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    My Top 10 Posts of 2010

    By Change, Encouragement, Leadership

    Everyone seems to be making top 10 lists this time of year, so here are the top 10 blog posts of 2010. Please allow me to humbly say how thankful I am for readers this year. There are lots of blogs to read, so I’m thankful when you choose this one. I’m planning to write more in 2011, so I hope you’ll keep reading. It was be awesome if you would help promote this blog…I see it as a tool for ministry that…for whatever reason….God is using right now. You can add it as a link on your site, put me on your reader program, or sign up for an RSS feed or email. However you read it though…thank you! God bless you in 2011!

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    Merry Christmas from the Edmondson’s

    By Encouragement, Family

    Merry Christmas!

    What an incredible year this has been! I’m thankful for the friends and opportunities God has brought our way this year. Our house has seen challenges and trials, as any year brings, but this year has been exceptional.

    The circle of life continued again this year! Near the end of 2009, Cheryl’s father passed away with cancer. In early 2010, my father passed away, also with cancer. We walked through cancer with dozens of friends this year and we saw too many families whose lives were disrupted with the grief of death. At the same time,

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    What does the sign of Christmas say?

    By Church, Culture, Encouragement, Jesus

    Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Luke 2:11-12 NIV

    One thing I have learned about Bible verse: a verse usually has more than one application. As I have read the Christmas story over the years, I have become intrigued by the phrase “This will be a sign to you”. A sign of what?

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    Unwrap Christmas – Gift of Life

    By Encouragement, Faith, God, Jesus

    When Jesus spoke again to the people He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

    Merry Christmas!

    This week we have unwrapped some of the real gifts of Christmas. (If you missed any of them, see the suggested links on this post.)

    When we think of Christmas, we might think only of the baby that was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a feeding tray. We often forget that the child grew. Jesus grew to be a man; a sinless man who would bear the sins of the world, be beaten and hung on a cross, placed in a borrowed tomb, and rose to life on the third day.

    Jesus came, not simply so that you and I might have new life, but that we might enjoy it to the full! One of the gifts of Christmas is that you and I are no longer doomed to a mediocre existence! You and I, the children of God are no longer confined to the darkness! We have victory through our Lord Jesus Christ…the Light of the world!

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    Unwrap Christmas – Gift of Love

    By Church, Encouragement, God, Jesus, Life Plan

    For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

    This might not be part of the Christmas story you share with your family as you sit around the fireplace, but maybe it should be!

    As we unwrap the gifts of Christmas this year, we can’t help but mention God’s love. It was because of His great love for you and me that we even have a Christmas to celebrate!

    When God created the heavens and the earth, the world was a perfect place. Man was in union with nature. Man had a committed relationship with his Creator God.

    Then sin entered the realm of mankind. Sin separated man from God. What once was a perfect relationship was scarred forever. Men and women were subject to death, because of the plague of sin. Mankind could no longer reach a Holy God.

    But then…

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    Unwrap Christmas – Gift of Forgiveness

    By Christians, Church, Encouragement, Jesus

    Jesus came to be a Savior! As we unwrap the presents of Christmas this week, we must not forget the wonderful gift of forgiveness!

    I read a sign once that went something like this:

    If we had needed healing, God would have sent a Physician.
    If we had needed knowledge, God would have sent an Educator.
    If we had needed information, God would have sent a Scientist.
    If we had needed money, God would have sent a Banker.

    But, we needed forgiveness, so God sent a Savior!

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    50+ Examples of “Successful Leadership Requires…”

    By Encouragement, Innovation, Leadership

    I was thinking about successful leadership recently…actually, I think about the subject a lot… I guess because I want to be a successful leader and, because I know so many “leaders” who think they are, but aren’t successful. You know the kind…. I talk weekly to ministers serving on church staffs around the country who are struggling with the leadership of the church where they serve, mainly because of the leadership…or lack thereof…coming from senior leadership in the church. Perhaps you understand…

    I decided, since I have such awesome Twitter followers…and most people have an idea of what they think successful leadership looks like…that I’d put the subject to the test. I simply asked: What does successful leadership require?

    I primed the pump…so-to-speak…with these suggestions:

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    Unwrap Christmas – Gift of Peace

    By Culture, Encouragement, God, Jesus

    The Jesus born on Christmas day was God’s gift to the world, but if that’s true (and it is), then what exactly are we getting for Christmas?

    This week we are going to unwrap Christmas looking at a different gift each day…

    “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men on whom His favor rests.” Luke 2:14 NIV

    Peace! It’s an amazing word. In the cluttered life in which we live, peace is a word we strive to achieve. Peace is something we all need…and the faster the world gets…the more peace we need…

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    How the World Demographics have Changed in 200 Years

    By Change, Church, Culture, Innovation

    This short video blows me away. It demonstrates the changes in the world over the last 200 years in age expectancy and poverty levels. I saw it on my friend Greg Atkinson’s blog, but I thought it was worth sharing here also. This shows how things can change in a couple hundred years. That may seem like a long time, but in view of history, it’s fast paced. What are the implications here for the church? For the future?

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    Is It Panic or Preparation?

    By Faith, Family, Fear

    Yesterday we made a decision to delay our youngest son’s flight home from Chicago until today, because of the threat of bad weather in Nashville. It was a hard call, because he had finished exams, he was ready to be home for Christmas, we miss him dearly, and I’ve already purchased bacon….

    Here in Nashville the general talk was that we were on the verge of the next big ice storm. Schools closed early, grocery stores were packed, and games and activities were canceled or postponed. We’ve experienced ice storms in the past where everything was shut down, electricity goes out and motorists are stranded. Our area of the country has had it’s share of disasters in the past few years with floods, tornadoes and ice storms. I called Southwest twice. His flight, the last of the day, was already showing a delay of two hours. The two customer service agents I talked with (who were great BTW) both said the flight was subject to be cancelled and he would be bumped to the next day. They were offering free weather changes until the next day and their advice was to pick a flight after noon today. There were only three seats left on the afternoon flight.

    With this information, for fear of losing a flight altogether, I pulled the trigger and decided to delay his trip home until today. As it turned out, the weather predicted never came, his normal flight arrived on schedule, and had I left things as they were he would have slept in his own bed last night.

    I felt awful…but…

    There is such a fine line between panic and preparation.

    On one hand…

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