Posts Tagged 'grow'

leadership

Published May 22, 2013 Holy Spirit , living 4 Comments
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I’ve been thinking about leadership lately and while I know there are BOATLOADS of great resources, books, conferences, etc to help us with becoming better leaders, here are just a few brief, but helpful thoughts:

  • if you want a particular leadership position, act as a leader for that role before you ever get the title
  • leadership requires us to be continually growing and changing lest we become a stiffling lid
  • character is more substantial than any title
  • effective leadership requires constructive communicating: both listening & talking
  • the Jesus’ paradigm of leadership is service over superiority
  • if no one is following you, you’re merely taking a walk so enjoy the stroll ,)
  • fear is leadership poison
  • good leaders foster teamwork over competition
  • leaders look for ways to bring out the best in their team & to minimize the weaknesses
  • mistakes and failures for leaders aren’t permanent

Just a few quick thoughts on this happy Wed :)

holding pattern

Published May 14, 2013 Genuine love , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , spiritual , travel 2 Comments
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Have you ever felt like you’re in a holding pattern?  Sometimes, it seems like God has me in pause mode & I’m continuing to try & faithfully do what’s been given to me, but it’s like I’m on hold.  When I’ve been on airplanes that have been in holding patterns it’s usually for a few reasons:

  • bad weather could make the landing dangerous – preventing danger
  • our timing for landing was off schedule & we have to wait for our turn – timing alignment
  • the land crew isn’t quite ready for our arrival – proper preparation to prevent a mishap

If you’re in a holding pattern season, getting impatient usually doesn’t help but using the time to nestle into a deeper walk with God is always a great plan regardless of whatever season in which you find yourself :)

don’t quit

Published April 25, 2013 Genuine love , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , saving moses 6 Comments
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When I was recently in Angola with Saving Moses I had an experience that has really been haunting me.  If I understood the situation correctly, I met a mom who had seemed to give up hope on her baby surviving and I’m deeply affected by this – so much that this experience is really starting to challenge some of my thinking.  I think that there are situations where I quit too easily for various reasons (disappointment, discouragement, lack of progress, bad reports, setbacks, etc).  Just because something is difficult doesn’t mean that I should quit or give up.  And even if I’m only making microscopic progress, I’m challenging myself not to quit.

So my encouragement to you is don’t quit!

  • Don’t give up on yourself.
  • Don’t quit on God
  • Don’t quit growing
  • Don’t quit trying
  • Don’t quit on your kids
  • Don’t give up on your potential
  • Don’t quit

Pressure exposes trust

Published April 22, 2013 enemies to intimacy , Genuine love , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , seeing Jesus , spiritual 1 Comment
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There are some really great worship songs that talk about trusting in Jesus & how wonderful it is to trust Him. In theory, I agree with these songs & I appreciate their melodic & soothing tune & words. In practice, however, I’m not very convinced that trusting in Jesus is a really smoothy & groovy road. For me, the challenge to trust in Jesus often exposes areas in my life where I’m not trusting in Jesus well. Furthermore, the adjustments I need to make in those areas to trust Jesus better can be difficult. But at the end of the day, I am wholly convinced that it is truly better to trust in Jesus more than anyone or anything else. Don’t let various pressures tempt you to not trust Jesus :)

When God seems quiet

Published April 19, 2013 enemies to intimacy , Genuine love , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , seeing Jesus , spiritual 4 Comments
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I was reading in Job this morning & I read a verse about when God is silent. This kind of started me thinking about the times when God doesn’t seem to be talking. These times can be really frustrating or let me suggest that these times can be really rich in getting to know God better. Here are some things that could really help you in those times / seasons when God seems silent:
*sometimes God may seem quiet because we don’t give Them (Trinity) the chance to speak – we do all the talking
*for me, I know that God is sometimes quiet, because They (Trinity) are waiting for me to talk
*sometimes I think God is quiet because They want us to lean in & get closer
*sometimes quiet can be an indication of displeasure – is there something I’ve done or said that has been displeasing to God that I need to adjust? This can be a good exploratory question with God
*quiet in a relationship can be an indication of closeness & intimacy: I feel comfortable being quiet with some of my closest friends

doing big things

Published March 27, 2013 enemies to intimacy , Genuine love , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , saving moses , seeing Jesus , spiritual , travel 1 Comment
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Sometimes, I think that God has a quirky sense of humor based on the assignments that seem to get tossed my way.  Over the last several months, I find myself involved in projects, problems and situations that are significantly bigger than my abilites or talents and I keep asking myself, “now why am I doing this?”  Most of my recent assignments from God don’t seem to be in the sweet spot of my talents or skills and many of these assignments are way bigger than me.  As I think about this, it seems like this is exactly the way that God operates – giving us assignments that are way beyond our natural abilities, including Saving Moses.  Perhaps God wants to:

