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Week 7: The Affections of Christ and Holy Pursuit
It is a magnificent piece of writing. When I read Paul in these moments I glimpse his hunger and desire to know Christ. There have been times when I come on these passages and I almost weep thinking, “Paul! I want to see what you’ve seen!” Read Philippians 3:7-16 and HERE I use the Common English Bible.
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Understanding context and rethinking Paul
I have believed in women in ministry for as long as I can remember. Growing up in a Pentecostal denomination that had ordained women from the beginning, it was at first assumed in my thinking, then solidified by study over the years as I continually ran into people who didn’t think women should be ordained.
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The Feast of the Conversion of Paul
Today is remembered in much of the Church as the “conversion of Paul.” I am working my way through N.T. Wright’s great work, Paul: A Biography. Wright rekindles my love for Paul and his work. Paul was one who caught the vision of a truly new social reality and then worked like crazy to communicate that new reality. He battled…
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Bring me the books and something to write on
When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments. (2 Tim. 4:13) Paul knows his time is short. He is in prison and near the end of his appeals process. It doesn’t look good and execution is close. With this end in sight, what does he focus on?
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Spiritual Leadership — Finishing Well
It’s not about how you start… it’s how you finish. Spiritual leaders look back and reflect on the goodness of God. And it’s not always a pleasant place of reflection. Paul was in prison and the executioner was down the hall.
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Thoughts on Mentoring
I know we use terms like “coaching,” but we also use terms in the church like “leadership,” too. I miss other words with slightly different connotations, like “mentoring” and “pastoring.”
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The shallowness of “belief”
I am drawn into the wonder of Colossians 1 right now. What has hit me as I finish Chapter 1 is how we talk in terms of American Christianity… and how Paul thinks as he has been on this journey to truly know Christ.
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Prevailing Prayer and Adoration
No matter the condition on earth, the action in heaven is worship.
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The surrender of discipleship
I love the phrase I learned years ago: As a leader you have to give up to go up. As a leader you give up “rights” and “privileges” so you can keep growing as a leader. The whole point was to keep “rising” as a leader. Over the years I’ve realized that “rising” as a leader has a lot of…
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Praying the prayers of Paul over people
There are times when I need more than, “Lord, just bless them,” as I pray for people. There are needs to pray for in people’s lives, to be sure, but there are BLESSINGS to pray into people’s lives as well. Colossians 1:9-14 has a beautiful prayer to pray on behalf of others. I have found it to be a great…
Tag: Paul
