We are simply called to follow him, in the simplest of choices as best we recognize his invitations. As we do, his life will unfold in us with ever-increasing reality.
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shared by Judith Bell on 25 Mar 15
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Adoption Organization Texas - 0 views
www.provplace.org/tion-funds-go-providence-place
child adoption agency Texas services action San Antonio babies for centers international center organization children waiting birth mother
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Many prospective donors ask this question before making a donation to a non-profit organization, unsure of how their hard-earned money is actually going to be used. They want to help the Providence Place mission of providing adoption services and life-skills training to young adults with disabilities, but they also want to make sure their money is going into the right hands and is being used for the proper purposes.
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shared by Judith Bell on 25 Mar 15
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The Center for Higher Independence Honors Students with Disabilities at January Ceremony - 0 views
prsync.com/...ies-at-january-ceremony-659093
young adults with disabilities people Texas programs for children center independence San Antonio disabled services
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The Center for Higher Independence, a division of Providence Place in San Antonio, TX continues to flourish. They will recognize the top students participating in the program, as they do every month, in an effort to show appreciation for the hard-working young men and women seeking an independent lifestyle as young adults.
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Living Loved - The Narrow Road - 0 views
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You only have to have a heart that wants to follow him and he will teach you how he speaks to you and invites you into life.
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Listening to him is not living by feelings, but by recognizing those impulses he brings to your mind and following them. Initially they will encourage you to rest in his love and to be more gracious to people near you. In time, he will show you more of his wisdom to guide your life.
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You will only learn by practice. Yes, you will do some things you thought God was leading you to do, only to find out by the fruit of it that it was more your thought than his. That's part of the process. How else will you learn? But you'll also get some things right and the joy of that will help tune our heart to his. In the process, you'll be drawn closer to him and come to recognize your more selfish aspirations, and the misplaced trust you have in your own wisdom or abilities.
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You can usually tell if someone's listening to Jesus by how open and relaxed they are. If they are closed and defensive when someone questions them, be careful.
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One thing I know about people who listen to God, they don't act destructively and they aren't arrogant about what they think they hear. Learning to listen to God is a humbling process. You're never one hundred percent sure of what he's asking. You just have an impulse in your heart you can't explain. It grows over time, but he is never forceful or manipulative, and that is also true of people learning to listen to him. They can be firm, but not defensive and are always willing to sacrifice for others, instead of asking others to sacrifice for them.
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God does love you, but that love only transforms you to the degree that you can trust his love enough to follow him on to the narrow road. His love doesn't mean that everything will work out the way we want, nor that we won't be the victims of other people's hurtful and destructive choices.
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But he wants to be with us in those moments to help us navigate our experience in a broken world and be transformed through it. He invites us to participate with him, which is why love and obedience go hand in hand in the Scriptures. As you grow to trust his love you will want to obey him, and it's in following him that you get to live in the fruit of his love.
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Jesus repeatedly made clear that our actions matter. Scripture often invokes the reality of sowing and reaping to express this truth. How we live either leads us more into his life, or draws us away from it, whether we'll contribute to his redemption in the world, or be part of its destruction. That's what Jesus meant when he affirmed those who followed, Well done! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness! (Matt. 25: 21)
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If we follow a bit, the road will get clearer. If we follow our own way instead, we'll lose sight of him.
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That doesn't mean you have to be perfect for God to work in you, or that you can't reverse the trend any day you want to. He is always ready to lead you one simple step at a time and never asks for what you cannot give. Following in small things today will open more doors tomorrow. If we're indulgent and dishonest in little things, we will be indulgent and dishonest in larger things. If we can learn to follow him in simple ways of loving others and being true to our word even when it hurts, his work in us will grow in ways we'd never conceive.
