Whose Drumbeat Do You Follow?

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music that he hears, however measured or far away.“  Henry David Thoreau So, whose drum are you listening to? We all are hearing one you know. Listening, following. Is your drummer the incessant beat of the materialistic, hedonistic, “stuff” is the answer of our current culture? Are you caught up in the swirl of busyness and breathless aquisition that is the norm of our day? Many if not most Christians are. In fact in every measurable or discernable way the mass of what the world sees as contemporary Christianity looks no different from what they see in the mirror. We value what they value. We chase the same things they chase. The beat goes...

Six Lies That Cripple Our Faith – 4-6

dentifiedLast post we discussed how the injection of a few simple, reasonable sounding lies into our culture has undercut our faith and handicapped the effectiveness of the Church in the world. We identified three, not in rank order of importance, as; You can’t legislate morality, You can’t mix faith with business, and, You can’t mix faith and politics. These three are  supported by the fourth lie. This is one of the most damaging and crippling lies and distortions of all, and has been the foundation for so much damage to the work of Christ that it can’t be calculated. It is the lie of The chasm between the clergy and the laity. This lie is so deeply embedded in The Body of Christ that it would appear hopeless to remove it, failing a truly miraculous work of...

The 6 Keys to Successful Journaling

After making our daily first hour with God non-negotiable the next most helpful tool is to write and keep a daily journal focusing on that time, There is just something that so clears our thoughts and helps us to remember meaningful things when we take the time to write them down. Its really indisputable how retention and understanding increases when we invest the time to write things. Keeping a daily summary journal of our time focused on God and His will and way for us will pay huge effectiveness dividends. It has always worked thst way for me and is the consistent testimony of every exceptional believer that I have ever known or read about. Many friends have agreed with the concept of journaling over the years but most have struggled to find a consistent format that helps to keep the...

The Race of Life – Tactics 5 and 6 “Lean Forward and Run Through the Tape!”

As we learn to respond to our Trainer in using Tactics 1-4 to avoid the snares and distractions of our opposer  by applying His opposite exercises, we enter the final phases of the race, the sprint to the tape! To finish well we will need the last two Tactics but, before we move on, let’s review the snares and entanglements used by our opposer and look at our Trainer’s opposite exercises. As we run we encounter the snares of: 1) Unbelief. 2) Complacency and compromise. 3) Self-righteousness. 4) The fear of, or desire for, the approval of Man. 5) Love of sensual or fleshly pleasure. 6) A worldly mindset or paradigm of life. 7) Self confidence. Hubris or arrogance. 9) Distracting and ungodly thoughts. Our Trainer uses the exercises of: 1) Faith in God and His Word. 2) The...