A few days ago I had the honor of covering a Going Beyond conference featuring Priscilla Shirer. The event was hosted by the LifeWay Women’s event team. What a powerful message Priscilla gave from Genesis 28 about the trickster Jacob. He fell asleep at a certain place and had a dream about the Lord. Priscilla challenged the 2,400-strong crowd of women not to do as Jacob did and fall asleep during the hard times in life.

"He wants us, the women of God, to open our eyes and be fully aware and engaged in what He’s doing in this particular season of our lives," Priscilla said. "No more sleepwalking. It’s time for us to be involved in what it is that God is doing."

So today if you are overwhelmed, or underwhelmed, just remember that God has something to teach you. May our spiritual eyes be open and our ears be ready to hear from the Lord!

By Kelly Shrout

Last weekend I attended the first Girls’ Ministry Forum here at LifeWay. About 200 people -- women who lead tgirls’ ministries in their churches, teenage girls and three brave male student ministers -- came to learn more about ministering to girls.

These people were passionate about helping girls become spiritually strong and healthy in their relationship with Christ. The forum offered more than a dozen conferences ranging from recognizing and using spiritual gifts, to how to teach teenage girls to pray, to using technology as an outreach tool.

A panel of girls’ ministry leaders answered questions during one of the large group sessions. One of the points brought up during this time was on sexting – sending sexually suggestive messages or photos via text messaging.

My head isn’t buried in the sand. I know this goes on. What I didn’ know is just how common the practice is among teenagers.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com commissioned a survey of teens and young adults to explore electronic activity in 2008. Note that was more than a year ago.

This survey said that 22 percent of teenage girls and 18 percent of teenage boys have sent or posted nude or semi-nude pictures or videos of themselves. Let me repeat. They posted the pictures or videos themselves!

The survey also said that 37 percent of teenage girls and 40 percent of teenage boys said they had sent or posted sexually suggestive messages to someone.

Other statistics that bothered me:

– 15% of teenagers who have sent or posted nude or seminude images of themselves say they have done so to someone they only knew online.

– 48% of teenagers say they have received such messages.

– 71% of teenage girls and 67% of teenage guys who have sent or posted sexually suggestive content say they have sent or posted this content to a boyfriend or girlfriend.

– 21% of teenage girls and 39% of teenage boys say they have sent such content to someone they wanted to date or hook up with.

– 44% of both teenage girls and teenage boys say it is common for sexually suggestive text messages to be shared with people other than the intended recipient.

– 36% of teenage girls and 39% of teenage boys say it is common for nude or semi-nude photos to get shared with people other than the intended recipient

Is it just that these kids don’t realize that once they hit “send” they have lost all control of where that photo or video goes? How would that teenage girl feel if her nude photo was sent to her parents or her youth minister? How would that teenage boy feel if his picture was printed out and hung up all over his school? Once in cyberspace, that picture will never go away.

And, I’m not even going to go into the potential legal issues regarding pornography.

Culture is screaming at teenagers to make wrong and foolish choices. My prayers go out to these women -- and the men -- who minister to teenagers and who shoulder the tremendous responsibility of helping them develop a relationship with Christ. I applaud these girls’ ministry leaders who want to serve better by keeping informed on important matters, such as this one.

By Polly House
Editor, Facts and Trends Magazine

Faith Whatley, director of church ministry training and events at LifeWay, speaks to attendees at the recent Girls' Ministry Forum. It's clear from the photo that Faith is having fun as she presented to over 200 gathered for her session. Her expression is priceless.

For a little more information about the Girls' Ministry Forum, be sure to read the news story or their blog. Also, don't miss our previous blog from Polly House about an important and disturbing topic that was discussed during the conference.

Photo by Kent Harville

If you haven't already read or heard about these stories, here's a round-up of recent news and happenings at LifeWay:

• LifeWay and digital publishing in The Tennessean
• Threads Media and Beach Reach
• Ed Stetzer on News 2 talking about church decline (video)
• Girls' Ministry Forum

These stories and more can be found at our online newsroom, found here.

