Run With Horses

Special Guest Interview -Joshua

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Intentional Friendships - Ep265

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The “How To” of Friendship – Ep264

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Many of us are struggling to have enough healthy relationships in our life. Today we are looking at what it takes to make new friends. The “How to’ of Friendship.
 
Welcome to Run With Horses. My name is Norman and my goal is to help you Thrive as a follower of Jesus. You are not in this alone. God intends for you to make the journey with others. How are you doing at building and developing lasting friendships? If you need to work at it, then today’s show is for you.
 
1.Take Initiative.
Make the first step.
Be Friendly!
Smile!
2. Be Patient.
Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are strong friendships.
 
3. Invite people into your life.
Look for opportunities to include people. What you are already doing, do with others.
Supper, lunch, coffee – make intentional plans with others.
 
4. Join people where they are.
Find clubs.
Start a new hobby that is supported by a local club. Photography, etc
 
5. Learn a skill that requires others.
Music, band, sports
 
6. Listen, Learn, Show interest in others.
The other person is new to you, get to know them!
 
7. Don’t expect perfection from others or yourself! Leave room for growth and change. Part of friendship is helping the other person be better.
 
8. Allow space to disagree. We learn about our self as we have difficult conversations.
 
9. Be flexible. Everyone around you has a life and their own interests and goals. Be open to including others interests in your life.
 
10. Be a good friend. Be Dependable, Honest, Loyal, Considerate, and Supportive.
That means remembering to call, show up on time, listen more than talk, help when needed. Be the hands and feet of Jesus in your friends life.
 
 
Thanks for joining me today. If you have thoughts or questions about your spiritual life, write me at norman@runwithhorses.net I would love to hear from you.
Find a friend today and encourage them to keep on the journey with you.
Keep running!

Need a Friend? - Ep. 263

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Today we are looking at friends. Do you have enough good ones?
 
Welcome to Run With Horses. My name is Norman and my goal is to help you Thrive as a follower of Jesus. You are not in this alone. God intends for you to make the journey with others. How are you doing at building and developing lasting friendships?
 
Hopefully better than the average!
 
Reference - https://www.americansurveycenter.org/research/the-state-of-american-friendship-change-challenges-and-loss/
 
Number of close friendships has declined over the past few decades. - SM influence? Contact does not equal close relationship!
More friends equals more satisfied with the number of friends you have. No surprise there!
 
Why is it so important to have and maintain friendships?
Prov. 27:6 - Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Prov. 27:17 – 17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 – 9 Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
1 Cor. 15:33-34 – 33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God.
John 15:12-15 - 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
 
1. Friendships give you hope. A good friend will talk you down when you are crazy.
2. Friendships encourage you to take time away from stress to recharge and refocus on what is really important.
3. Friendships encourage you to try new things and meet new people. Exercise is better with a friend, so is Thai curry.
4. Friendships encourage thankfulness.
 
Thanks for joining me today. If you have thoughts or questions about your spiritual life, write me at norman@runwithhorses.net I would love to hear from you.
Find a friend today and encourage them to keep on the journey with you.
Keep running!

Interview - Pastor Chris O’Reilly

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An interview with Pastor Chris O'Reilly from Immanuel Baptist Church in Wausaukee, WI

Stop Going To Church! -Ep.261 -Run With Horses Podcast

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Today we are looking at some reasons why people don’t go to church. And can I start by saying that this is part of the problem. We “go” to church, something that was impossible in the NT.
 
Welcome to Run With Horses. My name is Norman and my goal is to help you Thrive as a disciple of Jesus. God is working to grow you into the image of Christ and HE will complete that work. What a joy to know that it all doesn’t depend on us!
 
Let’s go to church! Ok, we already have a problem. . .
Church is not a place. The church is a group of people called out by God, gloriously saved by His Son and united through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. You cannot GO to church.
If you are genuinely saved by Faith through Grace you can choose not to use your Spirit given gifts to strengthen and build up the Family of God, the Bride of Jesus, His glorious Church. Avoiding time with God’s family will keep you from serving His Church. Let’s call that what it is, disobedience. But you cannot GO to church.
 
The church is not a building that can be taken away or a service that can be scheduled. The church can meet in a building or under a tree. The church can meet in a large group with thousands or in a coffee shop with three. But you cannot GO to church. And if that is what you have been doing, you are part of the problem. Because if you can go to church, you can NOT GO to church.
 
If your life, your family, your community and yes, even your church, are to change, we have to stop going to church and start BEING the church. Every day in every house, on every street, in every town, in every nation. We ARE the Church of the True and Living God.
 
