Online Archives 2022

THE DENALI OF ETHICS:  Jesus revolutionized the world with this simple teaching.  Treat others the way you want to be treated.  The applications are obvious: marriage, relationships with kids, parents, co-workers and neighbors. In other words, followers of Jesus love and serve.  His teachings are the Denali of ethics.  Live them and your life will be radically different.

HOW TO PRAY EFFECTIVELY.  The secret to getting what you pray for is to persist and work to be the answer to your own prayers while trusting your heavenly Father’s response.

NO CRITICS FOR CHRISTMAS: Treat others the way you want to be treated.  No negative criticism.  Ever.  Especially within our families and our circle of friends.  Make the holidays this year critic-free.

HOW TO EXPEL YOUR INNER GROUCH: The more you let your roots sink into Jesus, the more you move from being an angry pessimist into a grateful optimist.

FOUR WAYS TO REDUCE WORRY

CURRENCY FOR THE SOUL:  We report for duty every day to someone or something.  Set your priorities and your treasure where God intends them.  Then you will find new currency for your soul.

DOES PRAYER MATTER?  When you pray, listen and God will make himself known in his grace.  He is your father and he loves you.  Don’t use techniques to try to manipulate him.  No more peacock prayers.  Prayer is hanging out with God and that matters

THE BEST SECRET:  The best secret we can have is helping someone out and not expecting any recognition, thanks or respect for it.  God notices our character and rewards accordingly.

HOW TO GET EVEN.  Revenge is for wimps.  Real men and women take it and let God get even.  Showing revenge is a display of immature character.  Connection to the kingdom of Jesus turns our desire for revenge into a desire to bless.

IS DIVORCE OK?  Divorce is nasty business.  It is permitted but not required in Scripture.  Divorce can be an extension of grace that gives us a chance to get past a big mistake.  The obligation of the followers of Jesus is to be supportive of those who are hurting including those going through divorce.

WHAT ABOUT LUST AND ADULTERY? Christians throughout history have shamed those who struggle with lust and adultery.  Instead of being agents of grace we have been congregations of condemnation.  Tune in to find a better way.

IS EVERYONE REALLY WELCOME?  :  Laketon Bethel’s mission is woven into the core values.  These core values are a unique representation of our calling to follow Jesus.  Let’s get on board and promote this as we “be” the church in Laketon Township.

WHAT ABOUT FOUL LANGUAGE? Jesus teaches us that if we avoid putdowns and triangulation and use good, helpful and positive words instead our lives will be better.  Makes sense, doesn’t it?

DID JESUS BREAK THE LAW?  Jesus didn’t break the law because it was already broken.  He came to fix it and he did.  Now we have a much simpler way to live.

SALT OF THE EARTH:  No follower of Jesus has a day without purpose.  He calls us to be salt and light.  He calls us to be his representatives. The reward is no days of waste

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR BLESSINGS:  Jesus didn’t come to put a fake smile on your face; he came to give you deep and lasting contentment.  Follow his teachings and you will see a change deep in your soul.

THE APPRENTICE:  Ultimately, your apprenticeship with Jesus is the vital center of your life.  Make it your top priority.  (from Matthew 5)

WILL YOU PASS THE TEST?  God allowed the serpent in Eden, and he has allowed us to be tested ever since.  Grace is available for all who fail the test, which is all of us from Adam on.

GOD IS GREATER THAN OUR FEELINGS.  When we are slaves to our feelings, our lives can be miserable.  God has a simple solution for mastery of our feelings.  (from 1 John 3)

HOW CAN I KNOW I'M FORGIVEN.  : You and I are sinners.  We need to admit that.  If we want forgiveness, it needs to be confessed to God.  He will forgive us as he has promised because of his faithful mercy.  (from 1 John 1)

PROWLING COUGARS from 1 Peter 5:  The devil and his minions want to disable your faith.  They know they cannot have your soul so they settle on making you miserable with discouragement.  Stand firm and the cougars will look for someone else to bite.  The antidote for discouragement is gratitude.

SHOULD WIVES BE SUBMISSIVE?  Making the case for complementarianism using the Bible can’t be done with integrity.  Because of Jesus, we are compelled to treat everyone equally.  We’re here to serve, not to decide who gets to rule.

YOU MIGHT BE A PRIEST IF....  We’re all chosen by God to be functional priests that help bring people to Jesus.  As priests we do his work and speak out for him, so let’s live in such a way that the not-yet-believers trust us.

WHY DID I SAY THAT?  We say destructive things because we have the ability.  When we follow Jesus’ law of love, our toxic speech is greatly reduced.  When you treat others with dignity and honor, you develop a healthy and robust community around you.

WITH FLYING COLORS:  We can get through the tests and challenges of life with flying colors because our Master is cheering us on.  He sends us a special helper to get through the challenging times.

WHERE'S MY RIPPLE?  When Jesus comes into our lives, we can change the old way of looking at religion and embrace his new, much better way.

THE MISUNDERSTOOD DAD:  Sometimes dads, including “our father in heaven,” are misunderstood.  If we want serenity in this life, maybe we could stop judging our dads and accept the fact that there are lots of things we don’t understand.  We can accept our heavenly father as knowing more than we do and we can represent Jesus to our earthly fathers.

HOW TO AVOID ARGUMENTS: avoid arguments as much as possible.  No one ever wins an argument.   Instead, know what you’re talking about and teach gently.

ENDORPHINS FOR THE SOUL: Faith without good works is dead; faith with good works thrives and grows.  It produces endorphins for the soul.

WHAT'S YOUR PURPOSE?  The purpose of the church is not to keep church goers happy so it can collect their money.  The purpose of the church is to serve the community as representatives of Jesus.  Your purpose as an individual follower of Jesus is to represent him with all you do and say.

HOW TO GET A CLEAN SLATE:  Jesus has given you a clean slate.  Don’t let anyone try to dirty it up again.

WHAT IF I CAN'T DO ALL THINGS?  What if I can’t do all things through Christ who gives me strength?  This is one of the most misinterpreted and taken out of context verses (Philippians 4.13).  So, let’s look at this verse in its context and maybe we will see the show the deeper comfort and encouragement that comes from understanding it as it was intended.

HOW TO WORRY BETTER:  Worry and anxiety are choices we make when we choose to reject God.  If we change our worries into prayers and grateful thoughts, we will experience the peace that only God offers.

THE LOSER'S CIRCLE:  Be like Jesus.  Be a “loser” in the world’s way of measuring things.  Then, in Jesus’ kingdom, you will experience the great reversal.

HOW TO DUMP RELIGIOUS GARBAGE:  religious achievements are distractions from faith, dump them.  You are made right with God because you trust Jesus to save you and not because you have jumped through a bunch of religious hoops.

DRY BONES RATTLING: It’s time to live again.  Invite Jesus to make that happen for you.  Starting now.

AN EYE FOR AN EYE:  The Old Testament, which is the Jewish Bible, is useful for history and background but is not binding for followers of Jesus. Our second core value needed to be changed to reflect this.   The teachings of Jesus are the final authority for faith and practice.

HOW TO RENEW YOUR ATTITUDE, PART TWO:  throw off your nasty old thoughts and attitudes like you would throw off nasty clothes.  Then, let the Spirit dress you in new thoughts and attitudes and watch your behavior make a positive change.

HOW TO RENEW YOUR ATTITUDE, PART ONE.  Throw off your nasty old thoughts and attitudes like you would throw off nasty clothes.  Then, let the Spirit dress you in new thoughts and attitudes and watch your behavior make a positive change

GRAY STONING OR THROWING STONES:  Living up to your calling means making allowance for each other’s faults and being humble, gentle and patient.  When we do this, our relationships deepen with God and the people in our lives.

HOW TO OBEY THE DEVIL:  We obey the devil when we succumb to our negative emotions and selfish desires.  God changes us through faith because of what Jesus has done.

FREAKING OUT: the goal is to someday get to the point where we can trust in God in the moment and not just in retrospect.  Maybe things will work out, maybe they won’t – but we can either have a sense of God’s love during the crisis, or we can be so freaked out that we forget he is there.  Let’s choose to trust him in the storm.

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR KARMA: God cannot be bribed or manipulated.  If you want better results, you need to plant the seeds of better thoughts and better actions.

HOW TO CONTROL YOUR FEELINGS:  Feelings are the flatulence of the mind, or, as the Scriptures say, the desires of your sinful nature.  You don’t have to let them rule your life.  Instead follow the desires of the Holy Spirit and you will experience the beginnings of the Kingdom of Heaven in this life.  Children are dominated by their feelings; adults learn how to manage them.  How do you do this?  It is simple.  Invite the Holy Spirit to lead you.

POSERS IN THE PULPIT.  Religious rules produce posers.  Stop trying to be good and follow Jesus instead.  You’ll be much happier.

WHAT FRUSTRATES YOU ABOUT YOURSELF?  Embrace and accept your weaknesses and let God’s power work through them.  Experience godliness with contentment.

WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END?  Death means an end to the testing.  You get a new body.  You get to wear it forever and it will not wear out.

SIMPLE ADULTING.  Love transforms us from narcissism to maturity.

HOW TO DEAL WITH THE OPINIONATED:  Followers of Jesus need to learn to trust each other when it comes to making moral or lifestyle decisions.  If someone sees things differently than you, the law of love applies.  Actively accept those whose opinions are different or offensive to you.  Even the obnoxious ones.

7 WAYS TO DEFEAT A BAD MOOD:  We can avoid being dragged down to society’s level of immaturity and let God develop well-formed maturity in us.  The last sentence of Romans 12 in The Message says it all:  “Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.”