- Chuck Colson

Brian Haynes is a voice of reason, wisdom, and authority on this topic and I am becoming more and more impressed with him and what I see coming out of Kingsland Baptist Church in Katy, TX.

I was thrilled to see that Children’s Ministry Magazine chose to do a story on Brian, the Legacy Milestones model, and his church.  It’s in the June/July issue if you have not read it.

I also would like to recommend Brian’s blog and his churche’s Legacy Milestones website.

Dear Friends,

In the past few days, the intolerant nature of the homosexual agenda has been on open display. This time that intolerance has been exposed for what it is by one of our Focus on the Family® events.

Orchestrated Attempt to Undermine Our Efforts
We are hosting a “Love Won Out” conference Saturday in Grand Rapids, MI., to help Christians
in that area manage the issue of homosexuality in
a Christ-like manner. Over the last 10 years, these conferences have equipped thousands of Christians to become voices of God’s love and liberty to homosexuals.

As often happens wherever these conferences are held, gay activists spare no invective as they denounce the idea that Christ can help someone struggle free of unwanted homosexuality. Just two days before our conference, Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids hosted a seminar entitled, “Religion and Homophobia: Spiritual Violence in our Community.” (Doesn’t that sound tolerant?). The conference was stacked with gay activist speakers, and it was held under the auspices of–are you ready for this?–the Vice President of Inclusion and Equity, Dr. Jeanne Arnold. So we phoned Dr. Arnold and we asked to have one of our speakers included in her conference.

bet you can guess how the “Vice President for Inclusion and Equity” responded to our request to be included! For more on this latest tribute to the intolerance of the homosexual agenda, watch the newest Focus Action Update video.

The Goal: Imposing Their Agenda And Suppressing Opposing Ideas
It’s becoming more and more obvious that the homosexual agenda isn’t really about tolerance after all. It’s about imposing a radical agenda on our society and using nasty rhetoric and the force of law to suppress opinions that oppose their agenda. Anyone who dares to stand for Biblical notions of sexuality will face the intolerance of homosexual activism.

Well, we will stand! And I am encouraged that you are standing with us. Your prayers and your financial support are a great encouragement to our team. May God richly bless you as you bless our nation by the stand you are taking.

For faith and family,

Tom Minnery
Senior Vice President, Government & Public Policy

Well, it’s been a crazy six weeks with the D6 Curriculum name change (from CLEAR Curriculum to D6), 607 development meetings, pre-convention campaigns, D6 Conference planning, travel to Dallas, then California, then back to Dallas, then Branson, MO, next Atlanta, now I am headed to Austin, Abilene, and Dallas yet again.  Somewhere in there I earned another SWA Rapid Reward ticket that will come in handy for family vacation in August.

Ron Hunter (Randall House CEO) and I went to Atlanta last weekend to meet with Reggie Joiner about the Orange Conference and the D6 Conference.  We discussed brand distinction and introduced the topic of possibly trying to find ways to create synergy together in the future.  Regardless of whether we ever collaborate in any capacity, we began a friendship, and that seemed to be most important to both parties.  Reggie, Brad and Reggie Goodin were incredibly hospitable, and the turkey dressing was amazing (I think there was a hint of cinnamon in there somewhere)!  May God continue to bless the ministry of the reThink Group.

Well, my SWA flight to Austin has been delayed twice tonight…still waiting.  I fly SWA almost exclusively, and let me say that this is a rare experience.

This is old news now (from last fall), but I just discovered this…

Man Builds Noah’s Ark (exact scale given in Bible)
Working Replica of Noah’s Ark Opened In SCHAGEN, Netherlands .
The massive central door in the side of Noah’s Ark was opened the first crowd of curious townsfolk to behold the wonder. Of course, it’s only a replica of the biblical Ark , built by Dutch Creationist Johan Huibers as a testament to his faith in the literal truth of the Bible.

The ark is 150 cubits long, 30 cubits high and 20 cubits wide. That’s two-thirds the length of a football field and as high as a three-story house. Life-size models of giraffes, elephants, lions, crocodiles, zebras, bison and other animals greet visitors as they arrive in the main hold. A contractor by trad e, Huibers built the ark of cedar and pine. Biblical Scholars debate exactly what the wood used by Noah would have been.

Huibers did the work mostly with his own hands, using modern tools and with occasional help from his son Roy. Construction began in May 2005. On the uncovered top deck – not quite ready in time for the opening – will come a petting zoo, with baby lambs and chickens, and goats, and one camel.

Visitors on the first day were stunned. ‘It’s past comprehension’, said Mary Louise Starosciak, who happened to be bicycling by with her husband while on vacation when they saw the ark looming over the local landscape.

