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Church Growth Movement: An Analysis of Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Growth Strategy
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The following article by Dennis Costella is from Foundation Magazine, March-April 1998 (Fundamental Evangelistic Association, 1476 W. Herndon, Suite 104 Fresno, CA, 559-438-0080, http://www.feasite.org/Info/fbcprice.htm) --
After personally covering the Saddleback Community Church "Building a Purpose-Driven Church" seminar held in Southern California this past January, it became clear to me that some of today's most influential religious leaders misunderstand and misrepresent the true purpose of the church today. Dr. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Community Church and director of the "Building a Purpose-Driven Church" workshops, has influenced thousands of churches during the last decade that are interested in the "Church Growth Movement." Without doubt, every church in the United States must give, or has already had to give, an answer to the strategies of building a superchurch. Sadly, many have already jumped on board. The possibility of dynamic growth for struggling churches, especially old-fashioned, Bible-believing, Bible-preaching fundamental churches, is tremendously appealing. However, it is imperative to ask this question: "What actually must be done in order to accomplish dynamic church growth?" We must warn about Rick Warren's unbiblical answer to that question.
The purpose of this report is not to warn or challenge mainline denominational churches or middle-of-the-road evangelical churches to accept Biblical principles regarding church growth and to gain a proper understanding of the very nature of the church. No, these groups are already committed to a course of compromise. It is not surprising that the vast majority of liberal and New Evangelical churches today readily fall for the superchurch growth strategy, for they vehemently reject Bible separation and have long since adopted theologies and ministries that do not insist upon contending for the Faith or for the inerrancy of Scripture. The Biblical counsel we would give to one who might find himself in such a church is to come out of it and follow the Lord's leading to a solid, Bible-believing, Bible-preaching, separated and militantly fundamental church.
The purpose of this report is, however, to exhort and encourage those churches that are attempting to maintain a strong, fundamentalist testimony. Our burden is for churches that are trying to stay true to the Lord and have experienced little or no growth through the years as a result of their stand for the truth. The temptation to incorporate some of the techniques of the dynamic church growth model is great. Who does not want to reach more people, draw a larger crowd or be more effective in ministry? Nevertheless, the question that every Bible-believing Christian and fundamentalist pastor should ask is "What must be sacrificed in order to gain more members and become a 'superchurch'?" After observing and evaluating the Saddleback Seminar, we firmly believe that if the "Purpose-Driven Church" model is to be followed, then fidelity to the Lord and His Word must be sacrificed in order to gain the numbers. It is important to note, however, that Warren does not say a church must be huge in order for it to be vital or healthy; rather, he believes that a church's health can be equated to its dynamic growth.
So what are some of the changes that must take place for a local assembly to adopt the growth strategy of the Saddleback model? From our understanding of the plan which was clearly spelled out at the seminar, the following must occur in order to transform a traditionally-styled church of any size into one that can boast dramatic growth:
* A contemporary-styled "Seeker Service" aimed at drawing in the unsaved and the unchurched from the community must replace the traditional Sunday worship service. To do this successfully, the church service must be non-threatening, familiar and comfortable to the "seeker" (the unsaved visitor).
* The dress must be casual. The typical "Saddleback Sam" (a researched composite of the unchurched yuppie commonly found in Saddleback Church's surrounding community) dresses up for work all week, and he wants to "dress down" on the weekends. (As we shall see throughout this article, Saddleback Sam's likes and dislikes are what determine the style of the church service.) Attendees and church staff alike shun any ties, suits and dresses. Warren, dressed in a casual shirt, khakis and loafers told his seminar audience, "Get comfortable. This is as dressed up as I get in this church. My idea of winter is I put on socks, and obviously I don't think it's winter yet."
* The music must be contemporary. Not only must the lyrics of the music be more recent, but the style of music should be that which the unsaved hears on a daily basis. The entertainment composite of the Saddleback sound system, band, singers and presentation would rival that of any secular rock concert. Warren stated that one of the first things a church should do is "replace the organ with a band." But he went on to say that if a band was not feasible, then at least a church could purchase a keyboard that will incorporate midi disks in order to give the sound of a band. Furthermore, the purpose of the church choir should be "backing up the soloist. That's the 90's way to use a choir rather than just having them sing."
* The message must be only positive. We consider this to be the most flagrant flaw. Yes, the saved and unsaved alike can feel better about themselves after a message that often mixes psychology and an uplifting Scripture text. Such topics as dealing with guilt, self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, mood enhancement or motivation for success will encourage the worldly, weary individual. But what is God's command to the faithful undershepherd of the flock? Far, far different.
* The ministries of the church must be geared to meeting the needs and special interests of the thousands who attend. Support groups for depression, eating disorders, infertility, family and friends of homosexuals, post abortion, and separated men and women were abundant. Many ministries were intended to bring together ones with similar business or professional interests, common recreational interests and so on. We could not find one single ministry listed in Saddleback Community Church's bulletin that involved the taking the Gospel message out to the lost in the community. In fact, Warren scoffed at the idea of passing out tracts or going door-to-door since "Saddleback Sam" is offended by such old-fashion, out-moded forms of evangelism.
* Doctrinal instruction is not given to the church as a whole on the Lord's Day. Despite the fact that the early church clearly sets forth the example that doctrine is to be taught on Sunday to all the church body, at Saddleback, doctrine is only taught to sub-groups of the congregation apart from the regular church services. Warren emphasized Saddleback's strategy of moving new members "around the bases" by having interested Christians take special classes to prepare them for service. Although Bible study groups also meet together, our question is this: Why is not the pulpit used to proclaim the "whole counsel of God" to the whole congregation assembled before it on the Lord's Day (Acts 20:20-31)? Why make serious, systematic Bible instruction an option, heard only by the relatively few in the crowd who desire to "round the next base"? The whole counsel of God is to be proclaimed, to all seated before the pulpit, all the time!
* A spirit of compromise must prevail in the church that is to experience dynamic growth. The embrace of contemporary culture and style will most assuredly set the desired mood that totally opposes the Biblical mandate to earnestly contend for the faith and separate from error. What works, what is least offensive and what is positive and uplifting is what should define the ministry, according to Warren. The church leaders who are interested in dynamic growth must embrace the attitude that says, "Don't try to tell me the Bible requires holiness and a style for worship and ministry that is different from that of the world." This "grace-in-your-face" attitude is so prevalent today because of church elders who are not willing, or not aware of how, to instruct ones to behave in the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15).
Rick Warren began the seminar by revealing the vast influence his message has had throughout the world. He told the pastors and church leaders who were attending the seminar, "You're joining a group today of over 45,000 pastors and church leaders that have gone through this conference in the last few years from about 42 different countries, from about 63 different denominations. We have a number of different countries that flew in today just for this one day conference, from Europe, from Asia, from South America." To accent the ecumenical mood of the seminar, Warren later suggested, "It really doesn't matter your denomination, folks. We're all on the same team if you love Jesus."
Warren's book The Purpose Driven Church and the related publications of Saddleback's literature ministry have influenced tens of thousands more who have never attended any of his seminars. As Warren indicated in a closing prayer, the impact of the Saddleback experience is extensive, to say the least: "Thank you that there is a movement, a stealth movement, that's flying beneath the radar, that's changing literally hundreds, even thousands of churches around the world." It is necessary for the faithful believer today to be wary of any "stealth" (camouflaged, secretive) program intended to fly "beneath the radar" in order to avoid detection. For many years now the church growth movement has certainly flown into congregations undetected by thousands of churches worldwide. The onslaught must be detected, the warning must be sounded now!
This report will identify and analyze the programs suggested by the Saddleback Community Church model and will ascertain whether or not this model is consistent with what the Bible says concerning the nature, purpose and strategy of the church. Although Saddleback Community Church is one of the largest churches in America (comparable to Bill Hybels' Willow Creek Community Church), the believer must not take a pragmatic approach to church growth. While the contemporary strategies of worship and ministry employed by both Warren and Hybels seem to be successful (according to the world's standards) and do indeed attract thousands of saved and unsaved alike, results do not determine what is acceptable to the Lord -- only God's Word reveals if their methods please Him.
