Category Archives: Resource Reviews

Evaluations of books, materials, curriculum, and other resources to help you choose the resources most effective for your youth ministry and your personal growth.

God’s WORD for youth – Bread

Usually we think of methods of intake as falling into four categories

  • hearing the Word taught by our pastors and teachers (Jeremiah 3:15),
  • reading the Bible ourselves (Deuteronomy 17:19,
  • studying the Scriptures intently (Proverbs 2:1-5), and
  • memorizing key passages (Psalm 119:11).

All of these methods are needed for a balanced intake of the Word.

  • Pastors are gifted by God and trained to teach the ‘whole counsel of God.’
  • Reading the Scripture gives us the overall perspective of divine truth
  • Study of a passage or topic enables us to dig more deeply into a particular truth.
  • Memorization helps us retain important truths so we can apply them to our lives.”

Source: Jerry Bridges, Pursuit of Holiness, p. 102

Why do we starve ourselves of the Word of God?  We never fail to eat if food is readily available. We don’t typically rush into the day without consider the need for nourishment.  Yet how do we do this when it comes to spiritual nourishment.  We leave our souls starved and weak. No wonder we so easily fall into temptation.  Like daily bread, we need to have the intake of God’s word in life.

Bible Lessons from the Olympics: Champions Never Quit

“Let me win.  But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
Special Olympics Oath

“Champions are not those who never fail, they are those who never quit…Men love winners.  They want to be identified with winners. Men open a newspaper and turn directly to the sports page because it features winners, while the front page usually features losers…Champions are the right man, in the right place, at the right time.  Timing is all important.

God has an eternal clock which was started from the beginning of time to make you become a champion for Him.  To become a  champion, you must see yourself  as a champion.  Hanging on to the fear of failure, the sins of others and past mistakes will keep you from becoming a champion.  Champions are made, not born.  Many champions start with severe handicaps in life, but in making the effort to overcome, they find the ability to continue until they have excelled beyond those even without handicaps.

The athlete, the farmer and the soldier all have different ways of winning.  Each of them does his training, plowing or exercising in private, and they show their abilities in public…The fainthearted never win, they wilt.  They start well, but fade before they finish…

Joshua was a member of the championship team.  He could hardly stand to see other men who didn’t feel the way he did, and finally issued the challenge that lives on forever:

‘Choose this day whom you will serve,
but as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord’

I’m proud to be on Joshua’s team!”

Source: Edwin Louis Cole,  “Courage – Winning Life’s Toughest Battles”

Get "Go for the Gold" Youth Bible Study SeriesGo for the Gold
Need an evangelistic Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series with an Olympic Theme?

What is salvation all about? What does it mean to be saved? This sports themed Bible Study / Camp Curriculum uses the Olympic Flag to introduce the concepts of sin (black circle), forgiveness (red circle), purity (white background), spiritual growth (green circle), heaven (Yellow Circle) and (Baptism) blue circle.
-> Tell me about “Go for the Gold”

Get "Destined to Win" Youth Bible Study SeriesDestined to Win
Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series on “Running the Christian Race”?

The race as a metaphor for the Christian life is used in several places in the Bible. This series is a great follow up for new Christians or to re-emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum has a sports theme and is great for athletes as well as a tie in to the youth Olympic Games.
->Tell me about “Destined to Win”

Six Hours One Friday for Youth

sixhours.jpgWas Reading “Six Hours One Friday” written by Max Lucado.

In it he says…

“Six hours. One Friday.

Let me ask you a question: What do you do with that day in history? What do you do with its claims?

If it really happened…if God did commandeer his own crucifixion…if he did turn his back on his own son…if he did storm Satan’s gate, then those 6 hours that Friday were packed with tragic triumph. If that was God on that cross, then the hill called Skull is granite studded with stakes to which you can anchor.

Those 6 hours were no normal 6 hours. They were the most critical hours in history. For during those 6 hours on that Friday, God embedded in the earth 3 anchor points sturdy enough to withstand any hurricane.

Anchor point #1 – My life is not futile. This rock secures the hull of your heart. Its sole function is to give you something which you can grip when facing the surging tides of futility and relativism. It’s a firm grasp on the conviction that there is truth. Someone is in control and you have a purpose.

Anchor point #2 – My failures are not fatal. It’s not that he loves what you did, but he loves who you are. You are his. The one who has the right to condemn you provided the way to acquit you. You make mistakes. God doesn’t. And he made you.

Anchor point #3 – My death is not final. There is one more stone to which you should tie. It’s large. It’s round. And it’s heavy. It blocked the door of a grave. It wasn’t big enough though. The tomb that it sealed was the tomb of a transient. He only went in to prove he could come out. And on the way out he took the stone with him and turned it into an anchor point. He dropped it deep into the uncharted waters of death. Tie to his rock and the typhoon of the tomb becomes a spring breeze on Easter Sunday.

There they are. Three anchor points. The anchor points of the cross.

==========

I think all three of these have powerful lessons for our youth.

Life is not futile. Everyone seems to be looking for gloom on the horizon. The economy is on edge. Jobs are uncertain. The future looks difficult. And in this uncertain time, many youth are also uncertain of themselves. They wonder why they are here. Is there a reason for them to be here? Is there meaning in life.

Failures are not fatal. Youth make mistakes. We all do. It’s not making the mistake that is important, but learning from the mistakes we make. God has forgiven those mistakes and even the willful choices. Forgiveness is there for the asking. When youth fall, they need to get up, grab the hand of Jesus and keep moving forward .

Death is not final. That is powerful. Youth aren’t often concerned with death. But knowing that there is more beyond this life is important. That out time here is momentary compared to eternity. So with youthful zeal, make every moment count.

 


MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Shaping Character

Youth, like all of us, are works in progress. And God’s priority is the development of our character.

“Bart decided to ask God to shape his character. He surrendered his own will to the will of God. At the time, Bart’s business floundered on the verge of failure. ‘Should I throw in the towel, or keep trying to hang on?’ Bart wondered.

“God replies, ‘You need to persevere.’ After we have done the will of God, then we will receive our reward. God’s will is for us to demonstrate to a hurting world how wonderfully His power can work within the person who perseveres.

“Certainly, there are days when we feel like we will die, or maybe even wish we could, but we keep going. Why? Why do we keep going? Because when we have done the will of God we will receive what He has promised.

“Will persevering guarantee we will succeed in the worldly sense of success? Is that what He has promised? Does it mean we will not go out of business if we hang on? No, but we can state emphatically that if we don’t persevere we will not succeed in any sense. Not persevering guarantees we will fail…

“Beyond succeeding in a worldly sense though, God wants our character to succeed more than our circumstances in such a way that our character eventually succeeds, for that is His highest aim, His will.”

Patrick Morley, “Walking with Christ in the Details of Life” Thomas Nelson Publishers


MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Growing in Grace

african_violet4.jpg“Grace is the unhindered, wondrous, boundless love of God, poured out upon us in an infinite variety of ways, not according to our deserving, but His measureless heart of love. Put together the most deep, tender love you have felt, multiply by infinity, and you will faintly glimpse the love and grace of God! To grow in grace means being planted in the very heart of this divine love, to put ourselves in His hands and leave it with Him; to grow as lilies and babes, with neither care nor anxiety…

The slightest barrier between your soul and Christ may cause you to dwindle and fade, as a plant in a cellar or under a bushel. Our divine Husbandman can turn any soil into the soil of grace the moment we place ourselves in His hands. He does not need to transplant us.

We need to learn the flowers’ secret; to grow, but only in God’s way, not hindering Him with our own anxious efforts. What the flower is by nature, we must be by an intelligent and free surrender. Self must step aside to let God work…

What a picture of life and growth far different from the ordinary life and growth of Christians–a life of rest, and growth without effort, and yet a life and growth crowned with glorious results.

We may rest assured, that all the resources of God’s infinite grace will be brought to bear on the growing of the tiniest flower in His spiritual garden, as certainly as they are in His earthly creation. The violet abides peacefully in its little place, content to receive its daily portion without concerning itself about the wandering of the winds, or the falling of the rain…”

Source: Hannah Whitall Smith “The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life”

 


MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Holding on to the Son

“Security is the name of the game. Especially is this true in our relationship to God. To try to hang on to God is very tiring and very precarious.

I saw a good illustration of this in 1943 when I was a seminary student and pastor in Mountain View, California. I was walking to church on Sunday morning with my frisky, three-year-old son, Don. He was holding my hand as we walked along together. Then, without warning, Don missed his step and went sprawling on the sidewalk.

He was not hurt, but to avoid this happening again I took a firm hold of his little wrist. Sure enough, his boundless energy caused him to stumble several more times before we got to the church. But now the outcome was altogether different. When he would stumble, I would hold firmly to his wrist, and he would swing back and forth till his feet were back on the ground. What a difference it made when the father was holding on to the son instead of the son holding on to the father.

Our heavenly Father is not only the Divine Seeker, he is also the Divine Keeper. We are the recipients of both the “Divine initiative” and the “Divine tenacity.”

If my security is only as strong as my human faith and strength, then I am in real trouble. All of us are prone to sinfulness and stumbling. We all get tired trying to hang onto God, too pooped out to feel much security or peace. Our security is in God’s grip, not in ours…

Our security is not man-centered but God-centered. Our security is in a Christlike God. He is the ‘Peace-keeping force” in our lives.

Lord, help us to ‘let go and let God.’ ”

Source: Donald Russell Robertson- “Dear You” ISBN 0-8499-0677-6


MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Endurance

“Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus…endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus… if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops…” ~ 2 Timothy 1:1-7

“Athletic competition clearly displays one’s ability to endure in measurable terms. Running a marathon (26 miles, 385 yards) in a certain amount of time indicates a degree of endurance. The one who finishes with the quickest time has, among other things, a greater ability to endure. But perhaps one of the greatest examples of endurance in the world of athletic competition is long-distance professional cycling…

Without a doubt, the greatest of these cycling events in the world is the ‘Tour de France.’ This event sometimes stretches more than twenty-four days and covers over 2,500 miles. The riders follow a course outlining the country of France, from the flatlands of Brittany to the mountains of the Pyrenees and the Alps. Each day of competition involves from three to eight hours of racing and has its own unique course, from shortened time trials to lengthy hill climbs. This incredibly demanding event is considered by many to be the most remarkable example of physical and mental endurance in all of athletic competition.

The first American to ever win the Tour was Greg LeMond. His amazing conditioning and stamina allowed him to endure to victory in the 1986 Tour, which was considered the most demanding Tour
in recent memory.

But in 1989, LeMond demonstrated perhaps the greatest display of emotional and physical endurance when he returned to win the ‘Tour de France’ by only eight seconds over Frenchman Laurent Fignon. This race is now considered the greatest Tour ever.

After two years of recuperation from an accidental gun shot wound and an appendectomy, LeMond returned to win despite the many skeptics who claimed his riding days were over. His win put the skeptics where they belong.

Watching this race, I was reminded of the illustrations Paul used about enduring through hardships in 2 Timothy 2. There Paul described the professions of soldier, athlete and farmer. Interestingly, he does this directly after exhorting Timothy, ‘Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus’…

The Christian life is essentially warfare against the forces of evil.

  • If we are going to compete and endure through this warfare, we must take to heart the soldier’s example…
  • The athlete would not dare to enter competition without first physically and mentally preparing himself…
  • Through his hard work, the farmer strives ahead in his labor to harvest a successful crop.”

Source: Ronald F. Bridges- “Rediscovering Your First Love” 1990, (Here’s Life Publishers, San Bernadino, CA)

Get "Destined to Win" Youth Bible Study SeriesDestined to Win
Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series on “Running the Christian Race”?

Our “Destined to Win” series is a great follow up for youth who are new Christians or to emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum / Small Group Study has a sports theme and is great for athletes and works well as a tie in to what’s going on in the NBA and the current Linsanity.
->Tell me about “Destined to Win”

Only a Youth?

“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.” Jeremiah 1:7-8 NKJV

“God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally–‘your life shall be as a prize to you…’ (Jer 39:18). That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache, and distress. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God’s personal deliverance.

The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus Christ, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, ‘Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly.’ Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say,’Why should I be treated like this?’ If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, ‘Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance.’ Even the most devout of us become atheistic in this regard–we do not believe Him. We put our common sense on the throne and then attach God’s name to it. We ‘do’ lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts (see Proverbs 3:5-6)”

Source: Oswald Chambers “My Utmost for His Highest” (An Updated Edition in Today’s Language edited by James Reimann)


MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

First Love

Scripture: Revelation 2:1-7

“For the churches in Ephesus and Laodicea, the problem was the problem of spiritual passion…What began as a wholehearted commitment to Christ and His work gradually cooled. We don’t have any of the details, only these fragments of history from Revelation, but we can picture it from our own experience.

I remember the first time I saw Ruth. With me, it was love at first sight. I can still remember the excitement I felt. I remember the first time I held her hand. I remember the thrill of the first kiss, our eyes shining with love for each other. I remember my stomach churning, heart pumping, blood boiling during our honeymoon and for years afterward. First love is wonderful. But the first flames of physical passion inevitably change.

Our love has been one of commitment. The word ‘love’ is an active, not passive, verb. It should not be confined to the physical. It is a lifetime of commitment. Ruth and I can sit on our front porch on a summer’s evening and hardly say a word, but we are communing with each other. Their love was only physical. The first flames of the honeymoon inevitably went cool, then the day-to-day routine settled in. The passion of first love died, and with the passion died the practices associated with it.

Remember that moment you first heard of Christ and believed in Him as Lord and Savior of your life? Remember kneeling at a parent’s bedside, at a local church altar or in the quiet of a redwood retreat, or coming forward in an evangelistic crusade? Remember joining the church and feeling the loving arms of a Christian community reach out to receive you? Remember your baptism and the joy you felt in
this act of faith…

Christ was calling the Ephesians and the Laodiceans away from respectable, comfortable, passionless, lukewarm religion. He wanted them totally committed to Him, wholeheartedly available. He called them back to the holy passion and the joy of the first love. They had settled instead for mere theological respectability and material comfort. He wanted them alive, depending, risking, passionate again. For it is in the ‘first love’ commitment that they would find the strength to face the horsemen.”

Billy Graham – “Approaching Hoofbeats of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” 1983, Word, Inc.


MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Christmas Party Planning Checklist

Christmas is just around the corner… Have you prepared for your youth Christmas Party yet?

If you don’t get things moving well in advance, instead of enjoying the Christmas Vacation with the youth, you could end up being totally stressed and miss valuable opportunities to impact their lives and those of their friends and families.

So here’s a Youth Christmas Planning Checklist… (FIRST DRAFT – IDEAS WELCOME for improvement)

Form a Christmas Party planning committee

  • Who needs to be involved in the planning for the Christmas Party? (i.e. parents, youth workers, youth, pastoral staff, others?)
  • What are the roles in the planning and preparation for the Christmas Party and who will be responsible for each role?

