Leadership in Youth Ministry
Part of the job of a Youth leader is to train up the church leaders of tomorrow. It's exciting....
Leadership in youth ministry, part II
Yesterday we talked about several good youth ministry leadership resources. Here are three more...
Who will mentor the mentors?
The latest Online Pulpit essay is up, and asks an unusual question: if you're in a leadership...
Charles Spurgeon's sense of humor
Even if you aren't a student of church history, you may have heard of the preacher and author...
How to choose worship songs for a church service
Have you ever wondered what kind of thought and planning goes into choosing the songs you sing...
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Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - Power to Meet The Demands - #4323
It's amazing how we try to meet the demands of our life with what amounts to a little hand crank generator. We're browning out, blacking out, wearing out because we're not plugging into a much bigger power source. That power is dramatically on display in our word for today from the Word of God in Exodus 17 beginning in verse 8. The Bible says, "The Amalekites attacked the Israelites ... Moses said to Joshua, 'Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.'"
http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Personal-Power/Power-to-Meet-The-Demands-4323
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - A Killer Storm and a Calm Captain - #4336
A calm captain who has been through these fearful storms before, who knows everything will be okay at the end of the day, who has brought so many others safely through. Now, that's what makes the difference when it feels as if the storm is going to sink you. If you belong to Jesus Christ, you have such a Captain! That's why the writer of "Amazing Grace" could write: "Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. 'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home."
http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Personal-Power/A-Killer-Storm-and-a-Calm-Cap...
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - The Honorary Chairman Charade - #4363
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the words of Jesus Himself beginning in Luke 6:46. He begins with an unsettling question. "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" Jesus says, "You're saying the right words. You're giving Me the right title. But I'm not really in charge. You are." Jesus then proceeds with an example that shows the difference between the person who knows what Jesus wants and the person who does what Jesus wants.
http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Personal-Power/The-Honorary-Chairman-Charade...
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - The Waves You're Making - #4371
If you've ever spent much time by a lake, it's something you've experienced for yourself. Long after the boat has passed, the waves it created are still making an impact. Our lives are like that. Long after we've passed on, the waves our choices have made are still impacting many other lives. In our "now is all that matters" culture, it's easy to forget how much our choices matter and how long their effects last. It's about so much more than this moment.
http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Relationships/The-Waves-You-re-Making-4371
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - The Wrong Person's in Front - #4372
If it's Louie's birthday (that's not the name of anyone in our family). then Max shouldn't be pushing himself in front and making himself the self-appointed star of a movie that's supposed to be about someone else. It's really not cute and it really messes up the picture. Just ask God. People have been doing that to Him for a long time.
http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Personal-Power/The-Wrong-Person-s-in-Front-4372
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - A Leader's Real Assignment - #4377
The first portrait of Jesus I can ever remember seeing as a child was one that portrays Him as the Good Shepherd, with His sheep following Him closely and one little lamb cuddled in His arms. Interestingly enough, now that I'm in Christian leadership, I realize that picture is supposed to be what I'm about. And you, too, if God has entrusted you with any kind of influence or direction in people's lives. You're template is supposed to be that of a shepherd - of whom people say, "He or she sure makes a person feel loved."
http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Personal-Power/A-Leader-s-Real-Assignment-4377
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - The Master Heart Surgeon - #4390
If God was a doctor, I think He'd be a heart specialist. Actually, He is a heart specialist - look at how He has changed your heart and mine. And you may be facing a situation right now that will only change for the better if someone's heart changes. There may be someone out there whose heart, whose attitude, is standing in the way of something you believe God wants done. It's time for some heart surgery - and one of the most powerful prayers you can learn to pray.
http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Mission/The-Master-Heart-Surgeon-4390
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - Frustrating Harvests - #4392
My gardener friend was thinking about his puny raspberries when he said to me, "Things just do a lot better when they're grown God's way." That applies to a lot more than berries. In fact, it may explain why the outcome you've been getting isn't what you'd been hoping for.
http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Personal-Power/Frustrating-Harvests-4392
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - The Power Preposition - #4605
We are only servants through whom, not by whom, not from whom, only through whom you came to believe. This is like a server in a restaurant. It's not her recipe. It's not her effort. She just delivers what someone else has worked on and made possible. That's what Jesus was saying when he said, "I am the vine, you are the branches." The branch doesn't produce the fruit. It looks like it's producing the fruit, but it comes from the vine, through the branches.
http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Personal-Power/The-Power-Preposition-4605
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - Slow Down for Construction - #4630
You could sit there and mutter and pound on the steering wheel, or you could realize why God is doing this. He knows you need quiet waters right now. You need green pastures. Your soul needs some restoring. You're tired, inside-outside. Don't fight it. This is His love in action. He knows you couldn't keep running at that pace. Maybe you were running over people, or past them, or neglecting the people closest to you. Maybe you've begun to think that your work is your worth, and He's been crowded to the edge of your life. Whatever kind of construction He wants to do is probably overdue, and God could never refocus you while you're running at full speed.
http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Personal-Power/Slow-Down-for-Construction-4630