Weekly words of encouragement

His Eyes Are On You – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, Psalms 33:18 (NIV) Being invisible, we often wonder what God is doing around us. We hope that we are pleasing him. We hope that he is looking down on us with approval and keeping a watch on our lives. This verse promises that if we fear him (respect his divine power) and hope in his love then he is watching us. His eyes are on us. We might know this in our head but it is important to meditate on it until it becomes a living reality in our heart. His eyes are on you as you read this. His attention is focused on you. This may not be so hard to believe during periods of our life when we can easily feel his presence. But are we willing to Continue Reading →

poor children

Our Obligation To Address Inequality In Our Nation

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Even though some people have reacted to George Floyd’s death with criminal acts, and even though some groups have taken advantage of the protests with unethical tactics to further their own cause, the fact remains that economic and racial inequality in America is a disastrous problem. Last February Pew Research released some statistics on economic inequality in America. The findings are here. They reported that the share of all income in America earned by the top 20% of the highest earning families went from 43% in 1968 to 52% in 2018. The share of the highest earning 5% went from 16% to 23%. These numbers represent a substantial increase in the concentration of wealth in the upper class. Meanwhile, the share of income earned by all four of the lower 20% segments of earners declined. The same February report from Pew Research also found: “From 1970 to 2018, the median Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

Surrounded By Love – Weekly Words of Encouragement

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The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. Psalms 32:10 (NIV) We have many challenges to faith in God in our lives. We are constantly tempted to worry instead of trust. We are constantly tempted to fix problems on our own because we do not want to entrust them to God and let his words guide us. We are tempted to shade the truth and deny the truth about ourselves. In short, we are tempted to live in fear and self-reliance instead of living in God’s love. This passage promises us that his love surrounds us when we trust in him. What is more secure and comforting than that? True, we can’t see him, and we don’t hear his audible voice telling us that he loves us and will work all things together for good. But, we do have his promises. So it is much wiser to Continue Reading →

4 seasons change guide

How To Produce Change In Your Organization Or Group (Or Personal Life)

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Are you or your organization trying to making some substantial changes? Are you trying to establish new strategies or goals? Do you need to correct some problems. The following list is a collection of wisdom to help you do this. Perhaps you want to improve the ministry you are involved in. Perhaps your congregation is making some major changes to its ministry. If you follow these guidelines you will be much more likely to achieve your new goals. It is surprising how few organizations have effective guidelines for making changes and then suffer because of it. If we are not intentional about guiding change then it usually does not happen. Many congregations are weak or in decline because of this lack of wisdom. These guidelines can also apply to personal changes you want to make! Guide to Achieving New Goals in an Organization (Or Correcting Problems) Pray and choose to Continue Reading →

steps stages of growth

The Biblical Five-Level Maturity Model – Part 3

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This is the third of a series of three posts on the five levels of Christian maturity found in the books of Timothy and Titus. In the first post in this series we discussed the first two levels of novice and deacon. In the second post we looked at elder level maturity. In this post we look at the last two levels: arch-elder and architect. The fourth level of maturity is arch-elder and Paul’s apprentices Timothy and Titus are examples of this level. Paul directed Titus to “appoint elders in every town” (Titus 1:5, NIV) on the island of Crete. Thus, we can say that arch-elder maturity includes the wisdom and discernment to identify godly people to be leaders. This also suggests that they can be entrusted with top responsibilities in multiple congregations, though since we are just looking at maturity level they may not have any formal responsibilities at Continue Reading →