All posts tagged: God

Teachability

Published by

Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands get guidance Psalm 3:5 Learn and maintain a Teachable Attitude The great value that the book of proverbs seeks to instill in a person is the value of a teachable spirit; the willingness to learn and grow in wisdom no matter how far long a person already is. Louis L’Amour said, The more one learns the more he understands his ignorance. I am simply an ignorant man, trying to lessen his ignorance. Are you willing to grow? Are you willing to be stretched beyond where you are. Is there still room for improvement in your life or do you think you are too smart?  Are you willing to learn new things? Are you willing to listen and learn from people who may not hold to your school of thought, philosophy or even your religious beliefs? There is always room in our lives to learn something new. The smartest people in the world are those who still have room in their lives to learn from others. They …

Kindle Fire

Published by

God has given you a gift Every once in a while when I bump into a friend with whom I grew up or went to school with, they are surprised to find out that I’m a pastor. Well, not because I was a bad guy, even though I was, but because I was very shy. The first time I stood before a group of people to speak I shook like a leaf from start to finish. Before I entered full-time ministry, I painfully lead worship at my home church, and reluctantly preached or shared in different group settings until 2 Tim. 1:6 actually came alive in me. God had place a gift in me, but I was too shy to step out and use that gift for his glory. I was almost incapacitated by the power of fear. Timothy was a naturally shy guy as well, and was probably in his twenties when he was called into the ministry (1 Tim. 4:12). But thank God he had somebody like Paul who recognized that he had a gift – that God had deposited something …

Taming the Tongue

Published by

The case for Taming the Tongue A man working in the produce department was asked by a lady if she could buy half a head of lettuce. He replied, “Half a head? Are you serious? God grows these in whole heads and that’s how we sell them!” “You mean,” she persisted, “that after all the years I’ve shopped here, you won’t sell me half-a-head of lettuce?” “Look,” he said, “If you like I’ll ask the manager.” She indicated that would be appreciated, so the young man marched to the front of the store. “You won’t believe this, but there’s a lame-braided idiot of a lady back there who wants to know if she can buy half-a-head of lettuce.” He noticed the manager gesturing, and turned around to see the lady standing behind him, obviously having followed him to the front of the store. “And this nice lady was wondering if she could buy the other half” he concluded. Later in the day the manager cornered the young man and said, “That was the finest example …

Face and Admit Limitations

Published by

Definition of VULNERABLE from Merriam-Webster Dictionary 1.  capable of being physically or emotionally wounded 2.  open to attack or damage : assailable <vulnerable to criticism> 3. liable to increased penalties but entitled to increased bonuses after winning a game in contract bridge A leader without admitted weaknesses has no need for teammates. A leader who reveals no vulnerabilities provides no opportunities for teammates to make a significant contribution. Accepting brutal facts about human limitations, including our own personal weaknesses is crucial to authenticity. The quote above is taken from the book “The leadership secrets of Billy Graham.” This is a great book. I encourage you to get it. My spiritual father bought it for me sometime in 2005, but I keep it close by in order to grab it and refresh my memory on the wisdom in it.

I still haven’t found what I’m looking for! In Jesus?

Published by

I grew up listening, singing and jamming to music from groups like U2, UB40 and Boyz II Men etc… My musical taste was quite interesting. I listened to everything. When I turned 18 I got saved and I fell in love with Jesus. In my corner of Christendom listening to what they called ‘worldly music’ wasn’t a sin but it was something you just didn’t do as a believer. I quickly embrace that tradition and stop listening to ‘worldly music’. I still don’t listen to worldly music and this post is not an argument about whether you should or should not. But, as I was responding to comments made on a post from yesterday. I heard a melody in my head and I realized that it was a U2 song. So I said myself, this is a good one to put a spin on. You know, a quick easy post that talks about a U2 song – “I still haven’t found what I am looking for” – with a simple question – what are you looking for? Than the answer – “look to Jesus.” So I went to YouTube and there it was …

What is the gospel?

