Tag Archives: relationship with God

Stephen: Lessons from the Life and Death of the First Christian Martyr

Posted on June 25, 2026 by Mark Cole

“Lord, don’t charge them with this sin.” — Acts 7:60 Stephen appears only briefly in the book of Acts, but his life and death left a lasting mark on the early church. His story occupies only a few chapters, yet … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Leadership, obedience | Tagged Biblical, boldness, Christian, cost, courage, devotion to Jesus, discipleship, example, eyes of Jesus, faith, faithful servant, faithfulness, fearless, filled, follow Jesus, following Jesus, forgive, forgive people, forgiveness, God's Word, good character, good reputation, grace, Holy Spirit, humble, humility, impact, integrity, martyr, obedience, ordinary people, redemptive plan, relationship with God, respected, scripture, scriptures, service, serving, speak truth, spiritual maturity, Stephen, unwavering, wholeheartedly, witness | Leave a comment

Fire Tests Gold, But God Tests the Heart

Posted on June 17, 2026 by Mark Cole

“Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart.”Proverbs 17:3 (NLT) Nobody enjoys being tested. We would all prefer smooth roads, easy victories, and comfortable circumstances. Yet throughout Scripture, we discover that God often uses … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, God Adventures, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged anger, ask God, attitudes, challenges, character, comfort, compassion, condition of the heart, difficult, disappointment, eternal, eyes on Jesus, faith, fears, fire, fire tests, God tests, grateful, guard your heart, holiness, humility, impatience, loving, motives, patience, pride, purify, refining fire, rejection, relationship with God, season, setback, silver and gold, strength, suffering, test, tested, the heart, the Lord tests, transformation, trials, trust God, trusting, unbelief, waiting | Leave a comment

The Life-Changing Blessings of Reading Proverbs Daily

Posted on June 1, 2026 by Mark Cole

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” — Proverbs 1:7 For many years, one of my favorite spiritual habits has been reading through the Book of Proverbs every month. Since Proverbs … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, humility, Leadership, Teaching, Wisdom | Tagged anger, boasting, careless words, character, consequences, daily, decision, decisions, depend on God, every season, faithfulness, fear of the Lord, find wisdom, foolish choices, foolish person, fresh wisdom, friendship, gentle answers, God's wisdom, gossip, greed, guard your mouth, habit, hard work, harsh speech, honest words, honor God, humility, integrity, kind words, laziness, leadership, legacy, lying, marriage, money, obey God, parenting, patience, planning, pride, proverbs, purity, raising children, relationship with God, relationships, self-contol, slander, speech, spiritual habit, teachable, temptation, trust God, understanding, wisdom, wise counsel, wise person, work | Leave a comment

Worship Leader Self-Assessment Questionnaire

Posted on May 9, 2026 by Mark Cole

This self-assessment is designed to help worship leaders honestly evaluate their strengths, weaknesses, and growth areas. The goal is not perfection, but growth. Strong worship leaders continually develop spiritually, musically, relationally, and personally. Rate yourself honestly using the following scale: … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, God, Health, Holy Spirit, humility, Jesus, Leadership, Music, Worship | Tagged avoid cynicism, band directing, Bible reading, blend voices, care for people, celebrate others, challenge, charts, chord progressions, communicate, comparison, compromise, confidence, correction, develop musicians, dynamics, encourage, grace, growth, harmonies, help singers, holiness, humility, insecurity, integrity, love for God, love for Jesus, Love God, lyrics, main instrument, music theory, musical direction, musical excellence, musical flow, musical problems, musical structure, musically, needs improvement, on time, passion, personally, positive, practice, prayer life, prepared, pride, private life, public ministry, questionnaire, read the Bible, recordings, rehearsals, relationally, relationship with God, repent, rhythm, seek God, self-assessment, self-awareness, servant's heart, set list, sing in pitch, song flow, song styles, spiritual life, spiritual sensitivity, spiritually, stay calm, strengths, support, talent, teach harmony, teachable, team culture, theology, time with God, timing, unity, vocal arranging, vocal range, vocal technique, worship God, worship leader, worship privately, Worship set | Leave a comment

The Signs of Jesus’ Return

Posted on May 8, 2026 by Mark Cole

For 2,000 years, Christians have lived with a sense of anticipation: Jesus is coming again. The return of Christ is one of the central promises of the New Testament. The same Jesus who came in humility will one day return … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Jesus | Tagged all nations, arrested, awaken, birth pains, close to Jesus, Come Lord Jesus, deception, disasters, don't panic, earthquakes, endures to the end, false prophets, false teachers, famines, global instability, Gospel, gospel preached, grow cold, guard your heart, hated, hope, Jesus, Jesus is coming, Jesus' return, live ready, My followers, new earth, new heaven, no one, persecuted, persecution, prepare, relationship with God, return of Christ, rumors of wars, signs, sin, suddenly, the day, the hour, wars, watchful, when, Word of God | Leave a comment

