When setting out to try this, my mind was drawn to first meditating on the names of Jesus, the Son of God. Being a very visual person, to help with this I pulled together a list of names for Jesus in a text document.  This list did the trick for me if I had my laptop, but not so well if I did not.  So, what had to be the solution? You guessed it – a series of iPhone Wallpapers.

This is the first of the series.  My plan is to create one for each day of the week.   I hope this might help me take a few moments throughout the day to recalibrate by reflecting on the names and qualities of Christ. If you are a visual sort, perhaps it would be useful to you also.

See this wallpaper on an iPhone and get download instructions here.

As you help your boy navigate his way through his teen years towards being a man, you both will experience a wide range of emotions . Hang is there, dad. Regardless of how much your mini-me pushes back against your instruction, never stop fighting for him.  You are his navigator into manhood. If you do not take the time to show him the way, then who will?

Here are ten quick tips to show your teenage son that you care:

1. Tell him you love him every single day.
2. When he breaks your rules – critique his action, not his personality.
3. Hug him even though he appears to be too cool for a hug.
4. Give him opportunities to try out his strength on you: Wrestle with him , grapple with him, let him punch you in the arm
5. Give him chances to be “dangerous” responsibly. Teach him how hunt, sharpen a pocket knife, climb on rocks..
6. Enter into his world – play video games with him, watch some movies he likes, talk about his interests.
7. Expose him to other good men that you trust and respect.
8. Try not to respond to him in anger. Set an example of how to be calm and patient with others.
9. Brag on him in public. Let him know you are proud of him.
10. Show him how to treat women well. Let him see you treating your wife and his mom with love and respect.

]]> http://mindablaze.com/2010/01/ten-tips-on-loving-a-teenage-son/feed/ 5 http://mindablaze.com/2009/12/contentment/ http://mindablaze.com/2009/12/contentment/#comments Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:47:12 +0000 Mike Askew http://mindablaze.com/?p=848 Its hard to be content with what we have. Our world screams at us that we deserve so much more. So often this leaves us in a constant state of discontent. We spend our days wanting the next cool thing, moments after buying that gadget we just could not live without.

Here are 5 verses from Scripture warning us to put aside greed and seek contentment.

1) Learn Contentment – The Love of Money Brings Misery

1 Timothy 6:7-10

⁷For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

2) Life Does Not Consist Of What One Possesses

Luke 12:15

¹⁵Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

3) Contentment Promotes Peace

Proverbs 17:1

¹ Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting,  with strife.

4) Don’t Chase Earthly Treasures, Seek Eternal Treasures

Matthew 6:19-21

¹⁹“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

5) Seek God First, He Will Provide For Your Needs

Matthew 6:33

³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

]]> http://mindablaze.com/2009/12/contentment/feed/ 0 http://mindablaze.com/2009/12/verses-on-faith-trust/ http://mindablaze.com/2009/12/verses-on-faith-trust/#comments Sun, 20 Dec 2009 19:58:15 +0000 Mike Askew http://mindablaze.com/?p=759 Warning: preg_replace_callback() [function.preg-replace-callback]: Unknown modifier '|' in /home/content/j/e/s/jessibelle/html/MA/wp-content/plugins/text-control/text-control/markdown.php on line 766
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]]> http://mindablaze.com/2009/12/verses-on-faith-trust/feed/ 0 http://mindablaze.com/2009/12/who-wants-the-rose/ http://mindablaze.com/2009/12/who-wants-the-rose/#comments Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:42:13 +0000 Mike Askew http://mindablaze.com/?p=743 This morning as I was taking in my first cup of coffee to clear out the cobwebs of sleep, I stumbled upon a video from a Matt Chandler sermon while surfing the web. Even though I had seen this video message clip before, today it seemed to be the day that I was supposed to really hear it.

The encouragement that I received was simple…

Resist the urge to reign down moral judgement on others, but rather focus on sharing the hope of Christ. Seek daily the ability to pour mercy and love on others as freely as Christ has poured his love and mercy upon you.

Take a moment to watch: Jesus Wants The Rose – Matt Chandler

Even though most of us see the value of Unselfish Thinking, our natural tendencies are to look out for ourselves first.  So, to help me and others  try to manage our self-centered urges  here is a quick and dirty  punch list, as prescribed by John Maxwell.

How to Experience the Satisfaction of Unselfish Thinking:

1 – Put Others First

This really is not new material. But, it does not hurt to hear it again.  We have to be reminded that the first step in unselfish thinking is learning to put others first. Regardless of popular thinking, it is not all about me.

Norman Vincent Peale and Ken Blanchard wrote:

People with humility don’t think less of themselves; they just think of themselves less.

2 – Expose yourself to situations where people have needs.

If we can get to the point where we see the value in putting others people’s needs before our own, we nest need to be willing to put some feet to the idea. We need to actually  give of ourselves unselfishly.  Start small at first. The point is for us to learn how to give of ourselves freely and establish the habit of thinking like a giver.

3 – Give quietly or anonymously

Once we have established the habit of pouring out ourselves for others, our next goal is to learn how to do it without expecting it to be reciprocated. We all like a little recognition when we do good. Try serving someone without telling others about your actions.  Its a good test for your motive for giving. It wont be easy, but you can do it.

4 – Invest in people intentionally

The pinnacle of unselfish thinking is being able to give  of yourself to another person for their personal well-being. This includes considering other’s personal journey and determining ways to come along side them and collaborate with them to meet their goals. Most people want to ensure that they win first. The unselfish thinker looks for a win-win with others.

5 – Continually check your motives

Most people’s generosity is often times ambition in disguise.  The motive for investing in another person was merely to ensure their own win. We need to continually check out motives to ensure that we are not slipping back into a selfish mindset.  Ask yourself frequently “Why am I helping this person? Is it for my benefit or theirs?”

Give this a try this week. The world could certainly use a few more givers instead of takers. Good luck!

He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,  for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?

If you are called to oversee the local church, your ability to manage and lead your household is evidence of a potential ability to manage, lead and care for a body of believers.

The ability to lead your wife and children in daily prayer should translate into being able to lead the members of the local church in prayer.  One’s ability to be a wise steward of the resources gifted their family should carry over to task of being a wise steward of the resources gifted the church. Leading your family in the study of God’s word should be useful in leading the people of your local church in that same study.  And, the ability to make peace within your home should translate to your ability to make peace within a body of believers.

If we as Christians are pursuing the management of our households and church body in these ways, then we will be better prepared for the kingdom work entrusted to us.  We will be better prepared to glorify God in our community,  better prepared to love and serve others, and better prepared to share the hope of Christ with those placed in our life.

Instructions on how to get this image onto your iPhone:

1. Save the image to your laptop.
2. Email the image to yourself or at least an email account that you monitor on your iPhone.
3. View the email with the image attachment on your iPhone.
4. Save the image to your iPhone Photo Library.
5. Set the image as your wallpaper.

More Free iPhone Wallpaper

… the most important reason why people stay at your church plant is relationships. Hopefully we hammered home the importance of you preparing and implementing strategies to build the relationships necessary to “earn the right” to keep serving these newcomers for our Lord. From David Jacksons Blog on “Five More Reasons Why People Will Stay at Your Church Plant”

At SK Church we break out into home based CE Groups during the week.  Another name for these meetings are Create & Engage Groups.  After SK services on Sunday morning, there is social interaction among the congregation.  However, this is usually not enough time to really find out what is going on in someones life.  This is where CE Groups come in.

Every two weeks, multiple CE Groups meet in homes around Garner, Clayton and Raleigh. The goals are simple – Create Community and Engage Community. What does this mean?

It means we create a community within our group that enjoys meals together, we talk about the highs and lows of the week together, we pray together, and we discuss the most recent message from our pastor together.  It also means that we engage community by planning events that try to put feet to our faith. Engage events range from serving the local Police and EMS families to caring for the needs of Battered Womens Shelters to hosting cookout events for local college students.

Whether its creating or engaging, the goal is to form deeper relationships. Relationships that will build trust that allows for the sharing of the hope that Christ has for us.

If this is the kind of community that interests you then I welcome you to email me at mike.askew@mindablaze.com or check out more information   here. You are always welcome to visit one of our groups.

Meetings 1st and 3rd Wednesdays at 7:00-9:00pm.

Next Meeting on October 7th.

Click here for more info about Fight Club.