Tag: Joy

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Reset Book Review by Jeff Bush

By David Murray

  • Just as a runner must set his pace or he will lose the race, so must we do as Christians. Pastors and ministry workers are getting tired and quitting way too often. 
  • We might say we believe in sovereign grace, but we yell and scream when things don’t go our way in ministry. We must realize it is God that gives the increase. 
  • Not all life or ministry depends on you.
  • Yes, it is better to give than to receive, but if we never receive we will end up drying up.
  • We must learn to slow down and pace ourselves in life and ministry. Not just so that we may live longer, but we will be more joyful, fruitful, and grateful as a result.
  • There are warning lights that are physical (insomnia, being aggravated, etc.), spiritual (still preaching or teaching, but not getting anything from it, not being touched by sermons from others, etc.), marital, mental, etc. Pay attention to these warnings. 
  • If you don’t slow down, God might slow you down.
  • God is a God of order, not of confusion, and we should live orderly lives. 
  • If you do not prioritize your life, someone else will prioritize it for you.
  • To prioritize life, we should break things up into four categories: definitely do, desire to do, delay to do, and don’t do.
  • We must learn to prune in areas. Instead of making a millimeter of progress in a million areas, it would be better to make much progress in a few areas. 
  • We must learn to say no to the nonessential so that we can say yes to the essentials. Learn to say a slow yes and a quick, no.
  • What we eat affects our mood. 
  • What energizes one person does not necessarily energize another person.
  • Replenishment is supposed to be for every day, not for once or twice a year when you get away from everything.
  • Our parenting as fathers should represent well the Fatherhood of our God.
  • Contentment in ministry is secret to longevity in ministry.
  • Sometimes God lets His children go through the wilderness university, and once broken and taught, can use us greater.  
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Out of The Cave Book Review by Jeff Bush

By Chris Hodges 

  • 1 out of 9 people in the US are on some form of anxiety medication. 1 out of 5 people have used it in the past. 
  • Depression has surpassed other diseases in our world such as cancer, etc.
  • Many things we tell someone that is depressed it’s not helpful – quit thinking about it, try harder, at least your problems are not as big as others, read your Bible more, etc. We should learn to listen and sympathize.
  • We need to stop talking about chemical imbalances and start talking about imbalances in our lifestyle. What we eat, how little we sleep, always on the run, not going outside, etc.
  • If we are burning the candle at both ends, we might not be as bright as we think we are. – Rick Warren
  • Motions are the precursors for emotions. When you feel …, you will… 
  • When someone throws up, the problem is a result of something happening in their body. And in the same manner, depression is not the problem, but a result of something that is happening within them.
  • An overwhelmed schedule produces an overwhelmed soul. Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should. 
  • The comparison culture eats us alive. Proverbs 14:30
  • Experts agree that we’ve never been so connected yet so lonely at the same time.
  • The same social media that connects us also controls us, condemns us, manipulates us, and deceives us. 
  • Your social media very likely needs to be regulated and reduced. It is the number one reason for comparison and envy in the lives of most people.
  • If you want to come out of your cave, you have to stop comparing because God made you incomparable.
  • We cannot change our lives until we change the way we think.
  • The first problem was not sin but isolation. It was not good for Adam to be alone. We were not designed to be self-sufficient. 
  • In Exodus 17, Aaron and Hur held up the arms of Moses. Moses was used of God to open the Red Sea, but he needed help to keep his hands up. Who is helping you keep your hands lifted high?
  • Joy is an attitude that trusts God despite the circumstances. 
  • Instead of asking why to God, we should learn to ask what He wants to teach us through this situation.
  • Fight with light. The devil is dead set against you, but the good news is that the devil and demons are subject unto our God.
  • Prayer is both communion with God and confrontation against the devil.
  • If we want to win over depression, we must let God fill us. 
  • Perhaps our physical needs (rest and nutritious food) is more important then we think. God confronted Elijah‘s physical needs before his spiritual needs.
  • The opposite of depression is not happiness rather meaning and purpose in life.
  • Whether you like it or not, your ministry is strengthen by times you have been through. Your hard times can be either a prison of misery or schooling to help you learn.