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Seeing the heart of another person is not easy but it is the way God sees them and it is the way God
sees us. It is also difficult to see ourselves as God sees us. We have a tendency to discount or exaggerate the gifts and
strengths God has given us. Perhaps we have been raised to believe it is arrogant to put yourself forward as having something
to contribute to a discussion or situation and so you sit back waiting to be invited personally to contribute.
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There are countless allegations of financial misconduct by church leaders.
While not all the allegations turn out to be true there are indeed untold numbers of churches across the world where suspicions of financial misconduct are well-founded
and prove n. Most disturbing, because of the news coverage that
results from such revelations, nonbelievers have their skepticism reinforced, seeing the scandals as affirmation that Christianity’s
claims are false, motivated not by a concern for humankind, but rather self-enrichment.
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Dealing with our Bad Days
No matter how hard you try to make them
otherwise, some days are just awful. They start off bad, they never get any better, and they end on a low and sometimes even
gloomier note. These days befuddle your mind, waste your finite resources and throw your calendar off. Some people call the
state of mind accompanying this day 'depression' or are content to simply think of it as 'having a bad day'. Sometimes there
are logical explanations - mostly, though, these days seem to strike at will and we don't understand how or why they have
entered our lives.
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BE SATISFIED WITH WHAT YOU HAVE 
Happiness in life depends on level of contentment.
We might have expected life to be ideal in so many respects, but despite best efforts, things might not move the way we would
have liked. Some people move ahead satisfied whatever comes in life, remain contented and try to ignore things not achieved.
It does not serve any purpose to feel dejected and make life more miserable. We will be doing injustice to own self, if we
continue to feel dejected and dissatisfied with what we did not possess. We may lose the enjoyment of things that we actually
hold, by remaining in a state of dissatisfaction. Also, when we are content, our happy times are happier and sadness is less
sad.
We read in the Bible (Heb. 9:27): "It is appointed unto men
once to die, but after this the judgment." Then in the same Bible we read (Psa. 116:15): "Precious in the sight
of the Lord is the death of His saints." As we read these two verses in the Bible, to our minds come the question, "how
could the death of a person headed for God's after-death judgment be precious in the sight of the Lord?" In Hebrews 4:13
we read that "all things are naked and open unto the eyes of God with Whom we have to do." God's Son, when on earth,
stated that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without the observation and knowledge of God.
We've all experienced
it. You know, snide comments, public rebuke, and out and out false accusations. It stings, doesn't it? Unfortunately, the
natural response to false accusations is to lash out, especially when there is absolutely no truth to the
accusation
People generally feel indignant when they
are accused of something they did not do. It is a difficult thing to deal with when you are misunderstood and misjudged. in
Acts 6:8-15, all Stephen wanted to do was help people.
He was living in obedience to Jesus and was sharing the good news of God’s forgiveness with everyone he could. Unfortunately,
he was falsely accused, just like Jesus was.
Christians sometimes give the mistaken message that God is equally apparent in people's
lives at all times. I've seen Christians having stickers on their Bibles that say `If you feel far from God, guess who moved?'
The implication is that God hasn't moved - it must be you. Yet I see some passages in the Bible that refer to incidents in
which God clearly moved. For example, in 2 Chronicles there's a story about King Hezekiah. It says very plainly that God left
him to test him that He might see what was in his heart. We also can see that bout one third of the Psalms, deal with the
"dark times" of life. Psalm 23 is a wonderful expression of faith and has been a comfort to people over the years.
But back up one page. Psalm 22 starts off, `My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?' It's the psalm that Jesus quoted when
He was on the cross."
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"When
you forgive, you set a prisoner free. And then you discover that the prisoner was you." Lewis Smedes
Generally, forgiveness is a decision to let go of resentment and thoughts of revenge. The act that hurt
or offended you may always remain a part of your life, but forgiveness can lessen its grip on you and help you focus on other,
positive parts of your life.
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| by Danson Mwaniki |
Sometimes the storms that come our way vary
with intensity. Some are strong, some are weak. Sometimes, they seem to continually come, uninterrupted, while at other times
there are spaces in between. Either way, we must be prepared for them.
