Video Devotionals

Thursday, May 10, 2018

How to Get More Time

1:43 min read |

Are you feeling stressed out by the busyness of life? Is the pressure of having lots to do, and too little time to do it, weighing on you?

One of the most precious things we have is time. It can’t be accumulated. Once it comes, it goes, and there’re no getting it back. Every day there are many things grabbing for your time and attention.

There’s only one way to get more time. It’s to use time more effectively. It’s not that we become 24/7 workhorses, it’s that we become better time stewards. It’s that we learn to use our time in more purposeful ways.

To live in a purposeful way is to live by preset priorities rather than by spur of the moment decisions. It means that you think about and know what’s most important to you. It means that you establish a life plan and a daily schedule that reflects your predetermined commitments.

Why is living this way so important? Because it’s living on purpose. It’s the only way to make your time and life really count. It’s taking charge of your life in a good way, instead of allowing life to take charge of you.

Jesus taught us about the power of determining life priorities and living by them in Luke 12:34 (TLB) “Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.”

Jesus reminded us that what you treasure, what you determine is worthwhile, valuable, important and of high priority, will determine what you invest your resources into. He was teaching us that right priorities should lead our lives.

How about you? Is your time drained by whatever pressing things come along, by constant urgent demands on it, or are you living by predetermined priorities? To gain more time, put your time to good use. Live on purpose!

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Getting Unstuck

1:09 min read |

Have you felt stuck recently? Sometimes life becomes a rut. We get stuck in some situation, in some bad cycle of interaction with someone, or in some kind of negative emotion that we can’t seem to shake. The harder we try to get out, the deeper we get.

Ruts may be spiritual, mental, emotional or relational, but they are very real, and they get us down. They slowly rob us of hope. We wonder if we’ll ever get out.

When hope grows dim, you grow weary. It’s hard to keep going, to keep trying, to continue working at something when nothing is changing. When hope dwindles, everything inside us screams, “Quit! Give up!”

What do you do to get out of a rut? How do you get unstuck from things that have mired you down and stopped your progress? The answer is in one word. You learn to persevere! You keep going. You keep praying. You refuse to give up!

Look at what Jesus said in Luke 18:1 (NLT) “One day Jesus told His disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.” A key part of getting unstuck from your rut is persevering in prayer. Keep on praying. Don’t give up. You’re going to come out of your rut!

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

How to be Happy

1 min read |

While the word “happy” may sound shallow or superficial, happiness really is something everyone longs for. It’s an internal sense of fulfillment and well-being. Although happiness is different than joy, it is something we do well to develop.

What does it take to be happy? The truth is, external things never create long-term happiness or joy. A deep sense of fulfillment and well-being is always the result of internal attitudes and good, godly habits.

Here are four things that are guaranteed to increase your level of happiness:

1. Get connected to God and good people. Don’t be a loner.

2. Consistently count your blessings. Be grateful.

3. Be a contributor. Give your time, treasure, and talents to God and others.

4. Be content. Stop comparing your lot in life with anyone else’s. Be the person God made you to be and do your best with the opportunities He has provided you.

Happiness is the result of practicing the right habits, not having all the right happenings in your life!

Pastor Dale

Monday, May 7, 2018

4 Ways to Heal from a Broken Relationship

1:12 min read |

Relationship problems are part of life. When relationships are stressed and strained, we have a responsibility to do what we can to heal them. Restoring damaged relationships is an important part of spiritual growth. As a basic life principle, running from relational pain is not the best option.

Yet in real life, some relationships do break. Even when you work hard to find healing, some people refuse to respond. Paul, the apostle, explained our responsibility in relationships in Romans 12:18 (NIV) “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

The truth is, not everyone is willing to be at peace with you. So what do you do when relationships are irreparably broken?

Here are four things you can do to heal from a broken relationship:

1. Forgive—the other person and yourself. Hold no grudges or dysfunctional guilt.

2. Grieve the loss with the goal of getting past it.

3. Capture key lessons you learned from the experience.

4. Reach out again. Don’t stop loving, living or giving. Don’t let a broken relationship cause you to give up on all relationships!

You can heal from a broken relationship. It’s not the end, but an opportunity for a new beginning!

