by Clarence E. Stowers | Jan 31, 2014 | Encouragement, Goals, Leadership, Networking, Teamwork
I need your help!
I’m noticing a disturbing trend on my Facebook timeline. It’s filled with negativity, sexually suggested dancing, fistfights, & bizarre/demonic criminal behavior. It appears people are in despair & perhaps have lost hope. Facebook and other social media outlets are the places people gather to mingle and converse. They are today’s wells….the gathering place for people to catch up on what’s happening. If Jesus were here today, he’d log on to Facebook.
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Jul 14, 2013 | Current Affairs, History, Mind Dump, Politics
While vacationing in the Caribbean in January – February 1967, Dr. ML King, Jr. wrote the 1st draft of his last book “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” King looks back at the civil rights struggle of the 1950s and 1960s. In his book, Dr. King discusses what African-Americans should do with their new, dearly fought for freedoms found in-laws such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He concludes that all Americans black and white must unite to fight poverty and create a new equality of opportunity.
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Jun 27, 2013 | Dating, Decisions, Family, Fun Stuff, Relationships, Teamwork
I would like to think it was easy to be married to me for 21 years but my wife’s commitment to be with me drew her into a life of many challenges. Don’t misunderstand, we’ve been blessed in many ways and we’ve had many good years together. Yet the life of a Pastor (or being married to him) is not easy. Shortly into married life, as I was still training for ministry, I became a co-pastor and we enjoyed a brief time in ministry. Then the opportunity came to transition to senior pastor in May 1999. We are still here and Mars Hill has grown exponentially.
June 27, 1992
Jackson, Mississippi (more…)
by Clarence E. Stowers | Jun 5, 2013 | Christian, Christianity, Encouragement, Motivation
Each day has troubles. Sometimes the troubles are so great that we think they will break us. Unimaginable troubles…we never saw coming, hit us with such force, we are knocked down. We look up, searching for help, but we feel weighted down where we are. God knows we will have troubled times such as these. He desires we place our hope in Him rather than our circumstances. In order to do that, we must have a healthy understanding of hope.
What Is Hope?
In Scripture, hope is a confident expectation for the future, describing both the act of hoping and the object hoped for. When grounded in God, hope provides the motivation to live the Christian life even in the face of trouble. Having hope is to imagine a favorable outcome because we’re confident in hope’s source.
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by Clarence E. Stowers | May 28, 2013 | Communication, Current Affairs, Decisions, Encouragement, Motivation
Someone once said “your past can be used as a crutch or a springboard to a better tomorrow.” Those who use their past as a crutch are hindered by it and fail to move forward. Our past is important because it influences our future, it reminds us of God’s grace, and provides helpful lessons for today.
Why Is It Important To Remember The Past
It is vitaly important to study and remember the past to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. History is littered with leaders & politicians who have not studied the past and have fallen into the same trap as their predecesors.
Our Past Influences Our Future
*Then Jacob called together all his sons and said, “Gather around me, and I will tell you what is going to happen to you in the days to come.”* (Genesis 49:1)
Jacob blessed each of his sons and then made a prediction about each one’s future. The way the men had lived played an important part in Jacob’s blessing and prophecy. Our past also affects our present and future. By sunrise tomorrow, our actions of today will have become part of the past. Yet they will already have begun to shape the future. What actions can you choose or avoid that will positively shape your future?
Our Past Can Be a Reminder Of God’s Grace
*Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer—”the stone of help”—for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!” *(1 Samuel 7:12)
The Israelites had great difficulty with the Philistines, but God rescued them. In response, the people set up a stone as a memorial of God’s great help and deliverance. During tough times, we may need to remember the crucial turning points in our past to help us through the present. Memorials can help us remember God’s past victories and gain confidence and strength for the present.
The Pain From Our Past Provide Helpful Lessons For Today
*All these events happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us, who live at the time when this age is drawing to a close* (1 Corinthians 10:11)
Today’s pressures make it easy to ignore or forget the lessons of the past. But Paul cautions us to remember the lessons the Israelites learned about God, so that we can avoid repeating their errors. The key to remembering is to study the Bible regularly so that these lessons remind us of how God wants us to live. We need not repeat their mistakes!
