Your Perspective | Keepin' it Positive

How you see things determine how you'll act on a day-to-day basis.

If you have "Stinkin' Thinkin'", then you'll look at the negative in most situations. Oh we all know that if we look for negative we will find it. And we have those who say, "Well what if the negative is "Just Obvious"? Then train your brain to search for the Positive in all situations! It takes work and a LOT of effort cause our flesh (The Old Man, that old nature inside of us) is naturally bent to the negative. 

Ephesians 4:22-24 
King James Version (KJV) - "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
{23} And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
{24} And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."

You see how I bolded that phrase in verse 23 "be renewed in the spirit of your mind"? I think that it is important to have a positive mind-set cause it affects how you are! 

In my devotion book, I was reading this story and I think it'll go Perfectly with this blog-post. Here it is.

Two girls moved to a new city from two different towns. When they arrived at their new school, they were both curious about what the other kids were like in that school. The first girl asked the teacher about the other students, and the teacher asked her, "What kind of kids went to your old school?" The first girl said, "They were all rude, jealous, & mean." The teacher then told her that she would probably find the kids at this new school to be like the kids at her old school.
   Later, the second girl approached the teacher and asked the same question: "What are the kids like here at this school?" The teacher replied, "What were the kids like at your old school?" The girl said, "They were really, nice, fun, & friendly". The teacher said, "Well I'm sure that's what kind of kids you'll see here."


Do you see this? Beautiful eyes look for the best. Change your perspective on how you view people, situations, things, etc. This is something I think we could ALL work on (Myself included, yes!)

Pray and ask God to give you HIS point of view and expect to see some great people in the world around you.

May God bless you! I hope this was helpful to you.

Photo Credit : Holly Doss | Photographer and Graphic Designer

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What we can Learn from the Life of Jacob

Jacob's life is a quest for God's blessing. The name Jacob means

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deceiver and we see that he started out as one. He deceived his brother, Esau, when he stole the birthright from him.   
   Later he deceived his father-in-law and gained a large portion of his flock. 

We take this blog post from Genesis. 32:24 - 30 of the King James Version. (KJV) Click here to read the Bible passage. 

We learn from the life of Jacob that we are not limited by the past. In Jacob's past he was a deceiver, but God changed his name to Israel which means "Prince with God." Jacob's struggle with God is a picture of holding on to God in prayer. It's an amazing thought. Jacob could not force his will on the angel, and we cannot force our will on God. But he could hold on until he received the blessing, and we can hold on in prayer until we receive an answer from God concerning our requests. We can get answers to prayer. Jacob prevailed because he would not let go. He was very persistent. If we expect to get our prayers answered, we must learn to be persistent also. God does hear His children and He will answer in His timing. 

Listen to the Song "In His Time" by clicking play below.

I hope the words will be an encouragement to you. 

5 Ways to Help Make your Church Visitors feel Welcome

I was reading in a book today and it inspired me to make this blog 

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post for you.

Every church wants (or should want) visitors! Always be wanting to grow.

So, to help in this area, Here are some tips for the members to remember.

1. Smile at people. 

A smile can change a person's day and make them feel connected. When you don't smile, people can assume you are too arrogant or mean, even though you may be just thinking about something else. So do your best to smile at people you meet, walk past, or look at. 

2. Look them in the eyes.

 Looking people in the eyes is kindness. It says to them, "You count." And it reminds them that we are all part of the same human race. When you avoid looking people in the eyes, you seem cold and unattached, and that doesn't help to spread the love of Christ but hides it!

 3. Offer a hand.

 When someone is struggling with something heavy, offer them a hand. When someone looks lost, ask them if you can help. When you offer to help people, you share kindness with them and lighten their load.

4. Say hello.

In today's busy world it's easy to become isolated from the others, oblivious to the pain and concern of the people around us. But kindness gets involved; it steps into the lives of others, even if only to say hi. It WILL make a difference. Say hi to anyone that looks you in the eyes. Even if they don't look at you, interrupt their isolation and say hello. Remember, People remember Kindness! 

Click 'here' to read my blog post on "Love is an Action". 

5. Go above and beyond the normality. 

Here are 'rituals' visitors usually do at church. 
Go into the building,
find a seat near the back, (they wouldn't dare sit up front!) 
sing,
listen to the preacher,
get up and go. 
Do they ever re-visit? 

Rarely. It depends on a number of factors.

Make your church visitors Experience something different! The church should be Alive! Members, don't go find "your clique"... ...Instead, meet someone new! Get out of your shell yourself. If there's time, show them around the church. Introduce them to your pastor or to someone around their age. I'm not saying that it's wrong to go say hi to your friends, just don't be exclusive to others around you that you may not know.  Make them feel like they are welcome! 
Cause they are... 
Aren't they?

 Be friendly, courteous, kind, happy, (Don't act like a dead-Christian!) Being a Christian is fun so don't make it look boring by your countenance and austere demeanor. 

(Be sure to get their address and go visit them sometime during the week if they're interested. You should want your visitors to return and be glad they were there.) 

Make sure your church is Alive in Christ! Be Joyful in the Service of Your Lord and King. We need each other to do this! We're all important and can be used by God if we let Him. 

Click 'here' to read my blog post on "To the People of the Church". 

May God bless you! I hope this was helpful to you.

Feel free to Re-blog this or share this onto your Social networks or in a email to a friend!