Tag Archives: Spiritual Growth

Posted on

Four Things I Love About Youth Trips (That You Should Too)

I’m headed out on a weekend trip with some of the teens from our church this weekend.

I’m taking some of the guys from our youth group and we are going to a weekend retreat hosted by Ozark Christian College.  It’s called Deeper Life.

Deeper Life At Ozark Christian College

It’s a pretty simple concept.  They host high school students on campus for the weekend and provide main sessions with incredible worship and a challenging message.  There will be an array of inspiring workshops to choose from, as well as some awesome fun.  They house us in the dorms with the students and feed us in the school’s cafeteria (read into that what you will…).

All this for $25!  Not too bad.

For this particular weekend, we didn’t have any girls sign up.  So this will be just a guy’s weekend.  We’ll be able to do a couple of fun things while we’re out.  We plan on heading down to see if we can see the Spook Light.  Probably not, but we’ll try.  We’ll also try to fit in a few hunts for geocaches.  (If you’ve never tried geocaching, you need to do it right away!  Excellent fun!)

I love weekend get-away like this.  Here are four reasons.

Posted on

Memorize The Sermon On The Mount – Week 3

Ready for week three?

Here it is.

I’ve found that keeping an index card in my pocket works best. Each time I reach into my pocket for my keys, I feel the card. My rule for myself is this: every time I feel the card, I pull it out and read it. Works great!

Here’s our passage for this week: Matthew 5:7-8.

Matthew 5:7-8

And here’s a link to the passage at Bible Gateway.

How are you doing?

Posted on

My Go To Books On Leadership

I believe that leadership skills are essential in ministry.

Books

I’ve watched too many people in ministry fail, or be less effective than they could be, because of a lack of leadership abilities.

I’ve identified the top books on my shelf in this area to share with you.  There are dozens of books that have helped me grow in my leadership abilities, way too many to list here.

Here are my top five.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership, by John C. Maxwell
This resource has been around for several years, and is the first book that I read that sparked my leadership interests.  In it, Maxwell identifies the top 21 qualities that are essential in a leader.  In my opinion, this is the essential book on leadership to have on your shelf.  (View The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership on Amazon.com.)

Posted on

The Maniac And The Messiah

I ran across something intriguing this week in my Bible reading. It’s a passage I’ve read a hundred times before, but I’ve never noticed this; perhaps because my Bible of choice is a NASB or NIV. This year, I’m reading the NKJV, and this passage jumped out to me.

Breaking Free

The passage is from Mark 5: 1-6. Here it is:

Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.

The last phrase is the one that stood out to me: “he ran and worshipped him.”

I’ve never noticed that before. In the NIV, it’s phrased “he fell on his knees in front of him.” The NASB translates it as “bowed down before him.” It’s interesting what you can pick up from reading the same passages in a different translation.

This idea fascinated me. Why would this demon-possessed man worship Jesus?

Posted on

Book Review: Tithing by Douglas LeBlanc

TithingTithing is the second book I’ve read from Thomas Nelson’s Ancient Practices Series, and I could not be more disappointed in it. The first book that I read from this series, Sabbath, was enlightening. Tithing, however, was very disappointing.

First of all, Tithing isn’t about tithing. Author Douglas LeBlanc has instead written a series of interviews with different people about their experiences in giving. Most of the stories that he relates bear no resemblance to the scriptural mandate of tithing, but rather focus on social activism.

Second, LeBlanc, a religion journalist, has selected nearly all of his stories from religious fringe groups, emergent philosophies, and liberal churches. And as a result, he shares nothing that is even instructional about the concept of tithing.

The stories were somewhat interesting, but in a way that created a response such as, “Hmmm, that was nice…” I found almost nothing of significant substance to take away from this book.

The one story that I found more than mildly interesting was the story of Randy Alcorn’s work with the pro-life movement, and his subsequent involvement in the lawsuit brought against the abortion clinic protestors. But once again, this really had nothing to do with the biblical principle of the tithe.

Over all, I found Tithing to be very disappointing. There are many other resources available on the topic that do a much better job teaching it.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissionís 16 CFR, Part 255: ìGuides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.î

Posted on

Book Review: Soul Print by Mark Batterson

Soul PrintMark Batterson’s new book is another home run! I was first introduced to Batterson when I read Primal. I loved it! It was one of the best books I read in 2010. So I wondered just how Batterson’s new book would compare. Batterson has done it again. Soul Print is an excellent resource and challenges you to live your life more completely.

In Soul Print, Batterson sets put to help the reader understand their identity and destiny in Christ. In order to do this, he examines the life of David as an example. Batterson identifies several defining moments in David’s life that helped him understand just who he was.

  • David rejected King’s Saul’s armor and instead used his sling to defeat Goliath.
  • David allowed God to use his skills with a sling and harp strategically.
  • David kept Goliath’s armor after defeating him.
  • David refrained from harming King Saul when he found him in the cave.
  • David danced before the Ark of the Covenant as it was returned to Jerusalem.
  • David stayed home from war and entered a sinful relationship with Bathsheba.
  • David received God’s promise to establish his descendants on the throne.

Some were good; some weren’t. But these are some of the moments in David’s life that made him who he was. These moments defined him.

Batterson uses each of these examples to ask the same question of the reader. Who are you? More importantly, whose are you?

You see, you can’t understand your destiny until you comprehend your identity. But you can’t grasp your identity until you grasp who God is, because he made you in his image.

Your soul print is unique. God has created no one else like you, and he created no one else to serve the same purpose as you. Understanding your soul print helps you live your life as it was meant to be lived… to the fullest.

I highly recommend that you read Mark Batterson’s Soul Print. You won’t regret it.

If you are interested in reading Soul Print by Mark Batterson, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Multnomah Books as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are ìaffiliate links.î This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissionís 16 CFR, Part 255: ìGuides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.î

Posted on

The Secret To Growing As A Leader – Part 2

One of my goals for 2011 is to grow myself more as a leader. This is an area I read in extensively, and I am continually finding plenty of ways to grow.

Finishing the Puzzle

Not too long ago, I posted the first part in a series to help you lay a foundation for personal growth in your life. You can read the first five ideas here.

In this post, I want to give you five more ideas.