Re-Post of the Week

Triumph of the Invisible Over the Visible by Joshua Becker

The most valuable things in life can not be seen with the naked eye: love, friendship, hope, integrity, trust, compassion. These are the things that bring substance, fulfillment, and lasting joy to our lives.

And things like music, scents, silence, and memories add richness to our lives everyday.

But too often, we spend our time and energy chasing things that are visible – beautiful homes, fast cars, larger paychecks, or more fashionable clothing. We dream of a future that includes those things. We plot and plan to acquire them. We go to great lengths to care for them and we become jealous when others have more of them. Yet, those things have never fully satisfied our soul or brought us the fulfillment that they promised.

Instead,

• Their appeal always dims.
• Their value always decreases.
• Their appearance always fades.
• And their satisfaction diminishes every day.

It is time to shift our focus. It is time to allow the invisible to triumph over the visible in our eyes, minds, and hearts. To embrace the invisible over the visible,

1. Decide to pursue the invisible. Most changes in life are preceded by a simple decision. Decide today to assign more value to the invisible things of life.
2. Offer the invisible room in your heart and mind. Our actions are almost always determined by our heart’s desires and our mind’s thoughts. Give room in your heart for the invisible. Find time each day to intentionally think about such things – especially at the beginning of each day.
3. Bring the invisible into better focus. Unfortunately, the old cliche is often true, “Out of sight, out of mind.” So turn it around and use it to your advantage. What comes into your mind when you think about joy, hope, relationships, or significance? Post that photo or quote somewhere that you can see it to remind you of its value. This will help keep the invisible visible in your mind.
4. Be wise to culture’s influence. Most of the Western world is built on humanity’s desire to acquire more and more things. It makes economies grow, governments flourish, and brings appeasement to the masses. Therefore, it is encouraged at every turn. Become wise to their desires and learn to recognize their false promises.
5. Pursue it at all costs. If the most valuable things in life are invisible, pursue them above everything else. Even if no one else is.

The best things in life really are free… and invisible.

Profound Re-Post of the Week

The Life Changing Nature of Gratitude by Joshua Becker

“Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic.” - John Henry Jowet

Gratitude matters.

A grateful heart is a content heart. A content heart is a simple heart. And a simple heart leads to a simplified life.

Gratitude opens the door to both simplicity and minimalism. Consider the fact that a person who is grateful for the things in their life will care for them more, enjoy them more and waste less energy seeking more. They will experience joy in life by finding fulfillment in the gifts they already possess rather than looking outside themselves for fulfillment. And that is the very essence of minimalism.

Yet, we live in a culture that preaches discontent. A consumer culture will always attack gratitude. If they can sow seeds of discontent in our lives, they can sell us on their new product line or latest version with new improvements. In contrast, those who can find gratitude in their current existence will be less influenced by those empty promises.

But how can we find gratitude in a world that seeks to destroy it?

1. Choose gratitude today. Gratitude will never be a result of your next purchase, success, or accomplishment. It is available in your heart right now. And you will never find gratitude in life until you intentionally decide to choose it.


2. Count your blessings: a new day, a warm bed, a loving spouse, a child in your life, a unique personality, or a special talent… You have wonderful things in your life already. Gratitude quickly sets in when we begin to spend a quiet moment each day remembering them. This practice alone has the potential to change your heart and life immeasurably.


3. Stop focusing on what you don’t have. Too many people never realize gratitude because they spend so much mental energy focused on what they don’t have. Throw away catalogs and advertisements that inevitably promise you more fulfillment and joy in life. Those things are not sold in stores – never have been, never will be.


4. Embrace humility. Humility is an essential ingredient in gratitude. A humble heart finds satisfaction in the gifts it already possesses and demands less from others and life. Remember that no matter what your accomplishments, your life contains no more inherent value than the person sitting next to you… no matter where you may be sitting.


5. Open your eyes to those with less. Almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. 1.1 billion people have inadequate access to clean water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation. Let those facts sink in for just a moment… and slowly allow gratitude and a desire to become part of the solution to take their place.


6. Find gratitude in difficulty. It is easy to be grateful when things are going well. It can be more difficult during the trials of life: death, disease, rejection, or failure. The truth is that no one is exempt from the trials of life, but good can always be found in even the worst of times. And embracing gratitude during those trials may be the one thing that gets you through them.

