The Bible' account about Hezekiah gives us an idea for problem solving: "Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord" (2 Kinds 19:14-15).
Instead of turning to God as a first resource, we so often turn to Him as a last resort. Follow Hezekiah's formula. Turn to God first with your problems, for only He is capable of handling them in a way that will be in your best interest,and according to His perfect will.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Leadership Wisdom
The Challenge of Leadership is to be-
Strong, but not rude.
Kind, but not weak.
Bold, but not a bully.
Thoughtful, but not lazy.
Humble, but not timid.
Proud, but not arrogant.
Humorous, but without folly.
copied
Strong, but not rude.
Kind, but not weak.
Bold, but not a bully.
Thoughtful, but not lazy.
Humble, but not timid.
Proud, but not arrogant.
Humorous, but without folly.
copied
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Cherokee Seasons of Life
There was an Indian Chief who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly.
So he sent them each on a quest...in turn...to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first son went in the Winter,the second in the Spring,the third in Summer, and the youngest son in the Fall.When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The second son said 'no' it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful. It was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life. He told them that you can not judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that comes from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it's Winter, you will miss the promise of your Spring, the beauty of your Summer, the fulfillment of your Fall.
Moral:Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Headed Home
We are waiting for God to finish making us his own children, which means our bodies will be made free. Romans 8:23
Aging is God's idea. It's one of the ways he keeps us headed homeward. We can't change the process, but we can change our attitude. Here is a thought. What if we looked at the aging body as we look at the growth of a tulip?
Do you ever see anyone mourning over the passing of the tulip bulb? Do gardeners weep as the bulb begins to weaken? Of course not. We don't purchase tulip girdles or petal wrinkle cream or consult plastic-leaf surgeons. We don't morn the passing of the bulb; we celebrate it. Tulip lovers rejoice the minute the bulb weakens. "Watch that one," they say. "It's about to blossom."
Could it be heaven does the same? The angels point to our bodies. The more frail we become the more excited they become. "Watch that lady in the hospital," they say. "She's about to blossom." "Keep an eye on the fellow with the bad heart. He'll be coming home soon."
Copied from Grace for the Moment, Vol 2 by Max Lucado
Aging is God's idea. It's one of the ways he keeps us headed homeward. We can't change the process, but we can change our attitude. Here is a thought. What if we looked at the aging body as we look at the growth of a tulip?
Do you ever see anyone mourning over the passing of the tulip bulb? Do gardeners weep as the bulb begins to weaken? Of course not. We don't purchase tulip girdles or petal wrinkle cream or consult plastic-leaf surgeons. We don't morn the passing of the bulb; we celebrate it. Tulip lovers rejoice the minute the bulb weakens. "Watch that one," they say. "It's about to blossom."
Could it be heaven does the same? The angels point to our bodies. The more frail we become the more excited they become. "Watch that lady in the hospital," they say. "She's about to blossom." "Keep an eye on the fellow with the bad heart. He'll be coming home soon."
Copied from Grace for the Moment, Vol 2 by Max Lucado
Children are a gift from God
Children are a gift from god; they are his reward. Psalm 127:3 (TLB)
What achievement in life is equal to a happy home and rearing successful children who grow up in praise of their parents? Every material goal, even if it is met, will pass away. But the heritage of children is timeless. Our primary responsibility is to be sure our children grow up in homes where God is honored and the love of Christ reigns. Do your children sense that Christ is at the center of your home?
What achievement in life is equal to a happy home and rearing successful children who grow up in praise of their parents? Every material goal, even if it is met, will pass away. But the heritage of children is timeless. Our primary responsibility is to be sure our children grow up in homes where God is honored and the love of Christ reigns. Do your children sense that Christ is at the center of your home?
95th General Assembly
The COGOP 95th International Assembly is now in the history books. What a great assembly it was. I believe the effects of it will be realized in the weeks, months, and years ahead.
Our General Overseer, Bishop, Randy Howard, showed great strength and vision throughout the entire assembly. The "Cry" in this assembly was for us to "Awake" to our heritage, the Great Commission that Christ left us to go into all the world with the Gospel, and vision for getting the Gospel out to the world.
Let's continue praying for strength to do our part on God's timetable.
Our General Overseer, Bishop, Randy Howard, showed great strength and vision throughout the entire assembly. The "Cry" in this assembly was for us to "Awake" to our heritage, the Great Commission that Christ left us to go into all the world with the Gospel, and vision for getting the Gospel out to the world.
Let's continue praying for strength to do our part on God's timetable.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Minister in Top Ten Jobs with High Prestige
Results of the annual Harris Poll that measures the public's perceptions of 23 different professions and occupations indicates that the profession of clergy ranks in the top 10 most prestigious occupations.
Of the 1,010 U.S. adults who were interviewed in July of this year, 40 percent said that the role of Priest/Minister/Clergy had "very great prestige." The top ten occupations ranked by perception of very high prestige were:
* Firefighter: 57%
* Scientist: 56%
* Doctor: 53%
* Nurse: 52%
* Teacher: 52%
* Military Officer: 46%
* Police Officer: 46%
* Farmer: 41%
* Minister/Clergy: 40%
* Engineer: 40%
Of the 23 professions that were ranked, Banker, Stockbroker and Real Estate Agent took the bottom three spots, with only six percent of respondents saying that Real Estate Agent was an occupation with "very great prestige." It's also interesting to note that, according to the Harris Poll in 1977, the occupation of Clergy was seen as having "very great prestige" by 41 percent of those who were questioned. That number rose to 46 percent in 1998 and dropped to 32 percent in 2004.
Of the 1,010 U.S. adults who were interviewed in July of this year, 40 percent said that the role of Priest/Minister/Clergy had "very great prestige." The top ten occupations ranked by perception of very high prestige were:
* Firefighter: 57%
* Scientist: 56%
* Doctor: 53%
* Nurse: 52%
* Teacher: 52%
* Military Officer: 46%
* Police Officer: 46%
* Farmer: 41%
* Minister/Clergy: 40%
* Engineer: 40%
Of the 23 professions that were ranked, Banker, Stockbroker and Real Estate Agent took the bottom three spots, with only six percent of respondents saying that Real Estate Agent was an occupation with "very great prestige." It's also interesting to note that, according to the Harris Poll in 1977, the occupation of Clergy was seen as having "very great prestige" by 41 percent of those who were questioned. That number rose to 46 percent in 1998 and dropped to 32 percent in 2004.
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