http://www.thrivingpastor.com/sabbath-rest-a-new-metric-for-church-growth/?utm_source=nl_thrivingpastor&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=259005&refcd=259005&crmlink=article-title

SABBATH REST: A NEW METRIC FOR CHURCH GROWTH

By Tim Popadic

By now I’m sure you are well-versed in spiritual gift inventories. You’re probably also quite familiar with leadership assessments. It seems that the Church’s appetite for leadership tools marches on. Go to any of the large church ministries conferences and you will be thrown into a world of skinny jeans, expensive coffee, and a never-ending supply of ministry resources designed to help you increase your metrics. Growing your church, for many leaders, becomes a numbers game that aims ultimately at job security. The church has moved to a model that encourages working 24/7 and being available at everybody’s beck and call. That’s not to mention the need to add new service times to the schedule in order to accommodate more congregants, a strategy which has the inevitable side-effect of pulling pastors away from their families. This truly is the greatest problem facing church leadership culture today. But what would happen if the metrics changed? 

It was refreshing a few years ago when some of my favorite authors began to write books about the concept of rest. In fact, it wasn’t too long ago that pastors were given “sabbaticals” as part of their standard employment packages. Sabbaticals were designed to keep pastors fresh while also rewarding them for their loyalty and commitment to their calling. In many ways, they became one of the margins that those in full time ministry could use to create balance in their lives. 

This concept of “Sabbath Rest” is not only biblical, but it really works. We can even take a look at the marketplace and see examples of the power of honoring the Sabbath. Take Chick-fil-A, whose management chooses to remain closed on Sundays. This has not only been a philosophical choice since day one, but now it’s become part of their brand. Check out their signs on the highway telling you that there is a Chick-fil-A off the next exit. Right underneath their logo you’ll see the words “closed on Sundays.” Do you realize that they make more money in six days than any other fast food restaurant does in seven? I’m not sure why, but it seems to me that “the ministry” thinks it has become an exception to this rule. If the lighted sign in front of our building doesn’t say “OPEN” at all times, we feel like we’re doing something wrong.

“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. Don’t do any work – not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; He rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; He set it apart as a holy day.” Exodus 20: 8-11

Pastors, let me ask you something your staff cannot ask you: if you don’t start setting the example by creating Sabbath rest and margin in your own life, how can you possibly lead a staff that is taking their cues from you? It drives me crazy when I hear that Pastors are regularly being asked to come in to church and even to lead ministry on their days off. I was part of that crazy cycle for twenty years. About four years ago now I stepped out of day-to-day ministry and took on the life of a ministry consultant. The biggest change for my family was that they now had their dad back every weekend. It was as if we had to “re-learn” what family time was. I realized in that moment that I had allowed ministry to become greater in my life than my own family. Newsflash: When the pastor loses his family, all church growth stops.

My prayer for you this next season would be to create margin and balance in your ministry and family life. Don’t be afraid to say no to new ideas that increase your work load and decrease your family time. Surprise your staff and give them time off to spend with their families. Reward your ministry leaders for placing margin back in their lives. Finally, model Sabbath in all that you do. Only YOU can change the metrics of YOUR church. Your family and Your ministry teams will thank you!

Copyright © 2015 by Tim Popadic. Used by permission.

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Tim Popadic
@TimPopadic
Creator of Date Night Works & Date Night Comedy Tour
Pastor, Author, Marriage & Family Therapist, and Relationship Advocate
For more info go to DateNightFlorida.com and find some great Date Night Resources.

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http://m.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/01/where-does-the-south-begin/70052/

Where Does the South Begin?

The Post had an interesting article last weekend about how the Washington, D.C. region has lost most of its southern identity in recent decades as northerners move in and the federal capital's culture, food, and dialect became more standardized. The article raised the inevitable question: Was D.C. ever a southern city? And if so, where does the South begin?

Most Americans would agree that Richmond is a southern town, but how far north above the capital of the Confederacy does the South extend? Is Fredericksburg a southern town? Annapolis? Harper's Ferry? Louisville?

In some sense it's a ham-handed question, since "the South" has many sub-cultures. Charleston is very different than Dallas; the Great Smokies look nothing like the Delta; and Lexington-style barbecue is sacrilegious in Memphis. But at the same time, most Americans, southern and otherwise, have a psychological concept of the South. The question is the geography of it.

