Leaders must be men and women of vision. They must not only see the vision but be able to take whatever action is necessary to make that vision a reality. J.Oswald Sanders, in his book “Spiritual Leadership” puts it this way:

• “The man who possess vision must do something about it, or he will remain a visionary, not a leader.”(83)
• “The leader must either initiate plans for progress or recognize the plans of others. He must remain in front and give guidance and a sense of direction to those behind. He does not wait for things to happen, but makes them happen. He is a self-starter, and is always on the lookout for improved methods. He will be willing to test new ideas…A great more failure is the result of an excess of caution than of bold experimentation with new ideas.” (188-189)
• “It is much easier to criticize plans submitted than to create more satisfactory ones. The leader must not only see clearly the goal that is to be reached, but also plan imaginative strategy and tactics by which it can be attained.” (167)
• “The man of God must have insight into things spiritual.”(78)
• “Eyes that look are common. Eyes that see are rare”(80)

Source: J.Oswald Sanders “Spiritual Leadership

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One distinguishing characteristic of a spiritual leader as compared to an ordinary leader is the discipline of prayer. J.Oswald Sanders, in his book “Spiritual Leadership” puts it this way:

1. Set an example in Prayer – “In nothing should the leader be ahead of his followers more than in the realm of prayer.”(121)
2. Make it a priority – “mastering the art of prayer, like any other art, will take time, and the amount of time we allocate to it will be the true measure of our conception of its importance.” (123)
3. Set aside time for Prayer – “To busy Martin Luther, extra work was a compelling argument for spending ‘more’ time in prayer.” (123)
4. Stay focused in your prayers – “true praying is a strenuous spiritual exercise that demands the utmost mental discipline and concentration.”(126) Prayer “utilizes the body, demands the cooperation of the mind, but moves in the supernatural realm of the Spirit.”(127)
5. Pray for core issues – “Jesus dealt with the cause rather than the effect, and the leader should adopt the same method in that aspect of praying.”(130)
6. Add personal action to your prayer – “It is impossible to move men, through God, by prayer alone.” (130-131)
7. Join God in his work by His power and strength. – Great leaders in the Bible were leaders “because, by the power of prayer, they could command the power of God.” (134)

Source: J.Oswald Sanders “Spiritual Leadership

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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If you are looking for supplies, decorations and ideas for your Christmas Celebration, then check out Kid’s Party Paradise

At this wonderful site you can find:

• Christmas Party Invitations
• Holiday themed cakes for your party
• Christmas Party Decorations
• Party Costumes to make those Christmas Photos even more fun!
• Give your party guests something to take home with them with the selection of Christmas Party favors!
• Party games to add excitement and wholesome fun to your parties and Christmas get-togethers!

The Holiday party ideas are just one section of the wonderful website. There are resources for Birthday parties and other Kids parties as well.

Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!
=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

A miserable looking woman recognized F.B. Meyer of the train and ventured to share her burden with him. For years she had cared for a crippled daughter who brought great joy to her life. She made tea for her each morning, then left for work, knowing that in the evening the daughter would be there when she arrived home. But the daughter had died, and the grieving mother was alone and miserable. Home was not “home” anymore. Meyer gave her wise counsel. “When you get home and put the key in the door,” he said, “say aloud, ‘Jesus, I know You are here!’ and be ready to greet Him directly when you open the door. And as you light the fire tell Him what has happened during the day; if anybody has been kind, tell Him; if anybody has been unkind, tell Him, just as you would have told your daughter. At night stretch out your hand in the darkness and say, ‘Jesus, I know You are here!'”

Some months later, Meyer was back in that neighborhood and met the woman again, but he did not recognize her. Her face radiated joy instead of announcing misery. “I did as you told me,” she said, “and it has made all the difference in my life, and now I feel I know Him.”

Author: Unknown
Source: The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 194

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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Once we have identified our problem and have stopped the bleeding, it is necessary to move to the next step of the healing process: dressing the wound. Above all, the wound must be dressed correctly so infection doesn’t set in…

When doctors dress a wound, they apply medicines that stop the spread of germs. They apply a healing lotion to counteract infection and enhance the healing process.

Physicians dress a wound in different ways, depending upon the nature of the injury. A burn victim receives a different type of dressing than does someone who broke his arm. Gunshot wounds and stabbing wounds penetrate the body in different ways and so need to be dressed differently. Some people get a tetanus shot as part of the physician’s curative plan, while others do not.

Just as it is important for us to keep ourselves free of infection from wounds to the body, so is it imperative that we keep ourselves free of ‘infection’ from wounds to the soul…

I don’t know what kind of healing regimen is required in your case. You may come from a family with a history of alcohol abuse; in fact, that may be your own problem. Listen: Your wound is not going to heal with alcohol. Some people think the bleeding can be stopped with alcohol, but it can’t. I know–I tried, and it doesn’t work. In fact, abuse of alcohol shows that you are still bleeding…

Or maybe that’s not your wound at all. Maybe your wound was caused by a death in the family, a fractured relationship, the loss of a job, sexual abuse, or a personal failure. It doesn’t matter what it is–the wound has to be dressed. And it has to be dressed the right way…

I have good news for you! God has warehouses full of miracles, in all shapes, sizes, and colors. He has one just for you. The real cure, the only certain cure, is to cry out to the Lord for help. Let Him give you the hope that you need; that is the cure. Yet you, too, have a part to play in your own healing…

Dressing the wounds of our soul can be even more painful than dressing physical wounds. But we can’t let that stop us. We can’t risk infection and bigger problems down the road…

‘Dear Lord, please dress the wounds in my life, the self-inflicted ones as well as the ones inflicted by others. Give me the ability to forgive those in my past and those currently in my life, everyone who brought pain and hurt to me. Please reach out Your hand and not only heal me in Your timing and Your method, but also fill me with Your love to accept Your graciousness with thanksgiving. I reach out to You today; please accept my little faith. Stop my bleeding, dress my wound, and please, God, heal me.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Mike MacIntosh- “The Tender Touch of God” – Harvest House

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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“Of all the seasons, autumn is my favorite. There’s a feel about it, a distinct and undeniable aura that surrounds it. Being a football freak, I naturally would favor autumn. But of course it’s much deeper than that.

