All posts tagged: Jesus

Prayer, share, care!

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I’m excited about the next 40 days of prayer starting in five days! My prayer as a pastor in the community I serve is to see God move incredibly in the lives of people. Yesterday we talked about how to co-work with God in sharing his love and kindness. Today, we want to see how that actually works. I am going to use another article from seek God for the city to help us put that into perspective. Caring prayers, tangible kindness and well-timed words. Think of your prayers for others as accelerating what God has already been doing. Since God’s work is always a story, your best praying will be part of an ongoing story. We know that prayer is more than some kind of quick-fix for problems. It’s confusing to think of utilizing prayer as a procedure that, if performed correctly, will bring about “results.” Instead, God delights in our praying as a way of enlisting us into His work and His purpose. Prayer is a way of collaborating with God. God is already on the move. Prayer does not …

There is hope for all Benchwarmers!

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For the past 12 or more days the story of a young man named Jeremy Lin continues to build and captivate the sports world. The story is fascinating because just a short while ago no one was talking about him and his untapped potential. In fact he was an unknown benchwarmer who was often mistaken for a trainer by Madison Square Garden security guards. But today, the 23 year old has become an overnight sensation, and even Taiwan and China are both claiming him as their own. We have seen this same scenario before – people who have been over-looked, benched and passed over many times only to somehow rise and shoot for the stars. Jennifer Hudson, for example didn’t even make the top five when she competed on American Idol and got booted out only to go on to win an Academy Award for best supporting actress, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, an NAACP Image Award, a Screen Actors Guide Award and a Grammy Award. Tom Brady is another example. He got passed over for …

Pursue Love

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Love is patient and kind Love does not envy or boast Love is not arrogant or rude Love does not insist on its own way Love is not irritable or resentful Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing Love rejoices with the truth Love bears all things Love believes all things Love hopes in all things Love endures all things. Love never ends …Pursue Love… Scripture Reading from: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8; 1 Corinthians 14:1

Discover New Music

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Music video by Bethel Music performing You Have Won Me (Official Music Video). (P) (C) 2011 Bethel Music/Kingsway Music Under Exclusive License to EMI Christian Music Group. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is a violation of applicable laws. Manufactured by EMI Christian Music Group

Teachability

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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 …

Face and Admit Limitations

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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

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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 …