One of the primary problems with the Saddleback approach is that all traditional, conservative forms of music, worship and decorum in the church are abolished and subsequently replaced with new methods and styles designed after the world. The programs of this new "superchurch" are aimed at making the unsaved, or the "seeker," feel comfortable and entertained and at meeting his temporal needs. Some Christians feel that any method of worship and evangelism is appropriate as long as the lost are being reached for Christ. Thus, they have accepted a pragmatic view of worship and evangelism -- the end justifies the means; if it works, it must be right. But believers and pastors alike must ask, "Is the proper way in which God's people approach unto their Lord in corporate worship relative?"
The goal of the superchurch is to draw a crowd so that the crowds will, eventually, be saved and worked into the church membership. Furthermore, the core ministry of the church allows for the abandonment of everything "traditional" that would in any way appear to be offensive to the neighborhood "seeker." Are godly pastors and believers to fashion their style of service after the comforts of the unsaved "seeker," or could it be that Romans 12:2 is at least somewhat applicable to the church today? God's Word clearly says, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Rick Warren's Saddleback church growth model seems to totally contradict this portion of Scripture.
This report will also make reference to the Saddleback model, as presented in the workshop, and discern whether or not God does indeed have something to say concerning the way in which believers should worship and minister. From our admittedly fundamentalist perspective, we believe that the Bible does have something to say about the style, as well as the content, of the church service. The Scriptures speak very clearly about the way in which God's people are to approach unto their God, both by way of principle and type from the Old Testament and also apostolic directive in the New Testament.
Before making our observations regarding the sessions we attended, it is needful to point out that Rick Warren has been trained as a Southern Baptist and obviously knows the Bible extremely well. He is a personable individual who is a skilled communicator of his ideas. Warren mentioned that when he developed these concepts as a young man in seminary, no one paid attention to him. However, now that the strategy obviously works, he has an extensive and eager audience. One cannot help but enjoy his presentation, even though the aftertaste is far less pleasant when more careful consideration is given to what was actually said or implied. Many of his suggestions were indeed helpful, but the main thrust of his church growth model is certainly questionable in light of God's Word.
Warren encouraged his seminar attendees to view Saddleback Church as a model for their respective ministries and to use as much or as little of his strategy as they deemed worthwhile. He also said, however, that unless the main aspects of the program were incorporated (the contemporary style and positive-only content of the message, music and program) then the resultant growth would be something far less than dynamic.
Warren's plans for motivating the people, charting an organizational structure for ministry and developing a marketing strategy for building a superchurch are much like what one would hear in a secular management training seminar. In fact, during an intermission this was even mentioned in a conversation with corporate businessmen who were also in attendance. The same techniques that are used to build the base of support for a business can also be used to build a ministry's clientele. What is the key? One must provide a product that will meet the real or perceived needs of the consuming public. For Saddleback Community Church, that meant they had to determine via a survey the needs of the Saddleback community at large and then provide programs at the church to meet those needs. As a result of the survey, a composite "Saddleback Sam," or unsaved church seeker, was defined, and the style and programs of the church were then redefined to meet his needs. Hence, the ministries (support and special interest groups, recreational fellowships, etc.) and the style and content of the "Seeker Service" were aimed at making the typical "Saddleback Sam" feel comfortable, helped and encouraged.
Obviously, some are skeptical of Rick Warren's novel approach to church growth, and Warren is certainly aware of such individuals. He employed effective techniques to disarm his critics by first shooting down a "straw man" representing an exaggerated example of the critic's position or by using humorous one-liners to side-step the criticism before his own proposition was advanced. For example, he advanced the replacement of traditional hymns and musical accompaniment with contemporary Christian rock songs and backup bands that accentuated the driving beat enjoyed by the unsaved with the following reasons:
First, Warren made it clear that loud, raucous music with a driving beat is the kind of music to which Saddleback residents listened, inside and outside of the church:
Now, at Saddleback Church, we are unapologetically contemporary... I passed out a three-by-five card to everybody in the church, and I said, "You write down the call letters of the radio station you listen to." I wasn't even asking unbelievers. I was asking the people in the church, "What kind of music do you listen to?" When I got it back, I didn't have one person who said, "I listen to organ music." Not one. I didn't have a single person who said, "I listen to huge choirs on the radio." Not one. In fact, it was 96-97% adult contemporary, middle-of-the-road pop. It wasn't heavy metal rock, but it was something with a beat like you hear most commercials have today on television. So, we made a strategic decision that we are unapologetically a contemporary music church. And right after we made that decision and stopped trying to please everybody, Saddleback exploded with growth. Now, I'll be honest with you, we are loud. We are really, really loud on a weekend service.... I say, "We're not gonna turn it down." Now the reason why is baby boomers want to feel the music, not just hear it. Now, I can give you two dozen really good churches within driving distance that are my friends, we're in small groups together, that don't have it as loud as us. Go there. Why should every church have the same music? ... People can find that God loves variety!
The bottom line of his philosophy is this: What is popular in the community, whatever style of music currently has the ear of "Saddleback Sam," must be the music of the church. Church leaders can try to mix the contemporary with the traditional in the same service, or even in separate services, but Warren said doing so would be "like kissing your sister. You could do it, but who'd want to?" His humorous concluding statement cleverly serves to divert the attention away from the larger issue at hand -- allowing the world to determine the type of music that belongs in the house of God.
Second, Warren equated insisting upon the use of traditional music in the church to the sin of idolatry. He said,
You see folks, to insist that all good music came from Europe 200 years ago is thinly veiled racism, if you want to be truthful about it. It's cultural elitism saying that all the good music was written 200 years ago in Europe.... Now for 2,000 years, the Holy Spirit has used all kinds of music. And to insist that one particular style of music is more sacred than the other, there's a word for that. It's called idolatry. Idolatry.
This statement is an example of one of Warren's straw men, for the use of eighteenth-century hymns is not the issue. The question at hand is whether music intended to appeal to the flesh should be used in the church. Much fine and worshipful music penned in this present century is being used in Bible-believing churches today. Style is the issue here, not the century in which the songs were written. The words or message are not what get the place "rocking" on Saturday evening or Sunday morning; it is the arrangement and the orchestration.
Warren claims the Bible says nothing regarding the style of music, only its content. But if the unsaved and saved alike are attracted to a church by its style of music, then how can such a response (which is obviously based upon a fleshly appeal) possibly communicate a message that will edify the spiritual inner man? Can a response of the flesh produce a truly spiritual effect within? Study Galatians 5:16-26 and see if there is not a contradiction of forces at work here. Reverence in praising God will never appeal to the unregenerate, but it certainly will prepare the believer for worshipping God "in the beauty of holiness" (1 Chron. 16:29) and receiving "with meekness the engrafted word" (Jas. 1:21).
Third, Warren's supposed Biblical justification for using contemporary music is sorely deficient. Warren told his audience,
The Bible says in Psalm 40:3, "He put a new song in my mouth; many people will see this and worship Him. Then they will trust the Lord." Notice the parallel or the correlation between music, worship, and evangelism. It says, "Then they will trust the Lord." Now there's a word that I want you to circle in that sentence; it's the word N-E-W. The same old tired songs are not gonna reach anybody...but a new song says, "God is doing something new in our midst."
Dear reader, to what is the psalmist referring when he uses the term new? First of all, remember that Warren said the Bible has absolutely nothing to say about the style of music or worship, so according to his own logic, this verse cannot possibly refer to a contemporary, "new" melody or current lyrics. No, David is talking about the new song that comes forth from one of God's redeemed saints. The Holy Spirit touches the heart of the believer to respond by song in a way the unsaved can never experience, much less desire; this spiritual song is not something the unbeliever can "get into." If the Lord is to be worshipped "in spirit and in truth" (Jn. 4:24), then only those who have been washed in the Blood can truly sing this "new" song. Warren intimates that the unsaved are turned off by the "golden oldies," the "blasts from the past," as he refers to the old hymns. When a believer stops to think about it, the unbeliever's dislike for hymns is understandable. The songs of worship and praise for the Lord obviously only appeal to the spirit of the regenerated man (Rom. 8:16) because the focus is upon the Lord, not man's flesh. If believers cannot see an unreconcilable dichotomy between fleshly and spiritual music, then further study on the holiness of God is advised.
What does Warren say regarding those in the church who oppose the switch from conservative to contemporary in order to bring in the crowds? He stated in no uncertain terms that the old stalwarts would have to go:
Be willing to let people leave the church. And I told you earlier the fact that people are gonna leave the church no matter what you do. But when you define the vision, you're choosing who leaves. You say, "But Rick, yes, they're the pillars of the church." Now, you know what pillars are. Pillars are people who hold things up ... And in your church, you may have to have some blessed subtractions before you have any real additions.
