When modern Christians think of the Priesthood, many imagine long robbed old men with long gray hair and long gray beards standing in front of a huge altar with smoke rising from a fresh sacrifice. The image that most contemporary Children of God fail to see, is one that is far more important; it is the image of ourselves walking out our daily lives in harmony with the Holy Spirit.
Partnering for Success
If you are anything like me, there never seems to be enough hours in the week to get everything on the To Do List completed. Sure, some of this is because I am a big dreamer, but many times, however, I fall short of my goals because I fail to properly engage the help around me.
While employers, managers and organizational leaders often have paid and/or volunteer staff to help get the job done, some do not have that luxury. Even those of us that are blessed to have a great team of people around us, often have elements of our life that need to be done outside of that staff structure.
Three Signs of a Spiritual Pied Piper
Remember the old children story about the Pied Piper? When the Piper didn’t get what he felt was rightfully his, he played his pipe while the children followed him out of town. Is it possible that today we have spiritual Pied Pipers who, when they don’t get what they feel should be theirs – doing it God’s way, adopt a new approach?
The Apostle Peter warned us in 2 Peter 2:1-2, that false prophets and teachers would bring swift destruction on themselves by introducing destructive heresies and denying Christ. He went on to say that people of the church would follow their sensuality and would harm the reputation of the gospel. Jesus said in Luke 17:2 that it would be better for a man to have a millstone hung around his neck and thrown into the sea than to lead little ones astray. Jude 1 echoes Peter’s words saying that false teachers and prophets have followed the way of Cain, Balaam and Korah.
When You Cry Out for Help
When you cry out to God for help, what do you expect? The way God responds may surprise you.
There was a time after God delivered Israel from Egypt into the promised land when they were harassed by the nation of Midian for seven years. The people of Israel hid in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Every time they planted crops, marauders from Midian and other places would attack them. They would camp out, destroy the crops, steal the sheep, goats, cattle and donkeys and leave the land stripped bare. The people of Israel became impoverished, destitute and on the verge of starvation. They finally began to cry out to God for help.
10 Reasons Churches Need to Tell the Truth
Several years ago, a large church informed a visiting choir that they would not be allowed to sing “Amazing Grace” as it portrays man in a lowly light. The successful church explained that their priority is to make people feel good about themselves and let them know how much they are loved and cared for by God. This methodology appeared to work well for them as they boasted thousands of members, millions in assets, and served host to some of the biggest stars in the ministry and secular markets.
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Five Strategies for Making it a Happy Year
One of my clients sent me an email this morning telling me he was anxious to make his business “great again” this year. During a follow-up, he began to lay out specific objectives that he wanted, and needed, to achieve. We discussed the objectives, the necessary resources, and the potential challenges in making his dream come true. I love it! My client is leveraging his emotional energy, prompted by a New Year, to press forward in actual strategies, tactics and behaviors to make things happen.
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Greater Vigilance
2017 is upon us and the stakes have never been higher. Despite President Obama’s mocking put-down of presidential contender, Mitt Romney’s warning about Russia in 2012 – with his famous, “Governor the 80’s called and want their foreign policy back.” – it does indeed appear that the threat is a real one. Russia is manipulating the Middle-East, Europe and even possibly the US. China is flexing its muscles in the Pacific, and Islamic extremists continue to wreak havoc and instability throughout the world.
Four Steps to Learning Like a Genius
“Learning is easy for you.” I have lost count of how many people have said that to me over the years, but the truth is, I have to work at it like most people. I do not have an Eidetic memory where I remember everything I see, but I have acquired a few skills over the years that help make the process easier and more enjoyable. I have also discovered that almost everyone can learn these skills.
Scanning for Mental Malware
I admit it – I’m a geek. Moreover, I was a geek before it was cool to be a geek. I clearly remember many youthful days when my mother would come home from work to find another digital clock, radio or appliance in pieces as I worked to reverse engineer or repair whatever went wrong. Eventually, I even learned how to put them back together and sometimes, I can even repair them.
After obtaining a certificate in electronics and a computer degree, I embarked on more productive efforts in my field of intrigue and began to teach as well. In ministry, I often wished I could fix people as easy as I could repair bad components or buggy code.
Election 2016: Disaster or Hope?
As the smoke of a thousand fires ascend toward Heaven, the American Church struggles to find answers to its latest crisis of faith. What does the election of Donald Trump really mean to those who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ?
Does this latest political upheaval portend disaster for the causes of justice and racial equality? Does it spark hope for slowing or ending anti-Christian bigotry, transgender bathrooms, and abortion? It would appear that it completely depends on the perspective of the person you ask.