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CHAIN LINK MIGRATION, FACTS & NUMBERS: Truth, DACA, & Compassion without the Politics
Can you imagine having a fish aquarium and then removing the walls of the aquarium? You would lose everything that the aquarium holds together. This is the same principle of America and its borders. If we have no borders or laws regulating the borders, then the standards and values that are upheld within America will be lost. The topic of immigration into the United States has been a topic of great concern for many. When looking at immigration, do we really understand the processes that are in place? One particular process; chain migration, may open our eyes to how many people are coming into the United States. As the Center for Immigration Studies reveals, the numbers of immigrants coming into America may be much larger than we are presently aware of. In addition, the methods as to how immigrants are entering America may surprise you. Director of Policy Studies, Jessica Vaughan, highlights that more than a million immigrants come into America each year. “What most people don’t realize, is that the majority of new immigrants that we take in are coming in, not because of any jobs or skills, but because they were sponsored by relatives who came earlier.” The present sponsor laws in America allow those who have immigrated into America to sponsor others in their immediate and extended family. Vaughan continues, “in 2015 500,000 people got green cards through the chain migration categories.” The concern is the effect that this has on more and more people allowing to be “sponsored”. “This has a multiplier effect. Every new immigrant that we admit sponsors an average of three more immigrants through chain migration.” Vaughan shares that changes can be made that would begin to allow immigration based on job skills versus family relations. It is important that we talk about these processes. The vetting processes that we have in place help us to identify those that are crossing our borders. If you were to walk into a business for employment, you wouldn’t simply begin working. The business would sit down with you and evaluate you to see if you are a good fit to what they are wanting and needing. Immigration is good, but legal immigration is what we are after. We want people to come to America, but we want them to come legally. There is a reason that America is a country made up of laws. How do you feel about chain migration? It is important that we have a Biblical understanding and perspective about this matter. See the full discussion about America’s borders, the numbers of people that are coming through chain migration, each week, month, and so much more. Also shared in this segment: Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, MS-13, border patrol, DACA, immigration, immigrants, green cards, how do I get my visa? Washington D.C. and football stadiums. Greg and John shared in this segment.
VFNKB #SuccessSecrets: UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES & SEASONS KEY TO SUCCESS – TD JAKES
Did you know that God is into your success? God wants you to be successful? During an insightful conversation about business, vision and leadership, Pastor Steven Furtick sat down with Bishop T. D. Jakes to discuss Jakes’s new book Soar!: Build Your Vision from the Ground Up. In their discussion, Bishop Jakes talks about the importance of understanding the times and seasons that you are living in to carry out the plans and goals that you are desiring. As Bishop Jakes explains, the way people work has changed as we have progressed from the agricultural age to the information age. “Now we are in an era where people my age send their kids to school because we train them to think ‘a job’.” Bishop Jakes continues, “And we said that if you go to school and get a good education, you’re gonna come out and you’re gonna get a great job and that was true when I was coming up.” This is where we must understand that things have changed, and we can no longer carry the same mindsets. This is where Bishop Jakes asks the pointed question that many are facing. “The question then becomes how do we, with our education and our disappointment, living in our mother’s house sleeping on the couch, eating cereal at noon, retool ourselves so that we can be functional in the 21st Century?” Presently, when students complete their college education, college career centers are preparing them by giving the advice to put their resume on LinkedIn. This is happening in Universities across the nation. It is times like these that we must be like the men of Issachar. As 1 Chronicles 12:32 describes them as “men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do”. Presently, many people are using last season’s technologies with today’s problems and realizing it’s not working. Have you felt that you have missed your season? Do you have a question about how to launch your vision or life’s goals in today’s realities? We want to hear from you. Share your comments on how you are making the transition from education to applying what you have learned. See the full conversation on this important matter, and so much more. Also shared in this segment: college tuition, college education, college bills, student loans, how do I pay off my student loan debt? how do I find a job? LinkedIn, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Pastor Steven Furtick, wisdom, and seasons. Greg and John shared in this segment.
CHURCH, DEEP LOOK AT HARD TRUTHS; 4,000 Salesman Close 100 Sales considered a Failure, Francis Chan
It is important that we evaluate whatever it is that we are doing; especially when it is for the Lord. We don’t want to continue in whatever we are doing only the find out at the end that our efforts were not producing the outcomes we were desiring. This is exactly what Francis Chan shares as he talks about what he has experienced taking place in the Church. Chan describes the tremendous growth that he witnessed after starting a church out of his home. Thousands of people were gathering, and a college was even started through this growth. But something happened along the way that slowed the growth. “We just got stuck after a while because there was no room to grow…and I found people that were there that had been there forever that were taking no steps of faith”. As Chan continues, he points out that this is why Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit, to empower us to witness to the lost. “And that’s why it drives you nuts when you know you’re chickening out.” It was this understanding that caused Chan to look at what was taking place. Initially, he was seeing growth that more than doubled. “When we had 40 people and we grew to 400, I thought that’s awesome”. He witnessed the same level of growth when 400 grew to 4,000. Chan uses a simple business analogy to explain the success of this growth. “400 salesmen and we grew…they each made 10 sales.” But this is where the growth changed. “But now I have 4000 salespeople and that is a huge cost.” Chan continues, “4000 staff, and we make maybe 100 sales. That’s failure.” He then presents the sobering reality that would take place in the business world. “I mean you would fire someone with an army that big…” When we read Scripture, does our life line up with the commands and expectations that are written? According to George Barna, the American Church is spending $1.3 Million per baptized believer. What we are presently witnessing in America is a “come to my church” mindset versus a “go out into all the world and make disciples”. This is a “come-ye” church versus a “go-ye” church. Being the Church is not as complicated as the enemy has made it out to be. God has called us to be family; to be fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters. The enemy has attacked family. God has called us to be part of His family. God wants you to tell everyone about Him. Do you see this same paradigm in the American Church? What are your thoughts about how church is carried out? We want to hear from you. See the full conversation about this important matter happening within the Church, and so much more. Also shared in this segment: Francis Chan, Church growth, Vine Seminars, Charles Simpson, Ants Vines and Churches, George Barna, evangelism, the Great Commission, and eternity. Greg and John shared in this segment.