Monday, May 31, 2021

May 31 Prayer Pod

 

May 31 Prayer Pod

We all want to pray but sometimes we find it difficult to begin our prayer.  Many Pastors and Ministers suggest you begin your prayer by praying back God’s words from Scripture

These daily prayer PODs are constructed to help you in your prayer life

May 31 2 Corinthians 5:7
Pray: Lord hear Your words:
For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Lord hear my request: (Say your needs, wants, fears, thanksgivings) -  In Jesus name I pray - Amen

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Sunday, May 30, 2021

May 30 Prayer Pod



May 30 Prayer Pod

We all want to pray but sometimes we find it difficult to begin our prayer.  Many Pastors and Ministers suggest you begin your prayer by praying back God’s words from Scripture

These daily prayer PODs are constructed to help you in your prayer life

May 30 Psalm 119:71-72  
Pray: Lord hear Your words:
It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn from your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me then thousands of coins of gold and silver.

Lord hear my request: (Say your needs, wants, fears, thanksgivings) -  In Jesus name I pray - Amen

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Millennials, God and the Church

 

FLORIDA 
WEST COAST        

Opinion by:  
E. Eugene Webb PhD 

Millennials are leaving the church and there is an enormous amount of research trying to figure out why.

Take a look at this article From FiveThirtyEight By Daniel Cox and Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux: Millennials Are Leaving Religion And Not Coming Back

Below, is a research study from the Pew Research Center: Religious Landscape Study. Click on this link and you can do a deep dive into the data they have collected on millennials and their faith.

Younger Millennials who say they believe in God (absolutely certain)

Among Evangelical Protestants 

 

Baptist Family (Evangelical Trad.)

11%

Methodist Family (Evangelical Trad.)

< 1%

Nondenominational Family (Evangelical Trad.)

8%

Lutheran Family (Evangelical Trad.)

1%

Presbyterian Family (Evangelical Trad.)

1%

Pentecostal Family (Evangelical Trad.)

4%

Episcopalian/Anglican Family (Evangelical Trad.)

< 1%

Restorationist Family (Evangelical Trad.)

3%

Congregationalist Family (Evangelical Trad.)

< 1%

Holiness Family (Evangelical Trad.)

   1%

Reformed Family (Evangelical Trad.)

< 1%

Adventist Family (Evangelical Trad.)

   1%

Anabaptist Family (Evangelical Trad.)

< 1%

Pietist Family (Evangelical Trad.)

< 1%

Other evangelical/fundamentalist family
(Evangelical Trad.)

< 1%

Nonspecific Protestant Family (Evangelical Trad.)

2%

            Source: Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study

The traditional circle of life in the Christian Church has been for years: people marry; they have children; they bring their children to church, as the children move into their mid and early teens, there is a stage of rebelliousness, they go on to college; they marry, and start a family and then there begins somewhere in the latter stages of that process a slow drift back to the church.

It's not working that way anymore.

The Table above, deals with younger millennials and their belief in God, and I think it's representative. However, the leading edge of the millennials has not followed the traditional circle of Christian life. As they began their families, they have not necessarily returned to their religious roots.

Universally, church attendance has been on a steady decline for the last decade. In the last few years on an annualized basis, more churches close than open.

The millennials, who are in many ways an offshoot of the me-too generation, seem to have great difficulty reconciling themselves to the concept of an ultimate creator and a savior in the form of Jesus Christ.

So, what happened?

I don't think anyone has figured that out yet, but as Protestant denominations continue to shrink, and faith as a guiding principle in our society becomes less important, the impact of the move away from religious thought is becoming more and more apparent.

A lot of these millennials were pulled out of the traditional public school system, isolated from society, educated in private schools, often church based, and in many cases were exposed to the Bible and Christian faith throughout their formative educational years.

These millennials were also the first group of children to be raised with the concept of everybody gets an equal chance, everybody gets a trophy, there sincerely are no consequences for your actions and striving for perfection or success is not all that important.

The results of the millennial educational process first appeared when many high school graduating millennials decided that Career Education was not really the important thing, but self-enrichment education would serve their needs.

In the ultimate end, their parents did not encourage them otherwise and these millennials are the ones who ended up living in the basement until they are in their late 20s or early 30s writing poetry, music and running from one “social cause” to another while disdaining becoming a productive member of society.

It is not just the Church. Recruiters in all types of business, education, and government deal with the issue of the millennials every day.

Religious faith was one of the main principles our country was founded upon and has been the bedrock of everything from our Constitution to the precepts that govern our actions in society.

The question becomes as faith and religious thought and practice grow dimmer in our society what will our country look like?

It's not just about the church it's about all that we are.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (E. Eugene Webb) Friend request. Like or share on Facebook and follow me on TWITTER  @DOC ON THE BAY.