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The town of Winchester in the Shenandoah Valley was the base to legendary southerners such as Harry Byrd and Stonewall Jackson, yet it is north of Washington, was settled by Quakers, and has the feel of a Pennsylvania mill town. Not surprisingly, Winchester changed hands 72 times during the Civil War.

The border is obviously hazy, as anyone familiar with the events of 1861-65 can attest. The five most widely used borders are the Rappahannock River, the Potomac River, the Ohio River, the Mason-Dixon Line, and U.S. Route 40. Each of these can seem equally logical and preposterous depending on what kind of metric you're using. Here are some of the best ways decide:

Surveys and Censuses

The Mason-Dixon Line is the most traditional border between North and South, and to some extent the line made sense in its time. Maryland was a slave state, home to the likes of Frederick Douglas and Harriet Tubman, and Lincoln had to send federal troops into Baltimore to quell secessionist riots -- all suggesting Maryland was a southern state.

The Line endures today and the U.S. Census still lists Maryland and D.C. as part of the South. In fact, the Census even calls Delaware southern, which seems a bit misguided. The concept of the Mason-Dixon Line today is outdated, as few people would describe Baltimore, with its ethnic neighborhoods and industrial tradition, as southern.

Many historians and sociologists decided long ago that the Mason-Dixon Line was too clumsy and that U.S. Route 40 -- the old National Road -- was a more accurate border. The road extends from Baltimore to Frederick to Cumberland, through Wheeling, across southern Ohio, through Columbus and Indianapolis, across southern Illinois, and out to St. Louis. 

In the "Nine Nations of North America," Joel Garreau noted that there are "substantial differences in food, architecture, the layout of towns, and music to either side of that highway."  Southern Indiana, he wrote, "is definitely part of Dixie, and has been ever since the Coppherheads (those Northerners who sympathized with the Confederates in the 1860s)."

Rivers

Gen. George McClellan could never cross the swampy Chickahominy River outside Richmond, and so everything south of there is clearly property of Dixie. But a more frequently-used border is the Rappahannock, which is about halfway between Washington and Richmond. Most neighborhoods north of the Rap feel metropolitan while counties south are rural.

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The Potomac was also the effective border between the USA and CSA. The Feds' decision to coin the Army of the Potomac was symbolic, as it hinted at the central point. Similarly, the Army of the Ohio suggested that the Ohio River was the western border between North and South, which seems reasonable if you consider Kentucky southern and Ohio northern.

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Religion

If you look at the Kentucky/Ohio and Kentucky/Indiana borders, you'll also see that the southern state is overwhelmingly Baptist while the northern one is a mix of Catholics, Methodists, and Presbyterians. Not surprisingly, the Baptist counties in southern Illinois supported Stephen A. Douglas (who founded a Baptist seminary) over Lincoln, who was a Presbyterian.

The divide roughly follows the Ohio River, but it cuts across West Virginia, where the southern tier is Baptist and speaks will a drawl and the northern tier is ethnic and cheers for the Steelers. Maryland was a colony founded by Catholics, while Virginia is mostly Baptist with a strong Methodist following in the hills.

If religion is voluntary, dialect is involuntary. Every American knows what a southern accent sounds like, thanks in no small part to southern caricatures from Boss Hogg to Larry the Cable Guy. The reality of course is that the South consists of a fabric of dialects from the mountain twang of Johnson City to the smooth drawl of Panama City. 

What those accents have in common, according to Rick Aschmann's research of regional dialects, is that the South is defined by areas where people pronounce "pen" as "pin." The region he defined as "the South" roughly followed the Baptist/Ohio/Potomac border, with differences between Lowland and Inland and distinct pockets in the old world towns of Charleston, Savannah, and New Orleans.

 

Food 

It's tough to think about towns like New Orleans without thinking about food and drink, and really no beverage is more southern than sweet tea. The Post article notes that McDonald's went national with sweet tea in 2008, but prior to that decision, one of the best ways to measure a location's southerness was whether or not Mickey D's served sweet tea.  

The map below shows the so-called Sweet Tea Line of McDonald's that served the tasty drink in 2004. It's a surprisingly southern border, below Richmond even. The second map is the Slaw Line of West Virginia shows the geographic dispersion of HDJ's (hot dog joints) that serve with slaw and without (h/t Strange Maps). Again, the map is similar to the Baptist Line.

