Tag Archives: growing

The Side-Effects of Patience

Posted on February 28, 2026 by Mark Cole

We live in a culture of microwaves, high-speed internet, and same-day delivery. We don’t wait well. We tap our fingers at red lights. We check our phones in grocery lines. We grow restless with people who don’t move at our … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Holy Spirit, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged Abraham, anxiety, calm, character, confidence, control isssues, correct gently, David, deep faith, delay, depth, entitlement, expanding, faith, forgives, forming, fruit of the Spirit, generations, God is working, gratitude, growing, humility, impatience, impatient, influence, Joseph, lasting impact, love matures, maturity, patience, patience builds, peaceful, perseverance, pride, roots, side-effects, strength, strength under control, strengthening, Trust, unanswered prayer, wait, wait on God, waited | Leave a comment

7 Habits of Couples Who Stay In Love for Decades

Posted on February 17, 2026 by Mark Cole

In a society where marriages often fade under pressure, some couples quietly build love that lasts 30, 40, even 50 years. That kind of love doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built on habits. After decades of marriage and ministry, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Family, God, Healing, Health, Jesus, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged choose love, control your tongue, couples, don't attack, endurance, faith, finish strong, forgive, forgiveness, friends, friendship, growing, habits, health, higher purpose, humility, in love, intimacy, invest, kind, laught, laughter, learning, legacy, love, marriage, memories, new skills, patient, purpose, romance, service, share, shared faith, shared mission, stay in love, talk | 1 Comment

Are You Passing the Test?

Posted on February 13, 2026 by Mark Cole

In Book of Exodus, God tells Moses regarding the manna in the wilderness: “I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow My instructions.” That line stops me in my tracks. God wasn’t just feeding … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, God Adventures, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged blame, bread from heaven, complaining, complaint, control, criticize, daily bread, discipline, failing, faith, faithfulness, fear, finance, follow my instructions, giants, God teaching me, gratitude, growing, humble, humility, increase, integrity, keep your word, manna, obedience, obey, pass the test, passing the test, patience, prepared, Promised Land, provision, response, rest, small tests, stewardship, success, test, test of trust, test them, testing them, testing us, tests, trainging ground, Trust, withdraw | Leave a comment

7 Characteristics of Growing Churches

Posted on December 28, 2025 by Mark Cole

Church growth in North America isn’t accidental—and it isn’t primarily about style, denomination, or budget. Growing churches tend to share a set of intentional characteristics that shape everything they do. They don’t abandon theology or tradition, but they continually ask … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, God, Healing, Jesus, Leadership, Wisdom, Worship | Tagged anxiety, applied, baptisms, belonging, church, church growth, clear, encounter God, engaging, excellent, experienced, first impressions, God still, growing, growth, guest experience, heals, How do we reach them, joy, leading, marriage, mission, Music, new life, outsiders, pathways, prayer, preaching, reaching, restores, saves, sermons, serving, singable, testimonies, transformed, truth, vision, vision-casting, work, Worship | Leave a comment

The Power of Habits: Small Decisions That Shape a Life

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Mark Cole

If you want to change your life, don’t start with big dreams—start with daily habits. Goals give direction, but habits create momentum. They quietly shape who we become, one small decision at a time. Whether you’re growing spiritually, improving your … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Exercise, Health, Leadership, Music, Sports, Wisdom | Tagged accountability, anchor points, celebrate, church, daily habits, daily walk, date nights, dates, decision, encouraging, excellence, generosity, goals, growing, habits, hard things, health, hydration, improving, leader, life is shaped, movement, musician, never miss twice, nutrition, practice your instrument, practicing, pray, prayer, read your Bible, reading, remembering names, rest, restart, review your schedule, scripture reading, sleep, spiritually, start small, support, tiny habits, track your progress, win big, wins | Leave a comment

The Joy of Using Your Gift for Others

Posted on November 27, 2025 by Mark Cole

“God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” — 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT) One of the greatest privileges of following Jesus is discovering that God has … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, Family, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged Body of Christ, deep joy, encouragement, encourager, gift, gifts, gifts grow, God given, great variety, grow, growing, hospitality, humble, joy, leader, musician, organizing, serve, serve others, servers, service, serving, spiritual gifts, stay humble, stop comparing, teacher, teaching, use it, use your gift | Leave a comment

When Smart Becomes Dangerous

Posted on October 26, 2025 by Mark Cole

It’s good to be smart. It’s even better to be wise. But when we start thinking we’re too wise — that we’ve got life figured out, that our opinions are always right, that we no longer need correction — that’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Jesus, Wisdom | Tagged correct me, dangerous, depending on God, education, experience, fear of the Lord, God's wisdom, growing, growth, hearts soft, humble, intellect, learning, listening, minds open, obedience, opinions, pride, smart, spirits teachable, teach me, teachable, truth, wisdom | Leave a comment

Why the Age 30 Is So Significant in the Bible

Posted on August 23, 2025 by Mark Cole

Throughout Scripture, certain ages carry special weight. We see numbers like 7, 12, and 40 pop up repeatedly with spiritual meaning. But one age that stands out with deep biblical significance is 30. Over and over, God sets apart this … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Jesus, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged age 30, David, emotionally, God's timing, growing, hidden seasons, His time, Jesus, Joseph, King David, learning, life-changing, mature, maturity, physically, preparation, priests, seasons, serving, spirtually | 1 Comment

Dealing with Guilt

Posted on June 14, 2025 by Mark Cole

Guilt is one of those uncomfortable emotions that every human being encounters. It sneaks in when we’ve done something wrong, failed to do what was right, or hurt someone we care about. While our culture often dismisses guilt or masks … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Healing, Wisdom | Tagged acknowledge, forgiveness, freedom, grace, growing, guilt, healing, humility, learning, peace, realigning, reconciliation, repent, repentance, Trust, truth, warning | Leave a comment

Seven Habits Of Healthy Worship Leaders

Posted on January 25, 2025 by Mark Cole

I recently celebrated 50 years since I started into full-time music ministry. There have been some incredible highs and a few lows along the way. But, I have always been amazed at the faithfulness of God. Here are a few … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, Exercise, Family, God, Leadership, Music, Wisdom, Worship | Tagged accountable, Bible, diet, exercise, faith, family, forgive, forgiveness, friends, gifts, Go, growing, habits, healthy, home, humbe, humble, humility, improving, integrity, leadership, love, music ministry, peaceful, prayer, recharge, relationships, rest, talents, teams, train people, worship leader | Leave a comment

Tag Archives: growing

The Side-Effects of Patience

Are You Passing the Test?

7 Characteristics of Growing Churches

The Power of Habits: Small Decisions That Shape a Life

The Joy of Using Your Gift for Others

When Smart Becomes Dangerous

Why the Age 30 Is So Significant in the Bible

Dealing with Guilt

Seven Habits Of Healthy Worship Leaders

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