Marks Blog

2012-01-21T16:14:00.012-05:00

OpportunitiesEvery New Day is filled with Challenges, Struggles, Obstacles and Opportunities. Which one you see is largely determined by which one you are looking for. Every obstacle is an opportunity. Whenever & Wherever you’re having a problem it is an opportunity to trust God. It is an opportunity for growth. It is an opportunity to think outside of the box. It is an opportunity for you to

2011-12-28T13:23:00.010-05:00

2012 All successful people have a goal. No one can get anywhere unless he knows where he wants to go and what he wants to be or do… Successful goal selection stems from our inner perceptions and the correspondence of our actions. If what we want and how we go about accomplishing our goals does not correspond, then we are likely to experience a degree of self-sabotage.In order for success to be

2011-12-19T09:41:00.015-05:00

Christmas Child... Christmas Son...For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace… Isaiah 9:6The underlined sentence is a double one, but trustme; it has in it no duplication. The careful reader will soon discover a “great” distinction.

2011-11-30T09:40:00.010-05:00

Signs Of “The” Times!When I am blessed to have some free time there are several “Blogs” I enjoy reading; some just for fun (“Stuff Christians Like” by John Acuff) others as “food for Thought” falling under that second category is one Dr. Richard A. Swenson, M.D. Author of the “Swenson Trends Blog” very intellectually stimulating (that means I have to read them twice to actually understand what he

Faithful

2011-09-15T10:55:00.014-04:00

Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you intoprison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10 Faithfulness, kind of an old-fashioned word… Faithfull, someone has to retire before we think to use the word in our “modern” culture.. “After thirty-years of

Milk, Meat and the Malnourished Church by: Steven Furtick

2011-09-06T11:39:00.036-04:00

One of the greatest critiques of the American Church today is that it’s malnourished. Some would even say it’s our most pressing problem….When most people voice this complaint, the focus is on the “Sunday Worship Experience.” From people who leave these churches, you hear, “I wasn’t getting fed.” Or, “I just want some deeper teaching.” From people outside these churches, you hear, “Too much milk,

Are You an Influencer?

2011-06-27T13:27:00.068-04:00

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality), how can its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.~Matthew 5:13NEWS FLASH!!Spreading the Gospel isn't solely the church's job; it's the job of every Christian.Salt seems little more to us than a cooking spice, flavoring agent, or

Broken Trust

2011-06-11T19:17:00.011-04:00

The news is filled with people who have unfortunately lost their credibility.. Politicians, Performers (actors) and Preachers top the list ...When we Break-Trust with those who have chosen to follow us, or with those we are connected to through relationship we lose more than just our credibility. We lose our Ability! Our Ability to Lead, to Help, to Encourage, to Challenge, to Motivate, to

Resolving Conflict

2011-05-05T10:39:00.006-04:00

Preached last Sunday on “Resolving Conflict in Relationships” got some “Good” Feed-Back (a refreshing change J) If you missed it you can order the CD from our office (203) 261-2728 …… This morning in my in-box I got this article from a pastor/leadership mentor. Thought it was too good not to pass on…. Trust It Blesses & Equips.. In every life

Stop Dating the Church

2011-04-28T11:30:00.008-04:00

Jack and Grace met through a mutual friend. From day one they seemed to be the perfect match. Grace was everything Jack had always wanted. She was beautiful, outgoing, and caring—always there when Jack needed her.For the first five months they were inseparable. Jack could hardly think of anything but Grace. He didn’t need to look further, he told friends. “She’s the one."Now almost three years

Radical Missionary

2011-03-17T10:30:00.058-04:00

On Friday, March 18, two of our Associate pastors will be flying to Cardiff, Wales. U.K. We are asking all the friends of New Life to keep them in your prayers, for safety and that The Lord will direct their paths & plans… Jason Evans and Andy Patton are going on a 5 day exploratory visit to the place of our Senior Pastor’s Birth… Wales, a nation that in times past has seen some of the greatest

Commitment

2011-02-15T11:49:00.010-05:00

"If you really love someone, you shouldn't have to work at it."Loving feelings should come naturally in a relationship, so if you have to work at it, something's wrong…….True or False

Holiness

2011-01-31T11:27:00.044-05:00

1828 : HO'LINESS, n. [from holy.] The state of being holy; purity or integrity of moral character; freedom from sin; sanctity.1. Applied to human beings, holiness is purity of heart or dispositions; sanctified affections; piety; moral goodness, but not perfect. The state or quality of being holy; perfect moral integrity

2011-01-20T12:00:00.009-05:00

SubjectivismAn emphasis on personal feelings or responses as opposed to external facts or evidence; In philosophy a theory stating that the only valid moral standard is the one imposed by somebody's own conscience… I recently read the following article by Stewart Fenters a young man with a passion for the “Truth” … In a “Church” world where almost nothing is “Wrong” or “Sinful” (Remember that old