 

Politics 

Lastly, no discussion of the South could be complete without an understanding of its politics. Chuck Todd has said that 2006 was the year that "Virginia seceded from the Confederacy," and sure enough the Old Dominion and neighboring North Carolina voted for Barack Obama in 2008. For this reason, we can't simply look at the recent electoral map. 

The best way to measure the South through politics is by examining the "Solid South" of the Wilbur Mills/Sam Rayburn/Willie Talos days in the century following Appamattox. As recently as 1982, Democrats controlled a near monopoly in states like Alabama (105-4 split in House; 35-0 in Senate), Georgia (157-23, 51-5), and South Carolina (107-17, 41-5). 

So Where is the Border? It begins with an imaginary line from Cambridge, Md. to Fredericksburg, Va., follows the Rappahannock River up into the Piedmont, across the Baptist Line in West Virginia, along the Ohio River, and along the Baptist Line in southern Illinois.

Roads

Language

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MTHFR AND FOLINIC

http://m.perthnow.com.au/news/national/how-a-vitamin-cured-my-anxiety-elisa-blacks-story-of-lifelong-struggle-and-new-hope-for-the-future/story-fnii5yv8-1227251037624

She says there is still not a good understanding of MTHFR mutations and their possible links with anxiety and depression in the medical community. “Most medical professionals will disagree there is a link with anxiety or depression,’’ she says. “But 70 per cent of our MTHFR patients present with anxiety.” Depression is also a very big component she adds, explaining that folate is important to the processes that produce key brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine and melatonin.

http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/12/18/30-things-to-start-doing-for-yourself/

30 Things to Start Doing for Yourself

Remember today, for it is the beginning.

Today marks the start of a brave new future.

Our previous article, 30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself, was well received by most of our readers, but several of you suggested that we follow it up with a list of things to start doing.  In one reader’s words, “I would love to see you revisit each of these 30 principles, but instead of presenting us with a ‘to-don’t’ list, present us with a ‘to-do’ list that we all can start working on today, together.”  Some folks, such as readers Danny Head and Satori Agape, actually took it one step further and emailed us their own revised ‘to-do’ versions of the list.

So I sat down last night with our original article and the two reader’s revisions as a guide, and a couple hours later finalized a new list of 30 things; which ended up being, I think, a perfect complement to the original.

Here it is, a positive ‘to-do’ list for the upcoming year – 30 things to start doing for yourself:

1. Start spending time with the right people. – These are the people you enjoy, who love and appreciate you, and who encourage you to improve in healthy and exciting ways.  They are the ones who make you feel more alive, and not only embrace who you are now, but also embrace and embody who you want to be, unconditionally.
2. Start facing your problems head on. – It isn’t your problems that define you, but how you react to them and recover from them.  Problems will not disappear unless you take action.  Do what you can, when you can, and acknowledge what you’ve done.  It’s all about taking baby steps in the right direction, inch by inch.  These inches count, they add up to yards and miles in the long run.
3. Start being honest with yourself about everything. – Be honest about what’s right, as well as what needs to be changed.  Be honest about what you want to achieve and who you want to become.  Be honest with every aspect of your life, always.  Because you are the one person you can forever count on.  Search your soul, for the truth, so that you truly know who you are.  Once you do, you’ll have a better understanding of where you are now and how you got here, and you’ll be better equipped to identify where you want to go and how to get there.
4. Start making your own happiness a priority. – Your needs matter.  If you don’t value yourself, look out for yourself, and stick up for yourself, you’re sabotaging yourself.  Remember, it IS possible to take care of your own needs while simultaneously caring for those around you.  And once your needs are met, you will likely be far more capable of helping those who need you most.  (Angel and I discuss this in detail in the “Self-Love” chapter of 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.)
5. Start being yourself, genuinely and proudly. – Trying to be anyone else is a waste of the person you are.  Be yourself.  Embrace that individual inside you that has ideas, strengths and beauty like no one else.  Be the person you know yourself to be – the best version of you – on your terms.  Above all, be true to YOU, and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it.
6. Start noticing and living in the present. – Right now is a miracle.  Right now is the only moment guaranteed to you.  Right now is life.  So stop thinking about how great things will be in the future.  Stop dwelling on what did or didn’t happen in the past.  Learn to be in the ‘here and now’ and experience life as it’s happening.  Appreciate the world for the beauty that it holds, right now.
7. Start valuing the lessons your mistakes teach you. – Mistakes are okay; they’re the stepping stones of progress.  If you’re not failing from time to time, you’re not trying hard enough and you’re not learning.  Take risks, stumble, fall, and then get up and try again.  Appreciate that you are pushing yourself, learning, growing and improving.  Significant achievements are almost invariably realized at the end of a long road of failures.  One of the ‘mistakes’ you fear might just be the link to your greatest achievement yet.
8. Start being more polite to yourself. – If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend?  The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others.  You must love who you are or no one else will.
9. Start enjoying the things you already have. – The problem with many of us is that we think we’ll be happy when we reach a certain level in life – a level we see others operating at – your boss with her corner office, that friend of a friend who owns a mansion on the beach, etc.  Unfortunately, it takes awhile before you get there, and when you get there you’ll likely have a new destination in mind.  You’ll end up spending your whole life working toward something new without ever stopping to enjoy the things you have now.  So take a quiet moment every morning when you first awake to appreciate where you are and what you already have.
10. Start creating your own happiness. – If you are waiting for someone else to make you happy, you’re missing out.  Smile because you can.  Choose happiness.  Be the change you want to see in the world.  Be happy with who you are now, and let your positivity inspire your journey into tomorrow.  Happiness is often found when and where you decide to seek it.  If you look for happiness within the opportunities you have, you will eventually find it.  But if you constantly look for something else, unfortunately, you’ll find that too.  (Read Stumbling on Happiness.)
11. Start giving your ideas and dreams a chance. – In life, it’s rarely about getting a chance; it’s about taking a chance.  You’ll never be 100% sure it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work.  Most of the time you just have to go for it!  And no matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be.  Either you succeed or you learn something.  Win-Win.
12. Start believing that you’re ready for the next step. – You are ready!  Think about it.  You have everything you need right now to take the next small, realistic step forward.  So embrace the opportunities that come your way, and accept the challenges – they’re gifts that will help you to grow.
13. Start entering new relationships for the right reasons. – Enter new relationships with dependable, honest people who reflect the person you are and the person you want to be.  Choose friends you are proud to know, people you admire, who show you love and respect – people who reciprocate your kindness and commitment.  And pay attention to what people do, because a person’s actions are much more important than their words or how others represent them.
14. Start giving new people you meet a chance. – It sounds harsh, but you cannot keep every friend you’ve ever made.  People and priorities change.  As some relationships fade others will grow.  Appreciate the possibility of new relationships as you naturally let go of old ones that no longer work.  Trust your judgment.  Embrace new relationships, knowing that you are entering into unfamiliar territory.  Be ready to learn, be ready for a challenge, and be ready to meet someone that might just change your life forever.
15. Start competing against an earlier version of yourself. – Be inspired by others, appreciate others, learn from others, but know that competing against them is a waste of time.  You are in competition with one person and one person only – yourself.  You are competing to be the best you can be.  Aim to break your own personal records.  (Read The Road Less Traveled.)
16. Start cheering for other people’s victories. – Start noticing what you like about others and tell them.  Having an appreciation for how amazing the people around you are leads to good places – productive, fulfilling, peaceful places.  So be happy for those who are making progress.  Cheer for their victories.  Be thankful for their blessings, openly.  What goes around comes around, and sooner or later the people you’re cheering for will start cheering for you.