The Cost and Blessings of Following Jesus

Posted on April 18, 2026 by Mark Cole

Following Jesus is the greatest decision a person can make—but it is not an easy one. In a society that celebrates comfort, self-promotion, and independence, the call of Christ cuts across the grain. He never hid that truth. He spoke … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Jesus | Tagged blessing, blessings, comfort, cost, cost us, daily decision, day by day, deny himself, direction, division, eternal life, eternity, follow Me, following Jesus, grace, His presence, humble, inside out, integrity, loving, ministry, obedience, obey, patient, pride, purpose, relationship with God, relationships, reward, self-rule, soul, step by step, transformation, truth, Your will | Leave a comment

Called for Such a Time: Deborah’s Example

Posted on April 15, 2026 by Mark Cole

In one of the darkest seasons in Israel’s history, when leadership was weak and the nation was under oppression, God raised up an unlikely leader—a woman named Deborah. Her story, found in Judges 4–5, is not just a historical account; … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Leadership | Tagged Barak, called, courage, Deborah, faith, God calls people, gratitude, honor, Jael, judge, know His voice, lead, leader, leadership, listen, obedience, obey, oppression, private devotion, prophet, prophetess, raises leaders, relationship with God, serve, spiritual insight, spoke truth, used by God, victory, walk with God, woman, Worship, yes to God | Leave a comment

Wisdom

Posted on April 8, 2026 by Mark Cole

Wisdom is one of the most valuable things a person can pursue—and one of the most misunderstood. We often confuse wisdom with knowledge. But knowledge is simply knowing facts. Wisdom is knowing what to do with them. You can be … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged ask, ask God, clarity, conflict, criticism, decisions, direction, discern, educated, fear of God, fear of the Lord, finances, foolishness, fruitfulness, God's Word, good fruit, integrity, knowledge, listen, meditate, ministry, obey, peace, pray, promise, relationship with God, relationships, self-control, temptations, think, transformation, traps, walk in wisdom, when to speak, when to stay silent, wisdom, words | Leave a comment

7 Things To Remember Because Time Is Short

Posted on March 21, 2026 by Mark Cole

Life has a way of moving faster than we expect. One day you’re starting out, full of plans and dreams… and before you know it, decades have passed. The Bible reminds us that our lives are “a mist that appears … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Family, God, Health, Jesus, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged build up, children, church family, close to God, daily, discourage, do it now, dreams, encourage, eternal life, faith, finish well, focus, forever, forgive, friends, generously, give, God sees, God's kingdom, heal, helping people, humble, I'll do that later, integrity, invest, knowing Him, knowing Jesus, life, love, love deeply, money, obedience, obey quickly, plans, possessions, purpose, relationship, relationship with God, remember, say yes, serve, speak life, spend time, spouse, status, things, time is short, treasures in heaven, truth, walk with God, words, wound, your words | Leave a comment

What Is The Difference Between Spiritual Gifts and Natural Talents?

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Mark Cole

A question that often comes up among believers—especially those serving in the church—is this: “What’s the difference between a natural talent and a spiritual gift?” It’s a great question, and understanding the difference can unlock clarity, confidence, and effectiveness in … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, God, Holy Spirit, Leadership, Music, Wisdom | Tagged administration, artistic, athletic, believers, build others, burn out, church, coaching, come from God, common good, common grace, confidence, craftsmanship, creativity, depend on God, develop your talent, different gifts, discernment, discipline, Divine purpose, encouragement, faith, God-given, God's kingdom, hearts are touched, Holy Spirit, humility, leadership, mercy, musical ability, natural talents, obedience, perfect gift, power, practice, prophecy, purpose-driven, relationship with God, serving, skills, spiritual fruit, spiritual gift, spiritual gifts, spiritual growth, strengthening, talented musician, talented singer, talents, teaching | Leave a comment

Tag Archives: relationship with God

Stephen: Lessons from the Life and Death of the First Christian Martyr

Fire Tests Gold, But God Tests the Heart

The Life-Changing Blessings of Reading Proverbs Daily

Worship Leader Self-Assessment Questionnaire

The Signs of Jesus’ Return

The Cost and Blessings of Following Jesus

Called for Such a Time: Deborah’s Example

Wisdom

7 Things To Remember Because Time Is Short

What Is The Difference Between Spiritual Gifts and Natural Talents?

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