Things every new CEO should know

A fellow had just been hired as the new CEO of a large high tech
corporation. The CEO who was stepping down met with him privately and
presented him with three numbered envelopes.

"Open these if you run up against a problem you don't think you can
solve," he said.

Well, things went along pretty smoothly, but six months later, sales
took a downturn and he was really catching a lot of heat. About at his
wit's end, he remembered the envelopes. He went to his drawer and took out
the first envelope. The message read, "Blame your predecessor."

The new CEO called a press conference and tactfully laid the blame at
the feet of the previous CEO. Satisfied with his comments, the press and
Wall Street responded positively, sales began to pick up and the problem was
soon behind him.

About a year later, the company was again experiencing a slight dip in
sales, combined with serious product problems. Having learned from his
previous experience, the CEO quickly opened the second envelope. The
message read, "Reorganize."

This he did, and the company quickly rebounded. After several
consecutive profitable quarters, the company once again fell on difficult
times. The CEO went to his office, closed the door and opened the third
envelope. The message said, "Prepare three envelopes."

What do you do when things go wrong? Who do you blame? How do you
react? Imagine for a moment that the apostle Paul has prepared three
envelopes for you when life gets tough.

The first envelope contains 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (make sure you don't
read it until you really need it!)

The second envelope contains Philippians 1:19-21 (only read it if
things are getting worse!)

And the third envelope contains 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (save this one
for extreme situations!)

May God's Word give you the strength you need to meet the struggles of
life this day and every day.

Alan Smith

Baptizing a doll

I guess it's no wonder that the world is so easily confused and sometimes
fooled regarding religious matters.

A preacher writes: A friend of mine took her 4 year old daughter to a
baptismal service at her church. Later that night, her daughter took all of
her dolls into the bathtub with her and held her own "baptism."

As she dunked each doll under the water, she repeated, "Now I baptize you in
the name of the Father, the Son, and hold your nose."

She almost had it right, but not quite! Now, hopefully if you are reading
this you are a little wiser than a 4 year old child. But then I guess there
are different levels of wisdom and different levels of maturity aren't
there.

I've known some people who have been Christians for years, yet they still
don't know many of the basic teachings we read about in the scripture. The
apostle Paul wrote about the change that should take place in Christ in 1
Corinthians 13:11. He says there: "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I
understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put
away childish things."

There needs to be some growth in our spiritual lives. There comes a time
where each of us are accountable before God for knowing what his Word says.
I understand that we will never know everything, but God does expect growth
from us. If we had a child who never grew mentally or in maturity we would
know they had a problem. If we don't grow spiritually in our understanding,
there is a problem.

The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: "There is much more we would like to
say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are
spiritually dull and don't seem to listen. You have been believers so long
now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach
you again the basic things about God's word. You are like babies who need
milk and cannot eat solid food." (Hebrews 5:11-12)

Yes, "in the name of the Father, the Son, and hold your nose" is cute for a
4 year old to say, but where are you in spiritually maturity and
understanding. Getting it "almost right" just may not be enough when you
stand before God.

Russ Lawson

What makes Easter Sunday special to you?

When I was a child Easter was a special time of the year. We have
photographs in our album of our family at Easter for several different
years. Normally we were spruced up in new suits, pretty dresses, everyone
all cleaned up and all of the shoes shined to go to church on Easter.

All of us kids would wake up to an Easter basket full of candy and colored
eggs, then we would get cleaned up and go to our Sunday Bible classes and
Worship at our church, just like we did every Sunday. They generally meet
with our extended family for a big Easter dinner. It was indeed a special
time for us and holds special memories.

What makes Easter Sunday special to you? For lots of folks in our world,
Easter Sunday is one of the only Sunday's they "go to church". Many churches
have Sunrise Services or even Easter with pageants. They hang purple cloth
on crosses and place containers of "Easter lilies" where they can be seen.

