are you good

Are you good? Check out this test at http://www.livingwaters.com/good/

be still

Did you realise that when the bible says "be still" that the words being translated could also be translated "let go of your grip".
Being still and knowing God is letting go of our tight grip on life and relaxing into God. Instead of working everything out and putting everything into boxes, we let God be God and realise we don't and can't work him all out.
Letting go of our tight grip means we don't have to know what's coming next. Letting go means realising that we don't have to be busy all the time. Letting go means that we don't have to be in control because he is the one who is ultimately in control. Letting go means we can be silent in his presence rather than busy praying or reading the bible.
Have you ever experienced being held by someone you love and not a word is being said? That's what we need to do with God more often, allow him to hold us in silence.

faith

"Faith is seeing from God's perspective." - Rick Warren

touch

"Women often feel unloved because their emotional needs aren't being met, and in the same way, men often feel ignored because their physical needs aren't being met. Men aren't as sensitive to physical touch as women are. In other words, it takes more physical touch to meet a man's physical needs. In the same way that a woman has twice the daily word count, a man has twice the need for physical stimulation." - Gary Smalley

dating advice

In the past I've given dating advice and apparently been misunderstood. Here's my advice in black & white.
It is my view that the purpose of dating is to ascertain whether or not the person you are dating could become your future husband or wife. If you at anytime come to the conclusion that you don't want to marry that person, then you shouldn't be dating. This doesn't mean that you only date the person you think you will marry, it just means that you shouldn't continue to date someone you don't believe you will marry.
My view is based on the biblical text found in 1 Cor 7:36-38.

growing your passion for jesus

If you have a passion for the extension of the gospel of Jesus, then you need to check out this website to take your passion even further. http://www.gpn.tv/

strong words

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine (2 Corinthians 13:5, NLT).
Dear friends: One day I was talking to a young man who was somewhat of a prodigal. I said to him, "Do you believe in Jesus? "Yes." "Do you believe He died for your sins?" "Yes." He had grown up in the church and even gone to Christian schools, but he had turned his back on the Lord. I replied, "What is gong to happen to you when you die?" He said, "I'll go to heaven." I said, "Are you sure?" "Absolutely sure." And I said, "Are you willing to do God's will and surrender your own will to His will?" Quite bluntly, he answered, "No." I had to be totally honest with him, and replied, "Then you are not a Christian." He said, "That's your opinion against mine." I said, "No, that is what God's word says." I explained to him that if anyone is not willing to do God's will, he had better take inventory because the Scripture clearly teaches: "And how can we be sure that we belong to him? By looking within ourselves: are we really trying to do what he wants us to? Someone may say, 'I am a Christian; I am on my way to heaven; I belong to Christ.' But if he doesn't do what Christ tells him to, he is a liar. But those who do what Christ tells them to will learn to love God more and more. That is the way to know whether or not you are a Christian. Anyone who says he is a Christian should live as Christ did" (1John 2:3-6, TLB). That was strong language, but that is the holy, inspired word of God. If you are not able to make the Bible the basis of your standards, what are the alternatives? Don't get me wrong. I believe more strongly than most people that salvation is a free gift of God by grace through faith alone, not a result of works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). And only God truly knows who are His and who are not. But the Scriptures give us strong words that we can use for self-examination. "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you -- unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test" (2 Corinthians 13:5-6, NIV). This does not mean that every time we fail God, we lose our salvation. Far from it. But it does mean we should stay on our spiritual toes to please, obey and serve God. Our good works confirm our salvation but do not contribute to our salvation. Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns, Bill Bright

natural church development

If you're a church leader then check out Natural Church Development (NCD) at http://ncd-australia.org.au/welcome/
In my opinion the process of doing an ongoing NCD assessment is one of the best ways you can spend your time and effort.

