Every leader needs to first of all be a good follower. In fact, your ability to lead well is directly influenced by your ability to follow well. The apostle Paul said, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” (1 Cor.11:1). As church leaders, we too are to follow Christ by imitating him in character, who we … Continue reading 7 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders – #1 Follow
The Importance of Leadership Church and ministry leaders have a wide variety of tasks and responsibilities. These may include preaching, teaching, pastoral care, training and coaching others. One of our main tasks is to lead and God wants us to do this with the very best of our ability. Romans 12:6-8. In his grace, God … Continue reading 7 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders
Once upon a time, right after creation, all the animals formed a school. They established a well-rounded curriculum of swimming, running, climbing and flying. All the animals were required to take all the courses. The duck excelled at swimming. In fact, he was better than the instructor! But he only made passing grades in climbing … Continue reading Are you a duck out of water?
[Guest post by Rick Warren] The Bible gives us five actions we can take to stop procrastinating: 1. Stop making excuses. “The lazy person claims, 'There's a lion out there! If I go outside, I might be killed!'" (Prov. 22:13, NLT). What have you been saying you’re going to do “one of these days”? What … Continue reading Stop Procrastinating
This year our focus is DEVOTE 3. We want to DEVOTE ourselves to PRAY more passionately, SHARE more intentionally and SERVE more wholeheartedly. When it comes to your call to SERVE ... 1. You were made for it. God knew you before you were born (Jer.1:4), God planned you (Ps.139:16), God formed you (Ps.139:13-14), God … Continue reading Jump in … and SERVE!
"He brought me into a spacious place ..." Psalm 18:19a NIV "I am beginning to understand that life is not so much a search for answers, as it is a search for clearings. Clearings are the required stopping places in our lives when our lives get to be too much. A clearing is a place … Continue reading A Spacious Place
Life as Adventure Have you ever thought of your life as an adventure? Our kids used to love reading the Choose Your Own Adventure book series when they were younger. The stories are formatted so that, after a couple of pages of reading, the reader, as the main character in the story, faces two or three … Continue reading Choose Your Own Adventure
Tomorrow is Lent, an important part of the liturgical year for many Christians, lasting approximately six weeks leading up to Easter Sunday. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, repentance, generosity and fasting (or the giving up of certain types of luxuries). You may want to consider committing yourself … Continue reading The Purpose of Lent
In his most recent book, What Makes Us Tick?, Australian sociologist Hugh Mackay observes that “from the family to the workplace, from the school gate to the local coffee shop or pub, and from religious, political or sporting affiliations to friendship circles, both online and offline, we are as socially interdependent as ever. Our default … Continue reading The Search to Belong
A few reflections from Proverbs 3: 1. Remember the words of wisdom taught to you. Don’t forget them. Store them in your heart and live them out. As a result, you’ll have a long and satisfying life. Things such as loyalty and kindness are essential. Write them deep within your heart and wear them so everyone can see them. … Continue reading Reflections from Proverbs 3
Our daughter, Natasha, turns 20 in a few weeks. We bought her a dog, with some help from the RSPCA. He is a labrador and is a little over 2 years of age. His name is Oscar. Oscar is very cute and has a peaceful nature. While looking through a few other dog pounds with … Continue reading The 10 Commandments From a Dog’s Point of View
At CityLife Church, we are about to commence a two-week season of prayer and fasting. Jesus fasted for 40 days at the beginning of his ministry, releasing great power into his ministry (Matthew 4:1-2), and he assumed that his disciples would fast also (Matthew 6:16-18). Fasting can be a powerful personal discipline to train our will, to … Continue reading The Spiritual Discipline of Fasting
A few verses from Psalm 10, an ancient song with contemporary relevance ... Vs.1. O Lord, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I am in trouble? Vs.2. The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor. Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others. Vs.3. For they brag … Continue reading Reflections on Psalm 10
The Psalms are a collection of ancient songs, reflecting Israel's experience with God. In Psalm 9, David opens his song like this (vs.1-2): I will praise the Lord with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing … Continue reading Reflections on Psalm 9
A few reflections from Proverbs 2: 1. Wisdom will save you from the immoral person. The path of lust leads to death and to hell. If you take that route you are doomed and will never reach the path of life. Think about it. 2. Instead of following evil and immoral people, follow the steps … Continue reading Reflections on Proverbs 2