How terribly sad! We have heard from many dear, godly, older saints (and some discerning younger believers as well!) who are heartsick about what happened to their churches after the leaders attended Saddleback seminars. Invariably, these now-dispensable saints have a spiritual maturity and an awareness of Bible truth that is obvious. Yet, instead of their church recognizing the place and blessedness of such believers in the local body of Christ (see Titus 2:1-15), they are brushed off to the side, told to come only to the "more traditional" mid-week service or frankly told to move on and find another church. Because Warren is located in the Southern California area, he mentioned that he often refers others (either visitors or dissenters) to such churches as Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral or Jack Hayford's Church on the Way.
No doubt Warren has been criticized by denominational leaders who recoil at his strong suggestion that denominational "labels" should be abolished (thus, Saddleback Community Church, the People's Church, Willow Creek Community Church, etc.). This is common to ecumenical endeavors which minimize doctrinal differences. Warren feels that terms like Baptist, Bible, Presbyterian, etc. might unduly offend some or unnecessarily narrow the group of those who would visit:
The unchurched hang-ups determine our strategy....We found a hang-up about denominational labels. I went out. I went door to door and said, "What do you think of when I say 'Southern Baptist'?" They said, "You don't want to know." ...So, we chose a neutral name. Why? Well, it wasn't a theological decision, a compromise. It was an evangelistic strategy decision because we wanted to reach out.
Interestingly, Warren worked into his presentation the fact that the Southern Baptist traditionalists evidently smile on his approach. Notice what he said concerning his meeting with several Southern Baptist notables:
Once a year the pastors of the twenty-five largest Southern Baptist churches get together, and we hole up in a hotel for two or three days and just talk about our churches. All these churches are running at least 2,000 in attendance. And it's people like Adrian Rodgers and Charles Stanley and Ed Young and just all kinds of guys you may have heard or may have never heard of....we were sitting in a room together with all these people, and they said, "Rick, take a couple hours and just tell us about Saddleback. What's going on?" Sitting catty-corner to me -- I was a little nervous about this -- sitting catty-corner to me was Dr. W. A. Criswell....for two hours I'm just telling what's going on at Saddleback. And here's W. A. Criswell in his seventies taking notes as fast as he could, writing things down, writing things down. And I walked out of there, and I started crying. I was so humbled by that experience, and I realized why he was a great man. He'd never stopped learning.
This account was not given to merely express Warren's humility; it was to authenticate his church growth strategy by revealing that the respected experts, the "denominational giants," accepted his methods. Furthermore, this was a subtle hint to his audience that if even W. A. Criswell felt he needed to learn from Warren on how to minister and grow a superchurch, then certainly each of the 3,500 church leaders attending the seminar also needed to take careful notes. Rick Warren made it expressly known that if one wants growth, dynamic growth, then he must do it this "Saddleback" way, but if that person decides to stay in the conservative, traditional mode, his ministry and church will wither on the vine.
The church growth/church marketing strategy has had a great impact upon the churches of this land and around the world, and it will be even much more pervasive in the days ahead. What church does not want to grow -- dramatically and dynamically!? In this article, we are not trying to question the motives of those who design and those who adopt dynamic church growth methods. It is the methods themselves that we condemn. Warren candidly said,
The unchurched culture determines our style. We're laid back Southern California. We're just a few miles from the beach, so we have a laid back Southern California style....Regardless of the style you choose, you're going to be criticized. Okay? So, the key question is, "Who are you trying to impress?" The unchurched populations determine our goals.
Are we to seek to impress the world? Is the world to determine the strategy of the church? Christ warned that the world would hate the church, not admire it (Jn. 15:18). The Word, not the world, is to determine the strategy of the church.
Even though Warren would probably protest this observation, the fact remains the same -- the message, not just the methods, dramatically changes when one employs the purpose-driven church strategy. The Bible commands that the "whole counsel of God" be preached in the church; that necessarily includes preaching the negative as well as the positive and having a pulpit ministry that obeys God's call to equip the saints to go out into the world and to be "ambassadors for Christ" in reaching the lost in the community. A "feel-good message" appealing to saint and seeker alike does not fulfill God's command to "contend for the faith," "reprove, rebuke and exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine" and "warn of the wolves in sheep's clothing." Where in the Bible does it say the church's ministry is to meeting the psychological, emotional and interpersonal relationship needs of the unsaved? Such a philosophy cannot be found in God's Word.
The traditional church service has tried to equip the saint for service and witness and to foster a spirit of reverence in the worship and adoration of the Lord. We believe there is Biblical justification for this design, or "style," of worship. Warren says that if one wants dynamic growth, he must choose between the traditional or the inventive, contemporary, user-friendly church like that of Saddleback Community. Our concern is that thousands are indeed opting for the latter, and we believe the Bible gives us some reasons why that choice is wrong.
A quote from John Moffat's book All Truth God's Truth? seems to be particularly fitting for the Saddleback strategy of designing the church's service after the contemporary worldly context:
I can imagine Nadab and Abihu talking before the early worship service in the wilderness. One says to the other, "All fire is God's fire. God made all fire; therefore it is all of Him." Or while Moses was up on Mount Sinai, the children of Israel could have said to Aaron, "All worship of god is God's worship." These analogies have the same deceptive sound of being logical at first glance, but they are full of the same ambiguity and deceit as the expression "all truth is God's truth."
Rick Warren made the statement, "I don't think God cares two bits about your style of worship as long as it's in spirit and in truth." Is he correct? The terms spirit and truth must first be defined in a Biblical context. When worshipping the Lord, man's spirit is to be moved only by the Holy Spirit of God (not his _esh); furthermore, worship is to be in truth which means it can only be defined according to what God's Holy Word says (not what man says). The Bible says that worship is to be practiced in holiness and reverence -- these qualities of "style" are not subjective! If the methods of worship were totally relative to the individual, then the demonstration of "spirit" and "truth" in worship would mean absolutely nothing -- there would be no way to distinguish the church from the social institutions of the unregenerate world. No, the Bible says the people of God are to be holy, as He is holy. They are to be a "peculiar people," "a light set upon the hill"; they are noticeably different from the world. Thus, Warren's statement is not correct; God does indeed care about one's "style" in worship and methodology. Our worship is to be patterned after the likeness of Christ Himself and in accordance with the principles set forth in the eternal, unalterable Word of Truth.
First Chronicles 16:29 says, "Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." Is "holiness" subjective to the individual? Absolutely not -- only God is holy; therefore, the characteristics of holiness are found in the Lord, not man. Many examples and direct statements in God's Word guide the believer in his worship and in his witness away from the course of this present evil age. The qualifications of holiness are invariably different from the world; thus, holy worship includes both reverence and separation from a worldly style.
Notice the New Testament counterpart for the Lord's people in the church: 1 Timothy 6:11-14 says,
But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God... That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
First Peter 1:13-19 and Peter 2:5, 9 furthermore provide believers in the Church Age with commands that must be considered when defining purpose:
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: [NOT stylizing our current walk after the former unsaved, worldly walk] But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear.... Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Who comprises the local church? The church is to meet together on the Lord's Day, the first day of the week; we find that the local New Testament church consisted of believers who met together for worship, fellowship, instruction and edification. First Corinthians 3:16-17 tells us that the church is the temple of God. When believers gather together as a local church, they must view themselves as the dwelling place of God and must realize that it is a place where man and God meet together for fellowship. The local body of believers, the church, is the temple of the all-holy God.
Ephesians 4:11-12 clearly shows that God gave individual leaders of the local church (pastors and teachers) special gifts for a particular purpose -- "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." The local church is not an organization that is ordained by God to conform to the world in order to reach the lost. No, the purpose of the local church is to worship God, to grow in His grace and knowledge and to train the individual believers in the Word so that they might better reach the lost for Christ and be a testimony to the world. They are to be different from the world -- patterned after Christ -- not imitating or conforming to the world.
