I heard this heard statement before and it’s about making the most of what you have and being content with your life. Although I could not find the actual verse that bears directly on this statement, 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 suggest the idea of contentment.
Paul had been giving instruction in Chapter 7 regarding marital status. Apparently there was some level of discontent among the believers where there was an inordinate desire to change their state from single to married or from married to single.
Maybe those who were in mixed marriages were envious of those who were in Christian unions. Maybe those who were married wished that they were single so that they could serve the Lord more devotedly. In any case, Paul feels a need to pause and address the wider problem of contentment with your assigned role in life.
I am amazed at all God did @ Mars Hill yesterday. It officially goes down in history as one of my favorite Sunday’s of ALL TIME. Why? Spirit-filled men ignited praise that spontaneously spread throughout our congregation & in our overflow (on video). Spiritually, God’s doing something ‘new’ and ‘powerful’ at our church and it blows my mind each Sunday. I’m trying to wrap my head around and rationalize what God’s doing, but it’s difficult to explain an authentic “move of God.”
I want to begin 2011 not by reflecting on the past, but looking towards the future of life as I see it. You’ve probably noticed I’m a technically progressive pastor/leader who keeps his ear to the ground. It’s my job to be a modern day Son of Issachar – one who “discerns the times & knows what to do.” (1 Chronicles 12:32)
Whenever we go through a major change in our culture, it seems we have to adjust to ‘the new normal.’ And today is no exception — as the U.S. economy struggles to recover from the financial crisis, Americans are being forced to reckon with more ‘new normals’ than we’d like.
Here are some of my predictions for 2011 and years to come:
Two weeks ago I blogged on “Investigating Christmas.” It was informative, concise, and though-provoking (at least that what my readers thought). After Christmas I took a break from blogging to spend time with my family, fix a few things around the house (ok, I paid someone to do it – I supervised), and work under the hood of my blog/website.
There were several changes made to my blog (all under the hood) and it’s much faster and stable. Although you can’t see the changes, trust me: they were significant. Once again a BIG THUMBS UP to the coldest blog designers Arcane Palette! Chris really came through BIG TIME getting THIS SITE up and running in a SHORT amount of time. If you’re considering starting a blog, I HIGHLY recommend you connect with the folks at Arcane Palette.
I have the greatest members in the world!
Monday, I was in official recovery mode from Sunday’s CRAZY/INSANE worship experiences! While recovering, I received a phone call from Rolanda (a member) and she shared an amazing idea (thanks Ro). Our church’s focus this year is three. sixty. five. What does that mean? I’m challenging our members to ‘BE’ the church 365 days a year instead of 52 weeks each Sunday.
Rolanda challenged me to share an encouraging word to our members EACH DAY this year and I gladly accepted her challenge (my sheep know my voice). Additionally, I decided to use this blog, Facebook, & Twitter to accomplish the aforementioned. Therefore, if you are not following me, please do so & encourage others to do the same.
three. sixty. five. day 1
Let’s start with this premise: THERE’S NOBODY GREATER THAN JESUS!
There’s POWER in your PRAISE! Sometimes we must ‘STOP FIGHTING’ our battles and PRAISE HIM in the midst of our battles. God says, “He will fight for us and He releases His Power and Provision on our behalf.”
We live in a changing world. Someone recently said, “the only constant in the world is change.” Let’s face it, we’re changing every year, month, and each week. Truthfully, how many of us look the same as we did five years ago? Not many! Things are changing right before our very eyes and what was on the cutting edge moments ago is now almost obsolete.
A friend recently shared how he went to purchase a case for his original Motorola Droid cell phone. When he asked to see a few cases, the salesperson laughed and informed him that his phone was old and suggested he should check eBay. Amazing! Why? The phone’s only 11 months old.
As pastor who tends to be ahead of the curve on what’s happening, understanding change and knowing how to lead change is an indispensable art in leading today’s church. Over the last 12 years I’ve led our church through some significant changes and here’s a few things I’ve learned about change:
We hear a lot about how leaders must have a burning red-hot vision from God. If we accept Bill Hybel’s definition of vision(I do), then what exactly does it mean to have a vision? How can you tell if you’re moving in the right direction? Great! I’m glad you’re pondering that question.
As a subscriber to Harvard Business Review OnPoint Journal, I behaved like a child at Toys R Us upon receiving the Winter 2010 edition. “Turning Your Vision into Reality” is this month’s theme and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Vision is popular buzzword among leaders, especially church leaders. Unfortunately, many pastors attend conferences and come away with visions hijacked from others, falsely believing that God will do the same for their church. I call this ministry pornography (I’ll blog about that later).
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Best regards,
Clarence E. Stowers, Jr.
