Run With Horses

Life Lessons from the Garden - Ep. 208

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Life Lessons from the Garden
 
1) Commit to the process of gardening.
Commit to the work of the Christian life. It is not all cake and ice cream!
 
2) Know what you will grow before you begin.
What is the work God is preforming in you? What does it mean to follow Jesus?
 
 
3) Plan your garden space – row spacing, trellis, etc.
Live an Intentional Life!
 
4) Know what tools you will need.
What resources has God given you to succeed in Life and Spiritual Growth?
 
5) Prep the soil.
a. know what kind of soil you have.
b. know what kind of soil you need
Who are you? What does God say about who you are and what you need?
 
6) Pick a day and plant according to the season and type of vegetables you are growing.
Choose to follow Jesus and confirm it daily. It is worth it. Begin and continue till the end!
 
7) Water and wait.
Plant and water the seeds of the Gospel in your life as well as the life of those around you. Develop patience as you do your part and wait for God’s timing.
 
8) Weed.
Flee temptation. Keep a close eye on your spiritual life and choices. Be proactive in fighting sin.
 
9) Harvest when veggies are ready!
You will reap a bountiful harvest of righteousness in this life and the life to come!
 
Summary: Gardening can be hard. But the rewards of struggling through the difficulties are tasty!
A Life of following Jesus WILL be hard. But the rewards of standing before Him justified will be eternally worth it!
Keep Running!

What is your Life’s Message? Ep. 207

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Your Life is a Message – What does it say?
 
First, How does it speak?
1) Word of Mouth
a) Yours – what do you say?
b) Other People – What do they say about your life?
 
2) Actions
a) What do you do?
b) Why? What is your purpose? Do you live intentionally?
c) What do your actions say about who you are and what you believe and value?
 
3) Personality/ Character
a) This is both the sum of your words and action and MORE than that. It is HOW you speak and Act.
b) Your attitude, emotions, etc all play a part in how your message is perceived and received.
 
Second, What is your life’s message?
1) Is your message important enough to be worth a life?
a) Have you thought about what you want your life to communicate?
b) Is your message intentional?
c) Is your message worth it? Life can be hard. Some things of value will cost you a LOT.
d) Are you committed to your message?
 
2) Your life is saying something.
a) Is your message clear?
b) Are you making life choices that muddy the message?
c) Are you allowing others to determine your message, going along with the crowd?
 
3) Who is listening/ watching?
a) Family
b) Friends
c) Neighbors, coworkers
d) Strangers
e) God
 

What are you becoming? Ep. 206

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“You will become what you are becoming right now.”
 
“Seek to be today, what you want to be known for tomorrow.” - Legacy
 
The Road Not Taken
BY ROBERT FROST
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, . ..
And looked down one as far as I could ...
Then took the other, as just as fair, . . .
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
This poem is both like and unlike life. You make choices not knowing the outcome, true. Those choices change you, also true. But in the poem, there is no goal or purpose. No end destination. The author isn’t trying to get somewhere. If there is a destination in mind, suddenly the roads aren’t equally inviting, I need to know which one takes me where I want to be.
Life is like that. If you are aimless and have no real purpose or even worse, have the wrong purpose, you will struggle to make meaningful evaluations of your choices.
Choices define us. Consistent choices identify us. Good choices give us opportunities to grow personally and in our relationships. Poor choices limit us in the same way.
Matthew 7:13-14
Choose Life. Sounds simple. And it is. It is simple but hard. Easy to understand but difficult to live out. The distractions and temptations of the world around you are Wide Gate and Broad Way invitations. Follow the crowd, join us. The invitation to allow others to choose for you is persistent and dangerous. The glossy images and HD video ads of shiny new toys being used by healthy smiling people obviously means that is the best path for EVERYONE, Yes?
No. Satan is able to disguise himself and his agenda in bright appealing colors and styles. But Poison will kill you even if it is sweet and tastes good going down.
So if you shouldn’t allow others to choose for you, How do you choose what path to take in life?
Again, Simple but hard. Easy to understand but difficult to live out consistently. Answer this question.
What would I do if I truly loved God with all my heart, soul mind, and strength?
Simple right? Small words, clear idea. Easy to understand.
Need help? Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” So do that.
And while you are at it there is one more.
What would I do if I truly loved my neighbor as myself?
Again, simple and easy to understand. But oh, so hard to do consistently.
Both of these questions are answered in our daily choices.
You will become what you are becoming. You will be shaped by your choices. You will be know by the pattern your choices make. Every choices adds a piece to the patchwork quilt of your life and has the potential to be a beautiful, meaningful design that warms others and glorifies God or equally has the potential to be a mismatched jumble of rags that are useless to anyone. In reality most of us live lives somewhere in between. We occasionally make good choices and often make poor ones. We seek God at times and take the Narrow path but other times are drawn to the lights and sounds of the Broad path.
This daily struggle is why we need each other. You need friends who will lovingly tell you that you took a wrong turn. You need to be that friend who loves those around them enough to speak truth to them and help them get back on the Narrow path.
It is simple, but hard. And always worth it. Keep Running!

