping with friends. I can’t remember what started our fight that night, but it had been simmering for a while. “Sometimes I think the only reason you want to marry me is because he didn’t want you,” my fiancé said. I wanted to hate him for those words, but the truth was, he was right. My interest in another man had been unrequited, and in the absence of hope, I let my feet wander and gave myself to someone I sinfully considered second best. After I recognized my selfishness, I gave his engagement ring back.

For months, I carried shame about my failure, especially as we continued our relationship and I tried to sort out my heart. He was an honorable man from a wonderful family, but by February, I knew a wedding was not in our future. I could not find the peace I needed, and the hitch in my spirit was too strong to ignore.

Prior to that engagement, I had spent a lot of time waxing eloquent about the decisiveness of love. I believed strongly that it was a choice. As a single female nearing her mid-30s, I also believed many men in the church saw themselves above that choice and were looking for some elusive “spark” that would never materialize. “Just commit!” I thought and said often. But when I came face to face with my own inability to cross the mountain of commitment in front of me, I also came face to face with my own inadequate counsel. There’s more to marriage than a “spark,” but there’s also more than simple commitment.

Less than a year later, I met the man I would marry. Neither of us felt a “spark,” at least at first, no ah-ha ...

from Christianity Today Magazine https://ift.tt/2K51oQ6

We’re Not from Here

In the same way Dorothy longs for Kansas, the Church longs for the New Jerusalem.

When people ask me where I’m from, I think to myself, That it’s a tricky question. Do I answer where I currently live, where I currently moved from, or where I was born? In all honesty, I think they are trying to locate the accent they hear from the words coming out of my mouth. So, I answer, “Memphis, Tennessee.”

Truthfully, I’m not from Memphis. I’m actually from Munford, Tennessee. But most people wouldn’t have a clue where Munford is located. It is a town about 30 miles north of Memphis.

Munford was a small town. Growing up, there was no McDonalds, Walmart, or BP Gas Station. Everything was mom and pop. It wasn’t until years later, after I had moved, that Munford began to commercialize. Munford was your typical small southern town—simple, conservative, religious, connected, and friendly (still to this day I tell my wife about the “index finger” wave). This was the cultural environment in which I was raised and in which I became a Christian.

At the age of 15, I sensed a call to vocational ministry and began to lay out my future plans; I planned to attend college, then seminary, and finally land at a church serving God in some capacity. Participating in several overseas mission trips as a teenager gave me a perspective of the world that was bigger than Tipton County. Thus, I never thought I would stay local.

At least my 40,000-foot plans panned out. I attended Union University, graduating with a degree in Biblical Studies. Prior to graduating, I met my wife. As newlyweds, we embarked on seminary at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Full disclosure, I was your typical Bible College, young seminarian. I was consuming so much Bible, theology, and Greek—in ...

from Christianity Today Magazine https://ift.tt/2GE6v7H

Carol Swain Felt Called to Hold Politicians Accountable. Then God Asked Her to Run for Mayor.

The former Vanderbilt political science professor is in the race to become the first conservative African American to lead Nashville.

Carol Swain said she would never run for mayor of Nashville, but then a friend called her on Easter last year and addressed each of her objections.

So the retired Vanderbilt University political science and law professor prayed about entering the race.

“I got down on my knees that night and prayed,” she said in an interview with Christianity Today. “When I awakened, my mind was flooded with policy ideas for Nashville. So I jumped out of bed and started writing what became my blueprint for Nashville.”

Swain called her friend the next morning and told him she had changed her mind. She was in.

For Swain, change has been a recurring theme in her life. She went from low-income single mother to Ivy League academic, from Democrat to Republican media commentator, and from Jehovah’s Witness turned non-churchgoer to committed follower of Christ.

Now in her second run for mayor in as many years, change is a hallmark of Swain’s campaign. In an August 1 election, she hopes to become Nashville’s first African American mayor and its first conservative mayor in decades. Still, she wonders whether the Southern city’s Christians see her as the change agent some have long prayed for.

From poverty to Princeton

Swain, 65, grew up amid rural poverty in Virginia, with no indoor plumbing and just two beds to share with her 11 siblings. When it snowed, they skipped school for lack of money to buy boots. One year, she missed 80 days, Swain said in a profile published by the Nashville Tennessean.

