The Wonder of Cucumbers

CucAccording to the word on the street (yet to be confirmed by www.snopes.com), cucumbers are more than meets the eye (or taste buds)!
   
1.  Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day. Just one cucumber contains vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin  B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C,  Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a  good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that  can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and  provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few  slices in a small pie tin and your garden  will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the  aluminium to give off a scent undetectable to  humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5  Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B Vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by european trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart starvation.

8. Have an important  meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick  and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9.  Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce etress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just  finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad  breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but it won't leave streaks and won't harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13.  Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!

Pass this along to everybody you know who is looking for better and safer ways to solve life's everyday problems.

Heretic Hunting?

JudgeIt always concerns me the amount of so-called ‘Christians’
who spend their time throwing mud at other Christian ministries, claiming that
so-and-so is a false prophet or spreading heresy. Jesus does call us to
discern ministries (by their fruit) but to go beyond this and place a judgment
on a person is something we are strongly commanded to NOT do (see my previous BLOG post 'Discern, Don't Judge).

To quote my previous post, Derek Prince recommends five key things that we should look for when discerning whether any church, ministry or so-called “move of God” is genuine or not (from his booklet Uproar in the Church published by Derek Prince Ministries). Here they are:

  1. The fruit of repentance. Are people turning from sin to God?
  2. Respect for the Scriptures. Is God’s Word being respected, valued and taught?
  3. Exaltation of Jesus. Is Jesus being lifted up and magnified?
  4. Love for other Christians. Is there a growing love for other believers?
  5. Loving concern for the unreached. Is there a focus on reaching people for Christ?

A tree is known by its fruit. We may not always recognise or understand how the Spirit moves, but we can know the evidence of the Spirit's work. Is the fruit something that looks like the Holy Spirit?

Not everything you read on the Internet or in the media is
true. Having been quoted (or should I say misquoted) by the media myself, I can
tell you that not everything you read is true or the whole truth. Charles
Finney once defined ‘slander’ as ‘telling the truth in such as way as to give a
lying impression.’ There is a lot of that around today!

Rick Warren is an example of a prominent pastor and church
leader who frequently comes under attack for something (in Australia we call it
the ‘tall poppy syndrome’ – always cutting down the ones who stick out a bit). Take a moment to read Ed Stetzer's recent interview with Rick Warren. It's a
good example of a church leader having to qualify and explain some of the recent slander
that he has had to endure. It is a good learning experience for all of us. 

Yes, truth is important but none of us have the corner on all of it. Truth is found in a person, Jesus Christ, not in my particular perspective on any matter or issue. When in doubt, dialogue. Enter the conversation, with a desire to grow and learn more as we pursue Christ together. Learn how to disagree … agreeably. You can be right in your doctrine and wrong in your attitude and you are wrong. Knowledge can tend puff people up in pride up while love always seeks to build up. 

Let's get on with loving one another as Christ loves us (something Jesus said would be THE apologetic that we are truly his followers) and reaching out to a world that desperately needs to see and hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

Christmas Resources

XmasBelieve it or not, Christmas is only four weeks away! For followers of Christ, and especially for those of us who pastor a church or speak from time to time, Christmas presents another excellent opportunity to communicate the good news of Jesus Christ. But how do we share this timeless message in new and fresh ways that capture people’s attention and interest?

J John from the UK has put together a variety of resources specially related to the Christmas season. Check out his web site for further details. Of note, is the recent release of the book Proclaiming Christmas, a compilation of Christmas sermons from communicators all around the world. I was privileged to contribute my message from a few years ago called “What would Jesus say to Santa Claus?”

Enjoy your Christmas preparations!

C.S. Lewis Deserves His Place in Poet’s Corner

Leiws

By Alistair McGrath for The Telegraph

With simplicity and elegance, he captured the imagination of a war-weary generation.

Today it will be announced that a memorial to the poet, literary scholar and novelist C S Lewis (1898-1963) is to be placed in Poets’ Corner at Westminster Abbey next November, 50 years after his death. He joins a select group of poets, playwrights and writers to have been buried or commemorated there, including Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare. I would argue that Lewis certainly merits inclusion among these greats of English literature.

Has he secured his place because he was a poet? He certainly had early aspirations in that direction. Born in Belfast, he hoped to become an “Irish voice” in poetry, with W B Yeats as his model. Yet little came of this aspiration. His first slender volume of verse, Spirits in Bondage (1919), was published under the pseudonym “Clive Hamilton” (Hamilton was his mother’s maiden name). Many of these poems were written while he served as a junior officer in the trenches of northern France during the First World War.

The early poems remain a powerful witness to Lewis’s early atheism, railing against an absent and uncaring God who failed to halt the slaughter the author saw around him. But he never achieved recognition as a “war poet”, like Rupert Brooke and Siegfried Sassoon, who are also commemorated in Poets’ Corner. Indeed, not only did he fail to secure recognition for his war poetry, he was not acclaimed as a poet of any kind, as the lack of interest in his second volume of verse – Dymer (1926) – made painfully clear.

He went on to secure his reputation, rather, as a literary critic at Oxford and Cambridge, offering important assessments of the poetry of others, especially Edmund Spenser and John Milton. He excelled at this task. His work on Milton drew attention to an aspect of his poetry that had been neglected – how it sounded to its readers. Lewis became acutely sensitive to the rhythm of the English language, whether poetry or prose. He never used a typewriter, explaining that the clattering of its keys destroyed his “sense of rhythm”. For Lewis, a fountain pen enabled its user to be attuned to the melody of language.

In the end, the poetic vision that Lewis never quite managed to actualise in his verse was found instead in his prose. Here we find one of the keys to his success as a writer – his ability to express complex ideas in simple language, connecting with his audience without losing elegance of expression. Lewis learnt this skill the hard way, partly through lecturing to aircrews during the Second World War. If you could not express something in simple language, Lewis later declared, it was because you had failed to understand it yourself.

Lewis is one of the best examples of a writer who took pleasure in the art of communication, melding simplicity and elegance in a way few could manage. His popular religious writings – such as The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity – combine these qualities, even though they cannot be counted as great literature.

Yet this alone does not explain his inclusion in Poets’ Corner. The real reason he deserves his place is on account of his works of fiction, which captured the imagination of his public, especially in the dark days after the Second World War. Supreme among these are his Chronicles of Narnia, especially The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950).

Although he had no children of his own, Lewis produced a work that captured the imagination of a generation of younger readers. The noble lion Aslan, lord of the mysterious world of Narnia, has become one of the most familiar Christ-figures in English literature. Some, understandably, find the Narnia books problematic on account of the “golly-gosh” language of the Pevensie children, or a suspicion that female characters are allocated subsidiary roles in the narrative. Yet they remain a classic in their field, serving as a model for both Lewis’s literary imitators and critics.

It was not simply that Lewis had written children’s stories that captivated their readers. Lewis developed these stories as vehicles of theological exploration, allowing him to explore sophisticated ideas without compromising the pace of his narrative or losing the patience of his readers. Narnia, Lewis later explained, was about “supposals”. Suppose God did become incarnate in a world like Narnia. What would this look like? More importantly, what would it feel like to be part of this world?

Lewis revealed the imaginative capacity of children’s literature to engage and explore the deepest questions of life, to bring a new quality of engagement to the genre. The writer himself was convinced that he would be forgotten within five years of his death; he would have been taken aback by the renewal of interest in his writings since the Eighties. Surveys now regularly identify him as one of the most significant literary voices of the 20th century. Lewis has made what is probably the most difficult transition an author can hope to make – being read by more people a generation after his death than before it.

