Pastor Rick Warren: Shortcuts Will Only Get You Off Track

August 10, 2018 By Leave a Comment

By Rick Warren

“Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body” (Proverbs 4:20-22 NLT).

One of the pitfalls you may face as you fulfill your purpose in life is the temptation to take shortcuts.In truth, these shortcuts will only get you off track. The shortcuts may be moral, ethical, spiritual, financial, or even relational.

But they will distract you from what God wants you to do in your life, eventually eating up your time, energy, resources, and creativity.

Shortcuts are always shortsighted. God wants you to stop being “absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ — that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective” (Colossians 3:2 The Message).

Let God’s Word “penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body” (Proverbs 4:21-22 NLT).

Talk It Over

  • How can you recognize a shortcut in your life?
  • What shortcuts have you tried to take in the past when working toward your goals?
  • How can shortcuts cause us to be disobedient to God?

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.

Filed Under: Columns

Commentary: When will Chicago’s violence evoke true citywide outrage?

August 10, 2018 By Leave a Comment

The first freshly dead body I ever saw lay in the back of a police vehicle, an African-American teenager who had tried to shoot an off-duty cop. He missed, and got shot by the cop instead.

Here’s a link to the editorial at Chicago Tribune.

Filed Under: Columns

Editorial: Why it’s time for Trump to play his ace in the hole

August 10, 2018 By Leave a Comment

You return from a great vacation and POW — reality hits like a punch in the nose. And that’s not counting the hassle of New York airports and traffic.

Here’s a link to the editorial at FOX News.

Filed Under: Columns

A Word for Today: Going Astray

August 9, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Columns

Pastor Rick Warren: To Hear God, Get Near God

August 9, 2018 By Leave a Comment

By Rick Warren

“It is the LORD who gives wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6 GNT).

You say, “I want to trust God, but I don’t hear him.”You don’t hear God when your mind is filled with a thousand other distractions. To hear God, you’ve got to get near God. You have to get alone with God and be quiet.

The Bible says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 NIV). That means sit down and stay quiet. That’s how you hear God and get near God. You have to sit alone and just be quiet with your Bible and say, “God, is there anything you want to say to me?” You read God’s Word, and you talk to him about what’s on your heart.

God says he will give you the wisdom you need to recognize his voice and follow through on what he says: “It is the LORD who gives wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6 GNT).

Pray this today: “God, I want to listen to you, not the voices of doubt. I want to get close to you and get to know you better. I want to hear you, and I promise to then obey you. I want to be one of the people that you can use and bless.”

Talk It Over

  • What do you need to change about the way you meet with the Lord so that you can be quiet and draw closer to him?
  • How do you normally react to God’s direction in your life?
  • How can you demonstrate that you are ready to obey what God directs you to do?

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.

Filed Under: Columns

Editorial — Chicago’s great shame, Chicago’s crisis: Blood on the streets

August 9, 2018 By Leave a Comment

A hot summer weekend, when Chicago should be at its most livable, brings an undercurrent of dread and horror to this city. Summer is block party season, beach season, baseball season. But in some neighborhoods, summer is killing season — when armed gang members run amok firing at each other and anyone in their way.

Here’s a link to the editorial at the Chicago Tribune.

Filed Under: Columns

What Tuesday’s primaries prove about Trump’s power at the polls

August 9, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Results from voting Tuesday showed once again that few things have more power in American politics than an endorsement from President Trump. Empirical evidence proves it.

Here’s a link to the editorial at FOX News.

Filed Under: Columns, Uncategorized

Column: Rahm can’t spin his way out of the Chicago street gang wars

August 8, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Paul Vallas and others challenging Mayor Rahm Emanuel — and focusing on Chicago’s weak response to the slaughter in the streets — know this about the mayor of Chicago

Here’s a link to the column at the Chicago Tribune.

Filed Under: Columns

A good guy with a gun has saved many lives in Florida – something the media rarely report

August 8, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Thankfully, a heroic citizen with a permit to legally carry a concealed handgun was able to save countless lives in Florida Saturday when he shot a gunman who opened fire on a back-to-school event attended by over 150 students at a park in Titusville, Florida.

Here’s a link to the story at FOX News.

Filed Under: Columns

A Word for Today: Security

August 8, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Columns
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