She dropped out of school in eighth grade, married at 16, and became a mother before she was 20. Eventually, she found herself a twice-divorced mother of two who reported abuse in both marriages. Her third ...

from Christianity Today Magazine https://ift.tt/2OskjIN

Top 10 Kung Fu Audio Podcasts & Radio You Must Subscribe and Listen to in 2019

Kung Fu Podcasts.
The Best Kung Fu Podcasts from thousands of Kung Fu Podcasts on the web using search and social metrics. Subscribe to these audio podcasts because they are actively working to educate, inspire, and empower their readers with frequent updates and high-quality episodes.

These podcasts are ranked based on following criteria

Google reputation and Google search ranking
Influence and popularity on Facebook, twitter and other social media sites
Quality and consistency of episodes.
Feedspot’s editorial team and expert review

Contents [show]

Kung Fu Podcast Newsletter

Kung Fu Podcast newsletter is a comprehensive summary of the day's most important audio podcasts episodes from the best podcasters on the web, and delivered to your email inbox each morning. To subscribe, simply provide us with your email address.

Kung Fu Podcasts

1. Kung Fu Drive-In

New Jersey, USA About Podcast Join me on this kung fu movie podcast and let's discuss, debate, and dissect kung fu movies, martial arts cinema, and action films past, present, and future then interview the people that make them.
Frequency about 4 posts per month.
Since Feb 2016
Podcast kungfudrivein.libsyn.com
Facebook fans 213. Twitter followers 4,330.

2. Dudes of Kung Fu

New York, NY About Podcast Two Dudes from New York talking about Kung Fu and stuff. The Dudes of Kung Fu is now the number one podcast discussing Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do. It might also be the only one discussing BOTH, but that doesn't change facts. The Dudes have not only continued to have great conversations, but have also invited fantastic guests as well.
Frequency about 2 posts per month.
Podcast dudesofkungfu.podbean.com
Facebook fans 1,261. Twitter followers 373.

3. Kung Fu Movie Guide

About Podcast Welcome to the Kung Fu Movie Guide Podcast. Listen to exclusive, in-depth interviews with actors, stunt performers, directors, choreographers and writers discussing their careers and their passion for martial arts cinema. Hosted by Ben Johnson, the creator of kungfumovieguide.com.
Frequency about 1 post per month.
Podcast soundcloud.com/user-212944788
Facebook fans 2,823. Twitter followers 92,329.

4. KungFu Podcasts

About Podcast The audience of this program is some of the Finest and Sharpest Martial Artists in the world. TW Smith brings the stories of martial arts to life by looking at the Culture, Adventures and Impact of Martial Arts, through the lenses of history, research, legends and lore. Kung Fu, Taekwondo, Karate, BJJ and many other systems as well as sports such as MMA are all included.
Frequency about 1 post per month.
Podcast stitcher.com/podcast/sifu-tw..
Facebook fans 546. Twitter followers 1,038.

5. Traditional Buddhist Kung Fu

About Podcast Shaolin Chi Mantis was founded in 1992 to teach traditional northern Shaolin Kung Fu, Taoist Tai Chi Chuan and Confucian strategy in a maximum security prison in Utah. This podcast will allow us to share our teachings with more than our students.
Frequency about 3 posts per month.
Podcast anchor.fm/shaolin-chi-mantis
Facebook fans n/a. Twitter followers n/a.

6. Screen Mayhem | The Clones Cast

United States About Podcast From the Far East, to the great West, the podcast that celebrates the red-headed stepchild of the Kung fu genre. Bruceploitation! Hosted my Michael Worth, and Matthew Whitaker.
Frequency about 1 post per month.
Since Jul 2017
Podcast screenmayhem.com/the-clones-..
Facebook fans n/a. Twitter followers n/a.

7. Austin Kung Fu Academy Podcast

About Podcast The official podcast of Austin Kung-Fu Academy. They practice jiu jitsu self defense basics, Choy Lay Fut kung-fu and tai chi. We wanted to create a community that practiced self defense oriented martial arts for developing the mind, body, and spirit in a very safe, cooperative, and friendly atmosphere.
Frequency about 3 posts per month.
Since Jan 2018
Podcast soundcloud.com/akfapodcast
Facebook fans 1,205. Twitter followers 136.

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