Category Archives: Personal Growth
Advice to a Pastor Under Attack
Recently a young pastor with a heavy heart contacted me. He was overwhelmed and brokenhearted by critics in his church and pleaded for prayer. I have added portions of his original message below. I have made changes to keep his … Continue reading
Posted in 1 Corinthians, Abuse, Anger, brokenhearted, Career, Challenge, Church Growth, Church Health, Comfort, Communication, Control, discouragement, Disillusionment, Dissension, Division, Encouragement, Faith, Family, Fear, God's Will, Gossip, Mission, Perseverance, Personal Growth, Purpose, Rumor, Slander, Success, The Church, Uncategorized
476 Comments
A Broken Heart
When was the last time you saw someone with their heart in a cast, sling, or using crutches? Of course, that’s ridiculous. People with broken hearts don’t wear bandages. And neither do we recognize them or take their pain as … Continue reading
Posted in brokenhearted, Comfort, Death, Denial, depression, discouragement, Disillusionment, Encouragement, Faith, God's word, Grief, Inspiration, Loneliness, Loss, Perseverance, Personal Growth, Recovery, suffering, Trust
Tagged Broken heart, Brokenhearted, Comfort, Depression, Disappointment, discouragement, grief, heartache, pain, Suffering
61 Comments
Tim Tebow – For Example
From our childhood we begin looking for inspiration from others. Many of those who were fortunate enough to have our fathers at home as we grew up looked up to them (and not simply because of their height). As children, … Continue reading
Posted in 1 Timothy, Disillusionment, Encouragement, Example, Expectation, Inspiration, Luke, Model, Motivation, Personal Growth, Reputation, Sincerity, Success
Tagged Criticism, Disillusionment, Example, Examples, Heroes, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Tebowing, Tebowmania, Tim Tebow
1 Comment
It’s the Little Things
All of us have felt like our income is being eaten away by taxes and expenses, but I doubt any of us have had our savings actually eaten! That’s what happened to $222,000 that was stored in a steel chest … Continue reading
Posted in 1 Timothy, Discipline, Money, Personal Growth, Sincerity, Song of Solomon, Success, The Church, Uncategorized, Wisdom
Tagged Destiny, Details, Discipline, Income, Personal Growth, Potential, Sincerity, Song of Solomon, Success
56 Comments
Expect the Best
“Take your umbrella – it may rain!” Most of us have heard a parent or spouse say that as we were on our way out the door. As a student, I sometimes ignored my mother when she suggested I take … Continue reading
Posted in Challenge, Encouragement, Expectation, Faith, Future, God's Will, Hebrews, Isaiah, New Beginning, New Year, Personal Growth, Preparation, Proverbs, Romans, Wisdom
Tagged Challenge, Expectation, Faith, Future, New Beginning, New Year, Preparation
19 Comments
Do You Know What’s Going On Around You?
At a class reunion I discovered that I have the dubious distinction of having more surgeries than anyone else in my senior class. For this accomplishment I received a yellow tee shirt with a reprint of the game “Operation” emblazoned … Continue reading
Posted in Challenge, Encouragement, Personal Growth, Psalms, Romans, Time Management
Tagged Being Teachable, God's Sovereignty, Hearing God's Voice, Humility, Prayer
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Too Busy for God?
Living next to the Big South Fork National Park was one of the rewards of working in eastern Tennessee. Whenever possible, my young son and I would explore this beautiful part of God’s creation. It seems the natural beauty made … Continue reading
Posted in 1 Samuel, Christmas, Encouragement, Personal Growth
Tagged 1 Samuel, Christmas
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Genius
I was slow to give in, but when I decided to go to an iPhone it wasn’t long before I was “all in.” I liked the phone so much that when I found a reconditioned outgoing model MacBook at an … Continue reading
Posted in Encouragement, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Success, Wisdom
Tagged Apple, Genius, Leadership, Mac, Steve Jobs, Success, Wisdom
1 Comment
Bitter Rivalries and Broken Relationships
What happens when you combine hearsay with presumption and a blend in some deep-seated animosity? You get an angry reaction – much like Clemson’s Dabo Swinney’s unfounded anger and rant against The University of South Carolina’s football program earlier this … Continue reading
Posted in Challenge, Church Health, Communication, Discipline, Dissension, Division, Family, Gossip, John, Personal Growth, Rumor, Slander
Tagged Church, Church Health, Communication, Dissension, Division, Gossip, Misunderstanding, Rumor, Slander, Unity
88 Comments
Your Epitaph – What Would You Have it to Say?
God desires that we live our lives in such a way that the preacher won’t have to search for good things to say about us at our funeral. I heard the story of a man named Bill whose brother Will … Continue reading
Posted in Challenge, Death, Discipline, Encouragement, God's Will, Humor, Jude, Legacy, Malachi, Personal Growth, Preparing to Die, Reputation
Tagged Brevity of Life, Death, Preparing to Die, Reputation
35 Comments