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Posts Tagged with "2012"

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The Blessing of God's Provision

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Feeling beset by enemies inside and out, David reminds us in Psalm 144 that God is the God of all provision, the God of more than enough, the God who provides everything we need to not only survive - but thrive - and to enjoy his blessing....

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Great Faith for a Great Future

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We live in an unprecedented time of change; in Joshua 1 we learn principles for moving forward in God's purpose even when the future is uncertain....

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The Priority of Listening to Jesus

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Mary teaches us by example, and Jesus by his words, of the priority of listening to God....

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Our Good Shepherd.

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Following Jesus in times of turbulence draws us to trust God more....

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Justified.

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The gospel is more than justification, but it is never less than God's declaration of 'not guilty' to sinners who repent and believe....

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The Grace of Giving

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God gives grace for generous giving....

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Darkness, Difficulty, and God's Grace

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God's grace not only takes us to the mountain peaks but sustains through times of darkness and difficulty....

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Jesus DNA.

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As Christ's body, we share a vital life-link with Jesus, our head. It is through the gospel and by his Spirit that we come to share in his life....

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2020 Vision

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As we launch into a new year and a new decade, the Lord offers vision correction to help us see from his perspective....

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More Than!

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God's grace is more than amazing, more than beautiful, and more than sufficient to accomplish all the good God intends to bring into our lives. It's much, much more than you realised....

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Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.

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This beautiful and familiar hymn by Charles Wesley, amended by George Whitefield, is packed with solid truth to enrich our understanding of Christmas....

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The Seed of the Kingdom

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God's kingdom grows in our lives as his word takes root and bears fruit....

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Making It - to the Other Side

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Jesus doesn't leave us alone, and he doesn't leave us where we are. He has purpose, destiny, and intention for our lives, but to get there, we have to go through storms....

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Barriers and Breakthrough

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God invites us to breakthrough the barriers that prevent us from experiencing all the blessing he has for us....

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A Cost/Benefit Analysis of Following Jesus

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Evaluting the price Jesus asks us to pay in light of the promised pay out....

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Up and Down

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An up and down emotional life can be unhealthy, but there is a kind of up and down rhythm to following Jesus important for living life well....

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The Hard Work of Waiting

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God's promises are worth waiting for, but waiting can be hard work. Keeping our eye on the prize makes it easier....

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Let Loving Hearts Enthrone Him

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If we can recognise the identity of the baby born in Bethlehem, we can be rightly aligned to God by enthroning Jesus as our Lord and King....

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Great Faith for a Great Future

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Like God's people giving thanks for deliverance from Egypt and turning to enter the promised land, we celebrate what God has done but extend our faith for the future God has for us....

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Now or Later

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Jesus inducts his followers into apprenticeship by teaching them to live with eternal perspective....

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Mirror Image

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Jesus invites us to invite the ways of the kingdom as we represent God to the world....

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Boomerang

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Jesus invites us to a beautiful life by understanding the power of reciprocity: what we throw at others comes back to hit us on the head....

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Commendation

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We all like being praised for our accomplishments; Jesus offers us a unique kind of commendation....

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Don't Just Sit There ... Respond!

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It is impossible to have a neutral attitude towards Jesus: either we remain the managing director of our own life, or we recognise him for who he is, and submit to him - the King of kings and the Lord of lords....

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The Greatest Gift

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In a world marked by pain and suffering, God has given us the greatest gift; in Christ, God answers our most fundamental issue....

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A Different Kind of Party

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It may come as a surprise, but Jesus made a point of going to parties. We may think of Jesus as an emaciated desert wanderer who spoke in chapter and verse, but in truth, he was the hot ticket item in the Galilee social scene. This meant he got party invitations, but when he showed up, it was a party with a difference....

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Mission Clarity

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To hit the target, we need to know the target. If we listen to Jesus, he's crystal clear on what that target is....

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His Story, Your Destiny

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When we believe the story of His Son we step into the destiny God created for us....

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First Words

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When Jesus finally speaks in Luke's gospel, his first words teach us about his identity....

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Ready or Not

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We can run, but we can't hide; we will all have an encounter with God, and he invites us to get ready....

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Worthy of it all

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Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem drew praise from his disciples and reminds us that He is worthy of all the praise we can give him...

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The Mission of Easter

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The resurrection of Jesus marks the launch of his mission to the world. ...

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Future Proof

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By building our lives on the promises of God we are positioned for the future - whatever it brings....

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The Ultimate Baby Dedication

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Word's spoken by John's father at his dedication give us insight into an amazing destiny - both his and ours...

