Christian Living Archives - Page 2 of 8 - The Artios Center for Vibrant Leadership

6 Elements of ACTIVE Prayer

Lisa Harp Hinds2023-11-08T15:19:53-07:00

by Martin Cicero How have you been taught to pray? Do you follow a specific format when you pray? Do you need something to ignite your prayer life? Consider the following 6 elements of ACTIVE prayer: Adoration Some of us have been taught to pray by the acronym ACTS, but I have recently been taught a new acronym: ACTIVE. In either case, the “A” stands for adoration. So, what is adoration, and how do we have adoration for God? “Adoration is intense admiration culminating in reverence and worship, together with the outward acts and attitudes which accompany such reverence.” Adoration helps [...]

6 Elements of ACTIVE PrayerLisa Harp Hinds2023-11-08T15:19:53-07:00

Why Communicating Boundaries is Good

Lisa Harp Hinds2023-11-08T15:14:21-07:00

by Caitlin Meadows Have you set appropriate boundaries in your life? One way to evaluate this is to consider your relationship with the word “no”. Do you mind hearing it as an answer? Do you cringe with discomfort when it’s the answer you want to give? I lean more toward the latter. Throughout my teens and early adulthood I was prone to over-commit myself at church, school, and with my friends. I felt pressure to have an adequate reason for my denial and often said yes just to avoid potential conflict. I’d inevitably vent to my parents, complaining about how I felt [...]

Why Communicating Boundaries is GoodLisa Harp Hinds2023-11-08T15:14:21-07:00

Who Aren’t You Loving, Christian?

Lisa Harp Hinds2023-11-08T15:01:36-07:00

by Caitlin Meadows When I think of Jesus’ parable of the “good Samaritan”, an image of Larry the Cucumber wearing a boot as a hat comes to mind. But, the parable is much more meaningful than a bunch of vegetable characters throwing shoes and pots back and forth until one decides to be kind to the other. Jesus’ story about the “good Samaritan” is a picture of one who is genuinely loving his neighbor. It is an example of what it looks like to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all [...]

Who Aren’t You Loving, Christian?Lisa Harp Hinds2023-11-08T15:01:36-07:00

How Does Prayer Connect Us to God? Part 3

Lisa Harp Hinds2023-11-08T14:52:31-07:00

by Josiah Robles Prayer is protection. If Christian leaders neglect to come before God and humble themselves and their hearts before Him, they will not be able to resist the Devil and will quickly lose sight of God. If a leader does not have constant communion with the Father, they leave themselves vulnerable to attacks from the enemy. These attacks will quickly destroy and corrupt the leaders without them ever realizing, as they never went to God to be examined. Therefore, Christian leaders must pray the prayer of “The Prayer of Examen.” This is a prayer in which we, with God, [...]

How Does Prayer Connect Us to God? Part 3Lisa Harp Hinds2023-11-08T14:52:31-07:00

How Does Prayer Connect Us to God? Part 2

Lisa Harp Hinds2023-11-08T14:45:05-07:00

by Josiah Robles When Christ died as told in the Gospel of Matthew, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His Spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom…” (Matt. 27:50-51a). This was more than a spectacle. It showed us that we could now come to the Father directly, as before only once a year could an offering be made to God for our sins. The writer of Hebrews expresses this plainly, “But Christ came as the High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater [...]

How Does Prayer Connect Us to God? Part 2Lisa Harp Hinds2023-11-08T14:45:05-07:00

Mind Meld

Lisa Harp Hinds2023-11-06T15:49:33-07:00

by Mike Wallace I watched in astonishment the first time I saw Spock perform a “mind meld” on someone. “My mind to your mind, your mind to my mind,” then they became one of thought and intellect. Once joined by the Vulcan “mind meld,” the two parties will forever be linked as one. Many of us remember the big events of life and where we were. Neil Armstrong stepped out onto the moon. 9/11. The space shuttle fell out of the sky. The assassination of President Kennedy. I remember where I was on September 8, 1966. I was watching the very [...]

Mind MeldLisa Harp Hinds2023-11-06T15:49:33-07:00

Spiritual Decluttering: Sparking Joy That Lasts

Lisa Harp Hinds2023-11-06T15:44:06-07:00

by Caitlin Meadows There’s something refreshing about having a new baby right around the start of a new year. My second child, Declan Clark, was born almost three months ago on November 17, 2018. I enjoyed a (mostly) slow-paced maternity leave thanks to my servant-hearted husband and our ever-helpful families and friends. Taking advantage of the slower pace, I began the process of decluttering my heart and mind. With a fresh, squishy baby in my arms I’ve come to realize some things. First, it really does go too fast! My firstborn, Hudson, just turned two years old in December. I am [...]

Spiritual Decluttering: Sparking Joy That LastsLisa Harp Hinds2023-11-06T15:44:06-07:00

How Does Prayer Transform You? Part 1

Lisa Harp Hinds2023-11-06T15:26:47-07:00

by Loren Gjesdal Prayer is the interactive work of the Word, Holy Spirit and human intellect that God uses to build a relationship between himself and individuals. Through prayer God molds human hearts and minds into Christ’s likeness and allows us individually and corporately to participate with Him in his work in the earth. Prayer is the appointed means of unleashing the transformative power of God in both the physical and spiritual dimensions of human existence. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth,” Jesus told us in John 4:24. Because God is an invisible [...]

How Does Prayer Transform You? Part 1Lisa Harp Hinds2023-11-06T15:26:47-07:00

Leadership Essentials: Contemplation of God’s Heart

Lisa Harp Hinds2023-11-06T15:14:32-07:00

by Andrea Slawson Reggie McNeal wrote “Christian leaders who stay online with Jesus are shaped by the heart of God.”¹ This is the passion and goal of every Christian leader. The leader who is in communication with and submission to God achieves this goal. This communication and submission “grows out of a secure relationship grounded in love.”² To do this one must be in prayer. Moreover, we must have “regular contemplation on the mysterious and gracious works of God.”³ Contemplation reminds us God is in control and “grounds us in the grace that actually empowers us to serve.”4 To contemplate is [...]

Leadership Essentials: Contemplation of God’s HeartLisa Harp Hinds2023-11-06T15:14:32-07:00

Keeping a Sharp Cutting Edge

Lisa Harp Hinds2023-11-06T14:48:41-07:00

by Whaid Rose Practical insights and encouragement on how to stay spiritually sharp A widely circulated guide on what to do if attacked by an anaconda includes instructions such as Do not run, Lie flat on the ground, Do not panic, Be perfectly still, and so on. Then after detailed directions on how to tactfully slit the snake’s throat as it tries to swallow you, it concludes with these final instructions: Make sure you have your knife; Make sure your knife is sharp!¹ More than mere good advice for anaconda victims, this is also instructive in its application to spiritual leadership. [...]

Keeping a Sharp Cutting EdgeLisa Harp Hinds2023-11-06T14:48:41-07:00

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