One of the most revealing slogans used by Warren to show what must occur in any church in order for growth to result is this: "Never confuse the method with the message. The message must never change, but the methods must change!" Is it true that Saddleback Community Church has not changed its proclamation to the thousands assembled beneath its pulpit? What about Willowcreek Community Church and other contemporary, dynamic-growth ministries? No, these mega-churches have indeed changed the message -- they have departed significantly from the Biblical mandate regarding the declaration of the whole counsel of God to be proclaimed by the elders/pastors of the faithful New Testament church. The message has clearly changed, and Warren's own words prove it:
Read Scripture from a newer translation. And as you read that Scripture, realize that you're trying to pick out Scriptures that appeal especially to baby boomers. And try to find Scriptures that specifically relate to the benefits that Christ can bring into a person's life. They've never heard the Scripture before, so try to pick positive Scriptures that talk about the benefits of Christ... you want to pick out Scriptures that are very positive.
Choosing only "positive texts" to preach on the Lord's Day (or on Saturday evenings for those churches that desire to make the services more "convenient") and using only "positive texts" to define the purposes of the church (of the 41 "verses that relate to the purposes of the church" listed in the seminar workbook, none were included which dealt with insistence upon warning, doctrine, etc.; none were from Acts 20, Romans 16, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, 2 Peter, Jude or Revelation) result in a glaring deficiency in one's message. Vitally important texts dealing specifically with the church's doctrine, message and ministry must be ignored in order to maintain positive-only preaching. Indeed, the message does change!
Notice the following quote from a revealing essay entitled "Does Theology Still Matter?" by Gary L. W. Johnson in the book The Coming Evangelical Crisis:
Although most of today's professing evangelicals would acknowledge that theology, in some sense of the word, does matter, a recent survey in Christianity Today revealed that this is more lip service than anything else. According to this survey...theology, in any sense of the word, is really not all that important to the very people to whom it should matter most: those in the pew and in the pulpit. Both groups listed theological knowledge as last in terms of pastoral priorities....We are sadly experiencing, on a rather large scale, a subjectivism that betrays its weakened hold on the objective truth and reality of Christianity by its neglect or even renunciation of its distinctive objective character....Men...really wish to have a creedless Christianity. "Creeds," they shout, "are divisive things; away with them!"...Where does this leave us? An undogmatic Christianity is no Christianity at all. (Moody Press, 1996, pp. 58, 66, 67)
What does the Bible say about the purpose of the church worship service and what the faithful pastor must preach to the "crowd" (as Warren describes it) that assembles each Sunday? No doubt Saddleback Church leaders would be quick to point out that the four Christian education classes available to the congregation do deal with doctrine. However, the Bible is clear that doctrine is to be faithfully proclaimed on the Lord's Day through the pulpit ministry of the pastors/elders. Providing optional training, apart from the instruction given from the pulpit, cannot side-step what God intends the public church service to be.
The Saddleback seminar said that only positive Bible texts should be used from the pulpit, but God's Word says something quite different. The apostle Paul had very straightforward directives for the elders of the Ephesian church regarding their ministry, and the same is essential today. Acts 20:20-31 says,
... I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.... For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
Was the apostle's instruction negative? Yes, but certainly also necessary! Many of the duties that the Lord requires of faithful pastors and teachers are found in texts that were "overlooked" by the Saddleback workbook. Whatever text came across as negative was obviously passed over. Another such text is Titus 1:3-11:
[God] hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour.... For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: ... [Hold] fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers [those who contradict or speak against the truth of God]. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped....
Second Timothy 3:16-4:5 gives further instruction regarding the purpose for the church; this text was also ignored by Saddleback's dynamic growth strategy:
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers [those who will not practice the above], having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
Are you identified with a church that is led by faithful undershepherds who are committed to obeying these commands? Are they willing to contend for the faith and warn their people - from the pulpit? Or is it a "positive-only" message? We must stand only with those willing to obey these essentials for faithful ministry.
The Saddleback strategy is, again, to design the weekend "Seeker Service," the programs and the support ministries of the church in order to attract the unsaved in the community. According to the strategy, the "seeker" must want to come to church; therefore, the services must be designed in such a way that he will be comfortable, entertained and find the answers to his problems as he perceives them. Warren teaches that the ministry of the church must be stylized after those things to which the unsaved are accustomed -- whether that style includes the language used, the music performed, the casual attire worn or even the message proclaimed from the pulpit. The character, the style and the contemporary interests of the unregenerate community are what determine the makeup, the appearance and the content of the weekend services.
The following comments by Rick Warren reveal Saddleback's "Biblical" justification for making the church "user friendly" to the unsaved:
Now Paul's evangelism strategy was this: 1 Corinthians 9 -- "To the Jew I became like a Jew to win the Jews. In the same way with the Gentiles, I became like a Gentile in order to win the Gentiles. I have become all things to all men that I may save some of them by any means possible." He's saying, "Adapt to the situation God puts you in." Today, he'd say, "When in Southern California, become like a Southern Californian to reach Southern Californians."
Let us take a closer look at this portion of Scripture found in 1 Corinthians 9. First, the apostle is not defining in this text the purpose and character of the worship service of the local church. Instead, this discourse is the personal testimony of Paul, the evangelistically-minded missionary, as he took the message of Christ to the lost in their respective communities, cultures and circumstances. Second, the "assembling together of the saints" on the first day of the week, Sunday, was for the purpose of being built up in the faith, of giving attendance to the "reading [of the Scriptures], to exhortation [the charge to continue in God's truth], to doctrine [the teaching of 'all the counsel of God']" -- 1 Timothy 4:13.
The overwhelming volume of instruction in the epistles was given to the elders of the churches and to ones such as Timothy and Titus who were to "set in order the things which are wanting" (Titus 1:5). This apostolic instruction had to do with what the Christian was to believe and how he was to "behave [himself] in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Tim. 3:15). For Warren to suggest that the church's purpose is to provide common ground for the "seeker" and present him only positive Biblical texts that speak to his emotional, psychological and inter-personal "needs" is absolutely ludicrous! The pastor is to preach the Word - all of It - or It ceases to be "the pillar and ground of the truth"!
The purpose of 1 Corinthians 9 is not to define the church's worship service, but rather it details the resolute purpose and godly motivation of the apostle Paul to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all, Jew and Gentile, bond or free, regardless of the ethnic, cultural or social standing the lost might have. Paul had no target group! All needed to be saved, and he dedicated himself to going out to meet the lost in their situation, but never at the expense of being anything less than what God called him to be, and that was to be "holy, even as I [God] am holy." Second Corinthians 5:14-21 confirms Paul's selfless, evangelistic purpose:
For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: [Christ died for all; all need to be saved; we seek to win all] ... Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Paul was willing to be a servant to all so that he might present Christ to all, regardless of their station in life (vv. 19, 20). He went out; he did not stylize a "seeker service" to lure unbelievers in. The walk of the believer is to be distinctly different from that of the world; it is not to mirror the walk of the world (Eph. 2:1-3).
No, Paul did not become like the unsaved with respect to their lifestyle nor address their desires to meet their perceived "needs" of the flesh! He was still ministering "under the law to Christ" (v. 21) and kept his body under the control of the Holy Spirit of God (vv. 24-27). The difference was that he was willing to be "a servant," to do what he could to gain a hearing. No one was beneath any social or educational constraints. No one was off limits due to their ethnic or cultural differences. To the philosophers on Mars hill, Paul used their idolatry and superstitions as a springboard to tell them of the "unknown God" that they ignorantly worshipped; he preached to them Christ crucified and risen again (Acts 17:22-34). The Gospel testimony in the pagan city of Ephesus did not result in the church being patterned after the predominate culture of the community -- the temple of Diana. No, the proclamation of Christ ruined the business of the ungodly, and changed lives resulted in a changed culture, not a changed church (Acts 19:21 ff). Another example of this willingness to subjugate personal liberty to win the lost is found in the advice given by the apostles at Jerusalem in Acts 15. Even the Gentile converts living among unsaved Jews were to be "under the law" in the sense that they would not eat that which would be offensive to the Jews they were trying to reach with the Gospel (Acts 15:25-29). "Style" of ministry is not the issue here.
The church is to evangelize, but in such a way that the Biblical purpose for the church is not compromised. Saddleback's strategy is deficient and dangerous.
copyright 2013, Way of Life Literature
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text:
Q: enforce enum serialization with a spring jpa projection? Say I have the following JPA entity, with an enum field ON/OFF mapped to an SQL enum("on", "off").
@Entity
public class Process {
    @Id
    private Long Id;
    @Convert(converter = StatusConverter.class)
    private Status status;

