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Global Leadership Summit 2011, Part 2: Leonard A. Schlesinger

on Aug 21, 2011 in Bible Study, Handwritten Blog, Short Quotes

(Might have something to do with the fact that I’ve become an entrepreneur in the last year and a lot of what he said was really promising and exciting, vs. the usual song you hear when you are starting your own business that has a repeating chorus singing “you will fail, you will fail, you will fail.”) … I think they would have benefited a lot from just focusing on the next month rather than thinking they had to discover their lifelong vocation at 22. Notes_Page_19.png When you fail at something, like say, running a coffee filled backpack business, you learn something that nobody else knows.

Jesus' Confident Arrest

on Jul 17, 2010 in Bible Study

[4] Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” [5] They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. [6] When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. [7] So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” [8] Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” (John 18:4-8 ESV) Jesus is ready to go. He didn’t send Peter, James, and John to stall or slow down the army. He didn’t ask these questions to buy more time. He was ready to separate Himself from the 11 so that they could go free. When Jesus says “I am He.” and all of the guys fall backward, I do too. That just blows me away. Some people use that verse to...

‘Church’ is cultural

on Mar 27, 2010 in Bible Study, Bookstore, Short Quotes, Urbia

I think there is so little detail about what CHURCH is in the Bible because how people worship God is as different as the cultures in which they live. When a missionary goes into uncharted territory, they do not prop up their video screens and the powerpoint and start singing Tommy Walker songs. (That would be a great video. End with the Metrosexual worship leader falling on his face with a back full of poison darts and a child of the tribe coming across a Bible propping up the projector…) I know of three people, specifically, that will not go to a church that has over 100 people in it because they have anxiety about large crowds. BUT they love to sit around with a few friends, play cards, and talk deep things about life. One of them, I know for certain, has a deep respect, love, and appreciation for Jesus. What if it were culturally acceptable for them to NOT “go” to...

No More Hollywood Sermons

on Nov 18, 2008 in Bible Study

Last weekend I taught 3 times at a Jr. high РSr. High retreat. there were 5 nazarene churches, so there were about 50 kids and 50 leaders. It was a very good time. I’m learning that I don’t have to have a big finish when I teach. The big finish, the big closing statement, the final conclusion, is how movies end, not necessarily how you finish preaching the Gospel. Stand up comedians tell their second best joke first, and their best joke last, so that you leave the people laughing. Why? so that they will remember you, and a lot of times people project their very last feeling onto the whole night. In the American Church we have become so accustomed to a sermon being an entertaining/emotional event, that many preachers now have their sermon follow the same flow that a hollywood movie follows: 1. Attention grabbing opening2. Background explanation of the opening and then...

Talking about Money

on Sep 22, 2008 in Bible Study, Bookstore, Short Quotes

I did a bad thing by starting off my quiet time reading ‚ÄúThe ABC‚Äôs of Financial Freedom‚Äù this morning. It is a book on Christian Stewardship. It immediately put me into a critical mode when I read a few quotes: You and I should do some Christ-centered vision casting of our own and start thinking about what we could do if we were totally debt free… Here are just a few suggestions to help you get started: [there is a list of 10, but here are the whoppers-ds] 6. You could finally have that ‚Äúdream‚Äù vacation 7. You could fix things up around you house or even get a new one. 8. You could get some new furniture or a new vehicle. 9. You cold surprise people with secret acts of kindness and generosity 10. YOU COULD DO ALMOST ANYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE. (emphasis mine) I‚Äôm not even going to comment on that. I think that pretty much speaks for itself. All of that said, my church...