I love Monopoly!  I guess it is my competitive spirit or perhaps my love for business that causes me to adore this game.  I, however, never get to play it.  In our house, I have been banned from playing Monopoly with the family.  For some reason Sonya doesn’t like to play with me.

She says that I am a cut throat.  That I am too cocky when I play.  She says that I carry a smirk on my face when I make them pay the high rent for my hotel districts.  But the one that she says the most is that I brag too much when I win.  I do not know what she is talking about.  I am undefeated.  No one has ever beat me at monopoly.  I am the monopoly king of our family and beyond.  Where does she get it that I brag too much?  For me the object of teh game is to win.  To vanquish my opponents and to bankrupt them.  That is the goal. 

Beyond, monopoly the goal of our life is to win.  Not against one another but against the enemy of our souls.  He seeks to kill, steal and destroy.  That is his purpose.  Our purpose is to thwart his efforts and vanquish our opponent.  Now granted in this game of life,  there is no room for bragging or being cocky.  In fact, that is what will usually bring a down fall.  Rather our goal is to win the battles we face and not give up.  Never give up!  We may get bruised from time to time, but we can win the fight.

Our eye is on the prize at the end.  Our goal is the finish line.  The Bible doesn’t say we have to win first place.  We must make it to the finish line.  Greater is He that is in you than he that is in this world.  You are more than a conqueror!  You can do all things through Christ which strengthens you.  You can win the game!  God is on your side!

This morning was Sectional Council at Trinity Fellowship in Fayetteville.  We had a great time and heard a challenging message by Superintendent Larry Moore.  He gave us a great outline.  I might even preach it someday, of course it won’t be as good as Pastor Moore.  Here are the points of  his message “The Power To Become”:

• You become the thoughts you think
• You become the words you speak
• You become the decisions you make
• You become the company you keep
• You become the money you spend
• You become the love you share
• You become the God you worship

These were some great thoughts that I went home chewing on.  What thoughts am I thinking and words am I speaking?  Do I want to become like them?  Are the decisions I have made a result of the good or bad situations I may face?

Something to think about!

Robert Benson has written a great book that challenges the believer to follow the Echo Within.  The Echo, as Benson describes, is the voice of God’s will in your life.  Throughout the chapters of this book, he beckons the reader to discover the life God has been preparing for us.

Benson reveals that even though the will of God seems like an Echo Within, it is actually more visible if we look at the things we have been through in life.  His premise is that God speaks to us through circumstances, relationships, impressions and many other ways that we often overlook.  Robert Benson encourages the believer to evaluate things in their life that create a portrait of the desires God has for our lives.

In The Echo Within, Benson shares from his personal journey to become an author.  He weaves his story throughout this book and helps the reader relate to his journey of fulfillment.  Benson’s book is an easy read, meaning that he engages the reader well and you look forward to seeing how his journey turns out in the end. 

By the end of the book, I was clearly seeing patterns in my own life that God has been speaking to me,  but I haven’t always recognized.  Anyone wanting to learn more about what God created them for must get a copy of The Echo Within.

Some quotes from The Echo Within:

“Sometimes what we want is to be allowed to hunker down in the life we are living, or are hoping to live, or are constructing for ourselves.  Without any upset, without any change in plans, without any of our ducks being disturbed…But sometimes when we say yes to some new thing that seems to be calling to us from the echo within, then we may as well be prepared to head for God knows where after that.  And to head there with God knows who as well.”

“To assume the One Who made us has only one way of revealing to us the thing for which we were made is to attempt to handcuff the Almighty.  (Something neither advisable or-I suspect-possible.)  We dream a dream, and it does not easily come true, and we conclude that perhaps it was not what God meant for us after all.  But I suspect far too many of us give up on our dreams far too soon.”

Robert Benson has written more than a dozen books about the discovery of the sacred in the midst of our ordinary lives, including Between the Dreaming and the Coming True, Home By Another Way, and Digging In. His work has been critically acclaimed in a wide range of publications from The New York Times and USA Today to Spirituality & Health and The Benedictine Review. He is an alumnus of The Upper Room’s Academy for Spiritual Formation and was recently named a Living Spiritual Teacher by SpiritualityandPractice.com. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

You can purchase a copy of The Echo Within at christianbook.com

   Today is Sonya’s birthday!  She is **! 

Surely Solomon was right when he wrote, “He that finds a wife finds a good thing!” “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband.”  I am fortunate to have Sonya as my crown!  I am blessed beyond measure to have a godly wife, a woman who loves me and a wonderful mother to our children.

I certainly have more than I deserve.  Happy Birthday, Smoopsy Poo!

John Maxwell Gives Us Six Habits of Highly Defective People.  I like Maxwell because he challenges the way we think and gives us some tools for self-examination.  How do you rate in these areas?  I know I have some work to do in my own life.

• They have a losing attitude: People generally get whatever they expect out of life. Expect the worst, and that’s what you’ll get.

• They quit growing. People are what they are, and they are where they are because of what has gone into their minds.

• They have no game plan for life. As William Feather, author of The Business of Life says, “There are two kinds of failures: Those who thought and never did, and those who did and never thought.”

• They are unwilling to change. Some people would rather cling to what they have rather than embrace what might be better because they are afraid of getting something worse.

• They fail in relationships with others. People who cannot get along with others will never get ahead in life.

• They are not willing to pay the price for success. The road to success is uphill all the way. Anyone who wants to accomplish much must sacrifice much.

HT: Buddy Cremeans

Last night we had our leader’s meeting.  We had a good turn out and discussed our core values as a church.  These are the things that our ministries should value and live by.  Our goal is to work these into our ministries to give us a vision of what to focus on.

• We Exist To Imitate Christ In Our Lifestyles
• We Exist To Incorporate Opportunities For Prayer and Worship
• We Exist To Initiate Relationships With Others
• We Exist To Inspire People To Find and Fulfill Their God-given Purpose
  for Life
• We Exist To Impart Biblical Truths That Stimulate Spiritual Growth
• We Exist To Impact Our Community With The Love of Jesus Christ
• We Exist To Involve Others In The Mission of the Church Worldwide
• We Exist To Introduce People to the Gospel of Jesus Christ

I read a great article that was intended for pastors, but I think could speak to every person who teaches God’s Word.  It is by Craig Groeschel who pastors Life Church in Edmond, Oklahoma.  This article really stretched me!

Groeschel writes, “Every year, I personally mentor a handful of young speakers. Most of the speakers I work with don’t struggle with researching the text, preaching creatively, building meaningful outlines, or pointing people toward the gospel. Most of the communicators I see struggle to bring all of themselves to a message.

When you preach or teach, you must bring you. Without you in, around, and through the message, you will not impact today’s listener.

The younger audience today has a built in authenticity-meter. You can preach with passion, humor, clever points, or heart-wrenching stories. But if the scriptures haven’t touched your life, the listener will know it—and ignore your well-crafted message.

People want to know:

• How has the text affected you?
• How have you failed in the area the Scripture addresses?
• What about the text makes you uncomfortable?
• What do you feel about what Scripture is saying? (I know our feelings don’t trump scriptural truth, but talking about how we feel about the text can help engage others at a deeper level.)
• How are you becoming different because of your study in God’s word?”

"Every night I give my worries over to the Lord. He’s going to be up all night anyway."
-Mary C. Crowley-

HT: Buzzard Blog