• Christian Living

    Is There Such a Thing as Christian Goal Setting?

    We could talk about the Biblical word “plan” for goals and the planning that goes into them. Plans themselves can be blessed or not. God has plans and so do people. God blesses righteous plans and blasts away ones that aren’t so righteous! Above all, plans are subject to the will of God. Is goal setting and planning even Biblical? You bet! God gives people plans: [King David] gave [Solomon] the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the…

  • Spiritual Gifts

    10 Ways to Live the Gifted Life

    Don’t you want to lead a gifted life, where you know God is in control and that you’re using all your gifts and talents to the good of the kingdom and for your own great blessing? There is a way to make that happen. I call this process “Guidance, Gifts and Goals.” Guidance Seek guidance from God. God doesn’t usually send down road signs (although He can!). Finding His will is more often a matter of being in relationship with Him. That happens through prayer, Bible study, meditation, worship. The more we do these things, the more allied we are with the Holy Spirit. Journal the process. You can often…

  • Spiritual Gifts

    Matching Spiritual Gifts to Your Church’s Needs

    Helping people to identify their spiritual gifts is wonderful, but sometimes they don’t know where to go from there. Give them solid suggestions on possible avenues for operating their spiritual gifts. Whether your church is large, small or in-between, below are some ideas on where an individual’s spiritual gifts might fit within the life of the church. Administration Building and maintaining the church’s structure to encourage vital ministries. From the Greek work kubernesis, it refers to a ship’s pilot, guiding the ship expertly along its course. You can also think of it as divinely-inspired project management. Church retreat Children’s ministry Library Most committees Office volunteer Special projects Usher Website Vacation…