Pastor Dale

Friday, May 4, 2018

S – is for Success

2:08 min read |

Focus is an important key to life. Many people fail in life, or certainly, miss their highest and best potential, all because of a lack of focus.

This week we’re focusing on “focus!” Each day this week I’m providing you a key description of one aspect of focus and the benefits it brings to us. We’ll be using an acronym for the 5 points.

What is focus all about? First, it’s about force. Focus is what gives force or power to your life. Second, focus is about ownership. Ownership is owning the responsibility for your life, your decisions, your growth and your future.

Thirdly, focus is about clarity. When something is brought into focus it becomes sharper, clearer, more well-defined.

Fourthly, focus is about unity. Focus requires alignment of all of our being toward something—spirit, soul, heart, mind and body. It’s about being “all in” to whatever is a priority in life.

The fifth element of focus is SUCCESS. The goal of focus is success, victory, accomplish, overcoming, advancing—genuinely succeeding in your areas of focus.

To stay focused you must keep the end in mind and in sight. You must envision the end goal, while still pursuing it. Whatever objective you’re focusing on, see yourself succeeding, conquering, overcoming and finishing strong! Use your eyes of faith to look into the future and claim victory. See yourself getting to the end and receiving the crown. Decide that you’re not going to quit until the battle is won and breakthrough comes!

The apostle Paul lived this way. Listen to what he wrote to Timothy near the end of his life in 2 Timothy 4:7, 8 (NLT) “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of His return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to His appearing.”

To stay focused, keep your eyes on winning. Keep your eyes on victory and success in your pursuits!

To summarize, focus is all about:
F — Force.
O — Ownership.
C — Clarity.
U — Unity.
S — Success.

Pastor Dale

Thursday, May 3, 2018

U – is for Unity

1:32 min read |

Focus is an important key to life. Many people fail in life, or certainly, miss their highest and best potential, all because of a lack of focus.

This week we’re focusing on “focus!” Each day this week I’m providing you a key description of one aspect of focus and the benefits it brings to us. We’ll be using an acronym for the 5 points.

What is focus all about? First is about force. Focus is what gives force or power to your life. Second, focus is about ownership. Ownership is owning the responsibility for your life, your decisions, your growth and your future.

Thirdly, focus is about clarity. When something is brought into focus it becomes sharper, clearer, more well-defined.

Fourthly, focus is about UNITY. Focus requires alignment of all of our being toward something—spirit, soul, heart, mind and body. It’s about being “all in” to whatever is a priority in life. Being “partly in” never produces full results. “Partly in” produces partial results. If you’re “partly” committed to an exercise plan, it also means that you’re partly “not committed!” Don’t expect great results. This is true in any area of life.

Focus means “I’m all in with something. My entire being is in unity with the goal, the objective, the pursuit.”

Jesus spoke of this in Mark 12:30 (NIV) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Bring everything to the table. Leave nothing on the field. Be all in—unified in your pursuit of God and His will. This is focus!

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

C – is for Clarity

1:32 min read |

Focus is an important key to life. Many people fail in life, or certainly, miss their highest and best potential, all because of a lack of focus.

This week we’re focusing on “focus!” Each day this week I’m providing you a key description of one aspect of focus and the benefits it brings to us. We’ll be using an acronym for the 5 points.

What is focus all about? First is about force. Focus is what gives force or power to your life. Second, focus is about ownership. Ownership is owning the responsibility for your life, your decisions, your growth and your future.

Thirdly, focus is about CLARITY. When something is brought into focus it becomes sharper, clearer, more well-defined.

When it comes to life, you can’t effectively focus on lots of different things simultaneously. When you try to focus on too many things, you lose focus on everything. Real life focus happens when we zero in, tune up, target the main things.

I call this the “kingpin principle.” In bowling, the object is to powerfully direct the bowling ball to one pin—the kingpin. If the kingpin falls, it will take lots of other pins, and perhaps all the other 9 pins with it!

Find the “kingpins” in your life, and focus on them. Get clarity on what’s really important, and go after it! Paul wrote about this in Philippians 3:13, 14 (NIV) “…one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Pastor Dale

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

O – is for Ownership

1:29 min read |

Focus is an important key to life. Many people fail in life, or certainly miss their highest and best potential, all because of a lack of focus.

