My youngest daughter, Jamie, sent me this quote today. I have read it several times and thought you might enjoy this:    

"This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will, I can waste it, or use it for some good purpose. But what I do with it is important, Because I have exchanged a day in my life for it! When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. I hope I will not regret the price I paid for it."

So how can we make the most of a day?

1. Invest in things that matter. Are you a student? Study! Do you have a job? Do something productive. Are you a writer? Write a sentence, a paragraph, or a page. Yet be sure to invest in something greater than yourself. Invest your life in the things of God. After all, you were created for a great purpose -- to live for the glory or honor of God.

2. Communicate love, care, respect, and encouragement to the people in your life who mean the most to you. Why use a day to be rude, insulting, or critical? Is there someone who you need to re-connect with? A family member? A distant relative? An old friend? A phone call, a card, an e-mail can be very, very significant.   

3. Place in your mind thoughts that are uplifting, inspiring, and godly. Think about God and all that he is. Read something that challenges you to think. Have conversations with people who cause you to think. Instead of focusing on the negative, think about all that is around you that is good and right.

4. Do something for your own renewal. Read your Bible. Walk. Go outside. Throw a ball. Read a book. Go for a drive in the country. Play with children. Go outside and look at the moon and the stars. Pay attention to what is growing and alive. Do something that will renew and refresh.

5. Serve someone. Do something for someone else. Pay attention to the opportunities that may be right in front of you. You don't have to go to an impoverished country in order to serve (though that is certainly a good thing). Look for opportunities that God places before you everyday.

Question:

What helps you keep your focus or perspective during the day? How do you make the most of your day?

Prayer is the most powerful communication we have. It is more powerful than speaking through a public address system. It is more powerful than Facebook or Twitter.  

Prayer is the most powerful and intimate form of communication that a human being can experience.

After all, when you pray, your words do not simply stay in the room. Nor is God somehow drawn by yo

ur eloquence. No, when you pray, there is a sense in which you ride the wings of the Spirit into the very throne room of the living God.

As we pray, we have his attention. Our words, our thoughts, and our concerns are heard. Even when our words do not come out just right, the Spirit knows our longing and communicates them to the Father.

Five powerful ways to pray:

1. Pray that God will use you as he carries out his kingdom dream for this world. (Such a kingdom dream will bring renewal and a grand sense of purpose to a Christian.)

2. Pray that God will give you an absolute passion for him and for his will. (We will only become passionate about something that is awesome, overwhelming, and absolutely incredible. Let us see what a big God he is and how desperately we need him.)

3. Pray for your children that God would be the center of their lives and that you as a parent would be a bridge and not an obstacle. (Far too many parents pray for their children and then later discourage them from missional living or giving their lives to a cause which bears some risk.)

4. Pray that the grace of God would refresh today's church and that his Spirit would bring real revival.Include those who teach/preach and lead. (I am convinced that nothing is more important for the future church than the prayer of the present church.)

5. Pray for God to do what would be impossible without an answer to prayer. (Far too often, we limit our prayers to what sounds reasonable to us.)

Question:

What do you pray for that only God could possibly deliver?

It was raining hard that evening and I could barely see the middle line on the two- lane Tennessee highway. I was on my way to the hospital in Columbia, Tennessee. I had just received word that a 26 year old woman from our church was near death.   She was dying of cancer and our little church had been grieving with her.

I was a young minister, preaching for a little store-front church about thirty minutes from Columbia. I had never been called to the hospital like this before. In fact, I had never seen anyone die. I had never preached a funeral.

This woman died about an hour after I arrived at the hospital. Many family members and friends were present in the waiting room, supporting those closest to her. A few minutes after her death, the friends began to quietly leave, giving the family some privacy.

I wondered what I was supposed to do. A very wise and gentle nurse approached me and said, “You probably want to take the family into the chapel for a few minutes.” (I am sure she could tell that I didn't know what to do or say.)  A few minutes later, she quietly asked the family to follow her to the nearby chapel. I stood at the door of the little chapel as they filled in, one by one. The room was so quiet.

I saw a large Bible at the front of the chapel. I opened it to Psalm 23 and read the ancient words of that Psalm. I then prayed for this family.

That rainy night, in the midst of this family’s grief and my own fear, I found that the Psalms gave me words where I had none. In fact, I saw Psalm 23 provide a word from God to a family who desperately needed to hear his voice.

A light came on for me that night. I learned that the Psalms are the words of God that can speak to the tender places of the heart. This lesson spoke powerfully not only to the value of the Psalms in my ministry, but in my life as well.

Years later, I would learn just how valuable the Psalms could be for nurturing my heart on quiet mornings.  

Early one morning, with a cup of coffee in one hand and a yellow highlighter in the other, I began reading the Psalms. I began with Psalm one and underlined every word in the Psalm which either named God, or was an action or description of his character. I did this each morning, working through five Psalms each day. After reading these Psalms and marking these words, I skimmed through the texts that I had read. I allowed these words and phrases to shape my prayer for the morning.

Finally, after reading the entire Psalter, I began flipping through the pages of the book. The book was saturated in yellow where I had highlighted word after word.   I was overwhelmed by how the Psalms were saturated with God! I have since done this exercise on a number of occasions using different translations.

The Psalms have encouraged me to pay attention to God. He certainly is paying attention to me. His words in these Psalms continue to provide me with strength, direction, and encouragement.

Question:

What is your favorite Psalm? Why?

Many readers of this blog will are familiar in some way with Lynn Anderson. Several years ago, we watched brief video clips of an interview that I did with Lynn regarding various ministry issues. He is the author of numerous books, including an upcoming book, Talking Back to God: Speaking Your Heart to God Through the Psalms .

Lynn is wrestling with cancer at this point in his life. A few weeks ago, a video team from the Oak Hills Church went to his home and filmed these encouraging reflections. (We watched this at the Crestview Church last Sunday morning.)

Lynn has been a great encourager and mentor to me for many years. Charlotte and her family knew him long before I did. I am so grateful for his ministry.

Enjoy and be encouraged.

Names were drawn Monday afternoon and Tina Contreras and James Glasscock have each won a copy of Karen Spears Zacharias' new book, Will Jesus Buy Me a Double-Wide?  These books will be autographed and sent to you soon. Thanks to all of you who left a comment on the original post and entered this drawing.   

The following is a part of a series on upgrading our relationships. (You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here).

A few suggestions for upgrading relationships:

7. Get out of your recliner and get into the game. Some people live in a mental and emotional recliner. That is, they sit back and watch life happen. They watch their marriage sink, long ago losing any real emotional connection with their spouse. They watch as their children lose any sense of an emotional connection with dad (or mom). Yet, they just passively sit in their mental recliner and watch it happen.

If this is you, let me encourage you to get up. Make a move. Pay attention to your spouse or children. Show interest in what seems to interest them. Ask questions. Look for something, anything, which you can affirm and even compliment.

8. Be gracious. Living graciously is about living in such a way as to express grace in all that we do. Gracious people are quick to give credit and are slow to boast.

Gracious people never seek to humiliate or embarrass another. Upgrade your relationships by toning down the sarcasm and cutting remarks. So many people are rude, critical, and curt. When we are around such people, our thoughts and words may mirror what we hear from these people. Give your family and friends a gift today. Let them experience life in the presence of a gracious person. They may find this to be very refreshing.

9. Be thoughtful in the little things. Well, on second thought they may only be "little" to the offender. For example:

*One evening, a couple picks up pizzas for themselves and three other families who are getting together. This couple is glad to pick up the pizzas for their friends. They know that as soon as they walk in the door with these pizzas, two of these families will almost immediately reimburse them for the expense. One of the other families, however, will probably say nothing about reimbursing them. This has happened more than once. Meanwhile, a few of these couples feel taken for granted by this family.

*Several friends are going to the basketball game together. This is a big game that has been sold out for several weeks. They all planned to meet at one person's home and then drive to the game together. That evening, five of the six friends arrived at the home where they would drive to the game together. Everyone was there but one person -- the friend who had the tickets. She called to say that she would be there in five minutes. Twenty five minutes later she arrived saying that she had been "running late." The group was late to the game. Some in this group were very frustrated with their friend. She is constantly late and doesn't seem to respect their time. To make matters worse, she doesn't think that her lateness is a big deal. Yet, again and again, her friends end up waiting on her.

Sometimes, relationships receive an upgrade when we realize that paying attention to the "little" things may be a big thing to someone else.

Question:

What seemingly small action or practice can a person take in relationships that might, in fact, be very, very significant to another person?

Read this book.

Karen Spears Zacharias has written a very good book!

Will Jesus Buy Me A Double-Wide?  

Of course, the title and cover immediately had my attention. I liked the table of contents and the creative way that she tagged each one of the major characters featured in her chapters.

She handles the issue of the prosperity gospel quite well. Not only does she raise important questions but she provides enough stories to document this problem again and again. As I read the chapters, I found myself thinking several times, “Oh yea, I forgot about him!” (as with Rev. Ike)

Other stories are inspiring and uplifting. She writes numerous stories of what God is doing through various men and women. I found these stories heart-warming, encouraging, and motivating.

Karen Spears Zacharias is a great storyteller! For example, in the final chapter, she paints such a clear picture of her and her sister driving around, looking for a Starbucks and then seeing a Rolls Royce. That began an interesting conversation and an adventure. The picture she paints in this story is so clear, I felt as if I could see each one of these people.

Would you like a free copy of her book? I will be giving away autographed copies to two people who make comments on this post. In fact, Karen Spears Zacharias has even agreed to call the winners to talk about the book, if you like.

A drawing will be held in my office in just a few days. Again, if you would like to enter, be sure to leave a comment.

Now here is a taste of this book:

After Daddy died, Mama paid $6,000 for a single-wide trailer, a 12 X 60. It was the first home our family owned. It had plywood walls so thin you could hear a roach grunt, and the only insulation from the outside elements was a feather pillow clutched down over your head during winter or a cooling rag filled with ice cubes for the sticky nights of a Georgia summer.

We moved that trailer five times in six years. Corner lots in the trailer parks were the most coveted because they usually had the biggest yards. Wealthy people lived in trailers with tip-outs. The very rich lived in double-wides. My friend Karin Paris and her brother lived in a double-wide with their mama. They really had it made -- all that space for only three people. We had twice as many people living in a trailer half as big.

While I no longer live in a house balanced on cinder blocks the way I did in my youth, I recognize that almost all of my life's truly meaningful moments took place in a trailer. I had my first kiss in a trailer. I smoked my first and last cigarette in a trailer. I asked Jesus into my heart on bended knee in a trailer. And I gave birth to my firstborn child on my mama's bed in a trailer.

Given my druthers, I'd rather reside in a mansion carved from marble than a 12 X 60 crafted from aluminum siding. Still, I know without question that God's love for me or his favor toward me is not manifested in whether I live at the end of a dirt road in a trailer or around an emerald bend in a gated community comprised of McMansions. Proof of God's love is not found in the square footage of our homes or the number of cars our garage will hold. God's love is not evident in our net worth at all. It's found in the same place it has always been, at the foot of a rough-hewn and bloodied cross.

What is it that would help your church be more effective in its ministry?

I suspect that the answers to such a question might be varied. For example, some might say they wish that someone would give more attention to what actually happens during a Sunday morning worship service. Others might say that they wish their church offered more for children or teenagers. Still others might suggest that the preaching could be more engaging, challenging, or relevant.

What about your congregation? What would help your congregation in its practices?

Maybe you see room for improvement in a certain area. In seeing such a need and acknowledging it, you are not discounting your church. Nor are you suggesting that the leaders of your church are not making an effort and working hard. (You may be one of those leaders!) No, you are simply paying attention to the effectiveness of your church and acknowledging what you see.

There are no perfect congregations. A church may have a vibrant worship service that week after week does a wonderful job of ushering the church into the presence of God. Yet, it may have a children's ministry that is sorely lacking. Or, a church may have an exciting teen ministry and yet have an assembly in which the preaching is dull, lifeless, and predictable. Or, a church may have a wonderful ministry to the poor and yet the singing/praise time on Sunday mornings is mediocre and does little to engage people.

Now why wouldn't someone acknowledge that a church is not effective in a particular area? Sometimes a person might feel as if she or he is being disloyal if he or she acknowledges that something in the congregation is not very effective. Other people hesitate acknowledging a needed area of improvement because the person leading in that area happens to be friend. "How could I say that the preaching is lacking in some way? John is my friend. After all that he has done for my family, I couldn't ever say that." Finally, others do not acknowledge an area that needs improvement because they have grown accustomed to mediocrity. Consequently, the children's ministry rocks along year after year, frustrating parents and offering very little. Or, the old church sign with the crooked letters stays that way while people come and go.

The first step in addressing these issues is paying attention to the ministry of the congregation week after week and being willing to acknowledge what is and what is not effective.

Question:

What is it that would help your church be more effective in its ministry?