Indy Christian .com -- Daily Internet Starting-line

CCDA Cincinnati 2009... Oct. 21-25

Save the date. You'll be glad you did.

posted by IndyChristian @ 7:21 PM 0 comments

God's Word

Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me; LORD, be my helper!"


Psalms 30:10
NKJV

posted by Anonymous @ 8:49 AM 0 comments

God's Word

But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.

1 Samuel 12:24
NIV

posted by Anonymous @ 7:53 AM 0 comments

God's Word

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.


Zechariah 9:9
NIV

posted by Anonymous @ 9:40 AM 0 comments

God's Word

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:39-40
NIV

posted by Anonymous @ 8:52 AM 0 comments

No Snow-Days in Florida...

Gotta love Indy, heh?



Here's a pic from the Clay Terrace neighborhood.

How's it look at your place?

posted by IndyChristian @ 8:19 AM 1 comments

God's Word

Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.

Deuteronomy 11:1
NIV

posted by Anonymous @ 8:13 AM 0 comments

God's Word

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9: 6-7
NIV

posted by Anonymous @ 9:10 AM 0 comments

Photos & Links... Community Mapping Event

We've posted some photos and helpful training links... onto our Facebook event page... regarding yesterday's 'Community Mapping, Dot, Dot, Dot..." event at the Unleavened Bread Cafe.

posted by IndyChristian @ 9:34 AM 0 comments

Video: 'Facebook 201 For Ministries'

[Special hat-tip to our friend, Chris Forbes, author of Facebook For Pastors...]



Excellent video from Henderson Hills Baptist Church presenting the valuable ways churches and ministries can leverage social-networking to better carry out our mission together.

[Video: Facebook 201]

'SOCIALNETWORKING' tags

posted by IndyChristian @ 5:34 AM 0 comments

Laying On Hands... Barack Obama

[from our friend, Pastor Bryan Hudson...]



[continued at Bryan's View]

*************

IndyChristian Commentary...
Neil Cox, Editor

It's an historic day. Not just for my African-American friends, although they may be the quickest to shed tears today. But it should be such a day for everyone. We can be proud that America (eventually) reached this day. Indeed it is a milestone day. And we can greatly rejoice with our friends and praise God.

And sure, there's much to be done... notably now to accelerate the next civil-rights cause... protecting the unborn. We, the Church @ Indianapolis, can do more to save and dignify life in our neighborhoods than can be (un) done in Washington.

posted by IndyChristian @ 4:55 AM 0 comments

January Book Reviews: Best Books of 2008 for the Church...

[ Okay so I'm a couple days late in posting... sorry.]



What are you reading these days?
I'd love to feature your review of a recent book here next month!
Email the review to me by February 1:
e n g l e w o o d r e v i e w [ a.t ] g m a i l [ d.o.t] c o m

Labels: Book Review

posted by Chris Smith @ 4:50 PM 0 comments

Simple Size Me

[from our http://CCDA.org friend in Philly... Ryan Kellermeyer]



Visit SimpleSizeMe.com

Join Ryan's Facebook Cause?

posted by IndyChristian @ 6:36 AM 0 comments

FHL City-Wide (Indianapolis) Prayer Initiative: Saturday, January 24, 2009

Jeremiah 29:7 says, "If there is no welfare (peace) in the city to which you have been exiled, pray for the welfare (peace) of that city, and you too will have welfare (peace)."

1. 
   
   Israel/Nations
   
   


2. 
   
   America
   
   


3. 
   
   Indianapolis Communities
   
   


4. 
   
   Indianapolis Culture/Society, Business (Marketplace), Education, Government, Family
   
   


5. 
   
   Indianapolis Churches, Ministries, Pastors/Ministers
   
   


6. 
   
   Personal people you know (lost, sick, hurting, ect...)
   
   

posted by Melanie Reed @ 10:44 PM 0 comments

Prayer Returns To The Indianapolis Star...

[article from Robert King, Religion Editor at the Indianapolis Star...]



Just to show you how much out of the loop I am on what's going on at The Indianapolis Star, it was with surprise that I picked up my morning newspaper -- after braving the minus 10 degree cold to fetch it no less -- to find that the Page 2 prayer had returned.

The note on the front page restated the newspaper's reason for the decision last week to drop the prayer -- that "philosophically, prayer was not the function of the newspaper. Our role is to be the voice of news and information in Central Indiana."

But then the note explained the reason for the Prayer's return...

[continued at IndyStar.com]

***********

IndyChristian Ed. Note...



Star or no Star, 4 out of 5 American adults pray at least weekly.

And printed-prayer or no printed-prayer, the Star's stock... like many other publishing stocks... has dropped from $35 to $8 over the last 12 months.

Let me suggest the possibility that they need our prayers more than we need theirs.



