Are You Holding Yourself Back? Part 1
Have you hit a wall? Has progress ground to a halt? Is your team stuck? Mired in an inability to make decisions? Maybe it isn’t them. It’s you. Leaders, especially ones that experience a level of success, often unknowingly began to hold themselves back with beliefs, operational methods, or task orientation. These things might have worked at a second, or third, tier of leadership but have stopped working as more responsibility has come to the leader. The worst thing a leader can do is to stop learning. You never “arrive” at an apex of leadership ability. There is no mountaintop.
Correcting
The work of Jesus on the cross is a finished work. You cannot add to or detract from it. Your action is not what accomplishes your salvation—Jesus already accomplished it.
But there is a required standard. The finished work of Jesus invites you to that standard. God offers to set right all that is currently wrong with you. It is a finished work that achieves it, but He is a gentle Father, and He waits for you to yield to the correcting (Rev. 3:20).
Then There Were Four
You serve a God who has promised a peace that passes all understanding (Philip. 4:7). Don’t let it be lost on you that this promise immediately proceeds our foundational reminder in Philippians 4:8 to set our minds on all that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy!
The Tentacles of War
You can have peace even amid times of war! Your possession of peace is in fact what motivated Jesus to give you a glimpse of what was to come! He knew this world would bring you heartache and pain, and He conquered it all in order that you might have peace!
Are We in Desperate Need of More Exorcists?
The world is not what we think it is. It is far more interesting, mysterious, exciting, connected, and adventurous. The world cannot be reduced to ideology, nor should we accept the shrunken world-view fashioned by elites. Instead, Christians should seek to live in a world that has regained its sense of wonder and awaken their sense of God's presence. Such a world offers an antidote to the life many of us are living.
Press at the Pentagon
Is the Department of War securing sensitive information or are they seeking favorable media coverage? Are the journalists covering the Pentagon reporting the news or advancing a narrative?
The Supreme Court Resurrects Street Preacher’s Free Speech Lawsuit
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that a Mississippi street preacher’s lawsuit challenging restrictions on speech near a city amphitheater can proceed. The court held that his prior convictions do not bar claims seeking only prospective (future) relief. This case reflects the increasingly frequent collision between the secular West and churches and ministers.
Mr. Secretary
Regardless of your feelings about the Secretary or Senators from either party, you are now tasked with praying they would govern wisely and with humility (1 Tim. 2:1-2; Rom. 13:1-7; Pr. 8:15-16).
More Than a Name
Your human family name carries great significance. It lends association and belonging. It carries legacy and lineage. But it doesn’t convey salvation. Your relationship with Jesus is not one of generational bequeathing or one imputed by force.
Jesus stands at the door and knocks. He seeks entry. But the door to your heart can only be opened if you incline your ear to His voice (Rev. 3:20).
It is a beautiful thing, really. Your human name does not determine your eternal destiny. But the Name Above All Names has invited you into identity with him (Philip. 2:9), and taking on that Name marks you as royalty for all of eternity!
Tarmac Tragedy
This story reminds us that life is but a vapor, here in one moment and gone in the next (Jam. 4:14). The impact of this reality depends on the posture of your spirit.
Let's Just Skip This One
I do not like to be rebuked. I never have (you can ask my mother) and I probably never will (you can ask my wife). But I desperately need to be rebuked! Why? Because sometimes I am running headlong toward the cliff!
What I Learned This Week: When Leadership Stops at the Front Door
What if you brought the same level of thoughtfulness, care, and intentionality to your family that you bring to your work — and saw what kind of growth and connection might follow?
Teaching
You can be thoroughly equipped for every good work!
That is the ultimate promise of 2 Tim. 3:16-17, the passage around which we gather each week here in the pages of The Equipped. Your world is a perilous place, and you need equipping to interact with it in a way that is redemptive and points toward flourishing. You want to be—and you need to be—thoroughly equipped!
Chain Reactions in Iran
There are no easy answers in war, and the pursuit of peace on Earth has always been extremely perilous and elusive for mankind. Even so, you as a Jesus follower are to grieve with those who grieve (Rom. 12:15), pray for those in authority (1 Tim. 2:1-2), and be persistent in your pursuit of peace (Ps. 34:14).
The Madness Returns
You can’t walk through our house during March without seeing a bracket. But you know what? You can’t ever walk through it without seeing scripture!
Write His promises on your doorposts! Literally, do it! Post His Word and His promises as physical reminders for your day-to-day and moment-to-moment. It is one of the very best ways to stand on peace in a world of madness!
Running to the Next Red Light
Everybody seems to be in an awful hurry to wait some more. Stress, anxiety, and frustration rule the day. They don’t have to rule your day though. Look at these things and see how you can incorporate them into your daily routines. You just might find yourself getting more done than you thought you could.
Singularity
You can be equipped for every good work coming your way. The secret is in the teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training available in singular authority of God’s Word.
Can Veranda Ministries Overcome Statutory Limits and Expand Adult Respite Care in Tennessee?
Providing limited respite care service programs is essential for caregivers and elderly adults alike. Despite their unquestioned value to the community and to the state, highly valuable respite care service programs face several crippling challenges.
What I Learned This Week: When “My Decision” Became “Our Decision”
What if the next decision you’re facing isn’t meant to be made alone — and inviting others into the process is exactly what will create the buy-in you’ve been hoping for?
Razor Thin
This is yet another reason to intentionally decline to place any security in political outcomes. As we often remind ourselves, American citizens are blessed with the freedom to self-govern (Galatians 5 speaks of a Creator-endowed longing for freedom), and we should faithfully exercise that liberty. In doing so, however, we should be mindful to avoid the trap of believing that any government of men or any political power is a gatekeeper for that freedom. True freedom is found only in and through relationship with Jesus Christ, and as you revel in the blessings of engaging in a self-governing republic, you remain most secure when you anticipate the inevitability of an ebb and flow in partisan fortunes.
Through it all, the one true God is on the throne!