 

Coordinate your Youth Christmas Party with the church as a whole

  • How will the Christmas Party fit into the over all schedule of Church activities? Does it complement the Church Christmas theme or focus?
  • Will there be duplication? Should some parts of the Christmas party be jointly organised?
  • Will there be conflicts of manpower and facilities?
  • Is your planned date for the Christmas Party on the overall church calendar?
  • Who will you need to coordinate with? Will it be part of the overall church Christmas plan or separate?

 

Decide the Christmas Activities Schedule

  • List the individual activities that will be part of your Youth Christmas program.
  • What are the times and dates of each event?
  • What is the venue or location for each event?
  • How will the Christmas Party fit into the schedule?

 

Decide your Goal for the Christmas Party

  • Purpose: What is the purpose for the Christmas party? Is it evangelistic? In appreciation? A simple celebration? To reach out to the community? To help the needy?
  • Target group: Who is the target group for the Christmas Party? Who do you want to attend the Christmas Party? (age group, Christians / seekers, friends of youth, parents, youth workers, community, etc.)
  • Brief Description: Write a clear description of the Christmas Party and its goals.
  • Theme: What is the theme for the Christmas Party?

 

Plan the Details for the Christmas Party

  • What is the official name of for the Christmas Party? Does the name clearly communicate the purpose
  • and content?
  • You should have already written down the date and time and venue for the Party. In addition you will want to add directions to the venue? Is there a map available? About how long will it
  • take travel there? Is it difficult to find?

 

Tentative Christmas Party Program

  • What activities will fill the time during the Christmas Party? OVER PLAN and have ALTERNATIVES. (e.g. Icebreakers, gift exchange, Bible study, Movies, Large Group Games, etc.) If you are using another venue, doing an on site inspection in advance will help you better prepare for Christmas games and activities. If there is a gift exchange, how will the exchange be coordinated? A great resource for planning your Christmas Party is the Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection.

 

Christmas Ideas ebook
More Christmas Resources for Youth Groups

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Christmas Party Finances

  • What’s the expected actual cost?
  • What is the budget for the Youth Christmas Party?
  • What is the cost to participants?
  • If there is a Christmas gift exchange, what is the price range for the participant’s gifts?
  • Are there sponsors / sources of supplies or food for the Christmas Party? Will parents or church members make contributions of Christmas goodies and food?
  • Are there scholarships available?
  • Does the cost change for early or late sign-ups?
  • When is payment for the Christmas Party due?

 

Christmas Party Arrangements

  • Reservation of Venue?
  • Recruit Adult chaperons / volunteers for the Christmas Party – A good rule of thumb is to have one chaperon (parent/youth pastor/leader) for every eight youth that attend. (Some groups may require more or less supervision)
  • Are there to be Special speakers / special items or programs utilizing outside people?
  • Someone trained in first aid or medicine on site in case of an injury.
  • What food will be available at the Christmas party? Meals and snacks should be designed to meet the needs of all attendees. Are there any special dietary requirements or restrictions?
  • Are there any transportation requirements?
  • Contact information for those responsible for major roles and duties?
  • Address and contact of nearest medical emergency aid?
  • What Rules will be enforced?
  • Create an ‘Incident Report’ form for any injuries, accidents or security breaches that occur during the Christmas Party?

 

Christmas Events Publicity

  • Promotional fliers
  • Church Bulletin
  • Church / youth Calendar or events
  • Invitations – Your invitations should state the starting and ending time of your Christmas party and should mention the food you will be serving. And don’t forget to include directions to get to the venue, expecially for first timers. You also will want to include any cost and indicate whether or not participants should bring a gift for a gift exchange and costing for such gifts.
  • Sign-up form / Permission slips
  • Postcards to invite friends
  • Posters / Bulletin Boards
  • Website / emails
  • Local newspaper

 

Equipment and resources needed for the Christmas Party

  • Are the tables and chairs available at the venue sufficient for participants and the food?
  • Sound system? Upbeat Christmas Music?
  • Special lighting?
  • Special equipment?
  • Materials and resources for games?
  • Parking space? Drop off and pick-up point for parents?
  • Requisition forms for supplies, Checkout / return out form for any equipment or supplies that are borrowed?

 

Handling emergencies

  • Any time you get a group of youth together there is a possibility of accidents. They will happen. So be prepared for them.
  • Christmas Party Attendee list – Name, contact number for parents, and permission slips if you are leaving the church premises. Keep the contact information together in a folder and available at all times in case of an emergency. Make a master copy and a standby copy.
  • Sponsor list
  • Emergency contacts
  • Fire, medical, and police department numbers
  • What is the name, address and phone number of the nearest hospital or urgent care facility? (This information should be included on your health form/parent release.). What is the most direct route from the venue?
  • What are the venue management contacts?
  • Prepare a Parent’s contact list.
  • Prepare a Volunteer list with assigned roles and contact numbers?
  • What transportation arrangements are required. Contact numbers?

 

Christmas Party Volunteer Training

    • Screen Volunteers
    • Meet with volunteers as a group before party.
    • List responsibilities and contact numbers for each volunteer including a ‘Chain of Command’ – who reports to whom, who makes final decisions?
    • Make sure volunteers are clear on the rules.
    • Familiarize volunteers with the layout of the venue – especially exits, potential problem areas or hazards.
    • Assign people in your team to be responsible for cleaning up any spills/ broken glass as soon as it happens?
    • Trouble shoot with volunteers. What things could happen during the party and how should the volunteers respond?
    • Have people and vehicles on standby to travel with youth in case of emergency.
    • Instruct volunteers in how to complete the ‘Incident Report’ form for any injuries, accidents or security breaches that occur during the Christmas Party and what information is needed. They need to get signatures of any eyewitnesses.
    • Go through the entire Party schedule. What resources are needed for each item on the schedule and who is responsible to make sure they are ready?
    • Volunteers must be flexible and ready to help out as needed.

 

The Day of the Christmas Party

  • Set up the decorations according to your theme.
  • Set up for games / activities
  • Test the sound system and Christmas music
  • Delivery and storage of food and supplies
  • Identify key volunteers to participants, especially the medical person.
  • Are floor surfaces clear of trip hazards and electrical cords?
  • Are all security, staff and volunteers easily identified with either a uniform, t-shirt, ID badge or cap?
  • Are Emergency/Fire exits clear of any obstructions and will they have adults monitoring them?
  • Are there first-aid supplies, fire extinguishers? If so, where are they located?
  • If you are going to have a gift exchange, have quite a few backups for those that forget or unexpected gifts. Try to insure that everyone gets a gift.
  • Be sure to have someone take photos and video of the event. They make great Christmas Party souvenirs.
  • Clean up – It’s important to leave the hall or building in the same shape as you found it.
  • Involve everyone in this process.

After the Christmas Party

  • Return rental or borrowed items
  • Thank everyone who made the Christmas Party possible
  • Meet with the Christmas Party planning committee and evaluate. Ask: What worked well? What could we have done differently? What did we learn from this process?
  • Review any incident reports completed and see what steps can be taken to prevent similar incidents happening at future youth events.
  • Complete and file a written event summary including any resources and suggestions for future planning of Christmas Parties.
  • Send “thank you” cards to everyone who help in any way

 

This document is a guide only. It contains general information and is not intended to represent a comprehensive checklist. Have suggestions to add? Any words of wisdom? Please click on the comments link below and share with us your wisdom and experience in regards to organizing Christmas Parties for your youth!

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Christmas Collection" ebook Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!
=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Judas

I’ve wondered, at times, what kind of man this Judas was. What he looked like, how he acted, who his friends
were…

But for all the things we don’t know about Judas, there is one thing we know for sure: he had no relationship with
the Master. He had seen Jesus, but he did not know Him. He had heard Jesus, but he did not understand Him. He
had religion, but no relationship.

As Satan worked his way around the table in the Upper Room, he needed a special kind of man to betray our Lord.
He needed a man who had seen Jesus, but did not know Him. He needed a man who knew the actions of Jesus, but had missed out on the mission of Jesus. Judas was this man. He knew the empire but had never known the Man.

We learn this timeless lesson from the betrayer. Satan’s best tools of destruction are not from outside the church, they are from within the church. A church will never die from the immorality in Hollywood or the corruption in Washington. But it will die from corrosion within–from those who bear the name of Jesus but have never met Him, and from those who have religion, but no relationship.

Judas bore the cloak of religion, but he never knew the heart of Christ. Let’s make it our goal to know…deeply.

Max Lucado – “On the Anvil”


MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Youth Ministry Ideas

Like you, I often take a look around the net for other websites that might have something I can use in in my own Youth Ministry.

Recently while researching for ideas related to doing a “Survivor” type event for youth I came across this site:
Youth Ministry ( <– click this link to take a look)

The site belongs to Steve Blanchard and his goal is similar to mine, to keep having fresh ideas and to share them with other youth leaders! He’s been in youth ministry almost 9 years so he has the experience and wisdom to help you with your own youth ministry!

There is always something you can learn from someone else who is also in youth ministry. As far as I am concerned our only competition in youth ministry is the world – not other youth leaders. We are all here to win young people to Christ and help them to grow in that relationship! We need to work together with other youth ministers whenever we can!

There’s a lot of other practical things on his site to help you in your own youth ministry. The best ideas and most creative ideas are those that have been tried and tested by people who are also regularly working with youth! He covers a lot of areas and things I simply don’t have time to cover here on Creative Youth Ideas.

While you are there, be sure to check out his “Survivor” Lock-in pages. He’ll also be happy to send you a copy of the document he uses to plan his own “Survivor” lock-in! Just give his youth ministry site a visit and he’ll tell you more!

With YOUth on my Heart!
Ken


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God In the Clouds

“There are the places I was so sure I’d find Him.
I’ve looked in the pages
And I’ve looked down on my knees.
I’ve lifted my eyes in expectation to see the sun still refusing to shine, but–
Sometimes He comes in the clouds.
Sometimes His face cannot be found.
Sometimes the sky is dark and gray.
But some things can only be known
And sometimes our faith can only grow
When we can’t see.
So, sometimes He comes in the clouds.
Sometimes I see me, a sailor out on the ocean.
So brave and so sure,
As long as the skies are clear.
But when the clouds start to gather,
I watch my faith turn to fear.
Sometimes He comes in the rain and we question the pain
and wonder how God can seem so far away
But time will show us He was right there with us.
Sometimes He comes in the clouds…”

Source: Stephen Curtis Chapman, “My Utmost for His Highest” CD Vol 1


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Carried Away

Peter was sharp.
…He kept his distance from Jesus.
…“I’ll stay close enough to see him,” Peter reasoned.
…“But not too close, or I may get caught.”

Good thinking, Peter.
…Don’t get too involved—it might hurt.
…Don’t be too loyal—you might get branded.
…Don’t show too much concern—they’ll crucify you too.

We need more men like you, Peter.
…Men who keep religion in its place.
…Men who don’t stir the water.
…Men who reek with mediocrity.

That’s the kind of man God needs, yessir.
…One who knows how to keep his distance:
…“Now, I’ll pay my dues and I’ll come once a week,
…but… well… you can get carried away, you know.”

Yes, you can get carried away…
…up a hill
…to a cross
—and killed.

Peter learned a lesson that day—a hard lesson.
It is better to never have followed Jesus, than
to have followed and him and denied him.

Mark these words—
…Follow at a distance and you will deny the Master. Period.
…You won’t die for a man you can’t touch. Period.
…But stay near to him, in his shadow…
…You’ll die with him, gladly.

Author: Max Lucado, On the Anvil, p21-22


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Carpe Diem

“As a young idealist, Dostoyevsky believed that political revolution was the essential route for the life God willed for him…But his efforts to create the kingdom of God by over-throwing the czar came to naught…He was imprisoned by the czar and, so he thought, sentenced to death.

But he didn’t die!

Those who challenged the czar’s totalitarian power were sometimes subjected to a cruel psychological trick designed to break their spirits. They were blindfolded and put before a firing squad. The commands of, ‘Ready! Aim! Fire!’ were given. The sound of shots would ring out. But then–nothing! The bullets were blanks. The victims had been forced to go through the agony of dying, but then there was not the deliverance that death itself can bring.

The painful process was designed to destroy the emotional life of the czar’s victims, but in the case of Dostoyevsky it ironically provided a new perception of reality and an ability to apprehend life with an appreciative passion. As the moment which he was sure would be his last approached, he found himself living life with a hitherto-unknown heightened awareness. In the face of death, each event that remained in his existence, regardless of how apparently ordinary, took on momentous importance.

As he ate his last meal, he concentrated on the taste of every bite, savoring each morsel, because he believed this would be the last food he would ever eat.

As they marched him into the courtyard where he was to be executed, he took in the sun and breathed the air with an intensive appreciation he had never known before.

To the condemned Dostoyevsky, every sensation was enjoyed with a heightened awareness. Each experience was felt with a powerful sensitivity.

He studied the face of each and every soldier charged with the grisly task of shooting him, because these, he was convinced, were the last faces he would ever see.

Dostoyevsky was *living* in the face of death. Later, he would confess that he had lived more in what he had been convinced were the last moments of his life than he had ever lived before. Each moment and each experience leading up to that mock execution had been seized with a passion, and he had tried to suck out of what remained of life all that it possibly could give. He had learned in the face of death to live out the ancient Latin admonition ‘Carpe Diem!’ (Seize the day!)”

Tony Campolo in “Carpe Diem” (Word Publishing Co.)

Seize every moment and live it for the glory of God!


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Winter

Winter.

Just the sound of the word whistling through our lips puts a mental chill up our spines. Winter seems to speak of barrenness, frigid feelings of discomfort and discontent, icy shadows sprawled across frozen ponds, naked branches reaching up as if in supplication for relief. Short days, long nights. Fast-fading memories of yesterday’s fun in the sun, bike rides along the beach, the World Series, Thanksgiving. Heavy, gray clouds and harsh winds sting our faces and steal our smiles. With grim determination we trudge on, sometimes alone and isolated, within our own little world of heavy garb and frosty windows. “The dead of winter”–ah, an apt description!

Not all agree. Ski buffs and snow lovers resent such a depressing portrayal of their favorite season. So do artists who prefer a quaint cottage in New Hampshire rather than an ocean view at Malibu or a sandy beach at St. Thomas. For many, a year without winter would be a devastating disappointment. What better time to warm up alongside a crackling fire, listen to some fine music, and stare away an evening? Toss in the joy of Christmas, the celebration of New Years’ Eve, the Super Bowl, a Valentine’s Day kiss…and you’ve got enough to make anybody forget ninety-five degree days, along with flies and mosquitoes at an August picnic. What a difference perspective makes!

Winter—the ideal occasion to slow down. To invest a few extra hours in quiet reverence. To take a long walk over the freshly fallen white manna delivered earlier that day. To remind ourselves that ‘our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.’ (Psalm 115:3).

Is it winter right now in the season of your life? Are you feeling depressed…alone…overlooked…spiritually on ‘hold’…cold…barren? Beginning to wonder if your soul will ever thaw? Entertaining doubts that behind those thick, gray clouds there exists a personal, caring God?

