Jesus taught that we must come to God as little children. I’m still considered a young adult by many, but I learned long ago not to indulge some childhood urges. Now, as a father of two girls, I wonder how much my encouragement towards change in behavior will benefit or harm their future walk with God.
Continue reading “Friday Prayer: Preserving the Instinct of Perseverance”
I’m finishing up a sermon series on the book of James. Turns out, we’re talking about prayer. Here’s a slice from the opening of the message. It just might help if you’ve heard too many sermons about prayer.
You’ve probably heard many sermons on the topic of prayer. They are abundant and cover many forms, sometimes many formulas, and everyone who preaches on prayer says that if you aren’t doing it, there is something wrong with you. Have you heard that sort of teaching on prayer before?
What do you think results from those types of sermons?
November 11 was a special day in our countries. In Canada it is a day to remember the ultimate sacrifice paid by men and women to secure and maintain freedom. To all those in the Canadian Forces who paid that complete prices, and those who serve even now, we remember you. We bring you to the forefront of our minds this Remembrance Day.
In my homeland of the United States, it is a time to recognize veterans, whose who have served in the Armed Forces, and those who serve now. It is a day we look to and honor the living. You, too, are not forgotten, whether you serve thousands of miles from home, or your sacrifice is marked by the decades that have passed.
Great battles have been fought over the years. Some of them have seen incredible casualties, and times we are amazed that anyone survived. There are tales of great heroics, of standing against impossible odds and obtaining victory.
Your mind has a filter system that processes every thought, action and experience, every day of your life. This system is trained to process life’s ins and outs by some key influencers.
One of these influencers is our entertainment. When we watch television and see real people in real life situations, we program our minds to respond in kind. Each time a similar situation comes into our lives, we will consider all of the options that are pre-recorded in our brains.
So a big question arises from these thoughts: “How do I know what entertainment is right for me?” Let’s take a look at some questions that can help us answer this for us.
On Sundays we are going through a series titled “Filters.” The basic idea is that every thought, act and experience of every day is processed through a filter system that God has given to us. This week we mentioned that our filters are stained, in need of cleansing and repair.
Our filters are tainted, but it isn’t the fault of the filters. We have asked them to keep certain things from our hearts and minds. A coffee filter is soiled because we have used it to color and flavor water for us so that we can enjoy our daily cup of coffee. The filters of our minds help us enjoy life by keeping the crud and garbage away for us.
The bulk of this week’s message centered around five key influencers that have shaped and stained our filter. Because of a couple of questions I received following the message, and to help us out in this area of our life, I thought I’d write about one of these influencers: entertainment.
Pastors and Leaders: Do you take the time to develop yourselves and/or others? Many of us have heard of or even read John Maxwell’s Developing the Leader Within You and Developing the Leaders Around You.
If you’re like me, you could read a lot of books in a year and forget what you read. Some of it will stick with me, but have I really taken the time to apply it? There are so many ways to develop and mentor ourselves and others, but if we get discouraged by the things that say it isn’t possible for us, we miss them.
As a staff pastor for nine years before becoming a senior pastor, I have served under those who made it a priority to include development and those who haven’t. I know the power of being developed. I also know that there are issues that keep us from including development in our ministry.
Chris MacKinnon 