Dignity Answer To Racially Charged Times; Civil Rights Leader at Saddleback

LOS ANGELES — Pastor Rick Warren countered the nation’s racially charged times that led to troubling events in 2017 by opening up the first church services of the new year at Saddleback with author and civil rights activist John Perkins center stage talking about dignity.“Mankind was created to bare the image of God. Dignity reflects the soul; that dignity that God gave you. You don’t give dignity, you affirm it,” said Perkins while being interviewed by Warren during his message, “Loving Like Jesus in a Fractured World.”In his announcement about Perkins’ visit earlier in the week, Warren stated that he asked him to join him at Saddleback in response to “so many sad flashpoints in 2017” and to help him talk “about the Christ-like response to violence, injustice, racism, and poverty.”Introducing Perkins during the first of four weekend services at Saddleback in Lake Forest on Saturday, Warren said, “You may have never heard of his name, but in Christianity he’s a giant. He’s right up there with Martin Luther King Jr. and a couple of others who talked about dignity and unity and love and forgiveness and reconciliation.”Perkins, 87, is an American Christian minister, civil rights activist, Bible teacher, author, philosopher and community developer, according to Wikipedia. Despite being a 3rd grade dropout, Perkins is recognized for his work with 14 honorary doctorate degrees from schools including Belhaven University, Lynchburg University, Wheaton College, Gordon College, Taylor University, and Northern Seminary. He has served on the Boards of Directors of World Vision and Prison Fellowship.“If you don’t affirm people’s dignity you are going to have these uprisings all the time because dignity cries out,” said Perkins at Saddleback. “We’ve wrapped ourselves around our own political social idea and we’ve become that and [the attitude that] ‘if you don’t believe in that like I do we got trouble.’ It used to be that people wouldn’t love you, but they would get along with you. We called that tolerance, but now if I don’t fit into your socio-economic political deal you don’t like me. It’s hard to speak through that. We have to affirm that dignity.”He added, “What we are doing is demonizing each other instead of embracing each other. Justice is a stewardship issue. Justice is how we steward God’s creation. We have to deal with the whole idea of the dignity of humanity.”

COMING EVENT: Dr. Martin Luther King Gathering – How Have We Advanced the Dream?

Perkins shared that churches in America have a troubled history.“The church accommodating racism was a huge mistake,” he said. Perkins believes that the current social unrest is really “an opportune moment” for Christians. “I think we should be looking at this as an opportunity,” he said.“There should be one place in the world where people actually get along together. It’s called the Church,” said Warren in agreement with Perkin’s sentiments. “If we are not helping people reconcile, we’re not the church. If we’re not helping people reconcile between each other, we’re not children of God.”Perkins, who implied that the Black Lives Matter movement has led to further division in the country, said there is “only one race, the human race.”“Reconciliation is not just an event, it’s alive. Reconciliation is ongoing, it's a never ending ministry,” he said.

Saddleback Church Service 'Loving Jesus in a Fractured World;' Warren/Perkins [FACEBOOK VIDEO]

The Best Leaders Are Broken Leaders

I am broken. I lead a community of broken people called a church. And we often say, unapologetically, that we are a community of the broken who have good news for the broken.

PASTOR'S PERSPECTIVE

Don’t misunderstand. I don’t mean that we’re “broken” in the sense that we’re rendered useless by our imperfections. The opposite is actually true. We’re made more useful, and we discover our greatest purpose through our pain and suffering.A. W. Tozer is often credited with a quote I’ve shared a few times myself,

It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.

And without fail, every time I share it, I get pushback and it usually revolves around the idea that God would never hurt us, right? Isn’t his plan for our lives more along the lines of health, wealth, and prosperity?But consider the context in which Tozer wrote his statement…

We tend to think of Christianity as a painless system by which we can escape the penalty of past sins and attain to heaven at last. The flaming desire to be rid of every unholy thing and to put on the likeness of Christ at any cost is not often found among us. We expect to enter the everlasting kingdom of our Father and to sit down around the table with sages, saints and martyrs; and through the grace of God, maybe we shall; yes, maybe we shall. But for the most of us it could prove at first an embarrassing experience. Ours might be the silence of the untried soldier in the presence of the battle-hardened heroes who have fought the fight and won the victory and who have scars to prove that they were present when the battle was joined.The devil, things and people being what they are, it is necessary for God to use the hammer, the file and the furnace in His holy work of preparing a saint for true sainthood. It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.~ A. W. Tozer, The Root of the Righteous (p. 165).

So it isn’t that God causes evil to come into our lives for no purpose. Rather, it is that he uses the suffering we endure for our good, to prepare and shape our character so that we’re up to the task of leadership.I happen to be a pastor who struggles with depression. And I’m not alone.I’ve spent nearly a decade networking with pastors and church leaders all over the world and I never cease to be surprised at the number who, in private conversation, will divulge their own battles with depression and loneliness.We’re supposed to be strong, right? We have to be the bold leader, the model of victory and spiritual triumph!!But I’ve learned, after two decades in pastoral ministry, that the best leaders are the broken leaders.They’ve been hurt and will be hurt more, and they experience God’s healing.They suffer weakness, and they experience God’s strength.We often have a certain picture of what depression looks like, but many who struggle do so in between all of the working and parenting and the rest of the busyness of life. Charles Spurgeon struggled with periodic depression while growing one of the greatest churches in Europe.He led a school for aspiring ministry leaders and compiled the manuscripts of talks he had given to those students called Lectures to My Students, which includes a chapter entitled “The Minister’s Fainting Fits.”He opens the chapter acknowledging that “Fits of depression overcome the most of us.” So again, you’re never alone in your brokenness – it’s more common than you will ever realize.He continues…

Even under the economy of redemption it is most clear that we are to endure infirmities, otherwise there were no need of the promised Spirit to help us in them. It is of need be that we are sometimes in heaviness…We have the treasure of the gospel in earthen vessels, and if there be a flaw in the vessel here and there, let none wonder. Our work, when earnestly undertaken, lays us open to attacks in the direction of depression…All mental work tends to weary and to depress, for much study is a weariness of the flesh; but ours is more than mental work–it is heart work, the labor of our inmost soul.

And in our common naivety, we often assume that depression is merely the result of sin, or of satanic attack. But Spurgeon points out something very important…

When at last a long-cherished desire is fulfilled, when God has been glorified greatly by our means, and a great triumph achieved, then we are apt to faint. It might be imagined that amid special favors our soul would soar to heights of ecstasy, and rejoice with joy unspeakable, but it is generally the reverse. The; Lord seldom exposes his warriors to the perils of exultation over victory; he knows that few of them can endure such a test, and therefore dashes their cup with bitterness.

In other words, depression often catches us off guard because it follows victory as much as it follows defeat.That tendency to withdraw, to isolate, to allow the negative thoughts to override truth, can be the result of quite natural causes such as a backlash to the adrenaline rush of passionately preaching to a welcoming crowd or a natural imbalance in the chemicals in our brains.When I hear a fellow Christian speak about depression as an issue of spiritual warfare that merely requires more faith and prayer, I always say Yes!!! AND… you should also talk to your doctor about possible physical causes and a counselor about the role of past traumatic experiences. Let’s approach the issue holistically.In other words, sometimes depression can be the result of unconfessed sin. It can also be the result of our circumstances. It may sometimes be satanic oppression. It can simply be the natural low we experience after the emotional high of a victorious moment. And it can also be a physical issue on the same level as diabetes or chronic anemia.Regardless of the cause, here are three huge lessons I’ve had to learn over the last few years.

Lesson #1: Denying our brokenness doesn’t work for long.

I spent at least a dozen years trying to be the best pastor I could be. I wanted to fit the role, lead well, and if I’m being honest, impress the church and keep everybody happy.So I wore my suit and my smile and tried to do all the pastor things people expect the pastor to do.And when criticism came or when conflict arose, I bottled it away so that I could later use it as an excuse to check out mentally and emotionally from real engagement with people.When Angie and I moved to southern California where I joined the staff as a pastor at Saddleback Church, I was badly broken and I didn’t even know it.Within the first couple of months of life in our new surroundings, various pressures brought my pain to the surface. Our marriage struggled under the weight of it until a couple of breaking points occurred.We joined a small group that embraced us, helped us to finally open up about our issues, and encouraged us in our walk.I also saw our staff counselor, who would provide counseling to any staff member in absolute confidence. Pastor Rick Warren encourages his staff members to seek out counseling without fear or shame, and for the first time, I told a fellow pastor about all of my deepest issues.I’m convinced God moved us to southern California not simply to help Saddleback minister to leaders in the global church, but also because he wanted us to plant a church but knew I wasn’t ready on a spiritual and emotional level.When we started Grace Hills Church, we weren’t perfect or completely healed from all of our hurts, but we were absolutely committed to not faking it anymore.We would start a church as broken leaders, for broken people. It would be a safe place for people to come with their brokenness and find healing and restoration in the good news of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection!Denying your brokenness can help you succeed… for a season. But if you want to thrive and become all that God has purposed for you to become, you’ll have to be broken.

Lesson #2: There is healing in the cross of Christ.

Is it possible for God to instantly and miraculously take away all of your brokenness?Sure. Anything is possible with God. But it isn’t normative. And if you require complete and miraculous healing from God in order to be satisfied with him, you’ll miss out on the joy of coming to know his long, slow process of developing you into Christlike maturity.Remember that Paul received something greater than a miraculous deliverance from his thorn in the flesh. He was privileged to learn through suffering that God’s grace is enough.God works patiently with us, like a master artisan, re-shaping us into the masterpiece he knows we can be so that we can show to others the beauty of what his grace can accomplish.

Lesson #3: I lead best when I own my brokenness.

The world’s greatest influencers aren’t merely rich and famous. Those who have the most impact on any generation are leaders acquainted with suffering, who own their brokenness.Spurgeon continued writing about how God uses our dark nights of the soul to develop us into the effective leaders he desires for us to be…

The scouring of the vessel has fitted it for the Master’s use. Immersion in suffering has preceded the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Fasting gives an appetite for the banquet. The Lord is revealed in the backside of the desert, while his servant keepeth the sheep and waits in solitary awe. The wilderness is the way to Canaan. The low valley leads to the towering mountain. Defeat prepares for victory. The raven is sent forth before the dove. The darkest hour of the night precedes the day-dawn…Such mature men as some elderly preachers are, could scarcely have been produced if they had not been emptied from vessel to vessel, and made to see their own emptiness and the vanity of all things round about them.

I have a long way to go and a lot to learn. I’m in process, but I’m making progress by the grace of God as I come to understand that it isn’t my strength that brings success or influence. It is actually God’s strength, made perfect in my weaknesses that can profoundly affect the world around me.To any leader reading this, my greatest encouragement would be to embrace your pain. Own your brokenness. And reach out – to your spouse, a mentor, a counselor, or a close friend.Victory comes after our momentary defeats, and though grief lasts through the night, joy comes in the morning!The above post was originally published at BrandonACox.com.

READ: Why I Planted a Church in My Former Hood

Are Christmas and Jesus 'Fake News?'

Just in time for Christmas 2017, an atheist group put up a billboard in Dallas with the message: “Just skip church. It’s all fake news!” This is right next to a manger scene.

