Developing the mastery of prayer...

In standardized math tests, Japanese children consistently score higher than their American counterparts. While some assume that a natural proclivity toward mathematics is the primary difference, researchers have discovered that it may have more to do with effort than ability. In one study involving first-graders, students were given a difficult puzzle to solve. The researchers weren’t interested in whether or not the children could solve the puzzle; they simply wanted to see how long they would try before giving up. The American children lasted, on average, 9.47 minutes. The Japanese children lasted 13.93 minutes. In other words, the Japanese children tried 47 percent longer. Is it any wonder why they score higher on math exams? Researchers concluded that the difference in math scores might have less to do with intelligence quotient and more to do with persistence quotient. The Japanese first-graders simply tried harder.

That study not only explains the difference in standardized math scores, the implications are true no matter where you turn. It doesn’t matter whether it’s athletics or academics, music or math. There are no shortcuts. There are no substitutes. Success is a derivative of persistence.

More than a decade ago, Anders Ericsson and his colleagues at Berlin’s elite Academy of Music did a study with musicians. With the help of professors, they divided violinists into three groups: world-class soloists, good violinists, and those who were unlikely to play professionally. All of them started playing around roughly the same age and they practiced about the same amount of time until the age of eight. That is when their practice habits diverged. The researchers found that by the age of twenty, the average players had logged about 4,000 hours of practice time; the good violinists totaled about 8,000 hours; and the elite performers set the standard with 10,000 hours. While there is no denying that innate ability dictates some of your upside potential, your potential is only tapped via persistent effort. Persistence is the magic bullet and the magic number seems to be ten thousand.

“The emerging picture from such studies is that ten thousand hours of practice is required to achieve a level of mastery associated with being a world class expert—in anything,” notes neurologist Daniel Levitin. “In study after study, of composers, basketball players, fiction writers, ice skaters, concert pianists, chess players, master criminals, and what have you, this number comes up again and again. No one has yet found a case in which true world-class expertise was accomplished in less time. It seems that it takes the brain that long to assimilate all that it needs to know to achieve true mastery.”


Is prayer any different?

Why not join us this evening at 6:30 to practice the presence of God in prayer? 

The Impact Of TV On Church Ministry

The Impact Of TV On Church Ministry

By: Gary L. McIntosh, D.Min., Ph.D.

The first flickering images hit the airwaves on April 30, 1939. President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a short speech declaring open the New York World’s Fair. It was the first public broadcast of an electronic medium called television.

The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) aired Roosevelt’s speech. Fewer than 100 sets of the new “picture radio,” had been sold. The screens ranged from five to 12 inches.

The Early Years

The first daily broadcast was from Radio City in Manhattan. The first portable back and white TV was introduced in 1956. The first battery-powered set in 1960. NBC became the first network to televise all programs in color in 1966. Here are few other interesting “firsts.”

• First televised sporting event – a college baseball game between Columbia and Princeton on May 17, 1939.

• First televised major league baseball game – the Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers on August 26, 1939.

• First televised newscast – December 7, 1941 as the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) reported the events of Pearl Harbor.

TV’s Boom

Over 700 million people, at the time the largest TV audience ever, watched the first men walk on the moon July 20, 1969.

By the early 1980s, 98% of U.S. households were equipped with at least one TV set, a majority with two or three. In 1989 American households averaged 1.9 sets.

In 1989, the average American family was spending seven hours and five minutes per day watching TV. The average individual watched TV for 30.5 hours per week.

Color TV was found in about half of American homes in 1970. Today over 90% have color TV. Over half of all U.S. households were “wired” for cable TV by the end of last century, giving access to about 120 million viewers.

The Future

The 2000s has brought high-definition television (HDTV). These sets offer twice the sharpness of current sets, richer color and compact-disk (CD) sound quality. HDTV sets represented $1.5 billion in yearly sales in the early 2000s.

Fiber-optic cables are being attached to phone lines resulting in a universal system whereby subscribers may run errands and choose a myriad of programs. It potentially could make network and cable TV obsolete.

Almost science fiction, some predict we will see (1) Imaging – a system whereby viewers could see themselves in clothes without leaving their seats. (2) Holograms – a system whereby small, three-dimensional figures might act out a scene on the living room floor.

TV’s Impact on Ministry

In the 70+ years since its formal debut, television has emerged as a primary entertainment medium, chronicler of history, wellspring of popular culture, major force for political and social change, coercive commercial vehicle and powerful spreader of information.

Here is a checklist of ways television has influenced people and ideas on responding in a positive manner.

√ Immediate Satisfaction: Products are sold, complex issues are solved and victory is won within 30 minutes on TV. People tend to expect that life will give the same immediate results. The ideas of delayed gratification and a process of spiritual growth are not well accepted. People want patience. And . . . they want it now!

A Positive Approach: Preach character sketches of biblical people. Point out the process each took to mature in their faith. Share examples of people who waited for prayers to be answered, personal problems to be solved and personal growth to occur.

√ Increasing Boredom: TV gives the impression that life moves at a faster pace, which has produced boredom and lack of determination when it comes to staying with tasks and learning mundane lessons. People subconsciously compare the real world with the fast paced action-oriented pulse beat of a TV series.

A Positive Approach: Speed up worship services. Schedule classes, small groups and Bible studies in shorter time blocks. Preach shorter sermon series. A six-week series is better than a 13-week series.

√ Consumer Mentality: Spending on TV advertising soared from $171 million in 1950 to more than $1.6 billion in 1960. It increased to $3.6 billion in 1970, $11.4 billion in 1980 and $32 billion in 1989. Americans have been conditioned to buy what they can and charge what they can’t.

A Positive Approach: Stress biblical stewardship of time, talent and treasure. Encourage worshippers to give to eternal values. Provide practical workshops on managing money. Preach a minimum of six stewardship messages a year.

√ Common Knowledge: I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, The Ed Sullivan Show, Gunsmoke, American Bandstand, The Mickey Mouse Club, Father Knows Best and Leave It to Beaver all provided for a common base of symbols, fads and experiences unknown in time past.

A Positive Approach: Illustrate a sermon from TV shows rather than illustration books. Use stories from the Cosby Show, Roseanne and Life Goes On rather than from devotional books.

√ Short Attention Span: TV commercials have created short attention spans. Chase scenes and rapidly changing action shots have created a climate where people tend to concentrate for only about 30 seconds.

A Positive Approach: Move away from the pulpit. Preach without notes. Vary your volume and pitch. Use visuals. Organize your worship service into blocks of 7 minutes each changing to something entirely different each block.

√ Personal Touch: Relational aspects of communication are up and transfer of content is down. Letter writing is diminishing with the phone call taking its place. The motto “Reach Out and Touch Someone” reinforces typifies this fundamental change in the area of communication.

A Positive Approach: Deliver your sermon from the floor, close to the people, rather than from the platform, removed from the people. Communicate content in one-to-one fashion through stories that touch the lives of people.

√ Multiple Story Lines: TV often weaves two or three story lines in a 30-minute episode. Sermons usually follow a sequential 1-2-3 format. We no longer live in a sequential world. People carry on many activities at one time.

A Positive Approach: Weave at least two story lines in your teaching. Use personal stories weaved together with “What would Jesus Say” is the answer.

√ In-n-Out Mentality: TV has taught us that we can step into an episode and it will stand-alone. Even the SOAPS with their continuing story lines from week-to-week, have weekly stories that can stand alone.

A Positive Approach: People hate “To Be Continued” endings. Preach a series but keep it short (6 weeks). Make sure each sermon can stand-alone.

√ Concern for Causes: A new word “dramady” has been coined to name a new form of comedy and drama which addresses topics like AIDS, drugs and sex. TV has started facing tough issues and trying to provide answers. For example, Down’s Syndrome – Life Goes On.

A Positive Approach: Face current issues tastefully. Don’t make a habit of dealing with heavy issues each week but don’t be afraid of facing them either.

Over 50? Add These 7 Foods to Your Diet Now

Over 50? Add These 7 Foods to Your Diet Now

1. BEANS

I’m a bean fanatic!  Research shows that eating a daily serving of beans or lentils (3/4 cup) can help to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by 5 percent. Another study in people with type 2 diabetes found that eating about a cup of beans or lentils per day as part of a healthy diet lowered hemoglobin A1c, a marker of blood sugar control, by 0.5%, which is a substantial improvement. Need a simple way to introduce more beans into your diet? Toss canned, low-sodium beans with whole-grain pasta and sauteed veggies for a quick weeknight meal, or try some of these other easy ideas.

