Revitalize Your Church

In light of the recent violence in Israel, I share the following excerpt from my book, Filled Up, Poured Out : Jerusalem literally means “City of Peace”, but down through the centuries, it has been anything but that. Although we continually “pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” (Psalm 122:6), the answer seems long delayed. Holy Land violence, like a simmering pot, threatens to boil over at any moment. Touring the Old City a few years ago, our group witnessed a riot at the Wailing Wall. A woman rabbi from Manhattan decided to pray at the men’s section of the wall. The Orthodox rabbis went ballistic. Authorities locked down the gates and it took a whole platoon of soldiers to quell the uprising. Needless to say, I was glad to get out of there. My dear Palestinian friend, Hanna Massad, has chosen not to get out of there. Exiled in Jordan after the last persecution, Hanna, a Baptist pastor, keeps coming back home to Gaza, one of the darkest places on earth. Amidst raging conflict a...

"I remember the puzzlement and insecurity of one's first confrontation with his work, along with his name, which is just as new. And then for a long time, nothing, and suddenly one has the right eyes." -- Poet Rainer Rilkie describing his first exposure to work of artist Cezanne

How much "having" does a person have to have? “How much money would it take to make you happy?”  Someone reputedly asked business tycoon, John D. Rockefeller, how much money it would take to make him happy.” The business magnate replied, “Just a little bit more!”   But then, again. . . maybe not. Contentment, after all, isn’t having what you want. It’s wanting what you have. Leo Tolstoy, the great Russian author, told of Parkham, a poor peasant who dreamed of having a "break" in life. Much to his good fortune, he heard about a tremendous opportunity in a distant place. The government said that he could have all of the land he could encircle by foot in a day. Excited about this wonderful possibility, Parkham sold all of his possessions and journeyed to the place where he could pursue his dream of becoming a landowner. At the first crack of dawn, Parkham took off to claim his land! He ran at top speed all day long. Nothing was going to deter him! He wante...

Even though I wasn’t sure exactly what to say,  I talked to God and spoke your name. I prayed for you today. I asked the Lord to give you strength, to calm you from your stress,  To free you from the things you fear and bathe your mind with rest. I asked the Lord to help you in the uphill days to come.  I asked our precious, loving God to complete what He’s begun. He whispered in the quiet and He filled my heart with peace.  He said that you are deeply loved, and that His love will never cease.  --  Greg Asimakoupoulos

The following is an excerpt from my first book, Filled Up, Poured Out : You and I were given two ears and one mouth. That’s because we’re supposed to listen twice as much as we speak; but talking and explaining come easier than hearing and understanding. Why is it so hard to listen? Consider this: We speak at 100 to 150 words per minute. We are able to comprehend at 250 to 300 words per minute. We think at 600 words per minute. So, if you are a fast thinker (600 wpm) and the other person is a slow talker (100 wpm), you still have 500 words per minute left over for thinking about other stuff. For efficient folks, that’s a lot of wasted communication space. Therefore, the fast listener tends to zone out and think about a myriad of other things. Zoning out is evidenced by such responses: “Um hmm,” “Yes, dear,” “I don’t know,” and “Whatever.” Listening is hard work. True listening is more than hearing the words. It’s processing those words and seeking to understand their depth and mean...

In any given situation, there are two kinds of people:  Fault Finders and Solution Finders. Fault Finders immediately see the flaws of the world, the nation, the community, and others.  They seem to get a morose satisfaction in pointing them out.  Of course, there’s no intelligent alternative solution offered – only criticism. Fault Finding isn’t rocket science.  You don’t have to be very bright to gripe and complain.  In fact, such behavior indicates small mindedness. Great minds talk about great ideas.  Average minds talk about the weather.  Small minds talk about other people.  Or, as Benjamin Disraeli said, “To belittle is to be little.” Solution Finders, on the other hand, commit themselves to the harder work.  Like the Fault Finders, they see the problems – but unlike them, they believe there’s a positive solution if you keep looking.  Solution Finders believe that every problem contains the seeds of its own solu...

A tattered book on my library shelf, Deeper Experiences of Famous Christians , by James Gilchrist Lawson, has been a tremendous blessing and spiritual benefit to me down through the years.  The stories of these godly men and women from the past inspire me to plunge in to the deep end of the prayer pool -- and live in the overflow of holy love. A digital copy is available here for free.

  Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free.  Force me to render up my sword, and I shall conqueror be.  I sink in life’s alarms when by myself I stand;  Imprison me within Thine arms, and strong shall be my hand. -- George Matheson