We all face crises of one kind or another in our day to day lives. Sometimes these crises are major and sometimes they’re minor but, in either case, most of us find them unpleasant and try to avoid them. But the reality is that “crisis,” paradoxically, is synonymous with “opportunity.” The pressure of crisis forces us to struggle and look for a solution. Examples abound:

• The lack of an effective means of transportation for both goods and people across great distances was a crisis that led to the invention of the steam locomotive in 1804.
• The lack of an easy way to start a fire was a crisis that led to the invention of the friction match in 1826.
• The inability to communicate over long distances was a crisis that led to the invention of the telephone in 1876.
• It was the crisis of not being able to work in the dark that led to the invention of the light bulb in 1879.

Crises force us to stretch and grow.

I’m reminded of a story that Earl Nightingale once told about a trip he had taken to the Great Barrier Reef. He noticed that the coral growths on the lagoon side of the reef, where the sea was tranquil and quiet, seemed to be bleached and lifeless, whereas the coral on the outside of the reef, exposed to the constant barrage of waves, was alive with beautiful colors and overflowing growth. When he asked the tour guide about this, the guide explained that, with no challenge for growth and survival, the coral on the lagoon side died rapidly, while the coral facing the surge and power of the sea thrives and multiplies because it is challenged and tested every day. Isn’t this the way it is in every arena of life?

When we are facing a crisis, we have to decide how we are going to respond. Are we going to look at it as an emergency that needs to be avoided at all cost, or as normal corrective feedback that can help us chart new directions? In the New Testament, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews explains that there is value to enduring “trials,” since they produce spiritual growth (Heb 12:1-13). Likewise, James, the brother of Jesus, teaches that the “testing of your faith produces endurance,” maturity, and completeness (James 1:3-4). Whether they are large or small, crises present us with opportunities for growth. May the Lord bless you as you are presented with opportunities for growth this week!

Rev. Ralph K. Hawkins, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Averett University, in Danville, Virginia. Dr. Hawkins is the author of several book, including While I Was Praying: Finding Insights about God in Old Testament Prayers (Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2006) and, most recently, Leadership Lessons: Avoiding the Pitfalls of King Saul (co-authored with Richard Parrott; Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2013). 

It is best to begin with God’s call, “Appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have” (1 Samuel 8:5) was the cry that rose from the tribes of Israel.  Out from behind a lost herd of donkey’s Saul stood and questioned, “Who me?”  And, Saul was in over his head.  It was a difficult time to lead.  Challenging patterns of immigration, the rise of the Philistines, the technology of iron chariots, and the squabbles of the backward tribes of God’s nation combined to create a lingering, persistent crisis.  After a successful beginning, the crises deepened, a rival (David) appeared, and the politics of the palace settled in on the King.  He was not ready.  He was overwhelmed.  

Today, many leaders feel overwhelmed, in over their heads.  Perpetual crisis is the norm in many industries and organizations.  Vacillating markets, government intervention, new forms of competition, technology demands, predictions of uncertainty, and a new generation of workers, bring a sense of consistent emergency.  When I speak with leaders, one-on-one, if the conversation is safe and the invitation genuine, they say in their own words, “I am tired.  I am confused.  I am afraid.  I am overwhelmed.”  

Continual crisis wears down a leader, body, mind, soul, and spirit.  At this point, a set of seductive and dangerous dynamics evolve:

• The leader envisions the situation as a persistent personal crisis.  The leader perceives the crisis is “all about me” rather than advancing the mission of the organization, advancing the Kingdom of God.  

• By perceiving the crisis as personal, the leader attempts to manage the crisis with a pattern of thinking and behaving that is dysfunctional.  The dysfunctional patterns show up in relationships, character decisions, and a lost sense of purpose.

• At the same time and in conjunction with the dysfunctional behaviors, a whirlpool of emotions haunts the leader’s mind day and night.   The inner and emotional vortex holds a theater of angst in the soul. 

• At the bottom of this set of dynamics, resides a fitful sense of alienation, of spiritual separation.

