Search This Blog
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query progress. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query progress. Sort by date Show all posts

Monday, June 24, 2024

Hope Illustrations

Devotional Thoughts and Teaching Illustrations About Hope


Devotional Thoughts

W.I.P. (Work in Progress)

I talk to many people who are looking for hope. Hopelessness about financial, educational, career, or relational factors. Those especially relating to children, marriage and those they love. And hope deals with the future.

Read Philippians 1:6 ... confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Remember God is working on you and them. We are all "Works In Progress."

Divine love finds a way of being optimistic. God isn't finished with you either.

Death isn't the end of life, but a glorious beginning for the Christian. 
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

God is directing history toward a climatic day. A purging moment. This earth will be changed, refined, and cleansed of all moral imperfections. 

What kind of people should we be...
2 Peter 3:11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives

====
Fall 2001 - National poll in Michigan. Only 1 in 5 Americans feel hopeful about the future. (80%)


Links to other resources:
Quotes
Audio Message of Hope
Hope For Life


*Clickable Quick Links Are Below:

#Hope
#Hoping
#Hopefully
#Hoped
#Hopeless
#Hopelessly
#Hopes

1 Corinthians 13:13 (MSG) But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
1 John 3:3 - And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
1 Peter 1:9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 3:15 - but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
2 John 12 - Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.
3 John 14 - I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.
Ephesians 1:18 NLT - 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called--his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
Ephesians 2:12 NLT - 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.
Ephesians 4:4 NLT - 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance that what we hope for will come about and the certainty that what we cannot see exists.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Job 13:15 God might kill me, but I have no other hope. I am going to argue my case with him.
Proverbs 13:12 (MSG) Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around.
Proverbs 3:5 Put all your hope in God, not looking to your reason for support.
Psalms 25:21 (MSG) Use all your skill to put me together; I wait to see your finished product.
Psalms 31:24 (MSG) Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up. Expect God to get here soon.
Psalms 42:5 (MSG) Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.
Romans 15:13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 5:4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,


Logos Dictionary Themes

You Think About It!
Kevin Rayner


Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Tuesday, August 08, 2000

Logo Symbols

I have planted churches since 1979. Other than the obvious scriptural items, the next thing in planting churches for me has been deciding on unique names and logo. Picture say a thousand words. Slogans speak volumes too.

A unique and distinctive name or symbol helps you establish recognition. What distinctive traits do people see in you—and remember you by? This tells a great deal about who you are trying to serve.

The Eastman Kodak company calls its name one of its most valuable assets. How did the Kodak name come into being? According to George Eastman, the company’s founder, he purposely invented the unique name out of thin air. In a 1920s article from System Magazine, Eastman is quoted as saying, “I devised the name myself the letter K had been a favorite with me. It seemed a strong, incisive sort of letter.... It became a question of trying out a number of combinations of letters that made words starting and ending with K.” The word Kodak was devised after a considerable search for a word that would be short, unique, easy to spell, and meet requirements of the trademark law. Eastman wrote, “There is, you know, commercial value in having a peculiar name; it cannot be imitated or counterfeited.”

Kodak was first registered as a trademark in 1888. The first Kodak camera sold for $25 and came loaded with film for 100 exposures. Owners would return the entire camera for processing, and for $10 it was filled with a new roll of film. The pictures were of good quality, and the easy-to-use camera brought photography to the masses. Since that time, the Kodak name has served the company well. Because “Kodak” had no meaning of its own, it could only be associated with the company. It was also almost impossible to misspell. Now registered in ninety countries, the Kodak name has become a trademark that is unique and distinctive.

Jesus never named His church, it was always referred to in words that described. Maybe it is more important to be people like Christ. Adlai E. Stevenson (1900-1965) said, "All progress has resulted from people who took unpopular positions."

You think about it!


Kevin Rayner
Tecumseh, OK
http://hcoct.org/minister.html


One other note from Jim Winner: Kevin, thank you for your service. I wonder if you hear that often?

I am writing out of a small since of desperation. I preach south of you, in the southern most part of the Chicago area. I have been here a little over a year.

