The Lord’s Prayer

"Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:9-15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Full of Light

"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,"
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Open Your Heart

"When you really listen to another person from their point of view, and reflect back to them that understanding, it's like giving them emotional oxygen."

                    ~ Stephen R. Covey

Lamp Shine

"And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.""
‭‭Mark‬ ‭4:21-23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Thought of the Week: August 28, 2022

 

Mind & Heart

"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭8:10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Scripture

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Spirit Direction

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
‭‭John‬ ‭3:8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Trust = Foundation

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:7-8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Imitators

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children."
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:1‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Fulfill

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Practice Empathic Listening

 "Next to human survival, the greatest need of a human being is psychological survival - to be understood, to be affirmed, to be validated, to be appreciated."

                                    ~ Stephen R. Covey

Thought of the Week: August 21, 2022

 

Strong & Courageous

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

 "There's something more important than me I need to be there for"

                            ~ Noah Galloway

Sower & the Seed

"And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.""
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13:3-9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Focus - Never Let Anybody tell You what you can't Do

1. If something’s important enough to you, you’ll find a way.

2. Education and Intelligence will take you far, but Determination, Work Ethic, and “Stick-to-it-iveness” will take you further.

                ~ Glenn Shepard

Keep in Step

"If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:25-26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Wise Man’s Heart

"A wise man's heart inclines him to the right, but a fool's heart to the left."
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭10:2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Thought of the Week: August 14, 2022

 

Be Steadfast

"I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:50-58‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Where is our Citizenship?

"But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:20-21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Be Thankful

"For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer."
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4:4-5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Summary

"…He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory."
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Qualifications for a Deacon

"Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus."
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭3:8-13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Qualifications for an Overseer

"The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil."
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭3:1-7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Make a Win-Win Agreement

"An agreement means very little without the character and relationship to sustain it in spirit.  We need to approach win-win from a genuine desire to invest in the relationships that make it possible."

                    ~ Stephen R. Covey

Truth

"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time."
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭2:5-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Thought of the Week: August 7, 2022

 

Keep the Faith, Maintain the Mission

"This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme."
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭1:18-20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Who gets the Glory?

"The one who speaks for himself seeks his own glory. But He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him."
‭‭John‬ ‭7:18‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

Follow the Lord

"Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel."
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭14:14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Walking in the Light

"Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.""
‭‭John‬ ‭11:9-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Wise Opportunities

‬‬ "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:15-16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Life

"It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'""
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

If I Were the Devil

 If I Were the Devil

By Paul Harvey

I would gain control of the most powerful nation in the world.
I would delude their minds into thinking that they had come from man’s effort, instead of God’s blessing.
I would promote an attitude of loving things and using people.
I would dupe entire states into relying on gambling for their state revenue.
I would convince people that character is not an issue when it comes to leadership.
I would make it legal to take the life of unborn babies.
I would make it socially acceptable to take one’s own life, and invent machines to make it convenient.
I would cheapen human life as much as possible so that the life of animals are valued more than human beings.
I would take God out of the schools, where even the mention of His Name was grounds for a lawsuit.
I would come up with drugs that sedate the mind and target the young, and I would get sports heroes to advertise them.
I would get control of the media, so that every night I could pollute the mind of every family member for my agenda.
I would attack the family, the backbone of any nation.
I would make divorce acceptable and easy, even fashionable. If the family crumbles, so does the nation.
I would compel people to express their most depraved fantasies on canvas and movie screens, and call it art.
I would convince the world that people are born homosexuals, and that their lifestyles should be accepted and marveled at.
I would convince the people that right and wrong are determined by a few who call themselves authorities and refer to their agenda as politically correct.
I would persuade people that the church is irrelevant and out of date, and the Bible is for the naïve.
I would dull the minds of Christians, and make them believe that prayer is not important, and that faithfulness and obedience are optional.
I guess I would leave things pretty much the way they are.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Balance Courage and Consideration

 "If people can express their feelings and convictions with courage balanced with consideration for the feelings and convictions of others, they are mature, particularly if the issue is very important to both parties"

                        ~ Stephen R. Covey

Men Sharpen Men

"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another."
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭27:17‬ ‭ESV‬‬