Month: January 2014

Personal Evangelism: How to share a much clearer message

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I sat down for a cup of coffee at my favorite neighborhood Starbucks a few days ago and just as I did, a couple came in and sat just next to me. I promise, I wasn’t trying to listen to their conversation, but sitting that close to them, I could hear everything. She obviously had a great heart and desire to see her fiancée come to faith in Jesus. But she really didn’t know how to help him get there. I think he left a bit more confused than he came. Most of us have a passion to see our friends and loved ones come to a saving knowledge of Christ, but we often lack the ability and confidence to share our faith because we just don’t know what to say and how to say it. I would like to use Paul’s conversation here with King Agrippa to share three simple steps on what to say in your effort to share the good news with friends. Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the …

11 things I tell Seniors in my Church

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At one time in my church, there was no one under 50 years old. Last January, I told a couple of women in my church that my mother just turned 75 and they were  like – “oh my word, she’s very young.” I love seniors, they are fun to hang out with. You learn a lot from them. Their wisdom, and strength rub off just by hanging with them. But other times they can come across as being too set in their ways. Here are 11 things I usually tell them: The internet/ technology/ social media is not of the devil Yes! The internet is sometimes used for great evil but it can also be used for great good. It all depends who’s using it and for what purpose. So, learn how to use it and use it for uplifting and educational purposes. The world has always been evil Sometimes when seniors talk about the evil in the world, it almost sounds like things were not that bad back in the day. There has always been wars and …

Cultural clashes in defining beauty

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My wife was recently in Boston to give a short talk at TED. The video is available on their website right now. I would appreciate it if you took just a few minutes of your time to follow the link/video still below, watch the video and give her your feedback. About this speaker Dalali is not only my wife, but the mother of my two children and the most amazing person I know. She is a State Street new hire, who graduated from California State University, Chico with a double major in project management and accounting. Her research focuses on how leadership styles played an important role in political upheaval. Delali is also a certified SAP associate and led a project to convert SAP ERP Financial case studies from IDES to GBI dataset, to support SAP curriculum progress at her university. About this talk In this talk she shares her personal story of how growing up in West Africa, she was bullied and marginalized for being skinny. Her family worried about her, put her on …

7 steps to a better life

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Everyone is looking for a better life, but just how to get that life can prove a little elusive, especially if we go about seeking it the wrong way, or pursuing the wrong things. Let me propose 7 steps to a better life. The list is not exhaustive, but I am sure you’ll find these steps very useful: 1. Make curiosity your best friend Curiosity is the desire to learn or know more about something or someone. Plutarch once said, “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” Curiosity is the very thing that fuels that fire and makes for a better life. 2. Put Christ at the center of everything you do I know a man who ran after the pleasures of this world. But at the end of his life he realized that it was all vanity – a chasing after the wind. So remember God, fear Him and keep his command, in everything you do do it all the his glory. 3. Let simplicity be your …

A Playlist for Mother’s 75th Birthday

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My mother turns 75 years old today and her 7 children (five girls, two boys) and countless grand-children are all coming together to celebrate her life. We are coming from all over the United States for this event. She has no clue this going down. I share the news here because she doesn’t read my blog so don’t go telling. 🙂 For our trip to the East Coast, my daughters decided to put together a playlist. My mother’s name is Mozel, so they named the playlist – Mozel 75 – sounds like a cheap motel, but this lady is a class act.  So, here are the 10 songs we chose to help us celebrate the life of an extraordinary woman.. I especially dig “Mama”and “Seasons.”  Ready or not – Britt Nicole Have your way – Deitrick Haddon I feel so Alive – Capital Kings #LITO – Press Play Mama – Jaeson Ma Papa San – Get Right Seasons – Benjiman Step up – Papa San Jamaica Praise Medley – NewWorldSon – Dangerous – Group 1 Crew.  I …

10 more Bible Characters of great faith

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10 more Bible Characters of great faith I wrote 10 Bible Characters of great faith on January 8, 2013, and it soon became the number one all-time post on my blog. Trust me, I didn’t plan that. I don’t know why, but it has been reblogged, downloaded, emailed, and shared on Facebook and Twitter more than any other post I have ever written, drawing incredible traffic and referrers from Google Search Engine. I have also been slammed for choosing the characters I decided above other great heroes of faith. So, on this one year anniversary of the most popular post on my blog, one year non-stop, I would like to propose “10 More Bible Characters of great faith.” A cloud of witnesses I would love to hang out with any day any time. Here is #1 of 10 More Enoch walked with God Genesis 5:24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. I’ve always been mystified by this guy. But from Genesis through Revelation, from the garden to the city, …

Fulfill your Ministry

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And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’  Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”  Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste,  Isaiah 6:8-11 It is a great feeling to receive the call of God to any given work or mission. The idea of hearing from God and knowing that He hand-picked for a purpose is very special. But it is extremely difficult to get up and fulfill that ministry everyday. Sooner or later, you will discover that the call is not a feeling but …

Who do you lean on for Counsel?

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Who do you first turn to for advice? The operating word is “First.” Who do you heavily lean on for support and counsel when all hell breaks loose in your life? There are three ways people err when it comes to getting help during the most difficult times of there lives: 1. They lean to heavily on their own understanding. These guys have it all figure out. They do not acknowledge God or others in all their ways – especially in difficult times. It’s not that they are too proud to go to God or seek advice – they simply believe in their own ability to handle every situation that comes their way. 2. They lean too heavily on mentors. These guys don’t necessarily think about it. They have a problem and they must speak to someone to fix the problem. They are wired in such a way that picking up the phone to confide in someone is a natural instinct. 3. They lean solely on Jesus. These guys strongly believe only Jesus can help …

Bible App for kids

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YouVersion and OneHope released a free Bible App for kids last year, and it would be a great resource to get your kids into the word of God this year. iOS and Android users can get the app on their devices. Download the Bible App for Kids Checkout the behind the scenes making of the app Start a Bible reading plan for you and your family The bible commands us to “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” What an incredible promise! If we would do the hard work of educating our children in the ways of God, we can rest assured that God will do the rest. Isaiah 54:13 says, “All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.” I pray that you would take these promises to heart and begin your year by investing everything you got in your kids.

So long Selfie…

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The word “Selfie” first popped up in an Australian chat room on September 13, 2002, to describe an undignified scene.  For years after its birth, “selfie” crept through the web largely unnoticed. But in 2012, the word of the year began its ascent to digital fame. By August 2013, Oxford proclaimed it a real English-language word and gave it a place in the dictionary — but that was merely a stepping stone to lingual infamy. “Selfie” beat out seven competitors, including “twerk,” “schmeat” (synthetically produced meat) and “bitcoin” for the Word of the Year crown. What is the meaning of “Selfie?” Selfie is: “A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smart phone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.” I often thought it was something that kids did until I saw Presidents and Heads of state do it at a funeral. Sorry, I did not mean to sound too self-righteous. I have taken selfies of myself – innocent snapshots hanging with my family, celebrating and creating digital memories to enjoy …