Sermon Leftovers

SPIRITUAL HEALTH IS THE RESULT OF FULLY EMBRACING THE NEW LIFE GOD HAS GIVEN YOU. Just for fun, here are five things you can do every day to cultivate a spiritually healthy life. (coincidentally, this same model can reflect the weekly life of a spiritually healthy church or a spiritually healthy small group) 1. Receive inspiration from God's Word. 2. Utilize the gifts God has given you. 3. Connect with God's people. 4. Impact those around you with God's message of salvation. 5. Celebrate the blessings of God    

James wrote, "You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry." How would your communication with others change (improve) if you allowed this piece of wisdom to drive your conversations? I've heard it said that God designed us to communicate well by giving us two ears and one mouth. Therefore we should listen twice as much as we speak. While this may not be a theologically accurate statement, the idea of listening more than speaking carries much value. Communication is about more than just speaking and listening though. Effective communication is about UNDERSTANDING . Listening alone is very rarely enough to gain understanding and speaking alone is rarely enough to create understanding. A third piece is not just helpful, it's necessary. Effective communication also requires asking. LISTEN: Understanding begins with listening. It's not enough to simply "hear" what someone else is saying, I need to fully give myself to li