Take it by faith, friend; He is there, and furthermore, He is neither dead nor deaf. What you are enduring is one of those dry-spell times when you’d rather curl up and cry than stand up and sing. That’s okay. Those times come. They also pass.

When this winter season ends, you’ll be wiser, deeper, stronger. Therefore, in reverence, look up. Be still and discover anew that He is God. That He is doing ‘whatever he pleases’ in your life.”

Charles R. Swindoll- “Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life” (Intro to “Winter”)


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Exmas

… and beyond this there lies in the ocean, turned towards the west and the north, the island of Niatirb which Hecataeus indeed declares to be the same size and shape as Sicily, but it is larger, and though in calling it triangular a man would not miss the mark. It is densely inhabited by men who wear clothes not very different from other barbarians who occupy the north- western parts of Europe though they do not agree with them in language. These islanders, surpassing all the men of whom we know in patience and endurance, use the following customs.

In the middle of winter when fogs and rains most abound they have a great festival which they call Exmas , and for fifty days they prepare for it in the fashion I shall describe. First of all, every citizen is obliged to send to each of his friends and relations a square piece of hard paper stamped with a picture, which in their speech is called an Exmas-card . But the pictures represent birds sitting on branches, or trees with a dark green prickly leaf, or else men in such garments as the Niatirbians believe that their ancestors wore two hundred years ago riding in coaches such as their ancestors used, or houses with snow on their roofs. And the Niatirbians are unwilling to say what these pictures have to do with the festival, guarding (as I suppose) some sacred mystery. And because all men must send these cards the market-place is filled with the crowd of those buying them, so that there is great labour and weariness.

But having bought as many as they suppose to be sufficient, they return to their houses and find there the like cards which others have sent to them. And when they find cards from any to whom they also have sent cards, they throw them away and give thanks to the gods that this labour at least is over for another year. But when they find cards from any to whom they have not sent, then they beat their breasts and wail and utter curses against the sender; and, having sufficiently lamented their misfortune, they put on their boots again and go out into the fog and rain and buy a card for him also. And let this account suffice about Exmas-cards.

They also send gifts to one another, suffering the same things about the gifts as about the cards, or even worse. For every citizen has to guess the value of the gift which every friend will send to him so that he may send one of equal value, whether he can afford it or not. And they buy as gifts for one another such things as no man ever bought for himself. For the sellers, understanding the custom, put forth all kinds of trumpery, and whatever, being useless and ridiculous, sell as an Exmas gift. And though the Niatirbians profess themselves to lack sufficient necessary things, such as metal, leather, wood and paper, yet an incredible quantity of these things is wasted every year, being made into the gifts.

But during these fifty days the oldest, poorest and the most miserable of citizens put on false beards and red robes and walk in the market-place; being disguised (in my opinion) as Cronos. And the sellers of gifts no less than the purchasers become pale and weary, because of the crowds and the fog, so that any man who came into a Niatirbian city at this season would think that some great calamity had fallen on Niatirb. This fifty days of preparation is called in their barbarian speech the Exmas Rush .

But when the day of the festival comes, then most of the citizens, being exhausted with the Rush , lie in bed till noon. But in the evening they eat five times as much supper as on other days and, crowning themselves with crowns of paper, they become intoxicated. And on the day after Exmas they are very grave, being internally disordered by the supper and the drinking and reckoning how much they have spent on gifts and on the wine. For wine is so dear among the Niatirbians that a man must swallow the worth of a talent before he is well intoxicated.

Such, then, are their customs about the Exmas. But the few among the Niatirbians have also a festival, separate and to themselves, called Crissmas , which is on the same day as Exmas. And those who keep Crissmas, doing the opposite to the majority of the Niatirbians, rise early on that day with shining faces and go before sunrise to certain temples where they partake of a sacred feast. And in most of the temples they set out images of a fair woman with a new-born Child on her knees and certain animals and shepherds adoring the Child. (The reason of these images is given in a certain sacred story which I know but do not repeat.)

But I myself conversed with a priest in one of these temples and asked him why they kept Crissmas on the same day as Exmas; for it appeared to me inconvenient. But the priest replied, “It is not lawful, O Stranger, for us to change the date of Crissmas, but would that Zeus would put it into the minds of the Niatirbians to keep Exmas at some other time or not to keep it at all. For Exmas and the Rush distract the minds even of the few from sacred things. And we indeed are glad that men should make merry at Crissmas; but in Exmas there is no merriment left.”

And when I asked him why they endured the Rush, he replied, “It is, O Stranger, a racket, using (as I suppose) the words of some oracle and speaking unintelligibly to me (for a racket is an instrument which the barbarians use in a game called tennis ).

But what Hecataeus says, that Exmas and Crissmas are the same, is not credible. For the first, the pictures which are stamped on the Exmas-cards have nothing to do with the sacred story which the priests tell about Crissmas. And secondly, the most part of the Niatirbians, not believing the religion of the few, nevertheless send the gifts and cards and participate in the Rush and drink, wearing paper caps. But it is not likely that men, even being barbarians, should suffer so many and great things in honour of a god they do not believe in. And now, enough about Niatirb.

C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock,
“Xmas and Christmas: A Lost Chapter from Herodotus”
(1st published in Time and Tide, 1954)

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Saul of Tarsus, The Apostle Paul

Saul of Tarsus

“Few backgrounds could have better prepared Saul to be the chief persecutor of the early church. He was born at Tarsus–“no mean city,’ as he liked to describe it (Acts 21:39)–a major Roman city on the coast of southeast Asia Minor. Tarsus was a center for the tent making industry, and perhaps that influenced Saul to choose that craft as an occupation. Teachers of the Law, which Saul eventually became, were not paid for their services
and had to earn a living in other ways…

However, Saul said that he was ‘brought up’ in Jerusalem ‘at the feet of Gamaliel,’ the most illustrious rabbi of the day (Acts 22:3) and a highly respected member of the Jewish council (5:34)…In making that statement, Saul was describing a process of technical training in the Law that prepared him to become one of the Pharisees, the religious elite of Judaism. For many Jewish youth, the rigorous course of study began at age 14 and continued to
the age of 40.

Apparently Saul was an apt pupil. He claimed to have outstripped his peers in enthusiasm for ancestral traditions and in his zeal for the Law (Phil. 3:4-6). Probably through Gamaliel, he had opportunity to observe the council and come to know many of its principals and some of its inner workings.

So it was that he chanced to be present when the conflict between the council and the early church came to a head in the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:57-8:1). He had likely watched earlier encounters between the council and members of the Way, such as those with Peter and John (4:5-18; 5:17-40). But apparently the incident with Stephen galvanized his commitment to traditional Judaism and set him off on a mission to seek out and destroy as
many believers as he could (8:1-3).

Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles

“Ironically, Paul’s background not only prepared him to be the early church’s chief opponent, but also to become its leading spokesperson. Devout, energetic, outspoken, stubborn, and exacting, Paul became far more troublesome to the Jews than he had ever been to the Christians, not in terms of violence, but ideology. Indeed, he lived with a price on his head as his former colleagues among the Jews sought to destroy him (Acts 9:23-25,29; 23:12-15; 2 Cor. 11:26, 32-33).

Perhaps the chief irony of Paul’s life was his calling to be the ‘apostle to the Gentiles’ (Acts 9:15; Gal. 1:16; 2:7-9). Paul had been a Pharisee, the very title meaning ‘to separate.’ Some Pharisees even refused to eat with non-Pharisees for fear of being contaminated by food not rendered ritually clean. They also separated from women, from lepers, from Samaritans, and especially from Gentiles (or ‘foreigners’).

So for Paul to take the gospel to the Gentiles was a reversal of his life and a thorough repudiation of his background as a Pharisee. Perhaps three people proved invaluable in helping him make this dramatic change: Barnabas, who like Paul was a Hellenistic Jew and came from a Levite background–he embraced Paul and mentored him in the faith when no one else would come near him (see Acts 4:36-37); and Priscilla and Aquila, fellow tent makers–they joined Paul in business in Corinth and probably discussed the faith and its implications with Paul much as they did with Apollos (18:1-3, 24-28; see Rom 16:3-5).

Paul eventually became Christianity’s leading evangelist and theologian. But even as his status in the church rose, his perspective on himself changed. At first he saw himself as an important Christian leader, but then as ‘the least of the apostles’ (1 Cor. 15:9). Later he realized that he was capable of ‘nothing good’ (Rom 7:18) and was ‘less than the least of all the saints’ (Eph 3:8). Finally he described himself as the ‘chief’ of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15)–and threw himself on God’s mercy and grace.

The fearsome Pharisee of Pharisees became the fearless apostle to the Gentiles whose credo was,
‘To live is Christ, and to die is gain’ (Phil.1:21).”

Source: The Word in Life Study Bible, pgs 1960-61.


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Hurricane Winds

“Then He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw,
knelt down, and prayed, ‘Father, if it is Your will, take
this cup of suffering away from me. However, Your
will must be done, not mine.”
Luke 22:41 (GW)
“It went against every human instinct of survival, against every spiritual, God-implanted longing in His human being to face death and sin-caused alienation from God the Father. Body and soul cried out against it, so that in the teeth of an inner storm of protest He had to say with His naked will, ‘Not as I will, but as Thou wilt.’

He said the words by faith. He knew by faith, not by feeling, that the Father was just, omnipotent and trustworthy. But Jesus was human as well as divine, and His body was in revolt against all He was called on to face…

The story of all that follows is well known. Twice more he returned to grapple in prayer with the issue before Him. Why?

Evidently the storms within Him did not abate at once. Again they broke out threatening in their fury to sweep his resolve away. Is not this our experience too? When God calls for a course which our nature cries out against, we may know from the outset that the course is a right one. But storms do not abate simply because the helmsman decides to maintain course. Nor as waves come washing over the decks or the chart grows wet and crumpled does the captain cease to check the rightness of that course…

Let it not dismay you then that in the fiercest storms of life the wind and waves should continue to buffet you long after you have said, ‘Not my will, but yours, O Lord!’ The storm will not last forever. But it need not abate the moment you set your course.

For Jesus the inner storm eventually died down. With quietness of soul and firm resolve He woke His little band while the lights of His captors flickered slowly up the hillside. Standing with His sleepy disciples He waited in perfect composure for all that was to follow.”

Dr. John White- “Daring to Draw Near”
(Counselor, psychiatrist, author of several books, including “The Fight,” “Eros Defiled,” “The Cost of Commitment,”
“Competent to Counsel”)


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Autographed

“I HAVE ENGRAVED YOU ON THE PALMS OF MY HANDS”
Isaiah 49:16

“Smyrna, now the city of Izmir, Turkey, was and is one of the great business and trade centers in that area of the world…

Philadelphia, due east from Smyrna, was built on a plateau looking out across the valley of the River Cogamus…We know almost nothing about either of the Christian churches in Smyrna and Philadelphia except from these two short letters dictated to John by the risen Christ on the island of Patmos.

We do know that both churches were faithful. There is not one word of criticism in the letters to the Christians in either church…

The irony of these two letters is immediately apparent. In the difficult times to come–or, as John writes to Philadelphia, in ‘the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth’–one church (Smyrna) will face terrible suffering. The other church (Philadelphia) will escape unscathed. All the assumptions we can make about suffering are tested by these two short letters. Both churches seem equally faithful. Yet one will suffer ‘even unto death.’ The other will not suffer at all…

In these passages and others we are reminded that suffering has a mysterious, unknown component. John, too, assumes that suffering is a natural part of Christian faith. He doesn’t question why one church will suffer and another church won’t. He doesn’t even expect God to rescue Smyrna from suffering, yet he credits God with protecting Philadelphia from the suffering that lies ahead…

There are several assumptions here that we must not forget in our own days of trouble that lie ahead.

First, expect suffering. Don’t feel surprised or put upon or proud or afraid. Suffering is part and parcel of the Christian life.

Second, don’t look at anyone else and what he or she does or doesn’t have to bear; comparisons are demoralizing either way.

Third, recognize that it doesn’t take great wealth or social influence to be faithful (note how few resources these two churches had), but it does take patience and endurance. Remember; one of the fruits of the Spirit is patience (Galatians 5:22).

Fourth, remember that one day all earthly suffering ill end and that second death, the eternal death of the spirit, will not touch us.

Fifth, keep in mind that, when one bears suffering faithfully, God is glorified and honored. The suffering servants of Christ will be honored in a special way and given a new name which ‘no man knows except he that receives it.’ Christ said to the church at Philadelphia, ‘Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God. (Revelation 3:12).

Some years ago the great Canadian photographer, Yousuf Karsh, sent me a book of his photographs. On the wrapping paper the customs official had stamped the words, ‘Value of Contents.’ Under that had been written, ‘Autographed by the author.’ Inside, it was autographed to me.

Our value is the fact that we are going to be autographed by the Author.”

Source: Billy Graham- “Approaching Hoofbeats – The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse” Word, Inc.


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Hand Delivered Bouquets

by Max Lucado

Through Christ, God has accepted you. Think about what this means. You cannot keep people from rejecting you. But you can keep rejections from enraging you.

Rejections are like speed bumps on the road. They come with the journey. You’re going to get cut, dished, dropped, and kicked around. You cannot keep people from rejecting you. But you can keep rejections from enraging you. How? By letting his acceptance compensate for their rejection.

Think of it this way. Suppose you dwell in a high-rise apartment. On the window sill of your room is a solitary daisy. This morning you picked the daisy and pinned it on your lapel. Since you have only one plant, this is a big event and a special daisy.

But as soon as you’re out the door, people start picking petals off your daisy. Someone snags your subway seat. Petal picked. You’re blamed for the bad report of a coworker. Three petals. The promotion is given to someone with less experience but USC water polo looks. More petals. By the end of the day, you’re down to one. Woe be to the soul who dares to draw near it. You’re only one petal-snatching away from a blowup.

What if the scenario was altered slightly? Let’s add one character. The kind man in the apartment next door runs a flower shop on the corner. Every night on the way home he stops at your place with a fresh, undeserved, yet irresistible bouquet. These are not leftover flowers. They are top-of-the-line arrangements. You don’t know why he thinks so highly of you, but you aren’t complaining. Because of him, your apartment has a sweet fragrance, and your step has a happy bounce. Let someone mess with your flower, and you’ve got a basketful to replace it!

The difference is huge. And the interpretation is obvious.

God will load your world with flowers. He hand-delivers a bouquet to your door every day. Open it! Take them! Then, when rejections come, you won’t be left short-petaled.

God can help you get rid of your anger. He made galaxies no one has ever seen and dug canyons we have yet to find. “The LORD … heals all your diseases” (Ps. 103:2–3 NIV). Do you think among those diseases might be the affliction of anger?

Do you think God could heal your angry heart?

Do you want him to? This is not a trick question. He asks the same question of you that he asked of the invalid: “Do you want to be well?” (John 5:6). Not everyone does. You may be addicted to anger. You may be a rage junkie. Anger may be part of your identity. But if you want him to, he can change your identity. Do you want him to do so?