harry potter movie review

Personally I'm a Harry Potter fan but its always good to be open to arguements from the other side. This review of the latest Harry Potter movie makes some points worth considering.
Review by Lise Rice
If your friends and co-workers have bloodshot eyes this month, perhaps their children have kept them up during the night with “Harry Potter” nightmares. It might go something like this: “Daddy, help me. I keep dreaming about that scary skeleton in the sky with a giant snake coming out of its mouth.” Or, “Mommy, I need to sleep in bed with you. I had a dream about that Dark Lord zombie stealing a bone from a grave, mixing it with Harry Potter’s blood and coming back from the dead to torture people.”
For those addicted to “Harry Potter” books, no doubt they will see “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” But perhaps this fourth movie, adapted from the popular series written by J.K. Rowling, will be the one that compels us to ask why we would put this material into our children’s heads. As I looked around the theater and saw dozens of little children dressed as wizards and sorcerers, watching one horror after another on the big screen, my heart broke for the sheer lack of parental discernment.
Certainly the storytelling is compelling. “The Goblet of Fire” is set in Harry’s fourth year at the Hogwarts School. This time, Harry’s name has been mysteriously drawn by the Goblet of Fire as one of two students who will represent his school in the TriWizard Tournament. In this competition, the champions will be tested on three levels in hopes of winning the Cup and attaining eternal glory. This is no ordinary test, either. It involves dragon slaying and a hideous maze that has the potential to kill the children who don’t make it through. Of the contests, it is said, “These tasks are designed to test you in the most brutal way … almost cruel.” To complicate matters, Voldemort's Death Eaters are gaining strength and giving evidence that the Dark Lord is ready to rise again. In fact, Harry Potter has been having nightmares and visions that could possibly be the key to overcoming the Dark Lord, but he wonders who can help him decipher the dreams. As Harry faces the challenge of his life, he hones his skills and tries to figure out whom he can trust, including his classmates, competitors, and even the new teacher who is mentoring him. Unfortunately, it’s not just a game, and it’s not optional. It’s a matter of life and death.The screenplay is intriguing writing. And if you haven’t read the book, you will likely be confused for a while about the characters and story line. But that didn’t seem to be a problem for our packed-out preview audience, most of which was already up to speed on plotlines. The movie is complicated – and long – but amazingly, it holds the audience’s attention for over 2-1/2 hours. The special effects are also masterful, especially the dome, the flying, the dragons, the maze, and the magic of the spells.The "Harry Potter" franchise boils down to one issue for parents. Witchcraft, wizardry, magic, spells, and other supernatural “powers” can pull on the strings of our souls, tapping into the natural, God-given desire in us to perform great spiritual exploits. Children, too, have these interests in the supernatural, but often lack the discernment necessary to make wise choices in their selection of entertainment.So why not teach our children the real deal so that the counterfeit will no longer be appealing? Why not teach them about the School of the Holy Spirit, where ordinary children can be transformed into sword-wielding champions in a real Kingdom of good and evil? It is definitely something worth pondering. As I left the theater, I asked the father of two small children if he thought his kids would have nightmares after seeing the movie. He replied, “Oh, no. Trust me, they’ve seen way worse than this.” Oh no is right. God, help us.

power in sharing our faith

Have you tried sharing your faith in Jesus and haven't seen any positive response? Check out what Bill Bright says at http://www.greatcom.org/english/spirit.htm

powerful verse

Mark 7:9 ... "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!"
Jesus here was pretty fired up and he was all guns blazing at the Pharisees who were missing the point.
I wonder what he would say to a church that has the scriptures that say ...
Acts 2:37-38 "Brothers, what shall we do [to be saved]?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptised ..."
But instead we follow a tradition begun a couple hundreds years later of baptising children instead of baptising a person making a decision to follow Jesus.
Interesting!

inspiration

Who inspires you?
I find inspiration in all sorts of places, but recently I've been most inspired by my 11 year old daughter.
Not long ago she was in my office and looking through my books and asked to borrow some. She borrowed "How to win friends and influence people", "Strategy for Living" and some other self-development books.
Now if that isn't amazing enough, she's read them all and is putting the stuff into practice. She's proving she's not just a learner, she's a doer as well, and frankly that inspires me to keep growing.
Cassie you inspire me, go girl!