This week we’re focusing on “focus!” Each day this week I’m providing you a key description of one aspect of focus and the benefits it brings to us. We’ll be using an acronym for the 5 points.

What is focus all about? First is about force. Focus is what gives force or power to your life. Second, focus is about OWNERSHIP. Ownership is owning the responsibility for your life, your decisions, your growth and your future. It involves letting go of the victim mindset, the entitlement mindset, the “poor me” mindset and the helplessness mindset and setting a course for life that’s responsible. Owning life is being responsible for your life. It is not letting the past hang over your present and future. It is a “no excuses” approach to living.

You cannot focus on improving your life, your relationship with God or others without ownership. Focus says, “I’m owning my responsibilities to grow, learn, change, develop, mature, and move forward. I know God is going to help me, as I choose to do my part.”

Peter the apostle called us to focus on spiritual ownership in 2 Peter 3:18 (NIV) “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…” Note the emphasis is on the implied pronoun; “You take the responsibility—the ownership—to grow!”

Focus won’t work without ownership!

Pastor Dale

Monday, April 30, 2018

F – is for Force

1:17 min read |

Focus is an important key to life. Many people fail in life, or certainly, miss their highest and best potential, because of a lack of focus.

This week we’re focusing on “focus!” Each day this week I’m providing you a key description of one aspect of focus and the benefits it brings to us. We’ll be using an acronym for the 5 points.

What is focus all about? First, it’s about FORCE. Focus is what gives force or power to your life. Any time you want to increase the power of something, all you need to do is to increase its focus. Whatever thoughts you focus on, you give the most power to. Whatever activities you focus on, you give power to. Whatever habits you focus on, will determine the person you become and the life you’ll experience.

Focus is the discipline that brings force, power, and impact to your life. When you focus on the right priorities, your life will have more impact, now and for eternity. Paul said it this way in Colossians 3:1, 2 (GW) “Since you were brought back to life with Christ, focus on things that are above [things that have eternal worth and value], where Christ holds the honored position… Keep your minds on things above, not on worldly things.”

To add greater force to your life, add greater focus to your life!

Pastor Dale

Friday, April 27, 2018

Peacemaker or Troublemaker

Are you a peacemaker or a troublemaker?

At some level, we’re always creating peace or causing trouble for the people around us. Without realizing it, we set an atmosphere by what’s going on inside of us. When we’re troubled, upset, agitated, we pass that on to others.

The opposite is also true. When we’re at peace, quiet and restful in our souls, we pass this on too.

That’s part of what Jesus was talking about when He spoke these words in Matthew 11:28, 29 (NLT) “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

To be around Jesus is to be around a rested, peaceful soul. When we hang around with Him, His spirit positively infects us. We find rest every time we’re in His presence.

In a similar way, when we’re at rest and peace, others will be positively infected with the peace radiating from our lives. We can become true peacemakers, instead of troublemakers to others.

Pastor Dale

Thursday, April 26, 2018

Trust God

How peaceful are you?

Peace is an inner quality that affects outward behavior. People who are at peace have a calm about them. They are not shaken, not stirred, not distressed by stressful situations. They may be in a storm, but the storm isn’t in them.

This quality of peacefulness is something we would all do well to develop. It comes from deep personal trust in God. It comes from believing that God is with us, He is going to help us, He is for us, He cares about us, and He will see us through whatever we’re facing in life.

Recently I was talking with a person in our church who has been going through a challenging battle with cancer. I was amazed and so blessed by the peace I felt from them, in my conversation with them. They were completely at rest with their journey. Their trust in God was inspirational and contagious!

The prophet Isaiah spoke these words to us in Isaiah 26:3 “You [God] will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Trust God today! Let His peace keep you from falling to pieces!

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Salt Water

How well do you handle stress?

It’s not the stress that goes on around you that will destroy you, it’s the stress that gets in you that will destroy you! Think about fish living in the ocean. They swim in salt water their entire lives, but the salt never gets into them. When a piece of fish goes on your dinner plate, you add salt! Why? Because the environment they lived in never found its way inside of them.

