Purposes of God in Our Suffering

1. Suffering is used to increase our awareness of the sustaining power of God to whom we owe our sustenance (Ps 68:19).
2. God uses suffering to refine, perfect, strengthen, and keep us from falling (Ps 66:8-9; Heb 2:10).
3. Suffering allows the life of Christ to be manifested in our mortal flesh (2 Cor 4:7-11).
4. Suffering bankrupts us, making us dependent upon God (2 Cor 12:9).
5. Suffering teaches us humility (2 Cor 12:7).
6. Suffering imparts the mind of Christ (Phil 2:1-11).
7. Suffering teaches us that God is more concerned about character than comfort (Rom 5:3-4; Heb 12:10-11).
8. Suffering teaches us that the greatest good of the Christian life is not absence of pain, but Christlikeness (2 Cor 4:8-10; Rom 8:28-29).
9. Suffering can be a chastisement from God for sin and rebellion (Ps 107:17).
10. Obedience and self-control are from suffering (Heb 5:8; Ps 119:67; Rom 5:1-5; James 1:2-8; Phil 3:10).
11. Voluntary suffering is one way to demonstrate the love of God (2 Cor 8:1-2, 9).
12. Suffering is part of the struggle against sin (Heb 12:4-13).
13. Suffering is part of the struggle against evil men (Ps 27:12; 37:14-15).
14. Suffering is part of the struggle for the kingdom of God (2 Thess 1:5).
15. Suffering is part of the struggle for the gospel (2 Tim 2:8-9).
16. Suffering is part of the struggle against injustice (1 Pet 2:19).
17. Suffering is part of the struggle for the name of Christ (Acts 5:41; 1 Pet 4:14).
18. Suffering indicates how the righteous become sharers in Christ’s suffering (2 Cor 1:5; 1 Pet 4:12-13).
19. Endurance of suffering is given as a cause for reward (2 Cor 4:17; 2 Tim 2:12).
20. Suffering forces community and the administration of the gifts for the common good (Phil 4:12-15).
21. Suffering binds Christians together into a common or joint purpose (Rev 1:9).
22. Suffering produces discernment, knowledge, and teaches us God’s statutes (Ps 119:66-67, 71).
23. Through suffering God is able to obtain our broken and contrite spirit which He desires (Ps 51:16-17).
24. Suffering causes us to discipline our minds by making us focus our hope on the grace to be revealed at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Pet 1:6, 13).
25. God uses suffering to humble us so He can exalt us at the proper time (1 Pet 5:6-7).
26. Suffering teaches us to number our days so we can present to God a heart of wisdom (Ps 90:7-12).
27. Suffering is sometimes necessary to win the lost (2 Tim 2:8-10; 4:5-6).
28. Suffering strengthens and allows us to comfort others who are weak (2 Cor 1:3-11).
29. Suffering is small compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ (Phil 3:8).
30. God desires truth in our innermost being and one way He does it is through suffering (Ps 51:6; 119:17).
31. The equity for suffering will be found in the next life (Ps 58:10-11).
32. Suffering is always coupled with a greater source of grace (2 Tim 1:7-8; 4:16-18).
33. Suffering teaches us to give thanks in times of sorrow (1 Thess 5:17; 2 Cor 1:11).
34. Suffering increases faith (Jer 29:11).
35. Suffering allows God to manifest His care (Ps 56:8).
36. Suffering stretches our hope (Job 13:14-15).

What is missing in the list?

Whitney Houston Cause of Death

In a statement to ABC News Thursday, the Los Angeles County Coroner's chief, Craig Harvey, outlined the findings in the office's preliminary toxicology report.

"We had approximately a 60 percent occlusion in the arteries, in the narrowing of the arteries," Harvey said. "So, that condition, complicated by the chronic cocaine use, all combined to result in her drowning. The final cause of death has been established as drowning due to atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use."

Truths and Myths Of Fundraising

You want the truth about fundraising? You can’t handle the truth! OK, maybe you can.

