I want to begin with a clearer understanding of simple-mindedness with a quote from Signs of Being Simple-Minded: "Understanding what it means to be simple-minded involves recognizing certain characteristics and their implications for how individuals perceive, process information, and interact with the world. While the term āsimple-mindedā can carry different connotations depending on context, it generally refers to a style of thinking characterized by a lack of complexity, or depth in oneās … [Read more...] about Avoiding Simple-Mindedness
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Gratitude, A Life Altering Virtue
The command to praise God and Jesus Christ can bring into question the what, why and how to. Those called out of the world as Godās people are to proclaim the praises of God the Father, and by extension Jesus Christ: āBut you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9). The Greek word for āpraisesā in 1 Peter 2:9 means virtues, or … [Read more...] about Gratitude, A Life Altering Virtue
The Closeness of God
If we are honest with ourselves, we donāt always have the feeling that God is relevant to our everyday lives. I donāt mean in the overall sense of knowing Godās plan and purpose. I am thinking of something more up close and personal. The longer time goes on, with the subsequent increase of corruption in our societies, the more difficult it is to feel the personal closeness of God -- that He is there for us on a real and personal basis. We may have understanding in our head, but the daily … [Read more...] about The Closeness of God
Three Choices: Good, Evil, or Life
Man has an ability that separates him from all other physical creatures. If he chooses, he can stand outside of his feelings, emotions and even his own thoughts and examine them. However, instead of examining them, he often reacts to life and allows instinct or past conditioning to override the moment of opportunity he has between an experience and a response. Deference is the key to conquering this moment. Author Steven Covey states what distinguishes us as humans is the ability to examine … [Read more...] about Three Choices: Good, Evil, or Life
The Silent Division:Ā Mixing Politics and Faith
In the tapestry of a religious environment, unity and fellowship should be the guiding principles that weave individuals together. However, in recent times our church community has been experiencing a shift. An often-overlooked aspect lurks beneath the surface, causing subtle ruptures among people who should ideally find solace in their shared beliefs. It is not always doctrinal disputes that trigger discord; instead, subjects such as politics, diverse cultures, backgrounds, sports, and other … [Read more...] about The Silent Division:Ā Mixing Politics and Faith
Godly Unity in The Human Realm
At the level of human existence, we all crave more unity. We would like to see our nations, our local communities and particularly our churches and families more united. Through Christ, we are joined to the Father. Unfortunately, we live in an environment where some particularly key factors are not united, not ājoined as a wholeā. As followers of Christ, we have been drawn out of the world and our position regarding unity is decidedly different than the common ideas about unity which … [Read more...] about Godly Unity in The Human Realm
Handling Conflict
We all deal with conflict daily, in many forms. Even the church has conflict, internal and external, from time to time. With the Bible as our guide, which biblical examples can teach us about a specific quality that foils conflict? Where does this quality come from? What does it lead to? Letās consider Gideonās example to identify this quality. Chosen by God as a judge of Israel he was assigned to defeat a threat from neighboring Midian (Judges 6:1-8:21). He assembled an army of 32,000, but … [Read more...] about Handling Conflict