Twitter is a great social network and can be used for many things.  Friends keeping in touch, like-minded people sharing information, a marketing forum or an electronic bulletin board.  I know teenagers and college students act badly on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, but I expect more from adults.  Especially Christian adults.

Gary Lamb, Twitter and C3 Church

Last year Pastor Gary Lamb was involved in a scandal that ended up with him losing his pastorate, his wife and many friends.  He admitted what he had done, apologized and moved on.  Recently, however, Gary announced that he is in the process of starting another church.  He put together a team, tweeted and blogged about his new endeavor.  He explained what he planned to do and why.

Does Gary have the right to start a new church?  Yes.  Is it too soon for him to start a new church.  In my opinion it is, but I don’t know.  Should he start a new church in the same community?  I believe that’s a bad idea because there are too many open wounds that still need tending.  That said, what Gary Lamb does is his business.  If he is out of order, God will deal with him.

Cyber Stalking and Harassment

I am intrigued about what happens in the life of a pastor who steps down and begins over; so about twice a month I look at Gary Lamb’s Twitter page.  When I looked yesterday and saw he was starting a new church, I also began to see the chatter about him and his new church.  Some of the tweets were positive, some were negative and some were down right malicious.  So I began to follow the trail.

I could not believe that people had created fake ID’s so they could send malicious tweets about the church and about Gary’s personal life.  To me, the magnitude and malice of the tweets are the equivalence of cyber stalking.  The people sending these tweets are not unsaved, unchurched people.  They are Bible totin’, scripture quotin’ believers.  Since when did Christians begin to think that we have the right to stalk and harass someone because we don’t believe in what they are doing?  Oh, I forgot, we do it all the time!

When I was a child,

I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me (1 Cor. 13: 11).  These people need to grow up.  Their actions are childish at best and un-Christian at worst.  If they don’t like what he’s doing, they shouldn’t attend his services.  If they want to criticize him, they shouldn’t do so behind the mask of a fake identity.  If they think their friends are making a mistake by attending his services tell their friends why they believe he may not be qualified to lead, but not all the gossip that goes with it.

There’s a way to criticize with love.  Jesus showed us how.  These people should try it, they might like it.

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For many of us, the most heart wrenching thing about the aftermath of the earthquake is the orphans and children who need care and are desperate for medical attention.  The Haitian government acted swiftly to move on behalf of children who were already candidates for adoption, had met their adoptive parents and whose paperwork was in progress.  In addition, our state department and other countries are working with Haitian authorities to place orphans with adoptive families.  But they want to be sure that these children will be treated well and not used for illegal purposes.

Unfortunately, some groups have decided to act outside the Haitian legal system.  The missionaries from Idaho went to Haiti  intending to do something good.  However, it seems that they were misled by their leader, Laura Silsby, who was told ahead of time that she didn’t have proper documentation to take the children from Haiti to an orphanage in the Dominican Republic.  As a result, she and the rest of the group now sit in a Haitian jail.

The Domino Effect

Ms Silsby’s actions caused a cascading domino effect that eventually harms those and other children.  Since their arrest, it has become increasingly difficult to send children from Haiti to other countries for much needed surgeries and medical treatment.  Why?  Because the authorities aren’t sure the children aren’t being abducted.

I followed a scenario on Twitter where Pastor Shaun King tweeted day and night to get help for baby Landina.  Landina was awaiting approval from the Ministry of Health to leave Haiti for surgery to replace a bone in her skull with a titanium plate; a delicate and complicated procedure.  This baby is only one of more than 1,000 children who need surgery.  Fortunately, baby Landina will receive treatment.  The fate of thousands of other children is still in limbo, made more difficult because of a group of people who meant well but ignored proper protocol.

Don’t Let Your Good Be Spoken of As Evil

Jesus said to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s (Matthew 22:21).  In this case it means respecting the process for Haitian adoption and going through proper protocol to take children out of the country.  In our sincere desire to help others, it is important that we remember Romans 14:16 – “don’t let your good be spoken of as evil.”

Rules, protocol and red tape can be extremely frustrating, especially when we only want to help someone.  I know that someone is reading this and saying rules are made to be broken.  Go to Haiti and break their rules, you may wind up in prison.

What do you think of this?

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Yesterday I watched with amazement as a 70 year old woman was pulled from the broken and shattered slabs of concrete, rubble, litter and waste of a collapsed building in Haiti. The woman had been trapped in the debris for seven (7) days with out food, water or any companionship. The conventional wisdom, according to search and rescue experts, is that individuals trapped in homes or buildings that have been demolished due to an earthquake or a natural disaster can survive about 72 hours without water if they are in reasonably good health and maybe 5-7 days without food. In all cases, they say, the immediate enemy of survival is dehydration and not hunger, because the human body needs water more than food to maintain the fluidity and operations of its metabolism and internal organs. Yet when this woman was pulled from the rubble, she was not comatose, lethargic or dispirited; instead she came out with joy in her heart, singing a song of praise and giving thanks to God for his everlasting love.

I’ve noticed a pattern that as the Haitian people are pulled from these collapsed and demolished buildings, they come out rejoicing and proclaiming that God is good and has answered their prayers. As I watched this scene over and over again, it has become apparent to me that their praise towards God is a testament of their faith and the power of prayer. How else can you explain being trapped in this dark empty pit, with no one around to encourage you or keep your spirits lifted, nothing to eat or drink, the stench of death all around you, the relentless whispers and chants of Satan repeating over and over again that no one is coming to save you and that you’re going to be buried alive, the uncertainty of not knowing whether people think you’re alive, dead or a rotting corpse in this concrete graveyard; and through all of their fears, despairs, doubts and hopelessness, they come out of this lifeless abyss with a song on their lips and words of praise for God’s love and mercy.

I listen to ignorant and cynical people such as Dr. Pat Robertson who publicly and prophetically proclaimed the earthquake as God’s punishment towards the Haitian people for making a deal with the devil, and I’ve heard some of the religious and righteous pundits stereotype many of the Haitian people as being voodoo worshippers; and yet none of the survivors that came out of these hell-holes and into the marvelous light praised Satan or some voodoo god or some amulet around their neck for saving them. All of them came out with joy in their hearts and the knowledge and conviction that it was their prayers and faith in God that pulled them through. Just before Jesus healed the demonic boy (Mark 9:17-29), he told the boy’s father that all things are possible if you just believe. The Haitian survivor’s have shown us that all things are possible when you pray and believe.

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Destiny World Church and Destiny Christian Academy are working in conjunction with Project South to collect supplies for the people of Haiti. If you can donate, please use the list below that was provided by Project South.

Collection boxes are in the church foyer, administrative lobby and the school lobby. You can drop items off during the week between 9 AM and 5 PM in the church administrative offices; or during school hours at the academy.

If you live or work in South Cobb, this location is convenient to you.  It is near Six Flags, between Six Flags Drive and Thornton Road.

Destiny World Church  is located at 7400 Factory Shoals Road – Austell, GA 30168

• Cotton or thermal blankets
• Feminine hygiene products
• Disposable Adult Underwear (Depends)
• Baby diapers and wipes
• Soap (preferably bar, not liquid)
• Tooth brushes and toothpaste
• Batteries (all sizes)
• Neosporin or equivalent
• Alcohol wipes
• Aspirin or Motrin
• Cotton balls
• Q-tips
• Skin sanitizer
• Calamine lotion
• Pins, scissors
• Cough mixture
• Detergent , emulsion
• Drinking cups, wax (Lilly type)
• Ear drops (mineral oil or olive oil)
• Milk of magnesia
• Medicine droppers
• Mosquito netting
• indelible pencils
• Salt tablets
• Water filters
• Sheets and pillow cases (waterproof preferred)
• Baking soda
• Vitamins (infant, children’s & adult)

• Infant formula
• Eye solutions and cleansers
• Nebulizers, inhalers
• IV supplies
• splints
• Clinical thermometers
• First aid supplies
• Latex gloves
• Ice paks & heat paks
• Gauze/wound dressing
• Eye pads/patches
• Bandages
• Blood pressure monitors
• Slings (arm)
• Feeding tube attachment
• IV bags and medical tubing
• Diabetes blood sugar indicators
• Diabetes testing strips
• Urinary drain bags
• Saline solution
• Forceps
• crutches, adjustable with rubber tips
• Ligatures, with needles
• Magnesium sulfate
• Medicine glass, graduated
• Dermatographic pencils
• Personal insecticide
• Plaster of paris

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Write the vision and make it plain . . . (Habakkuk 2:2)

On the first Sunday in a new year, pastors all around the globe preach sermons about how we (Christians) should leave behind those things that have been a hindrance to us.  My question to senior pastors is, “What are your goals for 2010.”  Have you written a plan to make your ministry a better place of worship?  What has hindered your ministry and what will move it forward?

Even if you pastor the church that is the model for ministry in your area, there’s always room for improvement.

What Went Well Last Year?

Every organization does some things well.  Take some time to look at the things your ministry did well.

• What were the highlights of your services/programs/internal ministries (auxiliaries)?
• What things do people talk about when they complement your ministry?
• What do people look forward to when they come to your church?
• What does your church do that others try to emulate?

What Didn’t Go Well Last Year?

Can you take a good objective look at things that are hindering your personal ministry and your church’s ministry?  It is easy for you to see the things that need to be improved or changed.

What are some things that need to be changed about your church?

• Do your services start and end on time, or are you constantly late starting and always going over?
• Are your ushers and greeters friendly or are your members afraid of them?
• Are your ministry leaders qualified for the ministry they lead?
• Is your staff efficient – do they return phone calls and answer e-mails in a timely manner?
• Do you have qualified counselors or do they need training?
• Does your ministry make visitors feel comfortable?
• Do you have a system to follow up with visitors?

How Do You Plan To Improve Your Ministry?

Hopefully you have given some serious thought to improving your ministry this year.  Take a good look at the good, the bad and the ugly.  Get rid of those things – people, issues or programs – that don’t benefit the ministry.   Take steps to initiate programs, etc. . . that will help your ministry.

Most importantly, be courageous enough to evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses and make the necessary changes.  Lots of people say they want change, just not when it comes to them.

These are just a few things to get you started.  Your list is probably already someplace in your head.  Write it down and make a plan.  Your ministry will be the better for it.

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