Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

Thankful

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Thanksgiving,reflection,grateful,being thankful,giving thanks,personal inventory,remember,journaling

It’s a holiday here in the United States, and I struggled considering whether or not to write about being thankful on Thanksgiving. It seemed just a little too easy and far too cliché. At the same time, I have been learning the importance of reflection, so I know it’s important to take the time to pause and consider how much God has done for us. Holidays are ideal for this sort of activity. They are markers along the road of our lives. Just as Joshua set up a pillar of stones to mark the passage into the Promised Land and as a reminder of where they had been (Joshua 4), days like Thanksgiving can serve to remind us of all that Christ has done for us.

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What Do You Value Most?

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Jesus first,discipleship,dave ramsey,total money makeover,financial peace,living for Jesus,values clrification,values

Are you living by the values of society or the values of God? It’s easy for the line to get blurred. Sometimes it can be difficult to discern whether something is God’s blessing or simply the result of selfish ambition. Especially for those of us in the West, the temptation to conform to what our culture considers to be normal can be overwhelming. We try to keep up with the Jones’s instead of humbly serving and loving them. Our focus tends to be on our personal enjoyment or on the size of our retirement nest egg. Satan is having a field day with our values, and too often Christians are excusing it in the name of God’s favor.

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A Small Group Primer

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intentional community,shane claiborne,the simple way,discipleship,small groups,life groups

Perhaps no single idea has been so universally embraced by the church over the past 30 years as that of the small group. It is the strategic backbone of larger and smaller congregations alike. Too often these groups become nothing more than just another clique or a social club. Friendships develop, and there is a passing attempt at working through a Bible study booklet, but rarely do you find these groups engaged in the mission of Christ. There are exceptions; perhaps you belong to one of these. I do know of groups building intentional communities with tremendous outreach; they exemplify the early church. However,  if you belong to one of the more common implementations of a small group – one not engaging your culture – then it’s time to ask some hard questions.

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No Fear

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Jesus first,making disciples,the great comission,francis chan,david platt,multiply movement,multiply,radical,crazy love

Having just participated in the ‘Multiply Movement’ webcast put on by Francis Chan and David Platt, I have come away both convicted and encouraged. The event centered on the command of Jesus to go out and make disciples. As the last command given by Jesus before He ascended to Heaven, disciple-making is one of our primary objectives. We are not only to live as disciples ourselves, but we are to multiply that by making other disciples who will make other disciples who will make other disciples. This is how the message of Christ will expand and change our world! The love of Jesus is not something we can keep to ourselves. To be real, love must be shared.

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Election Results

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barack obama,mitt romney,election 2012,vote Jesus,Jesus for president,love

As the dust settles on another election in the United States, about half the country is depressed and half is elated. Listening to the radio and various conversations today, it seems that a good number of Christians find themselves deflated, defeated, and depressed. This is the result of putting our hope in earthly governments and finding at least some of our identity in our nationality. As followers of Jesus, we must remember that we are not of this world (John 15:19). We have a higher call to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We are to reflect the light of God’s truth into the dark world around us. Carrying out the mission of Christ remains our commission regardless of who happens to be in residence at the White House.

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