    // getter/setter omitted
}

public enum Status {
    ON("on"),
    OFF("off");

    private final String status;

    Status(String status) {
        this.status = status;
    }

    // JSON (de)serialization
    @JsonCreator
    public static Status decode(String status) {
        return valueOf(status.toUpperCase());
    }

    @JsonValue
    public getStatus() {
        return status;
    }

    // DAO layer conversion
    public String toDatabaseColumn() {
        return this.name().toLowerCase();
    }
}

@Converter
public class StatusConverter implements AttributeConverter<Status, String> {
    @Override
    public String convertToDatabaseColumn(Status attribute) {
        return attribute.toDatabaseColumn();
    }

    @Override
    public Status convertToEntityAttribute(String dbData) {
        return Status.decode(dbData);
    }
}

// Spring JPA projection
public interface ProcessSummary {
    String getStatus();
}

// a minimalist JPA repository
public interface ProcessRepository extends Repository<Process, Long> {
    <T> T findById(Long id, Class<T> type;
}

If I use repository.findById(1L, Process.class) in a REST controller, both the DAO layer conversion and the JSON serialization work as expected :

*

*my database record has its status set to on

*it is mapped to the Java Status.ON

*the entity is serialized as

    {
        "status" : "on"
    }

But if I use repository.findById(1L, ProcessSummary.class) instead, the entity is serialized as
    {
        "status" : "ON"
    }

How can I get the same result when using a projection as target type? Is it possible with a projection, or should I try something else (a DTO class maybe)?

A: Sorry folks, it was just me and a textbook case of of PEBKAC :)
The getStatus() method in the interface MUST return a Status, not a String.
public interface ProcessSummary {
    String getStatus();
}

does what it's asked: converts the enum to a String, hence Status.ON is serialized as "ON", while
public interface ProcessSummary {
    Status getStatus();
}

indeed uses the @JsonValue annotated method and serializes Status.ON as "on".

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The US president has spent over 40 days of his six months in office at his private golf resorts.
With 132 rooms, 32 bathrooms, in-house movie theatre, bowling alley, swimming pool, tennis court, basketball court and putting green spread over 55,000 square feet, the White House comes with a hefty price tag of approximately $400m (£303m). But despite its butlers, valets, full-time chefs and expensive furnishings, its current resident is unhappy in government housing.
During a recent visit to one of his private golf clubs, US President Donald Trump reportedly complained to guests about the living conditions in the White House when asked why he spends so much time at his resorts.
"That White House is a real dump," the Potus allegedly said while at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, according to Sports Illustrated.
The White House has denied that the president made any such comment.
Trump has spent over 20% of his time in office (over 43 visits), at his golf clubs and was most recently spotted at his Virginia property on 30 July. Ironically, during his presidential campaign, the former real estate mogul made it a point to enumerate the number of times his predecessor Barack Obama spent teeing off. He tweeted at least 27 times about Obama's hobby, claiming he should have spent more time playing president than playing golf.
"While our wonderful president was out playing golf all day, the TSA is falling apart, just like our government! Airports a total disaster!" one of his posts from May 2016 read.
However, the 71-year-old seems to be a couple of points ahead of Obama in terms of time spent on golfing. According to PolitiFact, six months into his presidency, Trump was on the greens 21 times, while the former Potus played 11 times.


Presented by Squaw Valley Community of Writers.
When Forrest Gander, Robert Hass, Brenda Hillman, J. Michael Martinez, Sharon Olds, and Evie Shockley take the stage on Friday, June 19, audiences should expect anything but an ordinary evening of poetry. For the poets, who comprise the 2015 faculty of the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley Summer Poetry Workshop, the evening kicks off a week of intense creative community activity.


Save the date! Join us May 1-3, 2019 in Toronto, Canada.
This year, the United Way Community Leaders Conference is being reimagined into a brand new collaborative global experience. The event will be hosted by United Way of Greater Toronto. This annual gathering is a prime opportunity to collaborate with your United Way colleagues from around the globe, sharing key learnings, discovering best practices, celebrating successes and forging new collaborative relationships.
Start planning your visit and register to receive more information!


