The Oregon Faith Report - Faith News from Oregon

BY Beaver Believer, Portland

I have always loved Advent Calendars as a kid eating my way through the 24 days before Christmas Eve. The calendars I grew up always had a nativity scene or angels which has been the tradition for hundreds of years when it began in Germany. I went shopping for Advent Calendars for my nieces and could not find a single calendar among many that had any spiritual reference. In desperation, I ended up printing my own door decorations (see photo) and pasting them on the calendar in at least three places. Now I feel much better.

Advent is from the Latin word Adventus which means “coming”. I suppose the great arrival of Santa Claus fits the definition of a great coming, but misses the spirit. What next? Frosty the Snowman sporting candy cane menorahs or reindeer Kwanzaa lightings?

I just wish that out of the five Advent Calendars at the store at least one would have been true to the original spirit of the Advent tradition. I think that would have made many customers like me very happy.

Blessings and best wishes this Thanksgiving

Rick Johnson,
Better Dads Ministry

As I travel around the country speaking the number one question I am asked is, “How can we engage and motivate men to be involved?” Clearly, this is an issue that affects everyone. The Big Brothers/Big Sisters program here in Portland reports that they have a waiting list of 900 boys with an average wait time of three years because they cannot find male mentors to be involved. So how do we engage men? Is it even possible?

I believe it is, but we have to first understand some things that are important to motivating men. Here are some key factors to encouraging and inspiring men to make a difference in the world:

Medical Teams International director of emergency relief calls for urgent aid

Medical Team International — All the signs for a looming, catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Congo are on the horizon, says Joe DiCarlo, emergency relief director for Medical Teams International.

“We could see more and more death as people lack access to health care and shelter,” says DiCarlo.  “The clock is ticking unless there is direct intervention to save their lives.  Cholera is also a huge threat.  Six have died this week….three yesterday.”

Judy Dippel, Eugene Author
The Art of Authentic Friendship: Real Women, Real Challenges, Real Solutions

Relationships are continually shifting and being redefined, and it seems that as we approach the holiday season, when we’ll be spending time with both friends and family, these pearls of wisdom from our “Relationship” chapter  in The Art of Authentic Friendship are something to strive to wear and give out at every gathering this Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We know that at the core of every important and meaningful friendship is a close relationship that adjusts and compensates as needed. In order to stay healthy, relationships require plenty of commitment. The following “pearls” are the qualities that can strengthen and help you sustain more satisfying relationships. We shop for the perfect gift, but if we wear these actions and attitudes every day, we help our friendships (and family relationships) remain dynamic and growing. These pearls are the perfect gift!

By Holt International, Eugene

A meal at a restaurant… a visit to the zoo… a new set of clothing… new school bags and stationery… 62 dictionaries.

These are some of the ways children in foster care and orphanage settings in China were treated to something special thanks to Holt sponsors and donors, who contributed over $4,400 to see that these vulnerable children had the kind of day other kids take for granted. All in all, nearly a thousand children had a special day and were made to feel special through gifts, treats, presents and special events.

Paul Coughlin,
Oregon Author of No More Christian Nice Guy

Like their tormentors, victims are misunderstood.  Many think they get picked on because they wear glasses, are fat, have above-average grades, and so on.  Thought some children with these characteristics are bullied, many are not.  The frustrating and painful truth goes deeper than spectacles, obesity, or ingenuity.

Here are characteristics that bind victims to isolation, humiliation, and despair:

~They acquiesce too quickly to demands.
~They cry and cower, sometimes making elaborate displays of pain and suffering, fueling further attacks.
~They offer too few healthy boundaries.  They refuse to defend themselves, leaving their attackers undeterred to future attacks.
~Their lack of self-defense is noticed and disliked by both aggressive and non-aggressive peers.

From Luis Palau Association,

OAXACA, Mexico, Nov. 18 /Christian Newswire/ — As the economy continues to downshift in markets around the globe, world evangelist Luis Palau continues to bring his message of eternal hope and encouragement to millions. Joining with local churches and government agencies, Palau campaigns are meeting the physical and spiritual needs of individuals in some of the hardest hit parts of the world.

His most recent campaign with son and fellow evangelist Andrew Palau took him to the southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico, November 12-15. In a partnership with nearly 350 local churches, they shared the Good News in person with more than 168,000 individuals throughout the region and recorded an amazing 11,193 decisions to follow Jesus Christ. According to Daniel Gurrion, Oaxaca state representative, “This proved to be the largest evangelistic campaign the region has ever seen.”

By David Renshaw
Real Catholic Men, Hillsboro

With the recent economic down-turn and market volatility, those of us with a cursory knowledge of history think back to stories recalling how people jumped out of their office windows during the stock market crash of 1929.  Suicide due to job loss or economic hardship is still a reality almost 80 years later.  But is it really such a big deal to lose one’s job?  I mean, is it life-taking type serious?  Do we feel just as distraught when a marriage dissolves?

Of course not, but why not?

By Beaver Believer, Portland

Oregon author, William Young, continues to rank as the number one nonfiction paperback for the book The Shack which tells the story of a man who has a conversation with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. A local Christian bookstore said it has been their number one selling book since Christmas.

In non-fiction, the book 90 Minutes in Heaven, about a man’s short visit to heaven after a car accident has been on the best seller’s list for two years!

In a more humorous note, the book barely edges out “I hope they serve beer in hell” for the number sixth spot.

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By Beaver Believer, Portland

I was watching a rated-R film and a scene came up where children were being killed with an axe. To my surprise I saw a woman get up and escort her two kids out of the theater. Those girls looked no older than six years old. Fifteen minutes later the woman came back with her kids! People gasped in the theater. It appeared that she just left to avoid the brutal scene. Needless to say, this film was not for kids. I wanted to yell something, not out of pompous bravado but out of concern for the kids and what they were being exposed to. Should one have said anything? Should one just walk out and complain? Should one just talk to the lady at the end of the show?