There are many truths and myths about fundraising. In his book “Making a Difference,” Howard Berman wrote that while the myths speak only of conventional wisdom of what can and cannot be done, the truths show you the path to success.

We live in a very complicated world, but the truths about fundraising are actually pretty basic. Berman describes them as the “Nine Basic Truths of Fundraising,” and they are all time-tested approaches that define successful fundraising. They are:

• Organizations are not entitled to support. They must earn it.
• Successful fundraising is not magic. It is simply hard work on the part of people who are thoroughly prepared.
• Fundraising is not raising money. It is raising friends.
• You do not raise money by begging for it. You raise it by selling people on your organization.
• People do not just reach for their checkbooks and give money to an organization. They have to be asked to give.
• You don’t wait for the “right” moment to ask; you ask now.
• Successful fundraising officers do not ask for the money; they ask others to ask for it.
• You don’t decide today to raise money and then ask for it tomorrow. It takes time patience, and planning.
• Prospects and donors are not cash crops waiting to be harvested; treat them as you would customers in a business.

If these are the things you must do to be a successful fundraiser, you should avoid the following three myths like the plague:

• Fundraising is impossible and the process is a mystery.
• You must have a proven track record if you are to raise money.
• It’s common knowledge that corporations and foundations give most of the money.

My shortcomings, His grace.

This week, I will let Jesus fill in my gaps.

You’ll fail; it’s inevitable. But God already has a plan in place for making you a success.

I fall short. Here I am, serving in ministry, but I don’t have what it takes. Again and again, I find that I’m not educated enough — or not experienced enough — or not holy enough — or whatever.

But is God frustrated? Not a bit. His plan is that imperfect people, people without complete knowledge and wisdom, trust God and give themselves over to be used by him however he sees fit — and God somehow makes it work!

When the apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the Christians in the Greek city of Corinth, he talked about this same inadequacy: “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25-28). Perhaps some Corinthians thought their salvation should have transformed them into supermen. But Paul set them straight: “...Think of what you were when you were called,” he went on. “Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things....”

If I feel guilty, ashamed, or discouraged by my own shortcomings in ministry, those aren’t signals I’m receiving from the Spirit of Christ! Someone else is whispering to me. Paul states emphatically in 1 Corinthians 1:30 that Jesus has become wisdom for us — he has become our righteousness. Where we come up short, he fills in the gaps.

Paul himself — perhaps the greatest Christian ever, the Billy Graham or Mother Teresa of his day — admitted that even he wasn’t all that sharp. According to 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, he showed up without eloquence, without superior wisdom, in weakness and fear (to the point of trembling). About as unfit for his God-given assignment as one could possibly be!

So Paul — hopeless as he was — threw himself on his one and only hope: he resolved simply “to know” Jesus. To walk with him, to listen to his voice, to commune with him day in and day out. With no other hope for success, Paul simply flung himself on Christ’s mercy, and said, in effect, “Do with me what you will!”

The result: “a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” that inspired a healthy faith in the people to whom Paul was called to minister. This is our potential too ... as we focus on Jesus alone, and let him “do his thing” through us. Our ministries can express his power — and that will be far greater than any “greatness” we could produce.

My Prayer for the Next Seven Days... I know I fall short, Lord, but don’t let me be discouraged or sidetracked by my shortcomings. Walk with me intimately, and remind me continually of your commitment to use me effectively for your glory, no matter what. Amen.

