Run With Horses

Maintaining Motivation.- Ep. 241

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today we look at how to maintain motivation over the long haul. I had to record this in a hotel with less than ideal equipment which worked fine until the fridge kicked in toward the end. Enjoy!

Questions Christians Are Asked.- Ep.240

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/RWH_podcastToday we are going over some questions that unbelievers sometimes have about religion in general and Christianity specifically.Welcome to Run With Horses. My name is Norman and my goal is to help you Thrive as a follower of Jesus. The choices you make every day define you as a person and help you make spiritual progress or make it more difficult. Thanks for making the choice to include me on your spiritual journey.If you are a follower of Jesus, you are probably at least occasionally asked a question or two about your faith. Sometimes by well intentioned friends who just want to know more about what you believe, other times by people who just want to tear you down.Today we will look at a few questions that you might have already been asked or might want to think about for the future.1. What religion do you believe in?2. Do you believe in God or another deity?3. When did you choose your faith?4. What is your idea of what God looks like?5. Is there a heaven?6. Is there a hell?7. What does heaven look like?8. What does hell look like?9. Why should someone start believing in God?10. What should a believer do before they die?11. Does your past play a role when joining a religion?12. Does someone need to attend church to be spiritual?13. What’s the difference between being spiritual and being religious?14. Did you have to change your life before you started following a religion?15. How often does someone need to say “amen?”16. Should someone start attending a church if he or she doesn't believe in God?17. Can someone believe in God but not attend church?18. Should someone read a Bible before he or she starts believing in a religion?19. What’s the best part of going to church?20. What benefits can someone get from going to church?Thanks for joining me today! If you have questions or would like to make a suggestion for future shows, send me an email at norman@runwithhorses.net or look for the Run With Horses podcast on facebook and leave a message. We all have questions. Keep asking and keep looking to God for answers. And keep running!
 
 

Change Starts With One Thing.- Ep. 239

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/RWH_podcastToday I am challenging you to evaluate your life and do one thing to defeat inertia and get your spiritual life moving.Welcome to Run With Horses. My name is Norman and my goal is to help you Thrive as a disciple of Jesus. It is not always easy to follow Him in this life, but it is always worth it. Thanks for including me on your journey.Most people at least occasionally get stuck. Maybe it is a rut that you can't get out of or maybe it feels more like a wall that you can't seem to get around, over or through! Either way, for some reason you can't seem to move forward. It can be a problem in your career but it is an even more critical problem when it is in your spiritual life.A stagnant spiritual life will affect your career, your relationships at work and your relationships at home not to mention your relationships with God and His family! When you are stuck, it is a sign that something needs to change.There is an expectation in Scripture that we will be growing. We have talked about it before many times. We begin our spiritual life as infants and children but we shouldn't expect to stay that way! God intends for us to move from the milk of the Word to the Meat, doing the Will of the Father.I have mentioned the definition of insanity before, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. IF you are stuck in your spiritual life, I say it again, something needs to change! God intends for you to be making progress along the path. He provides the resources needed, the power for change through the Holy Spirit and the promise the He will be with you every step of the way.But HE has also chosen to give us a certain responsibility in this life to put in some effort. Where are you applying effort to your spiritual life now? How is it going? Feeling stuck? Ready to change?IF that is you today. I want to encourage you to take one step. Be willing to make ONE change in ONE area of life. Often taking the first step is key to unlocking the door to further growth. I know I often find it hard to get moving but once I am doing better in one area, the success seems to pull me to put in more efforts in other areas. What is ONE thing you can work on today?If you are genuinely stuck and aren't even sure where to begin thinking about making any changes, maybe this list will help. It is not exhaustive and you certainly can't jump in and make changes in every area at once but I truly believe that if you take one or two things and make prayerful efforts to move the needle in your spiritual life, God will meet you there and you will see fruit.A little caveat. I am making some assumptions with this list. I am assuming that you are already having a meaningful time in the Bible daily and that your prayer life is in order. I am also assuming that you are part of a group of Christ-followers who are regularly meeting for fellowship, encouragement, and time together in God's Word. If any of these are NOT true of you. Start there!ExerciseRead a bookDo that thing you have been dreadingTake a break from social mediaTake a break from TV, Internet, Radio, MP3's, etc.Call a friend you haven't talked to in awhile, be intentional about Spiritual conversationStart a journal of your spiritual lifeStart a prayer journalGet up 15 minutes early and spend the time with GodDo a spiritual evaluation, what areas are in good shape and what areas need some attention?Evaluate your prayer life, Bible reading, church relationships, service to others, opportunities for the Gospel, Disciple making relationships, etcTake one of the spiritual disciplines and add it to your life over the next month. Need a refresher list? Here are a few to consider!Solitude, Silence, Journaling, Meditation, Memorization, Fasting, Service -The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard

Why aren’t we happy?

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/RWH_podcastToday we consider what we live for. You go to work, you pursue all those things you are told will make you happy, so why aren't you happy?Welcome to Run With Horses. My name is Norman and my goal is to help you Thrive as a disciple of Jesus. There are a lot of things you could choose to do with your life but I don't believe that there is anything more worthwhile than joining Jesus on His great mission of reconciliation. Life is an incredible process of spiritual growth. Thanks letting me be part of your journey.I found a book by LeRoy Eims in the church library this week. I have appreciated another book by him titled The Lost Art of Disciple Making and I highly recommend it. It was one of the books that started me on the path to becoming a disciple maker almost twenty years ago. The book I found this week is called, What Every Christian Should Know About Growing.One chapter really caught my attention. The first section opens with a discussion of life and meaning. He particularly focused on the fact that many people find life incredibly dull. "Is there life after birth?" some ask. A campus newspaper at the time ran a contest to find a slogan for life. Three honorable mentions were, "Life is a bad joke that's not funny." / "Life is a disease for which there is no cure." / and "Life is a jail sentence you get for being born."The world tells you over and over again that pursuing temporal, here and now pleasures, will satisfy you. Commercials on every platform tell you how much better your life will be with this product or that one. Each one offers to finally complete you and make you the man or women you were meant to be. Only they don't. And they can't.Increase in death rates age 25-64 - drug overdose suicide, alcohol  related, Deaths of despair.https://www.pbs.org/newshour/Pg. 90 Financial success paragraph.But people keep climbing the ladder! Definition of insanity! To keep trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results.It is not complicated. God has given us the answer if only we will listen.Man is a spiritual being. Eims points out that we have four key areas of personal development if we are to be healthy, balanced people. Intellectual, Physical, Spiritual and Social. Leave one out and you cannot be a healthy person!In several key areas, our Faith in the Creator God makes life not only bearable but joyful.First, Many people live in constant fear of death.1 John 5:13 - These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.Second, Many people live in fear of financial problems.Phil. 4:19 - And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Third, many people are in constant fear about the future.Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart,And lean not on your own understanding;6In all your ways acknowledge Him,And He shall direct your paths.Many people are afraid of being alone and unheard.Hebrews 13: 5-6 - Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say:“The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”What is it that makes this life bearable? What gives us joy where the world finds only despair?Ephesians 3:14-21 - Christ dwells in your heart through faith, you know His love!Romans 8:14-17 -  14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, To know God and to be known by Him is the greatest joy you can have. This relationship overrides every trial that life brings your way because the trial is temporary and the relationship with God is eternal. Live with eternal values. Live out eternal relationships. There is nothing in this life that can compare or bring you even a fraction of the joy that God offers.Thanks for joining me today. Write me anytime at norman@runwithhorses.net, I look forward to hearing how God is working in your life. Today's trials won't last forever. Keep your eyes on the prize and keep running!

Rights, Pride and Humility. -Ep.237

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It seems to me that the discussion of entitlements and rights is very much wrapped up in the discussion of pride and humility. Our pride causes us to believe that we deserve something because of who we are. Humility helps us to give up our rights for the sake of someone else. All of us have an ongoing struggle in our hearts between pride and humility.
 
It also seems to me that it's wrapped up in the idea of loss. We are afraid that we will lose something if we don't get what we believe we deserve. If we aren't treated as we think we deserve we will lose honor or respect. If we aren't taking care of as we believe we deserve we may not have the comfort or safety that we desire. The problem is, God never promised us comfort, or safety, or honor, or recognition for anything that we can do or have done.
 
What is your heart answer when you think about the question, "What do you really want?" For most of us and probably all of us the answer is not God. What we want is focused on our creature comforts, our human desires , and mostly on this life, here and now.
 
We want to have a comfortable house, a nice car, a tasty meal and a lifestyle that we feel we deserve. It seems a far cry from following Jesus, who said that the Son of Man has no place to lay his head, and asks us to deny ourself, take up our cross, and follow him. I'm not sure where we get the idea of safety, comfort and all of these material goods as part of that package. Maybe it was in the fine print?
 
Why is there such a disconnect between what the Bible teaches and what we say we believe and how we think and live? I think it's the whispering of the serpent in the garden in our ear, telling us that we deserve more. The idea of sacrifice and service to others requires too much. Too much effort, too much sacrifice. We shouldn't have to give up our rights, our comforts, our safety, just because Jesus ask us to follow him.
 
Spiritual warfare is for others, sacrifice is for others, service is for others. Certainly we understand that the cause of Christ is important, that the world needs to hear the message of the gospel, but that's something that someone else is responsible for, not me.
 
Because thinking of others is so foreign to us, we can only only see what we want. Our hearts desires control us and drive us. Life is about us. And is life is about us, obviously we deserve a certain kind of treatment.
 
We feel that we deserve certain things just because we exist, but that's not true. What we deserve is to be eternally separated from God. Fortunately God has reached out and given us so much that we don't deserve. Everything we have is a gift from him. If we understand that we can live a life of Thanksgiving. Humility takes the place of pride, service and sacrifice seem reasonable in light of all we have received. We will have the ability to joyfully approach each day.
 
To fully follow Jesus means to give up our rights (not hard since we don't have any), accept his gifts, and join Him on a journey of Faith.
You have to give up the right to your time. It is important to understand that you have been given time and energy and a certain degree of health and now you are a steward of all you have received. You were an ignorant steward without Christ, but in Christ, you know what a gift you have. A weight of responsibility is lifted, you no longer have to "succeed", whatever that means. You only have to follow Jesus and use His resources to accomplish His purposes. He will succeed.
 
You have to give up the right to your relationships. Your relationships are given to you by God although we don't often think if them that way. Your ability to have a relationship is given to you by God. It is part of being made in the image of God. God is relational. He communicates. He desires fellowship.
 
You don't have the right to have enough, whatever that means. Instead of relying on enough, whether that's time, health or money, we learn to trust God to supply our needs. We don't have a right to have our needs met. But we often have the joy of having our needs met by an awesome God. Along the way He fulfills needs that we didn't know we had. Needs for worship. Needs to know our Creator.
 
We live in a society that doesn't value humility or self-sacrifice. But we serve a God who not only values it but modeled it for us in the life of Jesus. While most people search for significance and temporary fame in this life. Jesus leads to a path of eternal significance and true value that doesn't fade like the newest Youtube sensation. Youtube fame may be measured in the approval of millions of people. Real value is found in the approval of ONE. It is found following a path that few take. A path of humility and service. A path of sacrifice.
 
But on this path we meet others who travel with us. Family, united by a bond stronger than DNA, national pride, or culture. We are united by blood. The blood that was shed to remove the barrier of sin and give us access to our heavenly Father. We are united in a family that will be together for eternity. Each member loved and appreciated.
 
We live is a world that values rights. But I relinquish my rights and claim a promise. The promise of Jesus to never leave me nor forsake me. The promise that His completed work on the cross is sufficient. The promise that His resurrection will be my resurrection one day. The promise that He who started a good work in me will complete it.
 
I have chosen the ancient path. I want to live with my focus on the footprints of Jesus, leading me home. And I accept the challenge to deny myself, give up whatever rights I have and follow Him. Will you go with me?
 
Thanks for joining me today. You can always write to norman@runwithhorses.net with questions or comments or suggestions for future topics. All past shows are available at www.runwithhorses.net or rwh.podbean.com and on most platforms where you listen to podcasts.
Keep your eyes on Jesus and never stop running!

Where is your wall? -Ep. 236 - Run With Horses Podcast

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Where is your wall?Today on Run With Horses we are looking at Nehemiah's project to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. I think there is a good challenge there for us to think about today.My name is Norman and my goal is to help you Thrice as a Disciple of Jesus. There are a lot of things you could do with your life but none are more important than the call of Jesus to follow Him and be a disciple maker. Thanks for including me on your journey.I have always been encouraged and challenged by the book of Nehemiah. There are so many lessons that we can learn from how Nehemiah approached the problems in Jerusalem.Quick review for those who haven't been there in awhile. The children of Israel are slowly returning from exile in Babylon. The book of Ezra covers this same time period and gives a more detailed look at the spiritual side of things. Nehemiah is initially focused on the physical wall and civil responsibilities.Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king when he got the news about Jerusalem that changed his life.Nehemiah 1:3 And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”This greatly distressed Nehemiah, he received permission to go to work on the problems.Our focus today, the wall needed to be rebuilt. First Nehemiah did some reconnaissance.Nehemiah 2:11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. 13 And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire.Nehemiah gathered the leaders of Jerusalem.Nehemiah 2:17 Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me.So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.

Leading A Simple Discipleship Group - Format. -Ep. 235

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Today we continue our discussion on How to Invest in someone by exploring some of the options for both one to one and small group meetings.
 
Welcome to Run With Horses! My name is Norman and my goal is to help you Thrive as a follower of Jesus. There are a lot of ways you could spend your time so thanks for including me on your journey.
 
We have covered, lightly, Why you should be investing in people as you make disciples. And we covered Who you should invest in, answering the question about how to select a person to disciple. And finally we covered How you should invest in someone, considering the big picture of Character Development, General Spiritual Growth and Ministry Skills.
 
Today I want to give some examples of a format for meeting someone as well as some thoughts on materials you might want to use. First, there are three big categories to consider.
1. Using Book - study guide, book for men, etc
Shepherding a Child's Heart, Running Scared, etc
2. Going through a Book of the Bible - Mark, Nehemiah, etc
3. Studying a Topic - parenting, fear, etc
 
There is no wrong answer for which one should I choose! Over time you will likely use all of these depending on the people involved and the needs that arise. So pick one to get started and feel free to change midstream if it is not working for your group right now.
 
For a format, I recommend keeping it simple. Here is an example for a 1 hour meeting.
15 minutes - Start with fellowship. Catch up on the week and how things are going. Often a prayer request is first revealed or at least hinted at here.
15 minutes - Prayer. I like to put prayer early because it is too easy to leave it out if we keep it till the end. Sharing a prayer request and a praise or one thing God has taught you recently or even the One Verse One Thought One Minute from Simple Journaling are all great ways to give this time a little structure as well as put some sor fo limit on it.
30 minutes - Bible and Book discussion - It helps if everyone has read the passage or chapter ahead of time. Other than referring to key verses or sections in the book, there is no need to read the passage again during the meeting if time is an issue.
 
This is a super simple format. It can be expanded to fit longer time by adding things like sharing memory verses, reading the Bible passage together, etc.
 
For another possible format consider doing a Discovery Bible Study.
 
This is an example modeled on www.dbsguide.org.
 
1. Get Real - Community/ Fellowship
To begin the study, each person answers these questions:
What are you thankful for?
What is causing you stress?
Who needs our help? How can this group help them?
 
2. Look Back - A review (on session 2 and following)
Retell story from the previous meeting.
What did you do differently because of this story?
Who did you tell and what was the reaction?
 
3. Read & Re-tell - Focus on understanding what the bible says.
One person reads the Bible passage out loud, and the rest follow along.
Someone else retells the passage by memory, if possible. Others can fill in what is missing.
 
4. Look - A deeper look at what the passage is teaching.
Read the passage again.
Discuss what this passage says about God, Jesus or his plan.
 
5. Look again - A more specific look at the implications of the passage for us.
Read the passage once more
Discuss what this passage says about humans.
 
6. Personal Application -Stop and consider what the passage says to me.
According to this study, what am I doing well?
What do I need to change?
 
7. Who else?
Who needs to hear this story?
How can I tell them?
Who can I invite to study the Bible?
 
What do I like about this format? No teacher required! If you don't feel comfortable teaching you can still lead a bible study that aims to look at Scripture and simple explore what it says. No stress required.
What do I not like about this format? No teacher required! There is the potential for one person derailing the whole discussion and trying to teach their opinion about a passage rather than letting the bible speak for itself. The larger the group and the more likely this is to be a probably with a less than forceful leader. But you can use this one on one or in a small group with 3-4 friends and it has the potential to be very profitable for everyone. I think the risks are worth it!
 
There is no wrong format for a bible study or discipleship meeting. The only failure is the failure to try. Pick a format and try it, if it doesn't work, modify it until it does work. This is something you can do!
 
Thanks for joining me today! Write me at norman@runwithhorses.net and let me know how your bible study goes. Keep investing in others and keep pursuing Jesus yourself. It is often difficult but it is always worth it! Keep running!

Beginning Intentional Disciple Making. -Ep.234

Welcome to Run With Horses where our goal is to encourage you to pursue Jesus with all of your heart, soul, mind and stength. My name is Norman and I really want to see you Thrive as a disciple of Jesus. It can be a hard road sometimes but I truly believe it is worth it. Thanks for including me on your journey.So you are stepping out and wanting to be intentional about helping someone around you grow in their spiritual life. Awesome! But hold on you say, where do I begin? Today I will give you some pointers to help you get started and hopefully make it a little less stressful if you are concerned or a little more structured if you aren't sure how to begin.As a possibly too long introduction, let me start by saying the relationship is important so taking the time to build a solid relational foundation is worth the time it takes. Some of us are hyper focused and can be too quick to pass over the relationship building to get right to the heart of the discussion. But that may keep us from seeing real progress and growth in our own life as well as the life of those we are investing in if we don't have a foundation to build on. Particularly when the discussion appoaches heart issues and areas that are more central to our image of ourself.Get to know the person you are working with well. Work, hobbies, family relationships, salvation testimony, etc. Lunch, fishing, anything is fine for your first few times meeting.Once you build a basic foundation, talking about anything and everything along the way, you are ready to move on to more intentional conversations focused on spiritual growth. There are three big topics you may want to talk though as you get started to help set some expectations and let you know where you might want to head in the future.One - general character and spiritual lifeA few questions to ask. 1. Is there any one area in life that you know of now where God is asking you to grow? 2. What trials and temptations are you facing now? 3. How is your character? Are you seeking to grow as a person?Two - Spiritual Growth1. Where do you find yourself resisting God now?  2. Are you practicing any spiritual disciplines now, what spiritual disciplines do you need to develop? 3. What actions have you taken recently to make spiritual growth a priority in your life?Three - Ministry Skills1. What new ministry skills should you think about developing? 2. In what area should you be reading or studying more? 3. What can you do to improve in ministry right now?Thanks for joining me today! You can find links to past shows at www.runwithhorses.net. Write me and let me know what you are doing to invest in others today, your questions and comments are always welcome.

Who should I invest in? -Ep.233

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How do you select a person to pour your life into?They are always a lot of people around you who you could choose, so how do you find the right person that's worth the time and energy and effort that it's going to take to invest in them.FaithfulAvailabilityA LearnerWillingness on their part.Where do you find this person?Always keep your eyes open and look around you for those who are ready for next steps.Those who are asking questions.Those who show up early and pitch in to help.Newer believers, younger believersPeople who are going through or have recently been though a transition, often see the need to grow.Listen, who is talking about wanting to or needing to grow.Be willing to meet them more than half-way. You make the offer. Not as a teacher but as a fellow traveler on the path toward Jesus. Let's go together! 

An Interview with Chloe

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Today I interview my daughter, Chloe and we learn what she is up to this summer and her plans for the coming months. You can find her music at https://chloejanelle.com/