I’ve hosted many, many podcasts in the more than three years since “Inside LifeWay” debuted. As with any recurring event, each session is valuable, but some just go better than others. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing author and evangelist Dennis Pethers of Viz-A-Viz Ministries for an upcoming “Inside LifeWay” podcast. I use the term “interview” lightly, because in reality I had the pleasure of conversing with Dennis ... there just happened to be hot mics in the room.

It’s fitting that he is such an engaging conversationalist since his new study, “More to Life,” focuses on the need for solid relationships – built upon honest, open conversation – in order to best share the message of Christ in today’s culture. The podcast covers the gamut from his personal testimony (involving a London train station) to how the U.S. religious landscape reminds him of England’s landscape 20 years ago (American Christians must wake up) to the question he frequently poses to servers at restaurants (it isn’t “Can I get some more water?”).

We had to end the podcast at about 30 minutes, but that doesn’t mean the conversation stopped right there. I asked one question in particular after the recording stopped that I wish had made it into the podcast. Instead, I’ll share it here. It isn’t directly quoted, but the gist is contained below.

“After the Mic”

Brooklyn: Do you think the rise of Internet communication has made conversation more difficult? Do people actually “talk” less now?

Dennis (insert British accent): I actually think it’s a great thing. People are more connected now than they’ve ever been, and they are willing to ask questions and “speak” through a computer more freely than they might face-to-face. The Internet makes it possible for us to quickly and easily communicate with people on the other side of the world, and I think it opens the door for meaningful conversations.

Posted by Brooklyn Lowery

Inspiration and great ideas can come from the most unusual places.

On a recent trip to Oklahoma City with my wife to visit our son-in-law and now very noticeably pregnant daughter, the subject came up as to what we -- the soon-to-be grandparents -- are going to be called by Jace, our grandson on the way.

The other set of grandparents have selected their monikers already, and we have realized that time is short, since Jace is scheduled to arrive some time in June.

My wife Barbara has pretty much settled on “BB” (pronounced Bee Bee) because she knows a grandma that has settled on Sue Sue, and that has worked pretty well for that family. She also knows a Mi Mi, and a Gi Gi, and wants to make she she doesn’t make a Boo Boo in her selection!

Both of our daughters, our son-in-law, Barb’s mother, and I have all agreed that BB is cool. For myself, I thought Granddad or even Grandpa would work OK, but I was told (by the aforementioned) that it sounded too old fashioned, or probably more truthfully, it makes me sound like an old man.

I’m not a real cutesy name type guy. I want a grandpa name that falls on the manly side, or at least a name that won’t be construed by my male friends as being “too sissy.” I don’t want to be a PaPa  or a Peepaw or a Po Po or a Poopah.

I’m thinking about the future here. Would any man want his grandson to run up to him when he’s the high school’s star quarterback, or pitcher, or center, or whatever, and say in his deep, sometimes cracking puberty voice “Hi Peepaw, are you coming to my game tonight?" I don’t think so. Can you imagine the verbal jabs and snickers and scornful glee he would have to endure from his not so thoughtful peers?

I want a name for my grandson to call me that will work whether as a child, a teenager, or even as an adult. A name that he can use when we are fishing together or when he introduces me to the guys, a name that neither of us will be embarrassed by, whatever the stage of our relationship. Which brings me to the photo above. 

Our daughter and her husband took us to a unique restaurant on the old Highway 66 in Arcadia, Oklahoma. Out in front of the very futuristic-styled gas station, store and restaurant is a large 66-foot tall replica of a soda bottle that puts on a dazzling multi-colored light show throughout the night. The inside the building grabs your attention as well, with its more than 12,000 soda pop bottles from around the world lined up on glass shelves from floor to ceiling in front of all of the building’s windows. A cooler running the length of the rear wall contains a selection of over 500 ice-cold soda brands for diners and visitors to choose from and enjoy. Burgers, hot dogs, and salads are the main courses on the menu along with a full soda-fountain array of treats.