1 Corinthians 1:30-31
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God —that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Principles for Philanthropy

People give for a reason even if it’s hard to quantify at times. Getting to the bottom of those reasons is the best way to sustaining success in fundraising.
In his book “Risk Only Money,” Jack DeBoer, founder of successful hotel brands such as Residence Inn, describes the reasons he and his wife Marilyn felt compelled to participate in philanthropy. Those reasons are laid out in 15 principles. Below are six that will help you better understand why donors give:

• Giving is personal. Giving should be guided by a plan that reflects the values that guide your life.
• Philanthropy is a free market. In the free market as we know it, the entrepreneur makes a living by finding a need and filling it. In the philanthropy free market, each of us finds a need that lines up with our passions and fills it, not for our own profit, but for the good of people who are in need.
• Put dollars where dollars are scarce. Money will have the most effect in places where poverty is rampant. The DeBoers gave a lot of their money to organizations that help struggling areas such as Burma.
• Ego-holics and anonymity. While some donors will give money with the hope of getting recognized, most donors prefer anonymity.
• Donors aren’t ATMs. DeBoer wrote that some charities began to view their foundation as a money machine. Donors want the proper respect when they are asked for money.
• Visit and listen. There is no substitute for visiting charities in the field. This will give you a better idea if it’s an organization worth your time and money.

Viral Warlord Video

Calif. Nonprofit's Warlord Video Goes Viral and Fuels Debate
A small San Diego charity has created a worldwide Internet sensation, and prompted a skeptical backlash, with an advocacy video calling for the arrest and war-crimes prosecution of fugitive Ugandan militia leader Joseph Kony, according to Reuters and the Los Angeles Times.

6 Things You Don't Know About a Special Needs Parent

By Jacob's Mom [Maria Lin]...

About 6 million kids in America receive special education, according to the U.S. Department of Education. One out of every 10 children under the age of 14 has some type of special need, which includes any physical, cognitive, or medical disability, or chronic or life-threatening illness.

My 3 year-old son Jacob is one of them.

He has a disorder of the 18th Chromosome. The 18th Chromosome has various named disorders, including Ring 18 and the more well-known Trisomy 18 (which affects Rick Santorum's daughter, Bella). My son has the more rare 18q-. Only 1 in 40,000 Americans have Chromosome 18q-, which means that less than 7,800 Americans are affected by this disorder.
Because of this disorder, Jacob has had serious medical and developmental issues. He has had heart surgery, kidney tract surgery, bronchoscopies and endoscopies, slept with an oxygen tube, and has had dozens of medical tests and sees numerous specialists. We've been in and out of hospitals and doctors' offices since he was three months old. He also has severe developmental delays and receives speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy and behavioral therapy.

Raising a child with any disorder, condition or special need, is both a blessing and a challenge. A challenge for the obvious reasons, and a blessing because you don't know the depths of victory and joy until you see your child overcoming some of those challenges (sometimes while smiling like a goofy bear).
Chances are that you know a special needs parent, or you may be one yourself. As a special needs parent, I often don't share my feelings on this aspect of my life, even with my closest friends, so I decided to compile a list here with the goal of building understanding (I was largely inspired by this beautiful post, authored by another parent to a child with a chromosomal disorder). I don't claim to speak for every special needs parent out there, but from the ones I know, some of these are pretty universal. If I've missed any, please leave a comment below.

1. I am tired. Parenting is already an exhausting endeavor. But parenting a special needs child takes things to another level of fatigue. Even if I've gotten a good night's sleep, or have had some time off, there is a level of emotional and physical tiredness that is always there, that simply comes from the weight of tending to those needs. Hospital and doctors' visits are not just a few times a year, they may be a few times a month. Therapies may be daily. Paperwork and bills stack up, spare time is spent researching new treatments, positioning him to sit a certain way, advocating for him in the medical and educational system. This is not to mention the emotional toll of raising a special needs child, since the peaks and valleys seem so much more extreme for us. I am always appreciative of any amount of grace or help from friends to make my life easier, no matter how small, from arranging plans around my schedule and location, to watching my son while I am eating.