  • help us become bigger & stronger people by increasing the sizes of the challenges that we face
  • increase our dependence & trust in God
  • accentuate God’s abilities through our shortcomings – giving greater glory to God than ourselves
  • keep our eyes trained on God & off of ourselves

Doing big things requires us to rely on God, big time :)

The big picture

Published March 18, 2013 enemies to intimacy , Genuine love , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , spiritual , Uncategorized 2 Comments
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Sometimes I can get discouraged when I look at things in incremental or small ways. For example, when I’m trying to get in shape, I can easily get discouraged with one workout – it hurts, I wish I were more fit, etc. But when I look at the big picture (no pun intended), I can find some encouragement that I’m trying, growing & on the right path to get better, little by little.
This is also true with God, who sees the overall scheme of our lives with precision clarity & not just the small & seemingly incongruous puzzle pieces that can so easily frustrate us. Ultimately, we can rest in the truth that God is working all things to good as we continue to love God & stay true Their (Trinity) purposes & designs for us!! Be encouraged dear friend! :D

Jump!!!

Published March 11, 2013 Genuine love , Holy Spirit , living , missions , prayer , saving moses , spiritual 6 Comments
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I frequently have the challenge of jumping into things without being fully aware of some of the costs, needs, etc. Sometimes this messes me up but more often than not, this strategy forces me to look to & trust in God more than myself because I often get in over my head. If the result of this method is that I increase my trust & dependence on God, then I’m not convinced that this is a bad method. Now don’t misunderstand me to say that we don’t need wisdom – I’m NOT saying that. But I am saying what Prov 3:5-6 says, that we should trust in God more than our own understanding :)

Spring cleaning in February

Published February 11, 2013 enemies to intimacy , Genuine love , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , spiritual Leave a Comment
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In Prov 4:23, we are strongly advised to guard our hearts because the well spring of life comes from our heart. A corrupt heart can create a corrupt life. The same with bitterness, selfishness and lots more.
On the flip side, Jesus tells us in Matt 5:8 that the pure in heart will see God. So the current challenge on which I feel God dealing with me is the state of my heart. I need to clean out some junk & clutter from my heart that are having an adverse affect on my relationship with God. If my walk with God is my life’s goal, then I can’t afford to let my heart get corroded. :)

24/7 Help :)

Published February 7, 2013 enemies to intimacy , Genuine love , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , spiritual 1 Comment
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In my passion to know God, I want to be very careful that I’m not merely a God consumer & in this relationship for what I can get out of God. But in my desire for authentic & genuine intimacy with God, I am reminded from time to time that God is my Helper & I’m not “using” God when I ask for help. Rather, I’m letting God express Their (Trinity) personality when I lean into Them. Maybe one of the best ways I can genuinely love God is to let Them freely express Themselves in my daily living. Perhaps more dependence on God can foster greater intimacy with Them :)

sarahbowling

  • @DavidHolland - thx friend! Looking forward to seeing y'all nxt wk! :) 10 hours ago
  • Don't let your ego write the checks for your future; humility is living today with your feet on the ground :) 10 hours ago
  • @LeeGrady you are totally the best my friend! What an incredible honor to get to meet you - thx heaps for your time & ministry!! :) 13 hours ago
  • A ministry lesson from my dad: sarahbowling.me :) 14 hours ago
  • The answers for yesterday's problems aren't always effective with today's issues: Jesus is the only timeless & universal solution :) 18 hours ago

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RSS Saving Moses

  • Through the Lens of a Camera: A First Hand Account of Angola May 16, 2013
  • Meet Moses: Angola’s Most Devoted Father April 29, 2013
  • Raul Donde: A Sign of Hope in Angola April 18, 2013
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