Do you have a better option? Like moving to a rejection-free zone? If so, enjoy your life on your desert island.

Take the flowers. Receive from him so you can love or at least put up with others.
Source: A Love Worth Giving © (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004) Max Lucado


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On the Mount of God

“In the rarefied atmosphere of Tibet, at fifteen thousand feet, you see things differently. It seems that you can see forever. The water looks different. The sky looks different. Everything looks different. When we are standing on the mount of God, everything looks different…

God must lift us into the glory realm so that we can see the earth from heaven’s perspective. We have lived on this earthly level so long that we see things totally out of perspective…

When Jim Irwin went to the moon, the thing that amazed him was that the earth appeared to be the size of a golf ball. It was life-changing for him. He determined that if God could love this small earth so much that He was willing to send His Son, then he would go back to earth and dedicate his life to the ministry. He took a golf ball with him wherever he went as a reminder of that perspective…”

Source: Ruth Ward Heflin “Glory-Experiencing the Atmosphere of Heaven”


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The Championship Team

“Champions are not those who never fail, they are those who never quit…Men love winners. They want to be identified with winners. Men open a newspaper and turn directly to the sports page because it features winners, while the front page usually features losers…Champions are the right man, in the right place, at the right time. Timing is all important.

God has an eternal clock which was started from the beginning of time to make you become a champion for Him. To become a champion, you must see yourself as a champion. Hanging on to the fear of failure, the sins of others and past mistakes will keep you from becoming a champion. Champions are made, not born. Many champions start with severe handicaps in life, but in making the effort to overcome, they find the ability to continue until they have excelled beyond those even without handicaps…The athlete, the farmer and the soldier all have different ways of winning. Each of them does his training, plowing or exercising in private, and they show their abilities in public…The fainthearted never win, they wilt. They start well, but fade before they finish…

Joshua was a member of the championship team. He could hardly stand to see other men who didn’t feel the way he did, and finally issued the challenge that lives on forever:

‘Choose this day whom you will serve,
but as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord’

I’m proud to be on Joshua’s team!”

Source: Edwin Louis Cole in “Courage – Winning Life’s Toughest Battles” (ISBN 0-89274-873-7)


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Tomorrow

“…Sit down and think for a moment, please. Find a quiet spot in your dwelling, just for sixty seconds. Think–just think about the two statements…’you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow…’ and ‘…you do not know what a day may bring forth.’

Man’s knowledge seems impressive – awesome. We can split atoms, we can build skyscrapers, transplant kidneys, program computers, explore and explain outer space, and even unknot the problems of ecology. But when it comes to ‘tomorrow,’ our knowledge plunges to zero. Whoever you are. You may be a Ph.D.from Yale, you may be a genius in your field with an I.Q. above 170, marvelously gifted and totally capable in any number of advanced, technological specialities–but you simply ‘do not know’ what tomorrow will bring. Scientists may project, program, predict, deduct, deduce, and compute diagrams about the future. They’re still only guessing. In algebraic terms, tomorrow remains Factor X…. a mystery. It cannot be explained. It defies all attempts to be exposed. It lies hidden in the depths of God’s unfathomable, intricately interwoven plan. He has not been pleased to unveil it until this old earth spins sufficiently to see the dawn. And then…only one moment at a time…

This sort of thinking leads to an inevitable question: Are you ready? ‘Ready for what?’ you may ask. ‘Ready for anything’ is my answer. Is your trust, your attitude of dependence sufficiently stable to sustain you ‘regardless?’ Remember Job’s avalanch? Should your Lord be pleased to turn you into a Job, would He still be your Treasure and your Triumph? Don’t let the answer slip off your tongue too easily. Think about the implications of that question to your life, health, job, and family. Should your Lord make you an Enoch, would you be reluctant to make that eternal journey?

Thank the Lord, it is His ‘love’ that arranges our our tomorrows… and we may be certain that whatever it brings, His love sent it our way. That is why I smile every time I read Romans 11:33. Let it bring a smile into your world:

‘Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are His wisdom and knowledge and riches! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His methods! (TLB) ‘ ”

SOURCE: Charles R. Swindoll- “Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life”


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Overcoming Death

There is something about a living testimony that gives us courage. Once we see someone else emerging from life’s dark tunnels we realize that we, too, can overcome.

Could this be why Jesus is called our pioneer? Is this one of the reasons that he consented to enter the horrid chambers of death? It must be. His words, though persuasive, were not enough. His promises, though true, didn’t quite allay the fear of the people. His actions, even the act of calling Lazarus from the tomb, didn’t convince the crowds that death was nothing to fear. No. In the eyes of humanity, death was still the black veil that separated them from joy. There was no victory over this hooded foe. Its putrid odor invaded the nostrils of every human, convincing them that life was only meant to end abruptly and senselessly.

It was left to the Son of God to disclose the true nature of this force. It was on the cross that the showdown occurred. Christ called for Satan’s cards. Weary of seeing humanity fooled by a cover-up, he entered the tunnel death to prove that there was indeed an exit. And, as the world darkened, creation held her breath.

Satan threw his best punch, but it wasn’t enough. Even the darkness of hell’s tunnel was no match for God’s Son.
Even the chambers of Hades couldn’t stop this raider. Legions of screaming demons held nothing over the Lion
of Judah.

Christ emerged from death’s tunnel, lifted a triumphant fist toward the sky, and freed all from the fear of death. ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory!’

Source: Max Lucado in “On the Anvil” (1985 Tyndale House)


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Finishing Well

“Not enough is said today about *finishing* well. Lots and lots of material is available on motivation to get started and creative ways to spark initiative…Let’s extol the virtues of sticking with something until it’s *done.* Of hanging tough when the excitement and fun fade into discipline and guts. You know–being just as determined eight minutes into the fourth quarter as at the kickoff…

I fear our generation has come dangerously near the ‘I’m-getting-tired-so-let’s-just-quit’ mentality…

Do I write today to a few weary pilgrims? Is the road getting long and hope wearing a little thin? Or to a few parents who are beginning to wonder if it’s worth it all–this exacting business of rearing children, which includes cleaning up daily messes and living with all that responsibility? Or to you who have a dream, but seeing it accomplished seems too long to wait?…

So many start the Christian life like a lightning flash–hot, fast, and dazzling. But how many people…can you name who are finishing the course with sustained enthusiasm and vigor? Oh, there are some, I realize, but why so few? What happens along the way that swells the ranks of quitters? ”

Source: Charles R. Swindoll in “Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life”


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Wind in Your Face

There was a period of time, a few years ago, when I had gotten out of a long habit of daily running due to some knee problems.

I hadn’t yet gotten into my present habit of taking long daily walks. As a result, I was getting progressively out of shape–and heavier. My doctor suggested that I try riding a bicycle for exercise.

So, after an approximately fifty-year hiatus from bike riding, I started riding a bicycle ten miles a day on the bike path alongside the lovely blue Pacific Ocean between Marina del Rey and Santa Monica. I was fearful and wobbly at first, but the more I rode, the less my behind hurt, and the more I grew in balance and confidence.

One day, as I headed north toward my turnaround point at Santa Monica, I found myself going along faster and more effortlessly than ever before. What fun it was! I hardly had to push the pedals. Boy, this is great! I never realized that I would get in such good condition so fast. The muscles in my legs must be developing really well, I thought. I sat straight up on my bike and rode along like a conquering hero. King for a day! Then… Realty struck!

It happened when I turned around to come back. Wham! I was hit in the face with a very brisk wind. To make any forward progress at all, I had to almost stand up on the pedals. Now I knew why I had found it so easy going the other way. The strong wind had been at my back, pushing me along. But now I had a decidedly contrary wind. It was hard going. As I struggled along, making precious little progress, I was tempted to get off and walk the bike back home.

Then a though struck me. Hey, you are out here for exercise. Now you are really developing the muscles of your heart, lungs, and legs. It is the wind in your face that brings the most development, not the wind at your back. So I struggled on and made it back home, not feeling nearly as heroic as I had while going downwind earlier.

How true to life. Sooner or later we all learn that the wind is not always at our backs. Many times we face contrary winds that try our souls. We feel like quitting. The winds are just too contrary and too strong. But, thank God, out of the hard and gusty winds of disappointment, suffering, sadness, rejections, adversity, and pain, comes the development of our spiritual muscles.

It’s fun to have the wind at our backs. But growth comes from having the wind in our face.”

Source: Donald Russell Robertson “Dear You” (Word Publishing 1989)

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Our “Destined to Win” series is a great follow up for youth who are new Christians or to emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum / Small Group Study has a sports theme and is great for athletes and works well as a tie in to what’s going on in the NBA and the current Linsanity.
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A Church With Nothing To Offer

Check out the church ads on the religion page of the Saturday edition of most big city newspapers and you find some impressive sounding places of worship. There, with sleek graphics and Madison Avenue phrases, a few select churches boast of their assets — their choirs, their friendliness, their powerful preaching, their singles ministries, their ample parking, their family life centers, their sensitive child care, and their compassionate spirit. Some churches, it seems, have it all.

Other churches, however, appear by contrast to have nothing, absolutely nothing. Take, for example, the church depicted in our text for today. Here, we get our first glimpse of the disciples gathered together after the resurrection, the first glimpse, in other words, of the church in its earliest days, and, all in all, it is not a very pretty picture. Near the end of his life, Jesus had carefully prepared his disciples to be a devoted and confident fellowship of faith. They were to be a community of profound love with the gates wide open and the welcome mat always out, but here we find them barricaded in a house with the doors bolted shut. They were to be the kind of people who stride boldly into the world to bear fruit in Jesus’ name, a people full of the Holy Spirit performing even greater works than Jesus himself (John 14:12), but here we find them cowering in fear, hoping nobody will find out where they are before they get their alibis straight.

In short, we see here the church at its worst — scared, disheartened and defensive. If this little sealed-off group of Christians were to place one of those cheery church ads in the Saturday newspaper, what could it possibly say? “The friendly church where all are welcome”? Hardly, unless one counts locked doors as a sign of hospitality. “The church with a warm heart and a bold mission”? Actually more like the church with sweaty palms and a timid spirit.

Indeed, John’s gospel gives us a snapshot of a church with nothing ­ no plan, no promise, no program, no perky youth ministry, no powerful preaching, no parking lot, nothing. In fact, when all is said and done, this terrified little band huddled in the corner of a room with a chair braced against the door has only one thing going for it: the risen Christ. And that seems to be the main point of this story. In the final analysis, this is a story about how the risen Christ pushed open the bolted door of a church with nothing, how the risen Christ enters the fearful chambers of every church and fills the place with his own life.

Whispering The Lyrics, Thomas G. Long, CSS Publishing, 1995


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One Thing

Are you a ‘one-thing’ person?
The future fearlessness of your faith will rest on the singleness of your desire…

People who give themselves to one thing always fascinate me. J. Hart Rosdail of Elmhurst, Illinois, gave himself to visiting all 221 countries and territories in the world…Beginning in 1950, Francis Johnson of Darwin, Minnesota, dedicated himself to collecting the largest ball of string: eleven feet in diameter and weighing five tons. Marva Drew of Waterloo, Iowa, between 1968 and 1974 typed the numbers one to one million in words on a manual typewriter. She used 2,473 pages. When asked why, she said, ‘I love to type.’

These are preposterous examples of people obsessed with one thing. Many would wonder about the appropriateness of their obsessions. The psalmist, however, could speak of a single obsession that filled his own heart. When he looked to the past and into the future this one thing filled his perspective–and that perspective led him to strive for intense communion with and contemplation of God.

The psalmist makes one of the most single-minded statements to be found anywhere in Scripture when he writes: ‘that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.’ He habitually longs to be in Jehovah’s house, to be in close communication with Him both physically and spiritually. But he was often under attack and had to flee far from the tabernacle or tent that housed the visible presence of the unseen God. So he envied those servants of the tabernacle who perpetually lived in its very physical presence. Likewise, the same faith that overcomes fear today is a faith that longs to be in the congregation of God’s people where they gather together in His presence. The faith of a spiritual isolationist has difficulty overcoming fear. But the faith that feeds on the gathering of God’s people locally and physically in the congregation is the faith that can face down fear.”

-Dr. Joel C. Gregory- “Homesick for God”


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Inexhaustible

Christ professes to be the inexhaustible person, welcoming all of humanity in every generation; even then, there will be more than enough from this artesian well…No Plato of philosophy, no Einstein of intellect, no politician, no academician, no sage or philosopher ever made this statement. But Christ can, and twenty centuries have proven its truth. The apostles drank from this Source in the first century; but at the end of their era the blessed Source was still brimful.

Justin Martyr and Irenaeus and thousands of other Christian martyrs drank of it in the second century, and they died saying it is still full. Origen and Clement and the great commentators of the third century drank; and when they laid down their pens, the well was still overflowing. Augustine and his generation drank in the fourth century and died crying out, ‘There is still more!’ That well flowed through the Dark Ages, a river flowing through the night
of superstition that chained Bibles in cathedrals. In the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries they came to drink–John Wyclif, John Huss, Thomas Aquinas, and others, and they all cried out, ‘The longer it flows, the deeper it grows!’ Then the great reformers and the thousands they brought to Christ all drank. Luther gave the cup to Calvin, and cried, ‘John, it’s still full!’ Calvin passed the cup to Knox in Scotland, and cried, ‘The more you drink, John, the more there is!’ Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans drank and John Smyth and the Separatists drank, and still, the further it went, the wider it would grow, and the deeper it would flow.

That river flowed through colonial America in great awakenings and it became a mighty wave that flowed over the Appalachians to the great revivals on the frontier. It flows right down to this very day…Jesus, the Source of Life, promises to flow to and through the believer–and through us as sources to others.”

Dr. Joel C. Gregory – “Homesick for God” (Word Publishing)


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Cosmic Christmas

He motioned toward me, and I responded, kneeling again before Him. Handing me the necklace, He explained, ‘This vial will contain the essence of Myself; a Seed to be placed in the womb of a young girl. Her name is Mary. She lives among my chosen people. The fruit of the Seed is the Son of God. Take it to her.’

‘But how will I know her?’ I asked.

‘Don’t worry. You will.’

I could not comprehend God’s plan, but my understanding was not essential. My obedience was. I lowered my head, and He draped the chain around my neck. Amazingly, the vial was no longer empty. It glowed with
Light.

‘Jesus. Tell her to call My Son Jesus.’ … .

On a wave of worship I flew, this time alone. I circled through the clouds and over the ground. Below me was the city where Mary was born. The Father was right; I knew her in an instant. Her heart had no shadow. Her
soul was as pure as any I’ve seen.

I made the final descent. ‘Mary.’ I kept my voice low so as not to startle her.

She turned but saw nothing. Then I realized I was invisible to her. I waved my wings before my body and incarnated. She covered her face at the Light and shrank into the protection of the doorway.

‘Don’t be afraid.’ I urged.

The minute I spoke, she looked up toward the sky. Again I was amazed.