By Sheila Allen
NW Baptist COnvention, NW Baptist Witness Newsletter

CRESWELL, Ore. — Business will be anything but usual after an international trip by a six-member team of New Hope Baptist Church in this West Oregon town. While the church championed mission efforts around the world for years, the personal experience of hands-on ministry in Kenya has altered the landscape of team members lives for the foreseeable future.  Sam Morgan is in his 18th year as pastor at New Hope. During that time he not only served his congregation and town, but has given time as a trustee of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. While serving in that role, Morgan became acquainted with Bill Curp, longtime IMB missionary to Africa now serving as a director of missions in the United States.

Injured Teen Declared ‘Another Christopher Reeve,’ Goes on to Launch Computer Animation Studio

In the summer of 1997, Kevin Thorson was a lively teenager, recent homeschool graduate, and budding musician. He planned on becoming a missionary like his older sister. Instead, in a single moment, he became one of the estimated 11,000 people who suffer a spinal cord injury each year in this country. Initially paralyzed from the neck down in a fall while on a teen missions’ trip to Canada, Kevin was placed on life support and declared to be “another Christopher Reeve.” The doctors gave virtually no hope for his recovery; one argued for the family to pull the plug.

The country of El Salvador has been ravaged by over 20 years of civil war and gang violence. The president of El Salvador, Antonio Saca, is searching for peace for his country. He personally invited the Central Oregon based Freedom Team to come and share their message of hope and love.

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, Nov. 7 /Christian Newswire/ — In cooperation with General Prison Director Secretary, Rafael Enriques, from October 12 to October 29, 2008, the Freedom Team visited 12 federal prisons across El Salvador, performing feats of strength and sharing personal testimonies.

By Medical Teams International,

(PORTLAND, ORE.—Nov. 7, 2008)  Four medical aid workers with Medical Teams International depart next week for eastern Congo where thousands of families are on the run—fleeing armed attacks by rival armed militia.

The two doctors and two nurses head to Goma on Wednesday where they will join Medical Teams International’s director of emergency relief and staff from the agency’s Uganda office.  The volunteer team will dispense $562,000 in medical supplies which Medical Teams International is air-shipping to the country next week. The supplies—including antibiotics, bandages and pain relievers—will help 10,000 people for three months.

By Dale Fulton,

Dave Ramsey spoke to the Rose Garden in Portland on November 1st.  His faith based advice on financial stewardship runs counter to culture but yet is immensely popular.  ‘If you live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.  In America, debt is normal… dare to be weird!”  These are the tag lines that embody the thrust of Dave Ramsey’s philosophical tenets at the foundation of his financial advice.  He is an intelligent man who is grounded in the Christian faith and, like everyone else, has made mistakes in his life.  He suffered through some profound financial hardship, but happily he found his faith in the midst of it.  Applying Biblical principles and hard work, he was able to dig back out of his distressed situation and rebuild his financial life on a solid debt free foundation.  Today, he shares his wisdom with millions through his nationally syndicated talk show and newspaper column.

This week Californians passed Proposition 8 which put the definition of marriage into the state constitution.  The ACLU filed a lawsuit challenging the new Proposition 8 Amendment.   Defenders of the proposition cite the Oregon Court of Appeals case, Martinez v. Kulongoski, which involved a similiar measure passed by Oregonians and was upheld against a constitutional challenge. The full text of the press release has been provided for Oregon Faith Report readers below:

PRESS RELEASE BY PROTECT MARRIAGE.COM:
Statement by Andrew Pugno, General Counsel of ProtectMarriage.com – Yes on 8

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 5 /Christian Newswire/ — “The lawsuit filed today by the ACLU and Equality California seeking to invalidate the decision of California voters to enshrine traditional marriage in California’s constitution is frivolous and regrettable. These same groups filed an identical case with the California Supreme Court months ago, which was summarily dismissed. We will vigorously defend the People’s decision to enact Proposition 8.  “This is the second time that California voters have acted to define marriage as between a man and a woman. It is time that the opponents of traditional marriage respect the voters’ decision.

Below is a quarter sample of the article
from Christianity Today, Full Article Here

Rain fell on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday before Portland, Oregon’s CityFest, an open-air, family-friendly evangelistic festival in downtown Waterfront Park. On Friday, August 22, skies cleared and temperatures rose into the 80s. An estimated 180,000 people thronged the park over two days, listening to Christian music and preaching, and enjoying a variety of activities.

Such attendance at an evangelistic event was notable in one of America’s most liberal and least-churched cities; more surprising was the support of openly gay Mayor-elect Sam Adams, who offered warm greetings from the platform. “Regardless of our differences, we have come together,” Adams said. Corporate sponsors had signed up too: Wells Fargo, KeyBank, and the Portland Trailblazers, among others.

By Kelsi Johns
The Institute of Theology of Culture, Overflow Newsletter

So why so much attention on the gospel and culture? Our theology is built upon a foundation that explicitly and implicitly communicates how we view culture in light of the gospel. This ultimately shapes the way we engage with people, and the world as a whole. Having a competent understanding of how these two go hand in hand is essential in effectively communicating the love of Christ in an engaging–not isolating or patronizing–manner.

By Dale Fulton,

Is your life defined as a series of responses to crises?  Do you feel as though your time is not your own? Are you living life purposefully?

Dr. Randall Kinnison is a post-graduate instructor and licensed mediator who has twenty-five years experience in conflict resolution.  He is the founder of Genesis Mediation and has counseled many people through difficult and painful areas in their lives. He offers guidance on such relational issues as divorce, custody and parenting plans, family business and partnerships, estate and eldercare.