So why don’t people go to church?
 
Reference - https://churchhelper.net/why-people-dont-go-to-church/
 
1. They deem the church irrelevant.
The church is a group of people who are bought and paid for with the blood of Jesus. As such, He has placed us into His family. The church is instantly relevant if you understand the mission of Jesus in the world.
Sermons that are theology without application. Although some can take a sermon and run with it, most people need or at least will benefit from discussions about the passage/ topic that allows them to see how it works out in their life.
2. They cite the hypocrisy and moral failures of church leaders.
This is straight up bad news. It points to the need to emphasize character as we train and prepare leaders in the church.
Dealing with sin in the lives of leaders. Confession, repentance, humility.
Side rant. We cannot allow the training and preparation of pastors and church leaders to be left to bible colleges and seminaries. They are great supplements to churches discipling and preparing leaders but they cannot replace the churches role.
3. They feel God is missing in the church.
Spectator churches can easily be focused on the audience and felt needs, not God. God IS and that matters. He is Holy and that matters. The church has to be focused on God. When we are, it changes us.
Biblical doctrine matters. We need to see God in His Word. Hearts prepared to follow Him are hearts prepared to worship Him. If God is missing in your life the rest of the week, God will likely be missing in your time with His Family or at least, you won’t see Him.
4. They feel that legitimate doubt is prohibited.
God is big enough to handle our questions. The pastors pride might not be.
Spurgeon - “Suppose a number of persons were to take it into their heads that they had to defend a lion, full-grown king of beasts! There he is in the cage, and here come all the soldiers of the army to fight for him. Well, I should suggest to them, if they would not object, and feel that it was humbling to them, that they should kindly stand back, and open the door, and let the lion out! I believe that would be the best way of defending him, for he would take care of himself; and the best 'apology' for the gospel is to let the gospel out.”
As the church we need to be inviting people to ask questions. God can handle it. You don’t need to answer everyone’s questions, point them to the Word and encourage them to ask God for answers to their doubts. He is amazingly good at it.
5. They don’t learn about God or Jesus.
I don’t know what church this is true in but it is shameful if it is true!
6. They don’t gain any significant or new insights about faith.
There is a need to be growing and making efforts yourself. Pursue Christ.
1 Timothy 6:11-12 - 11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Practical obedience is part of our growth. Without it we will stop learning. Our spiritual life is more than head knowledge, we have to live it or we will struggle in our faith.
7. They have trouble finding a community.
If you don’t find community, you build it.
There are others who want that unity that the NT talks about and are willing to fihgt for it. Look for them and build a small community.
 
Thanks for joining me today. If you have thoughts or questions about your spiritual life, write me at norman@runwithhorses.net I would love to hear from you.

Small Church,Large Church: Same Purpose! -Ep260

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Welcome to Run With Horses. My name is Norman and my goal is to help you Thrive as a disciple of Jesus. The road often seems long but we are in this together.
 
The Church. God’s amazing, wonderful, frustrating, beautiful, distracted Family. Hard to live with at times, impossible to live without at others.
 
 
Reference - https://outreachmagazine.com/resources/small-church-america/74242-god-can-use-a-church-of-any-size.html
 
Reference - https://research.lifeway.com/2021/10/20/small-churches-continue-growing-but-in-number-not-size
 
If the goal is getting every member involved int eh mission of Jesus it would seem that smaller churches have an advantage.
 
 
But small churches have a challenge as well.
 
 
Large churches have a place.
 
 
My thought is that disciple making is difficult in any size church. It takes intentional effort not to be distracted by the challenges of being small, or big. Disciple making is intentionally investing in the life of another person. The size of your church doesn’t matter. Your focus and your clarity of purpose do.
 
Thanks for joining me today. If you have thoughts or questions about your spiritual life, write me at norman@runwithhorses.net I would love to hear from you.

Are you becoming more like Jesus?

Today we finish our overview of the spiritual life and the five areas we need to focus on if we want to see consistent progress in Christlikeness.
 
Welcome to Run With Horses. My name is Norman and my goal is to help you Thrive as as follower of Jesus. The spiritual battles we face are real. The battles of the future will require you to be growing and trusting God even more than you do today. Your spiritual life, Is your life. We may try to break it into different parts to better understand it and to apply intentional efforts to grow and change, but our life is unified in Christ. Everything matters.
 
Mental Life - Mental life includes emotional, psychological, and social aspects. It is how we think, feel, and act, and determines how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Includes education.
 