I praised My Father for His wisdom. Her heart is so flawless, so willing. ‘Greetings. God be with you.’

Her eyes widened, and she turned as if to run. ‘Mary, you have nothing to fear. You have found favor with God ….

‘Yes, I see it all now; I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say.’

As she spoke, a Light appeared in her womb. I glanced at the vial. It was empty.” [The Angel Gabriel]

Max Lucado- “Cosmic Christmas”

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Christian Facebook or Myspace for Youth Ministries and MORE!

tuggle.gifAs you know, it is not often that I direct you to other websites. But this is one that you really need to take a look at.

The site is
http://tuggle.it

Social networking sites have become very popular. They allow people to post information about their interests, favorite movies, and a lot of other fun information. They also have an online place to hang out with their friends! The most popular are Facebook and Myspace.

  • But what if you could have your OWN social networking site?
  • What if it was Christian based?
  • At no cost?

And even better you could not only give your youth a place to mingle on the internet, but you could also use it to:

  • coordinate emails
  • send sms messages
  • plan and schedule meetings!

 

That’s what Tuggle.it does for you!

Go check it out now
http://tuggle.it

  • You get your own personlized link… like (creativeyouthideas.tuggle.it)
  • Manage your youth database.
  • Create Sign up form for events and activities.
  • Organize your youth into classes, ministries, teams and other small groups.

It builds community within your ministry in a way that Facebook or MySpace don’t have a prayer in achieving.

Find out more at
http://tuggle.it

 


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Faces in the Crowd

“Some dress their loneliness in bright, carefree hues,
wrappings that deny the wrenching anguish of the heart.
Painted smiles.
Busy schedules.
Power jobs.
Lavish houses filled with proofs of their success.

Others, like the world’s abandoned children,
stand outside with wounded eyes, looking in.
Spurned.
Rejected.
In despair.
Barren lives, where no one notices or cares.

For those outside the circle, there is One who understands,
Who knows just what it means to walk alone.
He was scorned.
Forsaken.
Deserted, even in death.

To Him, you’re Someone…someone special…
A child to cherish.
A friend to nurture and to love.
You belong
To Him, your life has meaning…
For love of you, the Saviour hung upon a cross.
You are unique.
Beloved.
Never alone.
‘I am with you,’ Jesus promised.
‘Always with you…to the end.’ ”

B. J. Hoff- “Faces in the Crowd”


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Angels – God’s Secret Agents

“Spiritual forces and resources are available to all Christians. Because our resources are unlimited, Christians will be winners. Millions of angels are at God’s command and at our service. The hosts of heaven stand at attention as we make our way from earth to glory, and Satan’s BB guns are no match for God’s heavy artillery. So don’t be afraid. God is for you. He has committed His angels to wage war in the conflict of the ages–and they will win the victory. The Apostle Paul has said in Colossians 2:15, ‘And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them.’ Victory over the flesh, the world and the devil is ours now! The angels are here to help and they are prepared for any emergency…

Don’t believe everything you hear about angels! Some would have us believe that they are only spiritual will-o-the-wisps. Some view them as only celestial beings with beautiful wings and bowed heads. Others would have us think of them as feminine weirdos… Today some hard-nosed scientists lend credence to the scientific
probability of angels when they admit the likelihood of unseen and invisible intelligences. Increasingly, our world is being made acutely aware of the existence of occult and demonic powers. People pay attention as never before to sensational headlines promoting such books as ‘Chariots of the Gods,’ ‘Gods from Outer Spacer,’ ‘Rosemary’s
Baby,’ and ‘The Exorcist.’ Ought not Christians, grasping the eternal dimension of life, become conscious of the sinless angelic powers who are for real, and who associate with God Himself and administer His works in our behalf? After all, references to the holy angels in the Bible far outnumber references to Satan and his subordinate
demons.”

Billy Graham – “Angels – God’s Secret Agents”
1975, Doubleday & Company, Garden City, NY


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Rest

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
(Matt. 11:28 NLT).

Rest from the burden of a small god. Why? Because I have found the Lord.
Rest from doing things my way. Why? Because the Lord is my Shepherd.
Rest from endless wants. Why? Because I shall not want.
Rest from weariness. Why? Because he makes me to lie down.
Rest from worry. Why? Because he leads me.
Rest from hopelessness. Why? Because he restores my soul.
Rest from guilt. Why? Because he leads me in the paths of righteousness.
Rest from arrogance. Why? Because of his name’s sake.
Rest from the valley of death. Why? Because he walks me through it.
Rest from the shadow of grief. Why? Because he guides me.
Traveling LightRest from fear. Why? Because his presence comforts me.
Rest from loneliness. Why? Because he is with me.
Rest from shame. Why? Because he has prepared a place for me in the presence of my enemies.
Rest from my disappointments. Why? Because he anoints me.
Rest from envy. Why? Because my cup overflows.
Rest from doubt. Why? Because he follows me.
Rest from homesickness. Why? Because I will dwell in the house of my Lord forever.

Max Lucado from Traveling Light: Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Intended to Bear


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Souls Cry out for Freedom

“Our souls were made to ‘mount up with wings’ and can never be satisfied with anything short of flying. Like the captive-born eagle that feels the instinct of flight, and chafes and frets at its imprisonment, hardly knowing what it longs for, so do our souls cry out for freedom. We can never rest on earth, and long to ‘fly away’ from all that so holds and hampers and imprisons us here.

We might name our wings Surrender and Trust. By these, we are carried into a spiritual plane of the ‘life hid with Christ in God,’ a life utterly independent of circumstances, that no cage can imprison and no shackles bind…

Why do not all Christians always triumph? They do not ‘mount up with wings,’ but live on the same low level with their circumstances, powerless against trials and sorrows, overcome by and crushed under them…

The largest wings cannot lift a bird one inch upward unless they are used. We must use the wings we already have: Surrender and Trust, or they will avail us nothing. From high places we shall see things through the eye of Christ that change our lives! Instead of stirring up strife and bitterness, we will escape by simply spreading our wings and mounting up to where our eyes see all things covered with a mantle of Christian love and pity.

The mother eagle teaches her little ones to fly by making their nest so uncomfortable they are forced to leave and commit themselves to the unknown world of air outside. God stirs up our comfortable nests and pushes us over the edge, forcing us to use our wings to save ourselves from fatal falling…

The promise is sure: ‘They that wait upon the Lord SHALL mount up with wings as eagles.’ Not ‘may perhaps mount up’ but ‘SHALL’…

Hannah Whitall Smith – “The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life”


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The Law is Good

As I was nearing home after my morning walk, I noticed that a parking ticket was perched on the windshield of a car parked down the street from my house. Poor guy, I thought, that’s twenty-eight bucks out of his pocket. Then it occurred to me that it was then Tuesday between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. Parking is prohibited along this street during those two hours each week so that the large city street-sweeper can swoop through and clean the street.

Uh-oh, I thought, did I forget, too? Did I leave my car on the street? I quickened my pace. I peered ahead. Yes, my car is on the street. And there is that blasted yellow citation envelope on the front windshield! Doggone it, they got me–again!

Don’t the police have anything better to do? Are there no more criminals to catch? Can’t a citizen park his own car in front of his own house without being harassed?

I was fuming. I yanked the envelope off the windshield, tempted to tear it up. In fact, several years ago, I had done just that, but I learned the hard way the folly of that reaction. (When I went to pay my annual vehicle registration fee, I had to also pay double fines for the two citations I had angrily torn up.) So, I was not in a pleasant mood as I strode into my house with my $28 parking ticket firmly in hand.

Still trying to calm myself down and to put this irritating event into better ‘perspective,’ I mentally reviewed the reasons for the parking regulation I had violated (and which was clearly posted on signs along the street). When I first moved here some years ago, my neighbors were angry because city officials had allowed this street to become very dirty. The residents wrote letters, circulated petitions, made phone calls, held meetings, lobbied, and agitated. They demanded that the city do something about it.

They got action. The city started cleaning the street every Tuesday morning between seven-thirty and nine-thirty. It was also, of course, made illegal to park on the street during the cleaning time. Signs to that effect were posted.

I began to realize that the law which had ‘bitten’ me was not bad, but good. If I wanted a clean street in front of my house, then I had to get my car off the street when the sweeper came to do its job. The law was for my good. It was certainly no fault of the law that I kept forgetting to do my part.

This is true in life. How many times we rail against the laws of God. We often feel that His laws cramp our style, deny us pleasure, block our freedom. It is more than just humor when we say, ‘Everything fun is either immoral, illegal, or fattening.’

But, in truth, we know that God’s laws are for our own good. They are written into the very fiber of our beings. They are there because God loves us.

When we sin, we don’t really sin against law, we sin against love. God wants us to be happy. Happiness and holiness go together. You can’t have one without the other. The psalmist says of the happy man, ‘His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.’ (Psalm 1:2)

‘Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.’ (Psalm 119:18)”

Donald Russell Robertson – “Dear You”

Read More:
Dear You


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Reminding God of His Promises

God’s promises were never meant to be thrown aside as waste paper. He intended that they should be used. He loves to see His children bring them up to Him and say, ‘Lord, do as thou hast said.’ We glorify God when we plead His promises. Do you think that God will be any poorer for giving you the riches He has promised? He has said, ‘Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as wool’ (Isaiah 1:18). Faith goes straight to the throne and pleads, ‘Lord, here is the promise. Do as thou has said.’ Our Lord replies, ‘Be it unto thee even as thou wilt.’ Our heavenly banker delights to cash His own notes. Never let the promise rust. Do not think that God will be troubled by your persistence in reminding Him of His promises. It is His delight to grant favors. He is more ready to hear than you are to ask. The sun is not weary of shining, nor the fountain of flowing. It is God’s nature to keep His promises; therefore, go at once to the throne with ‘Do as thou hast said.’

Charles Spurgeon- “Morning and Evening” (Whitaker House)


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Mount up with Wings

“Our souls were made to ‘mount up with wings’ and can never be satisfied with anything short of flying. Like the captive-born eagle that feels the instinct of flight, and chafes and frets at its imprisonment, hardly knowing what it longs for, so do our souls cry out for freedom. We can never rest on earth, and long to ‘fly away’ from all that so
holds and hampers and imprisons us here.

We might name our wings Surrender and Trust. By these, we are carried into a spiritual plane of the ‘life hid
with Christ in God,’ a life utterly independent of circumstances, that no cage can imprison and no shackles bind…

Why do not all Christians always triumph? They do not ‘mount up with wings,’ but live on the same low level with their circumstances, powerless against trials and sorrows, overcome by and crushed under them…

The largest wings cannot lift a bird one inch upward unless they are used. We must use the wings we already have: Surrender and Trust, or they will avail us nothing. From high places we shall see things through the eye of Christ that change our lives! Instead of stirring up strife and bitterness, we will escape by simply spreading our wings and mounting up to where our eyes see all things covered with a mantle of Christian love and pity.

The mother eagle teaches her little ones to fly by making their nest so uncomfortable they are forced to leave and
commit themselves to the unknown world of air outside. God stirs up our comfortable nests and pushes us over the edge, forcing us to use our wings to save ourselves from fatal falling…

The promise is sure: ‘They that wait upon the Lord SHALL mount up with wings as eagles.’ Not ‘may perhaps mount
up’ but ‘SHALL’…

Hannah Whitall Smith – “The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life”


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Deeper Worship

Excerpt from Ronald F. Bridges “Rediscovering Your First Love” (Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.)

A good friend of mine was aggressively pursuing a deeper worship experience with the Lord. His love for God was growing stronger and his desire to draw nearer to Him was sincere. After a couple of months of trying various activities to aid his worship, Rick came to me in frustration, saying that he was unable to feel a genuine sense of worship.

There just seemed to be something lacking, and he couldn’t put his finger on it. He was also finding it difficult to concentrate and felt restless during his quiet times…

All of us, at times, carry within us a certain amount of unresolved conflict that can affect us emotionally but not
necessarily hinder our worship. But in Rick’s case, he had been totally unwilling to forgive his father even after his
father asked his son’s forgiveness. When all of this surfaced, Rick finally realized his sin of unforgiveness toward his father was probably affecting his worship…

After several weeks of prayer and resolution, Rick was able to finally go to his father and tell him that he forgave him, as well as to ask his father’s forgiveness for carrying the grudge. As soon as he did this, not only did he renew a strong relationship with his father, but he also began to experience a deeper intimacy in worship with his heavenly Father.

It’s not surprising that in a growing love relationship with God, the closer we draw to Him, the more accepting we are when He reveals things we need to deal with…

In terms of our worship, there are at least four different kinds of hindrances that not only hinder worship but could also very easily hinder our progress in a love relationship with God.

Unconfessed Sin
…In order to clear our worship, we must cleanse our lives from sin (1 John 1:9), thus restoring our fellowship with God.

Unforgiveness
…unforgiveness must be humbly confessed to God and honestly resolved before our fellow man, in order to allow our worship to be acceptable to the Lord.

A Self-Centered or Prideful Spirit…
From a worldly perspective, it would be very easy to view the worship of God as a ‘what’s in it for me’ experience…we could also enter into worship with feelings of discontentment or impatience. But such negative feelings would indicate that we are not satisfied with God’s design for our lives…

Impurity
…we are not necessarily impure if we experience a sudden reaction to an initial display or suggestion of something impure. The impurity comes in if our second reaction is not to reject the temptation and flee from it…the psalmist provided the solution: ‘How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word’ (Psalm 119:9)

The worship of God is an awesome and powerful experience. We must never enter into it with a flippant attitude or an insincere heart. Therefore, our aids to worship must be activities that cause us to focus totally on God…


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Christ’s Death on the Cross – Trusting in the Catcher

One day, I was sitting with Rodleigh, the leader of the troupe, in his caravan, talking about flying. He said, “As a flyer, I must have complete trust in my catcher, The public might think that I am the greatest star of the trapeze, but the real star is Joe, my catcher. He has to be there for me with split-second precision and grab me out of the air as I come to him in the long jump.”

“How does it work?” I asked.

“The secret,” Rodleigh said, “is that the flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything: when I fly to Joe, I have simply to stretch out my arms and hands and wait for him to catch me and pull me safely over the apron behind the catchbar.”

“You do nothing!” I said, surprised.

“Nothing,” Rodleigh repeated. “A flyer must fly, and a catcher must catch, and the flyer must trust, with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him.”

When Rodleigh said this with so much conviction, the words of Jesus flashed through my mind: “Father into your hands I commend my Spirit.” Dying is trusting in the catcher. To care for the dying is to say, “Don’t be afraid. Remember that you are the beloved child of God. He will be there when you make your long jump. Don’t try to grab him; he will grab you. Just stretch out your arms and hands and trust, trust, trust.”

Source: Henri J. M. Nouwen
“Our Greatest Gift: A Meditation On Dying And Caring” (Harper, 1994)

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A Song of Love

In his allegory “The Singer”, Calvin Miller gives insight into the supernatural war that was waged in those days from the cross to the empty tomb. The Troubadour (Christ) brings a song of love to the world ruled by World Hater (Satan).

Later, as the Troubadour is being tortured, World Hater cries out to God, ” ‘Look how he dies. Cry, Creator, Cry! This is my day to stand upon the breast of God and claim my victory over love. You lost the gamble.

In but an hour your lover will be pulp upon the gallows. Did you tell him when his fingers formed the world, that he would die on Terra, groaning with his hands crushed in my great machine?’

“He laughed and turned to look again upon the Troubadour. ‘Now, who will sing the Father’s Song?’ he asked the dying man.”

Later in the story, Miller paints this scene:
“World Hater reached the threshold of eternity and found the doorway of the worlds, not only open, but clearly ripped away. He strained to hear the everlasting wail, the eternal dying which he loved. All was silent. Then he heard the Song.

“‘ No!’ he cried. ‘Give me back the door and key for this is my domain.’ He felt again and found the great key at his waist had disappeared.

“He steeled himself for the battle out ahead. He would have to fight the Song. He would fight with every weapon in his arsenal of hate.

“But he knew that he would lose. And he knew that when the course of time was done, the door would be put back upon the Canyon of the Damned, and he would be locked in with all the discord of the universe. . . .”

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The Crucifixion of Christ

crucifixion.jpgI posted this last year, but it is worth the reminder. This article was originally printed in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and is a medically and historically accurate account of the physical death of Jesus Christ. It contains illustrations and walks through the events of the crucifixion from a medical perspective. Its very enlightening especially this time of the year when we contemplate the events around the easter celebration. This is a scan of the images and reformat of the original article. Only the formatting has been changed.

Click here to download the adobe acrobat PDF file [1.25 megabytes in size] from the website

Source:
“On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ”
William D. Edwards, MD; Wesley J. Gabel, MDiv; Floyd E Hosmer, MS, AMI
Reprinted from JAMA – The Journal of the American Medical Association
March 21, 1986, Volume 256
Copyright 1986, American Medical Association

If you don’t have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can get it for free from here:
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Dice throwing at the Cross?

There was some dice-throwing that went on at the foot of the cross…I’ve wondered what the scene must have looked like to Jesus…

‘All right, all right–this throw is for the sandals.’

Casting lots for the possessions of Christ. Heads ducked. Eyes downward. Cross forgotten…

It makes me think of us. The religious. Those who claim heritage at the cross. I’m thinking of all of us. Every believer in the land. The stuffy. The loose. The strict. The simple. Upper church. Lower church. ‘Spirit-filled.’ Millenialists. Evangelical. Political. Mystical. Literal. Cynical. Robes. Collars. Three-piece suits. Born-againers. Ameners.

I’m thinking of us.

I’m thinking that we aren’t so unlike those soldiers. (I’m sorry to say)

We, too, play games at the foot of the cross. We compete for members. We scramble for status. We deal our judgments and condemnations. Competition. Selfishness. Personal gain. It’s all there. We don’t like what the other did so we take the sandal we won and walk away in a huff.

So close to the timbers yet so far from the blood.

We are so close to the world’s most uncommon event, but we act like common crapshooters huddled in bickering groups and fighting over silly opinions.

How many pulpit hours have been wasted on preaching the trivial? How many churches have tumbled at the throes of miniscuity? How many leaders have saddled their pet peeves, drawn their swords of bitterness and launched into battle against brethren over issues that are not worth discussing?

So close to the cross but so far from the Christ…

Are our differences that divisive? Are our opinions that obtrusive? Are our walls that wide? Is it that impossible to find a common cause?

‘May they all be one,’ Jesus prayed.

One. Not one in groups of two thousand. But one in One. One church. One faith. One Lord. Not Baptist, not Methodist, not Adventist. Just Christian. No denominations. No hierarchies. No traditions. Just Christ.

Too idealistic? Impossible to achieve? I don’t think so. Harder things have been done, you know. For example, once upon a tree, a Creator gave his life for his creation. Maybe all we need are a few hearts that are willing to follow suit.”

Max Lucado – “No Wonder They Call Him Savior”

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While the Boss is Away

“To make the value of obedience just as practical as possible let’s play ‘Let’s Pretend”.

Let’s pretend that you work for me. In fact, you are my executive assistant in a company that is growing rapidly. I’m the owner and I’m interested in expanding overseas. To pull this off I make plans to travel abroad and stay there until a new branch office gets established. I make all the arrangements to take my family and move to Europe for six to eight months. I am leaving you in charge of the busy stateside organization. I tell you that I will write you regularly and leave I tell you that I will write you regularly and give you directions and instructions. I leave and you stay.

Months pass. A flow of letters are mailed from Europe and received by you at the national headquarters. I spell out all my expectations. Finally, I return. Soon after my arrival, I drive down to the office and I am stunned. Grass and weeds have grown up high. A few windows along the street are broken. I walk into the Receptionist’s room. She is doing her nails, chewing gum and listening to her favorite disco station. I look around and notice the wastebaskets are overflowing. The carpet hasn’t been vacuumed for weeks, and nobody seems concerned that the owner has returned. I asked about your whereabouts and someone in the crowded lounge area points down the hall and yells, “I think he’s down there.”

Disturbed, I move in that direction and bump into you as you are finishing a chess game with our sales manager. I ask you to step into my office, which has been temporarily turned into a television room for watching afternoon soap operas. “What in the world is going on, man?” “What do you mean, Chuck?” “Well, look at this place! Didn’t you get any of my letters?”

“Letters? Oh yes! Sure! I got every one of them. As a matter of fact, Chuck, we have had a letter study every Friday night since you left. We have even divided the personnel into small groups to discuss many of the things you wrote. Some of the things were really interesting. You will be pleased to know that a few of us have actually committed to memory some of your sentences and paragraphs. One or two memorized an entire letter or two – Great stuff in those letters.”

“OK. You got my letters. You studied them and meditated on them; discussed and even memorized them. But what did you do about them?”

“Do? We didn’t do anything about them.”

Source: Charles Swindoll, Improving Your Serve


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He is Risen?

“We who read the Gospels from the other side of Easter, who have the day printed on our calendars, forget how hard it was for the disciples to believe. In itself the empty tomb did not convince them: that fact only demonstrated ‘He is not here,’ not ‘He is risen.’ Convincing these skeptics would require intimate, personal encounters with the one who had been their Master for three years, and over the next six weeks Jesus provided exactly that…

I see in the appearances a whimsical quality, as if Jesus is enjoying the bird-like freedom of his resurrection body. Luke, for example, gives a touching account of Jesus’ sudden arrival alongside two forlorn followers on a road to Emmaus. They know about the women’s discovery of the empty tomb, and Peter’s eyewitness confirmation. But who can believe such rumors? Is not death by definition irreversible? ‘We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel,’ one of them says with obvious disappointment.

A short time later, at mealtime, the stranger makes a riveting gesture, breaking bread, and a link snaps into place. It is Jesus who had been walking beside them and now sits at their table! Most strangely, the instant they recognize their guest, he disappears.”

Philip Yancey “The Jesus I Never Knew” (c) 1995

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Qualities Necessary in a Spiritual Leader : Counsels

spiritual_leadership.jpg

A Spiritual Leader compassionately guides others

  • ‘He should be sympathic with the weak and erring. “He was to ‘specialize’ in mending bruised reeds and fanning the smoking into flame” (29)
  • “The true leader regards the welfare of others rather than his own comfort and prestige as of primary concern. He manifests sympathy and concern for those under him in their problems, difficulties and cares, but it is a sympathy that fortifies and stimulates, not softens and weakens.” (185)
  • Samual Brengle stated: “We need leaders who know how to read hearts and apply truth to the needs of the people …There are soul-sicknesses open and obscure, acute and chronic, superficial and deep-seated which the truth…in Jesus will heal. But it is not the same truth for each need… This is why we should most diligently study the Bible and pray for the constant and powerful illumination of the Spirit.” (54)

Source: J.Oswald Sanders “Spiritual Leadership


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Qualities Necessary in a Spiritual Leader : Time Management

spiritual_leadership.jpg

A Spiritual Leader is a good steward of his time.

  • “We have each been entrusted with sufficient time to do the whole will of God and to fill out His perfect plan for our lives.” (136) “The problem is not that of needing more time, but of making better use of the time we have.”(137) “We cannot be held responsible for our capacity, [but] we are responsible for the strategic deployment of our time.” (137)
  • “The young man of leadership caliber will work while others waste time, study while others sleep, pray while others play (73)
  • “take interruptions from the Lord. Then they belong in your schedule, because God was simply rearranging your daily pattern to suit Him. To the alert Christian, interruptions are only divinely interjected opportunities.” (143)
  • “In the economy of God, the discharge of one God given duty or responsibility will never involve the neglect of another.” (58)

Source: J.Oswald Sanders “Spiritual Leadership


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Your Cross

hoofbeats.JPG
“I don’t understand the reasons for suffering and persecution. I don’t know why the churches in one part of the world bear terrible pain and deprivation while other churches are fat and rich and almost pain free. I don’t know why some of the young evangelists who gathered in Amsterdam in 1983 carry scars from where they have been beaten and burned for Christ’s sake while my life has been free from physical persecution. I don’t know why Corrie ten Boom watched her sister die in prison or Joni Eareckson Tada is paralyzed from the neck down–while I have never known a night in jail and I can run the beaches or walk the mountain trails freely.

Perhaps you have faced pain or suffering you did not understand. You may even have become angry at God for allowing it to happen when others seem to have escaped such problems. But don’t let the acids of bitterness eat away and destroy you. Instead, learn the secret of trusting Christ in every circumstance…

I was traveling in an Eastern European country recently. The Orthodox priest who accompanied me while there said, ‘Every believer has a cross. I know what ours is. But I wondered what yours was.’ And looking out over the crowd of reporters he said simply, ‘Now I know!’

All I know from the short letters in Revelation is this: Christ commands us to ‘Overcome!’ in the strength He alone can supply as we turn to Him in faith, trusting His promises.”

“…for I have learned how to be content [satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted] in whatever state I am…I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want. I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency.”
Philippians 4:11-13 (Amp)

Author: Billy Graham
Source: “Approaching Hoofbeats” Word, Inc


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Qualities Necessary in a Spiritual Leader: Delegation

spiritual_leadership.jpg

Leaders must be men and women who can delegate. Sometimes it seems easier to do things yourself. Yet no one can be the best at everything. If you do things alone, you are limited by you. But when you learn to delegate you efforts and strengths are multiplied by the efforts and strengths of others. Here are some of the things J. Oswald Sanders says about delegation:

  • “The ability to choose men to whom he can safely delegate authority, and then actually delegate it, is that of the true leader.” (202)
  • The leader who is “reluctant to let the reins of power slip from his own hands…is unfair to his subordinate and is unlikely to prove satisfactory or effective. Such an attitude would tend to be interpreted as a lack of confidence, and that does not induce the best cooperation, nor will it draw out the highest powers of the one being trained for leadership.”(203)
  • “how is he [the subordinate] to gain experience unless both responsibility and authority are delegated to him?” (203)
  • “A one person activity can never grow bigger than the greatest load that one person can carry.” (203)
  • “The man in a place of leadership who fails to delegate is constantly enmeshed in a morass of secondary detail that not only overburdens him but deflects him from his primary responsibilities.” (204)
  • “Subordinates should be utterly sure of their leaders support in any action they feel called upon to take, no matter what the result, so long as they have acted within their terms of reference. That presupposes that areas of responsibility have been clearly defined and committed to writing so no misunderstanding can occur.” (204)
  • Moses example: (Ex. 18:1-27) “Those gifted men, who might have become his critics had he continued to keep things in his own hands, were developed by the burden of their office and became his staunch allies.” (206)
  • “even should they [subordinates] do them [delegated tasks] worse, we should still relinquish them—a severe test for the perfectionist!” (207)
  • We should be willing to delegate responsibility to emerging leaders the moment they evidence sufficient spiritual maturity and be ready to help while they gain experience by trial and error. (208)
  • “In the early stages, a wise watchfulness will be necessary, but a resort to interference should be made only if the need becomes acute. The sense of being watched destroys confidence.” (208)

Source: J.Oswald Sanders “Spiritual Leadership


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Qualities Necessary in a Spiritual Leader: Vision

spiritual_leadership.jpg

Leaders must be men and women of vision. They must not only see the vision but be able to take whatever action is necessary to make that vision a reality. J.Oswald Sanders, in his book “Spiritual Leadership” puts it this way:

  • “The man who possess vision must do something about it, or he will remain a visionary, not a leader.”(83)
  • “The leader must either initiate plans for progress or recognize the plans of others. He must remain in front and give guidance and a sense of direction to those behind. He does not wait for things to happen, but makes them happen. He is a self-starter, and is always on the lookout for improved methods. He will be willing to test new ideas…A great more failure is the result of an excess of caution than of bold experimentation with new ideas.” (188-189)
  • “It is much easier to criticize plans submitted than to create more satisfactory ones. The leader must not only see clearly the goal that is to be reached, but also plan imaginative strategy and tactics by which it can be attained.” (167)
  • “The man of God must have insight into things spiritual.”(78)
  • “Eyes that look are common. Eyes that see are rare”(80)

Source: J.Oswald Sanders “Spiritual Leadership


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Qualities Necessary in a Spiritual Leader: Prayer

spiritual_leadership.jpg

One distinguishing characteristic of a spiritual leader as compared to an ordinary leader is the discipline of prayer. J.Oswald Sanders, in his book “Spiritual Leadership” puts it this way:

  1. Set an example in Prayer – “In nothing should the leader be ahead of his followers more than in the realm of prayer.”(121)
  2. Make it a priority – “mastering the art of prayer, like any other art, will take time, and the amount of time we allocate to it will be the true measure of our conception of its importance.” (123)
  3. Set aside time for Prayer – “To busy Martin Luther, extra work was a compelling argument for spending ‘more’ time in prayer.” (123)
  4. Stay focused in your prayers – “true praying is a strenuous spiritual exercise that demands the utmost mental discipline and concentration.”(126) Prayer “utilizes the body, demands the cooperation of the mind, but moves in the supernatural realm of the Spirit.”(127)
  5. Pray for core issues – “Jesus dealt with the cause rather than the effect, and the leader should adopt the same method in that aspect of praying.”(130)
  6. Add personal action to your prayer – “It is impossible to move men, through God, by prayer alone.” (130-131)
  7. Join God in his work by His power and strength. – Great leaders in the Bible were leaders “because, by the power of prayer, they could command the power of God.” (134)

Source: J.Oswald Sanders “Spiritual Leadership


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Christmas Party Supplies and Decorations

kids_party_paradise.jpg

If you are looking for supplies, decorations and ideas for your Christmas Celebration, then check out Kid’s Party Paradise

At this wonderful site you can find:

  • Christmas Party Invitations
  • Holiday themed cakes for your party
  • Christmas Party Decorations
  • Party Costumes to make those Christmas Photos even more fun!
  • Give your party guests something to take home with them with the selection of Christmas Party favors!
  • Party games to add excitement and wholesome fun to your parties and Christmas get-togethers!

The Holiday party ideas are just one section of the wonderful website. There are resources for Birthday parties and other Kids parties as well.

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Jesus, You are Here

A miserable looking woman recognized F.B. Meyer of the train and ventured to share her burden with him. For years she had cared for a crippled daughter who brought great joy to her life. She made tea for her each morning, then left for work, knowing that in the evening the daughter would be there when she arrived home. But the daughter had died, and the grieving mother was alone and miserable. Home was not “home” anymore. Meyer gave her wise counsel. “When you get home and put the key in the door,” he said, “say aloud, ‘Jesus, I know You are here!’ and be ready to greet Him directly when you open the door. And as you light the fire tell Him what has happened during the day; if anybody has been kind, tell Him; if anybody has been unkind, tell Him, just as you would have told your daughter. At night stretch out your hand in the darkness and say, ‘Jesus, I know You are here!'”

Some months later, Meyer was back in that neighborhood and met the woman again, but he did not recognize her. Her face radiated joy instead of announcing misery. “I did as you told me,” she said, “and it has made all the difference in my life, and now I feel I know Him.”

Author: Unknown
Source: The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 194


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The Tender Touch of God

tendertouch.gifOnce we have identified our problem and have stopped the bleeding, it is necessary to move to the next step of the healing process: dressing the wound. Above all, the wound must be dressed correctly so infection doesn’t set in…

When doctors dress a wound, they apply medicines that stop the spread of germs. They apply a healing lotion to counteract infection and enhance the healing process.

Physicians dress a wound in different ways, depending upon the nature of the injury. A burn victim receives a different type of dressing than does someone who broke his arm. Gunshot wounds and stabbing wounds penetrate the body in different ways and so need to be dressed differently. Some people get a tetanus shot as part of the physician’s curative plan, while others do not.

Just as it is important for us to keep ourselves free of infection from wounds to the body, so is it imperative that we keep ourselves free of ‘infection’ from wounds to the soul…

I don’t know what kind of healing regimen is required in your case. You may come from a family with a history of alcohol abuse; in fact, that may be your own problem. Listen: Your wound is not going to heal with alcohol. Some people think the bleeding can be stopped with alcohol, but it can’t. I know–I tried, and it doesn’t work. In fact, abuse of alcohol shows that you are still bleeding…

Or maybe that’s not your wound at all. Maybe your wound was caused by a death in the family, a fractured relationship, the loss of a job, sexual abuse, or a personal failure. It doesn’t matter what it is–the wound has to be dressed. And it has to be dressed the right way…

I have good news for you! God has warehouses full of miracles, in all shapes, sizes, and colors. He has one just for you. The real cure, the only certain cure, is to cry out to the Lord for help. Let Him give you the hope that you need; that is the cure. Yet you, too, have a part to play in your own healing…

Dressing the wounds of our soul can be even more painful than dressing physical wounds. But we can’t let that stop us. We can’t risk infection and bigger problems down the road…

‘Dear Lord, please dress the wounds in my life, the self-inflicted ones as well as the ones inflicted by others. Give me the ability to forgive those in my past and those currently in my life, everyone who brought pain and hurt to me. Please reach out Your hand and not only heal me in Your timing and Your method, but also fill me with Your love to accept Your graciousness with thanksgiving. I reach out to You today; please accept my little faith. Stop my bleeding, dress my wound, and please, God, heal me.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Mike MacIntosh- “The Tender Touch of God” – Harvest House


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Autumn

“Of all the seasons, autumn is my favorite. There’s a feel about it, a distinct and undeniable aura that surrounds it. Being a football freak, I naturally would favor autumn. But of course it’s much deeper than that.

Those leaves are part of it. What color, what artistry! Crisp, frosty mornings also help. What a refreshing change from oppressively hot afternoons and sweltering nights! Then there is a helpful return to routine as school starts. And along comes Thanksgiving, a nostalgic reminder that God has indeed ‘shed His grace on thee.’ The firewood is cut. The pumpkins are getting bigger. Our hearts are overflowing.

Let’s think of autumn as a season of reflection. Time to gain new perspective. To stroll along the back roads of our minds. To think about what. And where. And why. Such visits through the museum of memory never fail to assist us in evaluating the way we were and establishing the way we want to be. This implies change, another reason autumn seems to represent a season of reflection. It’s during this season the foliage changes. And the weather changes. And the time changes. Birds make their annual journey southward. Squirrels finish storing their nuts. Salmon start their phenomenal swim back to their spawning grounds. And many of the larger animals take their final stretch before curling up for a long winter’s nap. With incredible consistency, all these creatures in the natural world act out their individual pageants without external instruction or some script to follow.

Quiety, without flare or fanfare, God graciously moves upon our lives, taking us from summer to autumn, a season when He mysteriously writes His agenda on the tablets of our hearts. Patiently He waits for change to begin. Without exception, it does. And we reflect on that as well.

Has autumn arrived in your life? Think before you answer. Close your eyes for a minute or so and consider what God has been doing deep within your heart.”

Charles R. Swindoll “Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life” (Multnomah Press)


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Champions

“Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
-Special Olympics Oath-

Champions are not those who never fail, they are those who never quit…Men love winners. They want to be identified with winners. Men open a newspaper and turn directly to the sports page because it features winners, while the front page usually features losers…Champions are the right man, in the right place, at the right time. Timing is all important.

God has an eternal clock which was started from the beginning of time to make you become a champion for Him. To become a champion, you must see yourself as a champion. Hanging on to the fear of failure, the sins of others and past mistakes will keep you from becoming a champion. Champions are made, not born. Many champions start with severe handicaps in life, but in making the effort to overcome, they find the ability to continue until they have excelled beyond those even without handicaps…The athlete, the farmer and the soldier all have different ways of winning. Each of them does his training, plowing or exercising in private, and they show their abilities in public…The fainthearted never win, they wilt. They start well, but fade before they finish…

Joshua was a member of the championship team. He could hardly stand to see other men who didn’t feel the way he did, and finally issued the challenge that lives on forever:

‘Choose this day whom you will serve,
but as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord’

I’m proud to be on Joshua’s team!”

Edwin Louis Cole- “Courage – Winning Life’s Toughest Battles”
(ISBN 0-89274-873-7)


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Tools

on_the_anvil.jpg

In the shop of a blacksmith, there are three types of tools.

There are tools on the junkpile: outdated, broken, dull, rusty.
They sit in the cobwebbed corner, useless to their master, oblivious to their calling.

There are tools on the anvil: melted down, molten hot, moldable, changeable.
They lie on the anvil, being shaped by their master, accepting their calling.

There are tools of usefulness: sharpened, primed, defined, mobile.
They lie ready in the blacksmith’s toolchest, available to their master, fulfilling their calling.

Some people lie useless: lives broken, talents wasting, fires quenched, dreams dashed.
They are tossed in with the scrap iron, in desperate need of repair, with no notion of purpose.

Others lie on the anvil: hearts open, hungry to change, wounds healing, vision clearing.
They welcome the painful pounding of the blacksmith’s hammer, longing to be rebuilt, begging to be called.

Others lie in their Master’s hands: well-tuned, non-compromising, polished, productive.
They respond to their Master’s forearm, demanding nothing, surrendering all.

We are all somewhere in the blacksmith’s shop. (pp11-12)

Which are you?

Author: Max Lucado
On the Anvil (ISBN 0-8423-4568-X)


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Kids Sunday School Website

kidssschoolplace.gif

I found an interesting site for those of you more focused on children.

It called the Kid’s Sunday School Place and has fresh, creative Children’s Ministry resources, Sunday school lessons, Bible crafts, activities, object lessons, stories, skits, games, songs & much more. Looks like a lot of fun for children. Check out the site at http://www.kidssundayschool.com


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At the Mercy of Others?

“All of us at times find ourselves and our futures seemingly in the hands of other people.  Their decisions or their actions determine whether we get a good grade or a poor one, whether we arepromoted or fired, whether our careers blossom or fold.  I am not overlooking our own responsibility in these situations, but all of us know that even when we have, so to speak, done our best, we are still dependent upon the favor or frown of that  teacher or boss or commanding officer.  We are, from a human point of view, often at the mercy of other people and their decisions or actions…

Can we trust God that He can and will work in the heart of that individual to bring about His plan for us?  Or consider the instance when someone is out to harm us, to ruin our reputation, or jeopardize our career:  Can we trust God to intervene in the heart of that person so that he does not carry out his evil intent?  According to the Bible, the answer in both instances is yes.  We can trust God.”

Source: Jerry Bridges,  “Trusting God”  (NavPress)


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Discipline

spiritual_leadership.jpg“A Spirit-filled leader will not shrink from facing up to difficult situations or persons, or from grasping the nettle when that is necessary. He will kindly and courageously administer rebuke when that is called for; or he will exercize necessary discipline when the interests of the Lord’s work demand it.” (73)

The spitual leader must deal promptly with potential causes of weakness (245)

Guidelines for Discipline (186-187)

  1. Action taken only after the most thorough and impartial inquiry
  2. Action taken only when it would be for overall good of the work or individual.
  3. Should always be in spirit of genuine love and conducted in the most considerate manner.
  4. Should always be with the spiritual help and restoration of the offender in view.
  5. It should be done only with much prayer.

Source: J.Oswald Sanders “Spiritual Leadership


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When We Stop

gods_psychiatry.jpg“One morning as I was hurriedly dressing to begin a full and thrilling day I felt pain in my back. I mentioned it to my wife but was sure it would soon pass away. However, she insisted I see a physician, and he put me in a hospital.

In the hospital I was very unhappy. I had no time to be wasting there in bed. My calendar was full of good activities and the doctor had told me to cancel all my appointments for at least a month. A dear minister friend of mine came to see me. He sat down and very firmly said, “Charles, I have only one thing to say to you–‘He *maketh* me to lie down.’

I lay there thinking about those words in the Twenty-third Psalm long after my friend had gone. I thought about how the shepherd starts the sheep grazing about 4 o’clock in the morning. The sheep walk steadily as they graze; they are never still.

By 10 o’clock, the sun is beaming down and the sheep are hot, tired, and thirsty. The wise shepherd knows that the sheep must not drink when it is hot, neither when its stomach is filled with undigested grass.

So the shepherd makes the sheep lie down in green pastures, in a cool, soft spot. The sheep will not eat lying down, so he chews his cud, which is nature’s way of digestion.

Study the lives of great people, and you will find every one of them drew apart from the hurry of life for rest and reflection. Great poems are not written in the midst of clamoring multitudes; our visions of God come when we stop…”

Author: Charles L. Allen
Source: “God’s Psychiatry”


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Decision Making

spiritual_leadership.jpgDecision making…

  1. “…must be based on sound premises.” (83)
  2. “Procrastination and vacillation are fatal to leadership. A sincere though faulty decision is better than no decision. Indeed the latter is really a decision, and often a wrong one. It is a decision that the status quo is acceptable.” (85)
  3. The leader may be “obliged either to greatly modify or lay aside projects which were sound and helpful but met with determined opposition, and so tended to create greater evils than those which might have been removed or mitigated by the changes in question. Later on, in answer to patient continuance in prayer, many of such projects..[may be] given effect to.” (100)
  4. “No small dissident or reactionary element should be allowed to determine the policy of a group, when the concensus of the spiritual leaders is in the opposite direction.” (168)
  5. “Spiritual ends can be achieved only by spiritual men who employ spiritual methods” (40)
  6. “A leader must be able to invision the end result of the policies or methods he advocates. Responsible leadership always looks ahead to see how policies proposed will affect not only present, but suceeding generations.”(78)
  7. He must never be swayed by considerations of personal reward. (56)

Source: J. Oswald Sanders “Spiritual Leadership”


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How Does One Become a Spiritual Leader?

spiritual_leadership.jpgThe Lord seeks out men for spiritual leadership.  When God finds a man who fits His spiritual requirements, and is willing to pay the full price of discipleship, He uses him to the limit despite his patent shortcomings.(18) “Service to which God calls must not be refused because of a sense of unworthiness or inadequacy.” (65)

“God is always at work, unpercieved by men, preparing those of his  choice for leadership.” (211)

“No theological training or leadership course will automatically confer spiritual leadership…”You did not chose me, but I chose you and appointed you” (John 15:16)” (25)

“If a man possessing great gifts will not place them at the disposal of  God…He will take a man of lesser gifts that are fully available to Him  and suppliment them with His own mighty power.” (214)

The road to spiritual leadership. Samuel Logan Brendle stated:

    “It is not won by promotion, but by many prayers and tears.  It is   attained by confessions of sin, and much heartsearching and humbling before God; by self-surrender, a courageous sacrifice of every idol, a bold, deathless, uncompromising and uncomplaining embracing of the cross, and by an eternal, unfaltering looking unto Jesus crucified. It is not gained by seeking great things for ourselves, but…by counting those things that are gain to us as loss for Christ.  This is a great price, but it must be unflinchingly paid by him who would not be merely a nominal but a real spiritual leader of men, a leader whose power is both recognized and felt in heaven, on earth and in hell”(21)

Dr. A W. Tozer stated:

    “A true and safe leader is likely to be one who has no desire to lead, but is forced into a position of leadership by the inward pressure of the Holy Spirit and the press of external situation. …I believe it might be accepted as a fairly reliable rule of thumb that the man who is ambitious to lead is disqualified as a leader.  The true leader will have no desire to lord it over God’s heritage, but will be humble, gentle, self-sacrificing and altogether ready to follow as to lead, when the Spirit makes it clear that a wiser and more gifted man than himself has appeared.”(36)

Source: J. Oswald Sanders “Spiritual Leadership”


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The Role of Talents and Gifts in Spiritual Leadership

  1. spiritual_leadership.jpg“Spirit leadership is a blending of natural and spiritual qualities. Even the natural qualities are not self produced, but God-given, and therefore reach their highest effectiveness when employed in the service of God  and for His glory.”(32)
  2. “Leadership that can be fully explained in terms of the natural, although ever so attractive and competent, will result only in sterility and moral and spiritual bankruptcy”(19)
  3. Natural endowments and traits of personality and scholastic attainments greatly enhance leadership, but they’re not the factors of paramount importance.(20)
  4. “Each of us from birth possesses skills that either qualify or disqualify us from certain tasks.  Those skills often lie dormant until some crisis calls forth their exercise.  They can and should be developed.” (34)
  5. “Because qualities of natural leadership are by no means unimportant in
    spiritual leadership, there is value in seeking to discover leadership potential both in oneself and in others.  Most people have latent and undeveloped traits that, through lack of self analysis and consequent lack of self knowledge, may long remain undiscovered” (43)
  6. “It is the perogative of the Spirit to bestow spiritual gifts that greatly enhance the leadership potential of the recipient.” (35)
  7. Some important differences between natural and spiritual leaders:

Natural Leader…………………………..Spiritual Leader
Self-confident…………………………………Confident in God
Knows men……………………………………Also knows God
Makes own decisions………………………..Seeks to find God’s will
Ambitious………………………………………Self-effacing
Originates own methods…………………….Finds and follows God’s methods
Enjoys commanding others…………………Delights to obey God
Motivated by personal considerations……Motivated by love for God & man
Independent………………………………….God-dependent

Source: J. Oswald Sanders “Spiritual Leadership”


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What is Spiritual Leadership?

  • spiritual_leadership.jpg“Leadership is influence, the ability of one person to influence others. One man can lead others only to the extent that he can influence them to follow his lead.”(31)
  • He does this “not by the power of his own personality alone but by that personally irradiated, interpenetrated, and empowered by the Holy Spirit …There is no such thing as a self made spiritual leader. He is able to influence others spiritually only because the Spirit is able to work in and through him to a greater degree than in those he leads.”(33)
  • The person most likely to be successful is one who leads by not merely pointing the way but by having trodden it himself. We are leaders to the extent we inspire others to follow us.”(33)
  • D. E Hoste stated: “When a man… demands obedience of another, irrespective of the latter’s reason and conscience, this is… tyranny. When… by tact and sympathy; by prayer, spiritual power and sound wisdom one is able to influence and enlighten another, so that through the medium of his own reason and conscience is led to alter one course and pursue another, that is true spiritual leadership.” (83)
  • “All are leaders to the extent that they influence others. All of us can… increase our leadership potential. The first step to achieve that end is to discover and correct weaknesses in that area and to cultivate our strengths.” (160)
  • “leadership is the ability to recognize the special abilities and limitations of others, combined with the capacity to fit each one into the job where he will do his best. He who is successful in getting things done through others is exercizing the highest type of leadership.” (202)
  • True leadership is an internal quality of the spirit and requires no external show of force. (44)
  • “Many who take courses in leadership in the hope of attaining it fail because they have never learned to follow.” (72)


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The Leader and his Reading

I. Reasons to Read

  • “The man who desires to grow spiritually and intellectually will be constantly at his books.”(148)
  • “the spiritual leader must master God’s Word and its principles and know as well what is going on in the minds of those who look to him for guidance. To achieve those ends, he must, hand in hand with personal contacts, engage in a course of selective reading.” (148)
  • “The spiritual leader should read for ‘spiritual quickening’  and profit, and that will strongly influence his selection of books for reading.”(151)
  • “The spiritual leader should read with a view to ‘mental stimulation’.”(151)
  • “He should read for ‘cultivation of style’ in his preaching and teaching and writing.” (151)
  • “The leader should read… with a view to the ‘acquiring of information.” (151)
  • “He should read in order to have ‘fellowship with great minds.’ “(152)
  • “It is for the spiritual leader to cut a channel between what he reads and what he says or writes, so that others may reap its benefits to the full….many more ministers could communicate their appreciation of spiritual books to their congregations by guiding them in a course of selected reading.”(159)

II. The Choice of Books

  • “Some are to be tested, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” (150)
  • “If it is true a man is known by the company he keeps, it is no less true that his character is reflected in the books he reads, for they are the outward expression of his hungers and aspirations.”(152)
  • “Our reading should be regulated largely by what we are and what we do or intend to do.” (153)
  • Biographies- “One cannot read the lives of great and consecrated men and women without having inspiration and kindled and aspiration aroused….It provides him with numberless illustrations for use in his own service.” (154)
  • “It is better that we should always tackle something a but beyond us.”(155)
  • “The leader should immerse himself in books that will further equip him for a higher quality of service and leadership in the kingdom of God.” (156)

III. How to read

  • “It is easy to read. It is much more difficult to secure effectually the fruit of reading in the mind.” (156)
  • “We cannot profit from what we read unless we think”(156)
  • “Master those books you have.”(156)
  • “Read little that is to be forgotten.” (157)
  • “Read with pencil and notebook in hand.” (157)
  • “Have… a book in which to put what is striking, interesting, and worthy of permanent record.” (157)
  • “Verify as far as possible historical, scientific and other data, and let no word slip past until its meaning is understood.”
  • “Let the reading be varied, because the mind so easily runs into ruts.” (157)
  • “Reading should be correlated where possible”. (157)
  • “He suggests that evey solid book requires three readings.  The first reading should be rapid and continuous.  The subconscious mind will then go to work on it and link it up with what you already know on the subject.  Then take time to think what contribution it has made to your knowledge.  The second reading should be careful, slow and detailed, as you think out each new point and make notes for later use.  After an interval, the third reading should be fairly rapid and continuous, and a brief analysis should be written in the back of the book, with page   references to subjects and illustrations.” (158)

Source: J. Oswald Sanders “Spiritual Leadership”


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On the Anvil

on_the_anvil.jpg

“To find me, look in the corner of the shop, over here, behind the cobwebs, beneath the dust, in the darkness. There are scores of us, broken handles, dulled blades, cracked iron. Some of us were useful once, and then… many of us never were. But, listen, don’t feel sorry for me. Life ain’t so bad here in the pile… no work, no anvils, no pain, no sharpening, and yet the days are very long.” (p17)

With a strong forearm, the apron clad blacksmith puts his tongs into the fire, grasps the heated metal, and places it on his anvil. His keen eye examines the glowing piece. He sees what the tools is now and envisions what he wants it to be–sharper, flatter, wider, longer. With a clear picture in his mind, he begins to pound. His left hand still clutching the hot mass with the tongs, the right hand slams the two-pound sledge upon the moldable metal. On the solid anvil, the smoldering iron is remolded.

The smith knows the type of instrument he wants. He knows the size. He knows the shape. He knows the strength. Wang! Wang! The hammer slams. The shop rings with noise, the air fills with smoke and the softened metal responds. But the response doesn’t come easily. It doesn’t come without discomfort. To melt down the old and recast the new is a disrupting process. Yet the metal remains on the anvil, allowing the toolmaker to remove the scars, repair the cracks, refill the voids, and purge the impurities.

And, with time, a change occurs: what was dull becomes sharpened; what was crooked becomes straight; what was weak becomes strong; and what was useless becomes valuable. Then the blacksmith stops. He ceases his pounding and sets down his hammer. With a strong left arm, he lifts the tongs until the freshly molded metal is at eye-level.

In the still silence he examines the smoking tool. The incandescent implement is rotated and examined for any mars or cracks. There are none. Now the smith enters the final stage of his task. He plunges the smoldering instrument into a nearby bucket of water. With a hiss and a rush of smoke, the metal immediately begins to harden. The heat surrenders to the onslaught of cool water and the pliable, soft mineral becomes an unbending, useful tool….(I Pet. 1:7,7) (pp47-48)

“An instrument is useful only if it’s in the right shape. A dull axe or a bent screwdriver needs attention, and so do we. A good blacksmith keeps his tools in shape. So does God. Should God place you on the anvil, be thankful. It means he thinks you’re still worth reshaping.” (p50)

Author: Max Lucado
On the Anvil (ISBN 0-8423-4568-X)


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Qualities Necessary in a Spiritual Leader: Servanthood

Servanthood– “greatness comes only by way of servanthood”(26)

  • “Jesus did not have in mind mere ‘acts of service,’ for those can be performed from very dubious motives. He meant the *spirit of servanthood*  “(27)
  • “He will without reluctance undertake the unpleasant task that others avoid or the hidden duty that others evade because it invokes no applause or wins no appreciation.” (73)

Source: J. Oswald Sanders “Spiritual Leadership”


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Qualities Necessary in a Spiritual Leader: Sacrifice

  1. Sacrificial– “true leadership, is achieved not be reducing men to one’s service but in giving one’s selfless service to them.  And that is never done without cost.”(15)
    • “True leadership always exacts a heavy toll on the whole man, and the more effective the leadership is, the higher the price to be paid.” (169)
    • “Willingness to renounce personal preferences, to sacrifice legitimate and natural desires for the sake of His kingdom, will characterize those marked out by God for positions of influence in His work.”(169)
    • He must be “able to recieve from others as well as to give to others. There are some who delight in sacrificing themselves for others, who are quite unwilling to allow others to reciprocate… [although] that is a very powerful way of exercizing helpful leadership.”(77)

Source: J. Oswald Sanders “Spiritual Leadership”


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Who Moved the Cheese

“Cheese” is a metaphor for what we want in life. We each define our own cheese, and pursue it because we believe it will make us happy. When we do find it, we often become attached to it and complacent.

Once, long ago, there lived 4 little characters who ran through a maze looking for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. Each has a different attitude in their quest to acquire Cheese.

Sniff and Scurry are mice. Sniff is good at “sniffing out” Cheese, and Scurry excels at “scurrying” after the Cheese once he knows where it is. The two mice don’t really think about things, they simply react.

Hem and Haw, are little people. They are always thinking, learning and using past experience. Sometimes it holds them back, and sometimes it allows them to go forward.

Every morning, the mice and the little people dress in their running gear and travel the maze to a large store of Cheese. Hem and Haw eventually move their homes closer to it and build a life around it.

One day, when the cheese disappears, Sniff and Scurry aren’t surprised. Since they had noticed the quality and supply of cheese had been going down, they were prepared for the inevitable and were quickly off in search of New Cheese.

Unlike the simple mice, Hem gets angry and waits for the cheese to reappear. Haw is fearful and confused, but he’s willing to venture out because he knows that “Movement In A New Direction Helps You Find New Cheese.”

As Haw ventures out, he paints a picture in his mind. He sees himself in great realistic detail, sitting in the middle of a pile of all his favorite cheeses-from Cheddar to Brie! The more clearly he sees the image of himself enjoying New Cheese, the more real and believable it becomes. He writes on the wall: “Imagining Myself Enjoying New Cheese, Even Before I Find It, Leads Me To It.”

The story ends with Scurry, Sniff and Haw enjoying new cheese. Hem is sitting back at the original place, waiting for the cheese to come back. He is frustrated and angry that someone took away his world. He is not willing to go forward, not willing to challenge himself and do what he knows he needs to do. He hasn’t learned that “It Is Safer To Search In The Maze Than Remain In The Cheeseless Situation.”

The story of “Who Moved the Cheese?” is very simple. Change happens in life whether you expect it or not. We must keep moving with the changes. When change comes, we have to venture outside of our comfort zone, move beyond our fears, and get a clearer picture of what we want. If we can learn to enjoy and embrace change we can then savour the adventure and the taste of new cheese.

Are you willing to move out of your comfort zone and into the place God has for you?

Adapted from ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’ by Dr. Spencer Johnson.


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Built To Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies

Q5M@tAoKClAAAGHLxVA1.jpg Yes it’s a book about building a lasting organization. Don’t be too quick to discard it, it’s got gems that will help you build yourself as a leader. So whether you’re a cell leader, team leader, manager, CEO, pastoral staff, ministry head or Pastor read this book to find our how you can leave behind a legacy.

You might think this business book may not apply to me since I’m neither a CEO nor an entrepreneur. Before you discard reading this review, give it a chance. I chanced on this book while I was browsing at Kino and I’m glad I am reading it. If you’re a leader of an organization, ministry, cell, pastor, business person this is ONE book you must read.

It will cause you to think and look at your organization, business or ministry differently. Built To Last investigates why some companies are greater than others. What makes them different?

This book gives you practical lessons that every leader needs to know – stop thinking of how you should strategize marketing your products. Instead think about how your organization, business, ministry, cell should be organized, equipped so that it doesn’t achieve great things because of its current leader. Instead, it will live on to contribute even greater things after one great leader has passed on.

If you’re looking to leave a legacy, read this.


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A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

Q4Cj6woKClAAAFwn8701.jpg

This book is wonderful. It’s a biography of how James Frey was saved from the deepest pit of addiction. Read it if you’re in need of inspiration to carry on with the call that God has placed in your life.

A Million Little Pieces is a memior of James Frey’s six weeks experience at treatment center for addictions. It’s a recollection of his recovery. At 23, doctors at the center told him that if he abused his body anymore, he would die. He battled with drugs and alcohol addiction and was wanted man in 3 states.

Frey orginally from Cleveland currently lives with his wife in New York. It’s been 13 years that Frey has been sober.

Reading A MillIon Little Pieces is heart and gut wrenching. The writing is honest. It’s about friendship, love, believe. A New York Times Bestseller and An Oprah Bookclub choice, I’ve got no regrets adding this to my library.

Warning: This book will cause you to have sleepless nights because you cannot put it down.


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200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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The Leader and his Reading

I. Reasons to Read

“The man who desires to grow spiritually and intellectually will be constantly at his books.”(148)books.jpg
“the spiritual leader must master God’s Word and its principles and know as well what is going on in the minds of those who look to him for guidance. To achieve those ends, he must, hand in hand with personal contacts, engage in a course of selective reading.” (148)
“The spiritual leader should read for ‘spiritual quickening’ and profit, and that will strongly influence his selection of books for reading.” (151)
“The spiritual leader should read with a view to ‘mental stimulation’.”(151)
“He should read for ‘cultivation of style’ in his preaching and teaching and writing.” (151)
“The leader should read… with a view to the ‘acquiring of information.’ “ (151)
“He should read in order to have ‘fellowship with great minds.’ “(152)
“It is for the spiritual leader to cut a channel between what he reads and what he says or writes, so that others may reap its benefits to the full….many more ministers could communicate their appreciation of spiritual books to their congregations by guiding them in a course of selected reading.” (159)

II. The choice of books

“Some are to be tested, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” (150)
“If it is true a man is known by the company he keeps, it is no less true that his character is reflected in the books he reads, for they are the outward expression of his hungers and aspirations.”(152)
“Our reading should be regulated largely by what we are and what we do or intend to do.” (153)
Biographies- “One cannot read the lives of great and consecrated men and women without having inspiration and kindled and aspiration aroused…. It provides him with numberless illustrations for use in his own service.” (154)
“It is better that we should always tackle something a but beyond us.”(155)
“The leader should immerse himself in books that will further equip him for a higher quality of service and leadership in the kingdom of God.” (156)

III. How to read

“It is easy to read. It is much more difficult to secure effectually the fruit of reading in the mind.” (156)
“We cannot profit from what we read unless we think”(156)
“Master those books you have.”(156)
“Read little that is to be forgotten.” (157)
“Read with pencil and notebook in hand.” (157)
“Have… a book in which to put what is striking, interesting, and worthy of permanent record.” (157)
“Verify as far as possible historical, scientific and other data, and let no word slip past until its meaning is understood.”
“Let the reading be varied, because the mind so easily runs into ruts.” (157)
“Reading should be correlated where possible”. (157)
“He suggests that evey solid book requires three readings. The first reading should be rapid and continuous. The subconscious mind will then go to work on it and link it up with what you already know on the subject. Then take time to think what contribution it has made to your knowledge. The second reading should be careful, slow and detailed, as you think out each new point and make notes for later use. After an interval, the third reading should be fairly rapid and continuous, and a brief analysis should be written in the back of the book, with page references to subjects and illustrations.” (158)

Resource: J.Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership


MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…