By Jerry Newcombe

Well, certainly the manger scene with the shepherds and the wise men together at the same time reflects poetic license. The Bible tells us the shepherds came first. The wise men would have come long after that. But the atheists are throwing out the whole thing—including the baby in the manger.In an article about this billboard (12/1/17), Dallas TV station Cw33.com quotes the president of American Atheists, who said, “Everyone knows that the stories we’re told in church aren’t the truth.”Really? And Christmas and Jesus are just “fake news”?But this is 2017 because Jesus was born in AD 1. Well, actually, He was likely born in 5 B.C. Dennis the Fair, the 6th century monk who created the Christian calendar (BC, AD), had overlooked an emperor or two in his calculations.Fake News? Tell that to the former legal affairs journalist for the Chicago Tribune, Lee Strobel. About three decades ago, he endeavored to disprove Christianity so he could win back the heart of his formerly non-Christian wife. He applied the laws of evidence he had learned at Yale Law School and the investigative techniques that served him well at the Trib to the claims of the historic Christian faith. To his chagrin, he learned that Jesus is anything but “fake news.”He condensed his findings into what became a mega-best-selling book, The Case for Christ, which was made into a 2017 movie. I have interviewed Strobel a few times through the years. In one of those discussions, he said, “As a journalist, I’ve learned to investigate the reliability of documents. And when you look at the documents that make up the New Testament of the Bible, they meet the tests of reliability that historians use.”Fake News? Tell that to Catholic writer Gary Michuta, who wrote a book called, Hostile Witnesses: How the Historic Enemies of the Church Prove Christianity (2016). On my radio show, Michuta explained what he means by “hostile witnesses,” “They’re hostile to Christianity, and yet, they run into certain truths they just can’t possibly deny or ignore.”In his book, Michuta notes that the indirect evidence for Christ—evidence found outside the New Testament and not influenced by Christians—is unusually powerful.Muchita says: “[I]n modern times it became popular to claim that Jesus of Nazareth never existed. The pagan Roman historian Tacitus had no notion of this claim. His concern was to write about the persecutions under Nero. If Jesus was just a mythical figure fabricated by Christians, Tacitus would have had every reason to point it out—but he didn’t. Instead, he speaks about Jesus as someone who actually lived and was executed under Pontius Pilate—confirming that Jesus was not myth.” (p. 14)Fake News? Pliny the Younger wouldn’t agree. Concerned about Christians in his corner of the Roman Empire, this magistrate from a region in modern day Turkey wrote to Emperor Trajan around the turn of the 2nd century (again, so numbered because of the birth of Jesus).In that letter (c. 112), Pliny talks of the beliefs and practices of Christians in his area: “[T]hey had been in the habit of meeting together on a stated day, before sunrise, and of offering in turns a form of invocation to Christ, as to a god: also of binding themselves by an oath, not for any guilty purpose, but not to commit thefts, or robberies, or adulteries, not to break their word, not to repudiate deposits when called upon.” (Michuta, p. 72)

READ: Top 7 Most Popular Stories at TogetherLA in 2017

Fake News? Dr. Gary Habermas, who has taught at Liberty University since 1981, would disagree. The author/co-author of 42 books on Jesus—about half on the resurrection—wrote a classic book called, Ancient Evidence for the Life of Jesus (1984). Habermas concludes, “[A]ttempts to debunk the historicity of Jesus in whole or in part have failed…Usually such attempts ignore myriads of evidence that disprove these alternate hypotheses. Perhaps this is why most well-known critical scholars also shun such theses.” (p. 181)Fake News? This is just a way to pretend that Jesus, who made each of us and to whom we will all one day give an account for our lives, has no binding authority on us.As Dr. James Allan Francis said of Jesus in his “One Solitary Life”: “All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one solitary life.”The above column was originally published at JerryNewcombe.com.Dr. Jerry Newcombe serves as the senior producer and as an on-air host and a columnist for D. James Kennedy Ministries. Jerry has produced or co-produced more than 60 one hour television specials that have aired nationwide. Jerry is the author or co-author of twenty-eight books, at least two of which have been bestsellers, George Washington’s Sacred Fire (with Dr. Peter Lillback) and What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? (with Dr. Kennedy) . Jerry has also written Doubting Thomas? The Life and Legacy of Thomas Jefferson (with Mark Beliles). Jerry has appeared on numerous talk shows as a guest, including Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher (4x), Janet Parshall’s America, Point of View, the Moody radio network, TBN, the Fox News Channel, the Fox Business Channel, C-Span2’s “Book Notes,” etc. Jerry hosts a weekly radio program called “Vocal Point” on GraceNetRadio (www.GraceNetRadio.com), which airs four times each day with new interviews added on Thursdays.Jerry is an associate minister at New Presbyterian Church, Wilton Manors, FL. Jerry is happily married with two children and two grandchildren. The Newcombes reside in South Florida.

Top 7 Most Popular Stories at TogetherLA in 2017

TogetherLA.net — our love letter to Los Angeles delivered for the first time in 2017 — has a focus on following God’s work.It has been a wild ride ever since the website officially launched this past Valentine’s Day.From exclusive interviews with pastors and Christian leaders to stories of church plants and ministry opportunities, we see God moving in L.A. and beyond.

A Year of Sharing Good News With All People

Sometimes it was a national issue that became a story for everyone. Other times, the issues and movement were all L.A.Yes, we’ve had conversations about injustice, homelessness, and the Church, and we plan to have more. TogetherLA.net is about sharing good news with all people. However, it is the good news of the gospel as lived and breathed by followers of Christ, not sugar coated.The most popular stories in 2017 included the words of two well-known pastors reacting to two tragedies that dug deep into the souls of most of us — violence in the streets of Charlottesville during a Unite the Right rally and the 2017 Las Vegas Shooting during a music festival.Interestingly, TLA’s third most popular story touches on the subject of racism in a movie review piece from the editor.We hope to bring you more stories in 2018 that follow God’s work and, prayerfully, further catalyze the impact of ministry workers and church leaders all over the city.

Top 7 Most Popular Stories at TogetherLA.net in 2017

1. ‘There Is No Neutral Ground Here,’ Erwin McManus Says to The Church [Interview]“It is inescapable that the Evangelical church is seen as married to the present administration in Washington. Silence in this moment would be perceived as agreement and adherence to white supremacist ideologies,” best-selling author and Mosaic Church pastor Erwin McManus told TLA shortly after violence in the streets of Charlottesville erupted during a Unite the Right rally.“There is no neutral ground here. You either speak against racism or you add credence to their views. I am convinced the Church is the greatest hope for humanity and for creating a new world where everyone is valued and embraced regardless of differences,” he said. “This is a critical moment in history and I want the church on record and on the right side of history.” >> READ FULL STORY2. Why Did God Allow This To Happen?Pastor Greg Laurie wrote this post shortly after the 2017 Las Vegas Shooting. He writes: A 64-year-old man armed with more than 12 rifles shot and killed 58 people in what is being called the largest mass shooting U.S. history. Hundreds more were wounded.The question that comes to mind at a time like this is. . . Why?Why did God allow such a horrible thing to happen? >> READ FULL STORY3. ‘Same Kind Of Different As Me’ Rises Above Protests, Slogans on RacismWhile most of the buzz about the movie Same Kind Of Different As Me released by Paramount Pictures and Pure Flix in the fall revolved around issues of homelessness, there is also an aspect of this true story that can’t be missed — racism.The film vividly captures Denver Moore’s (played by Djimon Hounsou) deep pain as the result of living through racism manifested in all ways. However, the movie goes even farther than exposing the pain. It offers a solution to the problem and is presented in such a way that it goes beyond slogans and protests. >> READ FULL STORY4. Steve McQueen’s Missing Bullitt Car: The Big Reveal [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO]The huge success of Steve McQueen: American Icon as a one-night movie event in the fall led to two more special screenings and now a special edition DVD available at Harvest.org that is having phenomenal success as well.The documentary helps to reveal McQueen’s journey to a faith in Jesus, not common knowledge about the actor described as Hollywood’s “King of Cool.”In the process of working on the biography and documentary about McQueen (with Marshall Terrill), Harvest pastor Greg Laurie took a special interest in the discovery of the long-lost stunt car used in the film Bullitt.Watch the video that’s included as a bonus feature on the DVD of Pastor Steve Wilburn and car restoration expert Ralph Garcia, Jr. telling the story of how the official validation of the car found in Mexico went down. >> READ FULL STORY/WATCH VIDEO5. Greg Laurie’s Sunday Message From SoCal Harvest 2017: Ghost BikeSoCal Harvest on the weekend of Aug. 18-20 featured musical performances by Crowder, Lecrae, Jeremy Camp, Jordin Sparks, Andy Mineo, Danny Gokey, Brennley Brown, worship by Phil Wickham, and a gospel message by Greg Laurie at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.Harvest events are designed to be opportunities for Christians to invite family members, coworkers, friends, and acquaintances to hear the life-changing message of the gospel in an environment that is entertaining and nonthreatening.Earlier in the year, Laurie announced a Year of Good News campaign that urged American Christians to make 2017 the year they “share the message of Jesus with everyone they can at every opportunity they can.”WATCH Greg Laurie’s Sunday Message From SoCal Harvest: Ghost Bike6. Church Planting Legend Don Overstreet 'Loved Everyone No Matter What'“He loved everyone no matter what and believed in the ones most didn’t — Jesus style,” Kirk Overstreet said of his father, Don Overstreet, whose more than 50 years experience in church planting helped him share with countless church leaders in person and through his writing.Don, who is a church planting legend had a hand in launching more than 500 churches worldwide, many of which were in the Los Angeles area, went to be with Jesus in early December. >> READ FULL STORY7. Harvey Relief Efforts By Samaritan’s Purse and Salvation Army IntensifyThe relief efforts by Samaritan’s Purse and Salvation Army during and after the Harvey storm flooding and hurricane wind damage in Texas was and is monumental. Both organizations put out the call for volunteers and their call was answered big time.TogetherLA.net was able to echo their relief effort announcements with this post. >> READ FULL STORY

TOP VIDEOS

Solution For Proactive, Unified Church in LA is Already in Place, Says Rapper PropagandaThe solution for a proactive, unified Church in Los Angeles and beyond is already in place, rap artist Propaganda (Jason Petty) told Together LA off stage at the Catalyst West 2017 conference at Mariners Church in Irvine.“The beauty of Los Angeles is how many amazing things various churches are already doing,” Propaganda said. “Often times we have this idea that we have to invent the solution for the city, but there is a lot of people already in the trenches somewhere.”The practical approach or “practical unity,” as he puts it, for Christian leaders is to look for programs such as social services, outreaches, and serving the community that are already ongoing rather than to set-up new programs. >> FULL STORYUrban Ministry, Church Planting Leaders Answer the ‘What Can I Do?’ QuestionSimply discussing the problems and issues facing America today, even from a Christian perspective, is not enough, said the leaders of two national organizations that announced earlier in 2017 a partnership to plant churches in Los Angeles, New York, and everywhere in between.“We really don’t have to look much farther than social media and news outlets [to see] everything going on in our culture — the racism, the injustice…,” said Jeff Bennett, who is a Stadia executive for its U.S. Church Planting and South Region divisions. “We can talk about the injustices, we can talk about the discouragement we feel, or we could do something.”Stadia, a church planting resource that has helped “hundreds of great leaders start new churches,” and World Impact, a ministry that “empowers the urban poor and incarcerated” held a “vision trip” in Los Angeles where Bennett along with World Impact National Director Bob Engel spoke to TogetherLA.net about the partnership. >> FULL STORYClayton Kershaw: Find a Way To Put Jesus Into Every Part of Your LifeDodger ace Clayton Kershaw shared during the team's Christian Faith Day held during the 2017 season that baseball isn't everything in his life and Jesus should not simply be part of your personal "pie chart" to be sectioned off."You just have to find a way to put Jesus into every part of your life," Kershaw said during an interview with TogetherLA and K-WAVE. >> FULL STORY

Most Watched Event in US History?