don't judge a book by its cover

"In the year 1884, a young man from America died while on a visit to Europe. His middle-aged grieving parents returned with the body. They were heartbroken. After the funeral, they began to discuss some kind of a memorial to his memory, not a tombstone or an ornate grave, but a living memorial, something that would help other young men like their son. They decided that something in the field of education would be most appropriate. It would be a kind of memorial that would go on year after year helping to educate young people.
"They arranged for an appointment with Dr. Charles Eliot, then the president of Harvard University. He received the unpretentious couple into his office and asked what he could do for them. They told him about the death of their son and apologized for taking up his valuable time. They explained that they wanted to establish a memorial to his memory -- something that would help other young men like their son get an education. Dr. Eliot looked at the couple with some impatience and a certain suggestion of aristocratic disdain. "Perhaps you have in mind a scholarship?" "No," said the woman in her mild manner belying the quickness and sharpness of her mind. "We were thinking of something more substantial than that -- perhaps a new building or so. . ." "I must explain to you," said Eliot with what seemed a patronizing air, "That which you suggest costs a great deal of money. Buildings are very expensive." Obviously, Eliot did not think that from their appearance they were capable of that kind of donation.
"There was a pause, then the lady rose slowly and asked, 'Dr. Eliot, what has this entire university cost?' Eliot shrugged and, muttering, stated a figure that amounted to several millions of dollars in that 1884 deflationary economy. 'Oh, we can do better than that,' said the lady, who now seemed to have made up her mind about the entire thing. 'Come, dear,' she motioned to her husband, 'I have an idea.' Then they left.
"The following year, President Eliot of Harvard learned that the plain, unpretentious couple had contributed $30 million for a memorial to their son. The memorial is known as Stanford University, named after their son Leland Stanford, Jr.
"God forgive you and me if we let His potential, His gifts, His spiritual gifts slip through our fingers like that." (John A. Huffman, Jr., "Thanksgiving Comes Early This Year")

8 = 6+2

8 = 6+2
Most people cannot distinguish between: 6+2 = 8. 8 = 6+2. The difference can be rather important. The addition of 6 and 2 cannot produce any answer other than 8. But 8 can be made up of combinations other than 6 and 2 (5+3, 4+4, 7+1). Why is this important? Because people start to believe that if you have a 'right' answer there is no need to think further because you can never be more than right. Having the right answer means you do not have to listen to other answers because they can never be 'more than right'. The result is a severe limitation on thinking.
(From http://www.edwarddebono.com/WeeklyMessage.php)

increasing your thinking skills

Here are some websites to check out in regard to increasing your thinking skills. These are some of my favourite authors and thinkers in this regard.
A free course in thinking at http://www.schoolofthinking.org
Edward De Bono, one of the leaders in the area of Lateral Thinking. http://www.edwarddebono.com
Tony Buzan, a leader in the idea of Mind Maps. http://www.mind-map.com
Howard Gardner, leader in the concept of multiple intelligences. http://www.howardgardner.com

goal setting by bill bright

I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step (1 Corinthians 9:26, NLT).
Dear friends: Some critics have said that Campus Crusade for Christ has not always met its very ambitious goals in the past.
That may be true, but I believe it is always good to set goals. If you shoot at nothing, you are certain to hit it. If you don't have any goals, you're not going to achieve anything worthwhile for the glory of God.
We have always been a goal-setting movement, and I have always believed in big plans, because small plans do not influence the minds and hearts of men and women. Also, God is glorified when we bear much fruit (John 15:8), and I know that it is God who works in me to will and to act according to His good purpose (Philippians 2:13).
We have not always seen our goals fulfilled, however. For example, we set a goal of attracting 100,000 people to EXPLO '72 in Dallas. "Only" 85,000 showed up, which still made it the biggest event of its kind in history. Actually, more than 200,000 attended a special musical event on the last day. Approximately ten times more people participated in EXPLO '72 than in any other similar Christian training event. Yet some of the newspapers said it was a failure because we didn't achieve our goal!
Friends have cautioned me against goal-setting because they think falling short of announced targets makes me look stupid. I am not worried about what people think. I want to please the Lord, so I do what He tells me to do. And God has led us to set many goals and prayer targets from the beginning of this ministry.
There is no doubt in my mind that our goals, whether we achieve them or not, have helped bring additional millions of people to Christ. So I am happy to undertake great and ambitious things for God even at the risk of failure and being criticized by others.
Goal setting involves aiming. You have to have a target at which to aim. The opposite of aiming is aimlessness. Paul said, "Aim for perfection" (2 Corinthians 13:11, NIV). Let us aim for perfection in all that we do for the Lord and He will take care of the results.
I do not believe our Lord will rebuke me for aiming at 100,000 at EXPLO '72 and only getting 85,000. But He might not be pleased if we only aimed and planned for 50,000 and missed those extra 35,000 He wanted to reach.

