According to 3 ambitious southern Christians, it will begin on June 20th in Plymouth, Massachusetts This nation has been through three large-scale Christian revivals, or "Great Awakenings"- where large numbers of our citizenry refocused their lives upon Christ and His Word.  The last true "Awakening" happened between 1850 and 1910, or over 100 years ago.  (Some scholars and theologians believe there was a 4th Awakening in the early 1970's, but most followers do not consider that a true "Great" Awakening.)  Given the continual problems in the United States, within a more secular society, are we overdue for another revival? "Yes," states Dan Zimmerle, one of the three Christian men who are spearheading the Plymouth efforts.  Dan, along with Phil Castillo and Robert Kilmarx, has spent considerable time, effort, and also some personal funds in trying to initiate a new 2013 America returning to God. Zimmerle and Castillo have a successful radio talk show called One Nation Unde… [more]

It seems that in today's society we are busier and busier and have less time to schedule events during the week. Mid-week services are dwindling or non-existent and home groups are not the cure-all that proponents claim them to be. So what is the solution? How about accomplishing the same thing you would accomplish at your brick and mortar building but doing so online? That is where building an online social network for your church comes in. In the following picture I am going to show you that there has been a cultural shift in how we relate to one another in our world. We can always do what we have done in the past which is scream and shout and refuse to adapt to the cultural change or we can see the change and adapt how we do ministry. Culturally, people have changed the way they interact with one another. They are moving towards interacting via social media and online groups. How To Build An Online Social Network For Your Church There is a way for you to have fellowshi… [more]

What happens when a nation has less than 2% of its population identified as being "Christian"?  What if that same nation has almost two-thirds of its citizens living as atheist, agnostic, or "irreligious"?  The answer is all over the daily news headlines all across the world:  North Korea, and its maniacal and repressive dictator Kim Jung Un. North Korea and its totalitarian regime is teetering on the brink of war, a potentially nuclear war.  They have provoked much of the region and the world for the past fifty years.  It is currently under the leadership of Kim Jung Un, who followed his like-minded father and grandfather.  At one time North Korea looked very different, especially prior to the Korean War of the early 1950's. Christianity first entered the Korean peninsula in the late 18th century, and expanded significantly by the 1880's.  Both Protestants and Catholics achieved a larger presence as the decades wore on- leading up to the war which further split the north … [more]

I have always been a proponent of internet evangelism. When I found out that tomorrow, Sunday April 21st, is internet evangelism day, I had to do an article about it. Internet evangelism day happens every year on the 4th Sunday of April. This website has over 4,000 people per year go to our page that is set up to teach people how to start a personal relationship with Jesus. The internet has broken down the walls between nations and people. It allows a small town pastor in rural Wyoming to speak to people of all nationalities. It allows you to plant seeds where you never thought it was possible to plant seeds before. It truly allows every believer to fulfill the great commission given by Jesus in Matt. 28:19-20 Matthew 28:19-20 THE GREAT COMMISSION 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, 1 baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am w… [more]

Earlier this afternoon three bomb explosions (two at the Boston Marathon finish line and one at the JFK Library a couple miles away) rocked an unsuspecting city, and unsuspecting crowds running in and cheering alongside the famous Boston Marathon.  At this writing, two people have been confirmed dead and approximately 100 persons have suffered injuries- some of them critical.  It is unclear who might have done this; there are currently no suspects. What is unsettling and unnerving for me is the fact that this occured essentially in my back yard, or in "my city".  True, I did move a few years ago up to southern New Hampshire, but I still call Boston my home city and I interact with the city on a very regular basis. My beautiful daughter was born in Boston (as was my wife).  When my mother moved here from Europe, she settled in an ethnic part of the city.  I have worked at the famed Boston Garden, and also at the World Trade Center (Boston version).  My aunt was neighbors w… [more]

As our nation reels at the news of the Boston Marathon Bombing, Christians need to unite in prayer. The Boston Globe is reporting that according to the Boston Police Department, 2 people have been killed and 23 injured by the blast that took place at the Boston Marathon. It is reported that the Massachusetts General Hospital has had to perform amputations on some of the victims According to the New York Post, a Saudi Arabian National is being held at an undisclosed Boston Hospital. The Associated Press has reported that there were 2 other bombs that were found and detonated, but there are also conflicting reports that only 1 other bomb was found. The Red Cross and area hospitals are asking for blood donations. How Do We As Christians Pray For the Victims Of The Boston Marathon Bombing? Prayer List Pray for the the families and friends of the deceased as they mourn. Pray for the injured that their bodies would heal and that the victims with amputations will be ab… [more]

I have just got done investigating one of the most insidious and malicious scams I have seen to date on the internet. The scammers are the owners of www.christianprayercenter.com. It is a website that advertises heavily using Google AdWords. They say that millions of Christian will pray for you worldwide. They also claim to have miracle prayer requests answered. The only reason I stumbled upon this scam is because of a person reporting them to me on Christian Faithbook. They clicked on the ad in order to place a prayer request. After signing up, and filling out all the forms to place their ad, they were asked for a donation. Now I do not have a problem with people donating to a website. That is not the issue. The issue is that they did not give an option for not giving a donation and when they tried to post their prayer request without giving a donation, the prayer request was denied! So what you have is people charging you for prayer! I decided to go to this website and offer m… [more]

