Carol Round quotes Mother Teresa – ‘It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving’ – as she shares that her new book offers opportunity for adults to teach children about the importance of generous giving.
In a media-saturated world focused on having more, it’s sometimes difficult for adults to teach children about the value of money. Commercials for new toys, video games and other merchandise can distract us from the real meaning of life. (more…)
In her book Doubt: A History, Jennifer Michael Hecht wrote, ‘Socrates counts among those great minds who actually cultivated doubt in the name of truth.’[1]
This seems like a contradiction: Doubt in the name of truth? If something is true, it is beyond doubt; facts are facts, right? And yet, everyone doubts at some point. But what if that doubt could lead you to discover a greater truth about God? Could doubt and truth have something in common? (more…)
‘Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God … Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me … Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?’
Psalm 42 excerpts – cries from the heart of David, calling on God in the midst of despair. We can picture his state of depression. (more…)
Every side of his pickup truck was completely smashed and compacted after Kaleb Whitby struck a semi from behind and was then hit by another semi in a highway pileup caused by morning fog and black ice.
Whitby literally walked away unscathed – with just two Band-Aids – after his Chevy Silverado was banged, spun, and ultimately came to rest in the vice-grip of parallel semi-trucks. By God’s protective hand, he narrowly escaped death. (more…)
RECOVERY FOR CHURCH LEADERS
Dick Hardy, pastoral leadership consultant, writes:
One of the major personal issues for leaders and people in churches is that of pornography. Many church leaders have fallen as a result of pornography addictive behaviour. These same leaders feel isolated and privately cry out for help. (more…)
Life 4 Kids’ Dorothy Gardiner relates this article to Galatians 6:9 (Amp):‘Let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.’
Ed Delph shares another thought-provoker…One of the biggest challenges in life is not allowing a temporary negative to become a permanent negative. It is hard to be rejected and not affected. It’s even harder to forgive someone who has betrayed or disappointed us in some way. (more…)
Mark Ellis brings another great testimony of God’s goodness:As a 19-year-old lifeguard in Laguna Beach, California he was living the lifestyle many only dream about.
‘In the beginning, everything was a new adventure that reminded me of stories I had read as young kid,’ says Dale Ghere. In his free time he dived for abalone, lobsters, clams and halibut. He also pushed beyond his comfort zone with night dives, swimming through blowholes, and making rock rescues. (more…)
Inspirational author Carol Round writes encouragingly for 2015…In her 1908 classic, Anne of Green Gables, author Lucy Maude Montgomery said, ‘Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?’
Although each day is full of promise and expectation, New Year’s is the only day we celebrate with fanfare and excitement. Then, as the days pass, we often find ourselves forgetting January 1 isn’t the only day we can start anew. (more…)
Tim Jack, former Apostolic Church Australia national leader, writes…
Hebrews 2:10 is very relevant for leaders today. The writer says that Jesus passed through suffering so that he might become perfect.
What an amazing statement about Jesus walking through life’s inequities – the injustice and lack of fairness of life – with his integrity intact. His passing through the worst of temptation and abuse gave him a complete experiential understanding of what church leaders endure.
In simple terms Jesus understands all the aspects of the ‘hard times’ we go though. He himself has ‘been there, done that!’ (more…)
Connecting with You! 