Introducing "Heart Starters"

I attend a LOT of meetings! And, a LOT of the meetings I attend are church meetings! I struggle with the fact that church meetings don't look much different than the secular meetings I attend.

Wouldn't it be great if we could engage in an activity that would change the tone of the meeting? And, wouldn't it be great if these activities focused the meeting on God? And wouldn't it be great if along the way the participants grew together as people, parts of the body of Christ?

I answered "yes" to all three and began developing "Heart Starters: Defibrillation for the Heart of Christian Meetings". Heart Starters are simple activities designed to change the look of our church meetings! And [drum roll please] it is FREE!

Here's the first one:

files.me.com/lon.alderman/b357ja

Please let me know if you have any questions.

If you like these, please let me know and I'll share more of them!

Thanks!
Lon

Do you believe?, by Rachel Smith

Do you believe?

It's getting to be that time of year where people ask this question. Do you believe? In what? In whom?

My question is similar, do you believe in the power of one?

Well do you?

Does one person make a difference? In a world where things sometimes seem so large and overwhelming can one person have an impact? I have read wonderful stories of that one person who voted and turned the election. Or the one person who took the time with a child to nurture and care. But, can you actually affirm your life in the power of one?

God does. He believes in the power of one.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

300th Post - Celebrate!, by Lon Alderman

Psalm 145:3-7

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.

One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.

They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.

They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

This is the 300th Daily Build Up posting! I celebrate the Lord's goodness for it His hand that has accomplished this milestone. Sing praises to the Lord!

Through God's awesome work in this blog, God has encouraged hundreds of people around the world! Praise the Lord!

God is abundantly good!

Lon

PP (ie., post-post) Please send your praises for how God is moving in your life. You can make a comment on this post or email your thoughts to: Lon@AcornMinistries.com

Build UP: Defeating Words

James 1:26
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

I hope I haven't told this story too recently! When I was a freshman at a Big 10 university, one of my first compositions in English class was returned to me with an awful grade. If the grade wasn't bad enough, the words the instructor scrawled on the page finished the job. What I remember is that I was told that "I could not write". I eventually dropped the course.

Those words echoed in my ears for over five years! I registered for many freshman English courses and at three different schools, but those words would always haunt me. I was struggling to even finish the remedial classes.

It was the 10th or 11th English class that made the difference. Nancy Krey was my instructor. She took me aside a few weeks into the course and talked to me about my writing. She said, "You write quite well." At that point I believe my draw literally dropped open. She went on to say, "You just need some work on the structure of your sentences."

Two years later while in graduate school, my professors regularly told me, "You need to get some of your work published, because you write so well."

"...because you write so well." Thank you Nancy!

Those words from that first instructor almost scuttled my entire college education.

Mind your words!
Lon