text:
Muslim Asia Caught in the Middle as Diplomatic Row Rocks Middle East
TIMELINE: China-Myanmar Relations
Death of a Journalist
Demand for Elephant Skin Driving up Poaching in Burma
China and Burma: Not Only Pauk-Phaw
Journalists Launch Campaign, Call for Termination of Article 66(d)
Finance Minister Predicts 'Take Off' for Burma Economy
Burma Will Join Asian Forest Cooperation Organization
KIA's Lamai Gum Ja: Kachin IDPs Live With Fear
Karen Refugees in Canada Raise Concerns Over State Counselor's Visit
Top US Diplomat in China Quits Over Trump Climate Policy
'Himalayan Viagra' is Threatened by Fervent Chinese Demand and Climate Change
Myanmar Deserves More Than a Miserable Media Environment
Ten Things to Do in Rangoon This Week (June 6)
Businessman Reports Death Threats After Alleging Bribery Scandal in Tourism Ministry
Thousands of Rats Swarm Irrawaddy Division Villages
Open Letter to the State Counselor
KNU Vice Chairman's 'Tight Schedule' Upsets Karen Community in Canada
Police Open Case Against Army Battalion in Kachin IDP Deaths
Human Rights Watch Defends Muslims Praying in Public
Human Rights Activist Charged Under Article 66(d) for Live-streaming a Satirical Play
Trio Arrested in Burma Admit to Bar Girl Murder
Buddhism, Politics, and Political Thought in Myanmar
SE Asian Nations Step Up Cooperation as Islamic State Threat Mounts
The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (June 3)
Rangoon Govt Allegedly Reneges on Land Agreement
This Week in Parliament (May 29 – June 2)
Police: Husband Killed Wife Before Suicide
Burmese Newspaper's Chief Editor and Satirist Taken Into Police Custody Over 66(d) Charge
Displaced and Forgotten, Kaman Search for a New Home
Ma Ba Tha's New Political Party Denounces NLD Govt
Report: Burgeoning Market for Methamphetamine in Burma
Trump Hails Deals Worth 'Billions' With Vietnam
Majority of Moulmein Prisoners Incarcerated on Drug Charges
Dateline Irrawaddy: 'A New Political Chapter for Burma?'
SNLD Leaders: Govt Insistence on 'Non-Secession' Deprives Shan of Dignity
High School Teacher Sentenced to 40 Years for Rape
Abducted Karenni Journalist Regains Consciousness
Shwedagon Pagoda Suspends Ticket Price Hike
Bangladesh Navy Searches for 81 Fishermen Still Missing After Cyclone Mora
Police Arrest ATM Theft Suspect
The Telecommunications Law, Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press
Facebook Ban of Racial Slur Sparks Debate in Burma
Security Concerns Hamper Tackling Illegal Gold Mining Around Indawgyi Lake
State Counselor's Office to Probe Allegations of Army Abuse in Viral Video
Burma Army Chief Discusses National Security With Turkish Ambassador
British Rights Activist Andy Hall Sues Thai Authorities
Saudi Arabia's King Salman shakes hands with Malaysian King Muhammad V in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on February 26, 2017. / Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via Reuters
By Reuters 7 June 2017
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Non-Arab nations in Asia, such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan, are getting caught in the middle after Saudi Arabia led a clampdown on Qatar, accusing the tiny emirate of supporting pro-Iranian Islamist militants.
Malaysia had rolled out the red carpet for Saudi Arabia's King Salman at the end of February, the first by a Saudi king to Malaysia in more than a decade. Then, the following month, Kuala Lumpur signed a defense cooperation agreement with Qatar.
A source close to the Malaysian government said that the recent efforts to strengthen ties with Qatar, including a visit by the foreign minister last month, will probably now be put on the backburner.
"We have more to lose by siding with Qatar," said the source, who requested anonymity.
On Monday, a half-dozen countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain, cut diplomatic ties with the energy-rich emirate, accusing it of backing Tehran and Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood.
Qatar has said it does not support terrorism and the rupture was founded on "baseless fabricated claims."
Doha now faces an acute economic plight as it relies on Gulf neighbors for 80 percent of its food imports.
The diplomatic clamp down on Qatar is seen as an indirect jab at Iran, and leaves non-Arab Muslims countries in an "uncomfortable position," according to James Dorsey, a senior fellow at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).
"The Saudis view Iran as the foremost terrorist threat rather than the Islamic State and a lot of non-Arab Muslims countries … would probably not agree with that," Dorsey told Reuters.
Pakistan's Official Silence
Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan are predominantly Sunni-Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia. Jakarta has sometimes tried to play a mediating role when inter-Arab tensions have flared, particularly between Saudi Arabia and predominantly Shi'ite Muslim Iran.
Jakarta's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi received a phone call from Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday who wanted to discuss the rift, Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said.
Indonesia has called for reconciliation and dialogue in the latest diplomatic clash.
The dilemmas are particularly acute for nuclear-armed Pakistan, which has the world's sixth-largest army and the largest military in the Muslim world.
Sunni-majority Pakistan maintains deep links with the establishment in Riyadh, which provided Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with political asylum after he was ousted in a 1999 military coup.
But with a large Shi'ite minority and a shared western border with Iran, Pakistan has a lot to lose from rising sectarian tensions. In 2015, Pakistan declined a Saudi call to join a Riyadh-led military intervention in Yemen to fight Iranian-allied insurgents.
Pakistan has maintained official silence about the latest rift in the Arab world, loathe to be seen taking sides between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Pakistan also has close ties with Qatar itself, including a 15-year agreement signed last year to import up to 3.75 million tons of liquefied natural gas a year from the emirate, a major step in filling Pakistan's energy shortfall.
"Pakistan has to act very carefully. In my opinion, there is only one option for Pakistan: to stay neutral," said retired army Brigadier Shaukat Qadir, now an independent risk and security analyst.
Islamic Military Alliance
Pakistan's recently retired army chief, General Raheel Sharif, traveled to Riyadh in April to lead the Saudi-led Islamic Military Alliance. The stated mission of the multinational alliance is to fight terrorism but it is increasingly seen as anti-Iran.
"There are rumors flying around that Raheel Sharif is pulling out of the Saudi-led military alliance. I hope they are true and he comes back soon," said Qadir.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in January 2016 visited both Riyadh and Tehran along with Shariff, who was then the army chief, in an attempt to bridge the deepening chasm.
Relations between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have been in the spotlight over the last two years after Saudi Arabia was dragged into a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal at Malaysian state fund lMDB, founded by Najib.
Najib has denied any wrongdoing in the money-laundering case which is now being investigated by several countries including the US, Switzerland and Singapore.
During King Salman's visit to Malaysia, Saudi oil giant Aramco agreed to buy a US$7 billion equity stake in Malaysian state energy firm Petronas' major refining and petrochemical project.
But Qatar has also invested between $12 billion and $15 billion in Malaysia, according to media reports.
RSIS' Dorsey said non-Arab Muslim countries like Malaysia would be "put on the spot" if the Saudis demand that its trade partners pick a side.
"They (Malaysia) can say either I do business with you, or say I'm not going to make that choice. Then the question would be how would the Saudis or the UAE respond to that," Dorsey said. "But we're not there yet, and there's no certainty that it will get there."
Topics: Indonesia, Malaysia, Middle East
Reuters ...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This coming Tuesday, September 5, is going to be swimmingly good! We're serving up Coho Salmon with Newport's Own Harvest Blend Quinoa Salad and Caprese Salad.
This week we're celebrating delicious Pacific Ocean bounty—Coho Salmon—and rubbing it with our very own blend which includes a slight citrus flavor with brown sugar and a little crushed red pepper for balance. Take note Tuesday Chefs! This special rub is not sold in the store, so enjoy it this week while you can. We're also serving Newport's Own Harvest Blend Quinoa Salad, one of our most popular mainstays in the deli. We're finishing the plate with a delish yet simple Caprese salad to round out this meal made for a perfect late summer evening. Check out our meal description below for pairings and details.


This girl with smiley face is KOMAL RAUT. I completed my graduation in Agriculture Engineering in 2017. I am working with vigyan ashram since last one year. Here I started as a Intern and Now working as a Research fellow in Design Innovation Center. As a part of Vigyan Ashram we conducted many FabEd workshops related with fablab machines, arduino,etc. and I was part of FAN3(Fab Asia Network), I felt very interested in being a part of this wonderful Fab community. For me Fab Academy is the great opportunity to learn digital Fabrication and many other skills. It will help me to develop habit of documentation .
On the other side, I like to spend time in the Kitchen by doing experiment. My hobbies are Singing, Reading Books, Dancing and making Handicrafts.
From reading above things you definitely come to know that I love to do variety of things.
IF IT DOESN'T CHALLENGE YOU, IT WON'T CHANGE YOU!!!!
It is a cool storage box will help vendors to keep their vegetables fresh not only during summers, but also in the winter season. Cool air from the cooler will reduces temperature of the storage chamber by 5-8 degree Celsius and increasing relative humidity by 15 to 30 per cent. Thus it enhances the storage life of fresh fruits and vegetables to up to four-five days.


On November 24th we hosted our first ever Swept Away. It was a day so filled with love that it left me in complete awe.
I arrived early Saturday morning to find the Blooms and Flora team hard at work on setting up the amazing ceremony installation. I have never seen anything so darn beautiful in my entire life! Seriously, y'all… look at this!
Throughout the day we transformed The Modern Bride from a wedding dress shop into an absolutely gorgeous wedding venue.
With ceremonies staggered throughout the day, our first guests started to arrive around 2:00pm. By 7:00pm four amazing couples had tied the knot and started their new lives as a married couple – it was truly a dream to witness!
I think my favourite part was seeing how different each couple was! While the backdrop for the ceremony remained the same, each couple personalized their vows and told their story in a unique way. Each dress they choose and each hair style was completely different – so it was fun to see the differences shine through!
What is Swept Away? How Does It Work?
Swept Away is an elopement event reimagined for the modern couple. We wanted it to be romantic and elegant while being a stress free and "out of the box" experience. Simply choose your ceremony time, and the rest is taken care of by our amazing team of vendors! From hair and makeup all the way through to cocktails and appetizers, your wedding details are all carefully and meticulously planned.
About a month before the big event, you are invited to an Open House to meet all of the vendors! You get a chance to chat with each vendor one-on-one about your preferences to tailor pieces of the day to fit your needs. We know relationships are not "one size fits all" so your ceremony shouldn't be either!
How Did You Come Up With Swept Away?
It's kind of a funny story! Jessica Imrie Photography and I were actually planning a photoshoot with a few other vendors. We were sitting in a cafe one blustery January morning talking about how it's such a shame to put together these beautiful shoots just to tear them down. Our dream was to find a couple who would be interested in "eloping" during one of the shoots so the decor and florals would be put to good use! We had an "ah ha" moment – and realized it was something that we could totally (maybe?!) pull off. At the time it seemed like a huge impossible pipe dream – but as fate would have it, I happened to be meeting with The Modern Bride and Coccola Beauty just a few days later. I excitedly spilled my wildest dreams to them and they were both like "Uhhh, yeah, let's do it!". The Modern Bride graciously offered their AMAZING space (and their AMAZING dresses) and Swept Away was born!
You can get Swept Away for just $4000. The flat fee includes hair and makeup for one, a dress for the ceremony, your bouquet and boutonniere and ceremony florals. As well as photography, champagne for toasts, a photobooth, cocktails and appetizers for your hour reception and a sweets table!
If you would like to add on and personalize your day even more, we have a list of A La Carte options you can choose from as well! Want to send out beautifully hand designed invitations? We got you! Want a custom wedding cake? We can take care of that too!
There really aren't words to say to thank this amazing team of humans for helping pull this day off! If you are looking for an epic team of vendors to help pull *your* special day together – look no further!


