Adrenaline Saturated Monday's

Edward Rowell quotes one of his cowboy friends as saying that it is not the bulls that wear you down, it is seeing too many sunrises through the windshield of a pick-up truck!

It is not the sermons that wear you down; it is the failure to allow the body and soul to recover from the trauma of preaching. As preachers of the Word of God we are too unrealistic, too demanding, and too driven. Archibald Hart’s book, “Adrenaline and Stress,” should cause us all to stop. Could it be that preachers are living to long in an adrenaline saturated state? Rowell suggests that preachers should prepare for Monday adrenaline hang-over’s!

These thoughts challenge preachers with the question; “Am I taking the Biblical Sabbath seriously?” If we fill our personal Sabbath with grass cutting, chore-running, shopping, and our endless list of things to do we are not honoring the meaning of Sabbath rest. The term translated “rest in Hebrews 4:1 basically means to cease from labor or the act of resting (The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the New Testament). Perhaps the challenge question is “How can I cut my work by 20% effective immediately?” Your answer depends upon the voice of God in your heart challenging you to re-evaluate your pace and schedule.

God 101

Stop and prayerfully reflect upon Isaiah's introduction to the God of Israel. In chapter 40:1-26 there are eight (8) attributes of God. As a way to end a busy week get a piece of paper and jot down the basic definitions of these attributes. After you have completed this exercise follow the A.C.T.S. model of prayer and pray the results of your writing [Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication]. Below are the eight attributes:

1.  Mercy - vv.1-2
2. Glory - vv.3-5
3. Eternality - vv.6-9
4. Gentleness - v.11
5. Omnipotence - vv.10,12,26
6. Omniscience - vv.13-14
7. Sovereignty - vv.15-17;21-24
8. Uniqueness - vv.18-20,25

A Free Gift Daily

If you had a bank that credited your account each morning with $86,400—with no balance carried from day to day—what would you do? Well, you do have such a bank...time.

Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it rules off as "lost" whatever you have failed to use toward good purposes. It carries over no balances and allows no overdrafts. You can't hoard it, save it, store it, loan it or invest it. You can only use it—time.

Here's a story that drives the point home.

Get a FREE Gift today!

Find out how: Arthur Berry was described by Time as "the slickest second-story man in the East," truly one of the most famous jewel thieves of all times. In his years of crime, he committed as many as 150 burglaries and stole jewels valued between $5 and $10 million. He seldom robbed from anyone not listed in the Social Register and often did his work in a tuxedo. On an occasion or two, when caught in the act of a crime by a victim, he charmed his way out of being reported to the police.

Like most people who engage in a life of crime, he was eventually caught, convicted and served 25 years in prison for his crimes. Following his release, he worked as a counterman in a roadside restaurant on the East Coast for $50 a week.

A newspaper reporter found him and interviewed him about his life. After telling about the thrilling episodes of his life he came to the conclusion of the interview saying, "I am not good at morals. But early in my life I was intelligent and clever, and I got along well with people. I think I could have made something of my life, but I didn't. So when you write the story of my life, when you tell people about all the burglaries, don't leave out the biggest one of all... Don't just tell them I robbed Jesse Livermore, the Wall Street baron or the cousin of the king of England. You tell them Arthur Berry robbed Arthur Berry."

Here are six terrific truths about time:

First: Nobody can manage time. But you can manage those things that take up your time.

Second: Time is expensive. As a matter of fact, 80 percent of our day is spent on those things or those people that only bring us two percent of our results.

Third: Time is perishable. It cannot be saved for later use.

Fourth: Time is measurable. Everybody has the same amount of time...pauper or king. It is not how much time you have; it is how much you use.

Fifth: Time is irreplaceable. We never make back time once it is gone.

Sixth: Time is a priority. You have enough time for anything in the world, so long as it ranks high enough among your priorities.

First Thing Every Morning, by Lewis Timberlake

What Can A 100 Year Old Teach Us?

A five year study, completed by Dr. Leonard Poon of the University of Georgia, revealed some interesting principles regarding the mastery of “balance” in our life. In his study of 97 active, productive people over one hundred years of age, he found that they had mastered four common characteristics.

1.      OPTIMISM – They tended to have a positive view of the past and the future. They were not dominated by worry and negativity.

2.      ENGAGEMENT – They were actively involved in life. They were not passive observers, allowing life to pass them by.