2. OATS

The risk for heart disease increases dramatically in men over 45 and women over 55, so incorporating more cholesterol-lowering foods like oats into your diet is a smart move. Oats are rich in a type of soluble fiber called beta glucan, and consuming at least 3 grams of this fiber a day (equivalent to 1.5 cups cooked oatmeal) has been shown to reduce total and LDL cholesterol levels by 5 to 10 percent. People who eat oats and other whole grains regularly are also at reduced risk of dying an early death. Plain oats are cheaper than boxed cereals and a perfect conduit for other healthy ingredients, like nuts, seeds, and fruit

3. APPLES

Sure, they’re not as glamorous as acai berries or mangosteen, but apples are every bit as super as exotic fruits, and much, much cheaper. A large apple supplies 5 grams of heart-healthy fiber, and research shows that eating apples daily can lower both total and LDL cholesterol to help keep your ticker in tip-top shape. A 2013 study found that frequent apple eaters are at lower risk for type 2 diabetes. And the good news is, you can find apples almost everywhere, including gas stations and convenience stores. Slice one up and add a smear of peanut butter for a classic snack that never gets old.

4. NUTS

Snacking on nuts instead of chips, crackers, and cookies is an easy way to give your diet a major upgrade. A 2013 randomized controlled trial conducted in Spain found that eating an ounce of mixed nuts daily as part of a Mediterranean-style diet reduced the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death from heart disease by 28 percent. And don’t forget that peanuts count, too — they’re equally healthy, but cost about half as much as almonds and other tree nuts. Another easy way to get in a daily serving: Use chopped, toasted nuts as a garnish for roasted vegetables or whole grain sides like brown rice and quinoa.

5. LEAFY GREENS

Piling on the spinach, kale, collards or other leafy greens at meals may help to keep your mind sharp as you age. People who ate one to two servings per day had the same cognitive ability as people 11 years younger who rarely ate greens, according to research presented last month at the American Society for Nutrition annual meeting. Cooking greens doesn’t have to be complicated. For a hassle-free side dish, pick up a bag of baby spinach and saute the leaves whole in a drizzle of olive oil with optional chopped garlic. Heads up: If you take the blood thinner coumadin, you don’t have to give up greens completely; talk to your doctor about adjusting your medication to allow for small portions every day.

6. BERRIES

You also want to get your fill of berries, another potential brain booster. Strawberries, blueberries, and their sister fruits are rich in phytochemicals that may help slow age-related memory decline by increasing blood flow to the brain and reducing harmful inflammation. These findings are still preliminary, but regardless of future research results, berries are a healthful choice given their high fiber and vitamin content. Fresh berries aren’t always an affordable option, but you can find large 2- to 3-pound bags of frozen varieties at supermarkets for around $10 year-round. Add a scoop to plain yogurt, oatmeal, homemade muffins, or even the occasional bowl of ice cream to give your diet a berry boost.

7. YOGURT

Eating adequate protein spread throughout the day may help to preserve muscle and slow the gradual decline in lean body mass that occurs as our bodies mature. Yogurt, especially Greek varieties, can provide a generous dose of high-quality protein at breakfast and snack time, the times of day when we tend to eat carbier meals. Cow’s milk yogurt and fortified non-dairy versions are also good sources of calcium, a nutrient that women over age 50 and men over age 70 need in larger quantities to maintain bone health. And the beneficial bacteria that give yogurt its tang may help to nourish the gut, too. To keep added sugar to a minimum, buy the plain stuff and doctor it up with healthful mix-ins like fresh or dried fruit, nuts, seeds, whole-grain cereal, or (for a treat) dark chocolate chips.

The message from NRN today - Too Hot to Handle

“Too Hot to Handle”

INTRODUCTION:  Last week we took at short break in the teaching series AD the Bible Continues as Pastor Jordan shared with us. The TV series continued with a major shift in the Early Church.  James, the brother of Jesus – is used by God to create an open door for the Disciples to move out of hiding into an open expression of their faith. That created some disagreement between the disciples.

