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Encouragement

Scripture Memorization, Week 2

By Church, Encouragement, Life Plan

Last week we started memorizing Scripture together. (Read that post HERE.) It’s something we will do every week this year. A new verse will post each Saturday. Over 50 people said they were doing this based on the comments and then another 50 or so told me on Facebook, Twitter or by email. (You can still join in…whether you comment or not…but I’d love to hear that you will.) We have some people eager to learn God’s Word this year! How awesome is that?

Memorizing Scripture can be made easier than you may have thought. As I said last time, writing it down helps. Write it somewhere you will see often. One Twitter friend took my suggestion and wrote it on her mirror. Another (read his suggestion in the comments from last week), is going to make the verse the background on his phone each week. I love creative ways to do this! Please share them if you have more ideas.
Last week’s verse was:

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23

How did you do last week? Could you recite it if you had to?

This week our verse is:

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January 8, 2011
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3 Suggestions to Make a Good Speech or Sermon Great

By Church, Encouragement, Leadership

One secret to effective speaking is to learn what not to say…

Don’t give everything you’ve got in a message.

A standard joke is about the young preacher giving his first message. After he has studied hard and has lots of information, he can’t help but share everything he’s got. One key, however, to an effective message is when the speaker learns what to say and what not to say. The “what not to say” is perhaps the more important part. For me the best part of my sermon message preparation is after it’s written, going back and cutting parts of it to tighten up the talk.

Here are 3 suggestions to make a good talk great.

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January 7, 2011
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We Are All Different…Diversity Week 1

By Culture, Encouragement, Funny

I’m doing some fun posts over the weekend in 2011 aimed at engaging my readership, but also learning from each other. One thing that has occurred to me more in recent years is how different we all are. God must love variety, because He created us all unique.

With that in mind, for the next few weeks I want to point out some of those differences. Each week, I’ll ask a few questions that have differences of opinions or preference. The more comments…the more we get to see our differences.

Here are this week’s questions:

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January 2, 2011
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Scripture Memorization, Week 1

By Encouragement

For years, I had a practice of committing Bible verses to memory. Over the years, I probably learned hundreds of Bible verses. I literally “hid God’s Word” in my heart. Whatever the excuse, I haven’t made that a part of my spiritual disciplines in the last few years. I think it’s time to bring the habit back and this time I want to invite you along.

Would you commit to memorizing one verse with me a week in 2011?

Here’s how this will work. Each Saturday I’ll post a new verse. You can write it on an index card to carry with you…or put it on your refrigerator…at your bedside…or maybe write it with an erasable marker on the mirror where you get ready each day. Whatever it takes to see it consistently throughout the week. You should recite it many times. By the end of the week you’ll know the verse and we’ll start over again the next week. Is it a deal? Are you up for the challenge?

Here’s the first verse for us to memorize:

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23

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January 1, 2011
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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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January 1, 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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December 25, 2010
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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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December 24, 2010
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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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December 23, 2010
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