Discerning God’s Will
There are few sights this time of year that are as captivating as watching geese flying south for the winter. They glide along in “V” formation with the grace and elegance of synchronized swimmers while giving their honks of encouragement to those in the lead. They possess the accuracy and precision of the mighty Blue
A View from Mount Perspective (Part 2)
Because Terri was home recovering from surgery, I had gone to the church to meet my friend, Pastor Ed Litton. Ed was in town to speak at Sherwood Christian Academy’s graduation that night. I walked out of my study and next door to the Strauss House, a guest house our church maintains for speakers who
R Is for Rejoice (Part 1)
On January 11, 1877, Phillips Brooks, the well-known rector of Trinity Church in Boston, MA, stood before the ministerial students, faculty and guests at Yale Divinity School to deliver the first of eight lectures in distinguished “Lyman Beecher Lectureship on Preaching.” After taking a few minutes to lay the groundwork for his series, Brooks made
Faith to Face Your Impossibilities
by Michael Catt (Part of the Leap of Faith series) Joshua 3:1-17 There are several reasons why believers can get clsoe to victory and never achieve it:1) They trust in their fleshly wisdom.2) They get a word from God and then go ask someone what they think about it.3) They hold on to traditions rather
"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives.It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results." - Andrew Carnegie
"The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual." - Vince Lombardi
Teamwork
Teens and Social Media
A January online study of more than 500 youth ages 13 to 17 conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by World Vision revealed:80% of teens use social media.44% of teens say they’ve become more aware of others’ needs as a result of social media.34% of teens say they “friend,” “like,” or “follow” charitable causes or
Millennials
In an effort to better understand the nation’s 78 million Millennials–those born between 1980 and 2000–Thom Rainer and his son Jess, who was born in 1985, conducted interviews with 1,200 Millennials. Their findings include: – Millennials are perhaps the least religious generation in American history–only 13 percent said any type of spirituality is important to them. –
Wired for Intimacy
How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain – William M. Struthers. IVP Books. Taken from chapter four:“If this corrupted pathway can be avoided, a new pathway can be formed. We can establish a healthy sexual pattern where the flow is redirected toward holiness rather than corrupted intimacy. By intentionally redirecting the neurochemical flow, the path toward
The Challenge of Easter
– N. T. Wright. IVP Books. “N. T. Wright looks at Easter in its earliest context, where we see a band of followers discovering the fulfillment of all the promises God had made to their people over the centuries, and pronouncing a new era. That era extends to our day, where to celebrate Easter is
The Suffocating Control of Good Pharisees
When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” (Matthew 21:23) The church is filled with good Pharisees. Just as in Jesus’ day, there are people who
Tarry Ye Here
On June 2, 1982, Los Angeles truck driver Larry Walters fulfilled a lifelong dream of flying. However, his record-setting flight was not on a commercial airliner, but rather in a lawn chair he had purchased from Sears! When the idea hit him, Larry went to a local army-navy surplus store and bought a tank of
A View from Mount Perspective (Part 1)
For the last thirteen years, we’ve been blessed to own a piece of property in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. After my father died and we were settling his estate, we had a small amount of money to put toward a down payment on a log house outside of Gatlinburg. Terri and I had prayed for twenty years