I know you may get more requests than you have the ability to fill. My wife's name is Jamie. Jamie will be turning 40 on her birthday. I had always planned to make it a special one for her. She made a big deal out of my 40th birthday seven years ago, and the wheels of genius never stopped as I planned to outdo her. Unfortunately, last December she had her first (right) hip replacement. Since then, and for months before, she has been disabled. She goes into the hospital to have her left hip replaced on the 25th of August. That is her birthday.

I know she would be moved if people would shower her with birthday cards. Most people have no idea what it is like to have a hip replaced at her age, let alone both of them. A little encouragement will go a long way, especially with someone like Jamie.

I am sure your notes go out to many people who know Jamie, through one of the church works we have been involved in, or through our time at Sunset.

It should be sent to her attention, (Jamie Winner) at Cherry Hill Church of Christ, 2759 Lancaster Drive. Joliet, Illinois, 60433. I will take the cards to her at the hospital.


Thank you, Jim Winner
Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Progress

Ministry is like snow skiing. If you are not leaning forward over the front of your skis, you are not moving forward very fast.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Pressure Illustrations

Devotional Thoughts and Teaching Illustrations About Pressure



Edmond Church Family,

Hope you're having a great week!

We got an Instant Pot for Christmas. It’s great, you can cook frozen chicken in a matter of minutes, and it’s edible! I even eat something called Quinoa cooked in this modern multi-cooker, and it actually tastes good.

The Instant Pot looks like a reinforced crockpot with a bomb timer slapped on the front of it. Evidently, it cooks using extremely high pressure. When the timer goes off, and the food is done, we release the pressure valve and watch as a steady flow of steam spews into the air. Without removing the pressure, opening the pot would be disastrous.

It appears that some of us are like Instant Pots right now. After a long year of uncertainty and unforeseen challenges, there seems to be a lot of pressure building up.

Many of us are just holding it all in and may not even know it. Unless we have a healthy and safe way to release the pressure, sooner or later we will explode. Maybe you’ve been there recently.

You lose your patience with a store clerk.

You rant and rave about something unimportant. 

You explode at your spouse or child.

You feel a wave of road rage wash over you.

You burst into tears.

You scream and yell. Or just the opposite, you shut down emotionally.

You say things you later regret.

You react impulsively. 

While you may feel better in that instant (see what I did there?), your actions and words cause damage. Relationships suffer. People get hurt. Unity and progress are impeded. Damage is done.

Maybe right now is a good time for an honest self-assessment. How are you doing…how are you really doing? 

Do you feel overly stressed? Are you allowing challenges and adversity to gnaw at you? Are people getting under your skin? Is there a chance you are stuffing all the anxiety and uncertainty of a challenging year or a difficult situation deep inside as you try to keep moving forward?  

Sooner or later—unless you deal with the sources and symptoms of your stress and find a safe way to release the building pressure—you’re going to explode. 

Before you say or do something harmful, please do something helpful. 

Talk to a trusted friend or counselor. Pray, fast, and participate in other spiritual disciplines. Get moving and get some sleep. Build in Sabbath rest. But most of all, lean on God.

A short verse in the passage I plan to preach on this Sunday as we conclude our “Exiles” series tells us, very simply, what to do with all that pressure, all that stress and all that frustration: 

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

In one short inspired verse of scripture we are told what to do and why to do it. Recognize the pressure building up inside you and the burden of stress you are carrying, and let go of it. All of it.

More specifically, give it to God. Let him take it off your shoulders and out of your heart, and let Him replace it with healing and hope.

Cast your anxiety on him. That’s the what, but even more notably, here’s the why: “…because he cares for you.” 

God cares deeply for you. He cares that you are carrying what feels like the weight of the world. He cares that you are going through a tough time. God cares that you are hurting, or grieving or struggling. He cares that you have experienced great loss or that you can’t seem to catch a break.

He hurts with you and cares for you. 

God wants to carry what is weighing you down. Jesus already bore your greatest burden when he willingly went to the cross. He removed the sins that separate you from God.

Not only is God’s care for you unmatched, his strength is unequaled. No burden you are trying to carry is too heavy for him. So give it to him, and leave it with him. Don’t take it back. You can trust God.

Letting pressure continue to build will only result in a destructive explosion. God wants to help you, so just let him. 

Hope you’ll join us for worship Sunday.
Grace & Peace,
Randy 


*Clickable Quick Links Are Below:

#Pressure
#Pressured
#Pressuring
#Pressures
#Press
#Stress

2 Corinthians 9:7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
2 Corinthians 11:28 - And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.
Proverbs 24:10 If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.
Psalms 32:4 (MSG) The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up.
Psalms 32:5 (MSG) Then I let it all out; I said, “I’ll come clean about my failures to God .” Suddenly the pressure was gone— my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared.
Judges 20:45 (MSG) Five divisions turned to escape to the wilderness, to Rimmon Rock, but the Israelites caught and slaughtered them on roads. Keeping the pressure on, the Israelites brought down two more divisions.
Revelation 2:13 (MSG) “I see where you live, right under the shadow of Satan’s throne. But you continue boldly in my Name; you never once denied my Name, even when the pressure was worst, when they martyred Antipas, my witness who stayed faithful to me on Satan’s turf.
James 1:2 Trials and Temptations Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
Romans 5:3 And not only this, but [with joy] let us exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships, knowing that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble) produces patient endurance;
https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Pressure
https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/search?q=Pressure
https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/words/Pressure/sort/popular

Logos Dictionary Themes
A state of personal anxiety, strain or tension resulting from the pressures of human life. 
But God cannot ignore sin and will not. He brings pressure upon us, often very acute pressure, until we acknowledge the sin, confess it, and return to him. --James Montgomery Boice

You Think About It!
Kevin Rayner


Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Thursday, December 29, 2022

Prayer Illustrations

Devotional Thoughts and Teaching Illustrations About Prayer

*Clickable Links Are Blue with Underlines:

My Friend Paul Adams's Blog on Prayer

Answered Prayer & A Flying Kitten
Dwight Nelson told a story (as if it were true) in one of his sermons. Rumor is that it is true, but by all indications, it is just a preacher's story.
He had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his backyard and then was afraid to come down.
The preacher coaxed, offered warm milk, etc.
The kitty would not come down. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the preacher decided that if he tied a rope to his car and drove away so that the tree bent down, he could then reach up and get the kitten. (We preachers are smart like that.)
He did all this, checking his progress in the car frequently, then figured if he went just a little bit further, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the kitten.
But as he moved a little further forward, the rope broke.
The tree went “boing!” and the kitten instantly sailed through the air — out of sight.
The preacher felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they’d seen a little kitten.
No. Nobody had seen a stray kitten.
So he prayed, “Lord, I just commit this kitten to your keeping,” and went on about his business.
A few days later he was at the grocery store, and met one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. (Now this woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it) So he asked her, “Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?”
She replied, “You won’t believe this,” and told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing.
Then a few days before, the child had begged again, so the Mom finally told her little girl, “Well if God gives you a cat, I’ll let you keep it.”
She told the preacher, “I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really, Preacher, you won’t believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the clear blue sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front of her.”
How many of you wish prayer worked like that? That would give you more hope. Never underestimate the power of prayer…..

Video


Church Songs?

#Pray
#Prayer
#Praying

James 5:15-16 NIV - 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.



You Think About it!
Kevin Rayner





Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Friday, December 23, 2022

Consider Illustrations

 Devotional Thoughts and Teaching Illustrations About Consider 

Things to Consider
Source unknown

1. Cut your lofty goals in half.
2. Be specific about your goals.
3. Write down how you will do it.
4. Don’t make too many resolutions.
5. Keep your goals realistic.
6. Consider finding a partner.
7. Keep track of your progress.
8. Think of each new day as a new beginning.


*Clickable Links Are Blue with Underlines:


Video


Church Songs?

#Consider
#Considered
#Considerable
#Considerably
#Considerate
#Consideration
#Considering
#Considers

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.
Philippians 2:6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage.
1 Samuel 12:24 Only fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.
Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Job 1:8 And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”
James 1:2 (NLT) Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
Proverbs 26:16 (NLT) Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors.
Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:



You Think About it!
Kevin Rayner




Posted by at No comments:
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)