Lewis died on the day President John F Kennedy was assassinated. In a speech given at Amherst College four weeks before his death, honouring the great American poet Robert Frost, Kennedy paid a typically handsome tribute to the work of poets and writers. “We must never forget,” he declared, “that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.” Lewis would agree. He rightly takes his place among those honoured for their enrichment and expansion of our vision of reality.

Alister McGrath is Professor of Theology, Ministry and Education at King’s College London. His 'C S Lewis: A Life’ will be published by Hodder in April 2013.

Living in the Last Days (1 Peter 4)

PeterThe apostle Peter presents us with a strong challenge for times like ours: 

1 Peter 4:7-11. The
end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your
prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other,
for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those
who need a meal or a place to stay. God has given each of you a gift from
his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do
you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking
through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the
strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory
to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
NLT

There was an urgency in which the followers of Christ in the first century lived their lives. They needed to be fully awake (see Romans 13:12. Philippians 4:5. James 5:8. 1 John 2:18. Revelation 1:3; 22:20). Disciples of Jesus lived their lives with the perception that since the end of the world was near, they should live in light of God’s judgment. The completion of history was imminent. The next event could usher in end time events.  

Do we believe in the divine end of history or the myth of continual progress, where the world is continually getting better? True, technology is making our lives easier,
but society remains about the same (with rampant discrimination, violence, conflict, crime,
etc). Is there any urgency in our living, without becoming
frantic, panicked end-times junkies always looking for the Antichrist? Someday we will be judged and held to account for how we
lived our lives. How frequently do we examine our lives in light of eternity? 

DEVOTE 3

In light of the urgency of the hour, Peter urged Christians to live a certain kind of life and to DEVOTE themselves to some specific practices. 

1. PRAY: “Be earnest
and disciplined in your prayers.”

This is a call to be mentally and spiritually alert, so that we have an
effective prayer life. If they stayed alert, they would be effective in their prayer. It was about living with a sense of urgency. Be steady in mind. Preserve your sanity. See things in
proper perspective. Be sober in mind – sensible but not joyless.

Peter knew what it was to fall asleep in a prayer meeting – with Jesus! He also knew the power of prayer to build an intimate relationship with God and to draw on the unlimited resources available to us – wisdom, faith, and boldness to name a few.

What are some blockages to prayer? They include busyness, distractions, disappointment and unbelief. We can never not be in God's presence. What we lack is awareness. God is with us all the time wherever we are. Prayer can be a continual lifestyle. There is also something special that can occur when we stop and take focused time to communicate with God.

2. SHARE: “Show deep
love for each other.”

Above all, love each other deeply. Work at loving one
another because doing so in the midst of stress is difficult, as relationships
tend to become frayed and tested during difficult times. Preserve your love. Let it be constant and consistent. Love
the unlovely and the unlovable. Love in spite of insult and injury. Christian
love is not an easy, sentimental reaction.

Peter quotes Proverbs 10:12 about “love covering a multitude
of sins.” He is not talking about covering up sins here, hiding things we’d
rather not face. However, God's love enables us to overlook faults and
forgive others more easily. It is patient. It transforms situations, moving them from
squabbling and fighting to reconciliation and working together. Abandon the old
pagan ways and learn the new habit of love. The community that loves one another
is able to forgive one another more rapidly when minor issues arise.

Also, Peter doesn’t want Christians withdrawing from the world in
selfish separation. He urges them to go out
into the world, to become more deeply involved in it by serving others. Be hospitable – to other believers (including travelling missionaries)
and to all people. Hospitality (a “lover of visitors”) was to be a mark of
followers of Christ (Romans 12:13. 1 Timothy 3:2; 5:10. Hebrews 13:2. Titus 1:8. Matthew 25:35,
43). It formed the foundation of the Christian movement. It was about warmth
and love.

Share a meal with someone – then be open to sharing your story and eventually sharing your faith in Jesus with outsiders (see 1 Peter 3:15). 

3. SERVE: “Use
whatever gifts you have been given.”

Use your gifts to serve others. Spiritual gifts are an
important topic and Peter is echoing Paul’s ideas here (Ephesians 4:11). Of course,
love is the context for the exercise of spiritual gifts in the church (1
Corinthians 13). The church needs every gift every person has (Romans 12:3-8. 1
Corinthians 12). There is no gift that cannot be placed at the service of Christ. We
are stewards of the gifts we have been given.We can serve in many spheres; the church, our home, our local community, our work place and our global village,

In 2013, we
want to devote ourselves to these three practices which will help us move towards making our church mission more of a reality. The needs in our world are great. There is an urgency in the hour. Our nation needs God, so it doesn't continue in a slide towards spiritual apathy and atheism. Crime is on the increase, as is hopelessness, violence and relational conflict. 

May the Spirit of God stir us afresh at this time to break out of indifference, complacency and apathy into a life of passionate faith. Imagine what could happen if the church in Australia came alive with God's Spirit. The stories of salvation, healing and restoration would be inspirational. Each crisis is an opportunity in disguise. Together, let's seize the day! 

[See also Endurance in Suffering – 1 Peter 1 and Leading in Tough Times – Peter 5]

Religious Belief in Australia (2011 Census Results)

OzDo you remember where you were and what you were doing on the evening of August 9th last year? It was census night here in Australia, a day every five years where the government requires every person living Australia to complete a survey (conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics). It includes questions about personal details, the people we live with, our education, our employment, and any significant changes that have taken place in the last few years. This helps to provide a snapshot of our nation, which becomes useful for the government as well as many other organisations. 

One of the questions in the census is about religious belief. Here are the results from the 2011 census with a comparison to the previous one conducted back in 2006. 

                                                                                         2006                                        2011

Christian                                                                       63.8%                                       61.1%                     

Buddhist                                                                          2.1%                                          2.5%

Muslim                                                                             1.7%                                          2.2%

Other Non-Christian
Religions                                    2.4%                                         2.5%

No Religion                                                                   18.7%                                       22.3%

Unspecified                                                                   11.3%                                         9.4%

A few observations:

  • The number of people who identify with a Christian faith (including Catholics, Baptists, Pentecostals, and all other Christian denominations) has dropped from 63.8% to 61.1%. In 1996, this number was 71%, so there has been a 10% decline in this category over the last 15 years.
  • Hinduism is the fastest growing religion in Australia, along with Jedi (from the Star Wars movies!), which has grown 13% over the last 5 years to 65,000 people (someone is obviously leading an intergalactic recruitment campaign!).
  • Approximately 7.2% of Australians identify with a non-Christian religion now, which means you don't have to go overseas to become a missionary (though that is still needed). Right in our neighborhoods there are Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, agnostics and even Jedi.
  • The number of people saying that have no formal religious belief system has grown from 18.7% to 22.3% in the last 5 years. Those between the ages of 15-34 make a large portion of this category.
  • 9.4% of people chose not to answer this optional question in the census.

Moving on … if over 60% of Australians claim to be "Christian", how many of them are actively involved in a faith community? Recent National Church Life Survey and Community Surveys reveal the following:  

Church Attendance

  • Less than 10% of Australians attend church each weekend. In Melbourne, it was 8.4% as of 2010 (just a little more than the number of people attending AFL football games each weekend). If the current 20-year trend continues, this could end up as low as 5% over the coming years.
  • Less than 20% attend church once per month
    or more.
  • 20% attend church yearly or more often.
  • Over
    60% hardly or never attend church (and this percentage is growing). The majority of non-attenders are either
    indifferent or apathetic towards the church, though some are antagonistic.

These
statistics show us that the church has an important part of the Australian
society. It is also evident that there is a significant level of latent
Christian belief in the wider community. Nevertheless, the majority of
Australians do not go to church and, for a great many, spirituality is not an
issue. As a result, many churches and even entire denominations are in serious decline, with attendance dropping every year. Thankfully, there are pockets of growth and vitality, and some Australian churches are experiencing significant growth.

Why People Don’t
Attend Church

NCLS Community Surveys reveal the following most common reasons given for people not wanting to attend church in Australia:

  • They think the sermons are boring or
    irrelevant.
  • They don’t like the music.
  • There is nothing for the children.
  • The people are unfriendly.
  • The
    church is always asking for money. 

Could it be that the average Aussie has no problem with "God" but doesn't see "church" as relevant to their lives? From my experience and observation, there are 100s of churches made up of genuinely friendly people, with tremendous children's ministries, inspirational worship, and practical, life-changing messages (and most only take up one voluntary offering each weekend). Perhaps these churches are Australia's best kept secret. Either way, we are a nation in need of awakening … beginning with us as God's people. The harvest is ripe … but the workers continue to be few. Let's pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his field. May Australia yet become the great Southland of the Holy Spirit … in our time. 

Leading in Tough Times (1 Peter 5)

PeterAs part of his letter to followers of Christ scattered throughout the Mediterranean world, the apostle Peter shared a few thoughts especially for church leaders. 

1 Peter 5:1-4. I have a special
concern for you church leaders. I know what it's like to be a leader, in on
Christ's sufferings as well as the coming glory. Here's my concern: that you
care for God's flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have
to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of
it, but acting spontaneously. Not bossily telling others what to do, but
tenderly showing them the way. When God, who is the best shepherd of all,
comes out in the open with his rule, he'll see that you've done it right and
commend you lavishly. [The Message Bible]

Let's glean five themes from Peter's comments:

1. Church leadership
isn’t easy!

Peter opens this section by saying, "I have a special
concern for you church leaders. I know what it's like to be a leader, in on
Christ's sufferings as well as the coming glory (5:1)." 

As a follower of Christ, and especially as a church leader, there is suffering as well as glory. There are good times as
well as hard times. Life and ministry has its perils and privileges. Ministry can be both  fulfilling and challenging, in different doses at different times and seasons. It brings us temptations and joys. We need to understand and accept this. This is reality – in this life and at
this time.

Peter had observed firsthand the sufferings of Jesus and how he endured them. That's why he portrayed Jesus as one who suffered (1:11,
19; 3:18; 4:1). When Christians suffer for their faith, they share in Christ's suffering (4:13). Jesus left us an example so we would “follow in his
footsteps” (2:21). We are called to imitate him, not in his redemptive death,
but in the manner of his endurance before his death. We too may have to suffer
even though we have done nothing wrong (2:19) but we can look to Jesus and
learn from him: “He did not retaliate
when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case
in the hands of God, who always judges fairly (2:23).”

We too live in times of pressure – from a pagan culture which idolises pleasure,
materialism,and individualism, from the trials and tests of life, from relational
issues, from the demands of time and the pace of life, and from needing to keep fresh over the long
haul.

2. Leadership is
about caring for people.

Peter moves on to say, "Here's my
concern: that you care for God's flock with all the diligence of a shepherd (5:2a)."

The biblical model of leadership is a shepherd caring for sheep. This frequent image for God himself or his leaders is not surprising in a rural economy (see Psalm 23 and Ezekiel 34). God is a Shepherd and he calls us as shepherds under him to
care for his sheep. Jesus picked up this theme frequently (Matthew 9:36 Luke 15:3-7. John 10:1-18)
and is our example. He knows each sheep by name, he feeds them, he protects
them (from predators), he leads them, and he searches for them (when they are
lost). He calls us as his “under-shepherds” to do the same. Peter is carrying
out and passing on his own commission from Christ (John 21:15-19). No doubt he
had vivid memories of his own commission to care for and feed God’s people as a
sign of his love for Jesus, after his own re-instatement.

We need leaders who care
deeply for people, the church and the wider community. It’s about selfless care
and sacrificial love. Build relationships with people. Get into their world. Know
them well. Consider their needs and the dangers/challenges they face. Seek to
feed them and lead them in the right direction. Don’t allow leadership to become merely about running a meeting, growing a
group, building an organisation, or acquiring personal
perks and recognition. As the old saying goes: “People don’t care how much you know until they
know how much you care.”

God has assigned or allotted some of his people to your care
(5:3). It is a gift or a stewardship from God. We are to shepherd God’s people
as God would do so himself – with love, patience, forgiveness and a servant heart.

3. A leader’s motives are important.

Next, Peter says, "Not because you
have to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get
out of it, but acting spontaneously (5:2b)."

Why do we lead? It is because we have to or because we want to? People
are not always easy to work with. Leadership is a burden and is not always
enjoyable. Sometimes we experience emotional and/or spiritual burnout and we can gradually cool down after some years of service. Our energy level is not quite as high.
We take too much on and overdo it, without appropriate boundaries.

Sometimes we have to engage in “cold turkey obedience” –
that is, when we get up and go about our ministries even when we do not want to, just because God has called us to do a certain task. Sometimes we have to do the
tasks of ministry in spite of a lack of passion about them. However, when we work too hard and neglect our own self-care over a long period of time, we can lose the joy of ministry and our willingness to serve.

We are not to serve for monetary gain or out of a desire for position or power. There are many possible reasons people become involved in leading within the church, including personal fulfilment, a sense of contribution through using our gifts, a desire for significance, or even because of guilt. Peter calls leaders to lead with a willing attitude, not reluctantly or because they feel they “have to”. We are to be eager to serve God through serving people. Ministry
is not to be a burden to be resented.

4. How you lead makes a difference.

Peter then talks about how we should lead: "Not bossily telling
others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way (5:3)."

We are to lead by example, not in an authoritative or
dictatorial manner. Notice Peter's attitude and approach. He modelled what he recommended. He did not speak down to these church leaders, because he was an apostle. He identified with them. He saw himself as alongside them not above them, with them not over them. 

Be an example to those you
lead in your own life. People do what people see. Build relationally, so people
know you genuinely love them and want the best for them. Then lead out of that trust.

5. God will reward
you.

Finally, Peter says, "When God, who is
the best shepherd of all, comes out in the open with his rule, he'll see that
you've done it right and commend you lavishly (5:4)."

God sees everything we do, even when others don't. He not only sees but he notices and he promises to reward us generously. When Jesus, the Chief Shepherd, appears we will receive a crown of
glory that will not fade away. We will receive a lasting reward. The glory will far outweigh the suffering. The reward will be much greater than the cost or the sacrifice made.

What a honour and privilidge to serve Jesus in his church through the role of leradership. May we never take it for granted or lose the perspective that Peter gives us through these words of wisdom, inspired by the Holy Spirit two thousands years ago. 

[See also Endurance during Suffering – 1 Peter 1 and Living in the Last Days – 1 Peter 4]

Endurance during Suffering (1 Peter 1)

Peter

The book of 1 Peter was a general letter written by the apostle Peter to a wide group of early Christian communities comprising a vast network of small groups scattered throughout the Mediterranean world. Like most letters, it begins with a greeting (1:1-2), then moves to a blessing (1:3-9), followed by a statement (1:10-12), then the body of the letter (1:13).