This story has nothing to do with TogetherLA.net other than we chose the photo to use in our headline header for this piece. However, just so you know, Sky & Telescope reported that according to a study, a total of 154 million American adults — 62.8% of all adults age 18 or older — viewed the eclipse directly on Aug. 21, 2017. An additional 61 million adults who did not see the eclipse directly watched it electronically on a television, computer, tablet or phone screen. Up to 20 million Americans traveled to other locations to view the eclipse."The 2017 solar eclipse could easily be the most watched event in US history with 215 million observers," Sky & Telescope stated.

Filming Frantic in New York City; Journaling Behind the Scenes

We just finished shooting in New York!!! It was snowy and magical in Manhattan. It reminded me of the most beautiful backdrop ever seen in Central Park…. And then it melted. Apparently, God cares about film continuity too…:0)

‘The Farmer and The Belle’Behind the Scenes Journal No. 4Filming Frantic in New York City

Jenn Gotzon Chandler, ProducerOur editor, Christopher Ridder made a list of Christmas iconic shots needed in New York City. He was a kid in a candy store when he got off the plane, as he never visited the Big Apple before. What a fun gift. Our second unit director and camera owner Reuben Evans flew in late night Saturday after the snow. Our skeleton crew of volunteers Christopher, Reuben, Jim and myself piled camp style in our humble abode for a winter night’s sleep. We filmed four days of pickup shots including Belle’s Manager Conrad (Rich Swingle) getting kicked out of the cab, hilarious moments of The Farmer (Jim’s character) getting lost in NYC, plates for green screen during cab ride scenes and a needed shot to complete last year’s chase scene.Did you see our first Facebook LIVE of the mounting mayhem (below)?For driving sequences in the film, we used a cloud mount suction-cupped to the hood of our car with Reuben as the technician and me, Jenn, as the driver…. Eeeek! No pedestrians or animals were hurt in the making of this movie. Yes. It was I who was behind the helm of the wheel with feet barely able to touch the pedals. With one eye closed… to pray… God literally moved and arranged the traffic that day. 5th Avenue traffic lights would turn green and the proper amount of taxi cabs would pull in front, filling the camera frame for a glorious image. One time we needed Belle’s Cab, the exact style Belle and her manager (Rich Swingle) get into in the beginning the movie... As soon as we prayed, “Jesus, this is your movie, please provide what is needed for this scene,” the cab appeared out of nowhere. This was one example of the many miracles of answered prayers from filming in Manhattan that week. Including having Rich, a local native help with production in Rockefeller Center, The Plaza Hotel, Central Park and Brooklyn Bridge.

Blessed by volunteers

Many of our production team have believed so much in the story of “The Farmer and The Belle,” they have worked for backend pay or volunteered, like Ginger Beggs, writing the exclusive journals for TogetherLA.net. Christopher Ridder created our pitch trailer, which God used to bring success at AFM American Film Market, ie. potential talks with Hallmark. Our writing team, James M. De Vince, Reuben Evans and Billy Falcon, spent months crafting “The Farmer and The Belle” script, professionals are deeming it an “A” studio worthy script. Our costume designers Lisa Murphy from England making the Matching Adult, Kid and Animal Real Love Pink Onesies, Caroline Lauvetz from Savannah, GA making Belle’s Green Supermodel Coat and KC, jeweler from NYC making our movie’s hero Mojo Bracelet, a scripture inscribed charm bracelet sold with the DVD for girls to know what their worth is based on.Would you like to give a Christmas Gift to help compensate our production team? Jim and Jenn explain how in this video. We are praying for fishes and loaves to raise $35,000 to pay for development, trusting God to bring in the $500,000 for our production.

• Impact culture with a Hilarious Christmas Movie with Biblical values about finding Real Love (Jesus).
• Autographed Limited Edition Photograph from THE FARMER AND THE BELLE with Biblical Message.
• Your Family Name in the Credit Scroll of the Movie.
• CHRISTMAS GIFT via PayPal

Christmas Sketch Video

The actors and creators of The Farmer and The Belle, newlyweds Jim E. Chandler (Stranger Things) and Jenn Gotzon Chandler (God’s Country) wish you and your family the merriest Christmas. They created this silly Christmas video exclusively for Together LA to share with you:Silly Christmas Sketch Videohttps://youtu.be/5RTAqQ7RELwOur movie is about helping girls know their value does not come from their beauty, fame or social following, but by treating and loving one another with grace, forgiveness, respect, honor and love exemplified through God's present to us through the Nativity, Jesus, the Real Love of Christmas.Pray for Jim, me and our team to be used by God making this Family, Christmas Comedy Movie THE FARMER AND THE BELLE into a classic wholesome Christmas tradition for families to enjoy for generations to come. We have filmed 15% of the movie (view trailer) including Christmas in NYC and our wedding. The remaining needs to be filmed at Jim's family's farm in GA. We are praying to premiere on Hallmark for Thanksgiving / Christmas 2018.[gallery type="slideshow" link="none" size="large" ids="3663,3664,3665" orderby="rand"]

PRESS RELEASE: All I Want For Christmas

Together LA Exclusive Journal: Making a Movie

Behind the Scenes: Journal Entry No. 1

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Hot Button: Has ‘Evangelical’ Become a Dirty Word?

We can’t really blame Donald Trump and Roy Moore for pushing Evangelical Christians off the cliff, or can we?The question is part of the discussion that’s trending (and I don’t mean in a Santa video kind of way) right now. In an opinion piece posted at The Washington Post last week, Eugene Scott wrote that after Roy Moore lost Alabama's special Senate election, “despite running a campaign on what he called Christian values, some evangelical voters seem to be considering that their label has been co-opted.”“There's a growing concern that aligning with people such as Moore and President Trump has hurt evangelicalism in the public eye. But others connected to the movement say evangelicals, particularly white evangelicals, had a perception problem long before Trump and Moore became the faces of the community’s politics,” Scott reports.The question has been so much in the forefront of the Christian community and even the community at large that The New Yorker gave Timothy Keller its platform yesterday to answer the question put this way: Can Evangelicalism Survive Donald Trump and Roy Moore?In typical brilliant Tim-speak, Keller writes:

In the nineteen-forties and fifties, Billy Graham and others promoted the word to describe themselves and the religious space they were seeking to create between the cultural withdrawal espoused by the fundamentalist movement, on the one hand, and mainline Protestantism’s departures from historic Christian doctrine, on the other. In each of these phases, the term has had a somewhat different meaning, and yet it keeps surfacing because it has described a set of basic historic beliefs and impulses.

He continues:

When I became a Christian in college, in the early nineteen-seventies, the word “evangelical” still meant an alternative to the fortress mentality of fundamentalism. Shortly thereafter, I went to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, to prepare for the Presbyterian ministry. It was one of the many institutions that Graham, Harold Ockenga, and J. Howard Pew, and other neo-evangelicals, as they were sometimes called, established. In those years, there was such great energy in the movement that, by the mid-nineteen-nineties, it had eclipsed mainline Protestantism as the dominant branch of the Christian church in the U.S. When I moved to Manhattan to start a new church, in 1989, most people I met found the church and its ministry to be a curiosity in secular New York but not a threat. And, if they heard the word “evangelical” around the congregation, a name we seldom used, they usually asked what it meant.Today, while the name is no longer unfamiliar in my city, its meaning has changed drastically. The conservative leaders who have come to be most identified with the movement have largely driven this redefinition. But political pollsters have also helped, as they have sought to highlight a crucial voting bloc. When they survey people, there is no discussion of any theological beliefs, or other criteria. The great majority of them simply ask people, “Would you describe yourself as a born-again or evangelical Christian?”

Keller concludes that evangelicalism as a movement may or may not abandon or demote the prominence of the name, “yet be more committed to its theology and historic impulses than ever.”Should followers of Jesus simply trust Keller on his positive outlook on the Church’s direction?Perhaps it’s equally important to be aware that there is a fissure that appears to be widening.In the article, Young U.S. Christians Fear Trump Is Turning 'Evangelical' Into a Dirty Word - and Israel Is Paying the Price, published at Haaretz, the writer makes the claim that “a new generation has emerged that questions the literal beliefs of the Bible and rejects the politicization of their religion by some on the right.”Brandan Robertson, 25, who is the lead pastor of “a progressive Christian community” in San Diego, California, and has made a substantial impression in both the political and faith communities as a gay advocate, told Haaretz that he thinks “evangelicalism is in a real crisis right now.”Shachar Peled, reporter for the piece, writes: “Despite growing up learning about the Chosen People in what he calls ‘the hotbed of Christian Zionism,’ modern technology and globalization led Robertson and his peers to question those teachings.”“Because we live in such an interconnected globalized world, as students we were able to go on Facebook or to easily travel to a different part of the world and see that the things we were being told – based on, in my opinion, antiquated theology – didn’t live up and match up to the reality of what was happening to the world.”Before throwing out the “antiquated theology” with the baby and the bathwater, perhaps those who are so eager to oust “evangelical” from their vocabulary (or reasoning) should consider, as studies from Pew Research Center and others show and as Keller points out, “evangelical churches that resist dilution in their theological beliefs and practices are holding their own or growing.”Keller adds, “And if evangelicals—or whatever they will call themselves­—continue to become more multiethnic in leadership and confound the left-right political categories, they may continue to do so.”Getting into solution is so much better than obsession with the blame game.READ: How American Evangelicals Are Taking the ‘Christ’ Out Of Christianity

Mission Trips of a Different Kind: Diving Into the World’s Financial Districts

Thinking about mission trips to impoverished countries as about only reaching the poor is a thing of the past, says Resource Global visionary and leader Tommy Lee.Editor's Note: Tommy Lee played a key role in the Together LA 2015 conference, facilitating and hosting an amazing list of speakers and organizations.The reality is that many of these same countries where Christians went out in multitudes to share the gospel in distant villages and outposts, now have economically thriving financial districts inside cosmopolitan cities.“The whole idea behind Resource Global is that the world is different. We used to think that missions was just about sending missionaries to all these islands, the bush, and third-world countries where they don’t know anything about Christ,” Tommy said. “Now, the cities are booming, the economies are booming, and their young people are well-educated, college grads, wealthier than you and I, and have dreams to really make a difference in the city.”The question now becomes: “How do you equip young Christian marketplace leaders to not only grow their existing enterprises for their city but to understand the greater world of global missions and supporting initiatives around the world?”Because of this shifting paradigm, an important focus for Resource Global is to identify young marketplace leaders, who are post-college to early 30’s living and working in different global cities. “We come alongside them to help them really understand their journey and what their presence in their city means,” Tommy said.Resource Global was started in 2010 after the Lausanne Global Congress in South Africa. After the Congress was over, the question was asked - How do we invest in these leaders who are making a difference for the Kingdom in their respective countries, cities, and also communities?

