Tag: Fox News

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Relationship Lessons from Donald Trump

This post is neither for Donald Trump’s candidacy to be President, or against it. This post is simply to highlight important relationship lessons we can learn from Mr. Trump’s campaign; things we can all learn from regardless of political affiliation or who we believe should be the next President.

Mr. Trump has never shied away from speaking his mind and don’t get me wrong, there’s always a place for honesty and definitely a time and place to be brutally honest. I have a feeling any woman Donald Trump has dated and/or married learned quickly it wasn’t a good idea to ask him whether or not an outfit made them look fat.

After the first 2015 Republican primary debate on Fox News, Trump made the following statement to Sean Hannity, “I just want to be treated well and treated with respect.“ Who can argue with that? I think we all have that desire!

  • When it was said Rick Perry, “Put on glasses so people thinks he’s smart”, I imagine Perry desired to be treated well and with respect.
  • When it was said Megyn Kelly was a, “Total Loser”, I imagine Kelly desired to be treated well and with respect.
  • When it was said Erick Erickson was a, “Sleaze and a Bafoon”, I imagine Erickson desired to be treated well and with respect.
  • When it was said, Bette Midler was, “Grotesque”, I imagine Midler desired to be treated well and with respect.
  • I’m sure when all of the people who have been called clowns, zeroes, dumb, and the like, they desired to be treated well and with respect.

Donald Trump KissingDonald Trump (@realDonaldTrump), who only wants to be treated well and with respect, made each of those insults and that’s not even half the people he’s made negative and disparaging comments about since kicking off his presidential campaign. His detractors may say, “Amen, he deserves what he gets,” while his supporters may say each of those people got what they deserved because of the way they treated him, questioned him, or spoke about him. But what is it we can learn from all parties involved in these wars of words? How can Donald Trump influence our relationships so they become absolutely great, healthy, and the best they can be?

  1. No One Wins, Returning Disrespect with More Disrespect – We’ve all done it and that’s why we know it’s true. Maybe you didn’t like your spouse’s tone, so you replied with an ugly tone yourself. Maybe someone shot a mean comment your way, so you returned fire. How did that turn out? It definitely didn’t lead our relationship with the other person forward. When such behavior is put on public display, you have to wonder whether or not Mr. Trump and/or those who are participating in the mud slinging actually have close friends, or if those closest to them are only there because they somehow benefit personally. When their default behavior is to return disrespect with more disrespect, especially to those they barely know, one would have to wonder if that happens in their more private relationships as well. Peter told us in 1 Peter 3:9, “Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you.…” Healthy relationships are shaped through mercy (not giving someone what they deserve).
  2. You Win, Returning Respect for Disrespect – This is hard to do, but it is doable. Healthy relationships are shaped through grace (giving someone what they don’t deserve). Grace rebuilds their bridge even though you didn’t burn it down. Peter continued his wisdom in 1 Peter 3:9 when he told us, “Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.” As we share life with other people, at some point we will find ourselves struggling with the need to control and that’s where grace gets tough. We may return respect for disrespect, but what will the other person do? We can’t control other people, but we win, personally, because God grants us His blessings when we do so.
    [tweetthis]Grace rebuilds their bridge even though you didn’t burn it down.[/tweetthis]
  3. Both Honesty and Humility – You will not hear me criticize Donald Trump for saying what needs to be said on issues that face our country. I believe being honesty is honorable and I believe we should all use our voices to speak out on the evils that affect our world. Peter instructed us to “turn away from evil and do good”, therefore we have a responsibility to personally turn away from evil, but also to point out evil so others will also recognize it and turn away. However, honesty loses its honor when not accompanied by humility. A humble attitude can be very difficult to maintain, especially when you’re super successful, you don’t feel you need anyone else’s opinion. You start making your own headlines and then start believing them. This is why we were challenged to strive for unity, extend sympathy, to love one another, possess a tender heart, and fight for humility and peace.

[tweetthis]Honesty loses its honor when not accompanied by humility[/tweetthis]

Donald Trump may not be your choice for President, but he can still teach us valuable life lessons.

Join the conversation, what else can we learn from Trump or others to help us have healthier, stronger relationships?

 

 

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We Need Your Prayers

“We need your prayers,” she told Kelly, speaking for her hometown. “It looks pretty disastrous for myself, my neighbors and everyone in that area of Nashville.”

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(Via Fox News) Country music singer Julie Roberts said the devastation from flooding in her hometown of Nashville, Tenn. is “horrifying.”

In an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly on Monday, Roberts said she had to be rescued from the second story of her home with her mother, sister and four dogs.

“It was crazy and horrifying,” she said. “Rescue boats were coming by for hours.” Officials evacuated the sick and elderly first, and then came back for others like herself, she said.The last time she saw the family’s three cars, they were all floating down the street, Roberts added.

Roberts said the water had been rising incredibly fast in her home, going from her feet to her chest in a matter of hours while she was still on the first floor.

“We need your prayers,” she told Kelly, speaking for her hometown. “It looks pretty disastrous for myself, my neighbors and everyone in that area of Nashville.”

Roberts, 31, is known for hit country singles including “Break Down Here” and “Men & Mascara.”

You can get involved and help answer the prayers of the victims of this weekend’s flood in Nashville. Go HERE to see a few ways you can help!