The recipients of the letter seem to be Gentile converts from paganism. They were undergoing some form of suffering. Various “trials” were testing their faith (1:6). They were being “spoken against” (2:12), they had to “endure pain while suffering unjustly” (2:19), and they may have been abused and reviled (3:16). They could have been experiencing organised state persecution or social ostracism (more of a verbal attack than a physical one). Either way, they were experiencing hostility. This would have included a sense of conflict with the larger cultural and social ethos in a pluralistic context. Difference often results in confrontation.

Societal scorn threatens meaning and identity. Therefore, social alienation should not be viewed as a trivial form of suffering. In the face of outside hostility and contempt, intentional communities often respond by portraying the outsiders as evil. It is remarkable, therefore, that 1 Peter advocates such an open attitude toward the larger society, which, according to the writer, only needs to be shown that the Christian way is harmless. Peter does not attack the outsiders.

Peter encouraged them to bless those who were persecuting them (cf Rom.12:14, 17) and he let them know that they should not be surprised at their “fiery ordeal” (4:12). This letter was written out of the love of a pastor’s heart to help people who were going through it and on whom worse things were still to come. His main message was “steady encouragement to endurance in conduct and innocence in character (Moffatt).”

Let's look at a few of his opening thoughts … 

Greeting (vs.1-2)

This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. God the Father a knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace. NLT

Christians are “exiles" or "foreigners" in the world. We are temporarily abiding on earth but our true home is in heaven.
We have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of the Father, through the “sanctifying” work of the Spirit (drawing us from sin to holiness) and for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood. All three persons of the Trinity are involved in our redemption.
Peter prays for grace and peace in abundance on these believers he is writing to.

Praise for a Living Hope (vs.3-12)

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward. They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.

God has given us a new birth into a “living hope” through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. We have an eternal inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, kept in heaven for us. Through faith we are shielded by God’s power until the coming salvation is revealed in the last time (vs.3-5).
“Hope” is a key topic in this letter (see 1:13,21; 3:5,15), especially in the midst of difficult times. For the Christian, hope is not wishful thinking but rather a firm conviction, much like faith that is directed toward the future.
Salvation is past, present and future.
For the moment you may be suffering grief through all kinds of trials (vs.6-7). These have come that your faith may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Your faith is worth much more than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire. Our faith is precious and the actual trial of our faith is valuable. Though we have not seen God, we love him and though we don’t see him now, we believe in him and are filled with joy (see Jn.20:29). We are receiving the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls.

A Call to Holy Living (vs.13f)

So think clearly and exercise self- control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.

1. Think clearly. Our minds are the centre of our thought processes and what we think directly influence our world. As we think in our heart, so we are. Our thinking will either release or limit us. So think smart and think wise. Get God’s thoughts in your mind. Have the mind of Christ.
God’s Word is so amazing, like seed with awesome potential. Thinking clearly is not just for today’s activities but also indicates the need to plan ahead and ensure that God’s will unfolds in our life. It reinforces a proactive approach to life where a person “begins with the end in mind”, puts “first things first” and takes full “responsibility” for their choices. The opposite is a reactive life with no end in mind, second things becoming first and blaming circumstances and other people for what is being reaped.  

2. Exercise self-control. Don’t become intoxicated or under the influence of anything. Keep in full control of yourself, your desires, emotions and decisions. Don’t become addicted to anything or become a slave to compulsive behaviour. You be in full control of yourself. Lead your own life. Be strong in spirit so that your soul (mind, will and emotions) and body (with it’s desires and appetites) are under control. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit’s life in us and is a mark of maturity.

Successful living starts in the mind (thinking clearly) but then must lead to daily right choices (be self-controlled). This means saying “No” to the evil, the trivial and the time wasters. Then you must say “Yes” to the good, the important and high return activities.
God's Spirit helps us to live with a greater awareness of the negative consequences of doing what is wrong or not doing what is right. We can also live with a focus on the benefits of avoiding what is wrong and of doing what is right.

3. “Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus is revealed.” Don’t let your hope be in anything else but in God. “Hope” is not a mere wish, but a firm faith in God and his promises that will come to pass. When Jesus comes, grace is revealed. This is not only at the second coming but also, each time he is revealed to you by the Spirit his grace is given in greater measure. You will increase in grace as you set your hope in God and allow Jesus to be revealed in your life through the Spirit.

With our minds prepared for action and our lives disciplined with full control, our hope then is not in our own ability to be the kind of people God’s wants us to in our own strength. Our hope is in the “grace” (the desire and ability to do God’s will) that comes from Jesus being revealed daily in us. Grace is the unmerited and unearned favour of God on our lives. It is his gift of life to us.
This brings us back to a life of intimacy with Jesus Christ. He is our life, the living water that we long for. He is the true source of inner satisfaction. There is no true “life” outside of him. All other things are deceptive, empty and meaningless. Once we find life in Christ, then other things take on new meaning … because of Him.

[See also Living in the Last Days – 1 Peter 4 and Leading in Tough Times – 1 Peter 5

Skipping Church

GolfFather Norton woke up Sunday morning and realizing it was an exceptionally beautiful and sunny early spring day, decided he just had to play golf.

So… he told the Associate Pastor that he was feeling sick and persuaded him to say Mass for him that day. As soon as the Associate Pastor left the room, Father Norton headed out of town to a golf course about forty miles away. This way he knew he wouldn't accidentally meet anyone he knew from his parish. Setting up on the first tee, he was alone. After all, it was Sunday morning and everyoneelse was in church!

At about this time, Saint Peter leaned over to the Lord while looking down from the heavens and exclaimed, "You're not going to let him get away with this, are you?" The Lord sighed, and said, "No, I guess not." Just then Father Norton hit the ball and it shot straight towards the pin. Dropping just short of it, rolled up and fell into the hole.

IT WAS A 420 YARD HOLE IN ONE!

St. Peter was astonished. He looked at the Lord and asked, "Why did you let him do that?" The Lord smiled and replied, "Who's he going to tell?"

New Archbishop of Canterbury: Justin Welby

Justin[The following article is by Cole Moreton from the Telegraph]

The next Archbishop of Canterbury woke up yesterday with something on his mind. “Thought in the night,” he wrote on Twitter. “Those who made money betting on me give it to their local church!”

Chatting wittily online to 6,429 online followers is not something the present Archbishop, Dr Rowan Williams, would find easy. But as one observer suggested when the appointment was announced on Friday, the Rt Rev Justin Welby, Bishop of Durham, may be the most worldly man ever chosen for Canterbury.

“Good gracious,” he said in response, raising an eyebrow. “That’s putting me up there with some of the medieval archbishops who owned vast tracts of land.”

He hoped she meant instead that he had experience of the world beyond the Church. That was evidently true, as the 56-year-old former oil company executive took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and took instant command of his first press conference.

He was standing in the daunting Guard Room at Lambeth Palace, which will not even be his until his enthronement on March 23, but he was behaving like a chief executive perfectly at ease in his HQ.

Self-deprecation is one of his favourite tactics, and he revealed that “horrendously bad personal experience” of investment meant he had lost a lot of the money he once earned in the City, with his six-figure salary and shares. “Fortunately, I don’t have any control over church finances, otherwise our position would be really abysmal.”

That flew in the face of the main reason why he was chosen to be Archbishop – the belief that he would be able to help “reimagine” the Church for the modern age, overhauling its structures, strategies and finance. But don’t be fooled by the dry wit. Justin Welby is a serious man. His joking showed an awareness that he will have to fight Obama-fication, the heaping on to his shoulders of so many people’s wild dreams and expectations.

Then again, he has been defying expectations all his life. He is a former City treasurer who has spoken out against greedy bankers. He is an Evangelical convert with experience of the gifts of the Spirit, who has a Roman Catholic spiritual director and reads the Rule of Saint Benedict “most days”.

And he had only been Bishop of Durham for the shortest while before being chosen as the spiritual head of the Church of England and of 77 million Anglicans worldwide. As his own son Peter, studying Arabic in Egypt, said: “Who in their right minds would make Archbishop of Canterbury a man who [has] only been a bishop of any kind a year?”

The main thing most people know about him is that he went to Eton, just like the Prime Minister and the Mayor of London. Francis Gardner, his housemaster there, told The Sunday Telegraph: “He was, shall we say, a serious-minded student, who always worked to the best of his ability, academically. He was not a great games player, as some schoolboys are, but he took an interest in people and anything sensible. He was a model boy, though not one of great distinction.”

But behind the photograph of the boys of Gardner House lies a hidden truth. Master Welby had a problem, according to a family friend. His erratic father had enough money to send him to the public school, but didn’t give any of it to Justin to pay his way, day to day. In a class that included two Rothschilds, he was almost certainly the poorest child. That cannot have been easy.

His father Gavin Welby, who was from a German Jewish immigrant family, had been put on a boat to New York as a teenager with £5 in his pocket and told to make his own way. He became a bootlegger, selling whisky during Prohibition. Later, he introduced John F Kennedy to a mistress, just weeks before the future president was married.

Back in England, this rakish man fell for Jane Portal, the private secretary to Winston Churchill and niece of the great Conservative politician Rab Butler.

Her family were not pleased. The couple split up when their only child, Justin, was four years old. The Eton schoolboy was from a broken home.

His father struggled with alcoholism and died when Justin was 21. Jane had gone on to marry the banker and Labour peer Lord Williams of Elvel.

Between school and university, Justin Welby spent a gap year in Kenya, working on a voluntary project. His motivation was not faith, because that did not come until his second year at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Welby was a skilled cox of the rowing team, and loved to sail. He also fell in with a group of Evangelicals who were exploring the Bible and the Holy Spirit together. The conversion to Christianity that followed was apparently powerful, and personally overwhelming, but what interested him most was how his new faith might change the world.

Welby changed subjects, and gained a degree in history. Afterwards, he applied for a role in the diplomatic service but said: “I messed up the form. Three times.”

Somehow, he landed a job in the international finance department of the oil company Elf in Paris. “They asked me whether I knew anything about oil or finance and I said, 'No’,” he later recalled. Nor did he speak much French, so he took an intensive six-month course and became fluent. The role took him often to Nigeria, where Elf was launching a $15 billion project, and he developed a passion for the country that has lasted all his life.

Welby had met Caroline Eaton at Cambridge and they married 33 years ago. Their first child, Johanna, was only seven months old when she died in 1983. Caroline was in the passenger seat, being driven through Paris, while Johanna was on the back seat in a carrycot. There was an accident and the cot was thrown out of the car and on to the road. Johanna was killed.

Losing their only child in this terrible way left the Welbys “completely and utterly devastated”, but when they returned to London in the early Eighties they found comfort and support at Holy Trinity, Brompton (HTB).

The largest Anglican church in the country has a congregation of 5,000 people spread across 10 services every Sunday. It is the birthplace of Alpha, the course introducing people to a friendly form of Evangelical Christianity, which has now been taken by 19 million people across the world and even attracted the praise of the Pope.

Despite reports, Justin Welby is believed not to have taken the Alpha course himself. He did play a full part in the life of the church though, leading a fellowship group and serving on the parochial church council.

By this time he was the group treasurer of Enterprise Oil, raising money for the exploitation of gas in the North Sea. Former colleagues describe him as “not being Churchy” and say that he “revelled” in the rough and tumble of major deals and takeovers. Last year he told the magazine Financial World: “I was good at structuring hedges [hedge funds] … and it just all turned into gold.”

So why did this rising star of the City give it all up to become a priest? The day he knew he had to concentrate on the Church came in 1987, when he heard an American speaker at HTB. “At that moment,” he said, “it just came to the front of my mind.”

The speaker is thought to have been John Wimber, leader of the Vineyard movement. A former keyboard player with the Righteous Brothers, this genial, charismatic Californian played a part in Bob Dylan’s conversion to Christianity, but was best known for his belief in the power of the Holy Spirit to heal people emotionally and physically. His meetings were highly charged, with people often laughing or in tears, speaking in tongues or falling down, apparently overcome by the Spirit.

Welby’s personal spirituality has broadened considerably since then. HTB has also matured, becoming a strong part of the Anglican mainstream. But what he does seem to have carried with him from Wimber is the sense of faith as a great adventure, demanding that followers risk everything on the Lord.

He was rejected for ordination at first by the Bishop of Kensington, who told the future archbishop: “There is no place for you in the Church of England.”

But Welby had the support of the influential Sandy Millar, then Vicar of HTB, and eventually made it to St John’s College in Durham. He and Caroline lived off savings and investments from his time in the City as he trained, but by the time he was a curate in Nuneaton the money had begun to run out.

All five of their children went to state schools. Life was a struggle, but he was working in the midst of even greater poverty there and in his next parish, Southam. “I have never had demands on me as acute as when I was a parish priest,” he said.

There was not even a salary for his next job, as Canon and working in the centre for peace and reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral. He raised his own funding to go off and mediate in the trouble hotspots of the world, specialising again in Africa.

This work continues, despite his having been threatened and held at gunpoint. Once he narrowly avoided being kidnapped during a visit to negotiate with warlords in the swamps of the Nigerian Delta.

One leader told him, through an interpreter: “Well, it looks like we’re not going to kill you. We’ll have to take you as a hostage instead.” Welby later recalled persuading him that “nobody would pay to have me back”.

His deep personal commitment to Nigeria will at least buy him time with the outspoken archbishops of Africa, who are dismayed at the attitudes being taken by the Western church towards women and homosexuality.

Rather than confront these dissidents, who represent millions of believers, he said on Friday that he hoped to learn from them. He will need all his skills of negotiation and conflict resolution to hold the Communion together.

After a period as Dean of Liverpool Cathedral, Welby was asked by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, to apply for the post of Bishop of Durham. Welby declined, saying he and the family were happy in Liverpool. Sentamu insisted. This suggests York will now be supportive, rather than jealous that he did not get the top job himself.

Becoming a bishop only a year ago, he made an instant name for himself by overturning the way the Church in Durham is run.

Congregations were struggling to pay what was being demanded of them for the central pot, which is used mainly for the salaries of priests.

The new bishop said instead: “OK, you tell us how much you can afford to pay, and we will set the diocesan budget accordingly.” It sounds simple, but was revolutionary in this context. The result so far has been some parishes paying even more, because of a greater sense of ownership.

Christina Rees, a member of the Archbishops Council, hopes he will apply similarly bold thinking to the Church as a whole. “If he is a strategic thinker and radical and a visionary and a risk taker, then we’re in for an exciting time.”