In 1 Timothy 3:14-17, Paul emphasizes to Timothy the importance of staying the course,
continuing in what he knows, believes and lives, for it is God alone who provided divine revelation to the writers of the
scriptures and the teachers in which Timothy followed. True learning comes from God’s perfect word, the Bible, and must
not be abandoned nor seldom looked into; it provides guidance and encouragement regarding eternal life and, more importantly,
offers a glimpse to the reader of the magnificence and majesty of God.  James Means defines church leadership as: the development of relationship with the People
of a Christian institution or body in such a way that Individuals and the group are enabled to formulate and achieve biblically
compatible goals that meet real needs. By their ethical influence, spiritual leaders serve to motivate and enable others to
achieve what otherwise would never be achieved. Lastly Walter C. Jackson, defines leadership as: the ability to inspire and
to bring people to faith in Jesus Christ; to enrich and disciple them as whole persons into whatsoever the Lord has commanded,
and to lead them to achieve the goals of ministry assigned by Jesus Christ to the Church
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The need to "go home" is part of the human condition and will inevitably confront all of us
during our life. Home has nothing to do with bricks and mortar and furnishings; it has everything
to do with the spirit which fills it. Home" immediately conjures the image of a safe haven, bringing out feelings
akin to what the womb must have felt like -- warm, secure, cared for, a sense of belonging to something greater than oneself. Home
is where the heart is" proclaims the popular adage. But why is it that even as we move on to supposedly bigger and better
things -- careers, marriage, children and grandchildren -- the longing for one's "home" persists.
Good leaders are good listeners. If
you want to be effective in ministry, you’ll need to be a good listener first. Probably the greatest reason people fail
in ministry is not immorality, a lack of intelligence, or poor planning. It’s insensitivity. Most of us simply talk
too much. James 1:19 (NIV) says, "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry."
A servant of Christ chooses
to be like Christ and serve others. Servants do it in whatever way is needed, but prefer doing it in person. They see freedom
not as a great way of doing something for themselves, but as the freedom to do what's needed to lift someone else who needs
it. The servant forgives those who do them wrong, since God forgave them in Jesus. Most of all, the servant is actually looking for helpful ways to serve, to give, and to build up. They're glad
to do it. Serving Others
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| Danson Kinyua |
Most of us do not ‘really‘
acknowledge our perceived negative parts of our personality, The Shadow Effect brings to our attention that this part of us,
when discovered, acknowledged, and reflected upon can become some what of a positive piece of our personality. It can
and will add facets to our self understanding that we never considered. And changing this negative to a partial positive,
will help us find more happiness in our own lives.
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Judas talked like a mature believer
and snowed people. People never expected Judas of being the traitor. Suddenly, Judas sent Jesus to the cross with a kiss.
But we don’t focus on Judas. So why should we focus on modern-day versions of Judas? We serve Jesus – not Judas!
Jesus warned and encouraged us: “…in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33, NIV). Jesus said “in me” and not “in
Christians.” We follow Christ, not Christians. We are all simply imperfect people who recognize
their immense need for a Savior.
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 Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes,connects you to others and
keeps you grounded, focused and alert. With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is
a tremedous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health.
Are you overscheduled and overstressed? With today’s busy schedules, you’re not
alone. One way to pare down your schedule is to get good at saying no to new commitments. Whether you say "yes"
instead of no out of guilt, inner conflict, or a misguided notion that you can "do it all," learning to say no to
more requests can be one of the biggest favors you can do yourself and those you love. It helps reduce stress levels and gives
you time for what’s really important.
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The lord is always saying something, the question is- are
you listening? Can you and what can you hear him say? When God says something, that tells you that he is about to do something.
God always says (makes known ) what he wants to do, before he does it. So at a time in your life the question you should
be asking yourself is what is THE LORD saying? You must have an expectation each time, enough for you to want to hear from
God. *And God said, Let there be light: and there was light (Genesis 1:3).
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Our Community has many strong points, and many indications of real spiritual growth. But there are
some practical areas to which we have all paid insufficient attention. One of these is the terrible human tendency to repeat
rumour, to draw unsupported conclusions, and to get disaffected with others until we imagine untrue things about them which
we then state to others. I am not innocent in this area. And neither are any of us (not that this fact in any way comforts
me). Let's not pretend that any of us don't gossip. And let's admit that our ears love to hear gossip.
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