Pastor Alex Clattenburg has been a good friend for nearly 40
years. I got an email about a great Good Friday service he is having
next week at Church in the Son in Orlando, Fla. I wish I could attend
but I’ll be out of state. We close our offices every year on Good
Friday. I always try to attend a service and it’s hard to find a
Spirit-filled church that has one. What a pity. It’s part of our
culture which comes out of the revivalist tradition of the sawdust
trail. It’s as if anything liturgical is something we should avoid.
I had a good friend in the Episcopal Church that talked about how
they had things all week long. I had to ask what Maundy Thursday was!
We didn’t celebrate it in the Assemblies of God. But it’s the
night before Good Friday. Okay, maybe we don’t need to go for the
bells and smells of some churches. But sometimes we are so casual
about special days, we go too far the other way. On Good Friday I
like to take communion and to think about the sacrifice the Lord made
on the cross. I encourage you to think about that sacrifice. read more
Robert Stearns,
founder of Eagles’ Wings, did a magnificent job as guest editor for the new
issue of Ministry Today. He highlighted a very important topic: the New
Zionism. I’m happy to post the new
digital issue below in hopes that you’ll read it and benefit from the articles. You’re getting it before it is emailed to
our regular list. I hope you’ll
subscribe and be among the first people to receive it on your iPad.
The issue of
Zionism and Israel is near and dear to me. For years I’ve been a strong
supporter of Israel. So it’s an honor for me to have been invited by Robert to
be one of the “conveners” for the Jerusalem Banquet in New York City on May 17.
Even though I’ll write about it later I wanted to send this out right away
because it was announced this week that the keynote speaker will be former
Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. read more
I’ve been to more networking meetings than I can
count. Sometimes I leave discouraged over what I see and hear: leaders with
their own agendas whose lives don’t match the New Testament because they
tolerate compromise.
But a week ago my
reaction at Converge21 in Virginia Beach, Va., was opposite. Instead, there
were leaders who see the problems in the church and who are committed to
getting the church back on track. Several hundred even signed a resolution
articulating this commitment. Keep reading to see the entire resolution.
Converge21—held at
Regent University—included many significant leaders like Dr. George Wood of the
Assemblies of God, Robert Morris from Gateway Church in Dallas, Billy Wilson of
Empowered21 and Pastor Jack Hayford from The King’s University. It was really
three meetings in one: the Society for Pentecostal Studies, which held its
annual meeting; there was a small invitation only meeting of mostly older
charismatic ministries; and Empowered21, which brought in “younger leaders.” Any
time you get young people together who are eager to learn and be mentored,
there is a tremendous energy! read more
Many of you know I've endorsed Rick Santorum. To me he's the only real
conservative and the one who is right on the moral issues. A press release came
to me earlier today and I've cut and pasted it below. I urge the tens of
thousands who will get this to forward it to friends who live in states who will
vote on Super Tuesday. This race is so close that Bible-believing Christians CAN
MAKE A DIFFERENCE and help Santorum get the momentum to win the nomination and
then the general election.
Why have I endorsed Santorum? It's easy: Not only is he right on the issues,
but he's someone I consider "squeaky clean." I was interviewed on the PBS
program Religion & Ethics and they wanted to know why I didn't endorse the
other candidates. For Mitt Romney I'm concerned about how he's flip-flopped. And
I'm wary of the fact that he's Mormon (although that doesn't prevent me from
voting for him—it only makes it more difficult). And with Newt Gingrich I'm
concerned his many moral failures (which he says he has repented of and I don't
doubt that's true) shows a deep character flaw. But Rick Santorum has a good
record, projects the image of a leader and has strong Christian values. read more
It's the political season in what many are saying is the most important presidential election of our lifetime, so I turned to my good friend, Bishop Harry R. Jackson Jr., to be the guest editor for the January/February issue of Ministry Today. You can read the digital issues of the magazine by clicking on the cover images below.
Bishop Jackson has appeared on the CBS Evening News, Fox News' Special Report, The O'Reilly Factor and The Tavis Smiley Show. Bishop Jackson's articles have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times.
And why not? He's Harvard educated and very articulate—something the mainstream media respects. But at the same time Bishop Jackson is a great spokesman from a Christian perspective—he understands the believer's mandate to bring God's kingdom to earth. Bishop Jackson has a successful track record of growing churches and discipling believers. He hasn't strayed into liberal theology, and his integrity is above reproach.
Bishop Jackson also defies stereotypes. An African-American "bishop," he embodies the best—not the worst—of what that usually implies. He has solid conservative values when many African-American preachers just flow with liberal Democrats. But while conservative Republicans trust him and work closely with him, he doesn't join their ranks. He's a conservative Democrat who speaks boldly in the corridors of power about right and wrong, good and evil, and trust and betrayal.
