Category: Pace

Categories
Expectation Pace Prayer

Expect Great Things

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) When anxious thoughts race through your mind, uneasiness permeates your emotions. You begin to fear the unknown. Indecision imprisons you. Questions linger. That’s exactly the kind of season the Israelites experienced when they were exiled to Babylon from their homeland of Jerusalem. They were displaced, discouraged, and confused. Yet, in just the right moment, God met them at their point of need. He delivered these words through His prophet, Jeremiah. We serve an “on time” God! He is never late and He always knows exactly what you need. Therefore, you can trust Him to accomplish His perfect plan in you and through you. He knows you by name and even the hairs upon your head are numbered. Wow! He’s good! Are you ready for the final letter in our PACE acrostic? The “E” is for expectation. At this point you pray with your hands outstretched parallel to the ground (as though you are trying to fly) with the palm of your hands facing upward. Then you say, “I expect great things to happen today!” Recognize God’s sufficiency and PACE yourself each day by embracing this spiritual discipline. Lift your hands toward heaven and say, “Lord, I praise You. I accept Your acceptance of me. I surrender to Your control. I expect great things to happen today!” Pace yourself for the day God has for you. Maintain a vertical focus by keeping your focus on God’s will. Make His smile the goal of your life. Passionately pursue Him each day and allow Him to accomplish His plan through you. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Discipline Pace Prayer

PACE Yourself

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” Psalm 9:1 (ESV) How do you begin each day of your life? Do you jump right out of bed and hit the floor running or do you slowly drag yourself from beneath the sheets and gradually wake up to the approaching day? Either way, let me share with you a wonderful way to PACE yourself for each day that Dr. Adrian Rogers taught me years ago. Let’s consider using PACE as an acrostic to get our day moving in the right direction with the Lord. The “P” stands for “Praise!” The psalmist models this attitude and action by saying, “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart.” To praise God is to give Him honor for who He is. To praise God is to acknowledge His sovereignty, His power, and His holiness. Step number one: When you awaken each morning, lift your hands toward heaven and say, “Lord, I praise You!” As soon as your feet hit the ground lift your hands and speak it with sincerity and with passion. You may even choose to look up toward heaven as you say those precious words to our Living Lord. Each of the next three days we will unlock each letter of the word PACE to explore a simple yet captivating daily exercise to start each day off right. Now, let’s practice this first step. Lift your hands toward heaven. Look up and say it with me, “Lord, I praise You!” Pace yourself by starting your day with a verbal expression of your awareness of God’s abiding presence. He is worthy. We are so blessed to have the privilege of connecting with the Creator of the universe in such a personal way. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Balance Frustration Pace

Fragmented and Frustrated

“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’” Luke 10:38-40 (ESV) Busyness is one of Satan’s most effective tools to fragment the life of a believer. We have places to go, things to do, and people to see. The activity never ends and the deadlines never cease. We are never finished! There are always more hills to conquer and mountains to climb. The opportunities to get swept up by the current of activity are endless. Busyness abounds! It is possible to get so busy doing life and fulfilling expectations that you bypass meaningful communication with people. You can become so task oriented that you neglect the relationships that God sprinkles along your path. The most vital relationship that gets hindered by the culprit of busyness is our love relationship with Jesus. Martha was exercising her gift of hospitality to benefit Jesus within her home. However, she got lost in her busyness and missed the opportunity to simply abide at Jesus’ feet. Martha thought the most important activity was extending hospitality. Yet, Jesus brought clarity to the confusion by affirming that Mary had chosen what was better (Luke 10:42). Let me share one of my favorite quotes from one of my mentors, Dr. Johnny Hunt: “If you will give the Redeemer your time, the Redeemer will redeem your time.” What if we replaced busyness with abiding in Christ. Sometimes the most spiritual activity we can embrace is sitting at the feet of Jesus! It’s hard to sit at His feet when you are sprinting! Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Expectation Pace Prayer