2. I am jealous. It's a hard one for me to come out and say, but it's true. When I see a 1 year-old baby do what my son can't at 4 years-old (like walk), I feel a pang of jealousy. It hurts when I see my son struggling so hard to learn to do something that comes naturally to a typical kid, like chewing or pointing. It can be hard to hear about the accomplishments of my friend's kids. Sometimes, I just mourn inside for Jacob, "It's not fair." Weirdly enough, I can even feel jealous of other special needs kids who seem to have an easier time than Jacob, or who have certain disorders like Downs, or autism, which are more mainstream and understood by the public, and seem to offer more support and resources than Jacob's rare condition. It sounds petty, and it doesn't diminish all my joy and pride in my son's accomplishments. But often it's very hard for me to be around typical kids with him. Which leads me to the next point...

3. I feel alone. It's lonely parenting a special needs child. I can feel like an outsider around moms of typical kids. While I want to be happy for them, I feel terrible hearing them brag about how their 2 year-old has 100 words, or already knows their ABCs (or hey, even poops in the potty). Good for them, but it's so not what my world looks like (check out Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid). It's been a sanity saver to connect with other special needs moms, with whom it's not uncomfortable or shocking to swap stories about medications, feeding tubes, communication devices and therapies. Even within this community, though, there is such variation in how every child is affected. Only I understand Jacob's unique makeup and challenges. With this honor of caring for him comes the solitude of the role. I often feel really lonely in raising him.

4. I wish you would stop saying, "retarded," "short bus," "as long as it's healthy... " I know people usually don't mean to be rude by these comments, and I probably made them myself before Jacob. But now whenever I hear them, I feel a pang of hurt. Please stop saying these things. It's disrespectful and hurtful to those who love and raise the kids you're mocking (not to mention the kids themselves). As for the last comment, "as long as it's healthy," I hear a lot of pregnant women say this. Don't get me wrong, I understand and share their wishes for healthy babies in every birth, but it's become such a thoughtless mantra during pregnancy that it can feel like a wish against what my son is. "And what if it's not healthy?" I want to ask. (My response: you will be OK. You and your child will still have a great, great life.)

5. I am human. I have been challenged and pushed beyond my limits in raising my son. I've grown tremendously as a person, and developed a soft heart and empathy for others in a way I never would have without him. But I'm just like the next mom in some ways. Sometimes I get cranky, my son irritates me, and sometimes I just want to flee to the spa or go shopping (and, um, I often do). I still have dreams and aspirations of my own. I travel, dance, am working on a novel, love good food, talk about dating. I watch Mad Men, and like a good cashmere sweater. Sometimes it's nice to escape and talk about all these other things. And if it seems that the rest of my life is all I talk about sometimes, it's because it can be hard to talk about my son. Which leads me to the final point...

6. I want to talk about my son/It's hard to talk about about son. My son is the most awe-inspiring thing to happen to my life. Some days I want to shout from the top of the Empire State Building how funny and cute he is, or how he accomplished something in school (he was recently voted class president!). Sometimes, when I'm having a rough day, or have been made aware of yet another health or developmental issue, I might not say much. I don't often share with others, even close friends and family, the depths of what I go through when it comes to Jacob. But it doesn't mean that I don't want to learn how to share our life with others. One thing I always appreciate is whenever people ask me a more specific question about my son, like "How did Jacob like the zoo?" or "How's Jacob's sign language coming along?" rather than a more generalized "How's Jacob?" which can make me feel so overwhelmed that I usually just respond, "Good." Starting with the small things gives me a chance to start sharing. And if I'm not sharing, don't think that there isn't a lot going on underneath, or that I don't want to.

Raising a special needs child has changed my life. I was raised in a family that valued performance and perfection above all else, and unconsciously I'd come to judge myself and others through this lens. Nothing breaks this lens more than having a sweet, innocent child who is born with impairments that make ordinary living and ordinary "performance" difficult or even impossible.

It has helped me understand that true love is meeting someone (child or adult, special needs or not) exactly where he or she is -- no matter how they stack up against what "should be." Raising a special needs child shatters all the "should bes" that we idolize and build our lives around, and puts something else at the core: love and understanding. So maybe that leads me to the last thing you don't know about a special needs parent... I may have it tough, but in many ways I feel really blessed.

Lead Bible News - Gary Coiro

This week, I will train.