Our Residents and staff contribute beyond our walls.
The Willows at Worcester dove into service to the surrounding area from our opening in 2009, following the example of their independent living sister community, The Willows at Westborough.
The Willows at Worcester hosts courses sponsored by W.I.S.E., the Worcester Institute for Senior Education, founded by nearby Assumption College. Classes from religion to literature, history and current events are held in The Great Room. A complimentary light breakfast is provided for attendees.
The Willows at Worcester stays connected to current politics as the polling place for District 1, Ward 1, Precinct 2 in the City.
We also make regular donations of building materials and appliances to Habitat for Humanity's ReStore center.
The Willows provides financial support, models and door prizes at the annual Looks for Hope fashion show for Hope Lodge of Worcester. Hope Lodge is a service of the American Cancer Society offering free, temporary lodging for cancer patients visiting Massachusetts for ongoing treatment.
Greater Worcester Hadassah and other groups hold their meetings at The Willows, and numerous Residents and staff members volunteer for local senior centers, schools, charitable and cultural organizations.
As The Willows at Worcester grows, our service to the local community follows suit.


text:
Simon Rolls Eyes When She Says She'll Sing Aretha Hit, Within Seconds She Forces Everyone To Their Feet
November 5, 2018 VIDEOS
Aretha Franklin songs are difficult for even the most seasoned musicians. That's why Simon Cowell was hesitant when 14-year-old Britain's Got Talent contestant Destiny Chukunyere announced she was going to sing one of Aretha's most popular songs "Think' for her audition. The range, rhythm and lyrics are some of the most complicated in music history, but Destiny wasn't going to shy away from the challenge. This song was the perfect way to show the world how serious she was about singing.
Immediately after Destiny wrapped up the song, all four judges (and everyone in the audience) stood up to give her a standing ovation. Even the toughest judge had nothing but praise for the talented young lady. He said, "I've been waiting for someone to come out who we think could be a star – and guess who it is? You!" With a huge grin on her face, Destiny was passed through to the next round!
It takes someone with pure talent to be able to belt out Aretha like Destiny does! We can't wait to see what the future has in store for her – it's clear Destiny's career will go beyond the Britain's Got Talent stage. Listen to her breathtaking performance of "Think" for yourself by pressing "play" on the video below!
Owl Swoops Down To Where Cat Is Laying, That's When An Interesting Interaction Is Recorded
Husband and wife, Caleb and Kelsey Grimm perform a beautiful rendition of the classic hymn 'Because He Lives.'
Teacher asks boy questions to see if he can skip grades. Answers are too much for principal
The Bride walks Down The Hallway, But the Door makes her Special when she signs in front of the Deaf Groom
Boy With Autism Writes Poem For Homework, His Teacher Is At A Loss For Words
Dog cries with happiness after reuniting with owner
Cockatoo Can't Contain His Excitement When He Sees His Dad Coming Home From Work


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Flea fossil
P 26202 | Sharing Exchange Learning Resource R6863
This is a colour photograph of an ancient flea ('Tarwinia australis') fossilised in mudstone. This specimen is from the Koonwarra fossil bed in South Gippsland, Victoria. The rounded body, long legs that are wider at the top, and the relatively long antennae of this flea specimen are clearly visible.
View: http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/
Educational details
This fossil of the flea 'Tarwinia australis' is from the Koonwarra fossil bed, which formed 118-115 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. The Koonwarra fossil bed contains fossils as diverse as plants, fish, insects, crustaceans, spiders, worms, bird feathers, a horseshoe crab and a mussel. The range of insects found here includes wasps, ants, flies, mayflies, water beetles and fleas.
This flea fossil specimen is an adult with a rounded body 7 mm in length, and a head that is about as long as it is wide and not particularly compressed. It has long thin legs that are wide at the top and covered with fine bristles, and long antennae with 18 or 19 short segments. It belongs to a group of parasitic insects called the siphonapterans, which contain more than 2,500 existing species of modern fleas.
Fossils are the remains, moulds or traces of dead plants or animals preserved in rock, mostly sedimentary rock such as sandstones, siltstones, shales and limestones. Fossils are an important source of information about the Earth's past. As well as shedding light on previous climatic and environmental conditions, they provide clues about the evolution of plants and animals, the age and formation of rocks, and the former positions of the continents.
The Koonwarra fossil bed is composed of fine-grained mudstone and is believed to have formed in the shallow part of a large freshwater lake. The numerous fish fossils found here are well preserved and show no signs of rotting, which suggests the lake probably froze over in winter, trapping and killing many animals. The insect fossils are also well preserved, supporting the theory that the freezing lake rapidly preserved the plants and animals.
The Koonwarra fossils provide invaluable information about the climate of the ancient environment. Some of the fossilised insects such as the mayflies and a beetle are similar to modern forms found only in cool alpine and subalpine regions, indicating that the climate at the time was cool. This is consistent with the geographic position of Australia at the time, which was much further south and attached to Antarctica, with southern Victoria in the polar regions.
The flea fossilised in the Koonwarra fossil bed probably fell from its host into the lake water where it was frozen and preserved through time. The host may have been a terrestrial mammal or bird that lived near the lake.
This particular flea specimen is the 'holotype', or type specimen of the species 'Tarwinia australis'. A holotype is the individual used to name and classify a new species. The holotype is usually kept in a special museum collection, and although it may not be the most typical or well-preserved specimen, it is never replaced.
4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12
TopicsCretaceous period; Ectoparasitism; Fastening; Reading comprehension
Learning area
Science/Science understanding
Organisation: Museum of Victoria
Address: Carlton VIC 3053 Australia
URL: http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/
Remarks: Reproduced courtesy of Museum Victoria
Date of contribution: 05 Sep 2013
Organisation: Education Services Australia
Address: Melbourne VIC 3000 Australia
URL: http://www.esa.edu.au/
Name: John Broomfield
Remarks: photographer
Colour independence
Device independence
Hearing independence
Learning resource type
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Firefox - minimum version: (MS-Windows)
Safari - minimum version: 5.1 (MacOS)
MacOS - minimum version: 10.6
MS-Windows - minimum version: XP - maximum version: 7
© Education Services Australia Ltd and Museum Victoria, 2016, except where indicated under Acknowledgments


Walk along this world-famous surfing stretch overlooking roaring ocean swells and stunning cliff formations.
This trip follows the stunning cliffs from this world-famous surf break along the Marine National Park to beautiful Point Addis.
From stunning Point Addis, stroll along this Marine National Park beach before climbing to the heath-land on the cliff top. Rosellas, echidna and stunning beach views await you.
Beach walking at low tide where the Hooded Plover lives. Outstanding southern ocean views as you stride along this stunning white beach. Watch the surfers braving the elements and beachcomb where new finds await with each tidal change -perhaps a Sea-dragon or an octopus'nautilus shell. One never knows!
From the historic lighthouse, this trip includes low –tide walking along this magnificent ocean beach. Stop to beach-comb and perhaps spot a migratory shearwater or whale.
A gorgeous gorge walk including the fern gully and towering Ironbark and Manna Gums. Perhaps spot a snoozing koala or snuffling echidna. Fairy wrens, the rare Rufus Bristle Bird and even a Tawny Frogmouth can be seen.
Spectacular coastal views while walking through Peppermints, Ironbarks, Messmates and Mountain Grey Gums and Austral Grass-Trees. Eastern Grey Kangaroos are often sighted here.
The Canyon - Henderson Falls – Phantom Falls (8kms 3 hours) traverse eucalypt and rainforest sections, past ancient mountain ash and tree ferns before experiencing the cool canyon –possibly home for the Wautherong people in winter months.
Erskine Falls to Straw Falls (7km 3 hours) This walk through the rainforest to stunning falls includes several river crossings. Catch a glimpse of a shy platypus or lyre-bird. Walkers need to have previous experience.
spot a fairy wren or the amazing laugh of the kookaburra as you travel the former mill track route before experiencing the fantastic ocean view.
Cumberland river (medium -6kms 3 hours return) -some river crossings and rock hopping –previous experience required) Trek along the Cumberland River passing magnificent sheer cliffs to Cumberland falls, a series of cascades and the brooding beauty of Jebb's Pool.