Published by

Part 3 We have shared some quotes from Greg Gilbert’s – What is the Gospel. Thanks to all of you for you comments. I would like to share just a few more quotes from the book. I hope you find something thought-provoking, after all this is the purpose of the post – to get you thinking critically about what you have come to believe about the gospel.. Take the last 5 quotes Repentance is more fundamentally a matter of the heart’s attitude toward sin than it is a mere change of behavior. He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. This is actually a quote from Jim Elliot, the missionary. One of the greatest dangers the body of Christ faces today is the temptation to rethink and rearticulate the gospel in a way that makes its center something other than the death of Jesus on the cross in the place of sinners. At the end of the day, I wonder if the impulse to shove the cross out of the center of …

What is the Gospel?

Published by

Part 2 of Quotes from Greg Gilbert’s book – What is the Gospel I apologize for the delay in bringing part two of these wonderful and well crafted nuggets of truths that Greg shares in his book. The purpose of this post is to provoke you to some critical thinking about what you have come to understand the gospel to be. So without further a due, I would like to give you five more quotes from the book – What is the Gospel? Take another 5 To talk about salvation being from meaninglessness or purposelessness without tracing those things down to their root in sin may make the medicine go down easier, but it is the wrong medicine. The Bible teaches that a big part of our problem is that we think too highly of ourselves, not too lowly. You are a sinner destined to be condemned. But God has acted to save sinners just like you! Children believe in Santa Claus and the Easter bunny. Mystics believe in the power of stones and crystals. Crazy …

The secret of the Scarecrow

Published by

The Secret of the Scarecrow! I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word harvest it makes me happy. I don’t know much about farming but I am crazy about harvest – am crazy about the outcome of seed sowing. Don’t bore me to death about fertilizers, and watering and pruning and keeping out the weeds; just tell me when it’s time to pluck that peach, slice that mango or roast the corn. Just tell me about the harvest. In the bible I am aware though, that one has to work hard or invest time and energy to reap a harvest. The bible say that there is time for everything – a time to plant and a time to harvest (Ecclesiastes 3:2). That God makes everything beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). In other words it is in God’s plan to make you productive in every sphere of your life. For the pastor he wants effectiveness in his personal, spiritual, vocational life. For the business man/woman He has planned success and productivity. For the student He wants you …

What is the Gospel?

Published by

One of ten from the past There is a list of ten books I wanted to read last year but failed to. Besides the ones I have my eyes on this year, I decided to knock those ten books from last year out-of-the-way before tackling the ones I’ve set aside for this year. Beginning at number ten, I present to you, Greg Gilbert’ “What is the Gospel? Well, I finished reading the book two weeks ago and have started the second. The name I will reveal in another post. But for now I would like to share with you some very powerful quotes from the book “What is the Gospel?” Take Five quotes from the book 1. The gospel is the proclamation of Jesus, in two senses. It is the proclamation announced by Jesus. But also the proclamation about Jesus – that in dying and rising Jesus has made the kingdom he proclaimed available to us. 2. An emaciated gospel leads to emaciated worship. It lowers our eyes from God to self and cheapens what God has accomplished …

Divert daily, withdraw weekly, abandon annually…

Published by

It is good to work. But! Work is a great thing! I thank God for the opportunity to work. For He himself worked (Gen. 1:1). And He said that if we don’t work we won’t eat 2 Thess. 3:10). But the thing with work is that it can turn one into a workaholic. Therefore, we need to recognize that though God has ordained work for us, we must emulate his example – “he rested on the 7th day” (Gen. 2:2). Somebody once said, “work and no play makes jack a dull boy.” Actually it is a proverb –  and it means that without time off from work, a person becomes both bored and boring. So I took a little vacation this week – a week of complete rest and I am so thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to do this. I feel refreshed and energize for the weeks ahead. During my time away, I read a few articles and magazines – here is an excerpt of somethings I learned about recognizing and handling burnout: Preventing burnout” Having determined …