17. Start looking for the silver lining in tough situations. – When things are hard, and you feel down, take a few deep breaths and look for the silver lining – the small glimmers of hope.  Remind yourself that you can and will grow stronger from these hard times.  And remain conscious of your blessings and victories – all the things in your life that are right.  Focus on what you have, not on what you haven’t.
18. Start forgiving yourself and others. – We’ve all been hurt by our own decisions and by others.  And while the pain of these experiences is normal, sometimes it lingers for too long.  We relive the pain over and over and have a hard time letting go.  Forgiveness is the remedy.  It doesn’t mean you’re erasing the past, or forgetting what happened.  It means you’re letting go of the resentment and pain, and instead choosing to learn from the incident and move on with your life.
19. Start helping those around you. – Care about people.  Guide them if you know a better way.  The more you help others, the more they will want to help you.  Love and kindness begets love and kindness.  And so on and so forth.
20. Start listening to your own inner voice. – If it helps, discuss your ideas with those closest to you, but give yourself enough room to follow your own intuition.  Be true to yourself.  Say what you need to say.  Do what you know in your heart is right.
21. Start being attentive to your stress level and take short breaks. – Slow down.  Breathe.  Give yourself permission to pause, regroup and move forward with clarity and purpose.  When you’re at your busiest, a brief recess can rejuvenate your mind and increase your productivity.  These short breaks will help you regain your sanity and reflect on your recent actions so you can be sure they’re in line with your goals.
22. Start noticing the beauty of small moments. – Instead of waiting for the big things to happen – marriage, kids, big promotion, winning the lottery – find happiness in the small things that happen every day.  Little things like having a quiet cup of coffee in the early morning, or the delicious taste and smell of a homemade meal, or the pleasure of sharing something you enjoy with someone else, or holding hands with your partner.  Noticing these small pleasures on a daily basis makes a big difference in the quality of your life.
23. Start accepting things when they are less than perfect. – Remember, ‘perfect’ is the enemy of ‘good.’  One of the biggest challenges for people who want to improve themselves and improve the world is learning to accept things as they are.  Sometimes it’s better to accept and appreciate the world as it is, and people as they are, rather than to trying to make everything and everyone conform to an impossible ideal.  No, you shouldn’t accept a life of mediocrity, but learn to love and value things when they are less than perfect.
24. Start working toward your goals every single day. – Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.  Whatever it is you dream about, start taking small, logical steps every day to make it happen.  Get out there and DO something!  The harder you work the luckier you will become.  While many of us decide at some point during the course of our lives that we want to answer our calling, only an astute few of us actually work on it.  By ‘working on it,’ I mean consistently devoting oneself to the end result.  (Read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.)
25. Start being more open about how you feel. – If you’re hurting, give yourself the necessary space and time to hurt, but be open about it.  Talk to those closest to you.  Tell them the truth about how you feel.  Let them listen.  The simple act of getting things off your chest and into the open is your first step toward feeling good again.
26. Start taking full accountability for your own life. – Own your choices and mistakes, and be willing to take the necessary steps to improve upon them.  Either you take accountability for your life or someone else will.  And when they do, you’ll become a slave to their ideas and dreams instead of a pioneer of your own.  You are the only one who can directly control the outcome of your life.  And no, it won’t always be easy.  Every person has a stack of obstacles in front of them.  But you must take accountability for your situation and overcome these obstacles.  Choosing not to is choosing a lifetime of mere existence.
27. Start actively nurturing your most important relationships. – Bring real, honest joy into your life and the lives of those you love by simply telling them how much they mean to you on a regular basis.  You can’t be everything to everyone, but you can be everything to a few people.  Decide who these people are in your life and treat them like royalty.  Remember, you don’t need a certain number of friends, just a number of friends you can be certain of.
28. Start concentrating on the things you can control. – You can’t change everything, but you can always change something.  Wasting your time, talent and emotional energy on things that are beyond your control is a recipe for frustration, misery and stagnation.  Invest your energy in the things you can control, and act on them now.
29. Start focusing on the possibility of positive outcomes. – The mind must believe it CAN do something before it is capable of actually doing it.  The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful.  Listen to your self-talk and replace negative thoughts with positive ones.  Regardless of how a situation seems, focus on what you DO WANT to happen, and then take the next positive step forward.  No, you can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you react to things.  Everyone’s life has positive and negative aspects – whether or not you’re happy and successful in the long run depends greatly on which aspects you focus on.  (Read The How of Happiness.)
30. Start noticing how wealthy you are right now. – Henry David Thoreau once said, “Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.”  Even when times are tough, it’s always important to keep things in perspective.  You didn’t go to sleep hungry last night.  You didn’t go to sleep outside.  You had a choice of what clothes to wear this morning.  You hardly broke a sweat today.  You didn’t spend a minute in fear.  You have access to clean drinking water.  You have access to medical care.  You have access to the Internet.  You can read.  Some might say you are incredibly wealthy, so remember to be grateful for all the things you do have.

