Weekly Web Roundup (3/11/17)

Photo Credit: LaMenta3

Here is a collection of items from around the web that caught my attention the past couple of weeks:

Five Reasons Why Pastors Are Getting Fired Because Of Their Social Media Posts by Thom Rainer

"By the way, churches will not always tell the pastor the specific reason for the firing. But, once we begin to infuriate our church members with our posts, many will find a myriad of reasons to give us the boot. I recently recommended a pastor to another church. I think very highly of him. Indeed, the search committee chairman seemed genuinely enthused when I recommended him. He contacted me a couple of weeks later with this comment: “We can’t consider him. He’s just too snarky and sarcastic on social media.” Of course, this pastor was not fired. But he never had a chance to be considered by another church."

Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus: A Reflection on This Last Day of Black History Month by David Fitch (Missio Alliance)

"As he spent time there with African American people, working alongside them in their struggles, he was able to see a new Jesus, a Jesus not entombed by German nationalism, and, he went back to Germany a different man. He resisted the sinister forces of the Deutschen Christen movement who had amalgamated their Christianity with the German nationalist Aryan agenda of Hitler. Bonhoeffer became a singular force in resisting the powers of evil and injustice of the Nazism infested culture. Anytime I read about Bonhoeffer’s life I am immensely challenged. But this book, gives us insight into how to decontextualize ourselves from our own culture-bound Christianity, being with people of another culture (even those within our own country), and how that becomes the means of transforming our own church. This singular truth is why I am so committed to the study of contextual theology."

Conversations With College Students on a Politically Divided Campus by Emily Deruy (The Atlantic)

"On Tuesdays, the group arranges a few desks in an unlocked classroom in a circle, sits down, and talks. It can get tense, but no one yells, no one storms out, and everyone has a chance to explain why they feel the way they do. Afterward, they sometimes go for drinks and late-night snacks at the Applebee’s nearby [the Central Michigan University campus]. The society is one example of how, at a time when Washington and much of the rest of the country is gripped by political polarization that can make substantive conversations about policy differences difficult, college students on politically divided campuses, who are part of a generation many older Americans expect to be apathetic, have found a way to have those conversations in a productive way."

Leading Someone Who Dislikes You by Dan Reiland

"I’m confident you love the people you lead, but that doesn’t mean you show it and they know it. You may show you love them, but not in a way they receive it. The pace of ministry leadership is often fast. That reality combined with the pressure to get things done can squeeze out the foundation of all good relationships, which is love. And for leaders, loving means giving more than you take. If you are not careful, the pressure to produce will cause you to take more than you give. When you are yourself, and give more than you take, people will trust you. If they trust you, they will follow you. I can almost guarantee that the individual who doesn’t like you, doesn’t feel loved by you. And if that is the case, they will never let you lead them."

A UPenn psychologist says there's one trait more important to success than IQ or talent by Shana Lebowitz (Business Insider)

"For instance, she [Angela Duckworth] conducted a study that found "grittier" kids — those who studied more and competed in more spelling bees — were more likely to perform well in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. To be sure, verbal intelligence also mattered, but verbally talented spellers didn't necessarily study or practice more. Similarly, Duckworth found that West Point cadets who scored higher on the grit scale were more likely to stick it out through "Beast Barracks," an intensive seven-week training program. (The grit scale includes items like "I don't give up easily" and "I have overcome setbacks to conquer an important challenge.") Grit was a better predictor of who would stay through Beast than things like athletic ability or SAT scores. As Duckworth writes: "Our potential is one thing. What we do with it is quite another."

Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman: ‘Trust God’ through tragedy by Adelle M. Banks (Religion News Service)

Here's a nice profile on my favorite musical artist -- Steven Curtis Chapman -- and the story behind his new book, Between Heaven and the Real World.

Stewarding a Multiethnic Campus by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra (The Gospel Coalition)

"Campus Outreach was started by the predominately white Briarwood Presbyterian Church on the campus of Samford University, a Baptist affiliate that resisted integration until the American Bar Association pressured Samford’s Cumberland School of Law to admit the university’s first black student in 1967. The rest of the university followed; however, in a city nearly three-quarters African American, the school is still more than 80 percent white. So it’s no wonder that in the beginning, Campus Outreach ministered primarily to white students. 

But within the last decade, the ministry has undergone a remarkable change. The Campus Outreach franchise in the Dallas/Fort Worth area is about half black. So is ministry at the University of Memphis. And across the 87 American campuses, the share of black students has reached 13 percent, which matches the overall percentage of black students at schools where Campus Outreach is working. Moving to a multiethnic Campus Outreach hasn’t been an easy process; to those working at Campus Outreach, it also seems frustratingly slow. But what they’re doing—shifting gears mentally to steward students of every shade—is proving enormously effective."

Why ‘This Is Us’ Makes Us Cry by John Jurgensen (The Wall Street Journal)

Here's a piece explaining why NBC's new hit show, This is Us, has connected on an emotional level with so many viewers.

BBC Expert's Kids Interrupt Important Live Interview

This is simply too funny not to share. I'm sure anyone with young children that attempts to work from home can relate.

In Our Broken World, Our God is With Us

Photo taken from 'The Nativity Story' (IMDB.com)

Something took place over 2,000 years ago in a tiny Middle Eastern town that changed the course of human history. The biblical text tells us that the soon-to-be mother of a little child was told that the boy she was carrying was special. His name would be Jesus and He would be the Savior of all mankind.

There is a longing within the human heart for the Hebrew concept of Shalom, when peace reigns and all is right with the world. Our hearts ache for something better as we grapple with the heartbreak, pain and death that life often brings our way. We wonder if we are all alone is this world that we inhabit. We question if there is someone greater than us that sees and cares and will respond to our needs.

The birth of the baby Jesus answers this query. The angel that foretold his birth said that He would be known as Immanuel, which means "God with us." Previous to the birth of Christ, God's Spirit was present but in a much different way. With the coming of Christ (Advent), God took on human flesh -- the incarnation -- and came to live among us. He experienced what we experience and saw what we see. He experienced pain. He knew hunger and tiredness. He lived under an oppressive regime. He even went through a painful death. He endured the same kind of temptations and struggles that we do, but didn't sin. It's quite amazing once you stop and think about it.

The fact that "God is with us" means that there is hope. We do not walk through life alone. Even with economic challenges, the unjust deaths of children, women and men and the threat of war ever before us, our God is among us. His Spirit is present and He lives within those that are His true followers. As I think about the uncertainty that tomorrow brings, I take comfort in the reality of Immanuel.

One of my favorite modern Christmas songs is Our God is With Us from Steven Curtis Chapman's first Christmas album, The Music of Christmas. May the truths contained in this video bring peace to your heart.

The Story Behind "More To This Life" by Steven Curtis Chapman

In this video my favorite singer, Steven Curtis Chapman, tells the story of what inspired him to write his song "More To This Life." This is one of my favorite SCC songs and this is a great acoustic version. Enjoy!

Eat a Frosty, Help Some Kids

You'll have an opportunity this weekend to help orphans with each Frosty purchase that you make at participating Wendy's. In honor of Father's Day, Wendy's is offering to give 50 cents to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy's, was himself adopted and started his foundation to help other kids without parents.

This is a great chance to treat your father and to help children that aren't fortunate to currently have a dad in their lives. Another way to contribute is to send your dad a Frosty Father's Day card. Click here to send your dad a Frosty e-card. I hope my kids read this post :)

(Thanks to Steven Curtis Chapman for the tip.)

Steven Curtis Chapman Wins Artist of the Year

Steven Curtis Chapman, the most prolific winner in the history of the Gospel Music Association (GMA), took home the Artist of the Year award last night at the 40th annual Dove Awards. Throughout his successful career, Chapman has won over fifty Doves. He was also awarded the Songwriter of the Year award this year.

The Artist of the Year trophy comes less than a year after Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, lost one of their daughters, Maria, in a freak accident at home. The Chapmans have admirably and courageously shared their experiences with the world and have been true representatives of Jesus during a very difficult time of their life. It is nice to see the Contemporary Christian Music industry honor acknowledge their influence in this way.

On another note, it was good to see Tenth Avenue North take home the New Artist of the Year award. The guys in the band are from nearby us here in central Florida and I've had the opportunity to talk with them on several occasions when they've led worship at ministry events that I've been a part of. They are genuine in their faith and talented musicians. It's good to see them get exposure on a national level.