No Matter What
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“Six weeks later, one morning I woke up deaf. The ‘bad ear’ was its normal self, but the ‘good ear’ was just gone; it was now by far the ‘bad ear.’” - Olinger
The Church’s Time to Shine
Prior to 2020, there was only one stretch of time in my life when people ceased from their normal routines and showed a profound interest in spiritual things.
That, of course, was in the days following Sept. 11, 2001. The response was palpable. It was overwhelmingly patriotic, unifying and somber. People also turned their minds toward eternity. In fact, their reaction was so robust in those early days and weeks after the terrorist attacks that some even pondered if we were witnessing the beginnings of a genuine revival.
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“As leaders, we often want the beauty without the pain but the two go hand-in-hand.”
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“Leading a local church in a pandemic and coming out of a pandemic has been filled with both pain and beauty. God has done exceedingly more than I could ask or imagine.” - Eric Gieger
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4 Lessons Learned Through Sickness
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“I’ve learned a lot while on my back and I want to share some of those lessons I’ve learned by leading in sickness.” - Treg Spicer
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On the Fruit of the Spirit, Part 3: Joy
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“If you scan through the uses of this word in the NT, you can’t help noticing something that you may find surprising—the frequent connection of joy with trials.” - Olinger
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On Healthy Minds in Troubled Times, Part 5: Focus
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“…we’re not obligated to think about, let alone agree with, any old thought that pops into our heads. We can direct our minds. We can take charge of our thoughts.” - Olinger
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From the Archives – Finding Happiness in Difficult Times
We’re a week or so into February, so today’s article has a bit of romance for Valentine’s Day and much application (finding happiness in life) for the other days of the year. I came across this true account from Reader’s Digest:
My cell phone quit as I tried to let my wife know that I was caught in freeway gridlock and would be late for our anniversary dinner. I wrote a message on my laptop asking other motorists to call her, printed it on a portable inkjet and taped it to my rear windshield.
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Trust the God Who Provides (Not the Means He Uses)
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“If you have had a stable and steady job for 5, 10, or 20 years, it’s easy to get the idea that the job that is what provides for you. No, God provides for you. …You may say—God has provided a small group for me, a dear friend for me, a healthy church for me, a wonderful ministry for me. These are the means of God’s supply.
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On Healthy Minds in Troubled Times, Part 2: Confidence
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“On the day Christ commissioned Saul as apostle to the Gentiles, he told him he would suffer. He told Ananias, the believer who healed Saul of his heaven-sent blindness….And Saul, now Paul the apostle, tells the believers in the little church at Philippi that this is the common fate—no, the ‘privilege’—of all believers” - Olinger
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On 2 Corinthians 1:8 – “We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength.”
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“When we’re overwhelmed––perhaps by many changes, or by one major change with seismic effects––Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 1:8 will resonate with us: ‘We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength.’ What an apt description of a full load and a heavy heart: utterly burdened.” - TGC
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