Decisiveness

Decisiveness

Decisiveness

Imagine life is like a river. The flow of time is the rush of water leading you towards your final destination. Along the way, there are tributaries and many different paths the river can take, but time is always leading you in one direction. Now, imagine you are in a raft on this river of life, and as the flow of time pushes you forward, you have to make choices as to which tributaries you will navigate. Some tributaries are safe and well charted, some are dangerous and unknown, but each major direction you choose will define your life.

The Company We Keep

The Company We Keep

The Company We Keep

This month, we would like to talk about the company a person keeps and how that company ultimately influences the person they become. Proverbs 27:17: “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

We are the sum of all the intimate friends we interact with in life. Our thought process, our actions, and our lifestyle all derive from the circle of friends we choose. The source of your beliefs and thoughts are greatly influenced by those around you, for better or for worse.

 

 

Mastering Your Problems

Mastering Your Problems

Mastering Your Problems

Often times, for most people, life boils down to a series of problems. These problems are carried around in people’s hearts and minds like a lead weight and can destroy their health, finances, and spiritual life. Problems can be as simple as dealing with daily tasks, and as complicated as combating a serious illness. Think about your life for a moment — from the waking in the morning to the wee hours of the night you are probably thinking about how to fix a problem. You might have a reprieve from time to time, but let’s be honest, most of us are constantly beset with concerns on how to fix our problems. Problems that are common amongst people are: creating enough income to support their family, paying off debts, finding time to stay healthy (working out, eating right, etc...), conflicts with other people, breaking bad habits, making meals, shopping for food, and on and on it goes.

Value of the Word

Value of the Word

Value of the Word

There are many steps one can follow to bettering their life. No matter if it is diet, habits, time management or anything else, there is a system that can be easily found and followed because of our access to information. The internet and the free society we live in gives us unparalleled knowledge at our fingertips. We can search and discover any subject without leaving our home by browsing the internet. Now in contrast, let’s look at a time in history when information, especially information about God, did not flow so freely. The story ahead will encourage a strong value of the Word of God while also highlighting the need to follow the simple practice of reading the Bible and knowing God personally.

Hope Deferred

Hope Deferred

Hope Deferred  

We live in a society and world that constantly robs us of our hope. People everywhere are deferring their hopes, dreams, and purpose in life to live according to a formula that society presses upon us. In Proverbs 13:12 it says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.” How often have you wished for a different path in life? Or regretted the choices you made to get to where you are now?

Less is More

Less is More

Less is More 

Most people don’t know it, but the more material objects a person obtains, the more that person becomes enslaved. In our society today we are taught to have more of everything, but the unintended consequences is slavery to a system that cannot bring true happiness. In fact, the more one gathers of material items the more stress and unrest a person will feel in life.

The God Type of Heart: Part Three - Jesus

The God Type of Heart: Part Three - Jesus

The God Type of Heart: Part Three - Jesus. In parts one and two we highlighted David and Moses, who both had The God Type of Heart, and this month, we would like to conclude the series with the ultimate example of The God Type of Heart - Jesus.  Really, the title for this letter should be The God Heart, because Jesus is God and was before the foundation of the world.  He is the example of the perfect man and the One we should all fix our eyes upon. His walk on earth was pure and without blemish and He lived life without sin. The good news is we can receive the same Holy Spirit and overwhelmingly conquer in Him. Let’s examine a few aspects of Jesus life and find wisdom in His actions.

The God Type of Heart: Part Two - Moses

The God Type of Heart: Part Two - Moses

Part Two: Moses — Moses grew up in a time where his people, the Hebrews, were oppressed by the Egyptians. His life was suppose to end at birth. The Egyptians, who feared the rise of the enslaved Hebrews sent an edict throughout the land that all newborn male Hebrews were to be thrown into the Nile and drowned. Moses, whose mother couldn't bare this outcome, set him in the reeds of the Nile hoping life would find him.

The Earthquake: Part Two

The Earthquake: Part Two

We would like to share a continuation of our days in Nepal in the aftermath of earthquake.

Day Two: A quiet dawn breaks over the city of Kathmandu. Gone are the incessant honking of horns, street sellers hawking goods and the busy foot traffic that gives Kathmandu its personality. The mood instead is somber, quiet, and fearful of what happened and what might happen next.

The Earthquake: Part One

The Earthquake: Part One

The Earthquake: Day One - 11:56 AM Thamel District - Kathmandu, Nepal: A low rumble of what seems like a large truck passing by begins to vibrate the desk I am working at in our 2nd floor room. But something is different. The vibration begins to increase and I take my hands from the desk and lift them up like I have done something to cause this. I then look at a water bottle near me as it teeters around in a dancing motion and then falls to the ground. The deep rumble increases and the entire room begins to sway. I look over to William and both of our eyes grow wider as the vertigo motion takes hold. It feels as if we are aboard a ship in high waves and passing over debris. The rumble increases and from every direction we hear screams of terror.

Journey to the Mentawai

Journey to the Mentawai

Siberut Island, Mentawai archipelago off West Sumatra - Indonesia: Sitting cross-legged on the wooden-slat floor inside the uma (Mentawai style long home) we take stock of our scratches and leech bites from a long jungle trek. Our clothes are soaked with sweat and mud and we are flush pink from exhaustion.

Finding Your Quest

Finding Your Quest

 

Finding Your Quest

A Quest, by the medieval definition is: an expedition made by a knight to accomplish a prescribed task. There is a great amount of adventure, daring and excitement in that short definition, and in the depths of every person there is a desire to take a quest. Quests, are not, specifically, all the same, but each person has one. We, as Christians, know we have a Quest given by the King of Kings (Mark 16:15), but He sends each of us out, in different capacities, to accomplish the same goal. Do you know what your Quest is? Are you living your Quest?