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Life is Like a Box of Chocolates…
“…you never know what you’re gonna get.” Christians expect mistreatment at the hands of unbelievers. But when disappointed by those professing faith and maturity in Christ? When the expectation remains unmet, invitation unaccepted, and longing unfulfilled? When he lashes out—again. When siblings persist in their distractedness rather than seeming to care. When parents criticize and small group members scrutinize. When the heart breaks, along with confidence in the relationship. What then? Often we withdraw, tunneling inward for self-preservation. Peter offers some counsel, nestled like Jordan Almonds amid the rows of crème and crepe-paper of First Peter: “Above all keep your love for one another fervent, because love covers a multitude…
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Planning Like Jesus this Year
Meet Michelle Oney. She’s the Director of Development at Josh McDowell Ministry and has a passion for strategic planning, developing people, and making the most of every opportunity to share the gospel. From the Old Testament with Moses, Joshua, Nehemiah, and David to the New Testament with Jesus and Paul, the Bible is full of examples of leaders who strategically planned in order to accomplish what God had called them to do. As we look to planning for 2016, we can’t just look at what worked and what didn’t last year. We don’t have to rely on brainstorming, ideation, skill, experience, or creativity. Of course we may use some of…
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The Voice of a Proclaimer
Leadership is broken because leaders are unbroken The Voices of Christmas: The Voice of a Proclaimer He came as a proclaimer out of the desert in the line of the great Wilderness Prophets such as Moses and Elijah. He was John the Baptizer, and he was fully consecrated unto God and filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. John was both radical and real, and it was this radical reality that drew people from cities all around into the wilderness to hear his message. At one point Jesus asked, “What did you go into the desert to see? A reed blowing in the wind? A man dressed in fine clothes?…
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The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness
Leadership is broken because leaders are unbroken The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Clear the way of the LORD! Make straight a highway in the desert for our God! Every valley will be exalted and every mountain and hill will be made low; the rough ground will be made level, the rugged places a plain. Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all the people will see the salvation of the Lord. The LORD has spoken. From Isaiah 40:3-5, the greatest Christmas poem ever written Many American Christians today are running scared. America has lost its cultural salvation, and they have lost their hope. …
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The Voice of a Father
Leadership is broken because leaders are unbroken Christmas. The scent of a beautiful green tree filling the house decorated with colorful balls, shining lights, shimmering tinsel, and topped by an angel. Decorations generously spread from room-to-room, symbols of wonderful family memories passed down from generation-to-generation. I love Christmas and all it represents. One thing I get tired of, though, is pundits who annually quote Bible verses they don’t understand about peace on earth and good will toward men when they have no grasp of how to fill that longing… The human heart cries for deliverance from suicide bombings and ceaseless streams of refugees risking their lives in rickety boats…
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The Sign of Silence
Leadership is broken because leaders are unbroken Four-hundred years of silence. Not a sound. Not a word. Not a prophet. Not a spokesman. Not the screeching of a chair or the clearing of the throat as a speaker mounts a rostrum. Nothing. Just silence. And the nation was getting restless. Oh, they had enough through what God had said previously to live with hope and anticipation. They had His covenants and His promises and His faithfulness. He had kept many of His promises already. He had released them from Egypt and returned them to the Promised Land; He had delivered them from Babylon and once again restored them…
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Unanswered Prayers—When Your Desires Go Unmet
What happens to you when you pray and the many requests you have shared with God go unanswered? How do you approach God when your desires go unmet? How do you respond to God when nothing happens and you’ve prayed, prayed and prayed some more? I don’t know about you, but oftentimes I feel deflated and frustrated with God when my requests go answered. Hope turns to hopelessness. The confidence I once had— the great expectation I shared with God— morphs into a total disappointment and my faith hangs by a thread. Do I truly believe God is good when my prayer request go unanswered? Do I truly…
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I’ve Got a War Room–Now What Do I Do?
Millions of people have seen the summer blockbuster movie War Room, many of them challenged to be more intentional about prayer. Some have even cleaned out a closet or a corner to make their own War Room. But the movie, for all its motivation to experience the power of prayer, did not provide instructions on what and how to pray. Other than eating potato chips in secret! Prayer is not about sacred words or flowery religious language. Biblical prayer is about talking to God, heart to heart. Here are some suggestions for what to do in the War Room. Many people have found it helpful to follow the structure of…
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“War Room” Mentoring
Regardless of your evaluation of the new Christian film "War Room", Clara and Elizabeth paint a beautiful picture of organic mentoring. Personally, I loved the film, maybe because I'm a friend of the leading lady, but also because it illustrates the power of prayer when we get serious. True, the results in the movie often take longer than a few months–usually years. God could have worked through the husband first, and there are no guarantees. But I've personally seen and experienced prayer changing hearts and lives, including my own. In addition I also noticed an important subtheme: the power of a natural mentoring relationship initiated and guided by prayer. Consider…
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Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing: A July 4th Prayer for America
The Happy Birthday America celebrations are ramping up. Some of us are not feeling all that festive yet. (Which surprises me—always the optimist, loving my country. So many happy memories of watermelon and home-made ice cream. Family and fireworks.) In the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent decision maybe we can take a cue from the apostle Paul. Maybe it's a time to be “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” Lord, we thank you for your good gifts of life and liberty. Thank you for men and women who risked so much to give us the gift of America… …the men and women who pursued an “errand into the wilderness”…
