Trapped. Stuck. Burdened. Are you just barely making it through the week? Hustling to make ends meet? You struggle to pay the bills, meet the commitments, organize the stuff, make the phone calls, and get things done. If you’re lucky, you blow off a little steam. And yet do you still feel stuck? … Continue reading Are you stuck? Here’s a word of hope
Author: Russell Smith
4 Lessons About Leader Training
Leader training. We know that it’s important. We know that we ought to do it. So why do so many churches just go through the motions? Perhaps we do a little bit of orientation to committees and show people where the keys are. Often, it’s little more than “nuts and bolts” explanation. This weekend, I … Continue reading 4 Lessons About Leader Training
Before you complain that “everybody gets a trophy”, read this
“The problem with these kids today is that everybody gets a trophy!” I’ve heard that gripe over and over again. I heard it just last week in the locker room at the gym. Last December, the University of Louisville Women’s Basketball coach went off on a highly publicized rant, complaining about the “everybody gets a … Continue reading Before you complain that “everybody gets a trophy”, read this
Take the 31 Day Proverbs Challenge
Do you want to know how to handle relationships better? How to better handle finances? How to develop more self-control? You need wisdom. Note that wisdom is not the same as information. We are awash in information. Drowning in it. Humanity is producing nearly 1.7 megabytes of data per person every second. By 2020, our … Continue reading Take the 31 Day Proverbs Challenge
Gentleness is NOT weakness. Here’s what it really is, and how you can grow in it.
Ours is an era marked by aggressiveness, combativeness, and crudeness. Do you feel the pressure that comes from it? The pressure to respond in kind. The pressure to fight fire with fire. Do you feel like the idea of gentleness sounds weak, timid, and powerless? Don’t be fooled. Gentleness is not weakness. Gentleness is wisely … Continue reading Gentleness is NOT weakness. Here’s what it really is, and how you can grow in it.
The Sermon About Immigrants I Didn’t Expect To Preach
We’ve been doing a “topic of the week” for our midweek worship service. Topics that are in the headlines and on your minds. The idea is to search the scriptures in a way to make us think more deeply and clearly. So last week I picked the topic “Immigrants.” That’s been in the news, after … Continue reading The Sermon About Immigrants I Didn’t Expect To Preach
A Serious Read: Blessed are the Peacemakers by S. Jonathan Bass
This week, I finished reading Blessed are the Peacemakers by S. Jonathan Bass. What’s the big idea? Bass tells the story of the writing of Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. His main goal is to flesh out the lives and careers of the eight clergymen who were named as “recipients” of … Continue reading A Serious Read: Blessed are the Peacemakers by S. Jonathan Bass
Learning the Discipline of Loving
So you’ve made a commitment to growing spiritually in 2017? You want to be spiritually stronger, wiser, and more grounded? You want 2017 to be a year of exponential growth? That’s what this series on Fruitful Discipline is all about. (Update on January 11, 2017: Listen to the corresponding sermon series on our Covenant-First Presbyterian YouTube … Continue reading Learning the Discipline of Loving
We’re Back! New 2017 Series on “Fruitful Disciplines”
The New Year means it’s time to return to writing the Horizons of the Possible Blog. I’m excited about a new sermon series that I’m doing called “Fruitful Disciplines.” It’s a 9 week exploration of the fruit of the Spirit, as described in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, … Continue reading We’re Back! New 2017 Series on “Fruitful Disciplines”
2016 Summer Reading: Books by Eugene Peterson, Leif Enger, and Sky Jethani
Warren Buffett, the investing genius known as the Oracle of Omaha, says he spends 80% of his day reading. Bill Gates, the billionaire founder of Microsoft reads for an hour every night before he goes to bed. Dave Ramsey, the immensely popular author and radio host, reads a book a week. It has often been … Continue reading 2016 Summer Reading: Books by Eugene Peterson, Leif Enger, and Sky Jethani
Horizons of the Possible 