His children have had to brace themselves for attention, as the sons and daughters of a new world spiritual leader. They are Tim, 28, Peter, 23, Katherine, 26, Eleanor, 20 and Hannah, 17. On Friday, Peter posted a picture of himself standing by Lambeth Palace on Twitter, captioned “Strange days”. And Katherine, who works for a Christian charity in London, tweeted: “So this makes me ABCD [as daughter of the Archbishop of Canterbury]? I always wanted a title.” Earlier this year she posted a photograph of herself in a tea cosy mitre, as the “first woman bishop” – a cause she supports in common with her father.

Facing the press for the first time on Friday, the future Archbishop spoke about that with confidence. “I will be voting in favour,” he said of the decision faced by the Church’s governing body in eight days time, about whether to make women bishops.

He added that he “celebrated the remarkable signs of God’s grace and action in the ministries of many people who cannot in conscience agree with this change”.

He made it clear that he will oppose gay marriage equality. The Prime Minister can expect a fight. But he said: “We must have no truck with any form of homophobia.”

And Bishop Welby said: “I know I need to listen very attentively to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities and examine my own thinking prayerfully and carefully.”

His tactic, then, is to say he admires and is listening to the people he disagrees with. How well that will work in the long run remains to be seen.

Some of his fellow bishops believe he will achieve little unless he challenges the deadening influence of the civil servants who work at Church House in Westminster or across the Thames in Lambeth Palace itself.

They are described in extraordinary terms by the Rt Rev Alan Wilson, Bishop of Buckingham: “On one side of the river at Church House you’ve got a group of people behaving like Sir Humphrey on the cheap,” he says. “On the other there’s a medieval fiefdom, a bunch of people sitting around a table like the knights in Monty Python. Someone has got to find a way to bring these two groups together in a way that will make them capable of organising a booze-up in a brewery.”

If Bishop Welby wants the world to know what he is doing, he will have to tackle the evasive, ultra-defensive posture adopted towards the press by staff at Lambeth Palace. But Ken Costa, the chairman of Alpha and a senior figure in the City, who has been a friend since university, says: “His business training enables him to set priorities and execute against them. It would have to be a howling gale to knock him off course.”

He will also be the first Archbishop in half a century to understand fully the work of the Church Commissioners, whose investments pay for priestly salaries. Predecessors have turned a blind eye or been hampered by their ignorance. The new man will know what questions to ask.

But perhaps his main task will be to help the Church meet the three goals it has agreed for the coming century: to grow spiritually and numerically; to focus resources where there is the most need and opportunity; and to “reshape or reimagine the Church’s ministry” to make sure there is a growing Christian presence in “every local community”.

The Church no longer has the money, the priests or the people to put a paid member of the clergy into every parish church. It must find – or “reimagine” – a new way of being itself, and preferably one that appeals to some of the 23 million or so people in England who say they believe in God but do not go to church.

Mr Costa, former head of Lazards investment bank, says: “Justin Welby is a man for such a time as this. I worked with him in the City and his integrity in a cut-throat oil industry was never questioned. He is confident in his faith and compassionate to a wide range of people, he is committed to enabling the Church to respond to the hunger for spirituality in the nation, and above all he will communicate clearly.”

Perhaps the smartest thing Justin Welby did in his first public appearance as the incoming Archbishop was to throw the spotlight on what he called the “unknown heroes” of the faith. “The work of the Church of England is not done primarily on television or at Lambeth, but in over 16,000 churches, where hundreds of thousands of people get on with the job they have always done, of loving neighbours, loving each other and giving more than 22 million hours of voluntary service outside the church a month.”

He will need their support; but Anglicans will know their Archbishop is a man who understands poverty and suffering, understands how money and power work, and knows that he must provide clear, strong leadership.

Bishop Welby said that the “vast company” of believers made him feel “utterly optimistic about the future of the Church”. As they get to know their new leader, many may dare to feel the same.

Billy Graham turns 94

BillyRev. Billy Graham turned 94 years of age this week. 

“I never expected I would live this long, outliving my beloved wife, Ruth, as well as many friends and loved ones,” Graham said last week. “I believe God must still have a purpose for keeping me here, and I look forward to seeing what that might be.”

His daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, credits her father's long life to prayer, and said she hopes people continue to pray for her father. Graham's son, the Rev.Franklin Graham, says his father has been saying since he turned 90 that he expects to live to 95.

“Daddy at 94 years of age is still a role model to us kids,” Franklin Graham said. “And I’m just thankful and grateful to God that he is still with us. And his mind is—he is sharp as a tack.”

Billy Graham's daughters say he asked for a birthday menu of hot dogs and apple pie. The evangelist will have a quiet celebration at his home in Montreat, N.C., with about 20 family members—his children, grandchildren and great-children. “I love them all and can't wait to see them again,” he said.

At 94 years old, Graham is far from inactive. Preparations are underway for “My Hope,” to be launched by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in conjunction with Graham's 95th birthday in 2013. He fully supports the project and hopes to be able to participate in some way as the date draws closer.

The world-famous evangelist is also still writing books. In his most recent, Nearing Home, Graham shares how he has come to view old age and discusses various life transitions. His 31st book, expected to release next year, is about his past seven decades in public ministry.

Graham also earlier this year finished a hardcover edition of an anthology called Chicken Soup for the Soul: Billy Graham & Me, which documents his life and legacy. It will be released in February.

[Source: Charisma News]

The Church in Australia – latest NCLS data

NclsReligious editor, Barney Zwartz, wrote the following article entitled "Flock keeping the faith – and feeling blessed" in this week's AGE newspaper:

FALLING church attendances in Australia may have plateaued and churchgoers are considerably happier than 10 years ago, according to the five-yearly church ''census''.

''The complete Australian church is growing stronger, or holding its ground, and those who go to church are feeling pretty good about it,'' said Associate Professor Ruth Powell, from the Australian Catholic University and research director of the National Church Life Survey.

''The churches are not out of the wilderness yet, but the signs are good.''

An initial analysis suggests the attendance decline has stopped. In Britain – which Australia is likely to follow – the decline has plateaued and even reversed in some cases, Professor Powell said.

The survey, believed to be the biggest in Australia after the national census, and the largest survey of church life in the world, involved 3000 churches from 23 denominations, with 260,000 adult churchgoers and 10,000 children aged 10 to 14 questioned.

The results just released are ''first impressions'', with more detailed research yet to be sent to the denominations taking part. They reveal that the average age of church attenders is 55 – up from 52 five years ago, and older than the Australian average. Six in 10 are women.

Churchgoers are highly educated, with more than one in three having a degree, Professor Powell said.

The Uniting Church faces a crisis, with 67 per cent of its members older than 60 and 45 per cent over 70. One in two Catholic and Anglican church-goers are over 60, but only one in three Baptists and one in 10 Pentecostals.

The mainstream denominations are still feeling the loss of the baby-boomer generation, a long-term pattern that will continue for another decade, according to Professor Powell. Half of all church attenders are Catholics, followed by Anglicans. Sydney Anglicans have a younger average age than the rest of the country.

The survey measures nine ''core qualities'' of internal church life, nearly all of which continued a strong pattern of improvement over the past decade. These include ''an alive and growing faith'', with 86 per cent of people saying their faith has grown; ''vital and nurturing worship'', with 76 per cent finding the preaching at church helpful; and ''strong and growing belonging'', with 82 per cent of those who attend church going weekly and 95 per cent at least monthly.
'

"Across nearly all sectors there is increased health and vitality,'' Professor Powell said.

