Author: Tony Herman

Here is the audio of an interview between Mike Powers of WNWC and Fred Grossenbach of Madison Christians regarding the “Funding Your Vision in the New Economy” workshop coming up. It’s 14 minutes long and there’s just audio.

The Wall Street Journal reports non profit organizations are taking a hit as state and local governments tighten their budgets. Strapped Cities Hit Nonprofits With Fees (online.wsj.com) Facing budget gaps and an aversion to new debt and taxes, states and local governments are slapping residents with an array of new fees—and some are applying them to nonprofits. That marks a sharp departure from long-standing tax exemptions mandated by state law or adopted on the theory that churches, schools and charitable organizations work alongside governments to provide services to the community. Check out “Funding Your Vision in the New Economy,” a workshop…

I approach this season with a great sense of responsibility. If God’s plan was to heal and restore and empower through His Son, then I still have lots of work to do. I can’t become tired of the work of social justice, reconciliation, and affirming the dignity of all people. I don’t want to merely preach the message of hope to our hurting world…I want to embody that message. Read More >>

It’s that time of year when some of us see the new year as a time to make some resolutions to better ourselves. There’s often a sermon this time of year about doing that and most of us do want to always better ourselves. Making progress is in our blood. A common New Year’s resolution people have is to shed some unwanted pounds or get back to working out in the gym. Well, this year there’s even more incentive to work on those goals with the Million Pound Challenge. The idea is simple: for every pound of weight you lose,…

Money can’t buy love; it can’t buy true friendship. In fact, all the best things in life, at MasterCard says, are priceless. It turns out however, all this conventional wisdom is wrong. New research, as reported in the Boston Globe, actually does buy happiness, if its correctly spent. “For deep-seated psychological reasons, when it comes to spending money, we tend to value goods over experiences, ourselves over others, things over people. When it comes to happiness, none of these decisions are right.” Read more about "How Money Makes Us Happy" blog.christianitytoday.com >>

Here’s a story from CBN News about Ted Kennedy. Watch Ted Kennedy Talk About His Catholic Faith (blogs.cbn.com) No matter what you think of Ted Kennedy or the Kennedy clan or their liberal philosophy, one thing you can’t argue about is the fact that Ted Kennedy was one of the most influential Senators of all times. Let’s face it. Ted Kennedy has a long list of legislative victories. Read the list here (PDF). "In short, I hope for an America where neither "fundamentalist" nor "humanist" will be a dirty word, but a fair description of the different ways in which…

Dr. David Cook’s book, Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia, has inspired thousands and is being used in men’s groups at churches all around the country. It’s a story about the character "Johnny" who finds a new putting style at a golf course in a small town called Utopia, Texas.David Cook has been to Madison a number of times and has friends here in Madison, WI. His book was recently picked up by Zondervan and is being republished. The website for the book (www.linksofutopia.com) was recently redesigneb here in Madison, WI and USA Today has also…

(This is a follow up to: Protest scheduled Jan. 8 in response to late-abortion plan posted on January 7, 2009) Abortion proposal protest Protesters were out this morning in Madison, demonstrating against the UW hospital’s plan to offer second trimester abortions. The group of about 60 people protested peacefully outside the Madison Surgery Center on Park Street, where the abortions would be performed. Read more >> Group Rallies Against UW’s Plan To Perform Abortions Protesters came out Thursday morning to voice their opposition against the University of Wisconsin and Meriter Hospital after they announced plans this week to perform…

This year’s big Christmas controversy has been the suddenly in your face anti-religion tactics launched by some atheists. I wrote about what I considered to be a mildly amusing advertising campaign by atheists in Washington D.C. But some people in Washington state have taken a rather ugly turn in their attempt to have a voice during the Christmas season. A group called Freedom From Religion placed this sign near a nativity scene at the state capitol."Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."…Dan Barker, Freedom From Religion Foundation co-president, said he intended the sign to be…

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz will travel to Jerusalem on Saturday to discuss urban problems at a four-day conference with mayors from around the world.According to a release from the Madison Jewish Community Council, the conference, titled the 25th Annual Jerusalem Conference of Mayors, will emphasize the role of mayors in meeting economic, demographic and political challenges in their cities.Read more at The Capital Times >>