(En Español) For four years in high school I sat between the same two people in home room: Michelle Fochi and Tony Finn. Michelle was a very sweet, friendly girl while Tony, hmmm, how can I say this? Let me just say, Tony wasn’t voted “Most Friendly” in the school yearbook. The problem was that no matter what I said about anything, Tony responded with the same two depressing words, “So what.” It wasn’t a clipped, “So what”; it was... Read more
One of the things that is constant in our lives is the need to yield ourselves to the desires of the Holy Spirit. Everyone has desires. Everyone has preferences. But all of these things have to yield to the desires of the Spirit. It goes back to the saying, “He is God and we are not.” On one hand, God has delegated great authority to us in regards to His Kingdom. Our faith can move His hand, actually causing Him... Read more
I really enjoyed the movie “Courageous.” It is probably one of the best Christian films I have seen in recent years, from the story through to the great casting and directing. It is meant for Christ followers or those open to faith in Christ. This resolution I have modified for men and women. There are many homes that are led by single parent women. This is a resolution for all parents. My kids are older, but I am still resolved... Read more
There is one thing that is common among those who ever walked uncommonly on the high road of spiritual existence. In the midst of all the national, cultural, and personality differences in humanity, the one thing that is common in all of them is a heightened ability for spiritual receptivity. Something in them was open to God, and they were driven toward the ways and perspectives of heaven. They were awakened by the Spirit and went on to cultivate that... Read more
We are God’s instruments to help others see their true loveliness and value. In words and deed, we let others know what a blessing they are and how beautiful they are. Most people just cannot see this in themselves, so we become God’s reminder to them. We also need to be reminded through each other. Those who feel they are no good, unworthy, or hate themselves, they are the ones who need to realize the seed of hope and possibility... Read more
Bob Mumford last year at a rare conference for him. This is only a sampling of 10 minutes of his message, but will encourage you. We are blessed to have him pour into our lives. God has used him immeasurably the last several years to bring Joyce and I to greater revelation of His Kingdom and His Mysterious Seed within us. More of Bob’s stuff including two of my favorite books, Agape Road and Mysterious Seed. Click here for video Read more
Abiding in the love of God allows for ALL things to work together for good. The world turns, and the good, the bad, and the ugly can fall upon us at anytime. The groaning manifestations of planet earth and the ill advised choices of mankind fall into the hands of a Sovereign God who loves, redeems and restores. For those who abide in Him, dark happenings are not the end of the story. In the grips of the Spirit we... Read more
Abiding is a most valuable and needed principle for life. It is resting in the fullness of God and His provision for us. All temptation and unexpected crisis are intent upon moving us from our position of abiding in Christ. Abiding is the best defense against the movement up or down the slippery slopes of pride, rage, and despair. Agape is God’s movement through us that is all at once risky, spontaneous, and unpredictable. While abiding in the unshakable Kingdom... Read more
A young man from the miniscule neighborhood of Parkland, Washington in America has accomplished something no other Christian in recent memory has done – he has set the religious world ablaze with a simple video containing what some would call his “rant” and others his “revelation” regarding the word, the concept and the reality of religion. In fact, as of the moment of this writing, Jefferson Bethke’ video, appearing on the YouTube site has experienced 15,480,336 hits – and counting. That’s... Read more
Six Reasons Youth Leave the Faith: …and what to do about it The Barna group has recently released a book entitled, “You Lost Me”, and this article offers a succinct summary of six main reasons that young people are leaving the church. I’m grateful that church I lead in Seattle is generally swimming upstream against this trend. We’ve grown from around 300 people to 2500 over the past 15 years and most of our growth has come as people between 18-30 have... Read more
Robert Ricciardelli
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