Toward Him

towardHIM 2012: Positively No!

Posted by on Feb 2, 2012 | 0 comments

I’ve always had trouble using the word no. So I thought maybe looking up the definition would help me. In the context we’re going to use “no” today, Webster’s defines it as “to express negation, dissent, denial, refusal.” Hmmm… very negative definition. In actuality, learning to say no can make things in life more positive. Let’s spin it differently: Negation? Do you realize that by saying no, you are actually AFFIRMING your desire to incorporate more discipline, focus, and health into your life? Dissent? How about the fact that saying no can mean you are AGREEING with God and shutting down the DISSENT that happens...

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towardHIM 2012: Let the Defense Rest

Posted by on Jan 26, 2012 | 1 comment

Do you ever get defensive? Someone accuses you of something and the wall comes up? Someone doesn’t like what you’ve said or done, and they talk about it (or you think they’re talking about it). Are you like me and allow your perfectionism to cause reactions instead of responses? We can learn a lot from one man in the Bible who, from what I can see, never seemed to try to defend himself… no matter if he was wrongly accused. From the beginning, Joseph was “the chosen one.” He was the son of Rachel, the wife Jacob loved. His brothers appeared to be more than a little jealous of his position with their father. And I would say there was a...

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towardHIM 2012: Finding Your Own Peniel

Posted by on Jan 19, 2012 | 1 comment

“So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.’” Genesis 32:30 Struggle. Ambition. Jealousy. Looking out for number one. Qualities that can be used to describe Jacob. But they describe me too. Do you ever try to do life on your own? Instead of looking up for leadership? Even though you know God is working his awesome plan together, do you still try to live your life in your own strength? As I continued reading in Genesis this week, Jacob’s life really stood out to me. Maybe because I can relate to his struggle. Maybe because his is a common struggle within all of...

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towardHIM 2012: Respecting Our Leaders

Posted by on Jan 12, 2012 | 0 comments

  I’ve committed to reading the entire Bible in 2012. I’ve never done it before, and I believe God is calling me to do it. I mean, how can I really talk about knowing Him if I don’t take the time to read through the book He’s given us to live by. This week, I’ve gotten through Genesis 24. And I’ve been really thinking about two well-known men of God: Noah & Abraham. You know Noah. He built an ark. He blindly listened to God even though the people around him thought he was crazy. Wonder what all the people were saying… mostly behind his back? Their talk was probably similar to what we hear in churches today. Abraham was...

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Toward Him 2012

Posted by on Jan 5, 2012 | 5 comments

          As I’ve mentioned a few times over the past month, God taught me a lot in 2011. He worked in ways that I never expected… in ways that were at times hard to take. My heart took a hit from several life changes that all happened in the first part of the year. My emotional self was drained. During the summer, I found myself in a deep valley. But I’m thankful to say that by the end of 2011, I came to realize my emotions were drained because I was making it all about me. God used relationships, situations, books, songs, movies… even complaints to get me to the place I’m standing right now. To break me. This is a...

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