Give up lesser pursuits and make your life count for eternity. Ask the average person to sum up his or her ideal life, and you the American dream: College. Job. Marriage. House. Kids. Comfortable income. Cushy retirement. But God has designed us for far more than this. Rather than wasting life on lesser pursuits, the members of your church, ministry or small group can, with this high-impact resource, awaken to the soul-saving reality that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

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Continuing from last weeks thoughts, how do they square with my earlier advice that you not let certain things build up inside you until you feel an explosion coming on? Very easily. It is up to you to give weight to a situation or circumstance that you perceive to be a conflict. Some things are not worthy of emotional battles or open conflict. Other things that should be addressed need to be addressed in the right time and place, with the right attitude and goal. It is up to you to decide what really matters. Choose your areas for discussion and conflict resolution wisely.

Maintain your poise and composure when you feel hurt, rejected, or maligned by someone. Choose to take control over your attitude and to control the subsequent discussion of the issue with a tone of quietness and positive communication.

My Question For You: Do you keep your composure when you are wronged by someone or do you react without thinking?

My Challenge For You: Consider your attitude the next time you are in a situation that can turn into a conflict and try to determine if it is really worth it.

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It is easier, but it is not best.

Every so often it is helpful as an employee to evaluate if you are worth what they are paying you. It is healthy and appropriate to determine: are you worth it? Are you worthy of the paycheck you are receiving? Are the actions and results you produce in your daily job, worth what you are being paid?

If we would be doing that for something as silly and temporary as a job, why wouldn’t we do that with our faith? It should be a wonderful checkup for us to evaluate our lives, examine our hearts and see if we are living a life worthy of the gospel.

Are we?

Want the whole teaching series on Philippians for your next group study?  You can either it buy it on DVD or rent/buy one session at a time with our exclusive digital delivery service. Click Here to Learn More.  This topic is featured in Session 2 of Philippians.

Though I am not as avid a world-traveler as many, I have been on numerous national and international mission trips. When I get back home, I generally tell my friends and family only a little bit about the culture, the sights, the accommodations, and the travel itself, but I spend the majority of my time talking to anyone that will listen about the people.

My photo albums are not filled with pictures of the (often breathtaking) scenery, but I have scores of pictures of the people that I met while serving there. The individuals in the area are the reason I went in the first place. They are the topics that consume my
post-trip conversations and memories which I will keep with me for life. The most important thing about the mission trip is the people. It is the people that endear the city to our heart. The same is true for Paul and the Philippians.

On Paul’s second missionary journey (recorded in Acts 16), he spends time in Philippi. It is this experience in Philippi that sets the backdrop for the letter that he would write later to the Philippians. Before we study that letter we need to meet the people that Paul met. This first session introduces us to three people that Paul met in Philippi whose stories the Scriptures have preserved for us to study for centuries. Their stories and backgrounds could not possibly be any different.

Though every church has a somewhat unique story of its beginnings, none is as unique as Philippi, the first church in the history of all of Europe. The story is far from how you and I would start the Christian movement on a continent. But then, again, God is a touch smarter than we are. The birth of the church in Philippi is truly an odd and seemingly unadvisable way to start a church, but isn’t that just like God?

Let us hear from you.

What are some amazing stories of how God started the church you attend? What are some of those people’s stories who are in your church? Perhaps you are one of those stories?

Want the whole teaching series on Philippians for your next group study?

You can either it buy it on DVD or rent/buy one session at a time with our exclusive digital delivery service.  This topic is featured in Session 1 of Philippians.

Matt Chandler will give a live video chat that discusses his newest study that is exclusive to The Hub. This 30 minute video chat session will feature a 20 minute overview of the study followed by a 10 minute Q&A session. This chat is a “must watch” for anyone who is a Pastor, Teacher, Bible Study leader or anyone who is passionate about life-changing Bible teaching.

Topic: Matt Chandler and Philippians Live Chat
Host: Doug Hudson
Date and Time:
August 17, 2009 2:00 pm, Central Daylight Time (Chicago, GMT-05:00)
August 17, 2009 3:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time (New York, GMT-04:00)
August 17, 2009 2:00 pm, Central Daylight Time (Chicago, GMT-05:00)
Conference Password is HUMBLE

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To register for the online event
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1. Click here to join the online event.
Or copy and paste the following link to a browser:
https://wbs27beta.webex.com/wbs27beta/onstage/g.php?d=346360687&t=a&RT=MiM3&p
2. Click “Register”.
3. On the registration form, enter your information and then click “Submit”.

Once the host approves your registration, you will receive a confirmation email message with instructions on how to join the event.

Sincerely,
Doug Hudson

Please leave questions or comments in the feedback form below. If you can’t attend we will record and post the session on this site as well as our youtube site.