‘I knew the story of Noah, but I had no idea the boat would have been so big.’ There is enough space near the keel for a 50-seat film theater where kids can watch a video that tells the story of Noah and his ark. Huibers, a Christian man, said he hopes the project will renew interest in Christianity in the Netherlands , where church going has fallen dramatically in the past 50 years.

Now that I am old and gray…give me the time to tell this new generation (and their children too) about all your mighty miracles. Psalm 71:18

I saw this video about three months ago and let it fall off of my radar screen.  Then yesterday a friend of mine reminded me of it and I wanted to comment on it.

This is Penn of Penn and Teller.  I think that his comments on “proselytizing” or evangelism here (especially coming from an atheist) are extremely interesting.  He brings up the point that if you really believe God’s Word, than “how much do you have to hate someone to not to tell them about the love of God.  How much do you have to hate someone to not tell them that one day they will live in either heaven or hell.”

It’s interesting to me to hear these words come from a non-believer.

With a near bankrupt economy wavering out on the horizon, I can’t help but to notice the parallels between the state of the economy as compared with the state of the “lost connection” between church and home.

Over the last 30 years, we have become so preoccupied with church attendance and with the kinds of cool events our churches are hosting, that we have failed to stay true to one of the central pillars of the church, which is to make disciples of our own families.  God’s plan for this is found all throughout scripture (not just in Deut. 6).

Large church attendance and cool events are wonderful!  But if they don’t fall in line with an overarching philosophy and strategy that is birthed out of scriptural principles, than we are falling short of God’s great plan for both the institution of the Church and the family.

Churches must make an immediate turn or shift in their mission and re-tool their ministries to equip parents to be the headquarter of spiritual formation, and allow the church do be that second center of discipleship, encouragement, and equipping.  If we don’t shift now, we will continue to see the same results…droves of students leaving the church each year after high school graduation.

There is an event in 09 that will be addressing the Church and family crisis.  This event is called D6.  The D6 Conference is a Kingdom event that will pull together churches from all denominations to tackle this central issue in the church.  The question can be asked several different ways:

• How do we connect church and home?
• How can churches partner with parents?
• How do we stop the mass exodus of students leaving the church each year?
• How do we transfer faith from generation to generation?

Again, there are several ways this question is being asked, but the one thing that remains true is that this is the central issue in the church today.

I hope to see you at D6.  Come and join in on the conversation as we explore God’s word and share about what’s successes we are experiencing in the body of Christ in this critical discussion.

Last night we had time to catch up with Dr. Richard Ross for a quick meal.  I left our time with him wanting more…feeling a little cheated because an hour and fifteen minutes, just wasn’t enough.

Although he is a professor of student ministries at Southwestern Seminary, he spends many Sunday’s and Wednesday nights helping parents restore relationships with their teenagers all across the country.  I don’t have time to share the stories he shared with us, but I can say that we share a common passion.  The life transformation stories he shared with Ron Hunter and I nearly left me in tears.

You see the average Christian parent today doesn’t know how to authentically communicate with their teens, to affirm them, and to lead them.  Wounds happen, walls get built up, and it’s just too much work.  So let the distance and emotional scars begin.  He has found a way to heal and correct this process, and it’s completely biblical!  I wish every youth minister across the country would listen to him and implement what he is saying.

If we would integrate his message into our ministries, we could live out D6 like never before.  But if we don’t bridge the gap, healing won’t begin, and our students will not listen, and they will not own their faith (in mass numbers).

I will forever treasure the time that I spent with him last night.

Dr. Ross will be speaking at D6. I hope you will come listen to him and have the chance to meet him.

I wrote a post just a few weeks ago on December 22 about teaching our kids that our hope has to rest only in Christ.  Not in tradition, not in our status symbols, not in power.  Nothing, other than Jesus Christ.  Go back and read scripture and take Jesus at his word.  He clearly calls us to abandon all but him, and to identify with Him in His sufferings.

I saw this Piper video yesterday on youtube.  Matter of fact, Katie and I watched it together and when it was over, we felt a sense of “Wow, he just said, exactly what has needed to be said, for a long time.”

The American way is to fill our lives with comfort and happiness, yet it is such a facade. Fake. When Christians suffer in America, how do we cope with it?  We go shopping, we get a Starbucks, we go out to eat…something that will fill the void.  It’s not real. Not sustainable.

Christ tells us to identify with Him in our sufferings.  To need only Him.  How shall we then live?  How do we teach and model this to our kids?  What does this look like in my life?  Do we have an active and vibrant theology of suffering?  I’m not seeing much of this around me, yet I want to live it out.  I don’t have answers today…only questions.

I need wisdom.  His love is overwhelming and never ending.  I need to trust in God.