What does it mean to meditate on Scripture? Tim Keller in his latest book Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God says, “to meditate is to ask yourself questions about the truth” and “seeks to use the mind intensely” (148). Here are some questions to help your mind think deeper about the things of God and…
Augustine taught that all people seek happiness, and they attach themselves to things they believe will make them happy. That attachment is experienced as love. The main human problem, however, is that, because of sin, we misidentify what will make us happy. As we have discussed before, the result is disordered loves – loves ‘out…
I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content (Phil 4: 11). There’s a place for legitimate discontentment. All of us should, to some degree, be discontent with our spiritual growth. If we aren’t, we will stop growing. There’s also what we might call a prophetic discontentment with injustice and other evils in…
Everyone has heard the phrase “perception is reality” and understands that’s it not a declarative statement about actual reality BUT the way an individual views something. For example, if someone thinks you were terse or rude in yours words when speaking to them then their perception is the reality in which they’re living in. To effectively communicate…
Leaders must never expect from others anything more than they’re willing to deliver themselves. They should never expect higher levels of commitment, creativity, persistence, or patience than what they themselves manifest on a regular basis…and if you cannot say, ‘Follow me,’ to your followers – and mean it – then you’ve got a problem. A…
Here’s several principles Colin Powell shares in his book It Worked For Me: In Life and Leadership as well as some that Oren Harari shares in his book recounting Powell’s leadership (The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell): Be prepared to tick people off Establish trust Walk the talk Pick the right people Listen Be vigilant in…
Oren Harari in The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a Legendary Leader shares a good word on establishing trust that’s essential for leaders to learn. People are inclined to trust those who… Are competent – individuals who have relevant knowledge and experience and can keep the organization whole and healthy Have character –…
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the following post, which was originally posted by Justin Lathrop on his blog back on October 27, 2014. You can find the original post here. If you’ve been in the church for a while, I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase: Love the sinner, hate the sin. We know we’re called to…
Sanctification is the radical change God brings about in the heart of a person who trusts Jesus Christ as Savior. It’s the passing from spiritual death to spiritual life, the beginning of a new creation in Christ, and the writing of God’s Law in our hearts. It means a new relationship to the Law of…
The shift can be imperceptible. Nobody drifts into holiness, but we sure drift into unholiness. It is the default setting of our flesh. And so the pastor is auto set to self-protect, self-justify You insulate yourself from criticism and/or interpret any criticism as attacks or insubordination You have a paranoia about Who Is and Who…
Theology Along the Way 