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This is not about earning his life by our obedience, but participating with him as he transforms us. Everything I get to experience of God today began with simple choices years ago. They set off a chain of unforeseen consequences that opened doors to where I live now. The simple nudge to go to public schools with our children and volunteer to help began a series of opportunities that eventually led to twenty years of consulting public schools on religious liberty conflicts. Listening to Jesus say, "I have more to teach you if you walk away," when my former co-pastor wanted to force me out of the fellowship we helped build together, opened a trailhead into personal transformation I adore and opportunities for growing and sharing I would not have found without him.
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At the outset, all these choices looked more difficult than other options I had in mind. I'm glad he won me into following him and the choice to do so now is far easier. I don't even trust my own desires anymore because following him, even though painful at times, has always yielded better fruit.
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Learning to merge off of the broad way and onto the narrow road is a process that he wants to work in you, not a requirement he's made for you. It's simply a matter of learning to lean into him a bit more each day and leaning away from what draws you down the broader road. You can't do this alone. And this does not mean you have to carefully listen to Jesus at every moment and try to figure out what he wants so you won't miss out. Doing that will leave you frustrated and exhausted. We find his way much more simply than that. In fact, the anxiety of having to hear him will make it more difficult to do so. Instead go through your day with a growing awareness that he is with you. Whenever you have it, follow that inner sense that seems to encourage you one direction or checks you from going another. When you come up against choices of significance, ask him what he has in mind. Let him show you in his time. You don't have to hear something every day or in every circumstance. Relax in him as he connects your heart with his.
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Learning to live out of your spirit, rather than your intellect or emotions alone, will take some time. Ask him to show you the next step ahead and relax in a growing trust that he will. The Spirit makes his direction clear in a variety of ways--it might be that stray thought in your mind, affirmed by something that you read or hear, perhaps even a lyric of a song in the background that resonates with your heart. Don't look for a "voice" per se, but a growing awareness of his thoughts in your mind. Of course, familiarity with his words in Scripture and conversations with others on a similar journey will also bring clarity to what he's showing you.
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As I go about my life, I become aware of options that are better than my own, especially in helping someone near me, or drawing me into a quieter space with him. At first, I don't always like where these nudges would lead me, which is why Jesus saw this journey as a narrower road and why most people miss it. Our flesh so easily dismisses what it doesn't want to consider. And, no, you don't have to always get it right. No one does.
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As you make a few choices down the narrow road, you will find yourself becoming more relaxed and able to live in the moment instead of trying to manipulate your circumstances. The questions you'll find yourself asking might be these: What does he want to show me about himself today? What might love lead me to do in this situation? How does loving others, even at the expense of my self-interest perpetuate the kingdom? How does my forgiveness or service to someone else today, make the world a better place?
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But even when you miss him and find yourself on a path of your own making, he is there, too, still nudging you toward a better road. Don't be hard on yourself, just keep coming back to him over and over. You are loved, even in your brokenness. Today is the day God cares about. As they say, the best time to plant an oak tree was twenty years ago, but the second best time to plant it is today.
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As you learn to live more on the narrow road, you'll have a better idea just how destructive the broad way was, to yourself and others. Rather than be embarrassed by it, embrace that new reality. One of the most redemptive things we do on the narrow road is to go back to people we've wronged, seek their forgiveness and offer restitution where we can. Such moments bring great healing and clarity to all involved. Yes, it may not be easy, but that's exactly the point of the narrow road--most fruitful things aren't fun at the outset, but yield great joy later on.
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Perhaps the most effective form of discipleship is not teaching a curriculum, but simply being alongside others when they are at a fork in the road and being a cheerleader for the road less traveled. We don't have to manipulate or pressure them, but simply through a question or observation give them an opportunity to make a choice that matters. And if they make it, lend them our support and encouragement. That's how people find their way onto a journey that will be full of his life.
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The only reason why his way may seem difficult is because we're so busy following the crowd that we miss his invitation to a narrower road. But once we learn to believe him, it becomes far easier than most think possible. And though you'll find yourself on a road most others can't understand, it will change the way you think, live, and how you treat others. You'll find yourself on a transformative journey that you will never regret.
