Revitalize Your Church

  Here are a dozen ways to have a happier home life:  1. Never yell at each other unless the house is on fire, or someone is hard of hearing.  2. Use the 7:1 ratio -- It takes seven positives to counteract the force of one negative -- It could even be more like 10:1. Make sure you speak at least seven affirmations and encouragements for every criticism.  3. Make up your mind not to allow petty annoyances to become barriers.  Always ask, "Is it worth it" before you react.  4. Accept those in your home for who they are, and not what you assume they should be.  5. Determine to brighten up your home whenever you walk in the door.  Some people bring joy wherever they go -- and others bring joy when they go!  6. Express your appreciation and love often. "Please" and "Thank you" are more precious than gold.  7. Hug a lot. Meaningful touch provides a sense of security and belonging (If course, if someone does...

When the sad news of Shirley's unexpected death arrived, I immediately called her husband Dannie.  Before their move to Missouri a couple of years prior, Dannie and Shirley were pillars of our church, and we missed them dearly.  Now, Shirley was gone. " I'm so sorry to hear about Shirley." Dannie was glad to hear from me. I continued, "All of your friends up here in the Northwoods are praying for you." "I can tell," he replied, "I've been amazed at the peace and strength I've felt all the way through this terrible ordeal. It has been just unbelievable. How could I possibly have such peace at a time like this? Then I thought, 'I know why! Someone is praying for me.'" Dannie continued, "You know, Pastor Mark, light travels at 186,282.397 miles per second. But I've discovered something that travels even faster than that -- the prayers of God's people!" "Losing Shirley is the hardest thing ...

You can't do everything  You can't have everything  You can't know everything  You can't fix everything  You can't change everything.  You can't be everything  But. . .   You can do something  You can have something  You can know something  You can fix something  You can change something  You can be something  So. . .  Do what you can  Have what you can  Know what you can  Fix what you can  Change what you can  Be what you can. . .  Without complaining or comparing. . .then leave the rest to God.

"Our prayers lay the track down which God’s power can come. Like a mighty locomotive, his power is irresistible, but it cannot reach us without rails." -- Watchman Nee

A man was bitten by a rabid dog and ended up in bed seriously ill.  He  mustered up enough strength to request a pen and a pad of paper.   Then, he began to write furiously -- page after page.  "Honey, are you  writing your last will and testament?" his wife asked.  "No," he  replied, "I'm making a list of people I'm going to bite!"  "His bark is worse than his bite" has been said both of dogs and  grumps.  Unfortunately, there are some people who can pack a pretty  vicious bite.  Perhaps, you have been "bitten" by someone.  Maybe you felt the sting  of gossip or the barbs of unjust criticism.  Such encounters leave us  wounded and in need of emotional first aid.  How do you handle "attack dog people"  -- the ones who snarl and snap  at you, and will take a hunk out of your behind if you turn your back?  1.  Remember, hurting people hurt people.   When they lash out, ...

Three pastors, attending their monthly ministerial association meeting,  shared what was happening in their congregations. "Things are starting to look up for us," said the Baptist preacher, "we gained three new members last month." "We did better than that!" said the Methodist, "I think revival may be coming! We gained six new people last month!" "Well, we did even better than that!" exclaimed the Presbyterian, "Revival has come! We lost nine of our biggest troublemakers!"

According to Gallup, 71% of American workers hate their jobs (other polls even claim figures as high as 80%.) Now, with so much job hating going around, and it seems like something should be done about it. If you hate your job, then you are the somebody who should do something about it. Things won’t get better if you just sit around wishing it would. Now, I understand that some work environments are toxic and intolerable. In situations like that, the best thing you can do is seek an exit strategy. If you really hate your job that bad, then look for another one. Often, however, job dissatisfaction has much more to do with the worker’s attitude, than a dysfunctional environment. It is with this basis of understanding that I propose the following suggestions for learning to love your job: 1.     Examine your attitude. Are you allowing negativity to poison your spirit towards those you work with? If so, the problem may be more about you than it is abo...