Greetings Internet Campus,
Today is the last part of our discussion about our Ethos...or values. We are going to look at our Potential. Are you being all God created you to be? How do you know? Easy...go back to Monday....let's look at our other ethos elements:
COLLABORATION:
1) Which direction are your friends pulling you? Towards or away from Christ?
DIVERSITY
2) Who are you doing life with? Are they different than you?
ENVIRONMENT
3) How do your 3 environments (physical, emotional, and spiritual) effect you?
THINKING
4) What do you find yourself thinking about most often?
5) Do you make a daily effort to learn something new?
MOVEMENT
6) Which direction do people tend to drift...towards God or away?
7) How can you prevent this downward drift?
If we honestly answer these questions...and continue to focus on Christ...we can reach our potential. My prayer for you this weekend is that you make that your life goal.
See you on campus!
Pastor Brian
Showing posts with label Ethos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ethos. Show all posts
Friday, March 7, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Wednesday 3-5-08 "Thinking"
Greetings Internet Campus,
Proverbs 119:97
Oh, how I love your instructions!
I think about them all day long.
If we are going to develop into the people that God has created us to be, we need to spend some time on our mental growth. I don't necessarily mean intelligence or knowledge...I'm talking about our way of thinking.... Let's ask ourselves three honest questions:
1) What do I find myself thinking about and why?
2) Am I reading?
3) Can I defend what I believe?
The first statement is maybe the most challenging. What do you find yourself dwelling on mentally the most? Is it food? finances? sex? I have found that those topics that take over my thought life crowd out my thoughts about God. What thoughts right now are blocking you from getting closer to God? I believe that our first challenge as Christ-followers is to change the way that we THINK about things. See them through Christ's eyes...leaning on the faith that He will take care of the details. Is your brain holding you prisoner? Want to connect to God's thoughts? Take some time to think about things that are good....things that are right...things that are holy. When you do, you will find that you can start to experience the life that God created you for.
The next statement seems a little odd...reading? I have found that people who lead, read. All of them. If they are effective leaders..they are constantly seeking new information through books. When I was growing up, my mom would challenge my brother and I to shut the TV off and pick up a book...stretch our imaginations. Well today, I've found that if I want to be effective at what I do...I need to learn from those that are doing it. Of course, the Bible is my primary guide to life...I've got to stay in it everyday. In addition, my growth is dependent on learning from other people that I respect. I probably can't get an appointment to sit down with Billy Graham...but I can read his book about ministry. I can read John Maxwell's books about leadership. I can read James Dobson's books about parenting....you get the idea. There are literally millions of words on pages in bookstores that can make me a more effective thinker. If I don't take advantage of the knowledge of others, I will start to stagnate. Stagnant thinking leads to a wilting thought life. We've got to fill our heads with quality words if we want to grow AND eliminate unneeded thoughts.
The last statement requires some digging. When was the last time you asked yourself..."Why do I think that?" When I was in high school, I used to love debate. It gave me the chance to spend time laying out why I believed what I believed. I went to the library, researched my topic, and could defend it all afternoon long when called to. When was the last time you defended something you believed in? How much scripture is memorized? Why do you believe what you believe? If we're going to grow to our potential...we've got to continue to strengthen our thought life.
Write it down: In your journal today, pick one of these three points that needs the most work. Commit to making a change in your mental fitness.
See you tomorrow as we tackle the last two parts of our Ethos.
Pastor Brian
Proverbs 119:97
Oh, how I love your instructions!
I think about them all day long.
If we are going to develop into the people that God has created us to be, we need to spend some time on our mental growth. I don't necessarily mean intelligence or knowledge...I'm talking about our way of thinking.... Let's ask ourselves three honest questions:
1) What do I find myself thinking about and why?
2) Am I reading?
3) Can I defend what I believe?
The first statement is maybe the most challenging. What do you find yourself dwelling on mentally the most? Is it food? finances? sex? I have found that those topics that take over my thought life crowd out my thoughts about God. What thoughts right now are blocking you from getting closer to God? I believe that our first challenge as Christ-followers is to change the way that we THINK about things. See them through Christ's eyes...leaning on the faith that He will take care of the details. Is your brain holding you prisoner? Want to connect to God's thoughts? Take some time to think about things that are good....things that are right...things that are holy. When you do, you will find that you can start to experience the life that God created you for.
