Gain All You Can; Save All You Can; Give All You Can

I talked about Rick Warren's perspective on money last week. Here is a short clip of him talking about it. He speaks more "boldly" than I do on the topic which is good... If preaching on money is offensive, please be offended by him, not by me!

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How I'm Going To End the Creation - Evolution Debate

You may or may not be aware that coffee has a very quick “mold-creation” rate. If you leave a cup of coffee sitting out for too long, it will quickly begin to develop mold spores. In fact, I would imagine, that in just a week or two a mug of coffee would develop a bog-like surface if left alone. Therefore. I’m placing a full mug of coffee in a secluded room where it will be undisturbed. I’m also leaving instructions in my will that in 100 years, my grandchildren are to go into that room and document the lives of all the mold creatures that have come to life. That’ll show those silly creationists.

The Inability of Metaphors and Similes to Describe the Church

The difference between a metaphor and a simile is the word "like." (that's perhaps overly simplistic, but useful: Metaphor: You're a Dog. Simile: You're like a Dog. Of course, neither a metaphor nor a simile really does a good job of proclaiming reality: You aren't a Dog. Often times, Jesus and His friends used metaphors and similes to describe the church. Some of them would be: The church is (like a) house The church is (like a) family The church is (like a) body The church is (like a) temple All of these are useful for helping us understand some nature or function of the church, but none of them are terribly effective as a comprehensive description of the reality of the church: The church is not a house The church is not a family The church is not a body The church is not a temple The church is the church. It is completely different than any other organism/organization known to man. It is a spiritually-joined, mis

Manipulation is Not Leadership.

Proverbs says alot about flattery. One of my favorite proverbs reminds us that the wounds of a friend are preferable to the kisses of an enemy. Often people who don’t really have your best interest in mind will use flattery to manipulate you. I get frustrated with myself when I slip into manipulation by flattery mode. But flattery isn’t the only way we manipulate people. Some people are master manipulators. They spend their time evaluating a person, figure out that person’s “buttons”, and then press all the right ones to get what they desire from that person. Some people are “passive-aggressive” manipulators; they’ll bully a person by withdrawing and being silent. Is there anything wrong with manipulation? Many leadership “gurus” talk about the concept of “influence”, as being one of, if not the core competencies of leaders. One author says “leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less”. I read another book recently that said, “to lead others, an individual or group must

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