For flawed human beings, Christlikeness is a journey, not a destination.

We’re in training to be like Christ — in the same way that an athlete trains to excel in a sport.

Training isn’t a destination; it’s a journey. It’s ongoing. Yes, Jesus did say, in Luke 6:40, that “everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” But the term trained, in the Greek, is katartizo; and it doesn’t translate smoothly into English. The scholars translated the same word elsewhere in the Scriptures as “mended” — like fishermen whose nets are ripped, and they sew them back together. And they sometimes translated katartizo as “framed” (in Hebrews 11:3), or “fitted” (in Romans 9:22), or “joined together” (1 Corinthians 1:10), or “prepared” (Hebrews 10:5), or “restored” (Galatians 6:1). Katartizo doesn’t mean you’re perfect. It means you aren’t perfect — but you’re being mended. You’re not perfect, you’re being perfected. You’re being fitted together, your torn nets are being mended; you’re becoming the way you were originally intended to be. Katartizo isn’t just about the end product. It’s about the process. We’re in a process of spiritual growth. We’re under construction.

So our modern-day scholars, as they were working on the New International Version, asked themselves, How should we translate what Jesus is saying here, in Luke 6:40? “Every one that is katartizo shall be as his master.” And here’s what they settled on: “Everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” The scholars recognized that in our modern use of the term, training means conforming to the model.

When we stop trying to be like Jesus, and start training ... when we let him mend the torn fishnets of our life ... when we let him fit us perfectly back together where we’re broken ... we’ll be fully trained — and we’ll be like our teacher, in the language of the New International Version. We’ll be like our master, in the language of the old King James Version.

We’ll be like Jesus.

We’ll be the people God originally created us to be.

And as a result of our training, we will be more at peace than ever before, more effective, more satisfied, living a more rewarding life, getting more out of every day, less torn by anxiety than ever before, less troubled by difficult circumstances than ever before. We’ll finally have the God’s eye view of our life and ministry. We’ll have the joy of knowing, deep down inside, that God is in control and caring for us, giving us his very best, absolutely every moment of every day.

And there’s tremendous power in living that kind of life.

My Prayer for the Next Seven Days... Lord, some of the nets of my life need mending. I’m grateful that you don’t expect me to be perfect. But keep me in training. Keep working with me, making me everything you want me to be — for the sake of my ministry, and for the sake of those whose lives I touch. Amen.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Pastor Gary Coiro

Gary Coiro

Nonprofit Leader serving as Regional Development Director at Arrow Child and Family Ministries

Baltimore, Maryland Area

Fund-Raising

Current

• Regional Development Director at Arrow Child and Family Ministries
• Organizational Development Consultant at USA Self Employed
• Organizational Development Consultant at BBS & Associates

Past

• Executive Director at Faith Urban Works
• Director of Advancement / Consultant at The Cambridge School
• Student at Cedarville University

Education

• Liberty University
• Cedarville University
• United States Military Academy at West Point

Recommendations

9 people have recommended Gary

Connections

242 connections

Websites

• Blog

Public Profile

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/gary-coiro/8/631/907

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Summary

OBJECTIVE - To be a positive impact leader where success requires relational, organizational, and visionary skills as well as the character qualities of integrity, humility, servanthood, and dedication.

Specialties

Non Profit Leadership, Church Leadership, Development, Campaigns

Experience

Regional Development Director

Arrow Child and Family Ministries

Nonprofit; 201-500 employees; Nonprofit Organization Management industry

August 2011 – Present (8 months) Baltimore, Maryland Area

Responsible for donor cultivation for Arrow in the Maryland / Pennsylvania region. Arrow Child & Family Ministries serves to advance the well being of children, families, communities, and culture by providing an array of services and engaging the local church to promote Christian responsibility and commitment to strengthen family life.

