Practical Application

A Lion For The Lazy

Dr. Tommy Boland
4 Aug 2014
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lion

Do you know what the world’s greatest labor-saving device is? Tomorrow! That’s right; tomorrow. Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow, right? But this is not for you! The sluggard says, “There’s a lion out there! If I go outside, I might be killed!” (Proverbs 22:13 NLT) Notice that it is not the fearful who cry, “There is a lion out there,” but rather the lazy. Why? Because they’re lazy! The sluggard creates all sorts of reasons in his mind for his inactivity and living a life of ease in Zion. Rebellion always finds its reasons, and […]

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Give Up To Go Up

John Hawkins, Sr
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What do you want out of life? The standard answer is something like, “I want to be happy, or I want to be successful.” With these answers people can be focused on different areas of life — relationships, career, finances, spirituality or significance to name a few. Since no one consciously starts life with the goal of being a failure, why do so many feel like one? What does it take to move your life upward in a positive direction? This would seem to be a desire that is consistent with the theology of being created in the image of […]

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How to Trust God More

Norm Wise
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I was asked an important question. “Can you tell me how I can trust God more? Is there a book that would be helpful?” Psalm 9:9-11 tells us: “ The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you. Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem. Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds” (NLT). What is trust? To trust someone means that we feel we can depend on their competence and character. We have […]

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Learning How to Overcome Procrastination

Norm Wise
9 Jul 2014
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“I don’t have enough time.” “When I have more time, I am going be with my family more.” “I always procrastinate.” Our time is our lives. To manage our time well, means that we will manage our lives well. Failure to control our clocks and calendars will mean we are out of control in our personal and professional lives. But our 168 hours a week can be controlled and managed well. The key is to examine our use of time and then spend our time consistent with our true priorities. The unexamined life is not lived well. But how do […]

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Overcome Procrastination

Fun In the Son

Dr. Anne Arvizu
8 Jul 2014
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Fun in the Sun

“Hi, I’m Chris,” said the soft-spoken 20-something as he stood at our door. My husband and I had the secret charge of mentoring him as a first-time small group leader. As the host home for his group, we quickly realized this shy guy had a real ministry. Over the next 12 weeks, we nurtured his gifts, group leadership skills and talent. For our group Bible study, he chose a book by Louis Giglio on worship, and around this book he creatively designed a photography course. After Bible study, it came time to break out our cameras and iPhones. That’s when […]

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The Pause That Refreshes

John Hawkins, Sr
7 Jul 2014
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Summertime is a time to get out of the grind, relax, re-energize and reconnect with family and friends. Vacation can be a time to indulge in the sweet spot of your life’s passions. Does this sound like your vacation? Or do you come back from vacation exhausted and depressed that you have to wait another year for your next one? Stress is the cause of many life problems. In our culture, most people run at a pace that outstrips their ability for renewal. This eventually leads to some type of major malfunction in life. We need more than an annual […]

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The Pause That Refreshes

Do You Reward Mediocrity?

The Good News
4 Jun 2014
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If you knew a substance was poisonous to someone else’s health, would you give it to them? Of course not, you’d give them a tonic to help cure what ails them. You’d do all you had in your power to make them better, stronger and healthier. And yet, in our culture today we dole out a toxic dose of average all the time, hurting the leaders of tomorrow.  When did excellence become D level? At times it seems we tolerate so much, that sameness and status quo are the only things that are rewarded. From 1st grade to the graduating […]

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Six Pillars of Parenting for Fathers

Dr. Tommy Boland
1 Jun 2014
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The first Father’s Day in the United States was observed on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington. The day was proposed by Mrs. John B. Dodd, who wanted to honor her father, William Smart, a Civil War veteran who raised six children alone after his wife died in childbirth. Clearly, Mrs. Dodd took seriously the Lord’s instruction, set forth in the fifth commandment, to honor your father.  I understand that not all of us have a father like William Smart, who seemed worthy of honor. But the commandment does not tell us to honor our father if he is honorable; […]

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pillars

Unburdened

Tullian Tchividjian
29 May 2014
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In 1 John 5:3-4 John makes what seems, on the face of it, to be a ridiculous claim: the commands of God are not burdensome. What? Has John not read the Old Testament with its 613 commandments? Was he not there for the Sermon on the Mount, complete with Jesus’ proclamation that his followers are required to be perfect, just as their father in heaven is perfect? Self-imposed commandments As if those laws weren’t burdensome enough, we could add all of the self-imposed Christian commandments, like the kinds of movies we allow ourselves to watch (maybe a swear word or […]

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Spring Clean Your Soul

John Hawkins, Sr
7 May 2014
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Anyone who has lived in the North has experienced the long cold grey of winter. Your home becomes the warm cocoon sheltering you from the harshness of the outside elements that seem to last forever. Then one day it happens — spring. The warmth of the sunshine parts the grey skies, birds sing, and life returns to the trees and flower gardens. It is the rebirth of a new world. The blue of the sky, green of the grass and bright yellow of the sun all speak of new life, hope, and beginnings. It is with this renewed mental outlook […]

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