This is no gimmick. Do you need direction? Do you need a break through? Does your marriage, family or business need a turn around? Could you stand to have God actively working in your favor? The truth is God is the fountain or source of every blessing-peace, health, a new start, a positive outlook, sound decision making & on & on! God is the most incredibly generous, bighearted, forgiving and unprejudiced being. He is the ultimate philanthropist! Obviously, drawing closer to him has a high probability of extraordinary results. And there’s the catch. We have a choice to make. Scripture teaches that IF we sincerely seek him, we will find him. Here are just a few examples— Continue Reading…
Tag Archive - Spirituality
40 Days to a New You
The Way I See It
Many Christians live under a heavy burden of guilt-a joy & strength zapping feeling because of what they’ve been taught. Certain behaviors & opinions are wrongly made out to be of monumental importance-to be BIG sins, deal killers-that aren’t even on God’s radar screen.
If we are not careful, additional standards of righteousness & holiness are gently & compassionately added on until the burden is unbearable. In fact, it was a burden we were never meant to bear. Religious zeal without calm, critical & logical thinking almost always ends up hurting the human spirit by setting the bar higher than God intended. The sad reality is that there are some Christians who are literally more holy than Jesus himself. But for some strange reason they are not as attractive & winsome to ordinary people like Jesus was. Continue Reading…
Book Review: Deeper Experiences of Famous Christians
In Deeper Experiences, James Lawson explores the spiritual lives of the most famous Christians of all ages. He begins with a brief sketch of Old Testament saints, moves to the New Testament & than touches on the post-apostolic era before centering on specific characters from Savonarola (1452-1498) to the present (1911). What Lawson found was that no matter how different the individuals were or what the various nuances of their beliefs were they all had one thing in common—the baptism, filling or gift of the Holy Spirit. Now, they called this baptism different things—entire sanctification, perfect love, holiness (Methodist); full assurance of faith, life of faith (Presbyterian); entire consecration (Congregationalist & Baptist); living in the spirit, over-coming power (Quaker); death to self-life, pure love (Catholic & Greek). (pg. 
But the effect of being filled with power from on high is the same throughout. These deeper experiences went beyond ‘behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world’ to ‘he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit & fire.’ Continue Reading…
Experiment with Words
Don’t underestimate the power & influence of the words coming out of your mouth! Scripture claims that death & life are in the power of the tongue! (Proverbs 18:21) Are we unintentionally & unnecessarily bringing death, disease, discouragement & discontent into our lives by the way we talk? Well, stop it! Try this experiment: For 1 week commit to saying these life-giving words (or something similar) everyday to the different relations in your life-your spouse, your children & yourself. Remember, everyday for a whole week. (If you do not have a spouse or children, then substitute a boss, co-worker or someone you see daily) After 1 week observe & write down what is happening. I can’t wait to hear from you. Continue Reading…
40 Day Challenge to a New You
We’re just starting our “40 Day Challenge to a New You.” (Wed Mar 9th through Sat Apr 23rd) Below are the 4 Essentials to get everything out of this challenge—
1.Don’t miss one of the Sunday Celebrations during the challenge. I am doing a series called Re-Lent in which we will examine 7 major events in the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. (If you absolutely must miss one of these live celebrations then try & follow online.)
2.Determine the time slot you will pray in our new Prayer Room. I’m asking you to pick a 30 minute or hour time slot to pray. So, if you pick Tues at 3 am then you have Tues at 3 am during the entire challenge. Our goal is 40 days of non-stop prayer to God. Get ready! God is going to rock some things. To pick a time slot click on “40 Day Challenge” on our website. Obviously, more then 1 person can be in the prayer room at a time!
3.Choose foods &/or activities you really enjoy & go without them during the 40 day challenge. (Exception: There is no fasting on Sundays! This is when we celebrate our life & victory through Christ.) For example: Jill & I will fast from TV, movies, non-essential spending (no shopping), coffee (Starbucks), alcohol, sodas, etc. The 1st 4 days I’m not eating anything & only drinking water but after that I plan to move on to soups & salads. So, go ahead & pick some things to do without…you will not die! & remember, no fasting on Sundays!
4.With your Bible, pen and an open heart follow along in our “40 Day Challenge Journal.” (These are free & can be picked up anytime at the church) Each day of the challenge there is a scripture reading & space for you to journal your prayers to God, your thoughts & what you feel God is saying to you.
Let’s do it! Are you in?