I love Indy. Weekly we hear what many of us now fondly call the 'Community Prayer Siren' every Friday morning... as a reminder to specifically pray for our COMMUNITY, our neighbors, our leaders, pastors, teachers and other civic heroes.

For me, that includes prayers for community leaders like Dennis Ryerson -- Editor of the Indianapolis Star. I hope you'll join me. I'm sure he'd appreciate them... especially as he too hears the siren weekly.

And thank you, Robert, for catching us up.

posted by IndyChristian @ 8:52 AM 0 comments

Tony Dungy... The Model Coach... Retires

[from the Indianapolis Star...]


Buy this Gary Varvel painting?

[Special section at IndyStar.com]

IndyChristian Commentary...

A number of us remember praying together a few years ago on New Years Eve for our city's upcoming year... that God would astound us by working in wildly miraculous ways to transform lives & community.

Instead, He sent us a recently-fired coach whose name we couldn't pronounce, to our 'Count On Losing This Sunday' (C.O.L.T.S.) team.

And He's shown us over the intervening years, that one man... faithful and on fire for Christ... can make a gigantic impact on a city.

Tony Dungy is a model coach for us all to learn from. WWTD?

'DUNGY' tags

posted by IndyChristian @ 6:32 AM 0 comments

New Culture... Welcome To The Human Network

[ht: The New Culture Newsletter...]



**********



Everywhere we look these days we are reminded of how quickly the world is becoming globalized. Nearly every major coorporation and institution in America is rapidly changing except for one: the Christian church. Many churches, ministries, and Christian universities continue to operate much as they did ten, twenty, or even a hundred years ago while our society changes all around them.

Our shrinking world provides us with exciting new opportunities to learn from and work with our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Our rapidly diversifying communities allow us to...

[continued at TheNewCulture.org]

*********

MULTICULTURAL tags.

posted by IndyChristian @ 4:58 AM 0 comments

You Eat. We Praise The Lord. It's Win-Win.

Today's staff... Jackie, Gail, Denise & Kim (photo by Ellen5e)

The Unleavened Bread Cafe is getting busier & busier these days. And that's not only good for those of us on the eating, greeting & meeting end of our ministries, it's also good for one of the cafe ministry's goals -- creating more employment in the neighborhood. So we PTL when you come in.

[continued at UBcafe.com]

posted by IndyChristian @ 12:18 PM 0 comments

A Story with a Lesson in Leadership

In preparing for the leadership training I will be doing in Kenya, the Lord gave me a story that has relevance in our body. I shared this with my church. You may wish to do the same. Here it is.

Why are we here and why do we assemble? What is God’s purpose for the church and what is the role of leadership? Well, Jesus taught with stories, and I believe the Lord gave me a word-picture that really spoke to me. It may speak to you as well.

I look outside today and see snow—a stark reminder of the frigid winters in New England where I grew up. Oh, it makes me look forward to Spring all the more as I see the white symbol of coldness covering the landscape.

The snow and accompanying coldness also conjures up images of Narnia under the White Witch’s dominion. The deep freeze holding their world hostage as they awaited Aslan’s coming Kingdom.

The imagery made me think of the role of a shepherd and the response of the church. It made me think of the local body trapped in the wintery storm of this world, under Satan’s dominion. The shepherd eagerly seeks the Kingdom, and leads the church through the snow, carving a path in the frigidness. Yes, he is the one who gets snow in his boots, must expend the most energy, and feels the greatest burden for ensuring that the trajectory is right, the path is safe, and that no one is left behind in the cold. He listens to the vision given him from the Word and the Spirit, and guides with tender care, setting an example where and how to take each step. When he steps on thin ice, his foot gets wet, and he changes the trajectory to keep the others safe. When he approaches a steep incline, he walks around to gentler slopes. He pushes down the snow banks to clear the way ahead of the others.

Yet, a peculiar thing happens along the way. Others become unnerved at the shepherds leading. Some become envious of the presumed glory of walking in front. They fail to count the labor and sacrifice required of it. They assume the role upon themselves, choosing to latch onto the “glory” of position and fail to lead at all. Those who assume the role out of pride, envy or ambition fail to see the Kingdom vision—and lead people in dangerous paths or even in circles—sometimes claiming it is the Spirit’s leading.

Others choose not to walk at all, and build a snow fort, just big enough for the current membership, and with a wall tall enough to keep others that don’t look like them out. Yet others choose to make a snow man and go sledding to just enjoy the coldness of the world, failing to recognize that they are just sojourners in Satan’s wintery dominion. Yet, even others get in a snow ball fight, and decide to leave the path altogether—leaving a wake of disunity and pain.