What’s this restaurant got to do with a grandfather to be, trying to figure out what to be called by his grandson? I pulled a ball cap off one of the shelves to look at. It had the restaurant’s name on it. I bought the cap immediately. Problem solved.

“Pops.” That will work just fine.

It's that time again! Each month, we in the communications department of LifeWay Christian Resources like to share a little about what has caused us to tolle lege! Here are this month's selections:

Rob Phillips: Just finished "A God Who Hates" by Wafa Sultan (a look at Islam from the perspective of a Syrian woman raised in the religion but who left it). Just started, "The Complete Infidel's Guide to the Koran" by Robert Spencer.

Polly House: Still on "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan in my small group from church, "Whole New Mind" by Daniel Pink with my co-workers, and "The Help" by Katharine Stockett for my neighborhood book group.

Brooklyn Lowery: Early American literature continues: Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography. I can almost definitely (only God knows the heart, after all) say that this particular founding father was a deist. He affirms the existence of one God who created the earth and everything in it, but he does not mention Jesus and refuses to make any particular statements to the effect that any one religious belief is better or more true than another. While I can't say what Franklin professed on his deathbed, I can report that the second and third parts of his autobiography were written only a couple of years before he died, and he expressed the above beliefs in those parts. Still, a very entertaining read and not altogether lacking in lessons to be learned (excepting the deism bit, of course).

Janet Sullivan: I'm reading Nicholas Sparks newest book, "The Last Song".  The new movie from the book is out in April. My husband Tim calls it one of my "girly books" -- but for light reading, Sparks' books are good.

Jennifer Tramel: I just finished the second book from The Hunger Games series. Whew! It was intense. "Catching Fire" focused on more of the political drama going on in the world of Panem. Suzanne Collins has a way of making a complex world almost tangible.  Intrigue, political discourse, battle, and a strong woman -- fiction here is at its best, my friends.  All I need now is a bow and arrow.

Micah Carter: I'm reading "Whosoever Will" by David Allen and Steve Lemke (editors). It promises to be THE scholarly standard critique of five-point Calvinism. We shall see. I'm also chipping away at "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer. Several people I know have recommended it, so I wanted to see what the hype was all about. We shall see. There are many other tomes I'd like to invest in, but -- you guessed it -- we shall see.

I have a geeky sort of love for Christian apologetics, the way some people are addicted to their favorite video games, comic books or Hollywood characters. So whenever the opportunity arises to host a podcast with Dr. Jeremy Howard of B&H Publishing Group, I’m enthusiastically first in line – not unlike a paunchy middle-age man dressed like Spock at Comi-Con.

Jeremy recently sat down with me to address the question, “Did Jesus really rise from the dead?” (Podcast coming soon!) But even before the microphone levels were checked, I had to ask Jeremy about another burning issue prompted by an e-mail I received recently: How much of the Bible is prophecy? I thought that would be an easy answer, falling somewhere between zero and 100 percent.

Not so fast. Jeremy said this issue is complex, but he patiently took the time to explain, and then to follow up with a written note, which is posted below. Read on. Enjoy. Live long and prosper.

Jeremy Howard: Christians often appeal to fulfilled prophecies as a way of persuading unbelievers that the Bible is inspired by God. Prophecies can powerfully indicate the Bible’s divine inspiration, but when it comes time to show the unbeliever some examples, Christians commonly make a misstep that undermines the effectiveness of their argument.

At the heart of the problem is the failure to distinguish predictive prophecies from typological prophecies. Predictive prophecies set up an expectation for future fulfillment(s). Original hearers of the prophecy, plus readers of the prophecy once it is written down, recognize that the prophet/author is foretelling a future event. This becomes an especially powerful witness to the unbeliever since the Bible’s ability to foretell events years or even centuries in advance is evidence that God, who knows the future, has disclosed the future through the writings of His chosen authors. The book of Daniel, Genesis 49:10, and Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 are examples of predictive prophecy.

Typological prophecies are different because they are not predictive. They do not set up an expectation for fulfillment because readers do not recognize them as prophecies until after their fulfillment. A good example is found in Matthew 2:15, where Matthew says of Jesus’ stay in Egypt: “He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: ‘Out of Egypt I called My Son.’”

Matthew does this same sort of thing several times in his Gospel. Though readers may assume this means Matthew is alluding to predictive prophecies of the Old Testament (OT), when they go back and read the original context of the OT passage he is quoting or alluding to (Hosea 11:1 in this case), they are hard pressed to discern that the author was prophesying anything at all. If an unbeliever picks up on this fact while you are arguing that prophecy is a proof of biblical inspiration, he or she is apt to conclude that biblical prophecies are not predictive and therefore do not help prove the Bible’s inspiration.

What is going on here? Old Testament scholar Ray Clendenen has an interesting way of answering this question. Drawing an analogy from pop culture, he notes that each episode of the old television show “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” begins with a partial silhouette drawn onto a white background. If you were to look at the image for the first time, having no advance knowledge of the show’s name or content, there is little if any chance you would guess who the silhouette represents. But moments after the reel beings to roll, Hitchcock walks up to the wall and fills out or “fulfills” the silhouette. The silhouette was tailor-made for Hitchcock, but the viewer never foreknew or expected this.

Typological prophecy is much like this. Readers do not recognize its presence or purpose until the fulfillment arrives. Very possibly the authors of the prophecy did not understand all the entailments of what they were writing either. In this way there is much subtle and divinely-inspired silhouette-tracing in Old Testament literature, but observers were unlikely to recognize it as such until Messiah walked onto the scene and fulfilled the silhouette.

By “silhouette” I mean the themes, types and events in the OT. Jesus is the fulfillment of these. Matthew and other New Testament authors recognized this after Jesus had accomplished all He had set out to do, and thus they rightly named Jesus as the fulfillment of many OT passages even though readers of those passages had not previously recognized them as prophetic.

Posted by Rob Phillips
Director, Communcations Department

Dennis Pethers, author and evangelist from England, discusses his new study "More to Life" during a recent video shoot using several LifeWay employees as actors in the production. The video was shot in "The Loft," a refurbished space in an old building in downtown Nashville. The "More to Life" study focuses on helping believers start meaningful conversation about their faith with non-believers rather than simply handing them a tract or jumping directly into a serious religious discussion.

For more on Dennis Pethers and his new study, listen to our recent podcast with him, read the news story and take a look at our follow-up blog called "After the Mic" with Dennis Pethers.

Photo by Kent Harville

LifeWay Research released a study recently about the value of seminary education to pastors and to churches of various sizes, locations and denominations. I thought their findings were interesting and provocative, since I am a two-time seminary graduate -- from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (see picture on right). I have served as a pastor as well.

I won't repeat the details of the research in this blog, but I will offer reflections about some of the data provided in this study.

First, I was intrigued that three-fourths of the pastors surveyed (out of 1,004) say that their seminary education was useful and has abiding value and application in their current ministry. While I'm sure some endured their seminary education in order to secure a more lucrative ministry position, my conviction is that most go to seminary to prepare themselves for a sincere, fruitful ministry. And so, it seems, the research indicates this to be true. I can say honestly that every class I had in seminary added value -- and often content -- to my pastoral ministry on a week-to-week basis. And they still do. And, I will say in contrast, that I'm disappointed that 25% of pastors who had seminary training don't use it in their ministries. Surely, there are reasons for this, but I won't speculate here ...

Second, the study mentioned that small(er) churches have a lower percentage of pastors who have attended seminary classes. For those churches in close proximity to a seminary, this is the exception, of course. But for rural churches scattered throughout the nation, sometimes the candidate pool is very small -- and unfortunately, most seminary-trained pastors aren't willing to invest their lives in churches that are small and will always be small. That's why, as the study shows, small(er) churches are more willing to take a pastor without seminary education and with little or no ministry experience. Sadly, they must take what they can find. I wish that more seminarians and pastors-to-be would jump at the chance to invest in --and learn from -- a small church ministry. My first pastorate was a small, rural Kentucky church of about 70 in attendance. I invested all I had been given through my seminary education in them -- and yes, I learned much from them too.