Are you Content or Complacent? - Ep.205

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Are you Content or Complacent?
 
I Timothy 6:6-10 NKJV
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
 
What is it?
What is contentment?
Merriam Webster
1: feeling or showing satisfaction with one's possessions, status, or situation
Satisfied
1: pleased or content with what has been experienced or received
 
What is complacency?
Merriam Webster
1: self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies
2: an instance of usually unaware or uninformed self-satisfaction
 
Why does it matter?
You can be content with the wrong things. (spiritual growth vs. stuff)
 
You can be discontent with the wrong things. (stuff in this life, not measuring up to others)
 
What makes the biggest difference? Your perspective! Eternal or temporal. God’s or man’s.
 
Is contentment with the right things your goal Or is it your goal to “succeed” in life, whatever that means.
 
How does death figure in your future plans and your ability to be content?
It affects work, family, hobbies, etc in the here and now.
It really affects your eternity!
 
Satisfied in Christ – What is this? Why is it worth pursuing?
 
Only path to real JOY!
 
You can never really be satisfied with anything less than God.
 

How Do I Walk In The Spirit? - Run WIth Horses - Ep. 204

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How do I Walk in the Spirit?
 
Galatians 5:25 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
 
Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
 
 
Galatians 3:1–3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
 
Before we look at Walking in the Spirit, What is the flesh and what does it mean to live according to the flesh?
The Bible indicates that the flesh is human nature as it is now, tainted by sin. Sin has affected our thoughts, emotions, attitudes, desires, actions, relationships and physical being. Out total being is influenced by our sin nature.
Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
 
 
“The Holy Spirit produces in us desires for God’s way that are stronger than our fleshly desires, and thus he causes us to walk in God’s statutes.” - John Piper [https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/let-us-walk-by-the-spirit]
 
 
Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
 
How do we Walk in the Spirit?
Here are some ideas to help you down that path.
 
1) Accept God’s judgment of your nature -- lost, confused, and unable to make it right.
 
2) Spend time with God on a daily basis. Time in God’s Word and in Prayer helps you recognize the pull of the flesh and gives the Holy Spirit ammunition to fight it. The Holy Spirit brings passages back to your mind when you need them and gives you strength and wisdom to turn from destructive choices.
 
3) Develop honest, transparent relationships with mature followers of Jesus. Look for opportunities to encourage each other in the fight against sin and the hold it has on us.
 
4) Investigate the Spiritual disciplines. Fasting, solitude, and the like can be valuable tools in the struggle against the flesh.
 
5) Intentionally join others who are on mission with Jesus. Carrying out the work of making disciples is a worthy goal and is capable of taking all of the energy and focus you can give it. You will not find a more worthy way to spend this life than carrying out the commands of Jesus in a disiciple-making community.
 
It can be hard. It can seem like an eternal uphill climb. But the journey is worth it.
 
