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Bill Hybels Tells The Story Of A Man In His ... PRO
Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 1, 2005 (message contributor)
Bill Hybels tells the story of a man in his church who came to him and said, “When I was a new believer, the thought of talking with the God of the universe, the thought of him listening to me, responding to my cares and concerns, was so overwhelming I could barely take it in. I prayed all the time when I first discovered I could. I prayed when I got up. I prayed on my way to work. I prayed when I sat at my desk. I prayed at lunch. I prayed with my kids at dinner. I prayed with my kids when I put them to bed. I was a praying monster. It brought me such joy. God was answering my prayers. My life was changing, and I could see others’ lives changing. Then, I don’t know what happened. The whole deal just cooled off. I don’t pray much any more.” He lost his consistency. He was no longer persistent.
That happens sometimes. And it is not necessarily a sign of losing out spiritually. Part of it is the ebb and flow of life. Both in times of feeling very close to God and in times of danger we often pray like crazy. It feels like it is constant, and then the crisis, either good or bad, ends and we go back to life as normal. Prayer does not seem as pressing.
I remember taking a youth group on a canoe trip to Canada. We began paddling across a beautiful wilderness lake in Algonquin Provincial Park. We could see the clouds rolling in, but we had no idea what it would be like on the lake in just a few minutes. With fifteen of us in canoes, and most of the kids were inexperienced, we were in danger as the storm moved in and the waves began to crash over the front of our canoes and swamp them. We were getting separated, but I called for everyone to come together and keep heading into the waves to keep from getting rolled over. I began taking the extra paddles...
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Obedience Doesn't Allow You To Decide What You ...
Contributed by Stephan Brown on Nov 16, 2004
Obedience doesn’t allow you to decide what you will and won’t obey. The Words of Christ are not suggestions or advice: ...read more
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Gordon Macdonald, A Christian Author Once Said ...
Contributed by Jared Schroeder on Oct 1, 2004
Gordon MacDonald, a Christian author once said this, “The world can do almost anything as well as or even better than the church. You need not be a Christian to build houses, feed the hungry, or heal the ...read more
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Video Clip From The Messenger – ...
Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Sep 7, 2005
Illustration: Video clip from The Messenger – Joan of Arc from Videos That Teach 2 Page 108: The Movie France is embroiled in the The Hundred Years War with England, and young Jeanne d’Aragon (milla Jovovich) hears the voice of God telling her to lead the French army into battle and defend ...read more
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To Accept People Is To Be For Them. It Is To ... PRO
Contributed by Steve Malone on Oct 7, 2004
“To accept people is to be for them. It is to recognize that it is a very good thing that these people are alive, and to long for the best for them. It does not, of course mean to approve of everything they do. It means to continue to want what is best for their souls no matter what they do.” AND ...read more
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Nationally, 49% Of All Marriages End In Divorce. ... PRO
Contributed by Thomas Cash on Jan 13, 2005
Nationally, 49% of all marriages end in divorce. But you might think the odds of failure are much less for couples heavily involved in church. Not so! Ministries Today reports the divorce rate up 279% in the last 27 years. Taking a survey of all ministers in all denominations, 50% of their ...read more
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