Win Without a Word

How do you influence someone who is “above” you in some way, whether the difference is age or position? Is it possible to make a difference in anyone that is not under our teaching or guidance? How do you bring about change in someone who is difficult to get along with? It’s not how you think.

True Motives

Every one has some driving force or principle. What motivates you? Every decision you make, every action good or bad, every interaction, what determines them? What do you look to for help deciding? When you decide whether to follow right or wrong, what makes the difference? Whom do you serve?

Wife After God review

I am all about improving my marriage. I read everything I can get my hands on (books, blog posts, articles) that could offer biblical advice. Frankly, I have gotten a little saturated, partly because it is not like a science equation where you put in A and B and automatically get C, real life doesn’t work that way. As a result I have become a little burned out and skeptical. So it was with reservations that I started reading Wife After God. It actually sat on my shelf for almost six months before I dug in, but once I started I couldn’t put it down!

Have You Partaken of His Flesh and Blood?

Every church practices it a little differently, but all evangelical Christian churches (and many others) offer communion at some point. Whether your church has the traditional cracker and ½ oz communion cup, or the less formal loaf to dip in a cup, I’m sure you have seen and even participated in communion, and have probably heard the traditional passages read aloud, either from the gospels when Jesus gave the Last Supper or from 1 Corinthians where Paul describes how to take communion. Each passage talks about Christ’s body and blood, but obviously you don’t eat real flesh and blood, so what does that mean? Do you really have to “partake of His flesh and blood”? 

Have You Been Passed Over?

All was still. Darkness covered the land far beyond any mere physical absence of light. There was a silence, a tension, a waiting. Everything was poised in apprehension. A battle between two great powers, wrestling for control, stood in checkmate. Who would win? What would happen next? Suddenly, just after midnight, there arose a cry, a great wailing. Sorrow and terror covered the land as those belonging to one power were stripped of their first born. In every family on that side there was loss. But those on the other side were passed over.

Are Your Eyes On Victory?

Where is your focus? In everyday life, what draws your attention, what keeps you going? When times are hard, where do you look for help, what gets you through it? Are your eyes on victory?

How can you focus on victory? First you have to define what victory is, or more importantly, where victory comes from. Victory, of course, is overcoming some obstacle, which can play out in many ways in life depending on the situation. But where does it come from?

Do You Seek Justice?

Justice is something that I think everyone desires and sees a need for to some extent, unfortunately

some care more about themselves than the injustice they are causing. It is in all of us to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, to cheer for the underdog, to be angered at those who take advantage of others. That is because God is just. It is part of His character, and He is just perfectly. We mirror that quality of God’s when we desire and fight for justice.

When Weakness Becomes An Excuse To Be Weak

As humans, we all have weaknesses. That is part of our nature. No one is perfect. It is really important to remember that when someone messes up. We need to have grace with others and ourselves. But can that be taken too far?

Be The Example You Want To See

It is so easy to see the faults in others. We can so readily point out the areas where they need to change, the choices they should make to achieve the desired outcome, or the bad choices that led to certain problems. Objectivity has its benefits. But that kind of advice isn’t always welcome, or well received. People don’t like to be told they are wrong (even if it’s true), and our attitudes and words can make it that much harder to swallow. How do you change the world if the world doesn’t want to be changed?

The Benefit of the Doubt

We have all been there; let down by someone we trusted. Unfortunately, it happens in every relationship. The issue is not to find someone who will not let you down, but how to deal with the pain when they do. It is natural to want to shut them out, never trust them again, and retreat into seclusion to never be hurt by another. But is that the best way to react?