All posts tagged: Christianity

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 …

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 …

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 …

Can you feel it? It’s in the Air tonight

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O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth Long lay the world in sin and error pining ‘Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn Fall on your knees O hear the angel voices O night divine! O night when Christ was born O night divine! O night, O night divine! [Choir:] Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains He shall break, for the slave is our brother. And in His name, all oppression shall cease Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we Let all within us praise His holy name Christ is the Lord! Their name forever praise we Noel, Noel O night, O night divine Noel, Noel O night, O night divine Noel, Noel O night, O holy night

Glimpses into Enoch’s Walk with God

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Enoch walked with God; and he was not: for God took him. Genesis 5:24 I have always wondered what a walk with God entails, at least Enoch’s walk. What did it look like and what made it that attractive to God. Well, the scripture gives us glimpses into Enoch’s walk. Let me share a few: Enoch walked by faith – Hebrews 11:5 Enoch walked in the light – 1 John 1:5-7 Enoch walked in agreement with God – Amos 3:3 Enoch walked consistently with The Lord – Genesis 5:22 Enough walked sincerely with The Lord – Genesis 17:1 Enoch walked in obedience to God – Deuteronomy 13:4 Enoch walked in union with God – Colossians 2:6 Enoch walked in fellowship with God – 1 John 1:3 God designed us to walk with him. It is his purpose and plan for us. Oneness and, completely union with him in his life, death and resurrection is our destiny. Enoch’s life is just an example of this great plan. One day, just like Enoch, we will experience what this phrase means …

HE SINGS OVER US WITH SONGS OF DELIVERANCE

Christmas Confessions

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Christmas Confessions One of the things I love about Christmas, whether others like it – celebrate it or not, is that, it presents us with a fresh opportunity to revisit the most important aspect of God’s relationship with man and his intension to reconcile man unto himself. It is not the only theme surrounding the holiday, but I will argue that it is the most important. This is the Glad Tidings of Christmas – God became man to reconcile man to himself. It is therefore important for us to meditate upon it, teach about it, talk about, sing about it and believe it, because it changes every about Christmas and helps us celebrate with a deeper meaning and purpose in mind. At Christmas: We confess that God did fulfill the promise which he made to the our fathers by the mouth of his holy prophets (Isa 11:1; Luke 1:55; Gen 26:4; 2 Sam 7:12; Ps 132:11; Acts 13:23) when he sent into the world, at the time appointed by him (Gal 4:4), his only-begotten and eternal Son. We …

10 Promises that godliness holds for this Life and the life to come

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1 Timothy 4:8 Godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and for the life to come. What is godliness? Godliness is active obedience to God. It springs not from works, legalism or a religious spirit, but from a reverent awe or fear of God. There are a few things in this world that bring value and enrichment to our lives. Godliness is at the top of that list. Godliness holds promises for all areas of life. It releases incredible blessings when possessed in increasing measures in areas of the family, business, relationships, finances and leisure. By it (godliness), God raises nations to greatness (Prov. 14:34). In this post I want to share with you the value, the power and the promise that godliness holds for this life and the life to come. A godly person: 1. Will Attract Strong Help from God For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward …

That will shoot a good dose of Spiritual Adrenalin into your soul

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Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! Hebrews 12:1-3 (The Message) Let’s go over the story again – item by item 1. He never lost sight of where he was headed… Too many times we let distractions and attractions woo us away from a single-minded devotion to Christ and away from our goals and dreams. …

Patience is more about long-term endurance than it is about short- term

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I finished reading Mohler’s “Conviction to lead” yesterday. It is a great read jam packed with lots of substance. I immensely enjoyed the chapter on the “passion to lead”, and “the leader understands worldview.” But I was more impressed with chapter 23 – Leadership that Endures. The following paragraphs are from chapter 23. The title above each paragraph is not in the book. Here are three things I want you to consider over this weekend: Consider Patience Patience is a virtue that is highly honored by Christians.The Bible reveals patience to be one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul prayed that the church would be “strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (Colossians 1:11). Evidently, patience and endurance and joy belong together. Paul also told Timothy to preach “with complete patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). Consider long-term not short-term. We often think of patience as a short-term issue. We are impatient in a checkout line, impatient in traffic, and horribly impatient …