Are we, in 2013, a Christian nation?  Former Vice-Presidential candidate Darrell Castle, Esq. says "No".  I had an opportunity to ask the former Constitution Party VP candidate several questions about his Party, current U.S. politics, and whether or not America has turned its back on God.  Mr. Castle has been a member of this political "3rd-party" since its founding, and is currently the Party's media response director.  Many pigeonhole the Constitution Party as being the very right-wing end of the Republican Party; an ultra-conservative offshoot.  They have typically offered a Presidential candidate since their inception- although they have never managed as many votes as Ross Perot did in 1992. Many Republicans and/or Conservatives believe that running a CP candidate (for President, Congress, Governor, etc) helps the liberals win said political post due to splitting the conservative vote. Is that the case? Why or why not? If the CP does in the end-game help liberals, why run a… [more]

Finding and selling Christian advertising has been in the least, an adventure. I have been publishing articles on this website now for 2 years. During that time, I have had some successes but in all honesty, more failures than successes. The advertisers that have advertised with me personally have been a great success. I have been able to deliver as promised and given good customer service in my opinion. My efforts in using 3rd party ad networks have been less than successful. It is my hope that by writing this article that I will help you wade through the waters as you try to figure out what is best for you when placing advertisements or seeking advertisers on your Christian website. In The Beginning..... I started out, as do most bloggers, with Google Adsense. As you will notice, Adsense still is running on this website. As much as I am not a fan of Google in general, and especially with how they have adjusted their search algorithm over the last year, resulting in hurting smalle… [more]

"Obamacare" or the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been in the news for a long time, but everyday Americans (including Christians) still do not comprehend what it will mean to their wallets and purses.  For all of the political outcries and debates, the fact is that a typical family will pay, in increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles, between 25% and 57% more than they do now.  To put that into dollars, if you pay $600 per month for your share of an HMO or PPO plan, you will need to fork over an EXTRA $125- $310 per month.  In a time and economy when many are struggling and living paycheck to paycheck, how will folks come up with this additional money- which could be as much as $3,600 in a year?  (Aside from the personal increase, all businesses will be forced to pay higher costs for their portions/ contributions of their employees healthcare.  How many business might close their doors, or downsize, due to this 2014 change?) The previous statistic is for persons that… [more]

Many Christians have heard of Martin Luther's declaration titled "The 95 Theses", but unfortunately most of those persons have never actually read through the entire 16th century document.  Protestants of nearly-all denominations hail it as the catalyst for the Protestant Reformation, but upon reading Luther's statements and learning about the aftermath of it, the assumptions may be challenged.  For one, Luther was still a strong Catholic at the time of his writing of the 95 Theses, and officially remained part of the Roman Catholic Church for 3-4 years after his challenge of the Pope and of Rome. The papers that Luther nailed onto the church door in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517 focus primarily on the selling of papal indulgences.  An indulgence was when a monetary gift was given to a parish in exchange for the sinner to not have to serve the priest's mandated "punishment" after the repentant sinner received his absolution of sin from the priest.  And of course an indulgence gran… [more]

For many homeschoolers, the end of the school year is marked with the need for a standardized test or portfolio review. How about an evaluation done by the parents of the  year itself? End of the year evaluations I strongly suggest setting aside time to evaluate EACH child with the following list: What worked well academically? What didn't work well academically? What activities worked well? Which activities didn't work well? Name some high points of the year. Name some low points or stressors In what areas does this child excel? In what areas does this child need to improve? Now, go through the list and try to define "why" for questions 1-4. Next, is there anything in questions 2 or 4 that can be changed? (Make a note of it!) For question 5, rejoice! Can these experiences be repeated next year? Were these once in a lifetime happenings or repeat issues for question 6? Are there ways to turn these into positives… [more]

Today I read an great article written on the Christian Post called "Google, Twitter, and Facebook Leaders Tell Christian Media to Embrace Tech Giants". It was written by my friend Alex Murashko. In the article it talks about how Christian media, including Christian internet media should embrace these so called giants. Honestly, my blood boiled at the hubris! After being a part of Christian media now for the last 2 years I can honestly say that my experience with 2 of the 3 so called tech giants has left a very foul taste in my mouth. So allow me if you will, to share my experience with these 3 so called tech giants and see if maybe there was a little bit of hubris involved in their request for the faith community to embrace them. My Efforts To Embrace Google, Facebook, and Twitter Google - The Fickle Bride That Never Meets You At The Altar When I first started blogging I didn't even realize that I had become part of what is called Christian Media. I wasn't even sure what blog… [more]