On a personal basis, I have gotten to know and trust him over the years—first at networking meetings of leaders where I became impressed with his verbal contributions. I noticed that like the old E.F. Hutton commercials, when Bishop Jackson spoke, others listened. read more
“I AM AMERICA” SINGER KRISTA BRANCH
TO PERFORM AT LIBERTY FORUM FEB. 25
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Feb. 21) –
Singer Krista Branch, who gained notoriety when her underground Tea Party hit,
“I Am America,” went viral on YouTube, will perform at the Chattanooga Tea
Party’s Liberty Forum event Saturday, February 25, at Abba’s House in Hixson.
The event will run from 1 to 4 p.m. with Krista performing a “mini-concert”
prior to the start as well as singing during the event.
Krista has sung at tea
party rallies and concerts around the nation and appeared on “Fox &
Friends,” “The O'Reilly Factor” and other programs. Her song, "I Am America,"
was the official song of the Herman Cain campaign.
Krista developed her
love for music at a young age, singing at a small church in east Texas. Krista
now lives in Nashville, Tennessee where she is working on an upcoming album. She
takes pride in being a devoted wife, mother, patriot and woman of deep
faith.
In addition to Krista,
the event will feature GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum and local, state
and federal candidates and officials, who will address their vision for each of
the different levels of government. The
CTP will also offer refreshments to celebrate the tea party movement’s
3rd Anniversary.
Although there will be
no cost to attend the event, donations will be welcomed to help defray costs.
The CTP also asks
attendees to bring food donations, which will be collected for the Chattanooga
Area Food Bank.
The Chattanooga Tea
Party is a non-partisan grassroots organization seeking to educate and inform
its members and the public at large of the fundamental issues and struggles our
country is facing. We are committed to energizing voters to become engaged in
the process of solving the nation’s problems.
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASECONTACT: Mark West, President
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.chattanoogateaparty.com
SANTORUM HEADLINES TEA PARTY’S THIRD
ANNIVERSARY LIBERTY FORUM FEB. 25
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Feb. 16) –
Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum will headline the Chattanooga
Tea Party’s Liberty Forum on Saturday, February 25. The forum, which celebrates
the tea party movement’s third anniversary, will offer citizens a chance to
listen to and question candidates and leaders in national, state and local
government offices.
Santorum was one of
several invited presidential candidates and first to accept.
The event will run
from 1p.m. to 4p.m. and will be hosted at Abba’s House, at 5208 Hixson Pike in
Hixson, TN.
“We already have more
than 20 confirmed officials and candidates at every level of government. Senator
Santorum’s decision is just icing on our anniversary cake,” said Chattanooga Tea
Party President Mark West.
Santorum currently
leads in several national polls of GOP candidates. The former U.S. Senator from
Pennsylvania is well known for his commitment to traditional conservative and
family values, and he helped author and pass key reforms, such as the landmark
Welfare Reform Act.
In addition to
Santorum, confirmed attendees include US Congressman Chuck Fleischmann and
3rd District challengers, Weston Wamp and Jean Howard Hill; State
Senator Bo Watson, State Representatives Vince Dean and Richard Floyd, State
Rep. candidate Mike Carter; County Mayor Jim Coppinger and County Commissioners
Larry Henry, Tim Boyd, Joe Graham and
Mitch McClure, challenger Marty Haynes; Sheriff Jim Hammond, County Trustee Bill
Hullander; City Council members Carol Berz, Pam Ladd, Andrae McGary, Peter
Murphy and Manny Rico; School Board members Mike Evatt, David Testerman and
Rhonda Thurman; and U.S. Senatorial candidate Zack
Poscevich.
Select speakers will
address their vision for each of the different levels of government and there
will be an opportunity for voters to interact with candidates and elected
officials. The CTP will also offer
refreshments to celebrate the tea party movement’s 3rd
Anniversary.
“We launched our local
group with a tax-day tea party event April 15, 2009,” West said. “Our event was one of 900 tea
parties that day, a dramatic increase from the 50 tea parties on the first
nationwide tea party event held six weeks earlier on February 27, 2009. Most of us who first met in early 2009 to prepare for that
rally are still involved and contributing to our citizen activism. We’ve become
close friends. And our focus has never wavered from demanding that federal,
state and local governments adhere to their constitutional foundations, follow
fiscal conservatism, and support free markets. We are pleased to be joining with
ElectionDayTeaParty.com and dozens of other Tea Party groups around the nation
in celebrating our movement’s anniversary.”
Although there will be
no cost to attend the event, donations will be welcomed to help defray
costs.
The Chattanooga Tea
Party is a non-partisan grassroots organization seeking to educate and inform
its members and the public at large of the fundamental issues and struggles our
country is facing. We are committed to energizing voters to become engaged in
the process of solving the nation’s problems.
