02 Apr Book: Inside the Revolution

I have been reading a new book by Joel C. Rosenberg, Inside the Revolution. He divides the book into three sections.

1. The radical element of Islam.
2. Reformers within Islam.
3. Revivalists within Islam.

This is a very fascinating and informative book. We hear mostly about the Radical element of Islam. They are the ones making the news on our TV, radio and newspapers. We hear less about the reformers–those who are Muslim but do not take the radical position of expanding by terror.

All of the sections were revealing and very informative. But the section on the revival that is taking place within the Muslim world gripped my heart. Joel reports that thousands responding to the message of faith in Jesus. I felt as though I were reading a new chapter in the book of Acts. Some of the stories of how people are coming to Christ literally gave me goosebumps and made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. We’re talking direct intervention by Jesus as he reveals himself to many people. We’re talking about New Testament stuff here.

I strongly recommend that you read Inside the Revolution. It is a large hardback book and is relatively expensive. Possibly you could check out a copy from a local library. If they don’t have it, encourage them to get it. Another possibility is that your local church could purchase a copy or two to loan out to members of that body. Or find a friend who has it and see if you can read theirs.

I believe this is a must read for United States Christians. We need to know the content of this book, which we will never get from our media. It would make you feel better to read the third section first, although I recommend reading the book as it is written. Also, you might want to re-read the books of Daniel, Ezekiel, Matthew 23 and 25, Acts, and Revelation.

And by the way, I’d read anything I can get my hands on from Joel C. Rosenberg. He has written a series of five works of fiction that is his interpretation of the “last days.” He also wrote a non-fiction work, Epicenter that contains all the information and research he did for the works of fiction.

01 Apr Church Reports: Update

March has passed, and we’re still waiting for a number of reports from churches. Out of 193 churches:

27 Mar Jane Seely Celebrates the Big _0

Jane Seely, our newest employee, yesterday celebrated a significant birthday ending in a 0, and thereby merited a desk adorned with numerous black balloons, not to mention a beautiful bouquet of flowers from her husband.

And then there was the visit from her brother, Mike Caley, who made a surprise visit from Michigan. Mike is senior pastor of Banner of Christ UB church in Byron Center, Mich. He was in town for a meeting at Huntington University.

We all gathered in the break room and sang “Happy Birthday” to Jane. Then Mike, in a manner reminiscent of Tim Conway, doddered into the room wearing an old hat and overcoat.  He was hunched over a wooden cane, carrying a package and muttering about being old, terribly old.

So that was fun.

25 Mar Update: Darlene Burkett

Darlene Burkett came home from the hospital Saturday, March 21, having undergone extensive back surgery the previous Tuesday. She is expected to be out of the Global Ministries office for at least another three weeks.

24 Mar 33 Travel to Israel

Denny Miller, pastor of Emmanuel Community Church, returned a few days ago from a trip to Israel. Altogether, 33 people went, including UB ministers Kent Maxwell and Howard Cherry.

20 Mar Emerging Adulthood

Keith Drury, a professor and former Wesleyan denominational official who now teaches at Indiana Wesleyan University, publishes a thought-provoking column every Tuesday. It often spotlights new trends in the church.

In his most recent column, Drury discusses what he calls “emerging adulthood.” It’s about the trend for young people to not “settle down” until they age 30 or later. Perhaps you’ve noticed this in your church–twentysomethings who haven’t committed to marriage, a job, or even the church.

Drury describes the characteristics of these young people and the implications for the church. It’s really quite fascinating. In the future, he says, this age-group will be the “new youth ministry.”

18 Mar Update on Darlene Burkett’s Surgery

Phil Burkett called earlier this morning to let us know about Darlene’s surgery yesterday. He spoke to Jeff Bleijerveld, and Jeff passed along this information: “Darlene came through just fine and all went as planned. The operation was four and a half hours long and they installed 2 rods, 2 wedges and 10 screws. She’ll be in Lutheran Hospital on the third floor of the musculoskeletal wing for the next three to four days.” Jeff adds, “We expect she will be out of the office for at least a month.” 

16 Mar Darlene Burkett Readies for Surgery

Global Ministries is bracing for the absence of Darlene Burkett, their hard-working, multi-tasking, highly organized administrative assistant. Tomorrow, March 17, she undergoes serious back surgery at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind.

The operation is scheduled for 1 p.m., and might last up to four hours. Darlene will then be out of the office for at least several weeks. There may be some conflict between when she wants to come back (sooner) and when doctors say she can come back (later). We’ll see.

Darlene has endured back pain for several years. Please remember Darlene in your prayers–that the surgery will be successful, and the pain will come to an end.

On a positive note: a big congratulations to Phil Burkett, Darlene’s husband, who is Minister of Worship at College Park Church in Huntington, Ind. This weekend, Phil was notified that he can add the title “Dr.” to his name (the Dr. Phil jokes began a long time ago). He received his Doctorate of Worship Studies from the Institute of Worship Studies in Jacksonville, Fla. (founded by Robert Webber). In the coming weeks, Doctor Burkett will spend a lot of time taking care of his convalescing wife.

12 Mar Comments Link

On the right side, just below the XLR8 logo, you’ll see a new heading: “Recent Comments.” People sometimes comment on articles that have been posted for a while. The most recent comments appear at the top, regardless of how old the original article is.

Only ten comments are listed on the side, but there is a link to show all comments posted to this blog since we redesigned it last May.

10 Mar Breakfast with Dr. David Jeremiah

Dr. David Jeremiah is having a pastors’ breakfast in conjunction with an appearance in South Bend, Ind., on Thursday, April 2. Perhaps you’re interested. Here’s the description:

All pastors are in need of encouragement and replenishment. Having shepherded a church for more than thirty years, no one knows this better than David Jeremiah. His desire is to build you up and minister to you, so that you might go back to your congregation with a renewed desire to share the Word of God with strength and conviction.

This breakfast will be held at the College Football Hall of Fame.