The shepherd is careful to not carve the path and then double back and push the followers along it, claiming authority from above. Rather, he persuades them—edifying, encouraging, and yes, rebuking—with the Word in love, always putting the vision before them. For there will always be those who want to build a fort, those who want to play, those who leave the path, and aspiring shepherds who have a path of their own. It is an unnecessary burden to blaze the trail along the Lord’s trajectory and look back and see the four camps holding the sojourners on the Kingdom’s path back from the vision, yet, this is the lot of the shepherd.

The moral of the story—the vision—that is the Kingdom, is the destination of His churches. Understand that the church is sojourning together, towards that goal. The Bible admonishes to “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” (Hebrews 13:17) This is not mindless submission, but rather being persuaded by their wisdom, by their example, and by the Kingdom vision.

Shalom,
Marc Carrier
http://www.valuesdrivenlife.com/

Ps. All pastors and ministry leaders are invited to get a FREE e-copy of my new discipleship book at http://www.valuesdrivenlife.com. Here are some testimonials.

Labels: leader

posted by Marc Carrier @ 12:51 PM 0 comments

WGNR: Read The Bible in 90 Days

[continued at WGNR.fm]

[And thanks, Ray, for the shout-out to Indy's One Year Bible (OYB) group on Facebook... now up to 175 people reading & encouraging one another as we go.]

posted by IndyChristian @ 4:43 AM 0 comments

Podcast: Biblical Creationism and Intelligent Design

IndyChristian Note... As a number of us here in Indy are now once again reading Genesis at the start of the new year, it always raises the initial question: Can I believe the wildly-miraculous accounts in scripture... starting with the very first one? To help with that question, here is a collection of resources related to evolution vs. creation; but the following podcast episode from Dr. Whitcomb is one of the finest ones you'll hear anywhere. We're fortunate to have Dr. Whitcomb residing and still teaching from time to time here in the Indianapolis area. He also participates in the annual Creation Evidence Expo (coming Sept 18-23, 2009) .

[The following is from the website of Whitcomb Ministries... and the related SermonAudio collection of his works...]



Dr. John C. Whitcomb is president of Whitcomb Ministries, Inc., and founder and professor of Christian Workman Schools of Theology. He has taught the Old Testament and theology for more than 50 years, and is widely recognized as a leading Biblical scholar.

More importantly, though, Dr. Whitcomb hopes that, through this Web site, Whitcomb Ministries will touch you. Whether you are a theological student doing research, or a person just seeking to learn more about the Bible, there is information here that can help.

We trust that this site will give you a sense of the sincere desire that Whitcomb Ministries has to encourage you in your devotion to the Lord God.

************

IndyChristian Note... In the following audio, Dr. Whitcomb presents one of the clearest cases I've heard anywhere, for the plain interpretation of the Genesis creation account, as he addresses a group of pastors...

[Listen and see what you think]

Comments anyone?

posted by IndyChristian @ 5:23 AM 1 comments

Want A Ride To CCDA Mini-Conference in Cincy?

[per email from Mary Provence...]

"The Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) is having a mini pre conference (Jan 11-12). I just found out about it on the website. It is in Cincinnati at Xavier Univ. and it only costs $10 which includes the cost of Sunday dinner and Monday breakfast. I am going –if you are from the RTW neighborhood or close by – drop me an email and we can try to coordinate ride and possibly room. I also wanted to get the word out to the other urban ministries in town as this was not sent out in a mass mailing by CCDA so I doubt many know about it. Please let others know………"

Here’s the weblink for more info...

http://www.ccda.org/let-justice-roll-cincinnati

*********

IndyChristian Ed. Note... Click to connect with the various CCDA affiliated ministries here in Indy... for year-round urban impact in the name of Christ.

posted by IndyChristian @ 4:11 PM 0 comments

One Year Bible... Make It YOUR Goal for 2009?

We currently have over 100 people who have joined the citywide 'group' of us who are making it a goal to read through the Bible in 2009 -- or at least through the New Testament.

How about you? Jump aboard -- the more the merrier... especially when it comes to encouraging one another throughout the year.

Click for further details.

posted by IndyChristian @ 9:35 AM 0 comments

God's Word

"This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."


Acts 4:11-12
NKJV

posted by Anonymous @ 9:03 AM 0 comments

'Greek Indy' Conference.... Starts Jan. 30th

[ht: @DaltonBriefs ]



InterVarsity's Greek Conference is a place where hundreds of Greeks gather for one weekend to discuss real-life issues: to be challenged and encouraged by other Greek students, to get practical tools for living in the Greek system and to learn what it means to integrate the Christian faith into your everyday Greek experience. Oh yeah, and we also want to have some fun!

[continued for details]

[Plug into the #IndyIV twitterstream]

posted by IndyChristian @ 8:26 AM 0 comments