''More people are saying they are growing in their faith than a decade ago, there is an increase in belonging, a strong sense of commitment to the vision of the church, and churchgoers are more likely to be involved in acts of service, whether as individuals or in organised welfare than 10 years ago, and you can see this trend very strongly.''  

[See latest census data on Religious Belief in Australia]

2012 American Election Day Preview (Barna Group)

UsThe following article is the from the Barna Group web site

November 5, 2012 – Compared to the days leading up to 2008, when Barack Obama was a frontrunner and poised to make inroads among Christian voters, the 2012 presidential race remains without a clear leader. Yet most voters place a high urgency on tomorrow’s outcome: Two-thirds of all likely voters (67%) perceive the 2012 election to be one of the most important races in the past 50 years.

From the early primaries through the debates, Barna Group has been tracking the public perceptions of the candidates and the key issues. Here is a look at some of the factors that will affect people’s votes.

Top Candidate Influencers
Of all the factors likely voters will consider when choosing our next president, each candidate’s positions on specific policy issues will be the single most important component for their choice,according to a Barna survey of likely voters. More than four out of five (83%) said that positions on the issues are the most important factor in their decision of which candidate to support on Election Day. The issues that are of greatest significance are health care and tax policy.

The second most common factor that voters will examine when making their candidate selection is the character of the men running. Half of all likely voters (51%) listed this as a key matter for them.

Less common factors that will influence people’s choice of candidate include the party affiliation of the candidates (listed by 17% of likely voters); the political experience of the candidates (16%); the candidates’ religious faith (14%); their educational background (6%); their speaking ability (3%); personality (2%); endorsements received (1%); their age (1%); and their physical appearance (less than 1%). Of course, survey respondents may not be fully aware of the factors that influence their presidential selections; however, the research helps to illuminate how they think about their electoral mindset.

Though evangelicals’ top candidate influencers are generally in line with the rest of the population they are much more likely than other voters to consider a candidate’s religious faith to be a motivating factor. Half of evangelicals (50%) listed that as a critical insight compared to just one-quarter of non-evangelical born again voters (23%), and by less than one out of every twenty other voters.

The Key Issues
If a candidate’s stand on key issues is the single most important factor for voters, what are these key issues people care about? The answer to that question depends in part on the person's spiritual leanings. A nationwide survey by Barna Group, conducted among people likely to vote in November's election, indicates that the worldview of different religious segments of the population significantly impacts the issues they care about the most.

Among all likely voters, regardless of their faith inclinations, the most influential issues are health care (said to influence their candidate selection "a lot" by 74% of likely voters), tax policy (62%), employment policies and strategies (54%), and plans regarding the nation's dependence upon foreign oil (52%).

Throughout the campaign season, much has been made of the significance of the candidates' attention to and positions on traditionally “conservative social issues” such as abortion and gay marriage. The common thinking is that these are issues of primary concern to conservative Christians—especially evangelicals. While that appears to be a generally accurate assessment, it is important to note that among the 12 issues evaluated by respondents, evangelicals rated positions on abortion as third most influential in their candidate selection, and views on gay marriage to be fifth most important. And an analysis of reactions to the dozen issues posed to all survey respondents (regardless of their faith) shows that the areas least likely to impact people's choice of a president are candidate positions on gay marriage (31%), environmental policy (30%), and abortion (29%).

Division Among Faith Segments
While health care and the economy are top issues for all voters, religious views do affect how voters rank other issues. Among the five belief-based faith segments analyzed in the study—evangelicals, non-evangelical born again adults, notional Christians, adults of other faiths, and religious skeptics (i.e., atheists and agnostics)—evangelicals were notably distinct from other groups in regard to what many considered their "signature issues."

Among all likely voters, abortion ranked last on the list of influential issues. Among evangelicals, though, it ranked as the third most influential issue. Only taxes and health care were deemed more important in their candidate selection. Similarly, gay marriage was ranked tenth among likely voters, but was fifth on the list among evangelicals who are likely to cast a ballot in November.

Surprisingly, educational policies were deemed the sixth most significant issue to all likely voters but ranked just tenth among evangelicals. Past studies have indicated that evangelicals are generally much less supportive of government involvement in the schooling of their children.

Environmentalism has traditionally been of very limited interest to evangelicals. That continues to be the case in this election, as a candidate's views on environmental matters placed last among the issues studied. Barely one out of five evangelicals (22%) said it was an issue of top concern to them, compared to 31% of all other likely voters surveyed. Religious engagement also has an affect on voters’ election priorities. People who read the Bible, attended a church service, and prayed during the past week were substantially more likely than voters who are less active in pursuing their faith to rate candidate positions on abortion, gay marriage, and America's dependence on foreign oil as significant in their candidate selection process. Voters who are less active spiritually were significantly more likely to list environmental policies as especially meaningful in their selection process.

Christian Women Voters
Of all voting segments, Christian women are among the most likely to vote—Barna Group projects churchgoing Christian women will comprise the largest share of voters on November 6—in all, 30% of ballots are likely to be cast by churchgoing women. Representing such a high percentage of the population and with such a strong likelihood to vote, Christian women are a particularly important group for politicians and pundits to pay attention to.

When it comes to the political issues Christian women care about, they are not necessarily what one might expect. Wide-held stereotypes suggest Christian women care most about matters of family (i.e., gay marriage, abortion, education), but these are actually quite low on their list of priorities. Instead, as with other likely voters, fiscal matters are at the top of women’s list—healthcare, taxes and employment policies are the top three.

When it comes to the “horse race,” Christian women edge toward the Republican challenger, Mitt Romney (53%), over the incumbent, Barack Obama, but they are more likely to consider voting for President Obama than are Christian men. Among Christian women, 53% support Romney, with 30% definitely planning to vote for the conservative.

Interestingly, Christian women are slightly less likely than other voters to say the candidate’s position on specific policy issues was a critical factor. (It is still perceived by these women as their most important decision point, but less so than for other voters.) What is notable is that Christian women are most likely to mention the candidate’s character and faith, even more so than Christian men.

The Hispanic Vote
Much has been made of the growing Hispanic vote and how will it affect the 2012 election. In an August-September 2012 survey of 2,046 U.S. adults who are of Latino or Hispanic background, Barna examined the factors affecting this important voting bloc.

Like other Americans, a candidate’s stand on key issues is the most important factor for Hispanic voters—however, it’s less important (60%) for Hispanics than for all adults (78%). Hispanics name a candidate’s character (32%) and their political experience (28%) as additional factors that significantly affect their vote.

Overall, Hispanic likely voters prefer the Democratic incumbent Barack Obama to the Republican challenger Mitt Romney (55% to 20%, with 19% undecided as of September). Catholics support President Obama by a three-to-one margin (58% to 18%), while Protestants slightly prefer the Republican (38% to 33%). Non-Christian Hispanics are likely to support Obama by roughly a two-to-one gap (53% to 23%).

Still, despite President Obama’s lead on Governor Romney, his level of support seems to have waned among Hispanics by comparison to 2008. At the same time four years ago, 58% said they would vote for Obama (rather than 53%), and just 15% of the Hispanic electorate was favoring the Republican candidate John McCain. In other words, Romney’s gap among all Hispanic voters is 30 points compared to 43 points for McCain four years ago—and the Mormon candidate has significantly closed the gap among Hispanic Protestants and now leads among this segment of voters.

Hispanics overwhelmingly say President Obama is the candidate most committed to improving the Hispanic quality of life—64% compared to 10% who say Romney is more committed to improving Hispanic quality of life.

Finally, one-fifth (21%) of likely Hispanic voters and one-third (37%) of Protestant Hispanic voters said they would be less likely to vote for a Mormon candidate. Thus, even though Obama is likely to “win” a majority of Hispanics, the question of what margin he will carry hangs in the balance between the decreased enthusiasm for the incumbent and reservations about Romney’s faith.

Millennial Voters
In 2008, Barack Obama made significant inroads with younger digital-friendly voters, helping to boost the candidate to the highest elected office. This year is no different, with 61% of 18-29-year olds saying they prefer the Democrat, compared to 52% of voters ages 30-plus. Among born again Christian Millennials, 54% say they prefer Mitt Romney, which is lower than older Christians. Still, this finding shows that support for Obama has decreased sharply among younger born again Christians; in 2008, seven out of ten younger born again Christians were planning to vote for the Democrat.

This year, Millennial Christians are quite focused on economic issues, even more so than are other Millennials. They are most concerned about healthcare (65%), education (51%), taxes (48%), and employment (41%). These economic motivations are more important to born again Millennials than are abortion (36%) or gay marriage (35%).

Interestingly, despite their generation’s increasing skepticism about faith in the public square, nearly half of Millennial born again Christians (41%) said the faith of the candidate is something they would consider when voting, which compares to just 1% of non-Christian Millennial voters.

Elective Urgency
One of the intriguing findings of the research was the urgency most voters are placing on November’s outcome. Evangelicals and non-evangelical born again Christians are especially likely to express this perspective (73% and 76%, respectively). Skeptics—the segment comprised of atheists and agnostics—are the least likely (56%) to see November’s election as unusually important. Protestants were much more likely than Catholics to perceive this year’s election to be more important than usual (74% compared to 61%).

One of the reasons for such perceived importance is that more than three—quarters of all likely voters (76%) are discouraged by the direction of the nation’s political environment. Only 11% say they are encouraged by the course the nation’s political environment is taking, with the remaining 13% saying they are on the fence. Likely voters who are evangelicals are the religious segment most discouraged (85%) while people aligned with non-Christian faith groups are the least discouraged (69%).

About the Research 
Each of the studies referenced in this report are based upon representative, random and nationwide public opinion polls conducted by Barna Group. Methodological details are available for each study in the hyperlink referenced, with the following exception:

Hispanics – A total of 2,046 interviews were conducted among Hispanics living in the United States; 1,044 online and 1,002 by phone in August and September 2012. The sampling error for 2,046 interviews is +/-2.2 percentage points, at the 95% confidence level. Oversampling of Protestants was conducted to help represent this important part of the emerging profile of Hispanic faith. The overall findings were weighted to the natural, national distribution of Catholics and Protestants. Other slight statistical weighting was used to calibrate the sample to known population percentages in relation to demographic variables. In this study, 40% of the total interviews in the study were conducted with respondents on their cell, mobile, or smart phones. This was done to ensure households that only use a cell or mobile were included. Additional research findings from this study are scheduled to be released the week after the 2012 election.

Disclosure: Barna Group is not under contract with any of the presidential candidates, nor has it endorsed any candidates.

Research Definitions
Definitions used in this report are based on various survey questions. For instance, the category described as “born again Christians” is defined as people who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Respondents are not asked to describe themselves as “born again.”

“Evangelicals” meet the born again criteria (described above) plus seven other conditions. Those include saying their faith is very important in their life today; believing they have a personal responsibility to share their beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; believing Satan exists; believing eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works; believing Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; asserting the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches; and describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today. Being classified as an evangelical is not dependent upon church attendance or the denominational affiliation of the church attended. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as “evangelical.”

“Non-evangelical born again Christians” represent adults who meet the born again criteria but not the additional evangelical criteria.

“Churchgoing” refers to those who have attended a religious service in the last six months at a Christian church.

About Barna Group
Barna Group (which includes its research division, the Barna Research Group) is a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization under the umbrella of the Issachar Companies. It conducts primary research, produces media resources pertaining to moral and spiritual development, and works with a variety of organizations to facilitate the healthy moral and spiritual growth of leaders, children, families, individuals, and Christian ministries.

Located in Ventura, California, Barna Group has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984. If you would like to receive free e-mail notification of the release of each update on the latest research findings from Barna Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna website (www.barna.org). Other research-based resources are also available through this website.

© Barna Group 2012.

Overcoming Temptation

TemptMore wisdom from James on temptation …

James 1:12-15. God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

God never tempts anyone so we can't blame him. Each of us is tempted when we are dragged away and enticed by our own evil
desires. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin and sin gives
birth to death when it is full-grown.

Sin, which is essentially living life contrary to hte way God designed, creates death in our life.
It may be pleasant initially but it lies and never produces what it promises.
Sin is deceptive in that it always offers more than it can deliver.

The key to living in victory is for us to control our desires, through the indwelling power of the Spirit. What we desire we pursue. What we feed, grows. Our desires drive and motivate
us to take action directed at their fulfilment. Change your desires and you’ll
change your life. Cultivate godly desires. Then delight in the Lord and he will
give you the desires of your heart.

Elsewhere, the apostle Paul encourages us that God always gives us a way to overcome temptation.

1 Corinthians 10:13. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 

Reflections:

1. What do you desire? How is this desire affecting the direction and motivation of our life? What will be the end result of that desire?

3. What is your greatest temptation? If you were the enemy, what tactics would you use to trip someone like you up, knowing your own weaknesses and vulnerabilities?

4. How can you learn wisdom from your past failures in preparation for the future temptations that will inevitably come?

5. In what practical ways can you dis-empower desires that lead you in a destructive direction?

6. How can you feed godly desires that will lead to life?

The Joy of Trials

JoyHere is some wise and highly relevant advice from James, the brother of Jesus: 

James 1:2-8. Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is a fully developed, you will be a perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

James tells us to consider it “pure joy” when we face trials of many kinds. Why? Because we know that the testing of our faith develops endurance. Endurance must finish its work so that we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Lessons:

1. You can’t be mature without having a spirit of endurance that refuses to quit or give up. This persevering quality is the mark of maturity. Once you have this, you are complete, not lacking anything. Immaturity demands for everything to go well all the time and for no delays!

2. The only thing that produces endurance is the testing of our faith. This occurs through experiences such as delays, contradictions, unanswered prayers and disappointments. Untested faith will not develop this important quality.

3. Therefore, we should so value endurance that we consider it a joy when we go through trials that test our faith. Joy is only possible if we keep the end in mind (Hebrews 12:1-2). It’s a bit like “enjoying” a scary roller coaster ride. The joy comes from knowing how it will end!

4. What we need during these times is “wisdom” – the ability to see and respond to life’s situations from God’s perspective. Thankfully, God offers to gives us plenty of it if we simply ask him. But don’t doubt when you ask.

5. Always pray and ask in faith without allowing doubt to settle in your heart. Doubting people are double-minded and unstable. God doesn’t answer this kind of person’s prayers. 

Father, I pray for all of us who are going through trials of various kinds today. Grant us an enduring spirit that can persevere under times of pressure. Give us your wisdom – an ability to see life from your eternal perspective. We place our trust in you, knowing that you love us and are working all things together for our ultimate benefit because we are called according to your purpose. Amen.