Paul gave a very interesting and counterintuitive exhortation to the believers in Thessalonica saying, “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.” (I Thess. 4:11)
Soren Kierkegard was a Danish theologian and philosopher of the mid-1800s. He was considered the first existential theologian. His emphasis was on our experience of God and required intentionality to become
Read MoreHave you ever faced a challenge in life that you didn’t know how it would be resolved? You felt like you didn’t have enough information. You hadn’t handled anything like that before. You felt pressured, which made it harder to tackle a complex issue. Well, friends, we are in such a time as that. None of us have been
Read More“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”
(2 Cor 5:18)
Ambassadors speak on behalf of their leader. They are the voice of the leader in a foreign land. They don’t have to
Read MoreVery little good comes out of our mouths when our emotions get hot and our adrenaline kicks in. Runaway emotions produce the worst results. When our emotions turn on our brains turn off. At that point we are not ‘in our right mind’. You know the feelings. We get hot, flush, blood pressure rises, we clench our teeth, make a fist, and/or anger emerges. When we sense that happening in ourselves, we need to stop and get our brains back in gear.
Read MoreWe don’t typically put ‘joy’ and ‘obedience’ in the same sentence. We tend to think there is more fun to be had when breaking rules. We think of rules as a drag, a ‘kill-joy’. Scripture assures us that it is the other way around. We will only know joy and happiness when we obey the rules. “You make known to me the Path of Life, you will fill me with joy in your presence.” (Ps. 16:11).
Read MoreWhen Paul wrote to Timothy, a colleague in ministry, he was not afraid to express his love for him. ‘I constantly remember you in my prayers… I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy.’ II Timothy 1:3-4 Love brings out the best in people by providing a foundation of acceptance, care and encouragement.
Read MoreTwo 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.’
Read MoreAnger is a pervasive problem in our culture today. Businessmen and women get angry at their leaders for not leading and at their followers for not following. They then take it home where they take out their anger. They get angry at their spouse and children. Then they feel guilty and angry at themselves for not being who they want to be.
Read MoreOur lives are like roller coasters. There are many twists, turns, and loops. The speed, the noise, and the unpredictability can be both fun and anxiety-producing. While we all experience life differently, we all have anxiety from time to time. Trauma, loss, stress in relationships, work or finances can all cause anxiety. We know we are anxious when we get a stomachache, have nausea, a racing heart, sweating, or insomnia.
Read MoreTo have lasting changes in our lives, we need to refocus our minds. Specifically, we need to change our thought patterns away from what we don’t want—from what we have been focusing on-- toward what we do want to focus on. Because whatever we focus on is what we move toward.
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