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Personal Destiny and Big Picture Purposes

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Zechariah and Elizabeth were both faithful and fruitless; God fulfilled their personal dreams for his big picture purposes....

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Certain Confidence in a Trustworthy God

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We live in an age in which skepticism is applauded; the Lord invites us to trust him fully....

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Great Faith when we can't see the way

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From Abraham we learn that we can trust God even when we don't know how things are going to turn out....

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Walking With God

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How do we walk with God on a daily basis? Lessons from Adam, Enoch, and Jesus help us enjoy the Lord in the mundane details of life....

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Against the Flow

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The life of faith is not just floating downstream, it is a swim of destiny against a cultural flow perpetually pushing against us. But it's worth it....

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The Others

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Faith and faithfulness in following Jesus produces more than victorious outcomes, it also sustains us victoriously through moments of darkness and challenging circumstances....

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Keeping Confidence in Tough Times

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By keeping our eyes on Jesus, we can endure the difficulties of life and thrive in faith....

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A Gift for the Ages

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God in Christ gave a gift that not only answered the need of those alive when he was born, but a gift that had been promised many centuries before, a gift we need today more than ever before....

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Matthew's Christmas Maths

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Mathew's introduction to the Christmas story makes one big point: it all adds up to Christ....

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Four Amazing Women

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Matthew intentionally places women in the genealogy of Jesus to highlight the fact that everyone is invited to God's BIG BIG Party....

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Immanuel: God With US

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God has always been with his people; in Christ, God is with us in a unique, personal way....

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Get it Done

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The Lord uses the proactive participation of his people to build his purposes on planet earth....

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Refreshed in God's Company

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Our Lord promises to restore our souls with green pastures and still waters: He also refreshes us with his people....

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The Power of Prophetic Encouragement

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Few forces are as powerful for the human soul as encouragement. We need encouragement because we are highly susceptible to discouragement. How can we win the battle over discouragement?...

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For Such A Time As This

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Do you ever feel like you're caught up in circumstances way too big for you? That's when we need to remember that God has wrapped our lives with purpose and destiny....

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Renewing the Mind

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How does our thought life determine our destiny? How do we live faithfully as God's people in a society whose reality excludes his relevance? Daniel's example in Babylon teaches us how to think correctly and live faithfully in a society increasingly out of step with God's Word....

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The Fourth Man in the Fire

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When we walk through fiery tests and trials, we're not alone - the Lord is right there with us....

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How's It Going To End?

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As we look at the world without and the world within, we often have the feeling that things are not as they should be. The good news is that God promises to fix it all, abolish evil, and establish righteousness....

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Championship Teams

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God builds us together into a championship team to fulfil his purpose on the earth today....

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Prosperity with God's People

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God wants you to prosper. But what does that look like? What does it take? The Lord invites us to a life of flourishing, planted in his house with his people...

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Small Beginnings

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God excels in accomplishing big things from small beginnings. What began with a tiny outreach in L'viv is now bearing fruit all over Europe....

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I Will Pour Out My Spirit

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God's promise to Joel that he would pour out his Spirit was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost in powerful way....

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Peace and Pursuing

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What would it look like to be filled with an abundance of peace? Jesus invites us to live anxiety-free lives while pursuing the kingdom of God....

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Talent ... on loan from God

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We all have something, and if we use what we've got, we feel fulfilled, but more importantly, the kingdom of God advances....

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The Diversity of Israel

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CBU just had an amazing 10 days of Bible study and spiritual refreshment in Israel. If we are wiling to leave the tourist trail, we discover that Israel is not a monolithic bloc of orthodox Jews but a diverse nation in need of spiritual awakening....

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The Cave of Your Calling

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Kings 17 and 18 tells the story of Elijah's confrontation with Ahab. When Elijah announced, 'it's not going to rain until I say so, he wasn't simply making weather predictions; he was asserting God's authority, declaring that God is really God, and reminding the Israelites that wannabe-false-pretender-not really god they were worshipping wasn't. Elijah's victory, however,...

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A House For God's Greatness

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When the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon and saw his house, she thought, 'Solomon's great!' When people encounter us, we want them to think, 'God's great!'...

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Christmas with Paul, David, and Matthew

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The gratitude of Thanksgiving quickly turns to the anticipation of Christmas; as we approach the celebration of the Incarnation, deep appreciation for God’s incredible mercy fills our hearts. I have been reflecting on the introduction to the Christmas story in Matthew, with Acts, and 2nd Samuel informing this text....

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Christmas Maths

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Mathew's introduction to the Christmas story makes one big point: it all adds up to Christ....