When facing stressful situations, ask God to help you avoid allowing the stress around you to get inside of you. Keep a peaceful heart, by trusting God, knowing that God is in control. Remember Jesus’ words in John 14:27 (NIV) “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.”

Pastor Dale

Monday, April 23, 2018

Overcome

What does it take to stress you out?

One of the most important qualities we can develop in life is tolerance for challenges, problems, and difficulties. Some folks become super stressed by the smallest things in life. A few little inconveniences or disruptions turn into hyper-drama and emotional upset, all because they have a very low tolerance for stress. They are experts at allowing molehills to become mountains.

How can we increase our stress tolerance? First, we must admit that it’s an issue for us. If you have a low tolerance for stress, admit it. The acknowledgment allows you to begin addressing it.

Second, readjust your life expectations. All too often we set ourselves up for stress because of an unrealistic view of the world, and what we think it should be, rather than understanding what it actually is. The world is an imperfect place, filled with imperfect people, which inevitably leads to daily problems for us! Accept that reality. Adjust your expectations that everything must be perfect for you to be happy. Remember the words of Jesus in John 16:33 (NIV) “ … In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Pastor Dale

Friday, April 20, 2018

Plans

Most people have some life goals and dreams. The problem is, all too often these goals and dreams never become reality. They sit in some part of our heart and mind, hoping for fulfillment, but missing a very important ingredient—a plan—and the discipline to stick to a plan.

No goal will ever become reality without a plan, and the discipline to work the plan. No dream is ever realized with work.

Many people don’t understand the value of a plan. They don’t understand that God actually encourages and endorses personal plans. Take a look at these words found in Proverbs 16:3 (GNT) “Ask the Lord to bless your plans, and you will be successful in carrying them out.”

You can’t ask God to bless a plan without first having a plan! God wants to bless you life, but He blesses us by working with us. While we should never create plans without consulting God and submitting our lives to Him, as we submit our lives to Him, He expects us to then make plans to become the best we can be with the responsibilities He’s given us. We then add discipline to the plan, and prayer to the plan, trusting God with good results.

Do you have a good, godly life plan? Get one, work it, and pray for God’s blessing on it!

Pastor Dale

Thursday, April 19, 2018

Addiction to Entertainment

Have you ever been the victim of a robbery? When someone steals something from you, you feel violated and vulnerable. And you become much more vigilant!

Without realizing it, we all allow a certain kind of thief into our lives every day. We allow time thieves to rob us of the precious hours, minutes and seconds of life. These thieves are subtle, but they are extremely dangerous. When they rob you of your time, they’re actually robbing a slice of your life!

What are some of these time thieves?

Another time thief is our addiction to entertainment.

While we all need a certain amount of healthy entertainment to stay sane, our culture has gone to the extreme. Untold hours are frittered away by web-surfing, Facebooking, Instagramming, video-gaming, You-Tubing, and Twittering! Recently I read about someone who was addicted to watching “cat videos” online. Yes, hours spent watching cats do entertaining things (who knew?)!

What about you? How much time is unnecessary stolen from you because of an addiction to entertainment? What healthy choices will you make about the use of your time?

Pastor Dale

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Procrastination

Have you ever been the victim of a robbery? When someone steals something from you, you feel violated and vulnerable. And you become much more vigilant!

Without realizing it, we all allow a certain kind of thief into our lives every day. We allow time thieves to rob us of the precious hours, minutes and seconds of life. These thieves are subtle, but they are extremely dangerous. When they rob you of your time, they’re actually robbing a slice of your life!

What are some of these time thieves?

One of them is procrastination.

Procrastination means “to put off intentionally and habitually; to put off intentionally something that should be done.” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Why do we procrastinate? There are lots of reasons why we put important things off until later. Sometimes we avoid doing what we should be doing because of fear. Our insecurities intimidate us and drive us to avoid doing what we don’t feel capable of doing.

Other times our procrastination comes from laziness. Because we want an easy life, we put off the hard things, with the strange fantasy that they’ll mysteriously disappear.

What’s the best way to face down and arrest this thief of our time? By making ourselves do what we don’t want to do. When you do the hard things first, life gets easier. When you only do the easy things, life gets harder.

Do you need more time? Arrest the time thief called procrastination!

Pastor Dale