I’ve always loved Mark 1:35. It motivates me to seek God early in the morning. But I never fully appreciated it until I examined the phrase: ‘the next morning.’ So what happened the day before? The context is the key to this text. Jesus had a long day the day before. He preached a sermon. He cast out a demon. And he healed a multitude of people. As a pastor, I know how exhausting it is to simply preach an anointed sermon. It’s a tremendous expenditure of physical, spiritual, and emotional energy. Can you imagine how much spiritual energy it took to cast out a demon or heal the sick. Jesus had to be absolutely exhausted. But ‘the next morning’ he got up early to pray.”

…

Here’s the bottom line: when God uses you in a powerful way, you better get up even earlier to seek Him. When God blesses you, you better pray even more. And any measure of success God gives you better result in seeking Him even more.

(Via The Batterson Blog – Thoughts on Life and Leadership.)

(Via Motivational Quotes of the Day.)

Is anything more important than obeying the whispers of the Holy Spirit? Whether it’s the Spirit of God whispering through Scripture or a prompting of the Holy Spirit, one whisper can change the trajectory of your life. One whisper can make life make sense. One whisper can change your entire perspective on life.”

(Via The Batterson Blog – Thoughts on Life and Leadership.)

(Via The Batterson Blog – Thoughts on Life and Leadership.)

(Via The Batterson Blog – Thoughts on Life and Leadership.)

Self Discovery: “Truth has to be owned. And the way we own it isn’t via someone telling us about it. That’s second-hand knowledge. We have to experience it for ourselves.”

(Via The Batterson Blog – Thoughts on Life and Leadership.)

We can hear all the truth, we want but it does not really make a difference till we act on it. That action might be changing the way we do something or it might be deeper than that. It might require us to change our core convictions.

No matter what it requires, just hearing it means nothing. Believing that truth (assuming it’s based on scripture), and acting on it are key in having impact in this world for God.

Thanks Mark!

As we discussed this church that Jesus described as looking alive but actually was spiritually dead, we came across a couple of verses in Ephesians 5 that stuck with me the rest of the day…

…for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

“Awake, O sleeper,
rise up from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. (NLT)

For me, what stood out most from this passage was the words “Make the most of every opportunity.” I guess you could say that convicted me. I must confess that I am a “Recovering Pharisee.” What does that mean?

Well, for me, it means that I had been living my life much like the church at Sardis. I did all the right things and said all the right things. But deep in my heart, my core beliefs did not reflect what I said in public.

I was alive to those who saw me in public, but to those who I let into my inner circle – they knew better. I was dead or at least not as alive as I could be.

The idea of making the most of every opportunity is something that I live out in many places but for some reason not in my spiritual relationships…

As I reflected on this yesterday and this morning, I really began to understand that God expects us to do our best with everything He gives us to do. Not just what I do 40 hours a week, but when I get home with my family, when I volunteer at church, when I am acting on stage, and most of all when I relate with Him and others about Him.

We need to be making the most of EVERY opportunity from the moment we wake up in the morning to the time we go to sleep at night. And our basis for this should be love, love for God, and a love uniquely given to the individual we are interacting with.

What do you think?

As a 20 year old you are deciding who you’ll be at age 40.

The decisions of the heart you make when you’re younger determines who you become years later.

Seeing honor given to God is more important than sucking air.

Activities lead to practices which lead to habits, shaping the person you’re becoming

I’m deciding who I’m becoming and today is a new day!

Video is here: http://www.adabible.org/weekend_services/audio_archive.php (click on Far From Home)

Viola explores God and three key themes that are essential to the sweeping story that is told throughout the pages of scripture. These three themes, The Bride Of Christ, God’s dwelling place on Earth, and The Body Of Christ and His family, are key in not only helping us better understand what God is doing but where we as a church and individuals fit into this picture better in this Grand Love story called the scriptures.

It’s about the church and it’s people becoming more than just attendees doing the “things” and “its” that make up a religion. But really what Viola is driving at is that the Church and its people ARE the Bride of Christ, who He passionately loves. They are His dwelling place on Earth, where God lives. They are His body and family. Christ is the center of everything that matters. “From God’s standpoint, the church’s center of gravity is Jesus Christ”

For me personally, this book really opened up an understanding of what it means to be the Bride, The dwelling place, and a part of the Body/Family of Christ. These ideas have been “thrown around” in my church experience but never really fully explained. Viola not only explains them but shows how they tie into the grand Story as a whole.

I found that the more I explored the passages and themes in this book, the more I began to understand more clearly what God’s highest passion and grand mission are and where the church and, more specifically I fit into it. As I read, I got excited as I more clearly understood what God’s passions are and how they include the church. It truly did change my “view of life, church, and our magnificent God.”

I would definitely recommend Frank Viola’s book From Here To Eternity: Rediscovering the Ageless Purpose of God…

If you would like to order the book at a discount at www.FromEternitytoHere.org – it’s also on audio book. Free discussion guide, sample chapters, interviews, and a free audio of the first chapter are available on that site also.

The following bloggers are posting a review or Q & A with Frank Viola on his bestselling book FROM ETERNITY TO HERE today, Tuesday, July 21st.

Jay Becker – www.jaybecker.org
Mark D – http://deadmanstravelog.blogspot.com

Igniting Hearts – Kimber Britner – http://www.ignitinghearts.blogspot.com/

Karyn – http://tiger-kar.blogspot.com

Barefoot Preacher – http://thebarefootpreacher.blogspot.com

Every Day Angels – www.WeAreEverydayAngels.com

FaithEngineer – http://www.faithengineer.com

Kristen Schiffman – http://dancinginthemargins.typepad.com/

CrossPointe: The Church at Bevo – http://churchatbevo.blogspot.com/
Crazy Love for God – crazyloveforgod.blogspot.com

Amazima Ministries – oatsvallteam.blogspot.com

Down to Write Honest – http://downwritehonest.com

A Beautiful Mess – http://blnorth1105.blogspot.com/

The Blakes on a Mission – www.theblakesthailand.blogspot.com

Words by Jud Kossum – http://judkossum.blogspot.com

Eric Jaffe – http://www.ericjaffe.org

2nd Cup of Coffee – http://www.2nd-cup-of-coffee.blogspot.com

Nolan Bobbitt Website – www.nolanbobbitt.com

Klappyanne – www.xanga.com/klappyanne

Daveingland – http://www.daveingland.com

Randi Jo Rooks – http://seedsinmyheart.blogspot.com

Ephesians Five – http://ephesiansonefive.blogspot.com

Michael Bayne – http://www.michaelbayne.net

Encounter Church Helena Blog – encounterhelena.org

Thoughts B4 Conviction N2 Action – tsharrison.blogspot.com

Edevotion – http://www.e-devotion.blogspot.com

Seeking After – http://seekingafter.blogspot.com

Eric Powell – www.encounterhelena.org

Borrowed Light – http://fbcnewlondon.blogspot.com

What do you think from a Christian perspective?

Thinking about the compromise: “If you’ve built your life around service to others, how much more could you accomplish if you were a little greedier? If you’ve built an expensive lifestyle around a well-paying job, what would happen to your life if you downsized and sought out more joy or generosity?”

(Via Seth’s Blog.)