 If you enjoyed this article, check out our new best-selling book. 
 And get inspiring life tips and quotes in your inbox (it's free)...

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Consistently Produce Professional Quality Photos

http://www.digitalphotomentor.com/portrait-lighting-ps-video/?a=48

Consistently Produce Professional Quality Photos (Every Single Shoot!)

Capturing photos of people can feel like a roll of the dice, sometimes it works and often it doesn’t. Washed out faces, harsh shadows and missed opportunities leave you, your friends, and family disappointed. You end up avoiding taking pictures of people because of the fear you will not deliver what people want.

What you need is the confidence and skills to work with your subjects in any location to create great portraits.

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http://www.challies.com/articles/6-reasons-why-sexual-predators-target-churches?utm_content=bufferae1a5&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

6 Reasons Why Sexual Predators Target Churches

It is terrible but true—sexual predators target churches. In the mind of a predator, a church offers a compelling target and, too often, an easy target. I recently worked my way through On Guard by Deepak Reju and learned that there are at least 6 reasons why sexual predators specifically target churches.

Christians Are Naïve

Some sexual offenders state it outright—they go after churches because Christians tend to be naïve. Anna Salter says, “If children can be silenced and the average person is easy to fool, many offenders report that religious people are even easier to fool than most people.” Reju says, “Christian are, generally speaking, trusting folks. Child abusers recognize this fact and want to take full advantage of it.” He quotes a former prosecutor who lays it out: “For a variety of reasons, we naively tend to automatically lower our guard when we are amongst professing Christians. This same naïveté is why offenders flock to the faith community; no other environment provides them such quick and easy access to children without fear of raising concerns.”

Christians Are Ignorant of the Problem

Christians are not only naïve, but also ignorant—ignorant of the problem of abuse and the extent of the problem within faith communities. Many Christians consider it unlikely or impossible that abuse could happen within their church, so they fail to take adequate measures, they ignore warnings, and they disregard reports. Reju says, “Many Christians don’t know how to distinguish likability and trustworthiness. They confuse the two categories, assuming that if someone is courteous and nice, they must also be trustworthy. Moreover, some Christians behave as though the problem doesn’t exist, and some look with suspicion on reports of abuse. They believe children are lying and are more prone to take an adult’s word. Sexual predators know that these dynamics operate in churches, and they know they can get away with a lot on account of it.”

Churches Offer Access to Children

Perhaps most simply of all, churches offer access—and often very easy access—to children. Reju says this well: “Because churches are always looking for help with children’s ministry and often are facing shortages of volunteers, sexual offenders know that churches are desperate. In children’s ministry, volunteers are often late. Some cancel at the last minute when they had promised to volunteer. Others don’t even bother showing up for their service. So, when a courteous, kind, reliable man walks in and offers to help, who’s going to turn him down? No other organization provides such quick and easy access to children. Sexual predators know this, so they show up at churches, eager to make themselves known and ready to serve.”

(Many) Christians Abuse Authority

Sometimes authority is put in the hands of evil individuals who then abuse that authority by taking advantage of others. Christians are rightly taught to submit to authority, but not always warned that there are situations in which authority can and must be defied. “Child abusers will use positions of spiritual authority to gain access to children and abuse them. Ask yourself: If a pastor or priest walks into a room, what’s your normal disposition? Most of us have a degree of caution around strangers until we’ve gotten to know them and built a trusting relationship. But pastors and priests are often afforded trust just because of their position as clergy.” This, of course, has been proven again and again by sickening news headlines.

Churches Can Be Manipulated

Church offers religious roles or language that abusers can manipulate to accomplish their ugly purposes. Child abusers often use church-based roles in order to provide rationale and cover for their abuse. An offender may take on a role like Sunday school teacher, nursery worker, youth minister, camp supervisor, or pastor in order to gain the position he or she needs to access children. He may “also use religious language to confuse a child’s understanding of God, sin, or faith. An offender might tell a child that he is loving the child when in fact he is abusing him. The child might have a sense that he is sinning in some way, especially if he hears from his parents or the church that sex outside of marriage is sin. But when a Sunday school teacher or pastor or priest tells him something like, ‘God told me to do this, so you must obey me,’ or ‘This is not sin, but love,’ the child will not only be confused but will be inclined not to second-guess a religious authority figure.” Religious roles and language can provide all the cover an abuser needs.