Third, I was interested in the statistic that 90% of pastors say they would not make a seminary education (degree) a requirement for hiring staff. Maybe. I understand this position, and in theory, I agree with it. I have a cousin who is a fantastic student minister in Georgia who does not have a seminary degree. He has tons of experience, incredible gifts and passion for students, and solid theological beliefs. Even though he's working on a degree, some churches have looked past him because he didn't have one at the time. Their loss, for sure.

On the other hand, I can't help but think most pastors surveyed fudged a little in their responses. Are beliefs key? Yes. Is experience helpful and important? Certainly. But a seminary education is dispensible? I don't think so. Of course, it shouldn't be a requirement -- I get it. But in many situations, the vast majority of pastors and churches are looking for someone with seminary training -- regardless of the demographics -- especially if they can afford it. Why? Because seminary education really does help prepare and equip potential pastors for lifelong ministry, as this survey demonstrates.

I, for one, am grateful for my experience in seminary and for everything I learned during my tenure as a student (all ten years of it!). I believe I was a better pastor for having spent time in preparation through those many classes and many years at Southern Seminary. And I'm glad to see, according to LifeWay Research's latest study, that I'm not alone in my evaluation that seminary matters to pastors.

By Micah Carter
Associate to the VP for Executive Communications and Relations

Our friends at Facts and Trends Online here in the communications department have put together some fun and informative Easter resources that might just add that extra "something" to church newsletters or bulletins, provide an activity for Sunday School or small groups, or give some personal enjoyment for individuals as well. Here are some of the Easter themed options:

• Word Search
• Song Scramble
• Quiz

Facts and Trends also linked to helpful resources like "Bringing Easter into Focus" that offers suggestions for ways to help children understand the cross and resurrection better. Also, LifeWay has some free resources for pastors, teachers and church leaders that provide suggestions and information as many prepare for Easter.

Enjoy!

When people do their best to annoy, irritate and make your life miserable, “try to destroy them as enemies,” suggested Dr. Joe McKeever, preacher, cartoonist and retired director of missions for the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans.

He quickly added, “And turn them into friends.”

A couple of years ago Mckeever spoke to a room filled with women attending LifeWay’s National Conference for Ministry Assistants, where he shared stories of those in his own life, neighbors, and church members, with whom friendship and love was a real challenge.

“You don’t have to love someone, just start doing things for them,” advised McKeever, who shared the “four most basic acts of love” as found in Luke 6: 27-30. They are:

1.    Do good things for them
2.    Bless them
3.    Pray for them
4.    Give to them

Even if you don’t like someone, you can learn to love him or her by applying these basic principles from God’s Word, McKeever said. In doing so, an enemy is destroyed and you make a friend.

Mckeever, who often follows his presentation by drawing caricatures of those who attend, added that each person is unique and beautiful in their own way. He encouraged the ministry assistants to “love the one God gave you (their spouses) and quit comparing him to everyone else.” Likewise, he said, “Love how God made you. Stop comparing yourself to others. Even if you don’t like your smile, smile anyway. It will always make you look better.”

Photo and comments by Kent Harville

Here is some recent news and information that is worth a look, in case you missed it. There's a ton here to read, see and hear . . . enjoy!

• Podcast with Dr. Jeremy Howard about the authenticity of Jesus' resurrection, which generated an interesting dialogue at www.opposingviews.com. Read those comments here.
• Helpful thoughts by David Francis on five key "competenc E's" for Sunday School ministry.
• Dr. Thom Rainer's blog about "Hubris and Leadership".
• Dr. Thom Rainer's blog about "Seven Characteristics of Highly Evangelistic Christians".
• Easter Resources.
• Great introductory article about Transformational Church by Bruce Raley.
• LifeWay Research study on the value of seminary education for pastors. See also our blog post about this study.
• Podcast with Dennis Pethers on conversational evangelism.
• Photo(s) of the Week