That is pretty much what happened to King Saul.  And, his way ended badly: the incantation of a witch, the rebuke of a ghost, the loss of the battle, and an ignoble death (1 Samuel 28, 31). 

So, how does one avoid the pitfalls of King Saul?  The trouble was born in the wrong call to leadership, “…a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have” (1 Samuel 8:5).  However, as a Christian, you cannot take your model from other nations, organizations, or leaders.  Christ calls, “Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to great among you must be your servant…” (Mark 10:43-44).

Richard Leslie Parrott, Professor of Education, Travecca Nazarene University, Nashville, Tennessee.  Dr. Parrott is co-author of the book, Leadership Challenges: Avoid the Pitfalls of King Saul, published by Thomas Nelson, April, 2013. 

This April 15, I have some suggestions on how you could best put your tax refund to work.

1. FUND A LOAN

Through World Vision Micro, you can fund all or part of a microloan for an entrepreneur of your choice. Hardworking men and women throughout the developing world want to support their families, and they have amazingly creative and sound business ideas about how to do that. But they often have no access to traditional loans or to the capital they need to get started or expand their businesses.

Your tax return could support an entrepreneur like Weyina Gemechu, who runs a small business growing crops and raising cattle in Ethiopia. Or you can search for an entrepreneur to support by location, loan amount, business type, and gender. Even better, when a loan is repaid, it is recycled back to another entrepreneur in the community to which you donated — further multiplying the impact.

2. GIVE LOCALLY

Poverty has many different faces around the world, and we shouldn’t ignore those in need right here in America. There are many great organizations in your neighborhood that could use your help. Do some research and go visit them. Invest not only your money, but also your time and talents. For a more centralized support model, consider becoming a Child Champion through World Vision.

3. SPONSOR A CHILD

Child sponsorship was World Vision’s original support model, established when founder Bob Pierce met a young Chinese girl named White Jade who needed his help. He left money with a missionary to help care for her, promising to send more each month.

World Vision now provides opportunities for donors to sponsor children in more than 40 countries worldwide. For about $1 per day, your monthly sponsorship will provide children in need with access to life-giving basics like clean water, nutritious food, education, healthcare, and more! Better yet, these funds help not just one child, but their family and entire community.

Sponsor a child like 3-year-old Senaida from Guatemala. You can search by birth month and day, age, gender, and country.

4. GIVE A SPECIAL GIFT

If you already sponsor a child, your tax refund could be an extra blessing. Giving a special gift allows one of our committed staff to go visit your sponsored child’s family, determine what the best use of your financial gift would be, and then purchase and deliver that gift. This could include items such as school supplies, roofing for a house, or clothing.

You can send your sponsored child special gifts through My World Vision. Simply sign in and select that option under “my sponsored children.”

5. USE GIFT MULTIPLIERS

Want to make the most of your tax return? World Vision’s Gift Catalog has a whole line of gifts that will multiply the impact of your giving by as much as 10 times!

For example, for a gift of as little as $50, you can provide $150 (3x) toward clean water and sanitation; for $100, you can provide $500 (5x) worth of food and aid for Africa, and for $150, you’ll be able to provide $1,500 (10x) worth of school equipment!

Explore the many options for Gifts That Multiply in World Vision’s Gift Catalog.

 *     *     *

Larry Probus has served as chief financial officer for World Vision U.S. since 2003, directing finance, information technology, legal, and corporate service functions.

View original post here: http://blog.worldvision.org/conversations/top-5-ways-to-use-your-tax-refund/

In a sense, One Perfect Life has been in the works for more than four decades. It’s unlike anything you’ve seen, and I believe you’re going to find it as valuable and enriching a devotional tool as any you’ve used. Allow me to give you some background on the book and why you’ll want to read it.

In June of 2011, I finished preaching through the New Testament. That verse-by-verse study spanned forty-two years and produced several thousand sermons. While I preached those messages to the congregation of Grace Community Church, they went much further and wider than our Southern California church. Through Grace to You we’ve distributed them to every corner of the globe through tapes, CDs, radio, television, and the Internet.

Over those years, no matter what the Bible passage in question, virtually every sermon has been about one Person: The Lord Jesus Christ. The story of the Bible is ultimately the story of the revelation of Jesus Christ. For me, the predominant joy of pastoral ministry has never been the studying, the preparation, or even the preaching. The joy has been in the hours, year after year, of being brought face to face with Jesus as He is revealed in Scripture.

And of course the Person and work of the Lord Jesus is seen most clearly in the gospels. The Holy Spirit-inspired quartet of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is the pinnacle of Scripture because in it, the Lord Jesus Christ is most perfectly revealed and God most clearly manifest. Nothing comes close to the rich reward of understanding the truth and glory of His matchless life.

Fittingly, our congregation has spent more than half of the past forty years focused on the gospels. Because each writer emphasized different themes from Jesus’ life, what has unfolded is a profound, powerful composite picture of the Son of God and Son of Man. On the independent testimony of those four witnesses, God established the indisputable revelation of His Son, Jesus Christ. That composite picture has transformed our church.

Yet even though the gospels offer perfectly consistent and complimentary accounts of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of our Lord, they are still four books from four authors. And that’s how most people read them and think about them—as four books. As a result, we often fail to see the cohesiveness of the story and miss the significance of what’s happening in a given account.

In response, many Christian scholars have tried to harmonize the story, and traditionally that has meant simply printing the gospels side by side in four columns: One for Matthew, one for Mark, one for Luke, and one for John. The idea is that by jumping back and forth, you can follow the account in each gospel and piece together the narrative.

But that approach falls short. In that format, you still miss how the stories perfectly fit together without contradictions. You also you miss the beautiful sweep of what is the one and only divinely inspired biography of Jesus.

I’ve long wanted to address that limitation by taking the Scripture texts out of columns and weaving them into one, seamless story. That’s what One Perfect Life does. It takes the four gospels and blends them into one text so you’re reading one story, with every component of the life of Christ placed at the point it belongs.

Like The MacArthur Study Bible, One Perfect Life is built around the text of Scripture and includes explanatory footnotes on every page. Of course the biblical text is inspired by God without error. The harmonization I’ve done—the interpretive work that makes this resource unique—is the product of twenty-five years of studying the gospels, seeing how they most likely fit together, bringing in other relevant Old and New Testament passages, then testing them against each other. It was a challenging process I could not have done any earlier in my ministry.

What is the benefit you’ll find in One Perfect Life? It enables you to read the story of Jesus in a way you’ve never done before. It brings a freshness and a richness, showing you the magnificent consistency and fullness of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ—past, present, and future—in one narrative.

I know this will be an encouraging, intriguing book for you and your family, as you grow in the knowledge and grace of Him who lived “one perfect life,” the Lord Jesus Christ.

We read her words and, although they were written all the way in Rwanda, it’s as if she now sits with us at our table. My 5-year-old daughter, Bella, draws a picture of a butterfly to send back to her. She adds stickers and smiles.

Link: http://blog.worldvision.org/sponsorship/video-i-like-bugshells-changing-the-world-at-age-5/

God created the church in order to accomplish His mission in the world. In Ephesians, Paul tells us that in the gospel of Christ, God has made known to us His eternal plan to unite all things to Himself (1:10). He invites us to be agents in that plan by telling us we were saved by grace so we might go out and do the “good works, which God prepared in advance for us” (Eph. 2:10 NIV) and to extend this grace to every person on this Earth. A faithful church will take these words seriously and recognize they exist for far more than Sunday morning worship services. Here are a few questions to help you figure out where a church lands on this great and sacred mission. 

Are they hearers or are they doers? Some churches start their kids off memorizing the historic catechisms at age three, hold Bible studies every night of the week, and organize Sunday morning worship services that play out like college lectures with some singing attached. Of course there’s nothing wrong with that, but what really matters is what we do with all of the knowledge we gain. Does this church seek to teach its congregation for the sake of teaching, or does it point them to actually go out and do something with that teaching? Second Timothy concisely lays it out for us that Scripture is for teaching, “that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (3:17 ESV, emphasis added). The words are clear; we study and learn so we would be equipped to go out and do those good works that has He prepared for us. 

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." James 1:22 ESV

Are they the right kind of doers? There are two kinds of “doers”:

The Wrong Kind: “We serve so that God will love us.” This is works-righteousness, pure and simple. A church that requires you to serve in order to earn God’s favor or to somehow atone for your sins is a church that does not understand the gospel. Not only is this mentality contradictory to the free offer of God’s grace in Christ, but it’s a hopelessly impossible way to live. 

The Right Kind: “We serve because God loves us.” The glorious truth of the gospel is our works don’t save us because they are utterly incapable of saving us. There was only one work good enough to save us and it came by way of the perfect Son of God being nailed to a cross. In Him, we have been served in such an extravagant way we can’t help but carry that forward in gratitude. 

Are they on mission? The Bible is pretty clear on a few difficult truths . . .

We’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

We’re all dead in our trespasses.

Without God, we’re destined for eternal judgment.

That’s the bad news. Thank God there’s also good news . . .

God came in the flesh as Jesus Christ.

Christ died to pay the penalty for all of His people.

Christ rose on the third day to defeat Satan, sin, and death.

Let’s skip past the fact that Jesus commanded us to go out and make disciples, and just look at good sense for a moment. If a church is a building full of people who honestly believe the things above, who believe they need Christ for their eternal salvation and joy, then would they be satisfied with leaving the world outside their doors to its own devices? Would they be satisfied with feeding someone a good meal, giving them some clean clothes, and never mentioning the name of Jesus? Would they really have the right to call themselves a church?

(Excerpt above from Launch Your Life – A Guide to Growing Up for the Almost Grown Up) 

I'm convinced that where we fail most miserably in life, both inside and outside of the church, is when we believe the lie that our own individual stories are much more important than the great story that God is telling. We get so wrapped up in what's going on in our own little circles that we completely neglect the floundering people out there who desperately need to hear the message of salvation to be found in Christ alone. Don't believe the lie. Don't forget your mission.

Kenny Silva has held every odd job from touring musician to server in a pizza restaurant since his time in the Air Force. At age 25 Kenny launched his own real estate business. Today, he is a Master's of Divinity student at Reformed Theological Seminary and spends his time reading, writing, selling houses, and ministering to young adults. Kenny regularly posts on topics including life, leadership, philosophy, faith, and culture on his blog at http://kennysilva.net . He lives with his beautiful wife, Suzanne, and their dog, Cooper, in Nashville, TN.

He is only 10, but he already works like a man. Between his rounds, he drops by a World Vision learning center to play. It is at this center where he experiences just a few moments of being a child.

Link: http://blog.worldvision.org/stories/only-a-child-already-a-man/

Speakers at the conference included the leader of a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of oppression, an author seeking to turn oppression into opportunity for women worldwide, a civil rights pioneer and activist and many more. 

Around 6000 men and women attended this year’s Justice Conference.  I was there working at The Voice booth for Thomas Nelson.  Hearing the stories of the men and women who stopped by our booth was extremely uplifting.  While there were attendees of all ages, most seemed to be Millenials.  Many of them work in overseas missions or with youth here in the US.  All of them are passionate about making our world a better place. 

Many times in the Bible, Christians are called to seek justice and righteousness.  To care for the needy and helpless, defending their rights.  That’s what the God’s Word in Action program is all about.  Our mission verse for the program is, “Stand up for the poor and the orphan; advocate for the rights of the afflicted and those in need.” Psalm 82:3  (The Voice).  I feel so incredibly blessed to be a part of this important mission, that to date, has aided over 50,000 children, their families and communities.

If you ever have the opportunity to attend The Justice Conference, I recommend you take advantage of it.  Next year’s conference was just announced and will be in Los Angeles February 21-22.