'GENEROSITY WINS'
There are two ways to approach the world: open-handed or close-handed. Many of us have grown up and worked around the close-handed. They seem to think that they have to hold on to what is their’s. They want to make sure they get their ‘fair share’ or their ‘due.’ This approach to life is stingy and stifling, not only for those around them, but also for themselves.
Check out this great Scripture on giving: ‘Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, whoever sows generously will also reap generously… ‘ 2 Cor 9:6 This is the age-old principle of reaping and
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GOING FROM HERE TO THERE
Going from HERE to THERE can be tough business. HERE is where you start out. It is the situation you want to get out of. You know it is intolerable and that you can no longer stay where you are. THERE is the promise of a new start, something better and fresh. It is the antithesis of the HERE you want to leave. But there is a problem. The only way from HERE to THERE is the journey in between. That was the situation the Israelites were in.
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Two Men in a Desert
Two men were walking through a desert. Their journey was long and hard. Halfway through the barren landscape, one man struck the other man in anger. The other man bent down and wrote in the sand, ‘My friend struck me in the face today.’ Another time, the first man was angry about their predicament, so he cursed out his chiseled into it, ‘My friend was grateful and thanked me today.’ What a great parable for us today.
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Why is it Hard to Receive a Gift
We Christians proclaim the good news of God’s love of humanity, His desire to heal all our brokenness and His offer to give us a full and fulling life. Jesus beautifully presents God’s loving intentions. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17) God initiates a relationship with us then offers the gift of healing and life. But why do so many people have a hard time receiving that gift?
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Christian Leadership
Do you consider yourself a leader? When I ask a crowd to “Raise your hand if you are a leader”, it is interesting how few do. Many think that being a leader only has to do with their employment situation. If they are not in management, they don’t think they are a leader. Others think of leadership more broadly and think that leadership is bestowed as a role within an organization, being on a non-profit board, leading a committee, or teaching. The scope of leadership is much broader than these definitions.
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Faith and Service
Faith and service go together like peanut butter and peanut butter. They aren’t different things like peanut butter and jelly. They are the same thing. I’ve always been challenged by James’ words, ‘What good is it, brothers and sisters, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him?... Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.’(James 2:14, 18)
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Staying Connected
What if you could order your life just the way you wanted? Would you be more productive at work? Would you be more efficient at the ‘have-to-do things’ so you can do more of the ‘want-to-do things’? Perhaps you could ‘order’ your kids, so that you didn’t have to deal with the constant battles and frustrations.
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Connecting in the Kingdom
People are relational creatures. We were made to thrive in intimate, healthy relationships within families and communities. In fact, we cannot live without connection. Research has found that babies who do not receive enough personal physical connection wither emotionally and sometimes actually die. We are relational at the core of our beings and need to properly nourish good relationships.
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God's Promise
People have many different conceptions of God. Many think God is above them. God is so far away, that for all intents and purposes, he may as well not exist. That god is distant, uninvolved, unconcerned. Others think of God as the divine judge who is waiting for you to get out of line and whack you with judgement. That god inspires fear. Another view is that God rewards right behavior so that every blessing in life comes because you are good. That god is one who can be bought.
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A God for Everyone
In Luke 2, the shepherds are told that in their small town, a child was born who is the long-awaited Messiah. They are told to go check it out. The specifics were that the child would be in a stable and his bed would be a feeding trough. While the shepherds responded with excitement, we might ask why that message was given to the shepherds at all. The wealthy, influential, heads of clans, and religious leaders were the people considered blessed by God.
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