Physical Life – From conception to our last breathe we are physical beings. We don’t have control over much of our physical life but our choices do influence our health and ability. Exercise and diet are key.
 
Relational Life - Humans are interconnected. The family and community play an important role in our lives. Humans are meant to connect with others on a personal and emotional level and strong, fulfilling relationships help people build and maintain emotional health. We need people. Mentors, coworkers, friends.
 
Emotional Life - There are many types of emotional skills (aka emotional intelligence). These skills: like emotion regulation, gratitude, empathy, and kindness — help you relate better to others and yourself. Feelings don’t lead us but they do impact us greatly.
 
Physical Health - Humans are interconnected. The family and community play an important role in our lives. Humans are meant to connect with others on a personal and emotional level and strong, fulfilling relationships help people build and maintain emotional health. We need people. Mentors, coworkers, friends.
Spiritual Life – The life lived in Jesus, in communion with God.
Basics – prayer, spiritual community, bible knowledge. Or three areas of spirituality – doctrine, affection (love) and experience.
 
1. 1 Peter 2:2-5 –
Our desire is to know Him and His Word. - Mental Health
We know Who we are. We believe what He says about us. Our Identity is settled. --Mental and Emotional Health
We are growing, maturing and our life glorifies God. - All areas affected as we grow and mature, becoming more like Jesus.
We are part of His family, a priesthood that serves Him. - Relational Health
Our actions are in line with our faith. - Whole life
2. Col. 2:6-10 -
Our actions matter every day.
Our faith is settled and we build on it.
Faith is vibrant, alive and leads us to Thanksgiving!
We lack nothing we need for Spiritual Health in Jesus.
Ephe. 4:11-16 –
All areas of life, working well, result in the body of Christ growing, serving, and building up itself as we all become more like Jesus.
Matthew 28:18-20 –
A Healthy Spiritual life is one that is engaged in the mission of Jesus to take the message of reconciliation to the world, inviting others to join us as Ambassadors for Christ.
The question we all must ask ourselves is not “Where will I be when I face the most difficult challenge in my life?”, but “Who will I be?
Thanks for joining me today. If you have thoughts or questions about your spiritual life, write me at norman@runwithhorses.net I would love to hear from you.

How are your Relationships?

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Welcome to Run With Horses. My name is Norman and my goal is to help you Thrive as as follower of Jesus. The spiritual battles we face are real. The battles of the future will require you to be growing and trusting God even more than you do today. How can you be the person that you need to be to face the challenges of the future? Your relationships play a big part in your spiritual life and growth. Who you hang out with affects your thought life and your choices. True Spiritual Health requires us to pay attention to our relationships.
 
We are getting closer to completing our look at the five areas of life that influence our overall Spiritual Health and potential for growth.
Spiritual Life – The life lived in Jesus, in communion with God.
Basics – prayer, spiritual community, bible knowledge. Or three areas of spirituality – doctrine, affection (love) and experience.
 
Mental Life - Mental life includes emotional, psychological, and social aspects. It is how we think, feel, and act, and determines how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Includes education.
 
Physical Life – From conception to our last breathe we are physical beings. We don’t have control over much of our physical life but our choices do influence our health and ability. Exercise and diet are key.
 
Emotional Life - There are many types of emotional skills (aka emotional intelligence). These skills: like emotion regulation, gratitude, empathy, and kindness — help you relate better to others and yourself. Feelings don’t lead us but they do impact us greatly.
 
Today we are looking at our Relationships- Humans are interconnected. The family and community play an important role in our lives. Humans are meant to connect with others on a personal and emotional level and strong, fulfilling relationships help people build and maintain emotional health. We need people.
“We are relational beings, but the sin that destroyed our relationship with God also ruined our relationship with others. This is why life’s greatest hurts, as well as life’s greatest joys, come through relationships with people.”
So how do you deal with the fact that people are a pain and yet we need people on so many levels? I mean, sinners abound! But comfort comes through people. Encouragement comes through people. Jesus gave the call to love and serve . . .people. And then again, our greatest hurts come from people. So what do you do?
There are options. You can be a hermit. You can avoid as many people as possible. You can live near people without any real connection to them. It is not uncommon for people to attend a church for years and not really get to know anyone. It is possible to live near others and never meet.
But Jesus calls us to relationships with others. Why?
1. We are God’s ‘A plan’ to reach the world with the good news of His Son. There is no plan B.
We are Ambassadors for Christ and have the message of Reconciliation that the world needs to hear.
Mark 12:29-31
Not easy. But not complicated. Love and serve others for the sake of the Gospel.
2. Our loving service and use of our gifts builds up the church towards maturity. Maturity builds unity. Unity glorifies God.
1 Cor. 12:12- 26 -
The fact that Jesus is returning should motivate us to love each other, comfort each other and use our gifts to build each other up.
1 Thess. 5: 1-11
But Relationships are Hard! You might say. And you would be right. No getting around it. Sin is a real thing, even in the life of a believer and we are easily swayed by our hearts to choose our own way rather than Jesus. That usually doesn’t work out well for our relationships!
A good question to ask yourslef, if you are a follower of Jesus and consider yourself His disciple, is : Do my relationships look like the relationships that Jesus had with people?
Phil 2:1-11 -
Jesus humbled Himself for the glory of God. He wasn’t a doormat. He ran people out of the temple with a whip, also for the glory of God. Jesus lived a life that lifted up God. That desired showed itself in every action and in every relationship.
As a follower of Jesus we have the same calling. To live a live that is pleasing to God. One that glorifies Him in every relationship as we put Him first and help others see how great that He is. It really isn’t an option to avoid people. Our choice is how will we relate to them? Will our interactions with others make the message of the cross clear and allow the Hope of the Gospel to shine bright? I certainly pray that they do. Life is all about our relationships.
How are you doing in yours this week?
References - https://www.globaldisciples.ca/blog/christian-relationships-relating-with-others/
The question we all must ask ourselves is not “Where will I be when I face the most difficult challenge in my life?”, but “Who will I be?
Thanks for joining me today. If you have thoughts or questions about your spiritual life, write me at norman@runwithhorses.net I would love to hear from you.

Do your emotions control you? - Ep.257

We have been looking at five areas that all impact our ability to grow and have a healthy spiritual life.
 
Spiritual Life – The life lived in Jesus, in communion with God.
Basics – prayer, spiritual community, bible knowledge. Or three areas of spirituality – doctrine, affection (love) and experience.
 
Mental Life - Mental life includes emotional, psychological, and social aspects. It is how we think, feel, and act, and determines how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Includes education.
 
Physical Life – From conception to our last breathe we are physical beings. We don’t have control over much of our physical life but our choices do influence our health and ability. Exercise and diet are key.
 
Relational Life - Humans are interconnected. The family and community play an important role in our lives. Humans are meant to connect with others on a personal and emotional level and strong, fulfilling relationships help people build and maintain emotional health. We need people. Mentors, coworkers, friends.
 
Today we are looking at our Emotional Life -
 
As beings created in the image of God, we have many emotions that we use to express ourselves and that reveal our inner character. The challenge is to allow the Holy Spirit to rule not only our actions and thoughts, but our emotions as well. As the challenges of the summer intensify, each of us will reveal our “true self,” as fatigue and the mental exhaustion of living and working in another culture take their toll. Self control is the result of a Spirit-controlled life! Following the Way means balance in Life.
From Two Steps to Improve your Emotional life –
1. “You want to be able to choose what you become emotional about and when you become emotional.” Proverbs 29:11 - A fool vents all his feelings, But a wise man holds them back.
Prov. 16:32 - He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
2. “Be able to choose how you act when you are emotional. “
1 Tim. 1:7 - For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Gal. 5:22-25 – 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. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Self control is the result of a Spirit-controlled life!
Reference - https://bigthink.com/articles/two-steps-to-improve-your-emotional-life/
There are many types of emotional skills (aka emotional intelligence). These skills: like emotion regulation, gratitude, empathy, and kindness — help you relate better to others and yourself. Feelings don’t lead us but they do impact us greatly.
Reference: https://www.berkeleywellbeing.com/emotional-skills.html
As beings created in the image of God, we have many emotions that we use to express ourselves and that reveal our inner character. The challenge is to allow the Holy Spirit to rule not only our actions and thoughts, but our emotions as well. As the challenges of the Christian life intensify, each of us will reveal our “true self,” as fatigue and the mental exhaustion of living and working in another culture take their toll. Following Jesus means seeking His control of our life.
How are you doing at keeping your emotions in their proper place? They definitely have value. We were created as emotional beings. But our emotions shouldn’t be running the show.
The question we all must ask ourselves is not “Where will I be when I face the most difficult challenge in my life?”, but “Who will I be?
Thanks for joining me today. If you have thoughts or questions about your spiritual life, write me at norman@runwithhorses.net I would love to hear from you.