Cease ingesting kilojoules. Fizzy drinks, sweetened tea and low, alcohol and even fruit juice are excessive in kilojoules – liquid kilojoules. Yes, even healthy" fruit juice generally is a kilojoule trap. Instead of drinking orange juice, for instance, moderately eat the fruit. The contemporary orange is not going to solely offer you more nutrients, it would additionally fill you up extra due to the fibre content material. Many cups of sweetened coffee and tea, as well as alcohol comprise numerous sugar which considerably provides to your each day kilojoule/vitality intake. Slightly fill up on water. Water is the right kilojoule-free weight-loss drink, while holding your physique hydrated and functioning in top kind.
The best place to plant your grapes is on a mild slope which has direct sunlight for a lot of the day. Grapes need loads of sun to grow and the grapes themselves need daylight to ripen. A delicate slope will also help to maintain water from settling around the plants. We should attempt to eat a more Med sea design of meals. The Med sea food regimen requires a big consumption of olive oil, fish, meals manufactured from starch, fruit, contemporary vegetables, almonds. Red various meats just isn't absorbed frequently in analysis to our food plan plans and milk, chicken and wine is absorbed in low amounts.
The ACE study and subsequent research with comparable results relied on retrospective designs that faced the limitation of recall bias (relying on the reminiscence of adults); recollections of ACEs have been susceptible to the criticism that sick adults might need skewed perceptions of their childhood experiences. Nevertheless, prospective studies that documented ACEs contemporaneously during childhood have additionally documented larger charges of illness when the children were followed into adulthood. The Facilities for Illness Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains a Web site that is cataloguing the burgeoning research on ACEs, 128 and rising attention is shifting toward methods for policy and clinical follow to assist ameliorate childhood exposure to ACEs and to buffer their hostile organic and psychosocial results (Field 5). This work has relevance to understanding of the education-health relationship to the extent that prior exposure to ACEs impacts both instructional success and health trajectories.


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Growing numbers of Americans lose jobs
Japan's population crisis; Portugal to swap Cape Verde debt for environmental investment
China's population falls; UK government blocks Scottish gender bill
Long-term illness hitting UK economy; American childhood obesity guidance revised
Half a million exit UK economy; Rohingya refugees adrift in Southeast Asia
The pension overhaul is delayed in France; Nearly one in 10 young people in the UK never intend to start working
Labor markets and institutions, Demography, family, and gender
Ukraine war propelling world toward renewable energy sources; Proportion of Welsh speakers drops to record low
Number of 17-19-year-olds in the UK with a probable mental health disorder is up; Would-be home owners are kept out of the market in Australia
Demography, family and gender
UK experts warn about long-term unemployment risks for youth post Covid-19; Australia faces worsening extreme weather events
Program evaluation, Labor markets and institutions
Virgin Atlantic's gender-neutral uniform policy will not apply to Qatar flight; Australia free trade deal described as failure by former UK environment secretary
Scotland pledges more money for the loss and damage of climate change; Rise in UK state pension could cause informal care shortage
October 2021 Newlsetter
August 2021 Newlsetter
April Newsletter 2019
March Newsletter 2019
February Newsletter 2019
January Newsletter 2019
November Newsletter 2018
October Newsletter 2018
Whilst the number of layoffs in the US has slowed down, according to figures released at the end of April, in only six weeks, 30 million people in the country have applied for unemployment benefits, with the numbers still rising. Figures from the labor department released on April 28th revealed a fourth consecutive week of declining claims. Whilst the trend is encouraging, US unemployment is still on track to reach levels unseen since the Great Depression, which was "by some calculations the longest and deepest in the post-war period."
Whilst there is hope that the number of layoffs may slow down further as businesses begin to open up, there is also the threat that easing the quarantine rules could start a wave of new infections and shutdowns. At the end of April, Boeing made an announcement that Covid-19 has caused "a body blow" to the business, triggering the company to consider laying off 16,000 people, which equates to 10% of its workforce. The latest Department of Labor figures also reveal that the insured unemployment rate is at 12.4% for the week ending 18 April, which is the highest percentage recorded since the department started releasing the figures.
"On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will report on US employment and unemployment for April—a mid-April snapshot. […] [Since] between March 14 and April 18, more than 26 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits, it seems certain that Friday's report will show a sharp deterioration in labor market conditions," Katharine G. Abraham, Director, Maryland Center for Economics and Policy, writes.
However, she also believes that the data to be released on Friday might potentially be less reliable and more difficult to interpret than would ordinarily be the case. Whilst in a typical month, the BLS employment report provides information that is widely recognized as among the most reliable provided by any government agency worldwide, this month, there is likely to be more than the usual amount of uncertainty about exactly what the data reveals. "To make sense of the April unemployment numbers, we should look not only at unemployment but also at the counts of non-employed people who say they want work and are available but have not recently searched for a job," Abraham adds.
Read Katharine G. Abraham's opinion piece What is happening to unemployment in the post-Covid-19 labor market? and Daniel S. Hamermesh's article The labor market in the US, 2000–2018.
If you'd like to read our opinion pieces on the coronavirus crisis, you can find them below:
"Coronavirus and the labor market," by Daniel S. Hamermesh
"Fighting a coronavirus recession," by Daniel S. Hamermesh
"Pandemics and the labor market—Then and now," by Karen Clay
"Pricing the lives saved by coronavirus policies," by W. Kip Viscusi
"Health effects of the coronavirus recession," by Christopher J. Ruhm
"The long-term consequences of missing a term of school," by Simon Burgess and Hans Sievertsen
"Coronavirus, telecommuting, and the labor market," by Nikos Askitas
"Expectations about Covid-19 social-distancing measures in Italy and their impact on compliance," by Guglielmo Briscese, Nicola Lacetera, Mario Macis, and Mirco Tonin
"The coronavirus crisis and the next generation," by Bart Cockx
"Korea: A paragon of dealing with coronavirus," by Sok Chul Hong
"Economic implications of postponing the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games," by Peter J. Sloane
"The sudden growth of employee autonomy during the coronavirus lockdown," by Elisa Gerten and Michael Beckmann
"Mitigating the work–safety trade-off," by Tito Boeri, Alessandro Caiumi, Marco Paccagnella
"Trading off lives for jobs," by Daniel S. Hamermesh
"Trends in Covid-19 infection: What New York City neighborhoods tell us," by George J. Borjas
"Labor markets during the Covid-19 crisis: A preliminary view," by Olivier Coibion, Yuriy Gorodnichenko, Michael Weber
"Did California's shelter-in-place order work? Early coronavirus-related public health effects," by Andrew Friedsen, Drew McNichols, Joseph J. Sabia, Dhaval Dave
"200 billion hours to spend: The Covid-19 opportunity to upskill," by Peter Siminski, Emil Temnyalov
"The CARES Act—Massive government intervention in the economic crisis," by Richard Prisinzano
"What is happening to unemployment in the post-Covid-19 labor market?," by Katharine G. Abraham
We recognize that IZA World of Labor articles may prompt discussion and possibly controversy. Opinion pieces, such as the one above, capture ideas and debates concisely, and anchor them with real-world examples. Opinions stated here do not necessarily reflect those of the IZA.
The labor market in the US, 2000–2018
Daniel S. Hamermesh


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Dear Dr. Spencer
Women's History Month • 25m
Directed by Danielle Renfrew & Beth Seltzer • Documentary • With Lili Taylor • 1998 • 25 minutes
From the early 1920s until his death in 1969, Dr. Robert Douglas Spencer practiced medicine in a small town in the anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania. Dr. Spencer treated colds, set fractures, and provided basic medical care. But he was unique. He performed illegal abortions.
Dr. Spencer performed his first abortion, his patient a poor coal miner's wife, in 1923. Soon after, the doctor's reputation spread. He began receiving letters from women across the country, asking, sometimes pleading, for his help. Ashland, Pennsylvania, a town of church-goers, grateful to him for his dedication to the mining community, quietly allowed the doctor to practice. The citizens seemed to ignore the steady stream of young women going to and from his office, the out of state license plates, the ever-increasing number of one-night guests at the town's hotel. They even protected him each time the state police tried to shut his practice down. Dr. Spencer was arrested three times but never convicted. Historians estimated that he performed more than 40,000 safe abortions during the course of his career.
"A model of an illuminating documentary." —Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
abortion, biography, care, community, contraceptives, dear dr. spencer, doctors, dr. robert douglas spencer, expository, film, gender studies, health, healthcare, healthcare1, icarus films, illegal, maternal and child health, medical ethics, medical procedures, medicine and nursing, ovid, ovid_ca, performing, pre, public health, reproductive rights, roe v wade, roe vs wade, s_0028, s_0189, s_0246, s_0467, s_0524, s_0672, title_d, title_defgh, video, womandirector
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