Thank you, Veterans!
If you can’t see the video in your e-mail, click here.
Have you ever had an interruption in a well-laid plan? Have you ever been going along great with some discipline and then your world gets turned upside-down? All that discipline and planning goes right out the window. Then at some point you are supposed to get back in the saddle. How on earth are you going to do that? Here’s the #1 key to getting back in the saddle.
Hello again, blog world!
After a nearly fatal power loss at the data center for my hosting service, I nearly lost my blog. Even now, it is crippled and I’m starting the slow process of internet therapy.
Even though I had a back up of the blog, it has still loaded in with some dreadful errors that I’m simply not sure how to deal with yet. So, please be patient with me as I try to figure out how to get “God’s Way Works” back up to the image and standard it had before this debacle.
Thank you so much for your patience with me and let me encourage you to keep coming back. Hopefully within the next week, I’ll be back up and running at full-steam.
Thanks,
Edwin
I received lots of great feedback here and offline regarding the idea for my upcoming prayer class. The class will be entitled “Plugged In: High Voltage Prayer,” basically because that’s what I call everything I do about prayer. Maybe I should be more creative with titles. But hey, when you start with something that works, you might as well stick with it. I’m more than halfway done with the class book that I’ll use here at Brownsburg. Thought I’d share a sample and see what you think about the way it is shaping up.
I want your help and input. I’ve had what I think is a cool idea for a Bible class to go along with my book: “Plugged In: High Voltage Prayer.” Instead of just giving you 13 lessons about prayer with questions in a vacuum, I want to get the lessons to fit into real life. Therefore, I’ve decided to tell a story about “Steve and Sarah.” As the students learn Steve and Sarah’s story, they learn about how High Voltage Prayer fits in real life. Check out my introduction in this post and let me know if this kind of class or small group study would interest you.
Perhaps one of the most misunderstood aspects of Christianity is grace. We all think grace is amazing. We all want grace. We all love grace. However, many of us wonder what grace really is. Some Christians seem to cheapen grace, seeing it as a get-out-of-jail free card. Others seem to discount it, seeing it as something for the weak. What is it really? How much should we rely on it? As Philip Yancey asked, “What is so amazing about grace?”
First, I want to say thank you.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I know you have so many things to do today and I am completely honored and humbled that you let my blog be on your to-do list. I hope “God’s Way Works” will always be a blessing in your life. Feel free to comment on ways you think this blog can better benefit you.
Second, I want to apologize.
I have to share a story I heard from my brother-in-law, Nathan Williams.
Four servants were walking through a field one day, when a sinkhole gave way and they fell into a deep pit.
As they came to their senses and assessed their situation, they began to confer about what to do. The first servant began to think about his hard life, his nagging wife, his pestering children. He thought about all the work he would have to do if he got out of that pit. He decided that he kind of liked it down there. He curled up by the dirt wall, pulled a rock under his head, and went to sleep.
The other three continued conferring.
The second servant began to think about what a great master he had. He knew the master would come looking for them and save them. He knew that since the master would take care of them, he could just sit there and wait. He leaned against the wall of the hole and waited.
The other two kept conferring.
The third servant looked at the wall of the pit and said. “We can do this. All we have to do is dig out some hand holds, grab hold of rocks and roots. I think we can dig and climb our way out of here. If nothing else, I think we can dig at these walls and build a ramp to get out.” This servant started digging and working hard.
The fourth servant new that was just impossible. The pit was too deep, the dirt too loose. They would never climb or dig their way out of that pit. All that would accomplish was pulling more dirt down on top of them. So he began to holler. “Master, Master. Save us. We are stuck in this hole. We can’t get out. Save us.”
A few moments later a rope was let down into the hole. The master said, “Grab the rope and I will pull you up.” The fourth servant, seeing his salvation, grabbed the rope and was pulled to safety.
The master flung the rope down again and said to the third servant, “Stop digging. Grab the rope and I’ll save you.” But the third servant said, “No, Master. Watch and see. I can dig and climb my way out of this pit. When I’m done, you’ll see what a wonderful and hard working servant I am. You’ll be so proud of me.”
The master spoke to the second servant. “Take the rope and I’ll save you.” But the second servant said, “No. You must not be my master. My master would just save me from this hole and ask nothing of me. I’ll wait here for my master.”
The master roused the first servant from his slumber and said, “Take the rope and I’ll save you.” But the first servant said, “Save me? Save me from what? I’m comfortable down here. No one expects much of me down here. No one is nagging me down here. The dirt is soft and comfortable. Even this rock for a pillow is not so bad. I am getting a little hungry, but I think that pain is worth it. I’ll just stay here. Your rope may be good for others, but I don’t need saving.” He went back to sleep.
To this day, the rope dangles in the hole waiting for those servants to trust their master’s strength to save them. There was much weeping in the master’s house for the three who remained in the pit. But there was also much rejoicing for the one servant who had been saved by the master.
How do Christians mirror these servants? You can add your input by clicking here?
This blog is about helping you where you need to be helped. However, part of God’s Way Works is helping in multiple areas. On Monday, we focus on God’s way for your personal life. On Tuesday, we focus on God’s way for your family life. On Thursday, we focus on God’s way for congregations. On Friday, we focus on good clean fun.
There is a lot of good info for multiple aspects of your life. But perhaps you aren’t interested in one of these facets. Maybe you look forward to Monday’s posts, but Thursday’s posts bore you to tears. Maybe you are starting a family and want Tuesday’s posts, but have all the fun you need on your own so Friday’s posts just get to be a distraction.
I have discovered the answer.
I have now been able to set up multiple subscription options.
If you want to subscribe to the entire blog, you can continue to do so. If you subscribe here, you will receive every post. You will not need to sign up for the other feeds.
Click the RSS button below to subscribe in your favorite reader.
Subscribe to God’s Way Works in a reader
Or put your e-mail in the form below to subscribe to the entire blog and have every post sent directly to your e-mail.
However, if you only want to receive posts in certain categories, then sign up below. You need to sign up for each category you wish to receive separately. (Remember, if you want all of them, sign up for the main feed with the link or form above.)
If you want to receive the Monday posts on God’s way for your personal spiritual life, subscribe below.
Subscribe to God’s Way For Our Lives in a reader
If you want to receive the Tuesday posts on God’s way for your family life, subscribe below.
Subscribe to God’s Way for Our Family in a reader
If you want to receive the Thursday posts on God’s way for our congregations, subscribe below.
Subscribe to God’s Way for Our Congregations in a reader
If you want to receive the Friday posts of Good Clean Fun, subscribe below.
Subscribe to Good Clean Fun in a reader
Thank you so much for being a part of the conversation at God’s Way Works. I hope this makes the blog more useful and helpful for you.
Have a great week and remember, God’s Way Works.
–Edwin