In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy. And that gratefulness quickly leads to a satisfied, simplified life.

Profound Re-Post of the Week

Nine Monday Morning Questions For Church Leaders by Perry Noble

#1 – Did I preach God’s Word yesterday? If so then rely on the reality of Isaiah 55:8-11…these verses are a promise, rest in them instead of your perception of the crowd.

#2 – Am I thinking about giving up? If so then check out Galatians 6:9…this is a promise from Scripture, rest in IT and not your discouragement.

#3 – Am I feeling like I really sucked it up yesterday and am really beating myself up in my mind? If so then check out Romans 8:1…correction does come from Christ…but condemnation does not! Don’t allow them voice of the enemy to be the dominant voice in your life.

#4 – Is there a really tough conversation that I’ve been avoiding that I really need to have? If so see Galatians 2:11-14…I am sure this was not an easy conversation…but it was essential for the unity of the church.

#5 – Is there someone I need to encourage? See Philippians 2:3-4, if all of us in the church just followed the commands in these two verses then I am convinced that our churches would ALL become irresistible environments!

#6 – Am I allowing fear or frustration to take my focus off of who God is and what He’s called me to do? (If so see II Corinthians 4:16-18.)

#7 – Am I willing to take the steps of radical obedience that He is leading me to? (Hebrews 11:6)

#8 – Am I thinking I’ve got to do it all…or am I actually relying on HIS strength and power? (See Isaiah 30:15, Zechariah 4:6)

#9 – Am I currently on a path that will allow what Paul wrote in II Timothy 4:6-8…if not then what corrections need to be made?

Profound Re-Post of the Week

"To Be Authentic Is To Be Imperfect" by Simon Sinek

There is great beauty in that which is imperfect.

The grain in a piece of wood. A bristle of a paintbrush left stranded in a painting. The uneven glaze of a Japanese ceramic cup.

Perfection comes out of molds or off assembly lines. Things made by nature or by hand are imperfect. It is their flaws that make these objects unlike any other of their kind. It is their imperfections that make these things unique and beautiful.

The same is true for people.

It is the blend of anxiety, fear, pain, insecurity and naïveté that makes each person special. Ironically, we try to suppress these feelings, cover them up and compensate in an attempt to appear perfect to the outside world. We put ourselves into quite unnatural positions in hope that others don’t perceive us as we truly are: imperfect.

Authenticity is about imperfection. And authenticity is a very human quality. To be authentic is to be at peace with your imperfections. The great leaders are not the strongest, they are the ones who are honest about their weaknesses. The great leaders are not the smartest; they are the ones who admit how much they don't know. The great leaders can't do everything; they are the ones who look to others to help them. Great leaders don't see themselves as great; they see themselves as human.

Great leaders don't try to be perfect, they try to be themselves. And that's what makes them great.

Profound Re-Post of the Week

I'll take the best post I've read all week and re-post it here for you to read.

Stop Chasing Success. Seek Significance by Joshua Becker

“I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.” – Leo Rosten

Financial success is a powerful motivator. And it controls the lives of many. It chooses occupations. It dictates how time, energy, and resources are spent. It influences relationships, schedules, and families. To some, it even becomes an all-consuming passion that leaves broken people and morality in its wake.

Unfortunately, it is not the greatest call that we have on our lives. In fact, compared to significance, it fades pretty quickly.

Consider the limitations of success:

1. Success ebbs and flows with the economy. As recent years have proven, financial success is always at the mercy of a national economy and increasingly, a world economy. When the economy takes a downturn (as it always does), so does net worth.


2. Success ends on the day you die. On the day you die, all wealth and possessions will be immediately transferred to someone else. And even if you get to pick where they go, the reality is that person is always someone other than you.


3. Success is never enough. Financial success will never satisfy the inmost desires of our soul. No matter the amount of financial success earned, it always leaves us wanting more.

On the other hand, compare the advantages of significance:

1. Significance always lasts. Significance will always outlast you. Even when you are no longer present, your significance will still be yours. And nothing can ever take that away from you.


2. Significance carries on. Significance keeps on giving. When you positively change the life of another human being… and that person changes the life of another… who impacts the life of another… who influences another…


3. Significance satisfies our soul. While the thirst for success is never quenched, significance satisfies our deepest heart and soul. It allows us to lay our head on our pillow each night confident that we lived a valuable and fulfilling day.

Unfortunately, many people spend most of their lives chasing financial success. And while some achieve it more than others, almost all find it unfulfilling in the end. When they begin to shift their life focus to significance instead of success, they wonder why they wasted most of their life chasing something different.

Don’t waste any of your life. Seek significance today.

Here are just a few practical steps to get you started:

1. Realize that life won’t last forever. Everyone knows that life will come to an end – but no one likes to think about it. That’s unfortunate. As soon as you start thinking about the end of your life, you begin to live differently in the present. You are never too young to start thinking about your legacy. How do you want people to remember you? And what do you really want to accomplish before you die? Make a list. Post it somewhere… because rarely will “drive a really nice car” ever appear.


2. Live a life worth copying. Live with character, integrity, and morality. Your life should look the same in private as it does in public. And while no one is perfect, just begin striving for a life of integrity. It will be noticed.


3. Focus on people. Not dollars. Begin to transfer your life’s focus from your banking account to the people around you. Rather than worrying about the next get-rich-quick scheme, spend that energy focusing on your child, your neighbor, or the disadvantaged in your community.


4. Start with one solitary person. Find one person who needs you today. Start there. Significance may be as inexpensive as one cup of coffee or as simple as one heartfelt question. If you are unsure where to start, try this, “No, how are you really doing?”


5. Find a career outside your job. Sometimes, our day job leads to significance. But if yours does not, find a “career of significance” outside of your job by volunteering in a local organization. Most likely, your gifts, talents, or expertise are desperately needed. Use your job to pay the bills, but use your “new career” to pay your soul.


6. Realize that significance is not dependent upon success. Too many people fall into the trap of thinking, “Once I make it rich, I’ll become significant.” This is rarely the case. Choose significance today. Begin striving for it now. If, then, financial success comes your way in the future, your mind will be in a better place to truly use your new success for broader significance.


7. Reduce your expenses. Learn to live with less. Living with less frees up your life to invest into others. And living with reduced expenses allows you the freedom to not spend so much time at the office and more resources on others.


8. Read biographies of people who sought significance rather than success. If you prefer recent history, read about Mother Teresa or Nelson Mandela. If you prefer older stories, give Mohandas Gandhi or Harriet Tubman a shot. Either way, their lives will inspire you to make more of yours.

Rarely do people look back on their lives and savor their professional achievements. Instead, they celebrate the impact they have had in the lives of others. Give yourself much to look back and celebrate. Stop chasing success. Start seeking significance.

Profound Re-Post of the Week

I'll take the best post I've read all week and re-post it here for you to read.

God’s Dream for Your Kids by Chip Ingram

What if God’s dream for your children isn’t about their happiness?

Now, that’s not to say that God doesn’t care about their happiness; He does. But what if their happiness is only a gracious by-product of His primary agenda for their lives? What if we, as parents, are unconsciously working against God’s best plan for our kids?

That would mean that we need a completely different parenting paradigm to raise effective kids in this defective, hostile world.

Bringing up confident, Christ-centered kids in a culture that is at odds with scriptural priorities is no easy task. As parents, we often act based on cultural cues and pressures we don’t even recognize. There are many parenting myths that run rampant in our culture.

God says that my goal as a parent is not to make my kids happy; but to make my kids holy—set apart for God.

Our culture’s focus on making our kids happy is dangerously shortsighted. The result is children who constantly strive for more and better. Happiness is always just out of reach, because more and better is never enough. They are never content.

In contrast, the by-product of holiness is joy. If our focus is on cultivating the character of God in our children, we’ll be setting them up for the kind of happiness that comes from genuine, deep joy—both now and forever.

This month we begin a series called Effective Parenting in a Defective World. In it, we’ll examine some powerful, timeless principles from God’s Word that help parents prepare their kids for the world they live in. I pray that as you learn how to apply a Biblical paradigm for parenting, that God would expose popular myths and equip you to develop kids that truly stand out from the crowd.