“Every decision is a small step towards something.”
We’re in Part 3 of Starting Small and this week we’re looking not at the good habits we want to start (see last week), but rather at the bad habits we want to STOP.
Why is it so hard to stop ____? Why can’t I just get past _____? When will I ever find victory over ____?
In this week’s message, we’ll talk about how the solution doesn’t lie in learning to fight HARDER, but rather in learning to fight SMARTER.
Read More
Today’s guest post comes from my good friend, Walter Rooks. Walter is currently serving as an Air Operations specialist in Afghanistan, but he is also a certified John Maxwell speaker, coach and trainer (what he calls “his true calling in life”). You can read more of his work on his blog, Journey of a Lifetime.
Read More
Recently, Fr. Anthony wrote a great post on why we don’t or can’t pray very well. Every word written there is true for me. It’s uncanny! Perhaps the same is true for you. I tried recording all the excuses we come up with to not pray… there’s too many… lack of concentration, laziness, I’m tired, no time…and the list goes on and on.
“God knows what I need. He knows my heart and my good intentions.”
“I talk to God all throughout the day. He’s with me everywhere.”
“I’ve had a long day. I deserve some rest. I don’t want to push too hard or else I’ll break.”
“Of course I pray! When I feel God’s Presence and my emotions well up more than ever, that is my prayer. And those are the most heartfelt and fervent prayers of all!”
Read More
One spiritual discipline that I have encountered the most difficulty in maintaining during medical school has been FASTING. With the Fast of the Nativity upon us, I thought it an opportune time to share how medical school has affected my fasting.
Why do I fast on Wednesdays and Fridays?
Read More
“Prayer – secret, fervent, believing prayer – lies at the root of all personal godliness.” Week 3 of the Extreme Makeover: PRAYER Edition series and this week we moved from the family room (Simple Prayer) into the kitchen...Structured Prayer!
What is structured prayer? Do I really need it? Why is it important? Why can't I just pray whenever I want and however I want?
Those are the questions that I answer in this week's message as we discuss why we need to have consistency and discipline in our prayer life if we are going to fulfill God's plan for our life - which is to be "conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29).
Enjoy the video and if anything stands out to you and you think it's worth sharing, be sure to use the hashtag #PrayerMakeover when you share it.
It’s that time of day – time for your favorite cup of coffee from your favorite coffee shop. You love their coffee, but you hate their prices. Now imagine there’s a new invention in coffee mugs and the first ever “smart” mug comes into existence (it’s just a matter of time before everything is smart and human beings remain as the only dumb thing left on the planet).
A “smart” mug is a coffee mug that turns any regular coffee into your favorite store-bought, brand name coffee. All you have to do is program the mug by pouring your favorite blend in there once and then after that, the mug will automatically turn any coffee into a virtual replica of your favorite brand.
How great would that be? How much money would you save by just making regular coffee and pouring it into this fancy new mug? This would be the coolest mug in the universe and everyone would want to drink coffee out of this mug, right?
But imagine the mug has a problem – not a big problem, just a little one. The mug has a small hole in the bottom of it. It works great and performs all that it promises to perform; the only problem is that it drips scalding hot coffee from the bottom of the cup onto the person who is drinking from it.
Not a big deal, right? Just a small problem, right? Would you use that cup?
Read MoreRound two of Spiritual Sweat at STSA. This week's topic, SIMPLICITY - a message that we all NEED to hear, even though we probably don't WANT to hear. Take a listen and see for yourself.
We kicked off a new series yesterday - one that I am super excited about, called "SPIRITUAL SWEAT: Exercise Yourself Toward Godliness".
In it we're talking about 7 spiritual disciplines that were given to us from the earliest days of Christianity and how practicing these disciplines will help us "get into shape" spiritually. If you are serious about your spiritual life in 2013, you will love this series! Here's the first week on the discipline of MEDITATION.
I'll be taking a break from blogging for the rest of week and probably through New Year's (everyone deserves a break during the holidays right?). Till then, I'll leave you with yesterday's finale in the HUNGERING FOR GOD series - Fasting & Discipline. A good one to listen to as you prepare to make those new year resolutions.
Have a blessed Christmas and New Year's and God willing, I'll see you all in 2013!
