Excel Still More

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Every family is different, so it can be tough to do episodes on helping families grow. However, we all love our families. We share special connections with them. And, families are important, no matter how different they may be. As goes the families, go the churches, community, nation and world!  The power to change our collective future is found behind your own front door. So efforts to build stronger, more godly, families are worth the work!

So how do you go about making your family stronger? There is a secret. There is one thing that matters more than anything else! If you can tap into this secret today, and focus in on it, there is no limit to how much things can improve! 

- Do you want to see your family be more Godly?

- Is it easy to identify the mistakes others are making in your home?

- Do you do a lot of lecturing and pointing out the failures of others?

- Do you know the actual secret to your family and their future?

- Are you willing to start in the right place and make the biggest difference?

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Christians try to live lives filled with blessings. And doing what God says is a great way to build a great life. You will avoid a lot of damage that people in the world incur. However, problems are still a part of this life. Even believers see damage in their lives. Maybe it is relationship trouble, maybe economic woes, or health concerns. Sometimes it is our fault, sometimes it is not. The question is, how do you handle that? Do you know how to minimize the damage? I want to tell you a short golf story to help you see how to make things worse, and then encourager you how to make things much, much better.

- Why does faithfulness matter?

- Do Christians still have bad things happen?

- What are mistakes people make when they are angry?

- How can we learn from a teenage golfer?

- Are you ready to take control of your problems and minimize them?

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I really wanted to do an episode titled "Don't Get Involved." It was almost recorded. It just seems like, in our time of political, medical, and social divide, just about everyone who jumps in only makes it worse. Have you noticed that? We are Christians and speak the name of Jesus, but do we really have to jump in to every fight?  Do we have to try and help every situation? I don't think we do.  In the first century, Christians laid low. They didn't try to change the government or the Judaizing system.  Maybe we could learn a thing or two.

HOWEVER, I then got into the Word of God in daily bible read, and He changed me. He does that a lot. There are times to get involved, if we hope to do our work in Christ. But, there is a way to do it. Until we know that way, we should lay low. But once we learn that way, we can change the world.  Let's explore I Timothy 1:5 today!

- Should Christians get involved in social issues?

- How should we do this to actually help?

- Do we sometime lay low when we should be active?

- What is the goal of every instruction you make to others?

- How can the right heart, conscience, and faith change the world?

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!

The first church presentation I ever gave was back when I was 10 years old. The topic was optimism or pessimism. I actually remember it quite well.  We talked about glasses of water, roses and thorns. To be honest, my whole life I've tried to be positive and have had a very hard time being around negative people. But, how can we help them? What do they need to know, or maybe you and I need to know, about how negativity hurts us and others? And what are three clear things we can do daily to be more positive people?

- Are you a negative or positive person?

- Why is optimism so important and good for you?

- What are problems that negativity adds to your life?

- Should Christians see life differently than others?

- What are three things you can do to be a more positive person?

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!

Darius Fornoux recently published an article titled, "The Science of Developing Self-Control in Life." It is a great read into the parts and pieces that make up a disciplined life. Today's podcast digs into that article and addresses three questions: 1) What is self-control? 2) What will self-control help me do?  3) How do I develop more self-control?

If you need direction and help in focusing on these answer (who doesn't), follow along today. But listen, be optimistic. If you struggle with self-control, God can still save you and use you. If you are strong in other areas, thrive in those. But let's also see that simple steps in figuring out how to control oneself will be the key to reaching greater heights!

- What is self-control?

- What will it help us do better daily?

- How do I develop it?

- Will God save me if I struggle with self-control?

- What can I start doing today to get better control of my life?

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!

Why can't everyone be saved? Do you have to have family members who are lost? Is it written somewhere that most of your friends won't be saved? NO!  The message of Christ is for all men. God wants to save all men. The Gospel has the power to save everyone! Our attitude towards evangelism ought to be optimistic and hopeful.

Every single person who comes to the realization of the foolishness of their choices is ready to be saved by God. His grace is refreshing to all who have experienced life without Him... and that's a lot of people! Will you and I be the messenger of hope for people who suffer? We can and we should. Let's look at an amazing story in Acts 27, where everyone was saved, and draw strength to share that message with everyone we know!

- Is it true that most of the people we know will not be saved?

- Is God's message more optimistic and hopeful than that in Christ?

- So who can be saved? And what must they realize to actually find salvation?

- How were 276 people saved in Acts 27 and what does it teach us about God's grace?

- Are you ready to find the hurting and tell them about the mercy of the Healer?

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!

I'm sure you've heard our title phrase a thousand times. We usually are talking about daily habits that can help us achieve our goals. And while we will look at some of that today, I primarily want you to think of our phrase in a spiritual way. When it comes to our spiritual activities:  both good and bad, how does Practice Make Perfect?  I have been wrestling lately with the idea of balancing confidence in heaven with my daily sin. How can I be saved if I sin? The answer is found in daily pursuits. The answer is found in what I'm trying to do, defending, and working to get better at:  righteousness or sin.  It will make all of the eternal difference. 

- What does Practice Makes Perfect mean?

- How is this statement important to use in our spiritual decisions?

- Is there a different between sinning and practicing sin?

- Is there a difference between righteousness and practicing righteousness?

- How can I be confident in salvation while also being vastly imperfect?

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!

Most of us make commitments. It is a part of living this life. You decide to do something and then you go about getting it one.  Jesus said that disciples will do this carefully. And they will keep their word.  Some of us take marriage vows.  Some bind themselves under oaths.  But it is all the same:  an agreement to do a thing, or a commitment not to do a thing. It is important that we fulfill our vows... unless they are actually curses!  We will look at a story in Acts 23, where men made an oath that was actually a curse! In this case, the best thing they could do would be to break that thing and change.  Maybe that's what you need to do as well.  

- Is is lawful for Christians to make an oath or take a vow?

- What is the difference between an oath and a curse?

- Are we allowed to abandoned our commitments if they are hard?

- Are we allowed to keep a curse if it is actually hurting God and us?

- How can we tell the difference and make wise commitments in this life?

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!

For centuries, mankind believed we were in the center of the universe. The sun, moon and stars all revolved around us. Of course, this isn't true. And it wasn't true, even when we believed it to be. We learned that, in terms of the universe, we aren't very special on our own. We also learned that the sun was way, way bigger than we ever imagined. It is the center of our system of life, and we draw what we need to survive from it. In fact, our light in the night sky, as would be seen from other planets, comes purely from the sun. 

Do you think God set it up that way on purpose? I do. There is a message in the stars about a life that revolves around the true source of light and life. Let's look to ... Him.. and determine if we are trying to live a geocentric life under a Son-centered system.

- Why did people believe the earth was at the center of the universe?

- Why did God design the sun to be our source of life?

- What do the heavens declare about God?

- Is Christ at the center of our lives, both physical and spiritual?

- Are you reflecting this truth, His light, in your life?

- How should every single goal we set be connected to Christ as our center?