The next statement seems a little odd...reading? I have found that people who lead, read. All of them. If they are effective leaders..they are constantly seeking new information through books. When I was growing up, my mom would challenge my brother and I to shut the TV off and pick up a book...stretch our imaginations. Well today, I've found that if I want to be effective at what I do...I need to learn from those that are doing it. Of course, the Bible is my primary guide to life...I've got to stay in it everyday. In addition, my growth is dependent on learning from other people that I respect. I probably can't get an appointment to sit down with Billy Graham...but I can read his book about ministry. I can read John Maxwell's books about leadership. I can read James Dobson's books about parenting....you get the idea. There are literally millions of words on pages in bookstores that can make me a more effective thinker. If I don't take advantage of the knowledge of others, I will start to stagnate. Stagnant thinking leads to a wilting thought life. We've got to fill our heads with quality words if we want to grow AND eliminate unneeded thoughts.
The last statement requires some digging. When was the last time you asked yourself..."Why do I think that?" When I was in high school, I used to love debate. It gave me the chance to spend time laying out why I believed what I believed. I went to the library, researched my topic, and could defend it all afternoon long when called to. When was the last time you defended something you believed in? How much scripture is memorized? Why do you believe what you believe? If we're going to grow to our potential...we've got to continue to strengthen our thought life.
Write it down: In your journal today, pick one of these three points that needs the most work. Commit to making a change in your mental fitness.
See you tomorrow as we tackle the last two parts of our Ethos.
Pastor Brian
Monday, March 3, 2008
Monday 3-3-08 "Collaboration & Diversity"
Greetings Internet Campus,
Psalm 139:13-16 (NLT2)
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
This week we're talking about being the best "you" possible. How can we fulfill the potential that God has put into each one of us? Last weekend, Pastor Troy talked about our "Ethos" or values that we should live by if we are going to be able to accomplish all that God has put into us. Today we're going to pray and study the first two: Collaboration and Diversity
Collaboration - "Who are you doing life with?" If we are going to develop ourselves we've got to ask ourselves this question often. Who are your closest friends? Who knows you at a deeper level? Have you ever stopped and thought about who you spend the most time with? Who is your "go-to" person when times get tough. For some...a spouse. For others...best friends. It is critical as Christians that our closest confidante is a fellow believer. Why? Because in achieving our God potential, we will need to turn to our closest friend and collaborate..plan. When you are looking for answers to Spiritual questions...the real deep stuff...you have to turn to a fellow believer. It's simple. I'm not saying only have Christian friends...far from it...I am saying that your closest friends must be fellow believers.
Diversity - "Am I doing life with people that aren't like me?" - This is absolutely critical if you are going to become the person God designed you to be. Actively seek friendships with others that may have different colors of skin, different ethnicities, different cultures, etc. Dare to get out there and bridge the gaps...mend the fences. Reach out to others that you need to learn from...you will become a better person for it. When we all learn to appreciate people because of their hearts and not about their labels...we will REALLY begin to see Christ's love explode on this planet.
We'll look at more of our Ethos tomorrow...in the meantime ask yourself these questions in your journal:
1) Who are my closest friends? Are they leading me more toward Christ or pulling me away?
2) Do I have any friends that aren't like me?
I am praying for you this week to start to find and develop your God-potential!
Blessings!
Pastor Brian
Psalm 139:13-16 (NLT2)
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
This week we're talking about being the best "you" possible. How can we fulfill the potential that God has put into each one of us? Last weekend, Pastor Troy talked about our "Ethos" or values that we should live by if we are going to be able to accomplish all that God has put into us. Today we're going to pray and study the first two: Collaboration and Diversity
Collaboration - "Who are you doing life with?" If we are going to develop ourselves we've got to ask ourselves this question often. Who are your closest friends? Who knows you at a deeper level? Have you ever stopped and thought about who you spend the most time with? Who is your "go-to" person when times get tough. For some...a spouse. For others...best friends. It is critical as Christians that our closest confidante is a fellow believer. Why? Because in achieving our God potential, we will need to turn to our closest friend and collaborate..plan. When you are looking for answers to Spiritual questions...the real deep stuff...you have to turn to a fellow believer. It's simple. I'm not saying only have Christian friends...far from it...I am saying that your closest friends must be fellow believers.
Diversity - "Am I doing life with people that aren't like me?" - This is absolutely critical if you are going to become the person God designed you to be. Actively seek friendships with others that may have different colors of skin, different ethnicities, different cultures, etc. Dare to get out there and bridge the gaps...mend the fences. Reach out to others that you need to learn from...you will become a better person for it. When we all learn to appreciate people because of their hearts and not about their labels...we will REALLY begin to see Christ's love explode on this planet.
We'll look at more of our Ethos tomorrow...in the meantime ask yourself these questions in your journal:
1) Who are my closest friends? Are they leading me more toward Christ or pulling me away?
2) Do I have any friends that aren't like me?
I am praying for you this week to start to find and develop your God-potential!
Blessings!
Pastor Brian
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