<h2 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-weight: normal; font-size: 2em; font-family: PFDinTextCompPro-Regular; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(66, 60, 46); line-height: 1.3em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="color: rgb(79, 79, 79); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">It doesn’t take long to figure out that we live in an angry world. Read the headlines on any given day and you see anger on display in politics, movies, TV shows, and sports. Spend any amount of time in any family and you’ll see anger expressed almost daily. When a day goes by without conflict, it’s a miracle of God. </span>
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A number of years ago I participated in a group building activity. The mission: to drop an egg from the highest point of a ladder onto a tile floor without the egg breaking. To that end we were given a limited variety of unlikely materials: (Popsicle sticks, rubber bands, strips of tape, band-aids, drinking straws, string, etc. and asked to create a vessel around an egg that would ensure the success of the mission… the safety of the egg in a precarious position).
I was sitting in a prison cell in Oklahoma somewhere around 1993 or 1994 when I read Jay Adams write that the hope of the gospel isn't like the fisherman's hope--who, for example, says, "I hope I'll catch one today." The hope of the gospel is sure and certain. It's sure because it's based on the character of God. It's certain because it's based on His Word. It means that users and abusers may be transformed into godly examples and givers. I know because I was the worst of the former and continue to learn all the time what it means to be the latter. As the saying goes, "I'm not yet who I ought to be but I sure ain't who I used to be." Praise God!
My wife and I recently took our grandson to see the movie Wreck-It-Ralph. For those unfamiliar with the plot, the movie takes place inside a video game where Wreck-It-Ralph is the “bad guy” whose character is programmed to wreck the building and home of the Nicelanders, who, at least to Ralph, aren’t very nice. Fix-it-Felix is the hero of the game who fixes what Ralph breaks with just a touch from his golden hammer.
Hospitality Have you ever been to someone’s home and from the minute you
The holiday season is often a time of stress for many, including Christians. One contributing factor to holiday stress is that parents may forget whom they are serving. This is a post to share with parents that you interact with to help them reorient themselves to the beauty of serving Christ. Little children are dependent upon their parents for everything. This includes more
The spectacular events of life grab our attention—particularly “natural” disasters, such as tsunamis, earthquakes, and tropical cyclones. The 24/7 news outlets swing into action, as they did two weekends ago. Hurricane Irene made headlines as it moved up the eastern seaboard of the United States. For a while it appeared that Irene would strike large cities, from Washington, D.C. to Boston, with the power of a major hurricane. There was a collective sigh of relief as the storm approached land and weakened.
If a counselor is to work effectively with those whom he or she counsels these folks must be persuaded that they are being heard. Being a biblical listener is a prerequisite for being an effective counselor. Perhaps the greatest challenge of learning to be a good listener is that nothing less than the of love Christ is required. Love means that you put the needs of others before your own. Practically speaking, this means it is important to close your mouth and open your ears. This action offers tangible proof of your desire to serve your counselee. It will also pave the way for earning the right to speak when it is time to do so, especially since you will quite likely have some hard things to say.
Finding Joy in God (Part One): Human Pride and the Praise of Men
Author: ABC
Category: Uncategorized
Human Pride and the Praise of Men What do you love more than anything else? What is it that you are convinced will make you happy? These questions form a basis for what we live, whether we are aware of it or not. All of us live for something . . . something we treasure, hope in, and in which we find pleasure.
<p> For those of us who have the privilege of counseling other people on a regular basis, it is a sobering task to speak words of life and truth on behalf of God to a person who is hurting. Thankfully, in Jesus Christ we have an example of how we are all to approach personal ministry when we read the following in Hebrews 4:15-16:</p>