Be Ready and Make It Clear

ONE OF THE TOUGHEST assignments in life is to communicate clearly what happened during a time when emotions were high. People who “fall in love” can hardly describe the details of the moment. Those who’ve endured a sudden loss or witnessed a tragic accident often convey the information in a confused manner.

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The Forgotten Side of Success

Maybe we should confess that one reason we find it so hard to set selfishness aside and adopt the spirit of a servant is that we’re driven by dreams of success. We want to be winners.

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Take Heed Lest You Fall

OURS IS A DAY OF SUPERFICIALITY. If you can fake it, you’re often admired as being clever, not criticized for being phony. Mediocrity can mark the ministry just as overtly as it marks many of those who work for the government and are employed in industry. I’ve also noticed that staying longer in the same place can only perpetuate the problem. People tend to let seniority excuse the erosion of excellence.

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Suffering for Doing What Is Right

As you serve people in ministry, you will give, forgive, forget, release your own will, obey God to the maximum, and wash dirty feet with an attitude of gentleness and humility.

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A Realistic Appraisal of Serving Others

We Americans like things to be logical and fair. We not only like that, we operate our lives on that basis. Logic and fairness are big guns in our society. Meaning this: if I do what is right, good will come to me.

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Three Realms of True Success

Yesterday, we looked at the apostle Peter’s three crucial realms related to true success: authority, attitude, and anxiety. Let’s translate those realms into practical principles. You could think of them in steps.

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The Weight of Worry

How wonderful that God personally cares about those things that worry us and prey upon our thoughts. He cares about them more than we care about them. Not a single nagging, aching, worrisome, stomach-tensing, blood-pressure-raising thought escapes His notice.

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Reading, Part One

The three Rs have stood the test of time as reliable criteria for a dependable education. They are poised like disciplined sentinels against one of man’s greatest enemies: ignorance. The original blocks of granite, unimpressed by educational styles, unmoved by change, these three solid friends are trustworthy to the end. Like salve on an open sore, they reduce the fever of panic, giving stability when so many voices demand obedience.

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The Problem with Progress, Part Two

Though in time we may laud their boldness and radical qualities, in their day most progressive dreamers are seen as permissive, wild-eyed extremists. I came across a rather remarkable letter purportedly written over one hundred and fifty years ago by Martin Van Buren to President Andrew Jackson. The contents? A strong, critical warning that the “evil” new railroads would disrupt business, boost unemployment, and weaken our nation’s defense.

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