Tag: Christianity

Book Reviews, Christian Living

“Blink” and Discernment

Chris

For those of you who don’t know me personally, reading is one of my favorite activities. I know, it seems weird to call sitting around holding onto a pile of pages as an activity. Still, there are few things I get more personal joy from.I’ve been meaning to beginning picking up books by Malcolm Gladwell, and a friend recently lent a couple to me. Tonight I started his first book, Blink (Back Bay Books, 2007). The subtitle reads: The power of thinking without thinking. As a pastor, or as a Christian in general, I couldn’t help but find myself intrigued by the title and its implications. I’ve only just finished the introduction, but I think that I’ll be pleased with the rest of the material.

There is one quick thought I`ve had while putting the book down for the night, one that I think might be a new concept to some, and confirmation to others.

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Christian Living, Ministry

RE: Spiritual Gifts (2)

Chris

We’ve started a discussion about how our we get confused when it comes to our spiritual gifts. The people around us often identify the skills we’ve acquired in life, whether for work or personal use, to be our spiritual gifts.

We mentioned that one reason this happens is because those evaluating or examining us, trying to figure out our gifts, often do so by first comparing our abilities to their own and those around us. If we stand out in an area, we must be gifted there. There is another filter that those close to us make use of, and that’s my topic for this post.

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Christian Living, Ministry

RE: Spiritual Gifts

Chris

Do you remember the excitement of the discover of what you were meant to do? In ministry we call it the divine call. All of us, though, through our talents, passions and other factors, are designed by God to fulfill a particular purpose. Most of us won’t get the opportunity to fulfill that purpose as our livelihood, but we can all come to the place where we get to aplly our gifts towards a holy passion in our hearts.

Over the past six weeks I’ve found myself on a journey of rediscovery. While I tend to read an awful lot and have a tendency toward learning that way, I’ve been exposed to some video teachings that have caused me to pause and reflect, leaving the books I’ve been reading lying around the house, unopened for days at a time.

One of the topics I’ve been chewing on is one that I had wanted to write about in the past. I had several thoughts going through my mind then and couldn’t really figure out how to go about it. Now I think I’m ready to tackle it. That topic is Spiritual Gifts.

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Bible

A Reluctant Miracle?

Chris

Have you ever noticed that when you’re sick or tired, if you can get your brain to focus for a while, you seem to notice things you’ve never seen before? I’ve been out of it for a few days because of a sinus cold. While reading my Bible, I’ve caught a few phrases that have made me think.

Someone may write back and call what I’m about to say heresy, but I can’t help but wonder if Jesus performed a miracle (and probably still does) reluctantly. I get this thought from a small phrase in the story of His healing a deaf-mute, and you can read the whole story in Mark 7:31-36.

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Ministry

Community Revival

Chris

Subtitle: How do you change the heart of a city/town?

I’ve made the move from big city to small town. I joined up in my current position almost two years ago now. There has been a lot of pastoral turnover in those couple of years, and as we all settle in and get the lay of the land, we’re noticing that the heart of our town is basically dead.

What does it mean to have a town that is dead? There is no heart, no desire to be more than it is, no spirit, no pride. The people in our town are like zombies, having any spark of life sucked out of them at every turn.

As pastors, having made this diagnosis, we now find ourselves trying to find out the best way to bring life back to this “valley of dry bones.”

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