Those leaves are part of it. What color, what artistry! Crisp, frosty mornings also help. What a refreshing change from oppressively hot afternoons and sweltering nights! Then there is a helpful return to routine as school starts. And along comes Thanksgiving, a nostalgic reminder that God has indeed ‘shed His grace on thee.’ The firewood is cut. The pumpkins are getting bigger. Our hearts are overflowing.

Let’s think of autumn as a season of reflection. Time to gain new perspective. To stroll along the back roads of our minds. To think about what. And where. And why. Such visits through the museum of memory never fail to assist us in evaluating the way we were and establishing the way we want to be. This implies change, another reason autumn seems to represent a season of reflection. It’s during this season the foliage changes. And the weather changes. And the time changes. Birds make their annual journey southward. Squirrels finish storing their nuts. Salmon start their phenomenal swim back to their spawning grounds. And many of the larger animals take their final stretch before curling up for a long winter’s nap. With incredible consistency, all these creatures in the natural world act out their individual pageants without external instruction or some script to follow.

Quiety, without flare or fanfare, God graciously moves upon our lives, taking us from summer to autumn, a season when He mysteriously writes His agenda on the tablets of our hearts. Patiently He waits for change to begin. Without exception, it does. And we reflect on that as well.

Has autumn arrived in your life? Think before you answer. Close your eyes for a minute or so and consider what God has been doing deep within your heart.”

Charles R. Swindoll “Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life” (Multnomah Press)

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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“Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
-Special Olympics Oath-

Champions are not those who never fail, they are those who never quit…Men love winners. They want to be identified with winners. Men open a newspaper and turn directly to the sports page because it features winners, while the front page usually features losers…Champions are the right man, in the right place, at the right time. Timing is all important.

God has an eternal clock which was started from the beginning of time to make you become a champion for Him. To become a champion, you must see yourself as a champion. Hanging on to the fear of failure, the sins of others and past mistakes will keep you from becoming a champion. Champions are made, not born. Many champions start with severe handicaps in life, but in making the effort to overcome, they find the ability to continue until they have excelled beyond those even without handicaps…The athlete, the farmer and the soldier all have different ways of winning. Each of them does his training, plowing or exercising in private, and they show their abilities in public…The fainthearted never win, they wilt. They start well, but fade before they finish…

Joshua was a member of the championship team. He could hardly stand to see other men who didn’t feel the way he did, and finally issued the challenge that lives on forever:

‘Choose this day whom you will serve,
but as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord’

I’m proud to be on Joshua’s team!”

Edwin Louis Cole- “Courage – Winning Life’s Toughest Battles”
(ISBN 0-89274-873-7)

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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In the shop of a blacksmith, there are three types of tools.

There are tools on the junkpile: outdated, broken, dull, rusty.
They sit in the cobwebbed corner, useless to their master, oblivious to their calling.

There are tools on the anvil: melted down, molten hot, moldable, changeable.
They lie on the anvil, being shaped by their master, accepting their calling.

There are tools of usefulness: sharpened, primed, defined, mobile.
They lie ready in the blacksmith’s toolchest, available to their master, fulfilling their calling.

Some people lie useless: lives broken, talents wasting, fires quenched, dreams dashed.
They are tossed in with the scrap iron, in desperate need of repair, with no notion of purpose.

Others lie on the anvil: hearts open, hungry to change, wounds healing, vision clearing.
They welcome the painful pounding of the blacksmith’s hammer, longing to be rebuilt, begging to be called.

Others lie in their Master’s hands: well-tuned, non-compromising, polished, productive.
They respond to their Master’s forearm, demanding nothing, surrendering all.

We are all somewhere in the blacksmith’s shop. (pp11-12)

Which are you?

Author: Max Lucado
On the Anvil (ISBN 0-8423-4568-X)

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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I found an interesting site for those of you more focused on children.

It called the Kid’s Sunday School Place and has fresh, creative Children’s Ministry resources, Sunday school lessons, Bible crafts, activities, object lessons, stories, skits, games, songs & much more. Looks like a lot of fun for children. Check out the site at http://www.kidssundayschool.com

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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“All of us at times find ourselves and our futures seemingly in the hands of other people.  Their decisions or their actions determine whether we get a good grade or a poor one, whether we arepromoted or fired, whether our careers blossom or fold.  I am not overlooking our own responsibility in these situations, but all of us know that even when we have, so to speak, done our best, we are still dependent upon the favor or frown of that  teacher or boss or commanding officer.  We are, from a human point of view, often at the mercy of other people and their decisions or actions…

Can we trust God that He can and will work in the heart of that individual to bring about His plan for us?  Or consider the instance when someone is out to harm us, to ruin our reputation, or jeopardize our career:  Can we trust God to intervene in the heart of that person so that he does not carry out his evil intent?  According to the Bible, the answer in both instances is yes.  We can trust God.”

Source: Jerry Bridges,  “Trusting God”  (NavPress)

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…