by Clarence E. Stowers | Mar 17, 2015 | Christian, Christianity, Empowerment, Encouragement, Mars Hill Baptist Church, Motivation, Self-Leadership
I will never forget a couple who attended Mars Hill Baptist Church of Chicago for five years. They almost never missed a week. They would walk in, hear the message and the music, and walk back out.
Week after week, in and out. They never met anybody. They never established any friendships. They never got involved in ministry. They never joined. They never built a network of support.
After about five years, they went through one of those horrendous, gut wrenching, devastating crises, that shattered their world. The kind that knocks you against the wall and leaves you gasping for breath just trying to hold on.
The real tragedy was, there was nobody there to help them. They had never taken the time to get to know anyone. They had never built any relationships. They had never been there for anybody else in a crisis, and nobody was there for their crisis. That’s sad. Because it’s completely unnecessary.
They could have taken the time before the storm to establish a few key relationships that would have been there to strengthen them when they were going through tough times. So, what do you do when you’re going through one of those horrendous, gut wrenching, devastating crises that shatters your world? Drop your pride and accept help from others. (more…)
by Clarence E. Stowers | Mar 12, 2015 | Accountability, Empowerment, Encouragement, Goals, Motivation, Self-Leadership
As a father, one of the most important things I have learned is that life is not fair.
Life does not always deliver equal portions to everyone. When my sons were younger, I remember trying to split a Baby Ruth candy bar in equal parts. Joshua, my youngest, began protesting because, in his opinion, his older brother had more peanuts. The first thing that came out of his mouth: “NOT FAIR! He has more peanuts than I do.”
That is exactly how life is. It is not divided into equal portions and that is when we scream: “Life is not fair!” Sometimes our portion of life does not seem right. Consequently, we are disappointed, angry, and if we are not careful, we become bitter. Bitterness is often a by-product of finding yourself stressed to your breaking point. All of us can recall moments of unfairness. We find ourselves saying “this should not be happening to me.”
The fact is, you are going to experience pain in life through circumstances, from other people, sometimes intentionally, and sometimes unintentionally. You cannot keep yourself from painful moments. Although you cannot control your circumstances, you can control your response, your reaction, and how you choose to react to a particular circumstance or person that has hurt you. How do you respond when life is not fair?
[Tweet “Life isn’t fair. It does not always deliver equal portions to everyone.”] (more…)
by Clarence E. Stowers | Mar 9, 2015 | Bible Journey, Christian, Empowerment, Self-Leadership
What does it mean when you find yourself saying or thinking—”I cannot take this anymore?”
All of us have been there, yet these words do not mean the same thing to everyone. People reach their breaking point in different ways and if you dig deep enough, you will discover how stress plays an important role in getting us to our breaking point. Stress is a part of life. If you do not have any stress in your life, I would like to suggest that you are probably dead.
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Mar 6, 2015 | Christian, Christianity, Decisions, Empowerment, Encouragement, Goals, Motivation, Self-Leadership
A few months ago, I flew to Orange County, CA. On my return flight, I experienced turbulence somewhere over the Colorado Rockies. Sensing my nervousness, my seat mate looked at me and said, “Do not be worried, if it is your time, it is your time.” Really? You mean to tell me that is the best thing you can say?
He gave me absolutely no comfort! I have never received comfort from people who say, “If it is your time, it is your time.” It does not matter if you are in a car, or on a bus or plane, if it is your time, it is your time. What if it is the pilot’s time? It may not be my time but it is the pilot’s time. The truth is, at some point, we all worry.
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Mar 2, 2015 | Christian, Christianity, Decisions, Motivation, Self-Leadership, Worship
Be honest. Has there ever been a time when you could not hear God’s voice?
Have you ever experienced a period of spiritual dryness? A place some call the desert. Let me be honest with you…the desert IS NOT a fun place. It is dry, lonely, and HOT!
If you ever had a desert experience and are now past it, stop what you are doing and praise God. If, however, you are approaching or are in a desert season, then maybe today’s post can help you get through it.
Everyone goes through a desert or spiritually dry seasons. Be honest, you can recall times when you did not feel “spiritually connected.” You attend church weekly, go to a Bible study or your small group, perhaps you even study your Bible, but God feels a lot more like a distant relative than somebody you are connected to. (more…)