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Hell in Haiti

notre-dame-child-1This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out. Matthew 16:18 MSG

When you write something, the opening sentence is important. The truth is, I don’t know what to say. There are so many words rambling around in my head, I don’t know where to start. I think I’ve grown from brokenhearted for the Haitian people to frustrated. Several people have made the comment that its strange so much attention is just now being put on the Haiti, when they’ve lived in extreme poverty for many, many years. To some degree I would agree, but the fact is, there have been many Christian and non-profit groups in the country for years, and they have brought attention to Haiti and other poor countries for a long time.

I have no better words to describe the things that I’ve been seeing and hearing other than “Hell in Haiti” – Can it be anything else?

I’ve been following Shaun King (Pastor of Courageous Church in Atlanta) and his efforts to raise awareness on the Haiti situation, mobilize teams, raise money, send supplies, etc. through Twitter and his BLOG. I’ve heard chatter from Shaun and others about the Foyer Notre Dame Nativite Orphanage for DAYS. Pleading for help for the children trapped in the rubble and those who were displaced by the destruction of their home. Nothing. No help. Just cries for help…literally. 56 babies cried for at least 5 days trapped in the orphanage. The people in this part of the city didn’t have the tools to dig and to cut through the rubble. The cries equally filled the air through Facebook and Twitter. Help these children. Trapped, broken bodies, hungry and needing aid.

Have you ever heard someone say, “What could I have done to change things?” “What could I have done to make the outcome change?” – If your neighbor was brutally murdered by her husband, you may ponder whether you saw warning signs or not, or if you should have acted on the thoughts about him abusing her. But, in sitting neutral, something bad happened. I wonder what could have been for those children; 56 of them and one of their caretakers took their last breathe in that rubble. They were alive for days, what could I have done? What could you have done? Its frustrating at best to know that no one moved in 5 days.

Shaun King, Spencer Nix, and others finally got the attention of Alyssa Milano (Who’s the Boss, Commando, Charmed), now an Ambassador for UNICEF, through her Twitter account and the attention of Fox News reporter, Adam Housley, on his Twitter account. Alyssa got word to UNICEF to get a relief team to the area and Adam and his film crew went to the Orphanage the next morning. Read Adam’s story HERE or watch his video report HERE (I highly recommend you read and watch the reports). When Adam arrived a team from UNICEF and World Vision were just arriving to bring aid to the ravished daycare and its survivors.

70+ Children are still displaced. Their homes are now on a tarp in the grass. Their food, a brown gravy-like Porridge. I watch these stories feeling handcuffed that maybe there was something I could have done, if I were only there, but facing the reality that at this time I cannot be there. So right now, I’m just a guy with a computer, doing what I can to tweet and blog and update those I have connections with about the Hell that Haitians are living in. I’m doing what I can to call the church to rise up and live out the hope that we claim we have. Jesus said that Hell cannot prevail against His church. We have the solution. The Government proves over and over they are incompetent to offer the total solution. The church can respond quicker and more efficiently than any organization around. If you claim to follow Christ, now is the time to step your game up, and do WHATEVER is in your grasp to bring help to these Haitians who are in distress (James 1:27) – Unfortunately it doesn’t stop in Haiti, but they are in the most dire need at the moment.

HERE’s a list of organizations that you can partner with. Many of these have been on the ground in Haiti way before the earthquake struck. Can you give $5? Do it. Can you bug people through your social networks to get involved? Do it. Whatever is in your power. Do it.

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Helping Haiti (UPDATED)

foodforpoorhaiti
As I was driving into the office this morning, I turned on Bill Bennett’s morning show (Morning in America) to try and get an idea about what was taking place in Haiti, either through his program or through the news. As many of you have already heard, Haiti was devastated by a 7.0 magnitude Earthquake, which is being described as a ‘total disaster‘ where hospitals and other buildings have completely collapsed and the death toll is expected to be high. If you are looking to donate towards relief efforts in Haiti, Bill recommended the Organization “Food for the Poor” – This organization is already doing a lot to help the people of Haiti, they’ve currently got missionaries in the area and they have an office and feeding center in the region as well. They’ve released a press release/report from their people in the field describing the situation, HERE. CLICK HERE to go to their site or CLICK HERE to go directly to their donation page.

Other Organizations I Recommend Supporting for Haiti Relief:

Choose an organization, get involved, and make a difference in the Haitian’s lives.

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Where Have All the Christians Gone?

christian-cross

I just read an article on Fox by Ben Feiler that was talking about the decline of Christianity in America. The article does not spend all of its time pointing out the downfall of Christianity in America, but also points out some of the solutions to the problem based on their study. Here are a few of the issues or wake-up calls that arose from the study:

First, catering to older believers is a recipe for failure; younger Americans are tuning out.

Second, Americans are interested in God, but they don’t think existing institutions are helping them draw closer to God.

Finally, Americans’ interest in religion has not always been stable. It dipped following the Revolution and again following Civil War. In both cases it rebounded because religious institutions adapted and found new ways of relating to everyday Americans.

Go read the entire article HERE and then come back and Join the Conversation.

What do you see as the biggest decline in the church? Where is the biggest disconnect between the church & everyday Americans?

What’s the solution?