Revitalize Your Church

"Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrod, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."  (from Daily Prayer  by E. Milner White & G. W. Briggs).

Recent tragedies in our world have set me to thinking about the courage to endure. "When Dad died," the young lady remarked, "Mom allowed herself to die along with him. Her body was still alive, of course, but her spirit seemed to shrivel up and disappear." How sad it is when people give up on living before life is really over.  We have a birth date and someday we will have a death date. It is up to us to make the very most of all the dates in between.  Sometimes, going on is the hardest thing to do. It would be much easier to give up and quit trying. Cloistered in an emotional shell, life doesn't hurt so much -- but there's no joy in existing that way.  John F. Kennedy said, "There is, in addition to a courage with which men die, a courage by which men must live." In difficult times, we must possess the courage to live. No matter what happens, we can make the best of it. Annie Dillard, in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, remarked, "Our bodies are...

In honor of the 42nd Birkie today, I am re-posting this delightful story from my first book, Filled Up, Poured Out: Hayward is home of the American Birkebeiner , North America’s largest cross country ski race. 10,500 skiers come from almost every state and many nations to compete in this world-class event. Spectators line snow-covered Main Street, ringing cowbells and cheering weary skiers across the finish line. For two decades, I've been a Birkie cowbell ringer. A day or two before the Birkebeiner, I always pine a little, wishing I had pulled the skis from the rafters and joined the throng of brave souls testing the limits of their endurance. But, as Birkie day arrives, I find myself content to ring cowbells. After all, if everybody skied the Birkie, there wouldn't be anybody left to cheer. Normally, we ring in the elite skiers who finish first. Usually the winner is some Olympic European who hardly broke a sweat. I’m always impressed. The best part of the race, t...

Upon meeting Steven Furtick a few years ago at Newspring's Unleash Conference , I was immediately impressed with his passion for life, God and ministry.  This remarkable young man was consumed by a holy vision that was both extraordinary and inspiring. I walked away saying, "I need some of that!" Well, Furtick has written a challenging book, Sun Stand Still , to help people  (like you and me) discover and demonstrate audacious faith.  It's not a comfortable read. In his own words, Furtick says, "This book is not a snuggie.  The words on these pages will not go down like Ambien.  I'm not writing to calm or coddle you.  With God's help, I intend to incite a riot in your mind." The book challenges people to move beyond the mundane, and to be bold in praying, believing, living, and obeying God. I finished the book under the unsettling conviction that I have settled for less than I should in dreaming God's dreams for my congregatio...

"Good ideas are not adopted automatically. They must be driven into practice with courageous patience." -- Hyman Rickover, Admiral (Special thanks to my friend, Steve Gerich for sharing this quote with me.)

"How, then, find the courage for action? By accepting the human condition more simply and candidly, by dreading troubles less, calculating less, hoping more." -- Henri-Frederic Amiel

Robert Park, a 28 year old American missionary, crossed the frozen Tumen River from China into North Korea on Christmas day, with a letter to leader Kim Jong II. He did this to call attention to the thousands of political prisoners in the nation's concentration camps. As he crossed, he shouted, "I am an American citizen. I bring God's love. God loves you and God bless you!" Presently his fate is uncertain. Please pray for the safely of this courageous young man, and that the North Korean leaders will heed his message. This event reminds me of an earlier Christmas Crossing referenced in Isaiah 61:1-2. Jesus crossed over to us, in order to set the captives free and to proclaim (demonstrate) God's love in a tangible way.

An inspiring site based on the Don't Quit Poem

Throw off the bowlines! Sail away from the safe harbor! Catch the trade winds in your sails! -- Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain)

A Wyoming cowboy was once asked what was the greatest lesson he’d learned from his experiences of ranching. "The Herefords taught me one of life's most important lessons," he replied. "We used to breed cattle for a living, but the winter storms would come and kill 'em off. It would take a terrible toll on the herd. "Time and time again, after a cold winter storm, we'd find most of our cattle piled up against the fences, dead as doornails! "They would turn their backs to the icy wind, and slowly drift downward until the fences stopped them. There, they just piled up and died." "But the Herefords were different than that," he continued. "They would head straight into the wind and slowly walk the other way until they came to the upper boundary fence where they stood, facing the storm. "We always found our Herefords alive and well. They saved their hides by facing the storm!" When the storms of life are raging, our natural ...

Great occasions do not make heroes or cowards; they simply unveil them to the eyes of men. Silently and imperceptibly, as we wake or sleep, we grow strong or we grow weak, and at last some crisis shows us what we have become. -- B. F. Westcott, in a commentary on the Books of Samuel

"There is a barbarian revolt taking place, and its command center is the Kingdom of God. Everywhere the Kingdom of God advances, there is a violent engagement against a dark kingdom. To be born of God is to be made a citizen in the Kingdom of God, and the Kingdom of God is at war. Do not confuse this Kingdom with Paradise. Salvation is not reentry Into a Paradise Lost; it is enlistment in the mission of God." -- Erwin McManus

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." . . . You must do the thing you think you cannot do. -- Eleanor Roosevelt

Commit yourself to something greater than yourself! The world has enough people who go through life seeking their own personal gain. There are plenty of folks who just “go with the flow.” We need individuals who will stand up and dare to be different. What are your convictions? What principles guide your life? A life without principle and conviction is like a boat without a sail or rudder. Nobody knows where it will end up. If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. Those rare people who really make a difference are those who stand on their convictions. This is called character -- a priceless gem available to anybody who is willing to pay the price. Somebody said, “If you stand, just stand. If you sit, just sit. But whatever you do, don’t wobble!” Once you determine your values and convictions, hang on to them for dear life! Don’t wobble! Keeping commitments is hard work. Standing strong in the face of adversity is sometimes lonely. But keep on. Hang on. Don’t wobble....

Christian life involves challenge and conflict whether we like it or not. -- St. John Chrysostom (4th Century Syrian preacher and martyr)

Only those leaders who act boldly in times of crisis and change are willingly followed. -- Jim Kouzes

"Ships in the harbor are safe, but that is not what ships are for." -- William Shedd, Missionary to Iran (1915)

On February 19, 1944, the Battle for Iwo Jima commensed. Nearly one hundred thousand desperate men fought on a tiny island four miles long and two miles wide. The battle was for control of two strategic airfields The Americans knew they HAD to take the island in order to stop Japanese aggression. However, 22,000 determined Japanese defenders were prepared to fight to the death if necessary. That is exactly what they did. The "three day battle" that had been predicted, ended up lasting thirty six days, with nearly 50,000 casualties: 21,000 Japanese soldiers, and 26,000 Americans. It was the only battle in the Pacific where the invaders suffered higher losses than the defenders. "The Marines fought in World War II for forty-three months." noted historian, James Bradley, "Yet in one month on Iwo Jima, one third of their total deaths occurred." There were no front lines. The Marines were above ground, and the Japanese were in a labrynth of caves and bunkers un...

Here's a Great Article by Mark Batterson. Inspiring!! Motivating!!