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Spinning Your Wheels

1/27/2023

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​You've been a Christian for a while, and you feel like you're doing all the right things. You go to church, pray every day and read your Bible regularly. You even serve at your church! Yet you're still not seeing a change in your own life or in the lives of others.

Perhaps you feel like nothing is happeningJust this past week I came across someone who shall remain nameless. And they were stuck in the mud. 

I went over to see if I could help, and they had spun a hole in the mud, their tires were turning but they no longer had the ability to move out of that hole on their own. I tried pushing but that wasn’t enough.

So I drove over through the f-150 in 4x4 and like nothing, thanks to the power of my trusty ford, was able to pull them out. 

Sometimes we get stuck,

Sometimes we are just spinning our wheels like the church is spinning its wheels and going nowhere fast. How can we move the church forward? If things don't change, should we just leave? Here are some things to help you and your church move forward.

Do you feel like the church is going nowhere?

​Do you feel like the church is going nowhere?

Just this past week I came across someone who shall remain nameless, but they were stuck in the mud. I went over to see if I could help, and they had spun a hole in the mud; their tires were turning, but they no longer had the ability to move out of that hole on their own. I tried pushing, but that wasn’t enough.

So I drove over through the f-150 in 4x4 and, like nothing, thanks to the power of my trusty ford, was able to pull them out. 

Sometimes we get stuck, sometimes, we are just spinning our wheels

We look at the church, and we see slow to no forward progress. In fact it often feels like the church might actually be moving backward.  So what do we do?

It's time for a change.
​(Don't be afraid of change, it can be great!)

​In a study conducted by Barna Group, 70% of young people age 18-35 said they had left their Christian faith. The main reasons for this were doctrinal disagreements, hypocritical church members, feeling judged by other Christians and boring sermons.

Change is not only inevitable, it's necessary. The world has changed and we need to change with it or get left behind. We can't keep doing things the way we always have, the world is not the same as it always has been.

I know when church people speak of change, it seems like wars break out. But this change doesn't have to mean destroying your churches. it may mean minor corrections rather than over corrections. 

The Bible tells us that two things are constant, Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. NKJV. And that the truth of scripture is always constant. Truth doesn't change just because society's standards change.  

Conclusion

​If you feel like young adults are leaving your church, there is hope. You don't have to loose the truth, just change how you listen and love young people. Focus on empowering and equipping, and you might be shocked at what happens. I have seen conservative and contemporary churches grow younger when they listen and empower. Don't change the truth, let the truth change you. That kind of change is always good. 
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Quitter's Day

1/6/2023

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As of writing this post it is Jan 7, 2023

We are 7 days into the new year.

How many of you have stuck with your resolutions and goals? If you are like most people, you have already broken your resolutions or goals. 

Why is it so hard to stick with our goals? It is because they are too vague and intangible.

Research by Strava says that nearly 80% of people quit their exercise goals by January 19 - They Call it quitters day. 

Quitter's day, how sad is that? 
Change is hard, but often it helps us become better people, better Christians.   2 Corinthians 5:17 says that we can be new creations in Christ.  Do you want to leave your old habits behind?

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! - NIV,
​2 Corinthians 5:17.
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Make Small Changes.

If your goal is to be a better person, friend, Christian, father, husband, mother, or wife we have to approach change differently.

Honeslty its better to make small changes then big changes. but Either way we often fail at both. Why? because we are creates of habit. And habits are hard to break. Often we are not able to keep our goals not because we aren't serious, but because we don't know how to make habits that help us keep those goals. 

Do you want to become a new person?  If so, then let’s start by looking at some habits that might help us live the life God has planned for us.

4 things you can do to help your goals become reality. 

​ 1.  Get rid of things that are holding you back.

​Old things are gone... You can’t change what you can’t see. If your goals are not on paper, then they will never become part of who you are and what you do. Write them down, share them with others and make plans to be where those goals need to happen.

2. ​Make your goal something that is measurable.

If you are going to lose weight, than write it down and set a date when you will be at your goal weight. If you want to become a better person, then make sure that doing so is measurable. You can’t just say, "I am going to better person." without defining what that means for yourself. Don’t say “I want to be a better person.” Say instead, “I will read the Bible for at least 15 minutes every day.” And then write that down and put it somewhere where you can see it every day so you don’t forget. You need tangible steps that will help you become the person you want to be.

3. ​Piggyback your goals on already established habits.

If you want to read the Bible, then try piggybacking that goal on something else you do every day. - For example, if you don’t spend time reading the Bible every day, but you spend time on social media, then make sure that one of your 15 minutes per day is spent reading the Bible so you can share a text via the Bible app on you page instead of doing something else.

4. ​Engineer your environment.

​ Make space for the change that you need to make. If you want to read more, then make sure there is a place for your books. If you want to eat healthier, then make sure that there are vegetables in the fridge and that they aren’t buried behind other things. You can also think about how to change your environment, so it fits with what you want. I have a chair that I sit in when I do Spiritual things and Bible Study, and I don't do other things in that chair, like play video games; in fact, there is not a TV in view of that chair. that way, when I sit there. my mind is already engineered to think about Biblical things. 

Conclusion

Make a plan, write it down, mold that plan to a reality that works for your life. Small changes over time will make a great impact on you. If you wanna see change, if you're sick of doing the same things and quitting by Jan 19 then stop adding to quitters day. Make today success day. 
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Am I A Failure

1/6/2023

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I was a mess. You may feel like a mess like I often do. I had no hope in myself or my life. But God is good, and he promises to restore us. Let's dive into what salvation means and how it can change your life today!

Are You Good Enough?

​The answer to this question is actually simple, but it can feel complex and out of reach. Salvation through Jesus Christ requires that you understand and believe that He is the only way to salvation. In order for you to be saved, you must be willing to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and follow Him throughout your life (John 3:16; Acts 4:12).

Salvation is God’s gift of forgiveness for all our sins (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 2:11-14). It involves both spiritual rebirth and baptism in water by immersion (Romans 6:1-4; Colossians 2:12). When we accept the Lord’s sacrifice on the cross at Calvary for our sins, we are forgiven by God and are declared righteous in His sight (Romans 10:9). Our commitment to God demonstrates our faith in Him so that others can also see our confidence in Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.

​I often think of how much of a failure I am.

​If you feel like a failure, it's tempting to beat yourself up about it. But is failure that bad? Not always. Our society paints failure as the ultimate negative outcome, something to be avoided at all costs. But that's not always true, failure is just part of life; it's how we learn and grow and become more productive people.

​How can I live up to the unrealistic Standards people put on me?

We all have unrealistic standards that feel like a lot to live up to. But the truth is, it’s not just you. We all have our own set of unachievable expectations for ourselves—and for others.

But don't worry! It's not your fault or anyone else's either. It's just part of being human: we tend to forget that God created us in his image, which means we're supposed to be perfect (but we aren't). And even though we try our best to live up to these high standards, they can be overwhelming and exhausting--especially when they fall short of perfection (which is always).

But there's good news: God loves you! 

Check this Quote out. 
“ In dying, Christ has made it impossible for those who believe on Him to die eternally…”
​Ellen White, in Lift Him Up, a devotional book published in 1988. 

​You are loved more than you can imagine.

  • You are loved more than you can imagine!
  • God’s love is unconditional. His love for us is not based on what we do or don’t do. It doesn’t matter if we mess up, or blow it, or disappoint him because he still loves us with an everlasting love. This means that despite our sinfulness and brokenness, we still have hope because God wants a relationship with us! Your Salvation is guaranteed, Jesus.  
  • Because of God's great sacrifice on the cross, where he died so that our sins could be forgiven and washed away by his blood, therefore giving us salvation!

Conclusion.

I hope this blog post helped you understand that everyone is broken, but we can still be restored by God. This may seem like a simple concept, but it’s one of the most powerful messages in the Bible. I know firsthand how hard it is to believe that God loves me when I feel so unworthy of His love and grace. But if we remember this teaching regularly—and follow its simple advice—we will begin to experience transformation in our lives. I invite you to take some time today and really think about your life from God’s perspective: what does it mean for Him to love us? How does knowing His unconditional love change how we live each day
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    Ryan Hodgins, pastor, coach. Married to a gorgeous wife. Father to three girls. I need this epic walk. ​

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How often do we wonder,  "Where am I going? or  What is my purpose?" In our day to day life, in our inner walk, many of us are looking for a purpose. You may be here because you want answers. You may be here because you truly want an Epic Walk. For whatever your reason, I am glad you are here. Read on. Enjoy our daily homework and hopefully, you can find more purpose, and begin an Epic Walk.