See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.  

Disclosures:

 

Saturday, May 29, 2021

May 29 Prayer Pod

 

May 29 Prayer Pod

We all want to pray but sometimes we find it difficult to begin our prayer.  Many Pastors and Ministers suggest you begin your prayer by praying back God’s words from Scripture

These daily prayer PODs are constructed to help you in your prayer life

May 29 Psalm 105
Pray: Lord hear Your words:
Give thanks to the Lord! Call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!

Lord hear my request: (Say your needs, wants, fears, thanksgivings) -  In Jesus name I pray - Amen

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Friday, May 28, 2021

May 28 Prayer Pod

 

May 28 Prayer Pod

We all want to pray but sometimes we find it difficult to begin our prayer.  Many Pastors and Ministers suggest you begin your prayer by praying back God’s words from Scripture

These daily prayer PODs are constructed to help you in your prayer life

May 28 Philippians 4:13
Pray: Lord hear Your words:
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Lord hear my request: (Say your needs, wants, fears, thanksgivings) -  In Jesus name I pray - Amen

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Tampa Bay Rays – The New Game in Town

FLORIDA  
WEST COAST        

Opinion by:  
E. Eugene Webb PhD 

What started out as a spat between managing partners of the Tampa Bay Rays, Stu Sternberg, and several of his minority business partners appears to be slowly headed toward open warfare.

For some background information, check out these articles from the Tampa Bay Times.

Tampa Bay Times: By Josh Solomon and Emily L. Mahoney: Tampa Bay Rays minority owners sue Sternberg, say he secretly negotiated Montreal deal.

Tampa Bay Times By Josh Solomon: Kriseman says he ‘can’t negotiate’ with Sternberg on Rays deal.

Tampa Bay Times By John Romano: If Rays are forced to open their books, lawsuit could be a good thing.

Quoting from the Tampa Bay Times articles,” It (the lawsuit) was filed by Robert Kleinert, Gary Markel, Stephen M. Waters and a trust bearing his name, and the MacDougald Family Limited Partnership, LLLP. Collectively, they own just under 9.6 percent of the team, according to the lawsuit.”

Unless Sternberg can put enough money on the table quickly to make this problem go away, things could get very interesting.

Checking out the basic information that the Times has uncovered so far, a number of questions are starting to arise regarding not only about Sternberg and his business practices with the Rays ball club, but also the possibility of a violation of the Use Agreement with the City of St. Petersburg regarding Tropicana Field.

As most situations like this, the devil is more than likely in the details. The question is how long the Rays can afford to let this lawsuit go before it starts digging into things that they probably do not want to be exposed.

All of this comes at an interesting time. First, the team is looking more and more like they may be a World Series contender again. All this hassle about the business operation really doesn't help the morale or the momentum of the team itself.

Secondly, as mayor Rick Kriseman struggles frantically to get some sort of a redevelopment deal at least started if not well underway for the Tropicana Field site before his impending departure as mayor of Saint Pete, those efforts have been completely derailed by the accusations against Sternberg and his dealing with the minority partners and transfer of team ownership.

All of this is especially troubling for Mayor Rick Kriseman, as he term limits out, and has expressed some ongoing political interests. Potentially he is considering a run for the congressional seat of gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist.

This is probably not the time Kriseman wants to get himself embroiled in what could be a nasty and ugly squabble between Sternberg his management team and this group of minority investors.

Now there will be more people than ever pawing around in the records and the details and probably doing some public records requests to see what if anything anybody at the City might have known about some of the activities and looking for more information about these minority partners and what they do.

So, in less the Rays managed to lose a playoff, it looks like there're going to be two games on the field from now through the end of the baseball season, and one will probably last much longer than that.

There is the hunt for that elusive World Series championship, and what appears to be an ongoing legal battle for the future of the team as a business.

For now, it appears his minority ownership group has pitched him a high an inside fastball. Sternberg will more than likely not take a swing at it since it will be called a ball, and he will still have three strikes left.

This whole mess has all the characteristics of an absolutely fantastic social media blitz for everyone involved. That would include the Rays baseball team, Stu Sternberg, some of his inside the circle advisors, the managing partners, along with the city and the mayor himself.

Hang on, this is just the top of the first.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (E. Eugene Webb) Friend request. Like or share on Facebook and follow me on TWITTER  @DOC ON THE BAY.

See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.  

Disclosures:

Thursday, May 27, 2021

May 27 Prayer Pod

 

May 27 Prayer Pod

We all want to pray but sometimes we find it difficult to begin our prayer.  Many Pastors and Ministers suggest you begin your prayer by praying back God’s words from Scripture

These daily prayer PODs are constructed to help you in your prayer life

May 27 Ephesians 4:31
Pray: Lord hear Your words:
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice.

Lord hear my request: (Say your needs, wants, fears, thanksgivings) -  In Jesus name I pray - Amen

PLEASE SHARE TO YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM
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Wednesday, May 26, 2021

May 26 Prayer Pod

 


May 26 Prayer Pod

We all want to pray but sometimes we find it difficult to begin our prayer.  Many Pastors and Ministers suggest you begin your prayer by praying back God’s words from Scripture

These daily prayer PODs are constructed to help you in your prayer life

May 26 Romans 12:9
Pray: Lord hear Your words:
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 
Lord hear my request: (Say your needs, wants, fears, thanksgivings) -  In Jesus name I pray - Amen

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DeSantis Cuts Unemployment Supplement

 


Tuesday, May 25, 2021

May 25 Prayer Pod

 

May 25 Prayer Pod

We all want to pray but sometimes we find it difficult to begin our prayer.  Many Pastors and Ministers suggest you begin your prayer by praying back God’s words from Scripture

These daily prayer PODs are constructed to help you in your prayer life


Pray: Lord hear Your words
:
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend with the world makes himself an enemy Of God.

  
Lord hear my request: (Say your needs, wants, fears, thanksgivings) -  In Jesus name I pray - Amen

PLEASE SHARE TO YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM

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Monday, May 24, 2021

May 24 Prayer Pod

 

May 24 Prayer Pod

We all want to pray but sometimes we find it difficult to begin our prayer.  Many Pastors and Ministers suggest you begin your prayer by praying back God’s words from Scripture


These daily prayer PODs are constructed to help you in your prayer life

May 24 Corinthians 15:33
Pray: Lord hear Your words:
Do not be deceived: evil company corrupts good habits.


Lord hear my request: (Say your needs, wants, fears, thanksgivings) -  In Jesus name I pray - Amen

PLEASE SHARE TO YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM

CLICK BELOW

Sunday, May 23, 2021

May 23 Prayer Pod

 

We all want to pray but sometimes we find it difficult to begin our prayer.  Many Pastors and Ministers suggest you begin your prayer by praying back God’s words from Scripture

These daily prayer PODs are constructed to help you in your prayer life

May 23 Zachariah 4:6
Pray: Lord hear Your words:
So he answered and said unto me: this is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 


Lord hear my request: (Say your needs, wants, fears, thanksgivings) -  In Jesus name I pray - Amen

PLEASE SHARE TO YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM

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Have You Gone Back to Church Yet?

68% said they will attend church at the same levels they did before the outbreak occurred..


FLORIDA  
WEST COAST        
Opinion by:  
E. Eugene Webb PhD 

If you have been vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus, and you stopped going to your local church during the pandemic, have you returned to your local church?

Here is a Facebook quote from a Murry, Ky Church of Christ: “However, if the reason for your absence is because you’ve become accustomed to staying away, please pray and reconsider rejoining us if you feel safe to do so,” the note said. “God loves you, and we do too, and we sure do miss all of our family and wouldn’t want it to be because someone is struggling spiritually.”

From Baptist News Global: When asked about their worship plans once the pandemic no longer threatens public or personal health, 68% said they will attend church at the same levels they did before the outbreak occurred in early 2020. Another 23% said they plan to attend more often than they did before COVID, while 6% plan to attend less often. Only 2% said they would rarely attend, and 1% said they will not return.

My wife and I stopped attending our local Baptist Church shortly after the pandemic began. That was well over a year ago. We did attend services online but chose not to go to the onsite services.

Following our vaccinations and about a three-week wait. We returned to the early service at our local church.

The first Sunday we attended, just seemed kind of surreal. The congregation was medium in size, socially distant, and for the most part, wearing masks.

The service was basically the same as it had always been. The format of music, worship, information, and the pastor’s sermon exactly in the same order it was before  the pandemic.

However, there was just a different feel in the sanctuary. It's always quiet in the church service but in this case, it seemed extra quiet. Prior to service beginning there was little to no conversation among the parishioners.

At the end of the service, people pretty much got up walked out and said little to their fellow church members and attendees.

I believe, that like everything else church services and the practice of expressing your faith will improve as time goes on, and we readjust for life like it was pre pandemic. In today's world, church fellowship provides an opportunity for a respite from the pressures and concerns that we all face in our everyday lives.

Church attendance brings many benefits to adults, children, and entire families.

Faith is often the experience that unlocks the doors to the solutions of our problems with work, home, life, spouse, children, parents, our families, and our world experience.

The best place, to learn about and practice your faith is your local church.

The question here is will YOU go back or start attending church now that the pandemic is easing?

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (E. Eugene Webb) Friend request. Like or share on Facebook and follow me on TWITTER  @DOC ON THE BAY.

See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.  

Disclosures: