2008-09-18 - Teach Us To Pray - Courage and Boldness Prayer reminds us God is in control It is his battle, I belong to God, and God will make me successful God will not let me be tempted beyond what I can bear - 1 Corinthians 10:13 To pray for boldness and courage:
God's work cannot be done in this world without courage | ||||||
2008-10-07 - Man of Prayer - YHWH-mkaddesh YHWH-mkaddesh means the Lord who sanctifies, he works to change and mold us Reflection on his name - should remind us how desperately we need the Holy Spirit to work in our life
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2008-10-27 - Man of Prayer - Daily Bread Praying for our needs: 1. Needs of our life 2. Desires of our life 3. Area of anxieties - we should not worry about our lives - Matthew 6:25-34 The Biblical antidote for anxiety is prayer Make a list of all the sources of desire and anxiety in our life If I wanted it or worried about it - decide to pray about it Also keep in mind to ask God to not give me anything that would not be a blessing Israel asked for meat and received it from God while in the dessert - but also sent leanness into their souls - Psalms 106:15 | ||||||
2008-11-14 - Man of Prayer - Meditation One may ask, where is the quiet listening part of prayer in this book God encourages us to be still and know that he is God - Psalms 46:10 Mature prayer is not intended to be a monologue, but a dialogue Christian meditation and Eastern meditation has to do with is in our minds as meditate Biblically based contemplation and meditation seeks not to empty the mind but fill it | ||||||
2008-11-17 - Raising Awesome Kids - First Things First (part 2) When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment is: Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength - Mark 12:30 Committed to God vs committed to a person Deeply loves God vs being religious
Were we one time zealous - before we got married and had kids? Where am I today? Have I allowed "life's worries, riches, and pleasures" to choke my relationship with God? - Mark 4:19 | ||||||
2008-11-29 - Raising Awesome Kids - Humility and Approachability Clothe yourself with humility toward one another - 1 Peter 5:5 Our families know how imperfect we are Most responsibility = most mistakes Powerful and enduring leaders are those without pretension Paul said he was the chief of sinners Apologize bluntly Apologize quickly Ask "Is everything all right? Is anything else bothering you?" Wallowing in guilt or losing self-confidence over your mistakes is not true humility - it is selfishness and lack of faith People in our family should feel free to come to us and tell us whatever is on their mind Our responsibility is to create a feeling of freedom and openness in our households If we do not, we are headed for a day of bitter reckoning | ||||||
2008-12-25 - Raising Awesome Kids - Gods Training Plan (part 3) These commandments... are to be upon your hearts (v. 6) Should train from the heart level Impress them on your children (v. 7) Training with the Scriptures must be done with great conviction, sincerity and earnestness Talk about them always (v. 7) Train consistantly - everywhere, anytime, anyplace About teaching our children how to live life - not nagging about their misdeeds Make it fun, doable, effective Most training should be spontaneous Never underestimate how many times we will have to say the same things over and over again | ||||||
2008-12-31 - Raising Awesome Kids - How to Nuture Confidence (part 1) Only proper foundation is their relationship with God Develops confidence without cockiness Stress a relationship with God Focus on character - Tell your children over and over again that heart and attitude matter to God Applaud effort than ability Two of three men were successful because of their efforts not their ability - Matthew 25 Enough openness
Search out your kids strengths - everyone has at least some It is your job to help children discover and succeed in those things | ||||||
2009-01-13 - Raising Awesome Kids - Openness Instead, speak the truth in love - Ephesians 4:15 An open family is a close family Children should believe that we care enough to give them our full attention; will not fly off the handle Openness is not limited to parents and children - includes the children with one another King Saul - filled with jealousy and envy and held in his feelings Parent should be concerned for a child that holds everything in | ||||||
2009-01-21 - Jesus with People - Going Deeper We want to be know but we keep a safe distance John 4:39 - Samaritan women:
We too can be afraid of seeing who we really are To set people free, we must be like Jesus:
Jesus' love and acceptance allowed the woman/us to be real and to change | ||||||
2009-01-31 - Jesus with People - No Dogs in Heaven Matthew 15 - The Canaanite Women Jesus was silent and by his silent he tested and revealed both the hearts of his disciples and the heart of this woman Perhaps the instructions given earlier by Jesus send then to find the lost sheep of Israel was still in their mind Maybe thought: "he sent us to find the lost Israelite. too bad, she is a Gentile. Send her away." Jesus did not send her away but said - I was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel - Matthew 15:24 Jesus - it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their gods - Matthew 15:26 Savior was willing to be misunderstood in order to flush out faith or faithlessness in the heart of this woman In the end, Jesus affirmed her faith and admired her grit He did not see the woman as unsubmissive or rebellious or undeserving; he saw her as full of faith Jesus was more concerned about helping someone grow in their faith than he was keep up the nice-guy image | ||||||
2009-02-12 - Jesus with People - The Better Choice Martha and Mary - Luke 18:29-30 Jesus and his disciples were passing through the village when Martha opened her home to them - Luke 10:38 Jesus didn't stop to correct Martha in her preparation Martha - Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work myself? With compassion - Martha, Martha Explained that Mary's choice was right and a lasting one What Jesus wanted most was to see her have a single-minded desire to know him and his teachings Sometimes we get so wrapped up in preparing to server others that we are either too distracted or too exhausted to server them when they arrive | ||||||
2009-02-26 - Jesus with People - Doubtful Thomas Jesus was not going to stop until Thomas was back, until he had been given an opportunity to put his doubts to death Jesus was all what he said earlier, leave the 99 to look for that 1 - Luke 15:1-7 John 20:24-29 - not necessarily a rebuke, but a reminder When do you find yourself doubting God's love for you? Do you believe God still wants to purse a relationship with us even when we;re not that strong? | ||||||
2009-03-01 - Promises of God - Practical and Powerful Promises Since the promises of God can relied on, it can have powerful affect on how we view life and how we live it Psalms 119 - Shows us the relationship of God to spiritual life Psalms 119:50 - God's promises enable him to press on and not give into dispair Psalms 119:140 - Again and again he has relied on God's promises and has come to value them Psalms 119:148 - Deep conviction about focusing on the promises, keep him up Psalms 119:154 - When he is threatened and in danger, remind the Lord of his promises Psalms 119:162 - Promises of God is a treasure to him | ||||||
2009-03-15 - Promises of God - Convictions from scriptures Satan furiously went after Jesus - Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus countered the enemy's temptations with Scripture The Word must deep into our hearts so we recall the scriptures when needed We rarely have the opportunity to open the Word when being tempted Not just "stop that" or "start doing this" Bring to mind specific scriptures Hearing ourselves quoting the appropriate scriptures, it brings conviction during the battle of sin | ||||||
2009-03-21 - Promises of God - Formidable Foe We have a common enemy that must be overcome Described as:
He blinds the minds of individuals - 2 Corinthians 4:4 Satan takes people captive - 2 Timothy 2:26 But there is one greater... | ||||||
2009-03-25 - Promises of God - Rest in Gods Comfort Elijah's collapse and recovery - 1 Kings 19 After great victory with God, he fell into physical, emotional, and spiritual burn-out God used a powerful three step plan:
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2009-04-01 - Promises of God - No Disappointment No one will be disappointed in heaven No mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him - 1 Corinthians 2:9 Not even the most creative can envision No analogy can really do it justice No metaphor for it will ever be good enough Boredom will be as absent in heaven as sorrow, pain, and tears Jesus said he came to give us life to the full - John 10:10 Started hear on earth in his kingdom on earth It will be a blast, a feast It will never end Our new birth brings us into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven - 1 Peter 1:4 | ||||||
2009-04-02 - Promises of God - Work That Is Worth It An old criticism of Christians: Too heavenly minded that they are no good on earth Seem to spend so much dreaming of heaven and not working on solving the earth's problems This was never God's idea Prepare your minds for action - 1 Peter 1:13 Setting our minds on the amazing blessings is a powerful encouragement for us to work hard and give our best effort now Is it worth saying "No" to sin? Just consider heaven! Worth it to giving to the poor? Just consider heaven! Worth staying in the race when it gets difficult? Just consider heaven! Worth blood, sweat, tears to help other to know God? Just consider heaven! Your labor in the Lord is not in vain - 1 Corinthians 15:58 | ||||||
2009-04-04 - Promises of God - Prayers Real Purpose (part 2) Continued, a reminder of who God is: He can:
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2009-04-06 - Promises of God - Abrahams Faith By faith Abraham, called to place even through he did not know where is was going - Hebrews 11:8 Obedience to God is the only thing that makes sense Ludicrous to think that our limited and mortal minds can out smart an omnipotent and omnipresent God We will never find the blessing of God if we constantly question the wisdom of God How do you feel about the word of obey? | ||||||
2009-04-07 - Promises of God - Labor that is in Vain Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord because your labor in the Lord is not in vain - 1 Corinthians 15:58 Labor that is in vain:
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2009-05-07 - No one like him - His servant heart (part 2) Many ways to set our mind
Not looking for comfort Not about the way he looked Jesus saw himself as a servant, leading others to be servants How would this thinking change – marriage, family, church, workplace, neighborhood? Jesus was about meeting needs
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2009-05-19 - No one like him - Church the Kingdom? Luke 17:20-21 - Kingdom does not come through carefully observation Kingdom is a state of mind/heart Kingdom forcefully advancing from John the Baptist until now (Matthew 11:11-12) Preaching the good news of the kingdom (Matthew 4:23) Mark 9:1 - will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God Matthew 16:15-20 - only scripture with both kingdom and church How does this all fit? Kingdom can not be put in a box, mentioned:
All in the church PART of the kingdom? YES | ||||||
2009-05-31 - No one like him - Even Death on the Cross All during Jesus life, his brutal death was on his mind; he struggled and submitted to it (John 12:27) At Gethsemane, did not try to do it alone but asked for help from his friends (Mark 14:32-34); Peter and Judas did not ask for help One of the most important words in the Bible, Jesus – not as I will, but as you will (Mark 14:35-36) The image of the cross was so gruesome that it took 500 years to appear in art | ||||||
2009-06-09 - One Another - Fellowship and Carrying Burdens Fellowship - bring to mind casual conversation or other lightweight associations Greek word for fellowship is koinonia = to partnership and deep involvement Word also defined as "sharing together in the common life" Word used outside of NT to describe marriage The root word - Koinon = "common" or "in common" Galatians 6:1-2
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2009-06-25 - A Life of Impact - Radical and Reasonability Radical Mark 3:20-22
Reasonability Mark 3:23-30
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2009-07-08 - A Life of Impact - Shepherding Shepherding Mark 6:30-44
Work Ethic
Crowd Appeal
Visible Sincerity
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2009-07-12 - A Life of Impact - Firmness and Flexibility Firmness and Flexibility Mark 7:24-30
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2009-07-16 - A Life of Impact - Scout Scout Mark 8:14-21
Rebuke
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2009-07-21 - A Life of Impact - Magnetism Magnetism Mark 9:14-29
Frustration
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2009-08-04 - A Life of Impact - Higher Plain Higher Plain Mark 12:13-17
Unity
Contentedness
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2009-08-08 - A Life of Impact - Discernment Discernment Mark 12:41-44
Snoopiness
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2009-08-12 - A Life of Impact - Unconditional Love Unconditional Love Mark 14:17-26
The Memorial
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2009-08-23 - Wild at Heart - Wild One whose image we bear Where do we come from? A man must know where he comes from and what he is made of both past and family fathers Most men are trying not to be like their fathers Who will they derive their sense of strength? To men God is: Distant and weak (How they would describe their father) Reminds us that life lived in fear is no life at all – all will die someday | ||||||
2009-09-18 - Wild at Heart - Healing the wound (part 4) Forgiveness is a choice Do not wait for the feeling of wanting to forgive because it will not come Not “It didn’t matter” and “I probably reserved it” “It was wrong, it mattered, and I release you” Masculinity is passed from father to son Adam, Abraham, Jacob, David leaned who they were out of their intimacy with God the Father New heart and put a new spirit in you - Romans 8:1 What God sees when he see you is the real you, the true you, the man he had in mind when he made you You must ask God what he thinks of you, and you must stay with the question until you have an answer Last thing the Evil One wants you to | ||||||
2009-09-24 - Wild at Heart - The Enemy (part 5) Not every thought that crosses your mind comes from you
Who caused the Chaldeans to steal Job’s herds – Satan Job 12,17 Anaias and Sapphira – Satan Heartache keeps us from praying Satan is behind that brutal assault on your on strength There is a whole lot more going on behind the scenes of our lives than most of us have been led to believe Behind the world and the flesh is an event more deadly enemy, one we rarely speak of and are even less ready to resist | ||||||
2009-09-25 - One Another - Making it Clear
Relationships that are conducted according to the world's wisdom - have some element of self in mind Relationships in God's grace have in mind: God's grace to us and our need to pass grace on to others World teaches to be independent / We belong to one another - Romans 12:5
If living with worldly wisdom then we will:
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2009-09-28 - One Another - Differences (part 1) Judgement or Apathy Two extremes:
Accused or Excused
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2009-10-03 - One Another - Responsibility for one another Two extremes:
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2009-10-06 - One Another - Speaking the Truth in Love Speaking the truth in love - Ephesians 4:15 Really what admonishing and good couching is Not speaking harshly or with anything other than their good in mind Example of any area of life to talk about:
Input not to stand in judgment but help one another to be transformed | ||||||
2009-10-08 - Wild at Heart - The Strategy (part 1) 1. I am not here Satan says, “ I am not here, it just you” You cannot fight a battle that you don’t think exists Satan prowls around like a roaring lion - 1 Peter 5:8-9 Assume you are under spiritual attack When you ignore the enemy, he wins He simply loves to put everything on us Get us to feel hurt, misunderstood, suspicious and resentful Before an effective military strike, must take our the lines of communication Marriage is a living example – Satan loves to divide and conquer Sends a message – you are blowing it – “I thought you were disappointed with me” They did not send this message Most of all the Enemy tries to jam communication with Headquarters Commit yourself to prayer every morning for two weeks and just watch what happens Satan tries to make our mind wonder and cause interferences | ||||||
2009-10-24 - Repentance - What It Is (part 1) What is repentance? Repentance is the first word of the gospel Na,,ham = most often used of God’s repentance Shu, b = a physical turning or returning of an object epostrepho = a Greek work similar to Shu, b metanoia = used as the first word in the gospel (change in mind and attitude)
“he came to his senses” – Luke 15:17 “he opened their minds” – Luke 24:45 “open their eyes” – Acts 26:18 “set their minds on things above” – Romans 8:5 | ||||||
2009-10-26 - Repentance - What It Is (part 3) Dictionaries of Biblical Greek - Repentance
Questions:
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2009-11-01 - Repentance - The Prophets (part 3) Prophets Promise Real Hope
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2009-11-02 - Repentance - The Prophets (part 4) Prophets Transcend Public Opinion
Prophets Get to the Root to Produce Real Fruit
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2009-11-03 - Repentance - Jesus Opens Our Eyes (part 1) No one comes to Jesus without a preconceived paradigm about God Our only hope for overcoming our blindness is repentance – only way to see the kingdom Cursed Be The Pride that Blinds
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2009-11-08 - Repentance - Transfigure Our Minds (part 1) We each have a worldview or mindset that functions as a life lens World has been squeezing us into its mold – more than we realize Peter’s mind
Prepare your minds for action – 1 Peter 1:13-14 Space shuttle takes 2,250,000 pounds of fuel to escape the earth’s gravity Only few pounds to remain in orbit – Christians are called more than just to orbit Most trials produce greater faith – hospitalized child, illness, death, ministry turmoil, financial pressures Ways to fight – devote time to prayer, read scripture, explore ways to encourage wife, get advice from elders, spend special time with the kids Ways to not to – laziness, frustrate wife, neglect kids, feeling overwhelmed and under underappreciated, escape to the TV | ||||||
2009-11-09 - Repentance - Transfigure Our Minds (part 2) Laziness is the greatest enemy to a girded mind. Need to wrestle in prayer – only after I’m certain that I’ve prepared my mind for action, do I conclude my time with God God only delays the coming Day of the Lord in order for more people to come to repentance Mind of Flesh Old self with a mind of flesh requires more and more sensation, wanting to “feel” alive, to overcome its callousness
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2009-11-10 - Repentance - Transfigure Our Minds (part 3) Issue with Lust
Apply spiritual disciplines with dramatically different results How would Jesus think? Once you see the world through God’s eyes your mind and heart become so transformed that you “automatically” respond to every situation differently Questions
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