Gary has 1 recommendation (1 co-worker) including:

• 1^st Margo Haynesworth, Admission Director, Arrow Child and Family Ministries

Organizational Development Consultant

USA Self Employed

July 2004 – Present (7 years 9 months)

Development, Strategic Planning, Capacity Building. Since 2004, Gary has been assisting a variety of organizations through the same process that he experienced as a no profit leader and pastor – with a heart for leaders, a commitment to the mission and vision of the organization, and sensitivity to team unity and consensus. In addition to managing campaigns, Gary has also served in the areas of organizational assessment, strategic planning, major donor cultivation, feasibility studies, and non-profit ministry campaigns.

Gary has 7 recommendations (2 co-workers, 3 clients, 2 partners) including:

• 1^st E.Dale Berkey, President, BBS & Associates
• 1^st Dan Taylor, Associate Pastor, Bridgeway Community Church

Organizational Development Consultant

BBS & Associates

Fund-Raising industry

2004 – Present (8 years)

For 30 years, BBS has been helping faith based organizations secure friends and funds. Competencies in donor mailings, case statements, capital campaigns, development training/coaching.

Show Donors Results and Outcomes

by Holly Hall

Charities don’t do nearly enough to tell donors how their money will be used. That’s one of the striking preliminary findings from a new survey by the researcher Penelope Burk. This is the fourth year that Ms. Burke, president of Cygnus Applied Research, has conducted an online survey with thousands of donors.
The survey asked donors “what could unleash your philanthropy at a whole new level?” Nearly half of the donors said that they had more money to give but held back. Many of them said that was largely because they had not received enough information about how past donations had been spent.

Ms. Burk is careful to say that the preliminary responses she released are not necessarily representative of the entire group of donors.  Still, fundraisers may want to take note of the comments she shared. One donor wanted “the need for funds translated into personal stories. Two charities I support have done this and it is highly effective in inspiring me to give more generously.”

The donor mentioned a letter from a nonprofit camp that highlighted stories about how young people’s lives had been changed by the organization and another one from a children’s hospital that sent a photograph of needy parents selecting holiday presents paid for with donor contributions.

“It gave me a real sense of joy because I felt I had accomplished something,” the donor wrote. Another donor was interested in “knowing that my giving produces results.” The donor described giving more to a university “when someone from the development office took me out for coffee to tell me what they have been doing with donors’ contributions. She did not ask for money. I was impressed and became a larger, more regular donor.”

Share the most-effective ways you have helped donors see the results of their gifts.

Act of Valor Letter to Son

Death Letter from Act of Valor

The letter for the movie Act of Valor carried a great message… The Father leaves this letter for his son… These are the words of Tecumseh, Chief of the Shawnee…
So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and
Demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life,
Beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and
Its purpose in the service of your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,
Even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and
Bow to none. When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food and
For the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks,
The fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and nothing,
For abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts
Are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes
They weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again
In a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home

Hines Ward - Steelers

Hines Ward done with Steelers

Posted on March 1, 2012

Steelers president Art Rooney II praised Ward.

“Hines has been an integral part of our success since we drafted him in 1998 and we will forever be grateful for what he has helped us achieve. He has meant so much to this organization, both on and off the field, and we appreciate his efforts over the past 14 years. Hines’ accomplishments are numerous, and he will always be thought of as one of the all-time great Steelers. We wish him nothing but the best.”
Hines statement was a bit more emotional.

“This isn’t how I wanted this chapter of my career to end. I did everything in my power to remain a Steeler and finish what I started here 14 years ago.
“I want to thank the organization, my teammates and coaches and everyone who made my run as a Steeler the best years of my life. To Mr. Rooney, thank you for allowing me to play for one of the greatest organizations in the world. To my fans and in particular, Steeler Nation, thank you for your support and all the great memories. I gave my heart and soul for you every down and I will always bleed black and gold.”

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Pastor Gary Coiro blog

Gary Coiro

Gary Coiro is a former pastor of a flock on the Cleveland scene.  Now a former reverend, Gary now takes the lead on reporting news by blog since 2006. Coiro and his wife reside in Ohio.