Surviving Your Schedule
An intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions. Proverbs 17:24 (TEV) *** *** *** *** Do you ever get to the end of your day and think “Did I accomplish anything today?” Where does all the time go? If you don’t master your schedule, it will master you. Here are three suggestions from the Bible for reducing the stress of your schedule: Line up your priorities. Obviously, you don’t have time to do everything. You must make choices. You must decide what’s really important and what isn’t. Take some …
Breaking Through the Sound Barrier
Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Ephesians 4:29 (NLT) *** *** *** *** Poor communication is the most frequently mentioned problem in marriage counseling. To really communicate, you must give up three things. You must give up your assumptions. We get into trouble when we start assuming we understand the meaning of what people say to us. The truth is everything you hear goes through a filter. Your filter is determined by your past experiences and …
True Confidence: Part 1
“I’m too young” “I’m too old” “I don’t have enough education” “Is this really what God wants for me?’ Voices We all have an mp3 track that plays over and over in our heads sometimes telling us that we are not good enough to accomplish our goals and passions in life. When you are at the starting line and the gun goes off, that is not a time to hesitate. When you are at the free throw line and your team is down with a few seconds left, that is not a time for uncertainty. When you ‘re on the …
What’s Your Excuse?
The lazy person is full of excuses, saying, “If I go outside, I might meet a lion in the street and be killed!” Proverbs 22:13 (NLT) *** *** *** *** It’s rare to find people today who are willing to take complete responsibility for their actions. In the victimization that’s present in our culture, our problems are always someone else’s fault. You can blame whoever you want – the government, your parents, the school you went to, television, your boss, or the rest of society. There’s no need for you to feel bad; anywhere you look there …
Living the ‘Good Life’
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) *** *** *** *** A few years ago the planned community of Mission Viejo, California launched an advertising campaign to attract home buyers. They used phrases like “Mission Viejo: the California Promise” and “The place to live the Good Life.” Although “the Good Life” is a well-worn phrase in our culture, I wonder how many people have ever stopped to define what exactly it is. For some …
A Word to Fathers about their Daughter's Clothes
I started working on an article today based on Paul’s words to Timothy in regarding how women should dress. I came across this incredible word to fathers on C.J. Mahaney’s blog. Dads, I want to urge you to take responsibility for your daughters’ dress. Fathers are absolutely essential to the cultivation of modesty. When a young lady dresses immodestly, it usually means her father has failed to lead, care for and protect her. Without a father’s care and protection, she may be daily exposed to the lustful minds of men. My three daughters are grown and married now, but from …
The Time of Your Life
Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Ephesians 5:16 (MSG) *** *** *** *** Why is it that time drags when you want it to pass quickly and flies when you need more of it? It’s not very cooperative! Time is the great equalizer. We all have the same amount of it. The difference between successful people and average people is this: Achievers manage their time wisely. Rather than wasting time or spending time, they invest time. They make the most out of each moment. In these difficult days, people are realizing …
Faith Is Active
When will you ever learn that “believing” is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith. James 2:20 (LB) *** *** *** *** Is faith simply a frame of mind? Some see it that way … a passive attribute of a Christian waiting to see what God has in store for you: a promotion, cancer, depression, betrayal, blessing, wealth, or injustice. They might say, “I’ll just wait to see what God is going to do for me and go with the flow.” That’s crazy talk. Faith …
How to Resolve Conflict with Your Spouse (Part 3)
Wisdom … is peace-loving and courteous. It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others … James 3:17 (LB) *** *** *** *** If you’re going to pull together when you’re pulled apart, you have to: Concentrate on reconciliation, not resolution. Reconciliation means to re-establish the relationship; resolution means to resolve every issue by coming to agreement on everything. That’s simply not going to happen. I don’t care if you both love the Lord and are both deeply in love with each other, there are some things you’ll never agree on because God has wired each of us differently. …
Movie Review: W.
Ah, the movie event of the year! Well, sort of…Oliver Stone was originally going to do a film about the My Lai massacre, and it got scrapped. So, what is a 60+ year old conspiracy theorist director to do? Why, make a movie about the current president of the United States, of course! And when you see Oliver Stone attached to something about a Republican president, all the right can do is roll their eyes, and the left licks their chops. But, hold on a moment. Before jumping to a conclusion, let’s give Stone a chance. I mean, he had …
