Church

In scripture, referring to God’s hand is a way of recognizing that God’s presence and power is among us. Scripture often refers to God guiding his people with his hand. When the early church met opposition, they prayed for God’s hand to be their protection and defense (Acts 4:29-30). The language of God’s hand being with us invokes several images: resting in God, God’s guidance, and God’s defense.Watch more videos at the Mountainview YouTube channel. Looking for a Speaking Coach? The most successful people are not always the smartest people. But they have one thing in common: they communicate well. I'd love to help you become a better communicator. Click here. Professor at Warner University church planter with Stadia former former president, Church Planters of the Rockies helped start 2 for-profit tech companies Need a Speaker or Presenter? Interested in having me speak for your church, conference, or organization? Follow…

In geopolitical terms, a territory marks the sphere of influence of a ruler or nation. When Jabez asks God to enlarge his territory, he isn’t simply asking for more land – he’s asking God to grow his influence. This desire to do more good comes from God. As Christians, we should be asking God to increase the number of people that we can influence for Christ. The same is true for the church. Our desire should be to spread the gospel of Jesus and to extend the borders of his kingdom.Watch more videos at the Mountainview YouTube channel. Looking for a Speaking Coach? The most successful people are not always the smartest people. But they have one thing in common: they communicate well. I'd love to help you become a better communicator. Click here. Professor at Warner University church planter with Stadia former former president, Church Planters of the Rockies…

To be blessed by God is to be the recipient of his goodness and favor. In this sense, all people are blessed by God since God is the true source of all blessings. Given that his name meant “pain”, it’s possible that Jabez is asking God for an extra measure of favor and goodness. God is able to take our most painful experiences and turn them into blessings. Instead of focusing on his past, Jabez chose to focus on his future. God’s resources are unlimited and we shouldn’t hesitate to ask him for resources. When God does bless us, it is always for his glory.Watch more videos at the Mountainview YouTube channel. Looking for a Speaking Coach? The most successful people are not always the smartest people. But they have one thing in common: they communicate well. I'd love to help you become a better communicator. Click here. Professor at…

When it comes to handling feedback, Henry Cloud talks about 3 kinds of people: wise, foolish, evil. Wise people. Because they want to get better, they thank you and take action. Foolish people. Instead of listening, they'd rather talk about your problems. Evil people. How do you handle them? With money, guns, and lawyers, use this useful reference for more. Here’s the main thing we’re going to see in today’s story: How you respond to admonishment and adversity will determine your influence and impact. Over the last few weeks we've been looking at the family tree of David. We started with Solomon, a wise man who made some bad decisions. These decisions led to further trouble. Then came Rehoboam, the king who acted on bad advice and kingdom was divided. Today is one of my favorite names in Bible (and in the opening line of a John Prine song): Jehoshaphat.…

Back in 2016, Jimmy Fallon asked viewers to tweet examples of bad advice they had received. Here are just a few I pulled from the hashtag #badvice. Here are two things I’ve learned in my nearly 50 years of living: Not all advice is equal. Being entitled to your opinion doesn’t make it right. Getting older is automatic; wisdom is not. As we continue our series on Old Testament characters, today’s story is about a King who acted on bad advice. The end result was not only disastrous for him on a personal level but also led to the Israelite nation being divided into two kingdoms. His name is Rehoboam and he is the son of Solomon, the grandson of David. He would reign for only 17 years. Our story is found in 1 Kings 12:1-20. It's at the beginning of his reign and Rehoboam is asked to compromise on…