Tag Archives: self improvement

Blogroll, Church, Evangelism, Growing, Jesus

The Church “Ain’t” Dead!

Last week, I had the opportunity to sit down with a group of retired Pastors and even though they are not serving in a position, everyone of them is still serving Jesus through preaching, teaching, writing and encouraging. Since then I have been thinking a lot about the church and it’s modern day condition and I just feel led to proclaim: The Church Ain’t Dead! (And I said “ain’t” on purpose to get your attention!)

I think that a lot of church folks have become convinced that the church has seen it’s best days and the majority have become content reminiscing about the good ole days, way back when… Most of the people in our communities seem to have the attitude that I can live with it or without it. I think they like having us on the corner, just in case, because you never know???

As our world becomes more and more secular and less and less Christian, one might be tempted to think that it’s all over for the church, but that would be a mistake, because Jesus said: “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!” (Matthew 16:18)

The real issue at hand is: Whose church is it? Some buildings are occupied by folks who think that the church is theirs, because they have been there all their lives and their Momma, Daddy and Grandparents too. Some folks think the church belongs to them, because of the community it’s located in. It’s a place to celebrate the births and a spot to be buried when death knocks on our door. There is another group of folks that think the church is a place we go every now and then to be entertained, a show to go to on Sunday to prove just how spiritual I really am.

These buildings, locations, congregations, tribes, communities, stages, and productions are not the church, although it is possible for the church to be found at some of these places. The CHURCH is the body of Christ and is made up of men, women, boys and girls that have a real life changing relationship with God through Jesus. Jesus is the head and people are the body and this is the church that is promised a beautiful, blessed and magnificient future.

I think we sometimes forget that the ONE who made the promise died, but is not dead. Jesus is ALIVE and his promise is more alive today, than it has ever been. Those retired fellows that I sat down to have lunch with, believed it back in the younger days when they were just getting started and they still believe it today as their life and ministry here on this earth is coming to an end.

And we need to believe it too! We need to believe it, claim it and live it, everyday and in every way we can, because God is worthy, His Word is faithful and His promises are true. The CHURCh is not dead, it just needs to wake up to it’s RESURRECTION power and reclaim God’s ground…

Blogroll, faith, Growing, mental challenge, mindfulness, new year, one word, personal growth, Spititual Development

2022 Word For The Year!

At the beginning of every new year, I pick a word that is going to be my one word for the year. It’s a word to guide me, encourage me and challenge me to grow on this amazing journey called life. I’ve been doing this for many years and I have found that it is a lot more motivating and easier to utilize than the half hearted resolutions that I used to come up with. It has amazed me at how realistic, powerful and true to life my words have been over the last few years and they have proved to be amazing predictors of the positive direction I was created for.

If you would like some help in trying to figure out your one word for the year, then you might want to check out http://myoneword.org where you will find lots of great ideas, resources and very helpful guides to head you in the right direction of discovering and harnessing the power of your one word.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I spend the last couple of months of the year thinking about and searching for the perfect one word for my new year. Sometimes the word comes quickly and easily, while at other times, it is a challenge trying to figure out the what and why of it all. Regardless of the process, I am a very big advocate of everyone working to discover and adopt their one word for the new year.

My word for this year is “THINK” or “THOUGHTS”, because what we think about has such a powerful impact on our life, who we become, what we experience and the way we live. Along with my WORD, I also try to find a Scripture verse or passage for the year that goes along with my word or sometimes I have the scripture and I am looking for the word.

This year my Scripture verse is Philippians 4:8, which provides a great starter list of the kinds of thoughts I need to be thinking…

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” -Philippians 4:8

So here is my challenge to you with my new word for the year think: I challenge you to THINK about what your one word might be and how it can make a difference in your life and living…

affirmation, appreciation, Blogroll, choices, emotions, Enlightenment, Growing, mindfulness, positive

Life Goes On!

Most of my days, now a days are pretty good. Looking back on my life from this vantage point makes me realize that most of my days have always been pretty good, but I often failed to see it and appreciate it, because I was too easily distracted by stuff that really was not that important, stuff that I often made a big deal out of, but that in the grand scheme of things, stuff that really didn’t matter.

Grudges will often cause us to miss the blessing of a good day. We trade away our happiness to hold onto resentment, judgment and condemnation. The real tragedy is that this is often with people that we say we love and care for. How sad to waste the beautiful gift of happiness by not taking time to appreciate and enjoy all that God has blessed us with. When I hold my 6 month old Grand daughter Addi Jo close in my embrace, everything else just seems to fade away, helping to remind me that there is what I think matters and what really matters and they are often miles a part.

An unwillingness to say “I’m Sorry!“ or to receive an “I’m Sorry!” can steal our joy and keep us from the day and life of blessing we were created for. Forgiveness does bless the other person by setting them free, but it also blesses you by keeping you from becoming enslaved in misery that loves company. If we mess up, then we need to admit it, learn from it and grow on. If others mess up, then we need to do our best to love them through it and if they are making any progress what so ever, then acknowledge and appreciate that by blessing them and giving God the glory.

Selfishness and greed can cause us to focus on ourselves and miss the blessing of the others that God has placed around us to make our life more special. The Scriptures teach that nothing really belongs to us, but that it all belongs to God. Anything we have been blessed with has been entrusted to us so that we, like God can be a blessing to others. The real joy of having is sharing, but we often miss it, because we convince ourselves that we’ve deserved it or earned it, because some how we are special, but the truth is: Anything we have has been given to us by God and not because we as so special, but because He is so gracious and He is offering us an opportunity to choose grace over grudge and live at a higher level by being a blessing to others for His glory.

Focusing on the negative and ignoring the positive can flat out drain us of the power that allows us to live blessed, fulfilled and happy. This one is so tough for most of us, because we live in a world that is constantly trying to manipulate and program us with the negative. We do have a choice and our choice is our super power, if we choose positivity over negativity. The flat out truth is that negativity is a choice we make that robs us of the people, places and things that really matter.

Mistakes made by ourselves or others, often become walls that imprison us from the world of blessing and lock us away in our own personal misery. The reality is that we all make mistakes. Look back on your life and you will discover many that you have conveniently forgotten about. When we remember our own mistakes, we tend to have a little more love, grace and mercy toward others.

The older I get, the more I realize that life is too short to waste my days away on stuff that really does not matter. Who said what or did what are really very small things when it comes to choosing to live the blessed life. I mean honestly: What grudge can you think of that has ever really been meaningful in your life in a positive and life blessing way??? Grudges are a waste of life, time and space.

Laughter is a gift from God that expresses the joy that flows from an inward place of contentment that can only come from being who, what, when, when and who God has created me to be and that is not a grudge holding, judgmental, miserable and unforgiving person.

If you do wrong, own it, by apologizing for it and then letting go and moving on. When others do wrong, forgive them, let it go and move on, regardless of their apologizing or not. The key is that we were created for freedom and the reason that most of us don’t live in freedom, is because we live in self constructed prisons of our own creation.

The older I get, the more I realize that God allows me to make mistakes so that I can learn from them. Looking back, I really can see how failures, mistakes and sins have been my greatest instructors and motivators in growing to become the person God created me to be.

I am learning that people change. In fact, we change everyday and it is up to us to decide if it is going to be change for bad or change for good. There are some things that are beyond our control, sometimes life throws you a curve and their is very little you can do about it, but miss it, fail and if you are smart, learn from it.

In the end, when it is all said and done and our life here on this earth is done, there is one truth that remains the same for all eternity and that truth is: LIFE GOES ON!