Thursday, March 17, 2011

High Mountains and Low Valleys

High Mountains And Low Valleys

High mountains can be just as difficult and challenging as low valleys.
Most people tend to associate difficult times in their lives with the idea of being in a valley. Maybe it’s a time of depression. Maybe you’ve lost your job or are struggling financially. Maybe your job performance is just suffering. Or maybe you have neglected your walk with God and now you feel distant.
And it’s true. These seasons are hard. Terribly hard. You don’t know if there will ever be a light at the end of the tunnel. And if it’s coming, it can’t come quickly enough.
But there’s a truth no one ever seems to mention: climbing the mountain is also challenging. The light at the end of the tunnel isn’t a mountaintop you suddenly arrive at with no work involved. It’s the base of the mountain that you now have to climb. And one that you’ll always be climbing.
The times of success in your life and the times when God is blessing you can be just as challenging as the times in the valley. Just in a different way, because now you’re going uphill.
And even when you make it to the so-called mountaintop, it isn’t easy there either. For example, this past Christmas, we saw over 1100 people receive Christ in three days. A definite mountaintop. And then we had to follow up with them and maintain our momentum to reach even more people. Still challenging.
Here’s the truth we want to avoid at all costs:
It’s all hard.
The valleys and the mountains. The low points and getting to the high points and staying at the high points. In the valley you’re trying to survive. And in the mountains you’re trying to thrive. Neither is a walk in the park.
That’s not very encouraging. So why share it?
Because it’s reality. Because it confronts an inane line of thinking that many of us cling to: that life is going to one day get to the point where it’s easy. If that’s what we’re waiting for, we’re going to be waiting a long time.
The goal of life isn’t to make it to a point where we can breathe easy. It’s to get to heaven breathless. Tired because we’ve been faithfully and passionately following God – through valleys and mountains.
So yes, it’s always hard. But our reward in the future makes it worth it. We’ll rest then. And we’ll push on now.
Besides, God is doing more in you and through you in your mountains and valleys than you can possibly imagine. That alone should give you joy. No matter where you’re at.
This post was written by pastor http://www.stevenfurtick.com/

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Fight the Right Fight

From Bill Johnson's page today: Regarding David and Bathsheba: David lost the battle with his eyes, which opened the door for him to lose the battle over his heart, all because he was not in the battle he was born for. When you turn away from the battle you're assigned to, you face the battle you're not equipped for. (1 Sam. 11:1)

Friday, January 14, 2011

Leaders & Legacy

Leaders who followed their fathers into full-time ministry share how their dads inspired them to tell people about Jesus.

Read More Here: http://www.outreachmagazine.com/features/3919-What-Father-Taught.html

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Focus

How valuable is your attention? How much is your ability to focus worth? Your success is dependent upon your ability to focus your attention on whatever it is that is going to make you grow. Here are some tips on how to improve your focus and attention
Pay attention to your working memory.  "Working memory is the ability to actively hold the information in the mind needed to do complex tasks such as reasoning, comprehension and learning. Working memory tasks are those that require the goal orientated active monitoring or manipulation of information or behaviors in the face of interfering processes and distractions." In other words working memory is the amount of space you have to pay attention. Here is a neat list of tricks to help improve your working memory... http://su.pr/1E2bQi .
Control your space. All of it...noise, visual distractions, email, clutter. Limit disruption. IM, text, cell phones, emails, television...they all have something in common. They are designed to make a noise to get your attention. If you are a slave to those attention getting chimes then you are a slave to the demands of others.  Schedule blocks of time that are not to be interrupted. Turn off the phone, email and IM.
Take charge of one of the most valuable things you own. Your time.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

One of my favorite

"If you ain't living on the edge, you've got too much room."
 How close to the edge in faith are you walking.
Stay out of your comfort zone and see what God accomplishes through you.

Monday, September 20, 2010

What's your legacy? Do you want it? Are you living it?

leg·a·cy

[leg-uh-see] noun, plural -cies.
 
2.
anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor