Tag Archives: Spiritual Growth

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Memorize The Sermon On The Mount – Week 2

Week one went pretty well for me. I copied the verses down onto an index card, and kept it in my pocket all week. It’s pretty dog-eared…

Here’s week two.

Again, write it down on an index card so you can keep in your pocket or in a visible location. Place it strategically, so that you will see it frequently throughout the week. Read it several times a day. Recite it aloud a lot. By the end of the week, it will be yours!

Here’s our passage for this week: Matthew 5:4-6.

Week 02 - Matthew 5:4-6

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

How did week 1 go for you?

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E.M. Bounds On Prayer…. One More Time

I find a lot of stuff from E.M Bounds very uplifting. I’ve shared a couple of those quotes over the last couple of week. You can view them here and here. This week, I want to share with you one more quote from Bounds.

Man Praying

This quote comes from The Essentials Of Prayer. In this paragraph, he describes just what happens when we pray in times of trouble.

Prayer in the time of trouble brings comfort, help, hope, and blessings, which, while not removing the trouble, enable the saint to better bear it and to submit to the will of God. Prayer opens the eyes to see God’s hand in trouble. Prayer does not interpret God’s providences, but it does justify them and recognize God in them. Prayer enables us to see wise ends in trouble. Prayer in trouble drives us away from unbelief, saves us from doubt, and delivers from all vain and foolish questionings because of our painful experiences.

When you face times of trouble, do you despair? Or do you turn to prayer? How have you experienced God’s faithfulness in those situations?

If you are interested in reading more from E.M. Bounds on prayer, you can you can purchase his collected works at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” 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 Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Benefits Of Involving Students In The Life Of The Church

This post is part of the Foundations Of Youth Ministry series. Check out the rest of the series!

One thing I’m convinced is necessary in youth ministry is student involvement. Several years ago, youth ministry could be a one-man show, with the youth minister as the main star. I’m not so sure how effective it really was, but it seemed to be the main trend in youth work for quite a while.

Youth with hands up

In order for a ministry to student to be effective today, the students have to be involved, not only in the life of the youth ministry, but in the greater church as well.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be writing about this necessity. Today, I’ll address some of the benefits of involving student in the life of the church. My next post in the youth ministry category will take a look at some of the dangers and challenges. And the third part of the series will look at some examples from my ministry, both successful and unsuccessful.

Benefits of Involving Students In The Life Of The Church

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Memorize The Sermon On The Mount – Week 1

I’m memorizing Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount this year. I’ve been neglecting the discipline of Scripture memorization, and decided that 2011 will be different.

I would love for you to join me in this endeavor!

Here’s how it will work. Every weekend, from now through Christmas, I will post a new passage from Matthew 5, 6, and 7. Some passages will be only a verse or two. A few will be three or four.

Write it down on an index card so you can keep in your pocket or in a visible location. Place it strategically, so that you will see it frequently throughout the week. Read it several times a day. Recite it aloud a lot. By the end of the week, it will be yours!

Here’s our passage for this week: Matthew 5:1-3.

Week 01 - Matthew 5:1-3

Here’s a link to the passage at Bible Gateway.

Good luck!

Let me know how it goes in the comments.

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How To Get More Out Of Reading The Bible

Last week we looked at several tips that I’ve found helpful in becoming more consistent in my Bible reading. I feel it is crucial to my spiritual growth to take in God’s Word in its entirety at least once per year. But I’ve found that when I read through it that fast, I miss some important stuff. Today I want to examine one of the methods that I use for a more in-depth reading and application of the Bible.

Panning For Gold

I call it the Golden Nugget Approach to Bible reading.

Just a quick word of warning before I explain: if you are a very organized person, this approach may not work for you. If you like to see daily progress, this might leave you wanting. That said, I feel that this approach works pretty well at digging out truth from the Bible to apply to my daily life.

Here’s how I approach the Golden Nugget Bible reading system:

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The Secret To Growing As A Leader

It seems as if everyone is talking about growing as a leader this week. The leader’s personal growth has been a topic within the last few days on several blogs I frequently visit. I find it very interesting that so many are discussing this idea.

Question Mark Sign

Here is something that I’ve discovered to be very true, even though it sounds overly simple: It takes effort to grow. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s true. If you want to grow as a leader, you have to put in some effort. A lot of effort. Otherwise you’ll drift down the stream of complacency, opposite of the direction you want to go.

I’ve identified over a dozen different observations about personal growth. So, instead of overwhelming you with all of them at once, I’ll post a few at a time, over the next couple of weeks.

Here are the first five ideas to help you lay the foundation for personal growth in your life.

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Memorize Scripture With Me!

One of the things I used to do frequently was memorize significant passages from the Bible. I did this faithfully while I was in Bible college, partly because it was assigned, but also because I wanted to hide God’s Word in my heart. I memorized dozens of verses.

Man Holding Bible in the Mountains

But I haven’t done that in recent years. And I really don’t have a good excuse for why I stopped.

I’m going to start again….

In 2011, I’m going to memorize the entire Sermon on the Mount, a verse or two at a time.

And I’d like you to join me in this.