All posts tagged: Christianity

Ulterior Motives

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Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about and the motives of my heart; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life. Psalm 139:23 – 24 – The Message Have you ever stopped and asked yourself why you do the things you do as a believer? Have you ever questioned your motives and checked your heart to see just why you do the things you do in the name of God? What would you say if one were to ask you the following” Why do you go to church? Why do you read you bible? Why do you give financially to your church? Why do you volunteer? Why do you pray? Is it possible to completely miss the right reasons for the questions above? Look with me at a few passages that I think suggest that it is possible: Mathew 6:1-4 – Practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen …

Pastors need Allies too

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I made the effort, over the last two days, to look for 5 new blogs and read as much as i could on each blog. I was looking for something fresh and something that would challenge, encourage and inspire me. I must say that it was worth my time. So let me share with you an article on Blaine Hogan’s Blog! That I found very encouraging. He writes, _______________________________________________________________________________ In 2002, on Christmas Day, Charlie Rose sat down to interview Martin Scorsese and Daniel Day Lewis about their recent film, Gangs of New York. The whole interview is fantastic, but around the 14 minute mark, something really interesting happens. Charlie begins a line of questioning about Day Lewis’ 5-year hiatus from acting and subsequent re-entry into the craft. Lewis is a bit reluctant at first to the obvious question for a recluse. Essentially what Charlie was asking was why this film, why this director, why now? Eventually, he shares this: “I really wanted to feel that if I went into this tunnel with Martin that I could …

Leadership and Personal Growth

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“Education is the mother of leadership.” — Wendell Lewis Wilkie “Every relationship in your organization will affect you one way or another. Those who do not increase you will inevitably decrease you. “ – John Maxwell “It all comes down to this: If you want one year of happiness, grow grain, if you want 10 years of happiness, grow trees, if you want 100 years of happiness, grow people.” — Harvey Mackay “In order to be happy, human beings must feel they are continuing to grow. Clearly, we must adopt the concept of continuous improvement as a daily principle.” — Tony Robbins “Leaders don’t rise to the pinnacle of success without developing the right set of attitudes and habits; they make every day a masterpiece.” – John Maxwell “Leaders never outgrow the need to change.” — John Maxwell “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” — John F. Kennedy “Leadership cannot really be taught. It can only be learned.” — Harold Geneen “The better you are at surrounding yourself with people of high potential, …

Servant Leadership

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“A person who is worthy of being a leader wants power not for himself, but in order to be of service.” — J. Ervin, Jr. “Earn your success based on service to others, not at the expense of others.” — H. Jackson Brown, Jr. “Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” — Martin Luther King Jr “Men are governed only by serving them; the rule is without exception.” — V. Cousin “Servant-leadership is more than a concept, it is a fact. Any great leader, by which I also mean an ethical leader of any group, will see herself or himself as a servant of that group and will act accordingly.” — M. Scott Peck “The adventure of life is to learn. The purpose of life is to grow. The nature of life is to change. The challenge of life …

What must I do To Inherit Eternal Life?

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Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. This video reminds me of how simple yet deep and profound the gospel message is. Preaching here, Billy Graham, a true and humble man of God, delivers a powerful gospel message. Have you given your life to Jesus yet? Today is your day don’t let it slip away. <;a

Purified 7 Times

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The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. You, O LORD, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever. (Psalm 12:6, 7 ESV) Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. (Proverbs 30:5 ESV) Everyday we go about life looking for something we can rely on. Something that is constant, trustworthy, immovable. We want relationships that are reliable. We want people we can count on. Friends who will deliver on their promises. Husbands we can trust. Wives we know will be there, when the going gets tough. A career or a job that will be there even in tough economic times. I think this is a fundamental human need. Well, I’ve come to find security and reliability in God through Jesus Christ and his word. You can too! When the scripture says that God’s words are pure, refined, and purified 7 times, it insists that they have no lies, flattery, insincerity or …

Kellogg’s Corn Flakes: taste them again for the first time

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Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation. If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:2, 3 A few years ago when the cereal giant Kellogg began to see the Corn Flakes drop in sales, they came up with a brilliant idea – an add that went like this: Kellogg’s Corn Flakes: Taste them again for the first time. Sometimes life can become a bowl of soggy corn flakes – but you need to taste it again in order to fall in love with it (life) again. Maybe it’s your marriage, ministry, work, hobby, Christian life, church, evangelism, prayer life, Bible reading, hospitality, small group, girls night out, family bike ride – that thing you once enjoyed doing, but now have become lifeless, meaningless and even boring. You need to taste it again for the first time – you might rediscover your first-love – Revelation 2:4 In Picture – my boy SB

Fit to Sit: Partakers of Endless Glory

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Part 1 Commentary on Psalm 15 The questions therefore are, Who can be considered a fit member of the Church of Christ here below? and, Who shall be made partakers of an endless glory? In answer to these questions, the character of what we may term a true Israelite, or a good Christian, is given in the following particulars:- Verse 2. He that walketh uprightly a. He walks perfectly. Who sets God before his eyes, takes his word for the rule of his conduct, considers himself a sojourner on earth, and is continually walking to the kingdom of God. He acts according to the perfections of God’s law; he has respect to all its parts, and feels the weight and importance of all its injunctions. As he is the creature of GOD, he has duties to perform to him. He owes God his heart: May son, give me thy heart; and should love him with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is giving GOD his due. As a member of civil society, he …

Cultivating Growth: what church leaders are saying

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Six leaders describe how they foster spiritual transformation in others Article Via Leadership Journal There are many ways Christians grow: Bible study, fellowship, service, prayer, even hardship. Of course all transformation is ultimately the result of God’s work in a person’s heart. But we were curious: what can a leader do to facilitate this mysterious change in those he or she leads? We asked six church leaders to share one way in which they foster spiritual growth. We trust their responses will contribute to your growth, too. Discover the Story Together Scripture is best encountered in community. Sean Gladding For a decade my wife and I have been leading a study called “The Story of God.” Basically, we retell familiar biblical narratives in plain, … Disciplinarians Needed A firm word can lead to spiritual growth. Merrill Powers For the past 11 years, my wife and I have had the privilege of working with individuals who suffer from substance abuse issues. Nearly 600 men … Feed Yourself First If we’re not growing, we have little to …