Articles Tagged '' (Page 139)

No Longer New?

How long can you keep the newness alive?

The newness wears off and we get bored and we lose interest and we give up.

What's Your Price?

What are you willing to trade in for this prize?

Selling a bike for $5 (five dollars) is a bad deal, but not nearly as bad as giving away our soul for something valueless.

People Count Most

How much stuff do you own and have in your garage?

Stuff enslaves us rather than blesses us and people count most in our lives.

Hold to His Hand

Whose hand do you hold when things get tough?

In the middle of our struggles, we need to remember that we need to reach out for God's unchanging hand.

What's Your Real Goal?

When did the World Cup start mattering to monks, anyway?

World Cup was such a big deal that even the monks in Thailand changed their priorities, but we must work to keep God number one in our hearts at all times.

Expanding Your Circle of Friends

Are you connected an expanding circle of friends?

We all need friends, but in America, people have fewer and few friends, but the best way to have friends is to be a friend.

Sizzling!

What do you do when you receive sharp criticims?

Criticism hurts and we often respond unappropriately and hurtfully only making things worse so why don't we take time, weed our own garden, and learn from it.

Take a God Break

When's the last time you shut everything down and sought to be alone with God?

We all need to take a God-break a time when we get alone with God and be renewed and restored.

The Mercy Bank

How well do you show genuine mercy toward those who let you down?

We have to show mercy to others when they let us down because we need mercy for our mistakes and mess ups!

Free to Be Authentic

Are you truly free?

When we don't have to impress folks, we are free to live authentically.

How Is Your Faith Resume?

What does your life story say about you?

Our lives tell a story of faith, we need to know what our faith resume actually is.`

Don't Let the Wrapper Fool You!

Do you think most things are what they appear to be on the surface?

So many things appear nice and are harmful while many look awful and prove to be beneficial; we mustn't make snap judgments because God is at work in all of it.

Little Things, Done Faithfully

Are you willing to do all those tedious, little things of love?

Little things, done faithfully, like taking out the garbage, are the glue, the grace, of ongoing and lasting relationships and marriages.

For Freedom!

Are you taking care of your freedom?

Freedom in Christ came at a high price and must be protected from legalism and license and can best be understood by flying a kite.

The Miraculous Influence of a True Lighthouse

What makes a true lighthouse in a world of despair and darkness?

God gives us moments where we can not just be a solid light, but a startling, once in a lifetime influence for grace and good.

Got Your Spiritual Trainer?

Who's training you to be God's servant?

Spiritual growth really requires us to have a spiritual trainer to help us with our spiritual discipline.

Being Transparent

How open are you to others who want to bless you?

We must be open with each other, transparent, for this is the only way we're going to grow in the Lord.

Joy and Pain in the Family of God

Could we be so gracious in this awful situation?

The horrible death of one daughter and the coma of another and the confusion between the two leads the Ceraks and Van Ryns on the ultimate challenge of Christian faith.

You Could Wish It Were So

Are you willing to invest in others to lead them to a better place?

A surgeon who gives blood to his patient is a reminder of all those who have invested in us to make us what we are.

Take One for the Team

What are you willing to give up to help find unity?

Unity isn't easy to make happen and the example of Acts 15 really challenges us to give up some things along the way.

Unity?!

Where do we begin the work of genuine unity?

Acts 15 becomes a great way to gain principles for building unity in the church today.

Make a Right Judgment

Why do you want to make so many snap judgments about things?

What we decide, especially about Jesus, is crucial and we don't need to be making snap or rash judgments.

Perfectly Honest

Are you telling the truth ... the whole truth?

Honesty is more than just relating facts, it's telling the whole truth.

Seize Today

Why are you putting so much stuff off?

Procrastination nearly always makes things worse, so why do we put off so much stuff; and let's stop procrastinating and seize today!

Bait the Hook

What do you expect of yourself when you pray?

While we don't expect to do the work to make prayer work, we must at least engage ourselves in the task we pray for.