As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the saints in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years. “Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat." Immediately Aeneas got up. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, "Please come at once!" Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them. Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.  He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.                                                                            Acts 9:32-43

After describing Saul’s amazing conversion, Luke focuses again on the ministry of Peter.  As a medical doctor, Luke would have had a unique perspective on his miracles.  As a “pioneer missionary,” Peter would reach beyond tradition. He is transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit to do the work of the ministry.  God is in the business of transforming each of us, and by looking into Peter’s life we can gain insight into our own transformation.

God’s Preparation of Simon Peter:

•       Simon THE SEASONED FISHERMAN

•       Simon THE NATURAL LEADER

•       Peter THE RELUCTANT LEARNER

•       Peter THE HUMBLED FAILURE

•       Peter  THE RESTORED SERVANT

•       Peter THE PIONEER MISSIONARY

Here are three lessons we can learn from Peter in Samaria.

Lessons from Peter in Samaria:

1.  Peter was FOCUSED ON MINISTRY.    

As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the saints in Lydda.                                                                  Acts 9:32      

           

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor.                                                                   Acts 9:36 

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."                      Acts 1:8 

                     

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.                                                                                    Colossians 3:17

2. Peter PRAYED WITH CONFIDENCE .

There he found a man named Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years.  "Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat." Immediately Aeneas got up.         Acts 9:33-34

Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead   woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up."      She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.                 Acts 9:40   

               

I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.                                                                   Matthew 17:20b   

                                                  

3. Peter was LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.

  

(Tabitha’s resurrection) became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.                                     Acts 9:42-43

What I’m about to tell you is true. Anyone who believes in me will do the works I have been doing. In fact, they will do even greater things. That’s because I am going to the Father.                    John 14:12

Let us keep in step with the Spirit.        Galatians 5:25b  

Preparing for Worship on June 14 2015

Tomorrow at North Raleigh Church of the Nazarene we will gather to worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth.  As you check this blog post today I hope you are ready to prepare your heart for a time of worship and adoration to our great God!  I am looking forward to preaching tomorrow as we return to the AD series. There are only 2 messages remaining in this series. Now is the time to invite a friend to join you at church. 

Here is the planned order of worship.  We make our plans - but God has the last word! 

We plan to begin with a great song of worship followed by a time to greet one another and especially look for first time guest and welcomed them to church!



















We now worship the Lord by bringing our offerings to the Lord.  This is simply a funny cartoon - please do not be offended....

Pew Research and the Parable of the Lost Sheep

Pew Research and the Parable of the Lost Sheep

by Craig Cable

The Pew Research Center recently released a demographic study titled America’s Changing Religious Landscape that caused quite a stir in the media and with church-trend watchers. In the course of interviewing 35,000 Americans over the age of 18, Pew discovered that the percentage of adults who describe themselves as Christians has dropped nearly eight percentage points in just seven years, from 78.4 percent in a similar survey in 2007 to 70.6 percent in 2014. This sizable exodus from organized religion was driven mainly by declines among mainline Protestants (dropping 3.4 percent) and Catholics (dropping 3.1 percent). The religious group that saw the smallest decline was evangelical Protestants, which saw a 1 percent reduction. Survey respondents who self-identified as having “no religious affiliation” actually saw the greatest change, with a 6.7 percent increase.

Within hours of the release of these findings, the web blew up with all sorts of perspectives and spins on the data. Some people were simply trying to make sense of what may be causing church attendance to decline at such an unprecedented rate. Others (mostly in evangelical protestant circles) were actually boasting that their denominations saw the fewest number of people leaving. What was most concerning to me was that some church insiders appeared to be celebrating the decline. These people have concluded that those who no longer identify as Christians were only posing as Christians in the first place and the church is well rid of them.

According to the latest U.S. Census, there are more than 244 million Americans over the age of 18. So if 8 percent of them are turning their backs on Christianity, that means that nearly 20 million men and women have left the faith—just in the last seven years.

In addition to those who no longer identify themselves as Christians are those who have walked away from the church even though their faith is as vibrant as ever.

Group just released a groundbreaking book called Church Refugees: Sociologists Reveal Why People Are DONE With Church but Not Their Faith (also available on Amazon). In this exhaustive qualitative study, Dr. Josh Packard and Ashleigh Hope found that the people who say they’re done with church aren’t who you’d expect.

·         They’re among the church’s staunchest supporters and leaders.

·         They aren’t marginal Christians, and they aren’t abandoning their faith.

·         And they aren’t anti-church. In fact, these people remain hungry for community and long to grow in their faith and a chance to serve.

As I was scratching my head, wondering who in the world would attempt to put a positive spin on any of this, the Parable of the Lost Sheep came to mind.

In Luke 15, Jesus said: Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

I pray each day for my heart to break over the things that cause God’s heart to break. I can’t help but feel that God’s heart grieves for every person who has taken a step away from him. And I feel compelled to do everything I can to find these people and welcome them back into God’s family.

Rather than saying, “good riddance,” I challenge every ministry leader not to accuse, attack, or demean those who have left our churches. Rather, seek to understand why they left and explore ways to keep the relationships intact. Let’s pursue everyone with the same love, tenderness, and relentless affection that God pursues all of his sheep…lost or found.

The One Sure Mark of Christian Maturity

I suppose we all know that as Christians we are meant to grow up, to mature. We begin as infants in the faith and need to develop into adults. The New Testament writers insist that we must all make this transition from milk to meat, from the children’s table to the grown-up’s feast.

 And yet even though we are aware that we must go through this maturing process, many of us are prone to measure maturity in the wrong ways. We are easily fooled. This is especially true, I think, in a tradition like the Reformed one, which (rightly) places a heavy emphasis on learning and on the facts of the faith.

The Bible is the means God uses to complete us, to finish us, to bring us to maturity.

When Paul writes to Timothy, he talks to him about the nature and purpose of the Bible and says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” 

                                                                                  (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

That word complete is related to maturity. Paul says that Timothy, and by extension me and you and all of us, is incomplete, unfinished and immature. The Bible is the means God uses to complete us, to finish us, to bring us to maturity.

But what does it mean to be a mature Christian? I think we tend to believe that mature Christians are the ones who know a lot of facts about the Bible. Mature Christians are the ones who have their theology down cold. But look what Paul says: “That the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 

Paul does not say, “That the man of God may be complete, knowing the books of the Bible in reverse order,” or  “That the man of God may be complete, able to explain and define supralapsarianism against infralapsarianism.” He does not say, “That the man of God may be complete, able to provide a structural outline of each of Paul’s epistles.” Those are all good things, but they are not Paul’s emphasis. They may be signs of maturity, but they may also be masks that cover up immaturity.

When Paul talks about completion and maturity, he points to actions, to deeds, to “every good work.” The Bible has the power to mature us, and as we commit ourselves to reading, understanding and obeying it, we necessarily grow up in the faith. That maturity is displayed in the good works we do more than in the knowledge we recite. And this is exactly what God wants for us—he wants us to be mature and maturing doers of good who delight to do good for others. This emphasis on good deeds is a significant theme in the New Testament (see Ephesians 2:10, Titus 2:14, etc) and the very reason why God saved us.

This means that spiritual maturity is better displayed in acts than in facts. You can know everything there is to know about theology, you can be a walking systematic theology, you can spend a lifetime training others in seminary, and still be desperately immature. You will remain immature if that knowledge you accumulate does not motivate you to do good for others. The mature Christians are the ones who glorify God by doing good for others, who externalize their knowledge in good deeds.

Of course facts and acts are not entirely unrelated, so this is not a call to grow lax in reading, studying and understanding the Bible. Not at all! The more you know of the Bible the more it can teach, reprove, correct and train you, and in that way shape your actions and cause you to do the best deeds in the best way for the best reason. More knowledge of God through his Word ought to lead to more and better service to others.

But in the final analysis, Christ lived and died so he could “redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). Knowledge of God and his Word is good. Knowledge of God and his Word that works itself out in doing what benefits others—there is nothing that glorifies God more than that.  

Tim Challies, a self-employed web designer, is a pioneer in the Christian blogosphere, having one of the most widely read and recognized Christian blogs. He is also editor of Discerning Reader, a site dedicated to offering thoughtful reviews of books that are of interest to Christians.