Monday, August 30, 2010
What’s troubling you? Trouble is a part of life. It’s something everyone experiences. No matter how perfect someone’s life looks from the outside, everybody has their personal troubles — troubles that fame, fortune or friends can’t fix. Trouble comes in many different forms. Our hearts and minds can become anxious, disturbed and agitated by lots […]
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
What kind of helper are you? Behind the greatest accomplishments. organizations and movements are relatively unknown, unsung heroes — great helpers. These “quiet giants” work in the unnoticed places, supporting and serving others with an untiring and undeterred commitment to the mission. Nothing ever happens of any significance without such helpers. There is no doubt […]
Monday, August 23, 2010
What kind of trail do you leave with your tongue? What size wake is left by your words? The dictionary defines a “wake” as “a trail of disturbance left by the passage of something.” It is the potential turbulence we leave behind when we have passed through a place, situation or engaged in a particular […]
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
What does it take to attract God’s attention? What kind of person pleases God? There are many qualities that God finds attractive in people, and all of them start in the heart. There is a man in the Bible who teaches us lots of valuable lessons about the positive things that get God’s attention. His […]
Monday, August 16, 2010
What one change could you make that would radically, powerfully and positively transform your life? If you are are honest with yourself, and if you possess some level of self-awareness, you likely have identified a number of things you would like to change about yourself. Maybe it’s a part of your personality or temperament you […]
Thursday, August 12, 2010
As some of you know, at about 5:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 7, I experienced a cardiac event at home that resulted in me being transported to one of our local hospitals. After several hours of observation, testing and consultation, it was decided that the wisest course of action was to transfer me to the […]
Friday, August 6, 2010
There is a significant choice each of us make many times each day in the interactions and situations we experience. We choose to be small-spirited or big-spirited. What’s the difference in these two approaches to life: Small-spirited people are: Petty. Critical. Stingy. Jealous. Hyper-sensitive. Suspicious. Resentful. Nitpicking. Retaliators. Self-centered and self-serving. Big-spirited people are: Generous. […]
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Life contains lots of lessons. Unfortunately we miss many of them because we are not paying attention! God challenges us to become learners. Take a look at one example of this: “Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will honor you. Getting wisdom is the wisest thing […]
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
We all love compliments. We all want to be acknowledged and appreciated. We spend our energy trying to be noticed for our professional accomplishments, material accumulations, acumen, intellectual ability and personal appearance. We go through life looking and longing for words of affirmation and recognition. What are the highest words of praise and commendation you […]
Monday, July 26, 2010
Over the years I have discovered that most people share a common desire. It is a longing for significance. We want to believe that our life matters, that we are making a positive difference in the world, that we are truly fulfilling a purpose. Yet at the core of most of us are feelings of […]
Thursday, July 22, 2010
We have a great weekend planned at Church of the Redeemer. We are excited that James Brown, host of “The NFL Today” and “Inside The NFL” will be sharing the message in all of our weekend services. While James is well known for his broadcasting talents, he has a deep love for God and a […]
Thursday, July 22, 2010
As many of you know, my blog has been inactive for the last month or so. The reason for this involved some technical issues. Our host site had some significant problems with their servers, and after attempting to get this resolved with them, we eventually had to move the blog to a new host. This […]
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
You are under attack! Whether you realize it or not, a battle is raging against you everyday of your life. There are forces seeking to take you down and take you out. I am talking about a spiritual battle. In the invisible spiritual realm, an intense war is always on, and each of us as […]
Monday, June 14, 2010
There are times when something that has grown old and outdated needs to be made new and fresh again. You have likely seen old shopping areas or aging and abandoned downtown districts given a facelift that brings them back to life. We call this “revitalization.” Revitalization leads to renewed excitement, usefulness and opportunities. What was […]
Friday, June 11, 2010
All through the Bible we find references to wilderness places and experiences. “Wilderness” is an important biblical concept. The word is also translated in the Bible as “desert” or “barren place.” It is impossible to be a growing Christian believer without getting acquainted with the idea of wilderness/desert experiences. There are many examples of people in […]
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
“Is this clean or dirty?” This question seeks to determine the current physical or moral condition of something. We ask it about dishes in the kitchen, a towel in a bathroom, a joke someone is about to tell, and a variety of other things. Why are we so concerned about the cleanness of things? Because […]