 
 
 

Who Do You Resent? - Run With Horses - Ep. 203

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Who do you resent?
I came across a small old book in the church library today. The Prison of Resentment by Bob Mumford.
Subtitled: The Greatest Hindrance to Spiritual Maturity
First a foundation to build on. From Galatians 5:13-26. A quick summary- you are called to freedom. Love your neighbor as yourself to fulfill the law. Walk by the Spirit. Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Live by the Spirit, Walk by the Spirit.
An unfortunate truth - it is easier to love God than to love people! Surprise!
But Mumford says, "Righteousness is relational. If you want to be righteous before God, you must get all your relationships clear."
If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you are righteous before God. So NOW what are you going to do? Living out your faith in the world today is primarily about your relationships with those people around you. Six of the ten commandments are about our relationships with people. The beatitudes tell us about our attitude, heart focus and often relate it to people.
How important is our relationship with others? Check out Matthew 5: 23-26. It is so important that you should put reconciliation with another believer above your own worship of God. Relationships in the church, unity in the church, is important to God!
Mumford takes a slight curve and gives some good insight on why our relationships are such a mess. "When sin entered, it affected three areas: (1) it affected our relationship between us and God. (2) It affected the relationship between us and ourselves. (3) It affected the relationship between us and others."
God wants you to know and experience forgiveness from both ends. He has forgiven you, you can now forgive others.
Merriam-Webster defines resentment as a feeling of indignant displeasure or persistent ill will at something regarded as a wrong, insult, or injury. Oh, yeah it's personal!
Remember Naaman, captain of the Syrian army who went to Elisha to be healed. He was offended because he was told to go dip in the Jordan river seven times, by Elisha's servant! That is resentment. He felt slighted by Elisha.
Mumford tells us that resentment starts as a subjective thought known only to you and God. No one else can see how you feel or what you are thinking. But you dwell on it and begin to wallow in the mire of your own making, building up resentment that turns into a grudge against someone. Now you are stuck in the rut and we all tend to keep on going over it and making it deeper.
Mumford gives four things that help us as we think about resentment, both avoiding it and getting out of the trap.
First, Testing is a real thing. You will be tested in life in many small and large ways and God often brings the test through people you know.
Second, We all really need a large dose of the sovereignty of God! Nothing comes into your life that will hinder God's work in and through your life. Embrace the work He is doing as well as the method He uses to bring the spiritual growth you need.
Third, if you understand God's sovereignty, it is a little easier to accept the test with joy. This is where the rubber meets the road. Accepting with joy doesn't mean that someone else wasn't in the wrong or that you weren't hurt by them. It just mean you are learning to handle life by trusting God with the details.
Fourth, If you don't get a handle on your thoughts and emotions, resentment imprisons you and robs your relationships of the joy and value God intends. Little things become big things, are spiritual life suffers and we become bitter.
"Resentment comes when God, or another, doesn't do what you think He should." - Mumford
Our expectations of God and other people put us in the position of being disappointed often. The sin nature we struggle with causes us to desire things and believe we deserve them. We want attention, praise and recognition for every little thing we do and we want others to always treat us with respect and honor.
It makes sense when you think that we all see ourselves as the authority in our life. It is difficult to surrender to God's authority. We don't want to serve others or be treated like a servant. Humility is low on our list of traits we value in ourselves. And then there is Jesus.
Love Go with all your heart, soul mind and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself and really try to serve them. Resentment hurts you more than the one you resent. Ask God to release you and forgive you joy in Him today.

Living an Intentional Marriage

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Living an Intentional Marriage
 
1. How does your view of marriage reflect your family upbringing?
2. How does God play a part in your relationship?
3. Questions for you to ask yourself or each other.
a. How are we doing as a couple?
The idea if not the actual question needs to be addressed. Commit to staying close.
 
b. In this season of life, what is our focus and where is our joy?
 
c. How am I honoring my spouse?
 
d. Are you dealing with anything that I can help you with in this stage of life?
 
e. What are a few ways I can be more understanding of your current struggles/ life challenges?
 
f. What do I need to know most about where you are spiritually, emotionally , etc right now?
 
g. Are you satisfied with the amount of time we spend together?
 
h. What ways can we be building our friendship more?

#NDMF2023 Random Thoughts on Making Disciples – Part 2

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#NDMF2023 Random Thoughts on Making Disciples – Part 2
 
6. Don’t count people out or pre-judge who is capable or will respond. Discipleship is not just for the most mature believers.
- Who is around you now that might respond if you asked them about getting together?
 
7. Are you a disciple worth reproducing?
- Where are you in the basics? Are you intentionally pursuing Jesus? What are your strengths and weaknesses spiritually? Are you asking these kinds of questions?
 
8. Don’t pre-filter. Train everyone and then coach those who put it into practice.
- Do your best to encourage and equip everyone around you. When people respond by applying Scripture to their lives and pursuing Jesus themselves, be their biggest fan and help coach them as they grow.
 
9. Every generation has a new great commission.
- Be on mission. Jesus came to this earth with a purpose. He shared that purpose with His disciples and ultimately the church. Be clear about your purpose.
 
10. Empower, Equip, Release.
- Don’t seek or hold on to power. Give those around you freedom to grow, serve, and use their gifts.
 
11. Don’t be a savior. Lead people to Jesus.
- People don’t need you, they need Jesus. You can’t fix everyone’s problems. That isn’t your role and shouldn’t be your goal.
 
12. Keys to disciple making; close proximity, relationship, life together. Know God’s Word, read all of it, and share it together.
- Keep God at the center. Be focused on your own spiritual growth and invite those around you to grow with you.
 
The life of a disciple isn’t necessarily complicated, but it is often hard. You make choices every day that make following Jesus easier or harder. You make choices every day that draw you closer to people or pull you away.
 
Be intentional. Put Jesus first. Love those around you. Choose Joy!
And keep running. . .

#NDMF2023 Random Thoughts on Making Disciples - Part1

And Here We Are! Episode #200! Many thanks to our listeners, take a moment and let someone else know about us to help us find the people we try to encourage and support as disciple makers and followers of Jesus in the world today.
Always Rejoicing!
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#NDMF2023 Random Thoughts on Making Disciples
 
1. Remove unnecessary barriers that keep people from Jesus.
 
2. We need three spaces to be in the best position to grow spiritually.
* crowds – the Big Sunday gathering
* small groups – think of the 12 disciples walking through life together with Jesus.
* microgroup – consider the three closest disciples to Jesus. These are intentionally organic, personal, require an invitation from an individual and are focused on multiplication.
 
3. Discipleship is messy. No tools are perfect. Do something.
 
4. Disciple thrives when four things are intentionally present.
*transparency
*accountability in relationships
*God’s Word is the curriculum
* the goal is reproduction
 
4. Simple is best. Up, In, Out - God, Disciples, World
 
5. Invest in someone. Eliminate distractions, DO something.
 

Are your Goals for your Children hindering their Spiritual Growth?

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What do you want for your children? Are your goals hindering spiritual growth?
 
Many people have goals for themselves and for their children that fall short of God’s plan and purpose for their lives. Where do you stand?
Where do you get your goals for your children? Do you have clear goals for your children?
 
At the National Disciple Makers Forum ,#NDMF2023, Renae Sprouls talked about the culture problem facing the church. As she and her husband mentor young parents, they often hear variations on the same themes when they ask about goals for children:
“We want them to think for themselves. We want them to be successful. We want them to question authority. We want them to be happy.”
While those are not all awful things, they are built on a few dangerous assumptions:
1. There is no authority outside of self.
2. Self is the moral authority.
 
There is no longer a general knowledge and acceptance of the Bible as an authority for life.
 
Renae challenged parents to keep two things in mind if they want to be raising children who are not swept along with the winds of culture.
 
1. Be really clear about Jesus.
* Jesus had a high view of Scripture
* Jesus came to fulfill the law
* The Bible is God’s Word; there is no higher authority.
* Man shall not live by bread alone. The spiritual life matters. Scripture is the foundation.
 
2. Teach your children to feed themselves.
* Parents are responsible for teaching life skills. Handling God’s Word is an important one!
* Many people don’t know where to start with the Bible. Encourage and teach everyone – you can and must feed yourself from God’s Word. Give them freedom and confidence to try.
*Children can do it too! Learn to eat like an adult! What is modeled and expected becomes normal.
- TV, movies, music, SM, are all like junk food; they kill our taste for real truth.
- Teach your kids, “If you don’t like it, keep trying it.” You will learn to appreciate your vegetables and your Bible as you grow up. If you find truth you don’t like, don’t ask what is wrong with the truth, but what is wrong with me that I don’t like the truth. God changes us over time as we grow in Him.