All of these things have some symbolic meaning, but why are they necessary?
The resurrection of Jesus is the most important part of our religious
belief. It is the focus and the center of who we are and what we do. If that
is true, why is it that so many folks only remember this event one time a
year?

The resurrection is central to all of the teachings in the Scripture! Paul
writes in 1 Corinthians 15:13-18, "For if there is no resurrection of the
dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been
raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we
apostles would all be lying about God-for we have said that God raised
Christ from the grave. But that can't be true if there is no resurrection of
the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not
been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless
and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died
believing in Christ are lost!"

That is why Christ instituted the Lords Supper in Matthew 26:26-29, so that
we would not forget that he died for us and was raised again to gives us
life eternal! In the New Testament we see that the first century church came
together the first day of every week and shared the Lord's Supper together.
For us this is not something that gets old and has no meaning, it is just
what it was intended to be, a reminder of what Christ did so that we might
live forever.

So, when you come to our church on Easter Sunday you may be surprised that
there are no Easter pageants or purple cloth hanging from crosses. But you
see; we don't celebrate Easter just once a year, it is done every Sunday we
meet together. God wants us to remember him more than one time a year, he
wants your heart focused on him not just every Sunday, but also every day.

Russ Lawson

What is a House Of Pain?

 

In saying "House of Pain", you may think I have in mind one of these
spooky houses you visit at Halloween.  No, that's not it.  A hospital
perhaps?  That might qualify for such a label (though medical PR firms
would shriek in protest).  No, the place I have in mind is a place I
visit - and pay to visit.

At various times in the past 25 years I've held membership in the
local Wellness Center, an uptown name for "gym".  This last go-around
has been my most successful; I've been at it for almost two years,
making visits two to three times a week.  I've not yet been asked to
model for their advertising, but I can tell I'm in (somewhat) better
shape.

The physical price I pay, however, is often steep.  Even after all
this time, I still struggle with the weight machines and have to push
myself to get in my time on the bike.  There are times when the word
"pain" best describes what I feel.  And yet I continue to make my
visits.

"No pain, no gain" is the old cliché for physical fitness, and it's
based on truth.  As I strain to lift the weight, cells in my muscles
are broken down.  In their place, though, new and stronger ones are
developed.  We go through the pain of exercise, in other words, to see
some real benefits.  We grow stronger through the pain.

In a larger sense this world is a house of pain.  Do I need to provide
proof of that, or don't we see it every day on the news?  Natural
disaster, illnesses, accidents - if there is one experience universal
to mankind, it is pain.  We all go through it to one degree or
another.  (There are a few exceptions; some people don't experience
physical pain.  But this is itself is a serious medical condition.)

God provides the perspective we need as we consider our place in this
house of pain.  Rather than being all bad, suffering can actually
bring about good.  Here's how James presented the concept: "My
brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing
that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience
have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking
nothing" (James 1:2-4).

It's as if we have spiritual muscles, according to James.  Without the
workout that suffering brings, our spiritual muscles become weak.  The
popular modern version of this idea goes like this: "What doesn't kill
us makes us better" (attributed to Friedrich Nietzsche).  In the case
of Christians, even that which kills us may make us better!  The soul
endures even beyond death.

That's the fundamental principle in all of this: "For what will it
profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or
what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:36,37).  While
we wish to cling to good physical health, how much more vital that our
souls be kept healthy!

How can God help us cope with pain?  Just listen to Paul: "Therefore
we do not lose heart.  Even though our outward man is perishing, yet
the inward man is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction,
which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:16,17).  Our time in this
house of pain is temporary.  But one day ...

Timothy D. Hall

How to become a Christian

How do I become a Christian? Are there any steps necessary to becoming a Christian? How do I get to heaven? What must I do to be saved? Is baptism required for salvation? Must I obey God to be saved? Is there a “plan of salvation”? How do I “obey the gospel”?

People from around the world continue to ask what is necessary to become a Christian so a basic study on “New Testament Christianity” is offered in fifty-two different languages. This study provides information on how to become a Christian as well as how to worship as Christian.


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