Gospel.com Blog

It’s been over a year since Indonesia was devastated by the tsunami. With so much going on in the world, it can be easy to forget even an event as catastrophic as the tsunami–but some missionaries in that part of the world see every day the impact that the storm continues to have on Indonesian life. A missionary from Trans World Radio writes:

When I first arrived in this city, the atmosphere conveyed a “life as usual” feel: children returning from school; chaotic traffic; young people surfing the Web in Internet cafes. However, this apparent look of normalcy only masked despair.

Trans World Radio is hard at work in Indonesia and elsewhere helping people recover both physically and spiritually from the tsunami’s destruction. Read the above missionary report and take a look at the TWR website to learn more about what they’re doing and how you can help.

“Real Christians don’t get depressed.” “If you’re depressed, there must be something wrong with your spiritual life.” “You just need to have more faith!”

If you’ve ever heard a statement like these uttered to somebody suffering from depression, you’ve heard one of many myths about depression and Christianity. The Christian Depression Pages ministry has gathered an extensive list of Christian myths about depression and explains why they miss the mark–and how they often do more harm than good. If you struggle with depression, you’ll find encouragement in the debunkings; and if you don’t, you’ll learn how you can be truly helpful to a depressed Christian in your life or congregation.

Has your son or daughter made a lifestyle choice or a major decision that you know is wrong? If you’ve ever found yourself frustrated by a child’s actions but unsure how to handle the situation–discipline them? ignore it? try to convince them otherwise?–you’ll find an excellent example of how to deal with “wayward children” in the Bible’s parable of the prodigal son.

The parable itself is well known, but an article at the America’s Keswick ministry takes a deeper look at the story in search of help for confused and frustrated parents. The article lists five practical lessons you can learn from the parable and apply to your own situation, no matter how dire the cirumstances.

What does Jerusalem–the “Holy City” with a central role in the history of more than one religion today–look like? Photographer Lee Cantelon visited Jerusalem last month to capture the true face of Jerusalem through his camera lens. The result is the Wandering in God’s City photo gallery.

The gallery is part of The Words, a ministry that began several years ago when Cantelon published a new translation of Jesus’ word arranged thematically. The ministry makes those words available in a variety of formats, from PDA-specific versions to MP3. The photo gallery is their latest addition, and they’ve got a special music project on the way!

How should the church “raise” a new Christian to “spiritual adulthood”? A “newborn” Christian has a lot of learning ahead, and one of the church’s most important jobs is helping the new Christian grow into spiritual maturity.

So how does the church do that? That’s the question addressed by Warren Henderson in this month’s issue of Uplook magazine. In “From Babes to Faithful Men,” Henderson talks about the importance of training new Christians well, and outlines some strategies for doing so:

The first year of growth is most important for a new convert. It has been my experience that those who receive good spiritual care in the early months tend to go on for Christ, while those who are neglected seem to develop lethargic behavior patterns that can cripple their spiritual vigor for the rest of their life.

The full magazine is available in PDF format, and includes a number of other good articles as well.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by debt and mounting bills, you’re not alone–a startling number of Americans are struggling to keep financially afloat in our consumer culture. Books and radio shows offer financial tips and money-saving strategies, but is there a more lasting solution to the problem of over-spending? Dan Seaborn, writing for the Winning at Home ministry, thinks the answer lies in re-evaluating the effect that spending has on your relationships:

What you buy can’t make you any nicer, any more fun to be around, any more kind or compassionate, any more loving. Buying things for others won’t override broken relationships. In the end, trinkets don’t add to a life. All they’ll do is subtract from a bank account.

If your lavish spending is digging holes in your pockets, why don’t you take a break? Forget financial planning; try financial plodding. Instead of counting on possessions to make things better, leave the item on the store shelf and learn to do the real work of life and relationships.

Seaborn suggests that escaping debt and consumerism isn’t about earning enough money to buy all those things you want–it’s about realizing that your relationships–with your family, friends, and God–are what is really important. Read the rest of his advice and consider trying out his “financial plodding” strategy in your own family.

Are you involved in youth ministry? Dying to network with others who know the trials and tribulations (and occasional triumphs) of youth ministry? The 2006 National Youth Workers Convention may be what you’re looking for. Registration has just opened for the annual conference, which will be held in four different cities in the U.S. in late 2006 and features an impressive lineup of speakers and entertainers. The conference is being put on by Youth Specialties–even if you can’t make the conference this year, stop by the YS site and take a look at the many different youth ministry resources available there.

Today we have another new ministry to welcome into the Gospelcom Alliance: Intersect, a ministry that provides training and coaching for church leaders.

In addition to a list of upcoming training events, they’ve got quite a few different resources at their website: a collection of articles, book reviews, and a regularly-updated blog, AlreadyNotYet. Stop by to see how Intersect can help you become a more effective leader in your church and personal life!

Overworked church secretaries of the world, take note: Church Secretary Today (CST) is the one of the latest ministries to join the Gospelcom Alliance! The CST website serves as an online companion to the ministry’s monthly newsletter for church secretaries. With a subscription, you can gain access to hundreds of different resources on the website–everything from clip-art to devotions to bulletins to discussion forums where you can connect with other church secretaries. If you’re a church secretary or a church employee who helps keep the church office running, take a look at what CST has to offer.

Just a reminder: Internet Evangelism Day, set for May 7, is fast approaching! IE Day is a special opportunity for churches and individuals to learn about and discuss the internet’s potential as an evangelistic medium. The IE Day website has plenty of resources you can use to plan a special online evangelism-focused Bible study or discussion group. Mark your calendars!