weekly words of encouragement

You Want To Be Fruitful – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.” John 15:5 (NIV) Humans don’t do well if they think their life is pointless and unproductive. We want something good to come from our lives; we want to be fruitful. This is how God made us. When he put Adam and Eve in the Garden he told them to “be fruitful” (Gen. 1:28). We were made to produce good things and our soul will feel empty if we can’t do so. Moreover, we have a desire for deep fruitfulness. We don’t just want to build buildings, farm for food, or invent new medicines, although these are all good pursuits for fruitfulness. We also want to be fruitful in the hearts of others. We want to help satisfy the deeper desires for joy and peace in human hearts. In Continue Reading →

heavenly body, shining

Does God Want To Glorify His People?

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This is an excerpt from my new book A Quest for the Ultimate. The retreat director Jacob asks the group about their observations in Revelation chapters 21 and 22. The issue is what God emphasizes in the next age. Does he focus more on himself or on his people? Does he want to glorify his people? Browse through chapters 21 and 22 of Revelation and tell me which is emphasized more: God’s glory or the glory and honor of the people of God? I will give you a couple of minutes.Everyone digs into their bibles. After five minutes Jacob asks again, “Which is emphasized more?”“There is a lot of description of the bride, especially in the description of the city,” Kwan observes.“Most of these two chapters are about all the blessings God is going to give us and how beautiful the bride is,” Melissa adds.Heads nod.Somewhat surprised, Gabriella replies, “I’m Continue Reading →

weekly words of encouragement

You Will Be Beautiful To God – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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This post includes an excerpt from my new book “A Quest for the Ultimate.” After reading from Revelation 21 Pastor Jacob asks: “What does this tell us about the bride?” Ashley responds, “She’s glorious and glitters like a huge jewel. And she has 12 gates and there’s an angel at each gate. It’s hard to picture this. How can the believers be a city?” Jacob responds, “I agree. The city represents God’s people, but it is also the dwelling place of his people, so the symbolism is complicated. But for now, let’s think about the appearance of the bride. Have you noticed a theme yet?” Ashley answers, “Earlier in the chapter it said the bride was beautifully dressed. In these verses it says she has God’s glory and she’s like a jewel. Revelation keeps emphasizing the beauty of the bride.” DeShawn adds, “And yesterday Revelation 19 said the bride was Continue Reading →

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Just Released: A Quest For The Ultimate

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As promised in my last post, my new book, “A Quest for the Ultimate” [Amazon link] has been released and is now available on Amazon. The Kindle version is on sale for .99 now; the paperback will be available later today (make sure the cover has the title on it.) Strangely, most believers have not given much thought to their ultimate purpose, and if they do, they are usually uncertain. Yet, isn’t it a critical question? Shouldn’t we all know the ultimate purpose for which we are “pressing on” in Christ? Why do we strive to be holy? Why do we read Scripture? Why do we pray? Why do we attend Sunday service? “A Quest for the Ultimate” will answer these questions by explaining God’s end game for your life. It is a short fiction book about seven believers on a retreat in the San Juan Islands seeking to understand Continue Reading →

quest for the ultimate cover

Excerpt From My New Book “A Quest For The Ultimate”

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In the next few days I will release my new book, “A Quest for the Ultimate: A Spiritual Adventure of Seven Seekers.” It is about the ultimate purpose of the Christian life. I have asked several believers if they knew what the ultimate purpose of their Christian life was, and I received several different answers. None of them seemed to fit with what Scripture teaches, so I think this will be a helpful book. God wants to encourage you with an exciting ultimate purpose, so I hope you will read the book. Below is an excerpt from Chapter Five, which I hope will whet your appetite. The retreat leader is helping the seven participants to make their way to their ultimate purpose. “Now I want us to dive into the answer to the core question that’s been lurking beneath all our discussions.” He leans forward slightly. “What is our ultimate Continue Reading →