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The reason this journey seems so difficult is because it is far easier than we dare to believe! I know it isn't easy for people to find their way into a loving relationship with the Father. Everything we've learned and believed before runs counter to the dynamics of recognizing and resting in his love. However, it isn't difficult because God makes it complicated, or because it takes a certain skill set or sensitivity, but because we look in the wrong places for how his life takes root in us. But Jesus knows that too, and is still up to the challenge of engaging us in a fruitful relationship with his Father.
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Only the religious would twist them either to take pride in thinking they practice the right doctrine or ritual, and delight in the fact that those who don't will get what they deserve. Jesus didn't want to provoke exclusivity or fear with his words, but rather to equip hungry hearts to know how to know him. Following the broad way of self-interest will devour us, but there is a narrower path that will lead us to life.
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At first, everything in us wants to resist his nudge. No, it can't be that way. I could get hurt. I could make a mistake. What if it goes wrong? But if he's the one inviting us, we are safer doing what he asks than anything we do to save ourselves. We are not asked to indulge our preferences or live in resistance to them. We are simply called to follow him, in the simplest of choices as best we recognize his invitations. As we do, his life will unfold in us with ever-increasing reality.
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Making space for him and his thoughts and following them is the only way off the broader road. We find the narrow road when we find rest in his love for us and then recognize his leading as he offers us a different way to see what's going on around us. We often don't even see a new trailhead until he nudges us towards it.
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Reading the Bible Chronologically - 1 views
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The following is a reading plan that I developed for some newer disciples / followers of Jesus to help them get a good picture of what is going on in Scripture from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. Our English Bibles do not follow a clear chronological order (particularly in the Old Testament), so many people who read the Bible straight through aren't able to, say, summarize the Biblical narrative as a whole. This is a bit of a problem as I believe that a developing healthy understanding of the Bible's story (and my/your place in it) is an essential component of discipleship.
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shared by Barry L on 25 Apr 09
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Thanks to Calvary - Online Bible Discussion - 0 views
www.thankstocalvary.com
online bible discussion religion jesus christ cross calvary christian salvation god
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At Thanks to Calvary, our goal is to spread the word of God to as many people as possible, with our focus being on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thanks to Calvary is a great place for some online bible discussion and fellowship with other believers. This website is owned and operated by a born again Christian and is not representing any particular denomination.
How Mandurah Real Estate Changed My Life - 1 views
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Looking for Birth Mother Services in Texas? - 0 views
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shared by magicalblessings on 25 Sep 18
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#Very Effective Tinnitus Sound Therapy 528Hz to Promote Inner Healing And Calm - YouTube - 0 views
youtu.be/Jsd7Z7dzqn8
binaural beats tinnitus cure masking meditation music ringing in ears for good vibes sound therapy treatment healing sounds 528 hz brainwave vision ear noise problem sleep (symptom)
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#Very Effective Tinnitus Sound Therapy 528Hz to Promote Inner Healing And Calm Welcome to MAGICAL BLESSINGS We are creating soothing meditation music, mantra chants and other important resources for meditation, relaxation, and sleep and healing. Hope our work will help you in a positive way. Blessings and Peace all the way. Listening powerful mantras while sleeping, or Play in Background at Work or Home for Successful Result. Play this Mantra at Work Place or Home every day and will you see miraculous positive financial and socials recognitions and this mantras also Help us in Improvement of Health, Career Booster and Most important, above everything the PEACE OF MIND. Thank You
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5 Underrated, Unexpected Places to Travel for Spring Break | buzitnow - 0 views
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With less than a month until spring, we have to channel our inner travel agent and book an unforgettable getaway quick! But while a tropical beach sounds like the picturesque vacation spot you dream of, it can get a little redundant if you go there every year. Don't fret, we found five totally underrated, out of the ordinary vacation spots you'll be dying to visit!