Negativity

2010-05-21T09:54:00.008-04:00

Not positive; opposed to affirmative, Having the power of stopping or restraining; The sign of subtraction, a sign which indicates that the quantity to which it is prefixed is to be subtracted. -Noah Webster 1828“I have never seen a man who could do real work except under the stimulus of Encouragement & Enthusiasm, & the Approval of the people for whom he is working.” -Charles Schwab “Correction

Problems 101

2010-05-10T10:00:00.003-04:00

Problems are not always a “Bad” thing. For many of us they are a necessary part of the Learning process…. Problems (Stress) can in fact be great Motivators in our lives, for change and growth. The pressure of deadlines, budgets, and the demands of others can push us to accomplish something, or even become someone that would have been impossible without the Problem. (Would a shepherd boy like

Lessons

2010-04-15T14:08:00.008-04:00

Every day is a school of Learning if we keep our ears and eyes open…..Each experience good and bad can teach us something if we keep our Minds open……Seemingly unimportant Moments if linked to our past experiences can re-shape our future for good.Here is something I learned the Hard-Way….If We Refuse To Learn The Easy Lessons Of Life, They Get Harder!If we miss or ignore life’s quiet whispered

The Game of Life!

2010-03-27T16:21:00.004-04:00

Life is an Adventure! Ever hear that expression? Adventures can be great fun! They can also turn into moments of confusion, frustration, fear, and even into getting us off-track. Most of us like the thrill of exploring the unknown, as long as we’ve got a guide. Without one, adventures frequently lead to disaster. It certainly makes sense to expect that the Creator of

Cultivating Character

2010-03-03T14:59:00.006-05:00

What Motivated you to Choose your Goal? What inspires you to succeed at it? What pushes you to keep trying? What carries you through times of self-doubt?Your answers to these questions comprise your Character; they define your interests, values, strengths, and means of support.The Stronger your Character; the More Stable Your Success.True Character Needs A Source Of Conviction & Power …….

Encouragement

2010-02-06T18:03:00.013-05:00

The root of the word “Encouragement” means to “Put Courage Into.”What a wonderful picture of one person standing beside another saying, “Take Courage!” God has given you the ability to be that person to others.Ask Him to show you those who could use a kind word, an uplifting thought, a simple prayer. They could be strangers on the street or members of your own family.Your Encouragement may just

Life is about making choices.

2010-01-14T11:10:00.005-05:00

On average, an adult spends hours each day just making decisions. We must decide what to wear, what to eat, when to get up, where to drive, what floor we want the elevator to stop at, whether we’ll overlook an insult or not, whether we will consciously love the unlovable. The choices we make range from the important to the mundane—but they all require our time and prayerful

Recharge

2009-12-16T11:00:00.005-05:00

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. ~Psalm 51:12 The IRONMAN TRIATHLON is one of the most grueling endurance events in the world. In order to complete the race, an athlete must swim 2.4 miles, ride a bicycle 112 more miles, then run a 26.2-mile marathon. I’m tired just reading about it!The best athletes in the world can complete this monumental challenge

Realignment

2009-12-02T10:01:00.012-05:00

Time flies, but some months seem to move even faster! And the Christmas season seems like a sprint to the finish line of the year.Many good intentions get lost in the busyness of this season. Great opportunities are crowded out by secondary choices. December could be such a memorable finishing touch, but too often it turns into a dismal rush that leaves us exhausted at year’s end. We

Refinement

2009-11-18T12:00:00.002-05:00

The act of purifying by separating from a substance all non essential or unimportant matter; a clearing from scum, dregs; as the refinement of metals. Improving something by making it more sophisticated or effective. Am I Different? Am I Changing? Am I Growing? Am I Becoming? Am I Willing to be “Refined?”Abraham Lincoln said, “I don’t think much of a man who is not wiser than he was

Reaction

2009-11-05T16:03:00.008-05:00

Character is the sum total of all our everyday choices; our “Reaction” to events to external stimulus.Some people succeed by What they Know; some by What they Do; and a few by What they ARE! C.S. Lewis observed, “Every time you make a Choice you are turning the central part of you, the part that chooses, into something a little different than it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with

Transformation

2009-10-21T13:04:00.000-04:00

A complete change, usually into something with an improved appearance or usefulness…. In theology, a change of heart in man, by which his disposition and temper are conformed to the divine image; a change from hostility to holiness and love. But I Thought God Loves Us Just Like We Are? The answer of course is Yes! But He Loves Us Too Much To Leave Us Who We Are!

Guidance

2009-10-07T14:27:00.001-04:00

Many of us struggle to understand and discern God’s guidance for our lives. We ask questions like: What job should I take? Who should I date? Should I marry or not? Should I marry this person or that person? Should I join this church or that one? Should I have another child? Which profession should I follow? Is my present line of work the one to stay in? Does God want me

Direction

2009-09-23T11:54:00.005-04:00

Instructions given by somebody who controls something or somebody; Management; Control and supervision; a feeling of having a definite goal or purpose; Prescription; either verbal or written; instruction in what manner to proceed.If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.Why is it so easy to “Give Direction” yet so hard to “Receive Direction?”When we “Give”

Teachability

2009-09-09T19:12:00.004-04:00

Capable of being taught; apt to learn; Willing to receive instruction or to learn; "What really counts in life is what you learn after you know it all." ~John WoodenThe older we get, the more set in our ways we are likely to be. The older we get, the harder it is to master new skills and adapt to new methods. The older we get, the more likely we are to tune out ideas that would require

CHOICES

2009-08-26T11:49:00.007-04:00

Life is a Series of Choices. Our Past Choices made us who we are Today. Our Present Choices will Shape our Future. “You are your choices.” ~Seneca Nowhere is it written that Decisions (Choices) are supposed to be easy. Every choice requires a combination of Intellect, Intuition, and Instinct. These three tools can be Up-graded through Prayer & Knowledge of God’s Word. There is nothing

A Fearless Vision

2009-08-12T15:35:00.000-04:00

For the last 3 Blogs we have been talking (Writing) about Vision. Focused Vision ~Living With A Christ-Centered and Focused Vision. X-Ray Vision ~ Seeing Through Satan’s Schemes.Looking Backwards To Go forward ~ A Vision of God’s Faithfulness.We “Finish” up this little Blog series with the 4th & final installment. The Stare Down “To overcome or cause to waver or submit

Looking Backwards To Go Forward!

2009-07-29T15:30:00.005-04:00

Yesterday,All my troubles seemed so far away,Now it looks as though they're here to stay,Oh, I believe in yesterday.Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be,There's a shadow hanging over me,Oh, yesterday came suddenly.Why she Had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say.I said, Something wrong, now I long for yesterday. ~Beatles I Don’t long for yesterday, but I do like to LOOK back and Learn.

X-Ray Vision

2009-07-15T15:30:00.002-04:00

How Cool was Superman? Faster than a speeding bullet. Able to leap tall buildings. Was that a bird? A plane? Super hearing, super strength, heat vision. Wow! And what about that X-Ray Vision, when you’re a 13 year old kid this stuff all sounds pretty cool. What is in the teachers desk drawer? What is going on over at your friends house? Hard to walk by the girls locker room and keep your

Focused Vision

2009-07-01T13:13:00.004-04:00

As Christians we live with the continual hope that Christ may return today, but part of today’s plan involves preparing for tomorrow. One of the primary leadership traits we find in God’s Word is the capacity for vision. Godly people are people with vision. They see as God sees. Their capacity doesn’t begin within themselves; it begins with God. It is He who opens their eyes

Priorities

2009-06-17T15:29:00.006-04:00

The Greatest importance; the state of having importance or urgency. Somebody or something that is ranked highly. A Life Without Priorities Will Inevitably Lack Purpose. If nothing & no one is more “Important” than anyone or anything how will you know what to do next or who to spend time with to accomplish your Purpose? What is important in life is life, and not the

Wisdom

2009-06-03T21:40:00.001-04:00

Why do the same problems keep re-appearing? Maybe it's because Lessons Reappear Until We Learn Them. Some of us do the same thing over and over and still expect a different result. Intelligence allows for making new mistakes and learning from them, instead of repeating the old ones. The more we live, the more we learn, the more adaptable we should become and the fewer mistakes we should repeat.

Relationships

2009-05-20T21:52:00.002-04:00

A Connection; Behavior or Feelings toward somebody else:The connection between two or more people or groups and their involvement with one another, especially the way they behave toward and feel about one another.Why are my “Connections” with other human-beings so “Complicated”?Why are some people “Better” at these “Connections”?If I “Worked” at these “Connections” would I be Happier? Healthier?

Springtime

2009-05-06T22:00:00.003-04:00

I know it doesn’t sound Macho but can I tell you, I just Love Springtime!The winter has passed, and out of its frost and frigidness comes Renewal.A second chance if you will. A Rebirth of Life!Our journey on planet Earth is often times like this…….Think about it.Our Challenges are what has made us Grow.The chill of a relationship gone sour. The coldness of loneliness. The Frozenness of despair or

Communicating

2009-04-22T22:00:00.008-04:00

CommunicatingThe problem with communication ... is the illusion that it has been accomplished. ~George Bernard ShawWhether your goal is to be an artist, entrepreneur, CEO, Politian, pastor, or something else, there’s a pretty good chance you will interact with other people along the way. Unless your plan is to work in a vacuum and be unknown to anyone ever, you’ll have to factor these other

Change

2009-04-08T22:00:00.005-04:00

ChangeTo cause to turn or pass from one state to another; to alter, or make different; to vary in external form, or in essence; as, to change the color or shape of a thing; to change the countenance; to change the heart or life; To put one thing in the place of another; to shift;Do you like where you are and what you have become? Have you ever wished that your life was better?Can your

Character

2009-03-25T21:30:00.000-04:00

Sow a Thought, and you reap an Act;Sow an Act, and you reap a Habit;Sow a habit, and you reap a Character;Sow a Character, and you reap a Destiny.What are you made of?Character: The set of individual qualities that make somebody or something distinctive, especially somebody's qualities of mind and feeling.Abraham Lincoln said, “Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow

Risk

2009-03-18T21:47:00.003-04:00

No Risk No Reward!It’s no shock that the most successful people seem to be those who take significant risks. They jeopardize their personal comfort. They challenge the status quo. They put their money and time at stake.Taking a Risk is a Creative Act.What Are The Characteristics Of Risk-Takers?Remember that the fear of failure is the most paralyzing of human emotions. The fear of failure stops us

Stuff Happens!

2009-03-11T22:00:00.008-04:00

Stuff Happens!Life is Full of “Surprises!”Some Great. Some Not so Great.In your pursuit of Success in any field, something may happen (or fail to happen) and you may think that you have been deluding yourself about a Happy ending.But Listen: Every Successful person has experienced Failure. It’s just part of taking the risk of a brighter and better future.If – and when – you fail to reach a goal,

Prayer

2009-03-04T22:00:00.003-05:00

PRAYERIn a general sense, the act of asking for a favor, and particularly with earnestness.In worship, a solemn address to the Supreme Being, consisting of adoration, or an expression of our sense of God's glorious perfections, confession of our sins, supplication for mercy and forgiveness, intercession for blessings on others, and thanksgiving, or an expression of gratitude to God for his

Underwear

2009-02-25T22:30:00.002-05:00

DON'T WORRY . . . No photos this week!!!What a great invention!Dating back almost 7,000 years the loincloth is the simplest form of underwear; it was probably the first undergarment worn by human beings. In warmer climates the loincloth was often the only clothing worn (effectively making it an outer garment rather than an undergarment, and you thought Madonna started this fad), but in colder

Gratitude

2009-02-18T22:00:00.001-05:00

An emotion of the heart, excited by a favor or benefit received; a sentiment of kindness or good will towards a benefactor; thankfulness. Gratitude is an agreeable emotion, consisting in or accompanied with good will to a benefactor, and a disposition to make a suitable return of benefits or services, or when no return can be made, with a desire to see the benefactor prosperous and happy.

Love by Department

2009-02-11T21:16:00.000-05:00

Amazon.Com· Books (769,908)· Jewelry (8,443)· Home & Garden (204,432)· Apparel & Accessories (291,791)· DVD (9,769)· Music (57,207)· Everything Else (257,097)Are you kidding me? 1,598,647 items of Love!!! Just on Amazon!(Warning) Do not search the web for Love unless you have a very good filth filtering software system installed.Apparently Tina Turner was wrong. Love has “Everything” to do with

Knowing God

2009-02-04T22:35:00.039-05:00

STAY CONNECTED!Something awful will happen if you are out of touch with the people who count.NOTHING!Face it we all need somebody. To make us somebody! It’s Not What You Know It’s Who You Know……….Be in touch! Make the right connections. Then, do whatever it takes to hold on to them!Maintaining alliances is one of the keys to your success. Staying connected is the essence of achievement! In

Happiness

2009-01-28T22:00:00.001-05:00

The agreeable sensations which spring from the enjoyment of good; that state of a being in which his desires are gratified, by the enjoyment of pleasure without pain; Happiness is comparative. To a person distressed with pain, relief from that pain affords happiness; in other cases we give the name happiness to positive pleasure or an excitement of agreeable sensations.In a world full of trouble

First - The Body of Christ

2009-01-20T16:18:00.008-05:00

FirstWho doesn’t like this word? First! “Before the rest, preceding or ahead of any others in order”First Place. First in Line. First to finish. First picked to be on “The” team.Numero Uno!The First we remember……… not so much number two.Our First Kiss. Our First Plane ride. Our First trip to Mickey Mouse Land. Our First Born. Our First wife! (I still have mine)Well this is our First Blog.I’m not