Last fall I had the opportunity to make a new friend in my life. Pastor Steve Sjogren was the guest speaker at our pastors conference. When I first started listening to Steve I was immediately struck with the fact that this man was not your normal guest speaker you would find at a pastors conference. Although he at one time pastored one of the largest Vineyard churches in our fellowship, the man I saw was what he himself would call an "irregular" person. You see, a while back, while Steve was still pastoring the Cincinnati Ohio Vineyard church, he had a near death experience. That N.D.E. forever changed his life. Heaven's Lessons Recently Steve asked me to read his new book published by Thomas Nelson and review it. I told him that I am not a book reviewer but because we had become friends, I would share with all of you what I thought about the book. What I did not expect was to be so touched and transfixed by the book. I honestly could not put it down and I am not a big book re… [more]

There is always some form of the ickies (a.k.a. viruses) floating around.  Given the nature of homeschooling, Mom is privy to the brunt of them all.  But, that doesn't mean she has to succumb to them! I've been blessed with following some basic recommendations shared with me years ago by a wise, older woman.  Recently I got hit with the latest 'icky' and am still recovering.   It was a good time to revisit that list and see where I had fallen off the wagon. Now, obviously this isn't an exhaustive list for health by any means.  But, a practical one for hectic lives! Quick & Easy Tips for Staying Healthy! *Meet with your Creator during the day! *Hug your loved ones! *Reconcile unresolved stress! Either go directly to the source and resolve the conflict -OR- if this isn't possible, take it before the Lord.  Do not allow to fester. *Get enough sleep! Shoot to be in bed by 10 pm.  Every hour of sleep you get before midnight coun… [more]

These days politics is all around us, like it or not.  From the year-long Presidential election of 2012 to the State of the Union address- just last night.  That said, some Christians feel uncomfortable engaging in the political landscape and discussion.  But by doing that are we indirectly steering this nation into the wrong direction?  Should we have more active involvement?  To take it a step further, should we have a viable 3rd political party which is (above all) a "Christian" party?  Would a successful Christian political party (in power) lead to a theocracy? To help answer this I researched a relatively small, but growing, political party called the Christian Liberty Party, or CLP.  I spoke with their National Communications Director, Maynard Eyestone, and here is an excerpt from our conversation: It seems that there are similarities between the CLP and the Constitution Party.  What are the main differences? In our opinion, the most important difference is this:… [more]

The various Lutheran churches represent a large percentage of Protestant Christians in the States.  Some outside the LC may not be aware of the various sub-denominations within the larger Lutheran Church, but similar to other large Christian denominations there are differences even amongst those who all consider themselves to be "Lutheran".  Naturally all look back to German reformer Martin Luther as the leader of their church and movement.  And nearly all current American Lutherans consider a man named C.F.W. Walther as the first major leader of the greater Lutheran church within this country, after his arrival in the U.S. in 1839. According to Lutheran pastor Tom Engel, "The main difference between Lutherans and other mainline Protestants is the way we view the Lord's Supper.  As other mainline Protestants see that the bread and wine only are sybmols of Christ's body and blood, we see that Christ is actually present in the bread and wine.  This understanding gives us the assura… [more]

Many Christians have gotten a little fed up with Facebook. Whether they are finding that their posts mysteriously disappear, or are not shared with all of their friends due to Facebook's decision to censor religious speech, (http://www.christianpost.com/news/facebook-google-apple-censoring-religious-speech-55736/) or they are tired of posts that use inappropriate pictures or language, or they just want a place where they can go to get uplifted and encouraged, Christians have been looking for alternatives to Facebook. It was because of this need that Taber's Truths decided to enter the Christian social networking niche and launch Christian Faithbook. However, since I have always had a big tent philosophy towards other Christians and Christian websites, I wanted to provide you with a list of the best Christian Social Networking sites for 2013. I have used a 3 point criteria for this list. I have made the decision on who to include based on the number of members, number of features, and w… [more]

You all have seen her - Fun Mom.  The Mom who packs her family's week full of fun and adventure.  Who changes plans for a last minute filed trip without blinking.  Her children have rich experiences and ever changing days. I know that Mom. I use to be THAT Mom. Changes Several year ago things changed.  Or should I say, the season changed.  With the birth of a rather demanding child and my oldest entering middle school, it just wasn't as easy (both school-wise and nerve-wise) to have so many variables in our schedule. I found myself having to do a lot of letting go of expectations, desires and plans in favor of maintaining peace and order.  It was definitely a different place!   Soon, my oldest moved into high school and there were more changes.  Our Nip Napper got older and a little more agreeable and so, there were more changes.   I see now that while my idea of 'Fun Mom' has died, Fun Mom has now become 'Adaptable Mom'.  Adaptable Mom works on the flow of… [more]

Baptist represent the largest Protestant (more on this later) group in the nation, and are the 2nd biggest Christian denomination- by far- in the country (after Roman Catholics).  Their influence in our current society is significant, although there are various further groups and divisions within the overall term "baptist".  In this column we will not have time to delve into those differences, but rather review some of the keys of the current Baptist church within the United States.  To do this we interviewed Pastor Fred DeRuvo, ThD. Do you consider Baptists to be Protestants?  Why or why not? Only in a general sense.  Generally speaking, Baptists rose up from the English Separatist movement, which was not connected to Protestantism. Essentially, being Baptist is being part of a fellowship of other believers without the control of a main body or group. What is your opinion on the recent name change of the SBC?  Regarding the name change, I don't think it will really replace … [more]