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A to Z - Evangelistic Ideas | www.globaloutreachday.com - 0 views
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Set up a table with books and evangelistic literature in a prominent place. This can be a great attention getter and conversation starter.
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Pray for a good idea to gain access, and then go knocking on doors. Within a short time you can build trust and ultimately lead the people to Jesus.
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Contact a local Christian rehab centre, get to know people addicted to drugs and tell them the good news that Jesus sets free. If they are open for it, pray for their deliverance.
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Try to see them regularly, earn their trust and lead them to Jesus. Keep the friendship alive and be a role model.
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Alternatively, you could just give away evangelistic literature and pray for the patients from ward to ward.
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Show the "JESUS Film" publicly and invite people to come to the screening. You can also lend the film out to people and then meet with them later to talk about it.
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K-Mart, post office, petrol station etc.Use the brief opportunities you get throughout the day to tell somebody about Jesus or give them an evangelistic booklet.
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If you introduce them to Jesus, they will realize that he is what they have been looking for. Attend New Age fairs and other events to share the Gospel with these hungry people.
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Why not contact a home and offer a short programme for special occasions? Afterward you can offer them an opportunity to receive Christ.
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Public transportation presents a great opportunity to talk to people. Take evangelistic literature with you the next time you ride the bus or tram. They are great conversation starters.
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By getting permission from their pimp and giving them roses, you share the love of God and the Gospel with these women and pray with them.
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Plan activities that are tailored to one specific target group. These should incorporate their language and fit their environment. Be creative and think carefully about how you can specifically and effectively reach individual target groups.
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The Great Commission | Operation World - 0 views
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Vital, supportive home fellowships of believers who are willing to pray the missionary out to the field and keep him or her there through the years of greatest effectiveness. This is difficult to maintain with rapid changes and turnovers in membership and in the pastoral team in most congregations. Congregations must see themselves as local launching pads for the essential task of global mission
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The harsh realities of spiritual labour soon dispel the imagined glamour of pioneer missionary work. Both the missionaries and the churches that send them need to have realistic expectations, adequate support on every level and unflinching devotion to the task.
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Many missionaries live sacrificially for Christ, in harsh and demanding contexts, with simple lifestyles and neither present nor future guarantees of income or security. This is especially the case for those from newer sending nations where churches do not yet appreciate the importance of financial support for mission. Missionary lifestyles also need to be sensitive to the living standards of the contexts in which they work.
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Missionaries must be more vigilant on the field than in home situations. They need to be able to discern between cultural differences and spiritual opposition, but the spiritual authority to resist evil attacks is even more vital. These can come through many means, including physical health and disease, attacks upon the mind and attitude, in relationships and in physical threats such as violent attacks and hostage taking.
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assurance that God has guided one to a particular ministry is often the only anchor to retain workers in difficult situations, misunderstandings, broken relationships and “impossible” crises. Pray that none may leave a place of calling for a negative or superficial reason, but only because of a positive leading from God.
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Success should be understood as having been achieved when the missionaries are no longer needed for the role for which they came. The ideal goal of all missionaries should be to train their own replacements from among local believers.
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The Cape Town Commitment - Lausanne Movement - 0 views
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thousands of people groups around the world for whom such access has not yet been made available through Christian witness
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pastor-teachers. We will make every effort to identify, encourage, train and support them in the preaching and teaching of God’s Word
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evangelism at the centre of the fully-integrated scope of all our mission, inasmuch as the gospel itself is the source, content and authority of all biblically-valid mission
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Oral cultures The majority of the world’s population are oral communicators, who cannot or do not learn through literate means, and more than half of them are among the unreached as defined above. Among these, there are an estimated 350 million people without a single verse of Scripture in their language. In addition to the ‘primary oral learners’ there are many ‘secondary oral learners’, that is those who are technically literate but prefer now to communicate in an oral manner, with the rise of visual learning and the dominance of images in communication.
