By Rick Warren ”The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out” (Proverbs 20:5 NIV). If you want your prayers to be effective, you need to learn to be a good listener. Why? Because prayer is a conversation. While you may not hear God’s voice when you pray, he has still given you the Holy Spirit and Scripture to know how he wants you to live and to encourage you. But most of us are too busy, and we talk too much to really hear and understand what God—and others—may be trying to tell us.You may think you’re already a good listener. But there’s a big difference between hearing and listening! Hearing is simply the vibrations that take place in your ear. Listening is how you decode those vibrations in your brain. Many times I’ve heard my wife, my kids, or someone at church say something—but I didn’t listen. Listening is a skill. And if you’re going to be effective in your prayer life—and in all your relationships—you must develop it. Here are four tips to become a better listener. 1. Withhold judgment and criticism from the start. Don’t evaluate until you’ve heard and comprehended it all. I’ll admit that this isn’t natural. When someone else is talking and you hear something you … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn Horatio Lord Nelson lived from 1758-1805. The son of a clergyman, he joined the British Royal Navy when he was 12 years old. He became a Captain when he was 20. He was heralded as a daring leader who won many a victory for the British. One of his greatest victories was over the French during the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon planned to invade Egypt so to restrict Britain’s trade routes. On August 1, 1798, Nelson came upon the French Navy in the waters near Alexandria, Egypt, in what would later be referred to as the Battle of the Nile. Upon spotting the French warships, one of Nelson’s men said, “If we succeed, what will the world say?” Nelson immediately responded, “There is no if in the case. That we shall succeed is certain!” As believers in Jesus Christ—that we will succeed is certain! There is no “if.” But, we live like there is an “if.” We act like there is an “if.” In Ephesians 6:10-18, we are reminded that we are in a battle. The battle is real. The battle is intense. The battle is with a powerful enemy, Satan, who is out to destroy us. But, I don’t see the “if.” I see the victory, and the source of our victory is our faith. According to verse 16, we are to “in every situation, take the shield of faith.” … [Read more...]

By David Jeremiah EL CAJON, Calif. (BP) -- This season of the year lends itself to gaining a renewed focus on what is important -- not only for growing into a more intimate relationship with God but also to set aside time to let your family and friends know how much they mean to you. I can't prove this, of course, but I think God made fall just for family and friends. I know, anytime is a great time for being with those we love and appreciate but this time of year seems special. Think about the reasons why it is a great time for relationships and reunions: -- School. As much as kids imply that they don't like school, most kids (of all ages) love the social reunions that the return to school brings. But it's not just the kids -- parents wave at each other in the carpool lanes, see each other at parent-teacher meetings and sporting events, and sit in activity committees together. After the summer break is over, a new school year offers the opportunity to rekindle relationships at school. -- Church. Because of travel and vacations, some churches drop back to a single service instead of multiple services during the summer months. They adjust the music programs, combine some Sunday School classes, and sometimes cancel … [Read more...]

By Rebecca Holloway There are many instances where a character of the Bible is renamed - either by God or by the circumstances they have been through. Abram became Abraham. Jacob became Israel. Simon became Peter. Saul became Paul. And that's just a few examples. In fact, the Bible says that we all get a new name when we become believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We become known as children of God, co-heirs with Christ, redeemed, and many other fantastic names. But why all the renaming? In counseling, we do something called "reframing." Think about this for a moment: the frame in which you put a treasured family photo can either enhance the picture or it can make it look ordinary. Maybe you put the picture in a frame that has just the slightest hint of blue that brings out the blue in some family member's eyes. Maybe the frame has just the right shade of red that highlights the fall leaves in the background. When you pick the right frame, the picture takes on a whole new look. It has new meaning. It's more noticeable to those who might see it in your home. Reframing means we look at a situation in a totally different light, thus bringing out a whole new perspective on the events. We see it for what it really … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey Our pastoral team spent several hours yesterday planning our calendar for 2019. It’s a little strange planning Christmas now – not Christmas this year but our Christmas plans for next year! I’m convinced time seems to whiz by because we all have such busy calendars. Not only are we planning for 2019 but we’re also planning for November 2018 and  December 2018 as well. We don’t have time for October to slowly move by because we are planning for two months later. What truly amazes is me is how many young adults, college students, and even high school students who complain about the rapid passage of time. How can we get time to slow down? First, we can fully and completely live in this day, doing all we do for the glory of God, and making the most of every opportunity. Paul told the church at Colossae to do “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). He also encouraged the church to “Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). The more we use our days for productive pursuits the more we will … [Read more...]

By Joe McKeever Unrighteousness is being aggressive.  Evil is on the march.  The world, the flesh, and the devil are having a field day. What should God’s people do? A lot of people who call themselves Christians disagree with Scripture’s answer to that question. In most cases, this aggression takes very specific forms.  A new city ordinance discriminates against churches and makes it impossible to do ministry.  A perversion of sexuality has become acceptable and local authorities insist that it be taught as the norm in schools.  A decent public figure with traditional values is being targeted by wicked people and slandered.  The list is unending. Many calling themselves followers of Jesus Christ would say, “Organize! Confront! No more Mister Nice Guy! Take the fight to the enemy!”  “Show them you can be as mean as they can!”  “We have the power of God on our side!” “After all,” they will say, “Jesus took a rope and cleansed the temple!”  “Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.” When God’s people begin name-calling, verbally attacking, and using the world’s methods, eventually someone will get a gun and go calling.  In recent years, we’ve had extremists in the pro-life movement shooting up … [Read more...]