Churches Offer Cheap Grace

Sometimes abusers are caught, but even then they may get away with their crimes. Abusers count on receiving cheap grace—grace that comes far too freely and with far too little cost. “Abusers are not dumb. They know that if they cry, offer words of contrition, and promise never to do it again, they are very likely not to have to face significant consequences. Pastors and churches are very forgiving. They are quick to apply the gospel—and very, very slow to apply the consequences that come from the law.” An offender will weep and admit that he was wrong and promise never to do anything like it again, and the church may respond by determining they will let it go this once. But when they do that, they simply allow the offender to go right back to his behavior, and allow the child to remain a victim.

In the face of all of this, it is no wonder that the Bible calls us to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). But while all of these dangers are true, and while abusers are deliberate in targeting churches, this does not mean that we are left defenseless. For that reason the bulk of Reju’s book is dedicated to creating and enforcing policies that will protect the innocent—innocent children who participate in church activities, and innocent adults who care for them. Please, will you have someone in your church read the book and see how you can better prevent abuse in your church?

You can read my review of On Guard right here. It is available at Amazon and Westminster Books.

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Clarke Central's Christian Norton follows in the family business

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Clarke Central's Norton follows in the family business

On paper, Christian Norton’s career path seems natural, if not predictable.

Norton is the new head coach of the Clarke Central boy’s track and field team, which opened its season last weekend. He is also the son of University of Georgia track and field head coach Wayne Norton. Yet Norton is pursuing a dream neither he nor his father imagined. 

“Actually, I tried to steer my children almost away from athletics,” Wayne Norton says. “I really wanted them to focus more on the academic side — just being good students, being disciplined, taking care of your business, going to class, doing all of those things.” 

Passion, not pressure, has led Norton to where he is today.

In the Norton household, being a well-rounded citizen was the highest priority and was established at the most basic of levels, like reading the daily newspaper. Norton and his three younger sisters had to follow a strict set of rules if they wanted to read the sports section. One, read the first paragraph of every story on the front page. Two, read one full story from every section of the paper. Three — the ultimate goal for Norton — read the sports page.

In spite of the elder Norton’s attempts to push his children away from athletics, the Georgia coach admits that he could see his son drifting that direction from an early age. At less than a year old, when most children stick to words like “mama” and “dada,” Norton was saying “football.” 

As Norton grew, his love of sports developed into dreams of success. He began playing basketball in fifth grade, his first organized team sport, and made elaborate plans to play in the NBA, NFL and MLB, and run track in the Olympics — all at the same time. 

Although he was not considering a future in coaching at the time, two key events in seventh grade changed the eventual course of Norton’s career: He joined the track team and he skipped straight to the sports section on one memorable day. 

Norton brought the paper to school with him that day, where he was free of the observing eye of his parents. He passed over the daily news in his hurry to read of Hart County football coach William DeVane, who had led his team to four undefeated regular seasons in a row. 

“Man, that’s who I want to play for,” Norton said to himself on that day.

Although Norton lived in Clarke County and had never put on a helmet and shoulder pads before, a dream was born. By the end of eighth grade, he had finished his first year of football and received some fateful news: DeVane was coming to Clarke Central to become the head football coach of the Gladiators.

“I feel like it was orchestrated just for me,” Norton says. “After my four years were up, he left and went back to Hart County. I like to think that he came here just to coach me and then he went back to Hart County to get back to his life.”

During those four years from 2002-05, Norton formed a bond with DeVane that has lasted to this day. He also excelled in the sport, helping the Gladiators win a region championship and compete in the state playoffs on two separate occasions. But perhaps the most significant aspect of Norton’s time at Clarke Central was that he began to develop as a coach himself.

“He had what I call go-get,” DeVane says. “He wasn’t afraid of hard work. He wasn’t the biggest fellow in the world, but he made up for it with heart and determination. I did see that in him, that he wanted to form those relationships with younger players and kind of guide and help them.”

That go-get became especially evident when Norton decided to walk on to the UGA football team at the defensive back position. An injury forced him to retire from the sport before ever playing in a game. But during his time on the team, his father would occasionally look over from the track and observe Norton at football practice. 

“He’d go with the big, 300-pound football players and be talking to them. He’s got their attention,” the elder Norton says. “You would think they’re just going, ‘Hey, get out of my way little guy,’ but they’re listening to him. He com

mands attention and respect, and he’s been like that since he was young.”

Norton received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in economics and sport management from UGA while coaching football and track at Clarke Central and Clarke Middle on the side. In the summer of 2012, he moved to Houston to begin teaching full-time with no plans to join the ranks of coaching.

But passion doesn’t rest. A few weeks into his new job, he sent an email to the head football coach at Sharpstown High School and was back on the field as a defensive assistant that very first fall. 

It wasn’t easy, however. Norton lived 40 miles away from the high school and did not have a car. He’d wake up at 5 a.m. to catch the morning bus in time to be at his teaching job. After teaching and coaching all day, he’d get back on the bus at 7:30 p.m. and reach his house by 10 p.m. after transferring several times.

“I didn’t have time to do anything but what I loved, and that’s working with young people and athletics,” he says. “It got away all the extra stuff in life and kind of left the core of what’s important.”

And what’s important to Norton, in addition to his family, his faith and his passion for sports, is his love of Clarke Central. His longing to return to his alma mater, what he calls his “favorite place in the world,” brought him back to Athens in 2013. 

Norton now spends his days as a special education and history teacher at Hilsman Middle School. In the fall, he coaches wide receivers at Clarke Central. 

And this spring, Norton is directing a team of young athletes on the track as a first-time head coach. The Gladiators’ most recent success was in 2011 when they won the state title. They have had lackluster seasons since then and former head coach Stefan Smith moved to rival high school Cedar Shoals to run its track program. The Gladiators are in Norton’s hands now. 

“At Clarke Central, if I do my best and become the best coach I can be, and become the best teacher I can be, I feel like I can achieve most of my career goals just within this block,” he says. “The opportunity to be here is worth it. This is where I want to be.”

Norton now echoes to his athletes the same messages that his father imparted to him. In fact, he has laid out three specific expectations for his team: be excellent in the community, be excellent in the classroom and be excellent in competition — in that order. Norton also has expectations of a winning season, but he is most concerned with laying the foundation for a program that develops athletes into productive citizens.

“Coach Norton has emphasized that,” Marcus Ellis, a junior on the team, says. “You have to be a good person everywhere, as well as on the track. The most important thing is that you be the best person you can be.”

— The Grady Sports Bureau is part of the sports media program at the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. 

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GOOD NEWS CLUB: Child Evangelism Fellowship

Good News Club - remembering Ms. Payne

           Ms. Payne, far left/back row

http://www.cefonline.com/index.php?Itemid=100049

What is a Good News Club?

Good News Club is a ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship in which trained teachers meet with groups of children in schools, homes, community centers, churches, apartment complexes, just about anywhere the children can easily and safely meet with their parent's permission. Each week the teacher presents an exciting Bible lesson using colorful materials from CEF Press. This action-packed time also includes songs, Scripture memory, a missions story and review games or other activities focused on the lesson's theme.

As with all CEF ministries, the purpose of Good News Club is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and establish (disciple) them in the Word of God and in a local church for Christian living.

Can we really teach the Bible in public schools?

Yes! The Gospel has been taught freely in public schools all over the world for some time.  Now children in the U.S. have that opportunity, too!  In 2001 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Good News Clubs v. Milford Central School that Good News Clubs can meet in public schools in the United States after school hours on the same terms as other community groups. Children attend Good News Club only with their parents' permission.

What is taught in Good News Club?

Each week an exciting Bible lesson using colorful materials from CEF Press is presented. This action-packed time also includes songs, Scripture memory, a missions story and review games or other activities focused on the lesson's theme.

Each club includes a clear presentation of the Gospel and an opportunity for children to trust the Lord Jesus as Savior. Every club also includes strong discipleship training to build character and strengthen moral and spiritual growth. All children are encouraged to attend a local church.

Who teaches a Good News Club?

Christians who are concerned for boys and girls work together volunteering their time and energy to teach Good News Club. They are trained by Child Evangelism Fellowship to have a club that is exciting and informative so that children will want to keep coming. Teachers are asked to sign the CEF Statement of Faith and agree to abide by the policies of the organization. Adults working with the program are screened according to our child protection policy.

In the United States there is a movement among churches to adopt a public school Good News Club.    Read more.

How can I get involved?

There are several opportunities to be involved with a Good News Club.  You can pray for the children and teachers in the club. Become a club teacher or helper by contacting your local chapter and asking about training and opportunities. Read more.

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