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only those whose lives already display basic qualities of mature discipleship should be appointed to leadership
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authentic Christian leaders must be like Christ in having a servant heart, humility, integrity, purity, lack of greed, prayerfulness, dependence on God’s Spirit, and a deep love for people
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long that God would multiply, protect and encourage leaders who are biblically faithful and obedient
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focus more on spiritual and character formation, not only on imparting knowledge or grading performance, and we heartily rejoice in those that already do so as part of comprehensive 'whole person' leadership development
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Half the world now lives in cities. Cities are where four major kinds of people are most to be found: (i) the next generation of young people; (ii) the most unreached peoples who have migrated; (iii) the culture shapers; (iv) the poorest of the poor
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All children are at risk. There are about two billion children in our world, and half of them are at risk from poverty. Millions are at risk from prosperity. Children of the wealthy and secure have everything to live with, but nothing to live for.
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God can and does use children and young people - their prayers, their insights, their words, their initiatives - in changing hearts
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For God to send labourers into every corner of the world, in the power of his Spirit; For the lost in every people and place to be drawn to God by his Spirit, through the declaration of the truth of the gospel and the demonstration of Christ’s love and power; For God’s glory to be revealed and Christ’s name to be known and praised because of the character, deeds and words of his people. We will cry out for our brothers and sisters who suffer for the name of Christ; For God’s kingdom to come, that God’s will may be done on earth as in heaven, in the establishment of justice, the stewardship and care of creation, and the blessing of God’s peace in our communities. B) We will continually give thanks as we see God’s work among the nations, looking forward to the day when the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ.
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'Treasure hunting' helps to plant house churches | Stories | simplechurch.eu - 0 views
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Our goal is to help people to be obedient to the message of Jesus, to develop a deeper relationship with God and better relationships with people around them. It’s as simple as that.”
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The multiplication of house church groups is taking place through ‘friendship evangelism’ and ‘power encounters’ [like the treasure hunting]. We encourage our people to pray for their neighbourhood, but also to pray for healing when they meet people who are sick. We emphasize that everyone is an evangelist. Everyone is capable of sharing the good news of the Kingdom within his or her specific gifting and context. Out of this evangelism, new groups are started in homes.
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How do you balance it all? Balancing family, ministry and work | Tentmaking Ideas - 0 views
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setting goals & priorities. Every so often, I sit down and plan out my goals for the next few months. I try to seek the Lord for what He wants me to do and I write those things down. Once I have chosen the most important goals, I begin to break those goals down into bite size tasks. I schedule each task on my calendar and start with those tasks each day. I try not to open email until I have completed my most important tasks for the day.
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Adjust your schedule As I mentioned above, spending time with family is very important, however, we also must be careful not to miss out on key visiting times with locals.
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Plan in your non-negotiables A young parent asked me the other day how I made time for my family in the midst of my business schedule. I said, “I know I need to get better at this, but I schedule it into my week. Each week my wife and I have a date night! I try to plan in my “play time” with my kids.” I have realized that we spend time doing what is important to us. If we really love our family, we need to choose to spend quality time with them. Now, I am not talking about taking time out of your normal work week, but instead planning in time afterwork or in the evenings to be with the family. I know one guy who when people asked if he was free any time between 5 pm – 7pm, he answered that he was doing discipleship and was unavailable. He was spending that time training his kids in the ways the should go. If you want to learn language, you will need to plan in your language learning times. If you think that they will just happen, I guarantee that something else will pop up and take their place.
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Back to the basics – laying a solid foundation! Over the past years of doing ministry in creative access countries, I have found that the real key to a balanced life is abiding in Jesus. If we can spend time quality time with Jesus each and every day, we begin to hear his voice and listen to his heart. Without knowing what HE wants us to do each day, we end up chasing our manmade strategies and plans. Start taking time each and ever day (lavished time) to just listen and learn from Jesus.