A Training Seminar for Preaching: Developing Effective Preaching Skills

Problem. Preaching in general is weak and the results can be seen in poor church attendance. The future of the Christian Church depends in great measure on the quality and power o f the preaching from our pulpits. This study was to research, prepare, present, and evaluate a seminar for pastors that will help them develop effective preaching skills. Method. Based on research on the preaching style and characteristics o f the Lord Jesus, the Apostle Paul, and six successful preachers, the seminar “Feeding the Flock” was produced. This seminar was presented in five different places, covering seven Conferences of the Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists with an attendance o f 164 pastors. Results. This seminar was very well received by the pastors. Out o f 106 pastors who evaluated the seminar, using a Likert scale, from 1 to 5 (poor to excellent respectively), 73.1% rated it a 5, 23.2% a 4 (very good), and 3.7% a 3 (good), with a total average grade o f 4.69. Conclusions. This research has discovered some of the main preaching characteristics of Jesus, Paul, and six successful preachers that have made them very powerful in the pulpit. The research has also demonstrated that the preacher, the message, and the delivery have power only as these three components are closely connected to God and to each other. In order for the preacher to be effective he or she has to have a deep relationship with God, practice what he or she preaches, be authentic, and be vulnerable. In order to be effective the message has to be Bible- and Christ-centered, and has to be directed to the needs and the hearts o f the congregation. This study has found also that in order to persuade people, successful preachers preach to the heart—to the intellect, emotions, and will

Costruzione e ricostruzione dell’Accademia di Villa Adriana: dall’analisi del monumento alla restituzione. Problemi e soluzioni nell’uso della tecnologia digitale

The aim of this paper is to illustrate a study addressing the comprehension and architectural reconstruction of part of Hadrian’s Villa, the so called Accademia. The reconstruction of the monument has a double purpose: the understanding of the buildings and the creation of a virtual musealization. Archaeological data combined with digital reconstructions are aimed at making areas that are not accessible to visitors visible to users. In recent times, several reconstruction projects have been undertaken, producing relevant visual impacts. However, a careful study of the archaeological evidence often failed to support the reconstruction process. During the research project, a detailed survey of the archaeological evidence was conducted, using photogrammetry, photo scanning, and laser scanning techniques. The study produced important information accounting for both the building site and the construction choices made during the erection of the monument. The analysis generated new elements that allowed us to propose some new hypotheses regarding the identification and restitution of volumes, as well as the interpretation of some topographical, architectural and possibly ideological features. For this reason, the paper does not simply enquire into the reconstruction of an ancient building, but into the process of methodological experimentation required to understand, store, process and make data accessible, within the particular context of the Accademia. The methodological experimentation, based on a correct balance between new technologies and traditional research methods, helped us understand the monument, providing content to a reconstruction that otherwise would have been empty

Learning theological ethics through the Heidelberg Catechism

This article looks to the logic of grace and gratitude in the Heidelberg Catechism (HC) in order to examine a disposing pattern of sensibility and affection as well as four lessons for a contemporary Protestant theological ethic. It also suggests a revision of the catechism’s basic theology in light of the current ecological crisis and in conjunction with a theocentric strand in Reformed theologies of creation

A simplified pneumatic model for air brake of passenger trains

Braking system performance is relevant for both railway safety and network optimization. Most trains employ air brake systems; air brake systems of freight trains mostly cannot achieve a synchronous application of brake forces, which is usually customary for passenger trains. The paper generalizes a previous air brake pneumatic model to passenger trains and describes the needed modifications. Among them, the way the pressure reduces in the brake pipe is generalized. Moreover, this paper reports an analytical bi-dimensional function for calculating the nozzle diameter equivalent to the electro-pneumatic (EP) or the electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brake valve as a function of the wagon length and the time to vent the brake pipe locally. The numerical results of the new model are compared against several experimental tests of high-speed passenger trains of Trenitalia, namely ETR500 and ETR1000. The model is suitable to be integrated into the UIC software TrainDy, aiming to extend its computational field to passenger trains and to simulate the safety of trains during a recovery

Exit, Voice, And Loyalty In The Industrial District: The Case Of Prato

In this paper the "exit, voice and loyalty" approach by Albert O. Hirschman is applied to the case of the rise and evolution of the Prato industrial district, from post-war days until now. This is done, not so much to gain a better understanding of the specific events in Prato, but rather to shed light on the recuperation mechanisms that characterise the fundamental economic relations within the industrial district: i.e. labour relations, subcontracting relations, and relations between firms. The analysis shows how the higher competitiveness and adaptability of the district derives from the relative abundance of exit mechanisms, but also from the wealth of forms of voice, both individual and collective. These are continually being renewed within the district, thus bringing about an alternation and recombination of the mix of exit and voice, and also of the interaction models between them. The wealth of expressions of voice is a distinctive element of district relations which is linked to the multiplicity of loyalty relations (team attachment, professional category membership, local community sense of membership...) existing within the district.exit and voice, industrial district

Quality of life and coping strategies in the treatment of oncologic patients

O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a relação entre percepção da qualidade de vida e as estratégias de enfrentamento em pessoas em tratamento quimioterápico. Participaram 42 pacientes, 22 (52,4%) mulheres e 20 (47,6%) homens, com idade média de 57 anos (M= 57,07; DP= 13,269). Os instrumentos utilizados foram a Escala de modos de enfrentamento de problemas - EMEP e WHOQOL-Bref. Os resultados indicam que os pacientes que estão em fase inicial do tratamento fazem maior uso de estratégias que modificam ou alteram o evento estressor (o tratamento oncológico) com o objetivo de controlar ou lidar melhor com a situação, além de se envolverem mais com práticas religiosas ou pensamentos fantasiosos para auxiliar o processo de enfrentamento. Os dados reafirmam a importância da relação entre os construtos, que, quando utilizados de forma eficaz promovem resultados significativos na vida do paciente e na sua adaptação frente à doença e ao tratamento.El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar la relación entre la percepción de calidad de vida y las estrategias de afrontamiento en personas que reciben quimioterapia. Participaron 42 pacientes, 22 mujeres (52,4%) y 20 hombres (47.6%), con edad media de 57 años (M = 57.07, SD = 13.269). Los instrumentos utilizados fueron la Escala de estrategias de afrontamiento de problemas - [EMOP por sus siglas en portugués] y el WHOQOL-Bref. Los resultados indican que los pacientes en la fase inicial del tratamiento hacen un mayor uso de estrategias que modifican o alteran el factor estresante (tratamiento del cáncer) con el fin de controlar o enfrentar mejor la situación, y tener una mayor participación en las prácticas religiosas o imaginarias que favorecen el proceso de afrontamiento de pensamientos. Los datos reafirman la importancia de la relación entre constructos, que utilizados de manera efectiva, promueven resultados significativos en la vida del paciente y su adaptación a la enfermedad y al tratamiento.The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between perception of quality of life and coping strategies in people undergoing chemotherapy. Participants were 42 patients, 22 (52.4 %) women and 20 (47.6 %) men, mean age 57 years old (M = 57.07; SD = 13,269). The instruments used were the Problem Coping Strategies Scale- [EMEP, for its Portuguese acronym] and the WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Results indicate that patients who are in the initial phase of treatment make greater use of strategies that modify or alter the stressor (oncologic treatment) in order to control or cope better with the situation and be more involved in religious or imaginary practices that help in the process of coping with thoughts. Data affirm the importance of the relationship between the constructs, which, when used effectively, promote significant results in the patient's life and their adaptation to the disease and treatment

A fair share: Effects of disparity, allocation strategy and system justification on perceptions of policy support in the education domain

Inequality in the United States has been rising for decades. According to the U.S. Federal Reserve, as of 2023, the top 10% of wealthiest households hold 69% of all wealth while the bottom 50% of households only hold 2.5% of all wealth (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 2023). Recently, such disparities have been put into stark relief, as the COVID-19 pandemic increased objective inequality within the United States; those low in socioeconomic status (SES) have a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, are more likely to have their housing and employment situations completely upended and have limited access to health care than those high in SES (Patel et al., 2020). Even in the face of such stark inequality, people are often either unaware, unwilling to see or disagree about whether such disparities are indeed unfair and therefore fail to agree on optimal ways to ensure fair access to resources

O esfacelamento do sagrado em Panamérica

PanAmérica, obra do escritor brasileiro José Agrippino de Paula, se inicia com a descrição de uma cena inusitada: o narrador-protagonista (cujo nome nunca chegamos a conhecer), com um megafone em mãos, sobrevoa um dos vários estúdios que utiliza em Hollywood, supervisionando a produção do mar de gelatina verde que servirá como cenário para a sequência. Descobrimos, algumas linhas abaixo, que a cena em questão visa recriar -- cinematograficamente -- o mito bíblico do êxodo, mais especificamente a fuga dos hebreus pelo Mar Vermelho (PAULA, 2001, p. 13-27). O presente artigo visa problematizar a questão do sagrado na presente obra, através do uso que faz de imaginário cristão e de ações do narrador em relação a tal imaginário.