values 101

When the legendary John Wooden was coaching basketball at UCLA, he seldom made home visits to prospective players. He did make an occasional exception, however, like the time he went to see an extremely talented prospect who had great potential to help his team.
Wooden had every intention of offering the player a scholarship that night. In fact, all the necessary paperwork was ready and waiting in the pocket of his suit coat. But when he left the player's house later that evening, the scholarship was still in his pocket.
What changed Wooden's mind? His decision had nothing to do with basketball, that's for sure. Rather, as Wooden watched the player interact with his mother, he was troubled by what he saw as a decided lack of respect. He surmised that a young man who spoke disrespectfully to his mom probably wouldn't respect his coach, either. That was enough to keep Wooden from offering him a spot on the team.
When Wooden shared this story with me, he noted that he had often passed on exceptional talent if the player lacked good values. "What I have found is, just because the talent and the giftedness is there doesn't mean you're going to be able, as a coach, to bring it out of them," he said. "But if their values are there — the right ones — you can bring the best out of them every time."
This story is a great illustration of an important teamwork concept: Values — those guiding principles that influence and guide behavior — determine the foundation of the team. When the members of a team are guided by respect, integrity, excellence and other positive attributes, their footing as a group is strong. Their shared values provide stability for their organization to build upon.
That's not all a strong set of values will do for a group of people working together, of course. Let me illustrate with a few word pictures.
• Values are like glue. They hold an organization together.
• Values are like a ruler. They set the standard for a team's performance.
• Values are like a compass. They give direction and guidance.
• Values are like a magnet. They attract like-minded people.
• Values provide identity. They define and identify the team.
It's easy to talk about values in a generic sense. It takes a bit more effort to identify the specific principles that your company or team lives by, and even more discipline to communicate those values effectively to each person you hire. Sharp new employees will be able to ascertain much of what your organization believes in by watching your team in action. But it's always helpful when you reinforce those nonverbal messages with some kind of structured presentation that explains who you are and what you believe in as a company.
I did this very thing several years ago when I moved my company to Atlanta from San Diego. We hired quite a few people when we moved, and to bring them up to speed on where we had come from organizationally, I gave them a formal overview of who we were and what was important to us.
In this talk, I articulated the following values to my team:
1. Personal growth.It is the responsibility of each individual to grow personally, but it's the leader's responsibility to help facilitate that process. You can grow your organization only as much as you grow your people.
2. Making a significant contribution. I believe every person ought to do something that he or she truly believes is making a difference.
3. Living and working with passion. I don't know about you, but I want everyone around me to love what they do as much as I do. I have no desire to motivate people the people I work with to get passionate about life. I would rather beg them to find another job!
4. Commitment to excellence. As I've written in this column before, I believe each of us should set the bar higher for ourselves than anybody else will.
5. Team leadership.The only way to build a successful organization is by developing a great team around you.
6. Living a life of integrity. Without this, everything else is meaningless.
Finally, the best way to ensure that everyone on your team is guided by similar principles is to examine each prospective employee through the lens of your organization's values and hire only those individuals who share those same values. If their values already match yours, they'll fit in much more quickly and start being productive a lot sooner than they would if you had to help them adapt to your company's mindset.

the abc's of trust

These five practices build trust with staff.
#1: Promote accountability among workers.
#2: Build up one another.
#3: Communicate consistently and effectively.
#4: Celebrate your people's accomplishments.
#5: Give clear and firm direction.
(Christian Management Rport, June 200, P.14)

what's most important to your employees

These are the results of a survey of Christian workplaces about what is most important to you as an employee:
#01: There's a high level of trust between senior management and employees.
#02: Management seeks and acts on the suggestions of employees.
#03: Our leaders behave with fairness and integrity.
#04: My organisation is well managed.
#05: My organisation conducts its activities openly and honestly.
#06: I'm very satisfied with our level of Christian fellowship and spirituality.
#07: I'm satisfied wit hthe recognition I receive for doing a good job.
#08: I'd rate my organisation as a superior place to work.
#09: Our leaders demonstrate compassion for people at all levels.
#10: We're encouraged to experiment and be innovative.
#11: Our leaders exhibit the fruit of the Spirit- love, joy, peace, kindness, etc.
#12: Management explains the reasons behind major decisions.
#13: I'd recommend my organisation to others as a good place to work.
#14: People are held accountable for doing what they say they'll do.
(Christian Management Report, June 2005, p.10)

where goals fit in

Think of the following hierarchy to demystify vision, strategy, and tactics:
(1) Core Values: Enduring tenets—guiding principles—to adhere to no matter what mountain you climb. These never change.
(2) Core Purpose: The underlying “why” you climb mountains at all.
(3) BHAG: The specific mountain you are currently trying to climb.
Strategy: The route you intend to take and the general methods you intend to use to reach the top of that specific mountain.
(4) Base Camps: Intermediate objectives to the top of the mountain. If you have a ten- to thirty-year BHAG, these would be three- to five-year intermediate goals on the way up the mountain.
(5) Tactics: Specific methods for climbing the sections of rock and ice that confront you right now. These would be analogous to detailed annual plans for getting things done this year on the way to the five-year goal.