Expect Great Things

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jer 29:11 (NIV) When anxious thoughts race through your mind, uneasiness permeates your emotions. You begin to fear the unknown. Indecision imprisons you. Questions linger. That’s exactly the kind of season the Israelites experienced when they were exiled to Babylon from their homeland of Jerusalem. They were displaced, discouraged, and confused. Yet, in just the right moment, God met them at their point of need. He delivered these words through His prophet, Jeremiah. We serve an “on time” God! He is never late and He always knows exactly what you need. Therefore, you can trust Him to accomplish His perfect plan in you and through you. He knows you by name and even the hairs upon your head are numbered. Wow! He’s good! Are you ready for the final letter in our PACE acrostic? The “E” is for expectation. At this point you pray with your hands outstretched parallel to the ground (as though you are trying to fly) with the palm of your hands facing upward. Then you say, “I expect great things to happen today!” Recognize God’s sufficiency and PACE yourself each day by embracing this spiritual discipline. Lift your hands toward heaven and say, “Lord, I praise You. I accept Your acceptance of me. I surrender to Your control. I expect great things to happen today!” Pace yourself for the day God has for you. Maintain a vertical focus by keeping your focus on God’s will. Make His smile the goal of your life. Passionately pursue Him each day and allow Him to accomplish His plan through you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Discipline Pace Prayer

PACE Yourself

“I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.” Psalm 9:1 (NIV) How do you begin each day of your life? Do you jump right out of bed and hit the floor running or do you slowly drag yourself from beneath the sheets and gradually wake up to the approaching day? Either way, let me share with you a wonderful way to PACE yourself for each day that Dr. Adrian Rogers taught me years ago. Let’s consider using PACE as an acrostic to get our day moving in the right direction with the Lord. The “P” stands for “Praise!” The psalmist models this attitude and action by saying, “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart.” To praise God is to give Him honor for who He is. To praise God is to acknowledge His sovereignty, His power, and His holiness. Step number one: When you awaken each morning, lift your hands toward heaven and say, “Lord, I praise You!” As soon as your feet hit the ground lift your hands and speak it with sincerity and with passion. You may even choose to look up toward heaven as you say those precious words to our Living Lord. Each of the next three days we will unlock each letter of the word PACE to explore a simple yet captivating daily exercise to start each day off right. Now, let’s practice this first step. Lift your hands toward heaven. Look up and say it with me, “Lord, I praise You!” Pace yourself by starting your day with a verbal expression of your awareness of God’s abiding presence. He is worthy. We are so blessed to have the privilege of connecting with the Creator of the universe in such a personal way. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Balance Frustration Pace

Fragmented and Frustrated

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’” Luke 10:38-40 (NIV) Busyness is one of Satan’s most effective tools to fragment the life of a believer. We have places to go, things to do, and people to see. The activity never ends and the deadlines never cease. We are never finished! There are always more hills to conquer and mountains to climb. The opportunities to get swept up by the current of activity are endless. Busyness abounds! It is possible to get so busy doing life and fulfilling expectations that you bypass meaningful communication with people. You can become so task oriented that you neglect the relationships that God sprinkles along your path. The most vital relationship that gets hindered by the culprit of busyness is our love relationship with Jesus. Martha was exercising her gift of hospitality to benefit Jesus within her home. However, she got lost in her busyness and missed the opportunity to simply abide at Jesus’ feet. Martha thought the most important activity was extending hospitality. Yet, Jesus brought clarity to the confusion by affirming that Mary had chosen what was better (Luke 10:42). Let me share one of my favorite quotes from one of my mentors, Dr. Johnny Hunt: “If you will give the Redeemer your time, the Redeemer will redeem your time.” What if we replaced busyness with abiding in Christ. Sometimes the most spiritual activity we can embrace is sitting at the feet of Jesus! It’s hard to sit at His feet when you are sprinting! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell