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Quick 2 Listen/ Slow 2 Speak/ Slow 2 Become Angry :)

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 By 11 Comments

Good Morning Friends,

Guess what?? We’re going to be adding a few video clips from my recent teaching “30+ Thoughts on Effective Evangelism.” Look for these clips on this blog site over the next few days!

Today’s thought deals with the subject of self control and learning to ENTRUST our lives into the loving hands of God in all life’s circumstances. Too often, we take matters into our own hands and really make a mess of things! Maybe this blog will help… 

James 1:19-20 “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”

Quick to listen… Slow to speak

  • Because things are not usually as they first appear… don’t speak from misinformation.
  • Listening is an act of respecting others… and a sure sign of wisdom.
  • Wise people use less words and last words.
  • Being the last person to speak positions you to be the most informed speaker.
  • When possible, always talk to God before responding to people.
  • When speaking in your own defense, don’t speak unless prompted by the Holy Spirit.
  • Even perfect words can be misinterpreted… many times; silence is more powerful than a mighty argument.
  • Silence gives God a chance to do the impossible.

Slow to become angry

  • Anger is a manifestation of fear.
  • Fear is an antonym for faith.
  • Anger is mans way of responding to adverse circumstances in his humanity.
  • Anger is not a God approved method for handling adverse circumstances.
  • Victory obtained through anger is not really a victory.
  • Anger manipulates people and circumstances… and never brings the kind of lasting victory God has for his children.

A person who is quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry… is a person who has learned to trust that God is bigger than people… and that life works out best when left in God’s hands. God loves, God is merciful, God is just… and God is ABLE to work ALL THINGS OUT FOR OUR GOOD AND HIS GLORY! 

Today’s blog is written from a lifetime of painful experience… it’s comes from the chronicles of this bloggers decades at the school of hard knocks! I pray it adds tremendous value to your amazing lives! We love you and we thank God for you… tootaloo!

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Staying Clear of Self Absorption :):):)

Monday, March 30th, 2009 By 3 Comments

Good Morning Everyone!

I’m writing today’s blog from AMC where I’m waiting for a church member to breeze through a pretty significant back surgery! This is one of my favorite parts of ministry… just making someone’s day by walking through a scary moment by their side! Peggy Sabo lost her husband two years ago after 51 years of blessed matrimony! And to surprise her with a 6:15 am loving hug… it was just as much a blessing to me as it was to her!

Yesterday was beautiful for the most part. We had three people give their lives to Jesus at Destiny Family Center in the morning service, two people baptized with the Holy Spirit in the evening discipleship group, and an AMAZING time at the Evangelism Conference at White Hill Church of the Brethren. I taught ”30 Plus Thoughts on Effective Evangelism”… good times!!

My inspirational thought for today is this: Don’t miss an opportunity to BLESS others due to the curse of self absorption.

Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Too often, we become so absorbed with our own life challenges that we fail to recognize what’s going on in the hearts and lives of all the beautiful people in our space. When this happens, we miss divine opportunities to MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE for desperate people!

In my own life, every time I push aside personal needs to BLESS someone else… my personal needs go from huge to tiny very fast! So then, in blessings others we are blessing ourselves… the result is always a double blessing!

Today and throughout this week… let’s spend far less time focusing on our own issues so that we can BLESS others! Just look around… do some focused listening… recognize the heartfelt needs of your peers… give out a few loving hugs… give away some of your precious time… and lift burdens everywhere you go! And that will make for a most outstanding LIFE!

We love you guys sincerely… hoping today’s blog adds tremendous value to your amazing lives! Chat later… tootalooo!

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The Motions

Sunday, March 29th, 2009 By 3 Comments

Good Morning Friends,

Here’s the video of a song that my wife is loving these days. It’s become the theme of this season of our lives… so, I thought to share it with you guys this morning. This is the best version I could find on youtube…

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaHmiFaX_pk&feature=related

See you guys at Destiny Family Center… 10am TODAY! Have a most outstanding day!

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Failure: The First Signs of a New Beginning!

Saturday, March 28th, 2009 By 8 Comments

Happy Saturday Friends,

Renewal: Every decade or so, life stagnates… and the best thing for each of us is a trial so cataclysmic that should we survive, we will never be the same again!

Think about caterpillars becoming butterflies… or a snake shedding its old skin… or an eagle molting!

Isaiah 40:29-31

 29 He gives strength to the weary
       and increases the power of the weak.

 30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
       and young men stumble and fall;

 31 but those who hope in the LORD
       will renew… their… strength!
       They will soar on wings like eagles;
       they will run and not grow weary,
       they will walk and not be faint.

Old paradigms, old methods, old school talents, dated approaches… everything that once worked perfectly has to FAIL in a very big way… and while we do EVERYTHING in OUR POWER to keep yesterday alive… yesterday has to DIE… and yesterday has to be SHED OFF!

The greatest hindrance to RENEWAL is holding too tightly to a current glory! Old things have to pass away so that all things can become NEW! 

So then oftentimes, failure is not the end of us… it is the early signs of a NEW BEGINNING! Selah

Tomorrow is church at Destiny Family Center… come in person or watch it LIVE on the webcast! Hope to see you there! Have a super duper day everyone!!

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Celebrating You Tube Video #1

Friday, March 27th, 2009 By 5 Comments

Happy Friday Friends,

Thanks to Jonathan Woodard, Ryan Huffer, and Ben Doyle… we are now on youtube. Yeah I know, we should have done that a long long time ago… we’ve just been busy!

Let me give you a little background for the video snippet you’re about to watch.

First, the text: Matthew 16:13-19

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

 14 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

 15 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

 17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

A few observations about these verses:

  • Ok, so Jesus asked Peter, “Who do YOU say that I am?”
  • Peter did not hesitate…
  • Peter did not side with popular belief…
  • Peter SPOKE WITH DEEP CONVICTION saying, “YOU ARE THE MESSIAH, the Son of the living God!”
  • From the way Jesus responded to Peters answer, we must assume that Peter impressed Jesus!
  • Jesus replies, “YOU ARE BLESSED PETER… because your beliefs about me did not come to you only from what you heard other humans saying… no, no, no… you’ve been watching me closely Peter, you’ve been studying my every move… and you have a FIRST HAND REVELATION that my Father has given you about WHO I AM!” (paraphrase)
  • As a result of Peter’s unshakable deep conviction, Jesus tells him, “Peter, I am going to build my Kingdom with you… I am going to start my church with the revelation you are housing in your heart!” (paraphrase) 
  • And Jesus explains that spiritual authority has everything to do with who Jesus IS to each of us! “Because of this FIRST HAND REVEALTION you are housing in your heart Peter, I am giving YOU the KEYS of the Kingdom of Heaven!” (paraphrase)
  • So, the question remains, “Who do YOU say that Jesus is?” and “How firmly are you holding that belief?” Because if you’re living on someone else’s relationship with God, you will never be able to experience the Kingdom of God quite like Peter did.

With this brief background… watch the video and add your amazing comments! Oh, and have a most outstanding day everyone! We love you guys in a pretty HUGE way!

 

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA1WDsTPeYk

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