In a recent E4U class on the book of Acts, I talked about how the apostle Paul varied his method but stayed true to his message. A good example of this is in Acts 17. While in Thessalonica, he visits the synagogue and uses the Hebrew Scriptures to proclaim Jesus. The Jewish synagogue was a familiar place to Paul, who was raised as a "Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee of Pharisees." With a primarily Jewish audience, Paul uses methods familiar to his audience. Even though his methods/reasoning reflected his audience, his message remained simple: Jesus is the Christ. Later in the same chapter, he stops in Athens and finds himself in the marketplace of ideas. I love how Luke describes the Athenians: "All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas" (Acts 17:21). Sounds like a…
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This weekend I'm teaching on how to resolve conflict within a marriage. While putting the finishing touches on my message (while enjoying a cup of coffee -- good preaching and good coffee go hand-in-hand), this thought settled on me: People come to church looking for something more than Dr. Phil. If Dr. Phil was working for them, they wouldn't be listening to me. And if I'm trying to be Dr. Phil, I won't match up -- notwithstanding the fact I'm not bald. Folks who are hurting or searching or wandering come to church looking for one thing: a word from God. Whether it be in regards to their marriage or their children, they walk through our doors wanting -- expecting -- to hear from God. In fact, they usually aren't surprised when we teach from the Bible. Ironically, they also aren't surprised when a restaurant serves them food. They are…
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In the house I grew up in, there is a hole in the bathroom door. It was the result of one brother swinging a baseball bat at another brother. Fortunately, the door closed before the bat met its intended destination. The door was never fixed or replaced. Instead, the hole served as a visible reminder of how unresolved conflict can leave lasting damage -- not just to a house but to a heart. You know what I'm talking about. Perhaps you still carry the wounds of words that were slung at you years ago. You might dread coming home from work. A temper flare-up has left you scorched. Conflict that has been simmering for years is starting to boil. This weekend I will be sharing advice from God's word about how to resolve conflict in a healthy manner. We will never eliminate conflict; but we can learn to handle it…
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Teenagers send an average of 3,000+ text messages a month. If you work with teenagers, I encourage you to read the article in the Wall Street Journal. Here's a quick excerpt. ***************** Texting's rise over conversation is changing the way we interact, social scientists and researchers say. We default to text to relay difficult information. We stare at our phone when we want to avoid eye contact. Rather than make plans in advance, we engage in what Rich Ling, a researcher for the European telecom company Telenor and a professor at IT University in Copenhagen who studies teens and technology, has named "micro-coordination"—"I'll txt u in 10mins when I know wh/ restrnt."
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In his book, You Already Know How to be Great, author Alan Fine describes the three elements that enable us to use the knowledge we already possess: Faith: Our beliefs about ourselves and our beliefs about others. High performance is more likely when we believe that we can learn and do better. The absence of Faith could be described as insecurity. Fire: Our energy, passion, motivation, and commitment. High performance is more likely when we are excited about learning and doing. The absence of Fire could be described as indifference. Focus: What we pay attention to and how we pay attention to it. High performance is more likely when we pay attention in a way that will quiet our minds. The absence of Focus could be described as inconsistency. Click here to read a good blog post about it.
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