A BHAG

Every graduate of Harvard is apparently asked what their BHAG is. BHAG is Big Hairy Audacious Goal. What is yours?
A good BHAG has Five criteria of a good BHAG: (1) Are set with understanding, not bravado. (2) Fit squarely in the three circles of your Hedgehog Concept. (3) Have a long time frame—10 to 30 years. Are clear, compelling and easy to grasp. (4) Directly reflect your core values and core purpose.
(From http://www.jimcollins.com/lab/buildingVision/p3.html)

4 important life questions

Q1: What would I try to do if I thought that I might succeed?
Q2: What goals would I set for my life if I knew I could not fail?
Q3: What price am I will to pay?
Q4: What sacrafices am I willing to make?
(From sermon by Jerry Falwell, The Mission of the Church, 2 Feb 2003, http://crossroadschurch.com)

church leader resources

Here are some church leader resources
- Bible studies http://ministryblue.com/studies/Studies.html
- Christian statements of faith http://ministryblue.com/belief/index.html
- Chruch Growth Australia http://ministryblue.com/growth.html
- Game Ideas http://www.ministryblue.com/studies/resources.html
- Youth Leadership http://ministryblue.com/studies/ym.html
- Movie ideas http://ministryblue.com/movies.html
- Worship Resources http://ministryblue.com/studies/w-index.html

homosexual perspective

Check out this site for some useful resources in dealing with homosexuality. http://www.ministryblue.com/gay.html

placing employees

Take the prospective employees you are trying to place and put them in a room with only a table and two chairs. Leave them alone for two hours, without any instruction. At the end of that time, go back and see what they are doing.
If they have taken the table apart, put them in Engineering.
If they are counting the ceiling tiles, assign them to Finance.
If they are waving their arms and talking out loud, send them to Consulting.
If they are talking to the chairs, Personnel is a good spot for them.
If they are wearing green sunglasses and need a haircut, Computer Information Systems is their niche.
If they mention what a good price we got for the table and chairs, put them into Purchasing.
If they mention that hardwood furniture DOES NOT come from rain forests, Public Relations would suit them well.
If they are writing up the experience, send them to the Technical Documents team.
If they don't even look up when you enter the room, assign them to Security.
If they try to tell you it's not as bad as it looks, send them to Marketing.
If they are sleeping, they are Management material.
(from The Good, Clean Funnies List)

is there a cook?

"Sometimes when I'm faced with an unbeliever, an atheist, I am tempted to invite him to the greatest gourmet dinner that one could ever serve, and when we finished eating that magnificent dinner, to ask him if he believes there's a cook." (Ronald Reagan)
(From www.preaching.com)

preaching resource

Some websites are valuable enough that we need to be reminded of them. The Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) is provided through the courtesy of volunteers at Calvin College. The CCEL is an electronic library featuring thousands of books and other works, ranging from the early church fathers to Puritan sermons to 20th century works by G.K. Chesterton. This is one of those sites that should be bookmarked on every preacher's computer:
www.ccel.org

oh yeah, the value of small groups

In a recent sermon, John Huffman shares this: "The September 12, 2005, issue of The New Yorker has a profoundly observant article about Saddleback Church and how Rick Warren's congregation grew. It's titled, 'The Cellular Church.' After describing the phenomenon of Rick Warren's ministry, the success of his book, The Purpose-Driven Life, and the huge mega-church he's built here in South Orange County, the author, Malcolm Gladwell, becomes quite philosophical. He notes that vibrant churches hold one thing in common, no matter how small or large they are. They basically are made up of 'small groups' of committed people who know each other and are united in a common commitment. He quotes philosopher Dick Westley, who writes:
As I see it, one of the most unfortunate misunderstandings of our time has been to think of small intentional communities as groups "within" the church. When are we going to have the courage to publicly proclaim what everyone with any experience with small groups has known all along: they are not organizations "within" the church; they are church.
The article goes on to note the church in the United States is becoming increasingly active in producing volunteers who are bringing change to our environment. Princeton sociologist Robert Wuthnow, who has studied the phenomenon closely, says:
Small groups are networks . . . They create bonds among people. Expose people to needs, provide opportunities for volunteering, and put people in harm's way of being asked to volunteer. That's not to say that being there for worship is not important. But, even in earlier research, I was finding that if people say all the right things about being a believer but aren't involved in some kind of physical social setting that generates interaction, they are just not as likely to volunteer."
(From e-news, www.preaching.com)