Self,Preservation,Word,In,A,Dictionary.,Self,Preservation,Concept.

I Renounce Self-Preservation

I Renounce Self-Preservation I am being convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit today, and in response I make my confession in the presence of many witnesses: I repent from and renounce the inclination of my flesh toward self-preservation. What do I mean by self-preservation? I mean the inclination of the flesh to back off a little bit from the edge of controversy or risk or implicit obedience to Christ in order to protect one’s sense of security. To qualify my meaning, I’m not talking about positive kinds of self-preservation that are helpful and necessary to preserve human life. There’s … READ MORE...

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Finding Unity in a Polarized World

Our world is polarized socially, especially along political lines. When people in the world are nasty to each other, we Christians are not all that surprised; what’s disturbing, however, is that our … READ MORE...

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The Center Cross at the Center

Two thousand years ago, a bloody execution site in Jerusalem became the heart of everything we believe and hold dear. It’s utterly preposterous to the natural mind, but that’s where God died. When … READ MORE...

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Resolve the Crisis in Your Marriage Jesus’ Way

Brad and Anna had a happy marriage. They were both devout believers in Jesus, fell madly in love, and married soon after college. In time, they began having children, were active in their church, and to all appearances seemed to have a peaceful, happy … READ MORE...

EXPLORING WORShIP bLOG (2)

Get Control Then Lose Control

Through their leadership style, some worship leaders maintain such a high platform profile that they actually distract people from worship. It’s hard to see the Lord when the leader is so large. I believe worship leaders can provide clear leadership while also … READ MORE...

EXPLORING WORShIP bLOG (1)

Look Three Directions in Worship

Some churches are highly interactive between worshipers in their worship services while other churches prefer to go vertical and focus only on Jesus. Some might argue that one model is to be preferred over the other, but I argue for both. In fact, I see … READ MORE...

Loyalty Message (1)

Entropy

The dictionary defines entropy as a gradual decline into disorder. The word points to the tendency of everything in the universe to ultimately die and become inert. In other words, everything in our world constantly tends to deteriorate and … READ MORE...

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Reap the Whirlwind

Let me share with you the Scripture that is at the front of my heart as I’m stepping into 2018. It’s Hosea 8:7, “They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind.” God was confronting idolatry through Hosea. By following false gods, the people were sowing to … READ MORE...

Awaken Blog Window

5 Ways to Awaken Your Spiritual Vitality

For a vine to produce succulent grapes year after year requires constant dressing. The vine must be pruned, fertilized, protected, watered, and harvested. If the vinedresser gets negligent or lazy, the health of the vine suffers. In the same way, for our … READ MORE...