That title is a bit misleading (but it sure is catchy isn’t it?). You can’t actually “control” your thoughts – at least not in the same way that you can control other things, like a blender or a remote control car or a group of dancing robots.
It would be great if you could, but you can’t. You can’t control every thought that comes into your head. Thoughts will creep in that you have no control over. For example:
Read More“You don’t have to believe every stupid thought you have.” Dr. Daniel Amen
That's a summary of this week's message in a nutshell. Too many of us are living as if we are slaves to our thoughts, but in this week's message we saw how we can change our LIVES by changing our THOUGHTS. Specifically, we learned that our thoughts are real things that literally have the power to rewire our brains.
In this week's message, we not only learned the power of our thoughts over our lives, but also a practical way that we can implement God's command to “[bring] every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5)
Read MoreOur kindness challenge has come to end, but not before we went out with a BANG in the finale of The KIND that Breaks.
In this message, we talked about three things we can do to turn our 30 day kindness challenge into a 30 year (or more) kindness lifestyle. In addition, I got some help from some fellow STSA members who were willing to share their stories about how showing kindness has impacted them.
"Our happiness depends FAR more on how we choose to treat others, than on how we ourselves are treated."
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In my line of work, I get all kinds of questions from all kinds of people. People want guidance: “can youhelp me make this decision?” People want answers: “why would God do that?” People want comfort: “what can I do to get through this?”
But there’s another line of questioning that’s become quite common recently and it might surprise you. People want ASSURANCE – they want to know that what they’re doing is the right thing and that they’ve done it correctly. This applies to us more today than ever before – especially to all of my fellow perfectionists and "results-oriented" friends out there.
If that's you, beware: the spiritual life poses a significant challenge to you.
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I am NOT a natural born driver. Never have been and never will be. I'm not one of those people who just gets into a car and "just knows” how it works. In fact, the first time I put my foot on a car pedal I was so anxious that my nose began to bleed.
Despite the effort it takes, there’s great value in trying to learn something new. Since learning is multiplied when shared, I decided to share some lessons I’ve learnt whilst learning to drive a car. These lessons can be applied on the road just as much as they can on your spiritual path.
So buckle up because here we go!
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“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
Ok, so, have you ever read this passage... prayed this passage... meditated on it... wrote it out and stuck it to your bedroom mirror... and STILL FELT ANXIOUS? Anyone???
I think God showed me a little secret a few years ago and He’s highlighted it again this year. Bear with me a little, please, while I get to the point.
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