Get Real
One of the mixed blessings of public speaking is listening to the way folks introduce you. It's sometimes best to cover your ears. You wonder if they've got the wrong guy.
A successful industrialist once addressed a large body of executives. Speaking on the topic “Following the Leader,” he emphasized two difficulties leaders often struggle with. First, leaders struggle with getting people to think—to really think. Second, leaders struggle with getting people to establish and maintain priorities. We all wrestle with doing things in order of importance. One of the reasons for this struggle is that we often don’t know what deserves our immediate attention. For ministry our first priority is clear: prayer.
One of the mixed blessings of public speaking is listening to the way folks introduce you. It's sometimes best to cover your ears. You wonder if they've got the wrong guy.
See, to deny that I have strengths is ridiculous…just as is denying that I have weaknesses. Somewhere is the balance. Grace allows me the freedom to know the difference.
Christmases of my childhood were marked by monumental events, few more exciting than the Sunday school program, which slammed the door on three months of school and opened another on two weeks of holidays.
Hopefully we leave the event with a renewed sense of wonder, overwhelmed by the magnificence of what unfolded in Bethlehem long ago. Imagine…
Just a quick glance at the daily news reveals a world filled with compromise, scandal, and dark secrets. One thing lacking in so many of our would-be heroes and media-made mentors is integrity.
Though we're in the world, our battle is not to be like it. Worldliness means loving the values and pursuits of the world. It means gratifying and putting oneself first to the exclusion of God and His rule over our lives.
But it was like something out of a horror movie at first. Then I thought, Well, make the most of it. So I did. Sometimes the only thing I can control is my outlook. My response. This was definitely one of those times.
The Bible isn't just ink on a page, but a conduit of the Spirit. It is not ours to dissect, summarize, manage, or control. It presides over us. With Lectio Divina we read smaller amounts and take more time to do it.
However, the past few months have made me wonder: if I was given a death sentence would I have the same level of peace and assurance as my grandmother?
Living for Christ is a moment-by-moment lifestyle, giving what you have for God's service.