In an age of sound bites and Twitter feeds, many Christian leaders are so busy trying to keep up with current events that few of us take time to stop, to study, and to struggle for the sake of teaching God’s people. All too often, we take a side and stick to it without the discipline of listening or questioning our instincts. The thin veneer of our discipleship is showing cracks as a result. (MORE HERE)
Read moreReading and listening that is challenging me in this new year
I’ve spent a full year away from ministry and shifting into a new phase of life. I am still in a steep learning curve, but along the way I am always finding joy.
Read moreYou choose where you dwell
Romans 8 calls us to recognize the depths of God’s goodness and how he has empowered us for all things.
It is a matter of choosing where you dwell. Read more
Insist on Right Thinking
Paul insisted on right thinking. (Eph. 4:17)
He didn’t want believers to have their minds trained by the world. He wanted them to know they could train better. They could learn Christ. Read more
Right thinking
We don’t seem to be in the mood for it these days in our culture, but what is needed now more than ever is right thinking.
A new book compiling some of the work of Dallas Willard starts with what Dallas did best: think. He calls us to right thinking. And where that starts is the Word of God.
And so we must apply our thinking to the Word of God. We must thoughtfully take that Word in, dwell upon it, ponder its meaning, explore its implications — especially as it relates to our own lives. We must thoughtfully set it into practice. In doing so, we will be assisted by God’s grace in ways far beyond anything we can understand on our own; and the ideas and images that governed the life of Christ through his thought life will possess us.
Right thinking is vital right now. When emotions are high, when rhetoric is divisive… right thinking is needed. This is where the Church should be leading the way.
Renewing the Christian Mind: Essays, Interviews, and Talks
Transformed Thinking and Racism
Podcast: Basic Transformational Thinking, Part 2
You can also subscribe to my iTunes podcast page as well! Search for “Apprenticeship Podcast Dan” on iTunes.
Leadership thoughts along the way today
As a leader if I am not building up other people I am failing at my calling. #leadership
— Dan Thompson (@cdanielthompson) May 24, 2016
No matter the size of your church, you have the resources and gifts to BE the Kingdom of God. Pastor, equip them! #leadership
— Dan Thompson (@cdanielthompson) May 24, 2016
Challenge your own thinking. Challenge thinking in others. Don’t be fearful of having your own thinking challenged. #leadership
— Dan Thompson (@cdanielthompson) May 24, 2016
Where our minds dwell
We get the opportunity to choose where our minds settle. We can choose our thought patterns in many ways. It is work. Too often it is so much easier to “drift” and allow the junk to float right in.
Let us choose to reflect on the goodness of God today.
I will dwell on your mighty acts, my Lord.
Lord, I will help others remember nothing but your righteous deeds. (Ps. 71:16)
The need to teach THINKING
We are a culture given to extremes. Rather than living in the balances of feasting and fasting, we go to the extremes of obesity and anorexia. That is not just concerning food.
And we highlight the extremes in our culture, wildly cheering one side or wildly despairing over the other extreme. We don’t like the center.
We need a discernment process to know what is necessary and good in our lives, keeping centered.
We need a Kingdom center, not a culture fringe.
