01.13.09
Joy or Conflict…What Do You Bring to the Office?
As the Holiday season was blowing in around the Smith household, we noticed that with all the stress, activity, and undue pressures there was another spirit blowing in…a spirit with a little attitude…conflict! Yep, the Smith family is like any other family, we sometimes have conflict. So in the midst of our conflict, Hollye and I decided to address it. We called a “Family Meeting” and said, “Okay, individually we are either bringing Joy or Conflict to this family…which one are you bringing?” We decided that night as a family we would commit to ask ourselves that question every time we had a disagreement or when things didn’t go our way…”Are we bringing joy or conflict to the family?”
It really was pretty funny to hear our two children about to get into a major argument and little man asked his Big sis…”Joy or Conflict?” Don’t you love it when kids get it? I can’t say that ended all of our conflicts but it sure helped! Our hearts desire is to have a home where there is peace so we try as much as we can to be intentional in the process.
Now what about your Small Group Team or Office…Do you bring joy or conflict to your team? or your marriage, or your home, or even your workplace? What are YOU bringing to the table? God tells us to try to live peaceably with all people. The key word is “TRY”. You are responsible for your part not for anybody else. So here is the challenge…in 2009, try to bring JOY to every place that you enter. Leave the conflict at the door!
What are some ways that you remind yourself to choose a life of joy? Hope you have a wonderful week!
01.07.09
Financial Peace University
Beginning January 10th, Central will begin a series about Financial Peace featuring Jud Wilhite our Senior Pastor with Dave Ramsey, financial expert and host of the Dave Ramsey Show on Fox Business Network. Each weekend, there will be a video interview and then Jud will unpack some of the biblical principles that were discussed. At the end of the series, we will be launching the Financial Peace Study in large and small group environments. Click here to watch a promo video that was played at the weekend services.
I need your input…my question is…”Have any of you had any experience with Financial Peace University Study, what type of experience and response did you have from those who were involved in the study, what are some things you would do differently?” Anything you can give us to help make this a useful tool to help people, please let us know! After we complete the study, I will post our feedback! If you have not done FPU, you can watch the weekly services online at www.centralchristian.com Thanks!!
01.05.09
Seven Steps to Stagnation
Christmas is over and the New Year has begun! I always enjoy the New Year. It seems to bring freshness and a “Blank Page” or an attitude of starting over. 2009 will surely bring some NEW things that I have never experienced and some NEW things that will challenge me in areas that I didn’t realize I need to be challenged in. This morning, I was reading and stumbled across a verse that reminded me of just that… God says,
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland…”
2008 was a GREAT year but it also had some rough spots for many of us along the journey. But God has reassured me that He is always doing NEW things in my life and HE wants to make a stream…a flowing stream…through what may be a desert in my life right now!
During the early years of my ministry, some wise old pastor gave me a piece of paper that had “The Seven Steps of Stagnation.” He instructed me that whenever God tries to do some NEW things in my life that I may try to revert back to what is comfortable and not to do what is best. I love my comfort zone but these are truly seven statements that are usually said during times of change or transition. Maybe these statements will help remind us during 2009, that when God is mixing it up a little and change is sure to happen…here are seven statements that should NOT be a part of our vocabulary or we may miss some pretty amazing things that God may want to do in and through our lives!
Sometime in the 1980’s Rev. Erwin M. Soukup (Archdeacon of Chicago) compiled “The Seven Steps (sayings) to Stagnation”:
1. We’ve never done it that way before.
2. We’re not ready for that.
3. We are doing all right without trying that.
4. We tried it once before.
5. We don’t have money for that.
6. That’s not our job.
7. Something like that can’t work.
Soukup added “there’s probably an eighth step, but we’ve never looked it up before.”
I suggest the eighth step might be – “Don’t stir things up!”
What statement would you suggest that might be the eight step to stagnation?
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