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Not A Watchmaker

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In one of her biggest hit songs, Bette Midler sings that God is watching us from a distance. It's a beautiful song, except that it's not true. God's not watching from a distance; he is personally engaged in the details of our lives....

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Transcending Time

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As the nights grow from cool to cold we bask in the glory of our great God. I'm so excited about what the Lord is doing with and through CBU, and I am so encouraged by our partnership together. We just had an amazing time together at our November Gathering in Ridgecrest; when we get together, we generate a world-changing faith. For those of you missed our November Gatherin...

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Back To Basics

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Faithfully following Jesus means faithfully passing on to others what he has entrusted to us....

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Transfigured On Purpose

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By unveiling the glory of Jesus, the Father got the attention of the disciples so they would listen to him....

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Eagles and Turkeys

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God seats us in Christ in the heavenly places, but we often forget who we are and spend our time pecking around with an earth-based perspective....

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Following Jesus

Someone exploring the Christian faith recently asked me: 'What does it mean to follow Jesus - practically - on a day to day basis?' That's a great question - and here's my answer....

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The Mighty One

We live in a constant tension regarding which narrative about ourselves we're going to believe: are we going to be shaped by the many voices around us, or will be be shaped by what God says about us?...

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Harvest Time

Jesus is continually inviting us to partner with Him in the Father's harvest, even when it doesn't seem like it is the opportune time....

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Strength and Courage

Have you ever faced a moment of genuine intimidation? Have you ever been gripped with fear to the degree that you were paralysed - unable to move? This is what Joshua felt as he stood at the threshold of his moment of destiny....

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Reflections on my daughter's wedding

Weddings happen all over the world, every day. But it's not every day that my own daughter gets married. We just returned from Nagoya, Japan, where my oldest daughter Julia married Kazuyoshi Matsumoto. Here's the story behind the story, followed by some reflections from a fatherly perspective. ...

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The Mission of Easter

It’s that time of year when we get to hit the pause button from everything else going on ...

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Ministry Update: Busy But Blessed

A common response to the question, 'How's it going?' is 'Busy!'. And while it's true that we can be too busy, I often respond by saying, 'Better busy than bored!'. And while that's also true, there is something that's even better than being busy - and that is being blessed. In reflecting on what we've been up to, we've been busy ... but we're blessed!...

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The Year of Jubilee

Jesus came to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, a spiritual jubilee in which we are restored to the happy land of our relationship with God. This positions us for active participation in God's purposes, including gratitude-based generosity. Every time we give, every moment we share with those in need, every week we set aside a tithe and give it to God to fund his wors...

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Fallin' Short

I was disappointed in the outcome of the Super Bowl. But the good news is that Jesus never disappoints us....

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Super Bowl Season

God's vision for our lives is victory, not survival. But victory is about more than winning personally - it's about God's purposes winning. ...

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Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Imagine a generous husband who gets a big bonus and decides to buy his wife a diamond ring for Christmas. It comes in small package, and when she opens it, she admires it, thanks him, but then sets it to the side. In the midst of all the Christmas-day chaos, the small but valuable diamond ring gets knocked off the end table, covered in Christmas paper, and lost. ...

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Faith for the New Year

As we prepare to enter the New Year, our focus on being faithful with the gospel is more important than ever. I was recently chatting with my dad about the impact CBU has had over the decades since our first conference in 1974. Thousands have been touched, but it has been for a purpose. ...

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My Perspective on the Presidential Election

Our nation is still processing the results of the recent election. As Christians, it is important to allow the Bible to frame not only how we think about this election, but how we position ourselves in a nation that desperately needs healing. For believers, the mission of God has to be the over-riding concern that governs our lives. ...

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Navigating Transitional Times

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We live in turbulent times of significant transition. How do we navigate these moments?...

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A Series of Fortunate Events

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Sometimes a small seed planted grows into something big - and grows into unexpected places....

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Crossing The Jordan

Every generation has the 'cross the Jordan' to enter the place, purpose, and provision God has for it....

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Surviving The Storms

How do we navigate the storms that hit us as we follow Jesus? Several stories in the Bible point us in the right direction....

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Walking With the Father

What does maturity look like? How do we grow up in Christ? There are a few power verses that give us an answer. ...

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Pentecostal Power

God gives us the power of the Holy Spirit to make us effective witnesses. The compelling story of Ivan Vornaev show's God's power in action. ...

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A Power Paradigm

The Book of Acts describes an Apostolic Paradigm for Gospel Progress. We need the Power of the Holy Spirit - And More....

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The Wisdom of Seeking God

A Power Promise: Enjoy the reward of Seeking God in 2012...

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The Best Is Yet To Come

As we start a new year, we start with the faith that God has great things in store for us....

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