Monday, September 9, 2013
Time is a precious gift. It comes and goes quickly, and when it passes it can’t be recovered. That’s why we need to be wise in the way we use it. That’s why we need to be purposeful in the way we invest it. The way you use your time determines your personal direction and […]
Friday, September 6, 2013
Life sometimes gets a bit dull and dry. It happens to marriages, friendships, work, and in our spiritual lives. What we need in times like these is a “refreshing.” This weekend @ Church of the Redeemer we’re beginning an important and exciting new message series called “Fresh!” We’re going to see what God has to […]
Friday, August 30, 2013
You’ve heard it before — “Winners never quit and quitters never win!” The famous American football coach Vince Lombardi frequently reminded his players of this life principle — you won’t win if you quit too soon. There are many victories, breakthroughs, successes and achievements that only come after long seasons of, what seems like, fruitless […]
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Most people who work with kids have learned the value of “Time Out.” It’s a discipline tool that requires a child to sit out of group or play activities for some period of time after violating a rule or demonstrating bad attitudes or bad behavior. The goal is to help them reflect on what they’ve […]
Friday, August 9, 2013
Mañana, demain, 내일, αύριο, غدا, amanhã, מָחָר, 明天, domani, завтра, kesho, morgen, huomenna … In English the word is “tomorrow.” Tomorrow is one of our favorite days. It's a very special day. It's when we plan to do most things. It's the day we spend lots of time thinking and worrying about. Tomorrow gets more […]
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
When's your birthday? Like it or not, everybody has one per year. The good news about a birthday is this, the very fact that you have one means that you're still around! And as long as you're still around, God has a purpose for your life. Getting older is actually a good thing. The Bible […]
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
“No” is a good word. If used it at the right times it can protect you from lots of pain and problems. We're reminded of the value of a well-timed “no” from the Old Testament story of a young man named Joseph. After being betrayed by a group of jealous brothers and sold into slavery, […]
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Sometimes the most powerful truths in life are very simple. This was the case with God's instructions to Jacob after a long season of turmoil and turbulence in his life. God gave Jacob a simple but profound principle: Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there […]
Friday, May 31, 2013
Are you angry at someone? About something? Anger is a common human emotion — something we all experience. In and of itself, it's not wrong or sinful, but it is dangerous. It all depends on how you handle it. Remember, the words “anger” and “danger” are only 1 letter apart. Anger gets you very close […]
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Many things in life only come to people who ask. According to the Bible, asking is a good thing. Most people are familiar with Jesus' words, “Ask and you will receive … ” (Matthew 7:7). When you think about this verse it's important not to speed past the first word, ASK. It's actually a command […]
Thursday, May 16, 2013
The best decisions in life are made when we live by the right principles. While emotions often mislead us, right principles never will. In Acts 20 we find a great life principle: In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the […]
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Most people believe in prayer. Research has shown that over 80% of the American population has some degree of confidence in the power of prayer, and practice prayer at times. Sadly, very few people have thought much about how to pray. Prayer to most is quick words spoken to God in a moment of pain […]
Friday, May 3, 2013
An opportunity is a favorable moment in time when good things can happen. It’s a window of possibility and potential that opens to us. It comes and it goes, and depending on how we respond to it, our life destiny can be determined and the future of others can be affected. God is an opportunity-giving […]
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Teams are everywhere. There are sports teams, work teams, research teams, medical teams, ministry teams — all kinds of teams. Much of what is accomplished in our world is done by teams. The Bible extols the value of teams: Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work … — […]
Monday, April 8, 2013
Have you ever failed at something? Of course you have. We all have. You didn't learn to walk without stumbling and falling. You didn't learn to ride a bike without some skinned knees along the way. In fact, it's highly likely that your first attempts at most new things failed. Failure is usually a part […]
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Don't miss this weekend at Church of the Redeemer for our message series Gigantic. I'll be talking about “Conquering Your Pain.” It's great to know that God's able to turn our pain into progress — our miseries into ministries to others. This weekend we'll see how we can experience God's healing grace that transforms us […]