READ: Stepping Away From High-Level British Petroleum Job Included Unusual Prayer

In the first five years of the organization, the staff and volunteers of Resource Global worked primarily with ministry and non profit leaders to engage their cities. Resource Global worked on projects in a number of global cities and also in various parts of the US. Countries included Ghana, South Africa, Egypt, Peru, China, and more.Tommy said that the idea of establishing cohorts, such as in Jakarta, came when he felt the need to shift away from focusing on ministries and invest in these young marketplace leaders in key urban cities around the world. Many of these young leaders had studied in the West, Oxford, or other cities outside of their own and now were returning home to work. “Globalization was creating a different type of person, one that is unlike anyone we have seen before.” They are seeing things different, with a different set of lenses. “What does it mean if these people continue to renew their city as we continue to invest in them?”Cohorts are started when a decision is made to “journey together for eight months to really be able to learn some practical, theological ideas, and also reflect and understand God’s journey and story for their lives.” The long term vision is to build a global network where like minded leaders from different cities are learning from one another. Technology has allowed us to do this easily now.Tommy adds, “So, we will spend some time looking at Scripture, but a lot of it is looking at what their story is and how God is moving and shaping them. We also look at the topics of faith and work as well as their strengths and passions while tackling what it looks like to address the problems in their city.“The key then becomes for us to connect them with the other cohorts. So, we have a cohort in Chicago, we will have one in Nairobi, and Singapore. Now, with the world being smaller, how can a person in Jakarta connect with a person in Nairobi and learn from each other?”Resource Global focuses on developing local leaders and teachers.“These cohorts are a pipeline for developing local leaders and teachers,” Tommy said. “Now, this first cohort (Jakarta) is helping us to oversee a conference, they are now going to be some of our future breakout teachers and We’re teaching them how to break down scripture and speak according to scripture and develop talks around scripture.”First in a series.

Steve McQueen American Icon DVD Includes Bonus Content By TogetherLA

The story of how the missing stunt car from the classic film “Bullitt” as captured by TogetherLA is part of the fantastic bonus content included in the Special Limited Edition DVD of “Steve McQueen: American Icon - The Untold True Story of the Spiritual Quest of a Hollywood Legend” available now.The bonus video produced by TogetherLA and One Ten Pictures includes an interview of car renovator Ralph Garcia, Jr., with Pastor Steve Wilburn discussing the car’s discovery and authentication process in Mexico. The interview was done in the production room of So Cal Harvest with Greg Laurie at Angel Stadium this summer."The story of the found Bullitt car is of immense interest to those in the classic car community,” said Gary Zelasko, Producer at Harvest Fellowship. “I personally find it amazing that 37 years after Steve McQueen's death, even his ordinary, worldly personal possessions routinely sell for large sums at auction. The fact that Ralph Garcia wants to use this car, lost for nearly fifty years to glorify the Lord and bring lost people to Him is truly Providential."

READ: Evangelical Pastors, Leaders Come Together to Call Christians to Make 2017 ‘The Year of Good News’

In the bonus video, Pastor Steve Wilburn of Core Church LA, who was part of the team sent to Mexicali during the authentication trip, enthusiastically leads Garcia in the telling of the story.“When Pastor Steve told me the story the day before we filmed at Harvest, I knew he was the guy to drive the interview before the cameras,” TogetherLA Editor Alex Murashko said. “His enthusiasm and incredibly detailed story telling about the Bullitt car is fascinating.”For the film, Greg Laurie partnered with the Erwin Brothers (Woodlawn and Moms’ Night Out) to tell McQueen’s amazing faith journey. An avid fan of the actor (and the owner of a replica of Steve McQueen’s car in the classic film Bullitt), Laurie and his mint Mustang hit the road in search of the true, untold story of McQueen's redemption-filled final chapters.TogetherLA in association with One Ten Pictures helps facilitate the conversation about what’s good in L.A. Through articles on TogetherLA.net and videos produced by One Ten Pictures, the hope is that a behind-the-scenes force focused on following God’s work, not leading it, could further catalyze the impact of ministry workers and church leaders all over the city.Steve McQueen: American Icon can be purchased on the Harvest website and other locations.

How American Evangelicals Are Taking the 'Christ' Out Of Christianity

American Christians have an unfortunate blind spot when it comes to politics. While they worry about how to put “Christ” back into Christmas, many of them are slowly but surely taking the “Christ” out of Christianity.

By Keith Giles

For example, for the last few weeks Christian leaders like Jerry Falwell, Jr., Franklin Graham, James Dobson, and others have vocally supported the Republican candidate for the US Senate in Alabama, Roy Moore, and last night 80% of White Evangelical Christians voted to place him in office. They failed. But that failure doesn’t change the fact that today there are still millions of Christians in Alabama who actually believe that Moore stands for “Christian Values”.By “Christian Values,” they mean “Conservative Republican Values,” not the values of Jesus as expressed in the Gospels or in the Sermon on the Mount. To hear Roy Moore’s version of “Christian Values” simply look at what he has said throughout this campaign and over the last decade of his career as a politician and a judge. Very little of what he says is informed by anything taught by Jesus.Moore has said he wants to eliminate every Amendment to the Constitution after the Tenth. This means he’s in favor of taking away voting rights for Black Americans and Women. He’s also said that America was “Great” when white families owned slaves.None of this was objectionable to 80% of the White Christian voters in Alabama. And I haven’t even mentioned the 9 women who have accused Moore of sexual misconduct and trying to date several of them when they were underage. This apparently didn’t bother those Alabama Christians either. They were willing to overlook all of these infractions because there were more important things at stake. Like maintaining a Republican majority in the Senate, for example.This is not Christianity. This, pure and simple, is Nationalism.Specifically, this is Christian Nationalism and it’s slowly rotting the American Evangelical Church from the inside out.This unholy entanglement of faith and politics has effectively manipulated a religious group that identifies with Jesus and twisted them into a voting block that is primarily driven more by political interests than the Sermon on the Mount.As comedian Doug Stanhope has said, “Nationalism teaches you to hate people you’ve never met and to take pride in accomplishments you have no part in.”For White Evangelical Christians, those “people (they’ve) never met” include Muslims, Immigrants and people in the LGBTQ community. Moore has gone out of his way to condemn all three of these people groups in his campaign for Senate. He said that a person of the Muslim faith shouldn’t be allowed to hold office, accused immigrants of taking our jobs, and argued that homosexuality should be illegal.Again, none of these things are synonymous with anything Jesus ever said. To the contrary, Jesus famously taught his followers to love their neighbors – even if they were from another race or religious group (as famously portrayed in the Parable of the Good Samaritan) – and said nothing at all about homosexuality in any of the Gospels.But for an overwhelming majority of white Christians in Alabama, this is irrelevant. Moore’s platform resonates emphatically with their Conservative Republican values and that is close enough.However, it’s not just an Alabama problem. Many Christians in America are oblivious to the way their political entanglement and tribalism have led them away from the teachings of Jesus and into the heart of darkness.It started a long time ago. As Princeton historian Kevin Kruse details in his book, “One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America,” our country’s religious prostitution began in the 1950’s. That was when, as Kruse explains, business leaders plotted to link Christianity, Republican politics, and libertarian economics tightly together.Why? Simply to create a feeling of solidarity between Christians and Corporations who might both see “Big Government” as a common enemy.This is where our national motto, “In God We Trust” (1956), and a new line in the Pledge of Allegiance was added: “One nation under God” (1954) came from.Their goal was simple: To entangle Christianity with Republican politics in order to benefit big business.The entanglement agenda reached a fever pitch when Christians in the Moral Majority registered thousands of voters to put Ronald Reagan into office on his promise to take a stand for Christian values. They rallied to vote Reagan into the oval office twice. But in the end they got nothing in return; no abortion repeal and no legislation on school prayer.In spite of the fact that they supposedly had the ear of the American President (who many believed was a dedicated Christian), and a six-year Republican majority in the Senate, Christians were left holding the bag. The Republican party got what they wanted, but the Evangelical Christians in America got nothing.As former Moral Majority leader Ed Dobson said about this in his book “Blinded By Might”:“What did Reagan do for us in eight years of office? He gave us credibility, and he ultimately did nothing in terms of our long-term agendas.” Simply put: Entanglement works.Today, many Christian leaders and pastors vocally support candidates that a few years ago would have been rebuked by the Church for their shameful behaviors. But today these shameful politicians are unapologetically embraced so that the Republican party can gain power and maintain dominance in the House or the Senate.The entanglement of the Christian faith with politics is now pervasive. It has saturated the Evangelical Christian identity.Thankfully, many Christians are waking up to the dangers of entanglement, including conservative political columnist Dana Hall McCain who recently said:“Here’s where we are: the GOP has come to understand that Evangelicals are trained seals. We show up and clap for any clown you can slap a Republican jersey on. It doesn’t even have to be a godly or wise person. Our votes are a sure thing, and we’ll turn out and vote for problematic or corrupt GOP candidates far more consistently than non-religious conservatives. So come to terms with the fact that the church isn’t influencing diddly squat, not even in our favorite party. To the contrary, the church is the one being influenced — and our credibility before a lost and dying world destroyed — because we have believed the great lie about political engagement.We have all the power in the world, but we lack the faith to exercise it. They own us, because we don’t trust God enough to call the bluff.”She’s right: Christians already have “all the power in the world” and it’s called “The Gospel.” Unfortunately, American Christians have slowly abandoned all faith in that power to transform hearts and minds from the inside-out and they have traded it for legislative power to govern from the top-down.The entanglement of Christianity and Conservative Politics is now fully realized. Many Christians in America cannot separate their faith from their politics. They are more American than Christian. They cannot imagine following Jesus apart from political action or influence via their political party.Those on the outside of the Christian faith cannot see the difference between their faith and their politics either. This is probably one of the more damaging aspects of this entanglement. Christianity, to a non-Christian, looks more like a political party, not a way of loving our neighbors or following the teachings of Jesus.Because American Christianity has become so completely entangled with Conservative Republican politics, the faith has become impotent and irrelevant for a growing number of people. Thousands of people are leaving the faith because they are sick of this political entanglement. The Evangelical Church in America is on the decline. They are slowly becoming older as younger members opt out of the movement and they are inevitably headed the way of the dinosaur as older members die out.Even if the younger generations wanted to follow Jesus what they find when they enter most American Christian churches smell a lot more like politics than the aroma of Christ. Until Evangelicals abandon their lust for political power, they cannot fully embrace their faith. Or, as one wise man once put it: “You cannot serve two masters. You will hate one and love the other.”The simple truth is this: Roy Moore may have lost the Senate race in Alabama, but Evangelical Christianity has lost far more than this by supporting such an un-Christ-like candidate.To the Church in America I say, repent of your Nationalism and crucify your politics. It’s time to pledge allegiance to the Lamb while you still can.Keith Giles is the author of the Amazon best-seller, “Jesus Untangled: Crucifying Our Politics To Pledge Allegiance To The Lamb.” He blogs at wwww.KeithGiles.com

7 Key Principles For Getting Things Done

As a pastor, you need to be able to put together projects efficiently and effectively. Whether you are starting a new church, planning a new ministry, opening a new building, or just preparing for next weekend’s services, you need to mobilize people around a common task. That’s leadership in a nutshell.When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to help rebuild the city’s wall, he had a monster project on his hands. How he tackled that project provides us with seven key principles for getting things done.

1. The Principle of Simplification

Nehemiah kept his plan simple. He didn’t randomly assign jobs, he didn’t create a whole new organization, and he didn’t force any complex charts.He organized around groups already associating together, such as the priests, the men of Jericho, and the sons of Hassenaah. The point is: Don’t create an organization if you don’t need it. If an organization already naturally exists, try to work through it and with it.Sometimes a new leader comes into a situation, and the first thing he does is start changing the whole organization. Think: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Strong organizations are often the simplest ones.

2. The Principle of Participation

It’s a pretty simple rule: Work with those who want to work. Amazingly, a lot of leaders never learn this principle. They spend all their time trying to corral the lazy and the apathetic, instead of working with those who want to work. I call that corralling goats.Nehemiah got almost everybody involved in the building of the wall. He had the clerics, the goldsmiths, the perfume makers—men and women, city and country folk. Everybody was moving bricks and making mortar.But there was one exception. “Next were the people from Tekoa, though their leaders refused to help” (Nehemiah 3:5 NLT). Nehemiah’s response was to ignore the shirkers.In every situation you’re going to have workers and shirkers. Nehemiah just ignored the latter and focused on those who were willing to work. He didn’t lose sleep, get bitter, or waste time trying to corral them. If you’re a leader, don’t worry about people who don’t want to get involved. Focus on those people who do want to get involved.

