All About Discipleship:
What is repentance?
That seems like an easy question, but many of us live with a wrong understanding in regards to repentance. We view it as “feeling sorry” for doing something morally wrong. Therefore “repentance” is a shame associated response to behavioral sin. Beyond that “repenting” was something we did when we first came to Christ.
But this is not what “repentance” really means. In fact, at its very root, repentance has little to do with behavior. It has to do with changing the way we think (or believe). When thinking changes, behavior gradually lines up to “bear fruit keeping with repentance”.
With this understanding we must realize that repentance is not a onetime act. We are called to turn away from wrong thinking anytime the Lord reveals beliefs or attitudes that do not line up with His Truth. We must repent over:
o any wrong thought about God, His intentions, or His ability
o any wrong thought about ourselves
o any life focus that does not line up with God’s plan for us to love others and extend His kingdom on earth
To truly walk with Christ, we must accept with great humility, that His thoughts are not our thoughts. Rather than leaning on our own sanitized version of human understanding, we must become relationally dependent upon God as He equips us with the mind of Christ. True repentance is exchanging our faulty, earth bound thinking for the Truth that reigns in God’s Kingdom. This is the starting point of faith that leads to radical transformation.
All About Emotions:
The Hidden Value of Stress
Stress is an emotional and physical reaction to pressure put on us by external circumstances or our own expectations. Most of us view stress as a negative thing because we don’t know what to do with it. As a result we consume vast amounts of energy trying to control or escape stress.
But there is an “up” side to stress. In fact, stress is a tool used by God to reveal our character, our focus, or our faulty thinking.
We can all exhibit great character when its smooth sailing – but rough seas reveal areas where we still need to grow. Can we maintain joy, peace, patience and self-control when stressed? Do we still exhibit love and kindness to those around us?
Stress often occurs when we are not focused on God’s priorities. As such, we are unable to enter His rest because we are busy building our own kingdoms instead of aligning our priorities with His.
Stress may also occur when we don’t have proper thinking about situations and expectations. For example, stress may indicate we are failing to trust in God’s goodness or willingness to provide. Stress can also be a result of unrealistic expectations we set for ourselves. This happens when we get our worth from our performance rather than rooting our identity in Christ.
When feeling exceptionally stressed, take time to learn from it. What might God long to reveal to you in the midst of your stressful condition? How might you need to grow, adapt or adjust in order to maintain internal peace? Rather than just petitioning God to deliver you from stressful circumstances, seek to cooperate with Him as He teaches you to live in peace despite the storms around you.
All About Health/Nutrition:
Enjoy the Physical and Emotional Benefits of Massage
There are numerous health benefits to massage. Physically, massage can minimize pain and stiffness, lower blood pressure, and even boost immunity. Emotionally, massage can reduce stress, minimize anxiety and reduce symptoms of depression.
Looking for the best deal for a massage? Look no further! Priceless Massage is the only place where you set the price for your massage. Enjoy either a ½ hour massage or a full hour massage, and then leave a fair donation.
The Relaxation Massage encourages full body relaxation through the healing power of touch. Gentle pressure combined with long, smooth strokes result in improved circulation and a welcome state of serenity.
The Therapeutic Massage restores deep layers of muscle tissue and fascia strained from everyday stress and chronic patterns of tension. Integrated massage techniques of compression, trigger point release are coupled with concentrated strokes to realign connective tissue. This treatment is ideal for soothing the neck, back, and shoulders.
Call 330-704-9773 for an appointment. Priceless Massage is located 5 minutes from the Hall of Fame in Canton.
All About Relationships:
Hearing What Really Matters
Relationships are about connecting. It’s a process of revealing ourselves and discovering others. Yet few of us “do” relationships well. Oh, we might be able to “meet on common ground” and talk about surface similarities. But when it comes to developing true intimacy with others, we have no clue how it’s done.
One desperately needed skill is listening. When we listen, we must intentionally seek to go beyond the words we hear and journey to discover the heart inside. Too often we communicate information but never develop connection. We may get facts straight and resolve surface issues so we can “function” - but hearts remain untouched or neglected.
To listen with the intent to connect is one of the greatest gifts we can give to others. Here are some quick tips to help develop the skill:
· Lay down your “right” to be heard – refuse to get defensive and offended
· Lay aside desires to “fix” or solve the other person’s problems
· Ask them to share their feelings; quietly allow them to process
· Invite them to keep sharing - “tell me more”… “what else?”
· Clarify – paraphrase what you heard them say about how they feel. Ask them to correct your understanding – keep listening until they confirm they felt heard
It is extremely important to “lay down your life” when listening. Your goal is not to be heard or understood at this point. It is to enter into the other person’s frame of reference. In a healthy, mutually edifying relationship – this skill will develop in both parties so that each one can benefit from the connection.
Keep in mind, communication that leads to connection is a struggle for most people. While listening is only one aspect - do not hesitate to seek help to improve this skill. Growth is a process! Our coaching services are a great place to start.
All About Finances:
Suffering from a Poverty Mindset
Has God gone bankrupt? I used to wonder when I repeatedly heard a Christian agency tell clients “sorry, we have no funding to help you”. Now I realize they were not called to be the answer to a client’s every need. But what perplexes me is that this is precisely the mindset that many of us have. It is a frame of reference that focuses on what we lack, rather than tapping into the infinite resources of our Provider. It is living with the belief of “limited potential and finite possibilities”.
Let me first clarify that I do not believe God wants our focus to become materialistic. When we talk about Him being our Provider, it is never so that we can gratify the lust of the flesh. Instead, it is about His resources being available to us in order to fulfill the call He has placed on our lives.
The Body of Christ suffers because many are building their own kingdoms first. We buy into thinking that we will step into our callings only after we have our financial needs met. But we never have enough – so we never step into our destiny, and lives remain unchanged for the Kingdom of God.
Would we ever be bold enough to say “God, I don’t see how you will do it, I don’t see how you will provide, but no matter what the cost, I will not settle for anything less than walking in your will”? Will we truly leave “the world” behind in order to pursue the Kingdom?
At the root of a poverty mindset is fear and unbelief. We fear “having need” that we cannot meet on our own. We fear judgment and criticism from others who claim we are irresponsible if we don’t conform to worldly priorities. We don’t believe that God will be faithful to His end when He tells us to seek first His Kingdom and He will take care of our needs. So basically, we don’t seek HIS Kingdom first.
I believe God sees our provision issues radically different than the way we do. I believe, as a whole, we fall far short of tapping into the tremendous resources available to us if we would learn to operate in faith. I know I am growing in this area. I invite you along for the journey!
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