19
Mar
stored in: Christianity
05
Jan
Everything.
Absolutely everything is going to be affected by the concepts outlined in this video. Hat tip to Ron McMenamy for sending this one to me.
A good friend today used terminology like “fault lines” and “tectonic plates” when referring to what’s becoming visible and starting to creak like the timbers of an old ship.
The Church. Business. Work. Life. Language. Nations.
All of these will be impacted. Lord help us to be properly aligned and positioned.
03
Jan
stored in: Christianity
It wouldn’t be possible to fully introduce this subject in a single blog post, but most of those that know me know that I’ve been on a journey for a number of years now searching for authentic expressions of the Church — the true ekklesia. This is a multi-faceted discussion, so in some ways I’m opening Pandora’s box by throwing out a single facet of it like this. On the other hand… you’ve gotta start somewhere!
George Barna — the famous pollster and monitor of all things “Christian” — has teamed up with the lesser-known Frank Viola — author of several books that examine the history of church practice — to write what promises to be a book that rocks quite a few boats.
I haven’t read this book yet (although I’ve seen the previous work of both authors), but I stumbled across a location where you can download a sample chapter of Pagan Christianity.
These concepts — and concepts like them — are going to figure significantly in the days ahead as the Church tackles the problem of its eroding (lost?) cultural leadership.
I’m posting this with the hopes of providing a platform for discussion amongst those who visit. You may join in by adding a comment below.
*Update* (January 4th): The comments are now set up correctly so that you can add yours! 
10
Dec
stored in: Coaching
I don’t know about you, but for me, 2007 has ruined all my definitions of the word, “busy.”
For the first time ever, I discovered this year the upper limits of my cell phone’s voice mail capacity. In fact, weeks have gone by where people were unable to leave voice mails for me because it was full. There are more unread e-mails (legitimate ones — I have very good filtering!) awaiting my attention than at any point that I can recall. There are even valuable relationships in my life that are seriously suffering.
Why? Well the reasons are too long to list here, but it comes down basically to one thing: focus. This year, I found myself with a real need to ruthlessly focus on just a few hypercritical things. And it’s been fruitful. I highly recommend it. At the same time, however, I’ve been forced to slash things out of my schedule — some of them other people might have considered non-negotiable.
And so, as 2007 winds down, I want more time. No really: I’m not finished! There’s more to do!
Today, I spotted something in Proverbs that gave me a glimmer of hope. Here’s the passage:
The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord prolongs one’s days, but the years of the wicked shall be made short. — Proverbs 10:27 (AMP)
In the past, I’ve always understood this to mean that you’ll have a long life. “Days” seems to be a metaphor throughout the Old Testament for the length of your life. However, today I happened to notice something…
The word that’s used in the Hebrew (the original language) for “days” in this verse literally comes from a word meaning “hot.” In other words, the Hebrew thought behind this word is “the warm hours” — the time from one sunrise to a sunset. These are the hours in which you can work.
So… putting that concept back into the verse we’re looking at today, “The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord prolongs one’s hours in which one can work….”
I don’t pretend to understand how God does this, but I’ve experienced it. On days when I know my schedule is crammed full of more stuff than I could possibly get done, I’ve found that if I invest time sacrificially in Him and in relating to Him, I am more productive and more fruitful during the remainder of my day. It appears that Solomon seems to have documented this as well!
Now… off I go to invest time sacrificially in relating to Father! Hope you do the same!
21
May
Dear Friends,
(If you’re an e-mail subscriber, the details that were missing from your recent message are in this post. Please follow the links to read the full post on the blog.)
God has been opening the doors for me and providing me with opportunities to reach out and teach about the purpose He has for You in the marketplace through business ownership and creating financial independence.
There is an increasing demand and need throughout God’s Kingdom for this instruction, and as such I am teaching a Special Teleseminar tomorrow that I would like to invite you to attend:
====================================================
David G. Johnson presents…
“Nourish The Dream: Your Destiny In the Marketplace”
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
9:00 PM (Eastern)
There are 2 ways you can listen to my teleseminar:
Listen in Via Phone:
Dial In Number: 218-486-3693
Guest PIN Number: 5728276# (please hit # after the last number)
Listen in Via Computer:
To view the teleseminar information and/or to listen to the call via Webcast on your computer, please click here:
http://www.instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=115950
=====================================================
Jesus said that if you, “…know the truth, the truth will set you free.”
I will teach you how to break out of the “ordinary” and step into the life of your dreams. I want to set you free from hopeless thinking and return to you the Truth that God created You for a powerful purpose, and not only can you find that purpose, You Can Fulfill It!
Specifically, I am going to cover…
- 3 questions God will ask YOU face-to-face
- How to reduce your stress and find fulfillment
- How to position yourself for the largest wealth transfer in history
- How to go beyond the idea of just changing your financial picture
- How to identify and destroy the limitations that are holding you back!
I am looking forward to bringing God’s message to you tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 9:00 PM EST!
I am looking to reach out and teach to as many hearts as possible. If you know of 3 people (or more!) that might benefit from my teleseminar, please forward this information to them.
Thank you for taking the time to read this note.
Blessings,
David G. Johnson
Founder & CEO, Epiphany Consulting, LLC
Associate Pastor, The Living Sanctuary
22
Mar
stored in: Coaching, Leadership
First of all, I want to say “Thank you” to all of our faithful subscribers. It’s always great to hear from you with your thoughts and responses to the articles we post. (I hear back from you individually, but I haven’t quite gotten everybody trained to use the “comments” on the blog site!)
I am seriously interested in increasing the value of eChaplain to you personally, so in a few days you’ll be receiving an e-mail from me with a quick survey about what you like best and what you’d like to see in the future.
On a side note, for any of you that have children or grandchildren and are interested in how you may be able to improve their development (particularly the mental, speech, and language aspects), I want to highly recommend a new blog that my amazing wife, Jill, is writing: BeyondBabyTalk.com. She’s compiling years of her experience as a Speech-Language Pathologist working with young children in private practice (along with lots and lots of other research) and dishing it out in nifty little bite-sized nuggets. She’s also relating some great stories about our little 2-year-old wonder… our daughter, Grace. This is a great resource for parents and grandparents! (By the way, in one of the first few articles, she gives you a tip that will stop you from making one of the most common mistakes when talking to an infant!)
Thanks, and I look forward to communicating with you shortly.
(By the way, if you haven’t signed up for e-mail updates, visit our subscribe link today to be sure you get the survey.)
14
Feb
It’s been a little long since our last post, and I’m challenged this morning about writing more frequently. In part, the challenge comes from a passage I read this morning:
Wealth created by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap. Proverbs 21:6 (NLT)
This passionately stirred me up today.
In business, we as believers have a standard to uphold that goes beyond what others may adhere to. Why? Because we believe that our covenant-keeping God honors those who demonstrate their faith in Him by following His principles.
For example, there is no excuse for deceptive sales practices. This includes blatant lies and partial truths, the latter of which we tend to excuse at times - particularly if we can’t think of a reason why anyone would be hurt by it.
But sometimes we’re not being deceptive when we make commitments. Sometimes we intend to fulfill them, and then we allow circumstances to change in such a way that our words become untrue. Sometimes, circumstances change beyond our control, but at other times, we have the ability to affect the outcomes. How do we handle this as believers?
If we say one thing and something else turns out to be true… do we have the integrity to make it right?
If not, then it’s ultimately no different than having the lying tongue that Solomon was talking about in today’s reading (above). And it doesn’t just happen in sales. Sometimes our marketing efforts are not accurate. Sometimes our customer service functions make promises we either can’t or ultimately don’t keep.
Are you or your business caught in a deadly trap?
04
Feb
You deserve it.
From the fans here in Tampa Bay, we’ve always known this day would come. Enjoy this moment. You continue to set an amazing Godly example for us all. May God continue to bless you and your family… as well as the whole Colts crew.
Congratulations on winning Super Bowl XLI!!!
02
Feb
In an ad running alongside a phenomenal story in today’s USA Today, two good friends are portrayed as making history in multiple ways. Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith are not only two African American coaches facing off in the Superbowl, but they are good friends and, more importantly, they share a strong faith in Christ.
Here in Tampa Bay, we are well-acquainted with the testimony of Tony Dungy. We’ve heard him speak, we’ve watched him pray and struggle, and we’ve mourned some hardships with him. We hated to see him go. Lovie Smith wasn’t quite as well known during his time working with Dungy on the staff of the Tampa Bay Bucs, but his story is also a powerful one.
You can read their stories on the Beyond the Ultimate website, which is operated by Athletes in Action (a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ). They’re the ones responsible for the USA Today ad.
Way to go, guys. And a big slap on the back to Athletes in Action and Campus Crusade for making the most of an opportunity.
Of course… it raises a question: if both of them are praying to win… ?
(Hat tip to Jeff MacFarlane of The Joy FM for drawing my attention to this… and to Tim Nixon…wow!)
22
Jan
stored in: Christianity, Leadership
How authentic is our faith?
In a report from the Baptist Press last week, word of 4 Christian believers in North Korea being executed for their faith has reached us. Their crimes? Carrying New Testaments or talking about their beliefs.
North Korea is widely known to be unfriendly to religious freedom. In some ways, this story is not surprising. There are many places on this planet of ours that are this way… particularly toward Christians and Christianity. This isn’t to minimize the devastation of these lives being lost, merely to state facts.
The shock of this story, however, brings home a question that we’re all too often afraid to ask ourselves in the West. What about our lifestyles and our Christianity would change if we were to truly come under persecution here? I’m not talking about being laughed at on sitcoms or teased by skeptics. I’m talking about paying a real price — imprisonment or separation from loved ones or… even death.
Would we, like Peter, deny Him? Or would this set us up for a deeper choice? Would it, in fact, force us to clarify our values and re-evaluate what’s important to us? Would it motivate us to relate to God more frequently or in more authentic ways? Would it challenge our ability to truly trust in Him? Would it change how we train our children and what we teach them? Would it change how we do business? Would it make us sharper, wiser, stronger… perhaps even more effective?
This is worth thinking about. Perhaps it is also worth asking ourselves what might keep us from getting to this level of authenticity and reality right now.