READ: 8 Reasons the Church is the Greatest Force on Earth

3. The Principle of Delegation

When you’re organizing, you should make specific assignments. Think about what would have happened if, once Nehemiah got everyone excited, he said, “Just go start working wherever you want to work.”Instead, Nehemiah divided the wall into sections when he did his midnight ride. He kept it simple, and then he delegated specific assignments.When you delegate:

• Break down major goals into smaller tasks. When we started Saddleback, I made everybody a committee of one. Each of us had assignments. One person managed the printing of the bulletins while another set up the nursery.
• Develop clear job descriptions. Your workers deserve to know what is expected.
• Match the right person with the right task. The wrong person in the wrong task creates chaos. It causes all kinds of motivational problems. Delegating is more than just passing off work. You need to understand what the task is all about and what the person is good at, and that will help you get the right person with the right task.
• Everybody’s responsibility is nobody’s responsibility. Every task needs a specific person assigned to it; otherwise, things will fall through the cracks because everyone will think someone else is doing certain tasks.

4. The Principle of Motivation

When you organize any project, help people “own” it. In Nehemiah, you see again and again men making repairs near their houses. If you lived in Jerusalem, where would you be most interested in building the wall? Probably by your house!Allowing for ownership in a project helps increase motivation. I think Nehemiah is also saying, “Make the work as convenient as possible.” Nehemiah allowed people to work in their area of interest. That’s a key principle of organization: Good organizations allow workers to develop their own areas.

5. The Principle of Cooperation

Cooperation is a key principle to good organization. When we cooperate together, when there is teamwork, there is great growth. Cooperation is a greater motivator than competition, and it lasts because you feel like you’re together on a winning team.Good organizations provide a supportive climate of trust and teamwork. In the Bible, when referring to Christians in the church, the phrase “one another” is used 58 times. It’s as if God is saying, “Get the message! Help each other!” We are together in this. We’re a team. There is tremendous power in cooperation.

6. The Principle of Administration

Even after you delegate, you must supervise the work. Nehemiah walked the line, inspecting the work. Tom Peters, in his book Passion for Excellence, calls it MBWA: Management By Walking Around.Nehemiah knew which part each man built because he went out, checking up on people. This also allowed him to find out what was going on. Good organizations establish clear lines of authority. People do what you inspect, not what you expect.

7. The Principle of Appreciation

Good leaders give recognition. For instance, Nehemiah knew the names of those working on the wall, and I think that’s a mark of a good leader. He even listed them in his book, so here we are thousands of years later, and pastors around the world are mispronouncing the names of Nehemiah’s helpers. He cared enough to recognize these men and women for their work.Do you know who’s doing a good job among your staff? How about among your small group leaders and volunteers?Find out who they are and start telling them they’re doing a good job.The above post was originally published at Pastors.com. 

The Reality of Urban Church Planting: Fear and Faith

There's something different about someone who acts on their deepest desire to impact lives, ultimately leaving them feeling both vulnerable and fulfilled in their own life.That is the heart of a church planting pastor.There is a certain level of uncertainty to planting something that is counter-cultural to the current state of society. As an urban church planter, there have been times of great joy and extreme lows. Church planting in any context is difficult because you are trying to introduce people to something that is greater than themselves. In the same breath, church planting is about being the mediator between hurt and hope. It is the ability to be in the midst of the vicissitudes of people’s lives, yet offer the solution to their problems. But at the core of this organization or organism, known as society, is the church planting pastors.Urban church planting pastors, who are looking out for the proverbial Gotham City known as their communities, live to transform the lives of the people in their cities. In addition to that, there is something that is very telling about being a church planting pastor in the urban environment. As urban church pastors, there is this idea of being used by God that is beautiful in theory but then there is the reality of actually being in the community doing life with folks.

READ: Urban Church Planter - First, What Does the City Need?

There is a certain level of fear that is part of planting a church for urban pastors. It is not what you might think either. It is not that urban pastors are fearful for their lives or scared to walk down the street in the community where their church lives. But it is fear of failure, the fear of not being able to fulfill the great commission of making disciples.There is fear in the unknown. Will people show up to bible study? Will someone show up for Sunday service?It is the fear of not having the budget to get outreach done or evening having enough to pay the monthly rent for facilities.In the midst of societal race issues, there is the fear of stepping into the center of that tension to be the voice of reason, yet not lose your identity or your “cultural hood card” in the process.There is fear of inadequacies, lack of resources, not having a large congregation, or not having the right words for the wrong situation. The fear of being urban church planting pastors can be enough to have the toughest person walk away, willing to simply go back into the fray of just being a participating member of the local church.Despite these and a lot of other fears, there is hope. The hope in faith is the essence of what drives urban pastors who are planting a church in their community.Faith is the safe place for urban church pastors. Fear is an ever presence, but faith is always there, calming the heart of urban pastors. Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane due to the stress of his call, his assignment to save the world. His prayer was for God’s will to be done. It was in this moment that Jesus knew that his demise was at hand. This was a prayer that reflected faith in the will of God.Urban pastors are constantly on the pendulum of operating within the divided, between fear and faith. The ability to balance between fear and faith is always a presence in the mind of the urban church planting pastor. It is that balance that keeps the urban pastor in the face of God, with the knowledge of knowing that things are truly working for the good of those that remain faithful. It is faith that enables urban pastors to not give up during those lean times of planting the church.It is faith that lets urban pastors know that it is not about the number of people in a church service but the number of blessings. It is faith that lets the urban pastors know that they are transforming lives just by having coffee with the man or woman who is returning from prison. It is faith that lets the urban pastors smile knowing that what is not recorded in the offering plate, is being celebrated in heaven. It is faith that positions the urban pastors to stand whether there are two people or two hundred people. It is faith that urban pastors have to stand for the underpaid port worker, for the under-resourced community, the underrepresented youth, and the overly sexualized young girl.It is that same faith that doesn’t keep track of every hurt, knowing that it should be charged to the head and not to the person’s heart.Fear and faith are the bookends of this thing called ministry, which is where urban pastors learn to live.

Opioid Crisis: As Death Toll Rises the Church Offers Hope

The White House reported this week that the opioid crisis is worse than previously thought. New estimates from the White House Council of Economic Advisors show opioid-related fatalities have been underreported by 24 percent, raising the death toll to more than 40,000 in 2015 alone. By all accounts, the opioids crisis worsened in 2016, as synthetic opioids flooded the heroin market.

By ChurchLeaders.com (Staff)

It is not an overstatement to call this a crisis. In 2015 alone, drug overdoses killed more people than the entire Vietnam War. Drugs are now the leading cause of death among Americans under 50.  And opioid deaths outnumber car crashes and gun-related deaths.

SPIRITUAL CRISIS?

While the death toll has risen sharply these last few years, there is one aspect of the epidemic that hasn’t changed: Many believe this phenomenon is fueled by a spiritual crisis in America.Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, wrote in the Hill.com:

“There’s also a reason why this is all happening now. Long ago, people found purpose in their responsibilities. They lived for their spouses, to whom they sought to bring feelings of preciousness and love. They toiled for their children, whom they struggled not just to support, but to show constant affection, giving them a sense of self worth. People were also more spiritual, and in a treasured connection to God they found a sense of purpose that gave context to their existence. Often, they also fought for a cause, be it their communities, their countries, and their values. And it was in this fulfillment of a purpose that people got high. It was in causes that were larger than themselves that they found an escape from the ordinary and mundane.”

TRYING TO FILL A GOD-SHAPED HOLE

Opioids are just the latest substance Americans use to find happiness and joy apart from God. A 2015 study found 30 percent of Americans had an alcohol abuse disorder at some point in their lives.The crack epidemic of the mid-to-late 1980s hit a peak of two overdose deaths per 100,000.Then there are prescription medications for depression and anxiety. The United States leads the world in per capita consumption of these drugs, with roughly 11 percent of the population over the age of 12 using them.Damon Linker, writing for theweek.com, says opioids are the new trend, “What is clear is that the United States is filled with people pursuing various forms of relief from various forms of profound unhappiness, discontent, malaise, agitation, and emotional and/or physical pain.

A PLACE FOR MINISTRY

If the problem is indeed spiritual, churches are best equipped to help, and many are responding.Belmont-Watertown United Methodist Church in Belmont, Massachusetts has hosted 12-step recovery programs in the building’s basement for several years. Pastor Mike Clark told WBUR one of the first things he noticed was the number of people coming to church, but not for the service upstairs on Sunday. “I realized that people’s lives were being saved every day in this building. And that it was happening in the basement, it was happening outside our angle of vision—and that’s fine, it was happening anonymously—but that it was an amazing story of human transformation.”

READ: The Harvey Weinsteins and Broken Male Culture Can No Longer Hide

While many might see two different churches at the Belmont-Watertown United Methodist Church, pastor Mike Clark says they are more alike than many will admit. “In my experience, there are as many active alcoholics and addicts upstairs in churches as there are recovering alcoholics and addicts downstairs. But the ability to be honest about it and seek help unfortunately is a challenge for most people.”One of the programs that many churches are using is “Celebrate Recovery.” Launched in 1991 by John Baker, a recovering alcoholic, now a Saddleback minister, Celebrate Recovery uses biblical principles to help people overcome their hurtful habits—from codependency to anger and addiction. It’s solution is to fill the void with Jesus, not a substance or behavior.

RESPONDING TO THE CHURCH-STATE DIVIDE

Faith-based solutions come with the typical church-state tensions and plenty of secular groups looking to exploit the schism. But that hasn’t stopped some governments from looking for spiritual answers. One is Tennessee.In Tennessee, more than 50 percent of adults attend weekly religious services according to a 2014 Pew Research Center study. About two years ago, the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services launched a faith-based recovery network to spread the word about addiction, recovery and available services. It also encourages congregations to start their own support programs.Monty Burks, the director of the department’s faith-based initiatives and special projects, told the tennessean.com, “Historically, institutions of faith have been at the forefront of every single major issue that we’ve had in our country. The key component in recovery is faith. So why not try to educate them and let them harness that number and that power and that belief and helping people in recovery.

A PROBLEM THE CHURCH CANNOT IGNORE

The opioid epidemic is a huge problem in America and getting worse. Being a place of hope for those suffering and dying from it is a tall order for the church. But it is also a plight the church cannot ignore if it hopes to show God’s love for mankind. As Augustine pointed out “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”If any one group of people should have reason to hope, it is the church. Coupled with our commission to introduce people to the source of that hope, we should have no qualms lending ourselves to fight in the battle against opioid addiction.The above article was originally published at churchleaders.com.

Tim Keller: Defining a Gospel Movement

It is common for Christian ministries, indeed for human organizations, to claim to be a movement. It has a very positive ring to contemporary ears.When Christians use the term, they often mean, “God is blessing our efforts.” But when Redeemer City to City (CTC) employs the phrase, we have something much more specific in mind, and it is important to us. We help leaders build gospel movements in their cities. That’s why we exist.I've been thinking about gospel movements most of my adult life. I became a Christian sometime around January 1970. I attended a small InterVarsity Christian Fellowship chapter on a college campus in central Pennsylvania. We were only about 10 or 15 people. America was then involved in the Vietnam War, and in May of 1970, U.S. forces invaded Cambodia. A student protest broke out on many campuses across the country, including mine. Students boycotted classes and, instead, set up an open mic on the central university quadrangle where anyone could speak about anything. In the midst of the anti-war sentiments, a few students from InterVarsity talked about Jesus Christ. One went to the mic and said he believed that Christ was the answer to our human problems. We put up a sign that said, “The resurrection of Christ is intellectually credible and existentially satisfying,” and we just sat under it, out where people could come by, read it and engage with us. Christians became a lot bolder about being public with their faith.When we came back to school in September, our little group of 10 was surprised to see over 100 students show up to our first meeting of the year. Over the next year, we saw dozens and dozens of people come to Christ. It was not a result of any planned campaign. It was not a result of a planned program of any kind.[ictt-tweet-blockquote hashtags="" via=""]You can steward a gospel movement, but you can’t really make one start. - Tim Keller[/ictt-tweet-blockquote]And it was an example of a lesson we must learn from both the Bible and church history. That is—you can steward a gospel movement, but you can’t really make one start.During the Fulton Street Revival in 1857, it is believed that up to 80,000 people came to faith in Christ and joined churches of New York City within a two-year period. Given the estimated population at the time, that was 10% of the population. In the early 18th century, the Great Awakenings in North America and the United Kingdom were even more extensive. From 1904-06, Wales and Korea each experienced a spiritual awakening—a gospel movement—of similar form. When Kathy and I first moved to NYC, for about a year and a half, scores of people came into the church and were converted. It was a time of unusual fruitfulness and spiritual power. CTC probably would not be here today if that had not happened.So, what is a gospel movement?There is both an individual and a corporate aspect to a gospel movement.

INDIVIDUAL ASPECT

On the one hand, a gospel movement is when the gospel itself is rediscovered, lifted up, understood and becomes a dynamic power in lives. What do I mean by “understood”? Well, usually people understand the gospel in vague terms of Jesus dying for us, so we should live for him. That’s a true but insufficient formulation because it equates Christianity with merely getting forgiven and trying hard to follow Jesus’ example.The gospel begins to have power in our lives when we grasp how radically different it is from both the moralism of religion and traditionalism and the relativism of modern culture.Take a look at these three statements:

Faith = Justification + Good WorksFaith + Good Works = JustificationFaith = Justification - Works

The top one is the gospel. The second is legalism or moralism. And the third is antinomianism or relativism. Almost always, people will naturally fall into the second or third categories. Moralism, which tells us we can save ourselves by living up to moral values, either crushes us with guilt (when we fail) or makes us smug, self-important bigots and Pharisees (if we think we are succeeding). Antinomianism forces us to create our own values and achieve our own self-worth by living up to our dreams and aspirations. Ironically, this can be just as crushing and alienating.However, the gospel is neither. It has a far more pessimistic view of our sin than moralism and a far higher assessment of our value in the eyes of God than antinomianism. It gives us a love from God that is uniquely solid, sustained and unconditional because it’s not based on the ups and downs of our performance. Yet, at the same time, it humbles us at the realization of our sin and of Jesus’ costly love for us in spite of it all. This unleashes a power within us unlike any other. It liberates us from the need to prove ourselves, from any guilt over the past, from an addicting over-dependence on things in the present, and it gives us infallible hope for the future. We no longer dread death, as both secular persons will (who think it’s the end of love) or the moralists will (who know judgment is coming and can’t be sure if their lives were good enough).

READ: Is Trend Towards Spirituality Over Religiosity a Good Thing?

So as the church preaches the gospel to individuals, three things happen. Nominal Christians (people who think of themselves as Christians but have not been spiritually born again) get converted. Sleepy Christians (people who are believers but their lives show little of the power and fruit of the Spirit) wake up. And non-Christians—lots of them—start getting attracted and converted, because Christians are more willing and able to engage them and show them the beauty of Christ.

CORPORATE ASPECT

Historically, churches that have seen many individuals’ lives changed by the gospel have a great balance of emphases. They stress:

• Solid teaching and preaching of the Word

• Anointed worship and extraordinary prayer

• Loving fellowship and thick community

• Outward-facing and bold evangelism

• Compassionate, vigorous social justice

Ordinarily, churches tend to major on only one of these things, and so do denominations. But when a gospel movement is happening, the churches develop this balance and, in addition, tend to work together across denominations, so that each kind of ministry is tapped and strengthened, and the body of Christ grows.The corporate and individual aspects of revival are symbiotically related to one another. The more churches work at this integrative ministry balance, the more individual gospel renewal happens, and vice versa.The greater the number of individuals changed, the greater the gospel movement. There is a great variety. Gospel movements can be in a single church or across a whole continent or continents. They can be very intense or rather mild; they can last months, years or one night. When an intimidated Billy Graham spoke to Cambridge University students in 1955, 400 students came to Christ in one night.So can we start gospel movements? Not really. They are too supernatural. But we can build or steward a gospel movement. A good metaphor is Elijah’s building of an altar in 1 Kings 18. We can build the altar, but God has to send the fire. And when the fire comes, we can throw wood on it, but we still don’t ignite it. Only God can ignite it.When Redeemer Presbyterian Church was only a couple of years old, people saw that it was growing, and they asked us, “What’s your model?” They thought it might be wearing suits, singing hymns, playing jazz in the evening services or quoting philosophers. That’s not a model. That was our contextualization of our ministry to the gifts and capacities of our people and community. For gospel movements, there is no single model. Gospel movements are built through the movement dynamics we have talked about—the application of the gospel to hearts, integrative ministry, extraordinary prayer. They both invite God to use us and build movements that he starts.CTC teaches these gospel movement dynamics. The gospel of Jesus Christ must transform our own lives—each leader’s life—and then it moves out through the city and transforms others. This is gospel renewal. Not a model. And it leads to a movement.CTC is not a franchise. We have no model to teach. We only have the gospel. But that’s the most powerful thing. We help national leaders build gospel movements. We are stewarding a movement in the great cities of the world.The above post originally appeared at redeemercitytocity.com.

Behind the Scenes: Synergy of a Script [Journal No 3]

There are times during the process of scriptwriting when an unparalleled melting pot of creativity happens. A special synergy of creativity within a huge writing team for the family, Christmas comedy movie, “The Farmer and The Belle,” produced just such times and a truly inspired script.

The Farmer and The BelleBehind the Scenes: Synergy of a Script [Journal Entry No. 3]

Ginger Beggs, EditorThere were more than a dozen voices that spoke life into the final script of this movie. There were two scripts already written, one by Leo Partible and one by Billy Falcon. The challenge came in not only combining the scripts and filling in or adding what was needed, but for the head writer to take in the many voices and merge it into one.Reuben Evans is the head writer for The Farmer and The Belle, and he took a very creative approach to the script. Reuben took not only the two existing scripts to merge into one, but invited over a dozen other people to give their ideas.Reuben is the ideal head writer for this film’s writing team. He is the Executive Producer of Faithlife TV and Faithlife Films. He's an experienced commercial director and documentary filmmaker. His resume includes projects like “Reunion,” “Archaeology + Jesus,” “Aliens & Demons,” and “Fragments of Truth.” Reuben continues to work in film including the role of Script Development Supervisor for this movie. He resides in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife SaraAnn and three children.One of the magical elements of being able to efficiently and freely share ideas within the creative team is Reuben’s software platform, “Faithlife.” Writers can access the software on their computer, phone or other device, and see what other writers were submitting as well as share comments and ideas of their own. This made for a real-time information stream for all the writers, and most crucially, for Reuben. Check out www.Faithlife.com for a social media platform that is Holy Spirit-breathed to connect, collaborate, pray and live life together.From producers Jim E. Chandler and Jenn Gotzon Chandler to co-writer James M. DeVince, to multiple backgrounds of writers, came the concepts and ideas that Reuben would bring together for the screenplay. The FaithLife platform contributed to the unexplainable spirit of excitement and camaraderie between everyone.As the script was reviewed and ideas shared, everyone communicated with the kind of togetherness normally only known from an in-person story table. It was the biblical “iron sharpening iron” that was so beautiful to experience.The organization of so many ideas from so many people into one cohesive script was not an easy task for Reuben, but by using his platform it was easier to see an idea along with a thread of comments and additions to that particular idea.

READ: The Making of a Family, Christmas Comedy Movie [Journal Entry No. 1]

The making of this film is special for many reasons. The amazing merging of ideas and talent truly helped build the foundation for the film’s message. Each character was given more depth, each scene was expanded in description and every word of dialogue was enriched to help bring the characters to life in a special way. Most of all, the Spirit led all those involved in becoming one for the purpose of setting the scene literally for this hilarious but meaningful family Christmas comedy movie.

READ: Behind the Scenes - Sculpting the Script For ‘The Farmer and The Belle’ [Journal Entry No. 2]

In the next journal we will further explore how the script was decorated to come to life on the big screen, but as a special treat, here’s a message from co-writer and architect behind The Farmer and The Belle script, Reuben Evans:

Christmas Comedy Movie Producers Share Film’s Progress in Exclusive Journal

In the coming weeks, we’ll share with you the in-depth filming and production of Jim and Jenn's real wedding as part of the film and much more. From equipment crew to how to cast the colorful characters that help bring the joy to this holiday film!The producers wish to give you an early Christmas gift!Go to www.tinyurl.com/ChristmasComedyMovie, and they will send you a promo code when the movie releases!Follow the family Christmas comedy movie “The Farmer and The Belle” on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheFarmerandTheBelle.ChristmasComedyMovie and get updates on the website at www.ChristmasComedyMovie.com.Be sure to share the ongoing journal posts and hashtag: #TheFarmerandTheBelle #ChristmasComedyMovie #RealLove.Content and editing by Ginger Beggs.

Joni Eareckson Tada Named WORLD's 2017 Daniel of the Year

An inspiring Christian leader and advocate for people with disabilities has been named the 2017 WORLD News Group Daniel of the Year.Joni Eareckson Tada is the founder and CEO of Joni and Friends International Disability Center, accelerating Christian ministry in the disability community since 1979.

By A. Larry Ross Communications

Joni and Friends runs a multifaceted nonprofit covering a number of program outlets headquartered in Agoura Hills. The longest running program is Joni and Friends Radio, a five-minute radio program begun in 1982 that can be heard each weekday on more than 1,000 broadcast outlets. Tada also records a one-minute radio broadcast, Diamonds in the Dust, that airs daily. Joni and Friends Radio received the Radio Program of the Year award from National Religious Broadcasters in 2002, and Diamonds in the Dust won the same award in 2010 in the short-program category. Joni and Friends also produces a television program, hosts family retreats where individuals with disabilities and their families learn they are not alone, and distributes wheelchairs and Bibles for those in need around the world through its "Wheels for the World" outreach.Each November, WORLD's annual Daniel of the Year award is bestowed on a person or persons who exhibit courage in defense of God's authority by helping those who are being persecuted. Tada is the 20th recipient of the award. Other winners include John Ashcroft, Franklin Graham, Wanda Kohn, and Stephen C. Meyer."For twenty years, WORLD Magazine has been telling the stories of Christians who are overcoming great odds to make the world a better and stronger place," said Marvin Olasky, WORLD's editor-in-chief. "We have shared many great stories in that time, but the Daniel winners are always a little different and are doing some amazing, amazing things. Joni Eareckson Tada is one of them. She is an inspiration."

Click here read Jamie Dean's profile on Tada and her ministry.

A Baltimore native, Tada was injured in a diving accident in 1967, at age seventeen, that left her a quadriplegic in a wheelchair without the use of her hands. After two years of rehabilitation, she emerged with new skills and a fresh determination to help others in similar situations.During her rehabilitation, Tada spent long months learning how to paint with a brush between her teeth. Her high-detail painting and prints are much sought after and collected by fine art enthusiasts. Her best-selling autobiography, Joni, and the feature film of the same name have been translated into several languages, introducing her to millions of people around the world. Tada has also visited more than forty-seven countries to share her story.In addition to her ministry efforts, Tada has served on the National Council on Disability and the Disability Advisory Committee to the US State Department; she has served as Senior Associate for Disability Concerns for the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization and serves in an advisory capacity to the American Leprosy Mission, the National Institute on Learning Disabilities, and Christian Blind Mission International, as well as on the Board of Reference for the Christian Medical and Dental Society. Tada currently serves on the Young Life Capernaum Board.After being the first woman honored by the National Association of Evangelicals as its Layperson of the Year in 1986, Tada was named Churchwoman of the Year in 1993 by the Religious Heritage Foundation."We as Christians have to promote a culture of life and help parents of special-needs children ascribe positive meaning to their child's pain," Tada said. "The church can show the world that a child or an adult with a severe disabling condition is not 'better off dead than disabled.' Each individual, no matter how medically fragile, is a stunning image-bearer of God; that, if anything, gives him immense worth, dignity, and life worth living."About WORLD News Group:WORLD News Group is a nonprofit organization that produces WORLD Magazine, WORLD Radio, and WORLD Digital, all dedicated to providing clarity in the news through wise insights into the stories that matter most. To learn more about WORLD and its award-winning Christian worldview journalism, visit wng.org.

Is Trend Towards Spirituality Over Religiosity a Good Thing?

A possible shift by Americans toward spirituality—"measured by self-reported experiences of being connected to something larger than oneself"—and away from religiosity—"measured by frequency of religious attendance and the personal importance of religion," as indicated in a recent study, produced mixed reactions from Christian leaders.The study finds 29% of Americans are both spiritual and religious; 18% are spiritual but not religious; 22% are not spiritual but religious; and 31% are neither spiritual nor religious."The survey finds less overlap between Americans who are spiritual but not religious and those who are religiously unaffiliated than is often assumed," said PRRI CEO Robert P. Jones, who leads the organization dedicated to research at the intersection of politics, religion and culture. "Notably, most Americans who are classified as spiritual but not religious still identify with a religious tradition, even if they are less likely to attend services or say religion is important in their lives."However, Min Lee, 32, a Los Angeles pastor who studies church trends, especially in the area of millennial participation, said the study, more importantly, reflects the need for people to understand that neither focus should stand alone."The shift of being ‘spiritual’ but not ‘religious’ is reflective of the secular worldview that is growing in the US," Lee told TogetherLA. "In one sense, it shows that Americans have not entirely rejected the supernatural, but are holding onto subjectivism, or ‘following their hearts’ to find meaning and spirituality.“Religion isn’t the answer, but neither is spirituality without absolutes. The Gospel is an absolute truth demonstrated by the love of God through the cross.”When asked about the “state of Christianity,” in light of the survey, Lee answered: “Being ‘spiritual but not religious’ shows that people are seeing the need for meaning in life, and that institutionalized religion by in and of itself cannot fulfill that.“As Christians, we are called to preach the Gospel that at its core says that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. It is a grace-based relationship and not a religious self-effort. However, being spiritual but not religious is also a form of self-salvation effort, based on individualistic, subjective morality.”READ - Reformation: New 95 Theses Calls Out Segregation in American ChurchThe national survey of 2,016 American adults, designed and conducted jointly by Florida State University and PRRI and funded by the John Templeton Foundation, provides an in-depth profile of Americans who are spiritual but not religious, a PRRI representative said. The survey was conducted between February 28 and March 29, 2017.Results as reported in the survey show:

Among religiously unaffiliated Americans, only about three in ten (29%) can be categorized as spiritual but not religious. Two-thirds (65%) of religiously unaffiliated Americans are neither spiritual nor religious, compared to five percent who are not spiritual but religious and one percent who are both spiritual and religious.Nonreligious Americans—including those who are spiritual but not religious—are significantly younger than religious Americans. A majority of Americans who are spiritual but not religious (56%) or who are neither spiritual nor religious (62%) are under the age of 50. Fewer Americans who are not spiritual but religious (50%) or who are both spiritual and religious (46%) are under the age of 50.There are significant educational differences as well. Forty percent of spiritual but not religious Americans have a four-year college degree, including 17% with post-graduate education, well above other groups. A similar number (39%) of Americans who are spiritual and religious have a four-year college degree. Three in ten Americans (30%) who are neither spiritual nor religious have a four-year college degree. Only 24% of Americans who are not spiritual but religious are college graduates, and 53% have no college education at all.Spiritual but not religious Americans are significantly more liberal (40%) than the general population (24%). Yet these Americans mostly avoid partisan labels, as 44% are politically independent. However, spiritual but not religious Americans are more than twice as likely to identify as Democrat than Republican (36% vs. 16%).

“The spiritual but not religious segment of the population in the United States may be growing, yet they are still largely participating in our churches,” Mark Tidsworth, a South Carolina-based church and leadership consultant, author and president of Pinnacle Leadership Associates, told Baptist News Global.“So those in our congregations who trend toward spirituality over religiosity largely do not flee for the exits,” he said.

READ: 4 Pastors Get Real About the City – Together LA Pop-Up Part 1

Should churches change strategies in reaching people for Jesus in light of a “spirituality” movement?“We are in dire need for another Gospel movement in this generation,” said Lee, who is part of a church plant in downtown L.A. “I’m confident that God is on the move today, through His people, to reach this generation with the unchanging message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Should we learn to contextualize? Absolutely. Do we need to compromise? Absolutely not.”He added the below Bible verse to his answer:“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.” — Romans 1:16What are your thoughts on the subject? Is it more important for you to be spiritual or religious? Or, be honest, are you struggling with where to start in your faith journey? Leave your comments below.

Behind the Scenes: Sculpting the Script For 'The Farmer and The Belle'

In our previous journal we shared the love story that inspired the family Christmas comedy movie, “The Farmer and The Belle.” Now we take you behind the scenes of the executive producer and head writer to give you insight into how the film started to form.

The Farmer and The BelleBehind the Scenes: Sculpting the Script [Journal Entry No. 2]

Ginger Beggs, EditorIt’s a crucial process when choosing your executive producer and head writer for your film, and for "The Farmer and The Belle" it's no different. We were blessed with a phenomenal executive producer and head writer.Producers Jim E. Chandler and Jenn Gotzon Chandler needed to be truly careful in choosing their executive producer. They chose award-winning producer, Joel Bunkowske. Joel is a Grammy and Dove award winner who works in Christian film as well as the music industry. He has an extensive resume of working with Academy Award nominated actors and Grammy and Dove winning recording artists. As an attorney, he practices law in film and music business affairs as well as film production, global distribution, contracts and even University teaching.Joel has been featured on Good Morning America, Inside Edition, Fox & Friends, Time.com, New York Times.com, USA Today.com, ABC News.com, Huffington Post.com, Cosmopolitan.com, Glamour.com and many more. Joel has worked extensively in film, music and television with a focus in finance, distribution, consulting, producing, executive producing, directing and the contracts for hundreds of projects worldwide, including with Warner, Universal, Disney, ABC, NBC, FOX, Capitol Records, EMI, and Word Records.Extensive experience as a CEO has honed Joel’s strong leadership skills. His background in business along with his substantive legal and business knowledge makes Joel an expert in law, business and leadership. On many occasions, since Isaac Hernandez introduced us to making the family Christmas comedy movie “The Farmer and The Belle”, it’s as if the Lord uses Joel as a love note to those he is in fellowship with.

READ: The Making of a Family, Christmas Comedy Movie [Journal Entry No. 1]

Joel came to the filming of Jim and Jenn’s wedding at New Dawn Farms in Chickamauga, Georgia, on March 17, 2017. He was especially supportive to them during their season of marriage engagement and as newly married couple. He fully appreciated Jim and Jenn’s personalities, strengths and weakness, showing them that they were paired beautifully by God to do His Kingdom work.Jim is logistical “big picture”-oriented and Jenn is more emotion/high-concept driven. Joel has given the couple the needed strategy to unify their gifts properly. Joel is not simply a business partner to “The Farmer and The Belle” team, but a mentor, friend and Godly brother in Christ.Next, came the challenge of finding just the right head writer for the script. There was many challenges, including integrating over a dozen writers’ input into one cohesive script. Producer Joel Bunkowske crafted the approach of bringing multiple harmonious writing voices into one. This action of "mining the gold" from a crew of writers became a theme.

Interested in partnering with The Farmer and The Belle: A Christmas Story?

Please email, christmascomedymovie@gmail.com

[gallery type="slideshow" link="none" size="full" ids="3539,3540" orderby="rand"]Reuben Evans was selected to become the head writer for the script. Reuben is a gift from God who came on in the late hour of putting the script together. The Chandlers met Reuben at the International Film festival a few months prior to the project. Reuben took the job and knocked it out of the park. God worked the paths of everyone, including Reuben, together beautifully and brilliantly.Reuben began writing mode and implemented the project’s walls and structure of the screenplay. It was then that the team invited various contributing writers to collaborate together, similar to the “writers room” found in the television business. The idea was to capture the innermost creativity from each person then weave the ideas into the script with great care. Then, it was onto the next round where writer James M. DeVince shined with comedic, Christmas coloring to the page. Reuben was the architect, James was the decorator to craft the screenplay already in motion by writer Billy Falcon and Leo Partible.To describe this process more in depth, there were two existing scripts already in place so we unified those scripts and worked-in a great amount of new material. The two scripts showed different takes on the story, but the producers wanted to deliver an unforgettable family Christmas comedy movie, so they unified the scripts and invited the collaborating writers to add character depth, scene changes, and even rewrite dialogue, to put an incredible amount of creativity into one film script.The entire team coordinated the script ideas and changes through Reuben Evans’ founded “Faithlife” program. This made it possible to gather the ideas from truly gifted and dedicated writers from across the globe. They read the new draft and brought their own inspired insights to it. Then it was all brought together and co-writer James M. DeVince decorated “The Farmer and The Belle” with even more humor and an eye for detail.More to come in future journals, but this is how the beautiful tapestry of a true love story was woven into a script bursting at the seams with the creativity of many writers.

Christmas Comedy Movie Producers Share Film’s Progress in Exclusive Journal

In the coming weeks, we’ll share with you the in-depth filming and production of Jim and Jenn's real wedding as part of the film and much more. From equipment crew to how to cast the colorful characters that help bring the joy to this holiday film!The producers wish to give you an early Christmas gift!Go to www.tinyurl.com/ChristmasComedyMovie, and they will send you a promo code when the movie releases!Follow the family Christmas comedy movie “The Farmer and The Belle” on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheFarmerandTheBelle.ChristmasComedyMovie and get updates on the website at www.ChristmasComedyMovie.com.Be sure to share the ongoing journal posts and hashtag: #TheFarmerandTheBelle #ChristmasComedyMovie #RealLove.Content and editing by Ginger Beggs.

Nat Geo's 'The Long Road Home' a Timely Wake-Up Call?

As our nation struggles with a rash of deadly violence on its own soil perhaps it’s more important than ever to learn from others whose lives have been brutally disrupted by the horrors of war.For the most part, Americans have been living in a comfort zone, not having to witness war-like atrocities from within as many nations have experienced not only recently but now. Yes, 9/11 did happen in the U.S. but many do not recognize that it was an act of war regardless that it occurred in an unconventional way.It is because of the fact that National Geographic’s miniseries “The Long Road Home” offers such a captivating glimpse into the complexities of how military personnel, families, and civilians in a war zone cope with war’s atrocities — especially in matters of seeking answers to life and death — that I recommend viewing the series that begins Tuesday (11/7) at 9 pm ET.Although this slot in the Hollywood Faith section of TogetherLA.net is usually meant for discussion of more overtly Christian-based subject matter I thought it appropriate to talk about the eight-part series."The Long Road Home" (Parts One and Two previewed) gives a mostly light touch on matters of faith and leans on the side of inclusiveness rather than trying to address the differences in religions or define personal relationships with Jesus. Perhaps that’s not necessary in this case.However, as the saying goes, “There are no atheists in fox holes,” and there is no one left unfazed by war in profound ways — including coming to the end of one’s life.ABC News’s Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz, who is the author of the book upon which the miniseries is based, shared recently prior to the Los Angeles premiere of the series, that she felt strongly compelled to give an account of “Black Sunday.” In her book, and in the series as well, she tells the story of “that horrific day through the eyes of the courageous American men and women who lived it.”“As soon as I heard their stories and as soon as I saw soldiers cry I knew this was a remarkable story,” Raddatz told. “When they said, ‘You think it is bad for us, you should go and talk to our families,’ that’s when (telling the story) became a big powerful, emotional part of my life.”The First Cavalry Division came under surprise attack in Sadr City on Sunday (Palm Sunday), April 4, 2004. As explained on the book’s back cover, “More than seven thousand miles away, their families awaited the news for 48 hellish hours — expecting the worst."In the miniseries, we see the patrol commanded by Lt. Shane Aguero (E.J. Bonilla) make its way through the streets of Sadr City, Iraq — a Shia neighborhood of Baghdad — when ambushed by Mahdi Army militiamen. In the ensuing battle (Black Sunday) U.S. forces under the command of Lt. Col. Gary Volesky (Michael Kelly) — including Capt. Troy Denomy (Jason Ritter) of Charlie Company — go in to rescue them. Meanwhile, back home at Fort Hood, Texas, their wives, Leann Volesky (Sarah Wayne Callies) and Gina Denomy (Kate Bosworth), hear rumors of an engagement in Sadr City.In the collaboration of making the miniseries several of the actors were paired on the set with the people who lived Black Sunday in Iraq and at home. In talking to the actors, it was clear that the project was a moving experience that included the full realization that another big part of military action is what takes place within the family at home.For those actors and others involved in the making of the “The Long Road Home” the experience became an awakening to the realities of war and U.S. military involvement in terms of family, relationships, and questions about eternal truth in the face of death — perhaps viewers will awaken to the same.

READ: The Making of a Family, Christmas Comedy Movie [Journal Entry No. 1]

Top 7 Answers For Racial Reconciliation From a Christian Perspective

Ninety-five Christian leaders from many parts of the U.S. answered the call to promote racial reconciliation and combat "systemic segregation in the American church" in a piece published by the Mosaix Global Network on the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation on October 31.

“Love God. Love the Different. The same.” – Dave Gibbons, XEALOTS https://t.co/F5V0mW5RwP #racialreconciliation #reformation

— Together LA (@Together_LA) November 3, 2017

The "95 Theses" was written in the hope that the "collective words will a) help fan the flames of this legitimate Movement of the Holy Spirit in our lifetime, (b) spur important conversation, (c) inspire conviction, and (d) motivate literally thousands of pastors, church planters, ministry leaders, etc., to take action in their own local churches, in order to advance systemic change, over the next few years," wrote Mosaix Global Network co-founder Mark DeYmaz.

Reformation: New 95 Theses Calls Out Segregation in American Church

Below are seven quotes chosen by the editor of TogetherLA.net for their profound and simple call for the local church to work towards the change God is calling us to be a part of.

Top 7 Answers For Racial Reconciliation From a Christian Perspective

“Without sacrifice, diversity remains a nice, romantic ideal. In the spirit of reformation, we must move from efforts and ideals to sacrifice and service for diversity to become reality in the church.”

– Wilfredo “Choco” De Jesús • Senior Pastor, New Life Covenant Church • Chicago, IL

 “The God who sanctifies the church is far more freakishly 'other' to us than are our neighbors. If we cannot abide in the discomfort of difference with them; if we cannot relinquish any measure of preference and control for the love of people that we can see, then how can we claim to desire an encounter with the Holy One whom we have not seen? The discomfort of diversity—the fear, selfishness, and pride we must surrender—is part of God’s sanctification curriculum.”

– Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Childs Drury • Professor and Pastor • The Wesleyan Church

“We can’t expect to diversify our churches if we don’t first diversify our dinner tables." - Matt McGue, One Church https://t.co/F5V0mW5RwP

— Together LA (@Together_LA) November 3, 2017

“The best way to learn to love one another across racial lines is to do life together and get to know one another’s back stories. This begins the process of identifying and eliminating our implicit biases. Multi-ethnic churches are a critical way to do racial reconciliation.”

– Kevin Haah • Founding Pastor, New City Church • Los Angeles, CA

 “Redeeming the soul of America from the sin of racism requires the church to face its own historic complicity in that sin. For the church, this is where change must begin.”

– Dr. John A. Kirk, Director of the Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity, University of Arkansas at Little Rock • Little Rock, AR

 "Love God. Love the Different. The same."

– Dave Gibbons, XEALOTS • Irvine, CA

 "We can’t expect to diversify our churches if we don’t first diversify our dinner tables. It’s beyond time we follow Jesus and become extremely intentional in pursuit of houses of worship that represent the diversity of the school house."

– Matt McGue • Founding and Lead Pastor, One Church • Jackson, MS

 "Christianity without regard for the 'other,' or community with the 'other,' is simply not Christianity. Our savior, Jesus, Himself, a brown-skinned, Middle Eastern man, has created a beautiful mosaic of cultures and colors that, together, represent the fullness of the image of God. Collectively, we are the joy of His heart. Jesus thus intends to bring all these cultures and colors together as one–one Lord, one faith, one baptism–to bring credibility to our witness and wholeness to our lives. The time to move in this direction is not tomorrow; and just waiting until heaven is certainly not an option. The time to come together is now.

– Scott Sauls • Senior Pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church • Nashville, TN

 Sharing...[ictt-tweet-blockquote hashtags="" via=""]Without sacrifice, diversity remains a nice, romantic ideal. - Wilfredo “Choco” De Jesús[/ictt-tweet-blockquote] 

READ THE FULL 95 THESES AT MOSAIX GLOBAL NETWORK

But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand. (Isaiah 64:8)

The Making of a Family, Christmas Comedy Movie [Journal No 1]

Oscar Wilde once said that, “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life.” There are the rare instances, however, that art does it’s fair share of imitating life. Before the concept and script for the family, Christmas comedy movie The Farmer and The Belle came into fruition, the stories of two people on separate journeys were unfolding. This journey has the makings of a true fairytale story, but eventually also a moving piece of art with a beautiful message for the big screen.

'The Farmer and The Belle'Behind the Scenes Journal No. 1From Fairytale to Film

Ginger Beggs, EditorMost of us have dreamed of a Hollywood film ending or a fairytale romance. For Jim E. Chandler and Jenn Gotzon Chandler, they definitely got the best of both worlds. Like book and movie fairytale stories, Jim and Jenn would also face obstacles and pain on their journey. The redeeming message of restoration, hope, love and laughter is what makes this so much more than fables. This is a “fairytale to film” story, but it truly began in film.

READ: Behind the Scenes - Sculpting the Script For ‘The Farmer and The Belle’ [Journal No 2]

In June of 2014, Jim E. Chandler and Jenn Gotzon Chandler met on the set of “Sinking Sand”, as fellow actors. They became friends, not knowing what God had in store for them. They both have very uplifting and comical personalities, which eventually would spark a love for a lifetime. Often, Hollywood couples come together during the making of a film. For Jim and Jenn, it wasn’t until after their film that a plan by God was revealed.Jim and Jenn filmed together as love interests in Sinking Sand (coming soon by Sony), The Colors of Emily (releases Nov 28), Saving Faith (coming soon by Lionsgate) and The Farmer and The Belle (Thanksgiving 2018). They’ve been involved in two television pilots and four more movies coming soon. One is the novel-based movie, “The Crickets Dance”. These experiences not only helped shaped them as actors, but it deepened the friendship and love that was blooming. Like the story of “The Farmer and The Belle”, they began to bring their diverse backgrounds together to broaden their worlds and open their eyes even more to the wonder of the mate God chose for them.Your typical fairytale requires a damsel in distress and a prince to rescue her. In this “fairytale-like” love story though, two people ran towards God and collided in the most exquisite manner. Jim and Jenn were living for God, and despite pain in the past, were open to what God would have in His plan. They sought out to have the eternal flame of love through God, that would last beyond the last page of the book or the last frame of film.Jim and Jenn, like so many of us, came from broken pasts. They pursued the healing that only Jesus could provide. They deepened their relationship with Christ, and renewed their minds daily with scripture. After they met, Jim’s pastor (who also married them), advised Jim to court Jenn like they did “in the good ‘ole days.” Jim focused on friendship and pointing Jenn’s heart to Jesus. Jim would write handwritten letters with encouraging words and scriptures. He would tell Jenn daily, “Jenn, you’re beautiful.” That helped Jenn obtain the much needed healing in her heart concerning her true identity. Jim told Jenn she was beautiful because she was made in God’s image. Jim continued pursuing Jenn’s heart in friendship and they became the best of friends, getting to know everything they could about each other. They began to talk about forever and lifelong commitment.

READ: Behind the Scenes - Synergy of a Script [Journal No 3]

So how did this love story become the backdrop of the family Christmas comedy movie, “The Farmer and The Belle”? It began approximately a year ago during a 40-day fast, after Jim proposed to Jenn. Mid-way through this fast, God dropped the vision of this story and the rest is “to-be” film history.Jim and Jenn worked on the story together in New York City at Jenn’s apartment and at a local coffee shop in the Upper West Side. In a backstory worthy of film, it would also be this location where the actual ending of the movie, “The Farmer and The Belle”, would be filmed. Whenever Jenn would visit Jim’s home in Georgia, his dad took her to feed the pigs. She soon realized she knew nothing about farm life and felt like a fish out of water. She would often think on and compare the situation, to the nursery rhyme “Farmer in the Dell.” From there, Josh Carpenter (farmer) and Belle Winters were formed as the main characters. Now you have the “farmer” and the “Belle” for this holiday romance and comedy.This is just the first of many journal articles for this exciting family comedy Christmas movie, “The Farmer and The Belle.” We will be letting the audience in on the behind-the-scenes action as the film goes from script to screen. We will not only reveal funny outtakes and special commentary from writers, but you’ll join our journey of other challenges like the locations that span from Georgia to New York! It’s so much more than a movie and we want you to step by step be there right along with us as a Together LA reader.

Christmas Comedy Movie Producers Share Film’s Progress in Exclusive Journal

In the coming weeks, we’ll share with you how writers were chosen, the in-depth filming and production of their real wedding as part of the film and much more. The teams from equipment crew to how to cast the colorful characters that help bring the joy to this holiday film!

The producers wish to give you an early Christmas gift!Go to www.tinyurl.com/ChristmasComedyMovie, and they will send you a promo code when the movie releases!

Follow the family Christmas comedy movie “The Farmer and The Belle” on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheFarmerandTheBelle.ChristmasComedyMovie and get updates on the website at www.ChristmasComedyMovie.com.

Be sure to share the ongoing journal posts and hashtag: #TheFarmerandTheBelle #ChristmasComedyMovie #RealLove.

Content and editing by Ginger Beggs.

Journal Entry #2 - Behind the Scenes: Sculpting the Script For ‘The Farmer and The Belle’