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Rest Up.
What’s making you tired and what is creating exhaustion for you? Chances are, the same things that try to empower influences for me to quit, are knocking on your door too. Yes, even good things can tire us. But we’ve got to know when to call it a night and get to bed early. We need to know when to say no and prop our feet up a few minutes because we have to be ready when the return comes in. God has already given you His yes on His best for you. But His yes is not in doing so many good things that we seriously wear ourselves out.…
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LEADERS OF LIGHT – Part 1
Me and Derek were sitting at a coffee house in Huntsville before going to our leadership conference classes. We noticed a poster on the wall with all the tags missing that said: Depression Study. He asked me what “De” pression means and I said that it means to be pressed down and not running over. I thought about how long it had been since I felt that dreaded, deep, and intolerable spirit. It made us think about the answers we have. It made us think of people specifically but also in general. It made us think about the heaviness in the world and recent deaths of some very special friends. In…
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Yesterday’s Haphazards
What do we do with our messed up page of yesterday’s haphazards? BALL IT UP AND CRUMBLE THAT ONE. THROW IT AWAY. TOSS IT TO THE TRASH CAN. RE-WRITE IT AS A TURNAROUND STORY. People want to know how to create change. The answer isn’t in self-inflation or self-disgust but in self-respect through Godly reverence. Dying to self and then living for Him or living for Him and continuing to die to self. We empty our own self to let another be full of Him. We say the hard things without hesitation or fear of rejection because we know it will bring response that indicates whether the person will move outside of themselves to…
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Experiencing God The Satisfier (Part Two)
Psalm 34: 8 says to “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” It just means to experience God, that He is in fact good. God is saying: “I’m a Satisfier. Experience Me.” We want people to experience a spiritual meal and think: This is what I always needed. This was what was missing in my life…to have the spiritual meals that will nourish my inner most being. He’s Satisfier. A Prayer of Unity: (The church is a crockpot.) Show us what we can take out of storage, something out of the pantry, something we’ve been storing away, and put it on the counter. Something that’s in the fridge that we can pull out…
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Turn that page- 2
Look at “it” from the other side. Now write: OBEDIENT and WILLING and FREE. We are on the “God can” page. Can you see the good that’s ahead of you as you merge with the right belief system? As you take on a new mission? Guilt sometimes comes from doing things we know we need to stop. Courage takes its place in that moment and says you’re not going under. We know the other choices are always going to be available… disobedience, unwillingness, and pridefulness. But that’s not what we’re putting on the paper. Zech. 4:10 is a “God can” message. It says to not despise small beginnings, for the Lord…
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More Than Milk
Let’s put our “hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” 1 Tim. 6:17 Milk isn’t all there is! “Everything” is all there is. As Christians, we can have the more. But so often, we choose much less than we could have. We don’t want to be stingy and we sure don’t want to appear greedy, so we just stick with fluids. Liquids. And…pacifiers. Anytime I see a baby with a bottle, a pacifier is almost always also within reach. They’re enjoying life right now but wait until they find out meat, veggies, bread, juice, and sweets exist! They want more when they know that more…
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Holding Hearts
Anesthesiologists settle and sedate. The sternum is sawed through. All kinds of intricate procedures are done for bypass. Many of the tools and sutures are tiny. From time to time when not passing instruments, sponges, or sutures, I was asked to “hold the heart.” When I mention this, people picture someone standing there with two hands and holding a human heart. But to actually hold the heart, I had to be able to squeeze between doctors and other assistants and put my left hand exactly where they needed it for the success of the surgery to continue. This is often for a crucial portion of time in the middle of…
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Light-Minded
One of our greatest challenges is to be light minded. Some of us are naturally heavy thinkers. I’m not talking about being frivolous or its opposite which is thinking heavy thoughts. I’m speaking of the path of righteousness. “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.” When I “set my mind on things above,” I am directing my attention off trivial matters and serious attitudes. What’s up? Above us are skies of blue or gray. Airy, uncluttered, free space, creation. Not many man-made items are that high up. Right now as I type this in our hotel room, I…
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Double Trouble
What most people don’t consider is Luke 12:48. “To whom much is given, much will be required.” Elisha, Joseph, Hannah and Job went through double trouble. They had a double dose of reality, loss, and extreme trials. They each had their fair share of hard times. What gifts or blessings have you been given? “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10) He gives us much, to glorify His name with it, and to be a blessing with what’s been given. The plan has been for us to make it through our…
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Make a Sound- part 6
Your heartache can accomplish deep ministry in someone else. Jesus went to the cross and accomplished that for us. It was only when we knew about it, that it became our healing comfort. You need to make a sound. Out of Jesus’ agony, He made a sound: “Father, it is finished!” This sound sent vibrations throughout the earth and connected us with heaven’s army. I’ve had the privilege of mentoring people already this year, to share their stories! It’s a great feeling to aid those who don’t know how to put their story into “good” words. God has made some promises to us. He will see us through. The way…