3.      MOBILITY – They stayed active physically. One person was an aerobics instructor, most walked daily or gardened.

4.      ADAPTABILITY TO LOSS – They had an extraordinary ability to stay balanced by adapting to and accepting change or loss. Even though most of them had lost their families and friends, they still had a zest for living. 

The study also uncovered one interesting surprise. These 100 year olds tended to eat whatever they wanted. In fact most of them had a high fat, high calorie diets. What was their secret to a healthy lifestyle? They were happy, involved, active, and balanced people. They appeared to have mastered the joy of a balanced life.

Dissonance Versus Resonance: What is your Leadership Style?

Dissonance in its original musical sense, describes an unpleasant harsh sound. Dissonance refers to a lack of harmony. Dissonant leadership produces groups that feel emotionally discordant; in which people have a sense of being continually off-key. Anger, fear, apathy, or even sullen silences are signals of dissonance at work. This type of emotional energy at work in the leadership team produces an emotional toxicity. Dissonance dispirits people, burns them out, and sends people packing for greener pastures. The real unfortunate outcome of a dissonant environment is that you tend to bring home unhealthy emotional toxicity which poisons the very safe place that you most need.

Resonance musically creates a pleasant environment that all can appreciate. Harmony prevails! There are two primary categories associated with resonant leadership: Personal Competence focuses upon the management of ourselves and Social Competence focuses upon the management of relationships. Resonant leaders possess self-awareness and self management as part of their personal competence. Take notice of the following:

• Self-Awareness
• Able to read one’s emotional signals and recognize their impact upon a group
• Involved in self-assessment and psycho-metrics
• Self confidence – possessing a sound sense of one’s self worth
• Self-Management
• Able to keep disruptive emotions and impulses under control
• Able to display honesty and integrity
• Able to adapt to changing situations or overcoming obstacles
• Ready to seize upon opportunities
•  Seeing the upside of life

Regarding social competencies of the resonant leader take note of the social awareness and relationship management skills:

• Social Awareness
• Sensing other’s emotions, understanding their perspectives and taking active interest in their concerns
• Keeping emotionally aware of the work environment around them
• Servicing others needs over their own needs
• Relationship Management
• Motivating others to excel
• Being a person of influence
• Developing others’ competencies through feedback and guidance
• Being a change catalyst – leading in new directions
• Maintaining a web of healthy relationships
• Promotes TEAM-WORK!

The choice could not be clearer for ministers. Dissonance crashes the existing culture. Resonance assists people in feeling great about the change that is occurring and assists them in their development to become effective participants in reaching our world for the Glory of Christ.

Pornification of America

The Boston Globe writes; "Not too long ago. pornography was a furtive profession, its products created and consumed in the shadows. But it has steadily elbowed its way into the limelight, with an impact that can be measured not just by the Internet-fed ubiquity of pornography itself but by the way aspects of porn sensibility now inform movies, music videos, fashion, magazines and celebrity culture"(www.boston.com/yourlife/articles/2006/01/24/the_pornification_of_america). For years the culture has been forced to find an argument to defend its passion for consuming porn in general and selling porn in particular. Somehow culture has managed to find and win its argument.

Of the people who use the Internet 43% visit pornography websites. Some 40 million Americans regularly visit porn sites. Women account for 33% of visitors to porn sites and men account for 77% with these men averaging between 18-24 years of age. In a 2009 Harris Survey found that 19% of teens surveyed have engaged in "sexting," with 11% of these teens sending pornographic texts to complete strangers (type in search word "sexting" at: www.harrisinteractive.com). Although pornography statistics are hard to come by, researchers indicate that porn is a $100 billion/year business worldwide. In the USA we spend $13.6 billion/year. There is an estimated 24.6 million pornographic websites - 12% of the Internet. Roughly 25% of all Internet searches or 68 million/day are porn related (www.gizmodo.com/5552899/finally-some-actual-stats-on-internet-porn). Each second in the USA, people are spending $3,075 on porn. In that same second 28,000 Internet viewers are looking at porn. Every 39 minutes an adult-sex video is being made ("Porn: The Business of Pleasure" CNBC Special July 2008). The USA is the fourth largest porn purchasers behind China, South Korea, and Japan (www.onlineeducation.net/porn). I am getting ready to begin a new chapter of pastoral ministry in a county with the second highest STD rate in the state of Kentucky (http://www.state-journal.com/news/simple_article/5151043).

So, where are churches to go from here? I believe we begin by reading and digesting the numbers and the extent of devastation that is occurring in our homes, to our children, marriages and our culture. Do not stick your head in the sand. Somehow, we need a fresh voice in the pulpits of our communities to speak Biblically on the bad sexual choices and addictions so that the transformational power of the gospel can be applied to this area of our lives, believers and our churches. Recreating our history is not necessarily the total answer. While we can reflect upon the blessings of yesterday, let us remember today's generations have not experienced these dynamic moves of the Almighty. God grant us your ageless power upon this contemporary day!

Support for this article is credited to Ed Stetzer's article "Pornification of American Culture" Enrichment Journal Summer 2011.

Six Billion Religions

Every human being needs Jesus Christ because every human being is in rebellion against God! Six billion people can find six billion ways to revolt, six billion ways to mess up their lives. Our culture may predispose us to sin in similar ways, but every one of us will find a way to say NO to God. In the face of this fact, ten thousand religion's cannot come close to providing an answer. Either we need six billion religion's or one Savior with a complete solution.
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16 emphasis added).
Biblical preaching can be intellectual, practical, or emotional. But if it does not lead ultimately to the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is not biblical and it is not relevant.

I Want To Know Christ

Without forging ahead, eyes focused on the heavenly prize, my ever present temptation to compromise my message becomes too much. I begin grinding away the rough edges of the gospel to make it fit comfortably in contemporary life, instead of grinding away the excess of contemporary life until it fits the gospel...The desire to please my church overrides the desire to please Christ. These are the sins of the prayerless preacher: (1) Cynicism, (2) Callousness, and (3) Compromise. These sins render our sermons impotent even when well communicated.
I want to know Christ not because it makes me preach better, but because it allows me to preach with integrity. It allows me to preach with hope, with a sensitive heart, and with conviction. That is better than preaching better!
"Preaching With Spiritual Passion," by Edward K. Rowell (pp.108-110)

Five Sources of "Mind Clutter"

1. Most of us say yes to far too many things. Lewis Sperry Chafer, founder of Dallas Theological Seminary wrote once; Much of our activity today is little more than a cheap anesthetic to deaden the pain of an empty life.
2. Most of us do not plan for leisure and rejuvenation. We are a hassled, short-tempered, horn-blowing society perpetually commuting between poorly planned activities that add very little to our well-being.
3. Most of us rarely experience the joy of accomplishment - Proverbs 13:19
4. Most people living in wealthy countries owe more than they hope to repay. The plastic cards in gold and platinum color robs us of the satisfaction of true ownership.
5. Most of us fool ourselves into thinking that with modern technology we have simplified our lives.

A Fresh Perspective Needed

A cursory review of Job 9:14-35 reveals Job's use of the first person pronoun "I" twenty-four times. The first thirteen verses were about God's greatness and His sovereignty. Now however, Job seems to feel that he is the victim of a legal system that need not rest on the principles he perceived as fair. Job seems to express what we feel at times on the road of life. There are circumstances and crisis that does not make any sense to us. We feel that life has handed us a verdict that is unfair. "We are innocent," is our declaration and "We deserve better," is our cry! Our emotions misleads our passions.

Here is a life principle: "We loose perspective when we are the center of our own debate!" God always has a way of clarifying our misguided perspectives. When God decides to break his silence in Job 38, He clarifies our misguided perspective with a series of questions. Take notice of God's opening words; "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you and you make it known to me." God's series of questions clarifies the overuse and fixation we have with ourselves. There are two sets of questions that God presents. The first focuses upon God's creation of the;  The earth(38:1–7, 17–18) 2. The oceans (38:8–11, 16) 3. Light (38:12–15, 19–21), 4. Snow and rain (38:22–30, 34–38), 5. The stars (38:31–33). The second series of questions focuses upon God's creatures; 1. Lions (38:39–40), 2. Ravens (38:41), 3. Mountain goats (39:1–4), 4. Wild donkeys (39:5–8), 5. The wild ox (39:9–12), 6. The ostrich (39:13–18), 7. The horse (39:19–25), 8. The hawk (39:26–30).


God doesn’t apologize to Job. He doesn’t explain that Satan wanted to test him. He doesn’t promise to put everything right in the end. He simply presents Job with the fact that God alone is the creator and he alone has the right and power to judge.